Author's Note: there will be some mentions of blood in this chapter. It's not much but it may be considered distressing to some people.

Silence. Then Esther said, "State secrets had been given to five senior agents, including Isaac. We were given a mission: these state secrets had been given to OWCA in America, and we had to find out who."

Since Esther paused after this, Zero asked, "And did you?"

"We thought so. But the person we accused had an alibi. It didn't make sense, especially because all the other evidence pointed to him, we were sure. But then our suspect completely flipped the tables on us and accused Isaac. Worse, he actually had non-circumstantial evidence."

"No way…!"

"I didn't want to believe it, and Isaac vehemently denied it, so I didn't believe it. We worked hard to uncover more evidence but everything we found…it all pointed to him. I never believed it. I still don't believe it to this day."

"But giving state secrets to OWCA in America? That's hardly a crime of epic proportions."

"It is, for two reasons. One, the information was given in the strictest confidence, and even Isaac telling me would have had him suspended."

"Oh."

"And two, it was proven that the person who had given the secrets to OWCA had received money in return."

"Ah. Selling state secrets as opposed to giving them is much more serious."

"Exactly."

"So what happened next?"

Esther swallowed loudly and sat up in bed, adjusting her position. "Isaac was arrested, despite my protests, and sent for trial. But as he was being taken into the courthouse…"

She shuddered and a look of grief came onto her face. "You don't have to finish," Zero said hurriedly, worried about the psychological effect on his closest friend.

"No, I have to. I've come this far." She took a deep, shuddering breath in and out. "As he was being taken into the courthouse, right in front of me, he was shot in the head by a sniper hiding in the building opposite."

"No…!"

Esther nodded sadly. "Right in front of me. One moment I was walking behind him, the next I heard a gunshot, blood was flying everywhere, and Isaac had collapsed. I screamed for help and refused to leave the love of my life's side until an ambulance came, but deep down inside I knew that Isaac was gone, and he was never coming back. Never again would I relish in his praise and shy away from his scolding. Never again would I be able to even talk to him. The person who had molded me into BOWCA's best agent, the man I loved more than life itself, was dead."

"That's awful…" was the only thing Zero could think of to say. He didn't want to sound condescending but he also didn't want to seem heartless by saying nothing.

"The thing I hate most about the whole incident is that Isaac hadn't been found guilty or innocent yet." Esther pressed her fist against her mouth in an effort to stop herself from crying. "Someone killed him without knowing the verdict."

"So was the affair pinned on him?"

Esther shook her head. "They agreed that if someone killed him before he was found guilty or innocent, it couldn't have been him. The case is still open."

"The only case you ever…" He switched what he was going to say mid-sentence. "…that was never resolved."

"Yes. I let my anger that Isaac was being accused cloud my judgement. Maybe if I hadn't done that, I would have cleared my husband of suspicion and saved his life."

Zero did not tell Esther that she was wrong. He believed in being brutally honest, whether that meant telling people the harsh truth or not telling them a sweet lie. From what Esther had told him, it was partly her fault that Isaac died, though of course he would never say that aloud. He was honest, not cruel. Of course, the blame was only about ten percent on her. The other ninety percent was on the sniper who actually killed Isaac. If he or she had not pulled the trigger, Isaac would not have died.

That reminded Zero…

"Did they ever find out who shot Isaac?" he asked.

Esther slowly shook her head. "It could have been anyone. BOWCA agent, evil scientist, random civilian. There was nothing to go on. The bullet was lodged in Isaac's head and they couldn't get it out without completely destroying his head, which I didn't want. I know, it's selfish. We could have had a vital clue into finding out who killed my husband if I hadn't wanted to keep his body whole."

"It's not selfish at all," said Zero, being completely honest. "You just lost the person you loved most. Of course you'd want to keep him preserved."

Esther hesitated. "Thank you for listening. Or rather, thank you for pestering me over and over again."

Zero grinned sheepishly. "Well, I'm glad you told me."

"I'm glad too. You were right: I do feel better having told you."

At that moment, a nurse called Connie Cutler came bustling up. Although she was female, she was not considered an agent of BOWCA. BOWCA had many female nurses, but since they didn't actually go on missions or leave the ward most of the time, they were considered staff, rather than agents.

"It's time for your medication," she said. "Is your head hurting?"

Esther considered this. "Yes, it is. I've only just noticed."

"Then I must ask your friend-."

"Partner," corrected Esther and Zero at the same time.

"-your partner to leave," Connie finished.

Zero nodded and stood up, placing a hand on Esther's shoulder. "I'll be back soon."

As he started to walk away, Esther caught his wrist. "I was supposed to meet Ruth Summers this evening," she recalled. "But Connie said I need to stay in bed until at least tomorrow, so could you meet Ruth and apologise for me?"

"Of course."

Esther let go of Zero's wrist, and the British agent left the hospital ward, reflecting on what Esther had told him. The poor woman had gone through so much in the last two years. No wonder she was so distant when I was assigned as her partner.

As he walked slowly back to his office, he made himself and Esther a promise: I will find whoever killed Isaac and whoever leaked those secrets, whether they are the same person or not. I will get justice for Esther and Isaac, just you watch.

So that's what happened to Isaac :( Anyone else feeling sorry for Esther?