"Fact of life? Very few in our line of work will ever make it to Mister Waverly's age. Most are lucky to get halfway there. Bloke I asked said that most of them tend to avoid young agents unless they're assigned to work with them. Most of them have seen a considerable number of deaths. With new agents having a higher than average mortality rate in their first year?"

April got it and gave his hand a light squeeze.

"Losing a fellow agent is one thing. Losing a friend is another level of grief. They're shielding themselves."