The tension was as thick as a tree's bark.
Inside the small room beside the Operations Room, it clinged to the walls. Bristling.
In the center of the two men, Kara had her expressive eyes wide open, worried, looking at one after the other.
To her right, Darren stood rigid, his jaw clenched, his dark eyes boring into Rico Evans.
Then to her left, Rico's lanky figure stood shakily, his gray beanie slightly askew as he shifted nervously. He had a boyish grin on his face which was already faltering under the weight of Darren's silent fury.
Kara knew that if she didn't say something now, she would probably get to see a side of Darren that she'd never seen before.
She quickly stepped in.
"Darren, sir, please just hear me out," Kara said, her voice steady but urgent, cutting through the quiet hum of the air conditioner.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Darren muttered from the depths of his throat.
