The Price of a Slap

Elara remained diligently at her cluttered desk until well after six in the evening. The vast R&D laboratory, usually buzzing with the frenetic energy of researchers, had completely emptied out. Only the harsh, buzzing fluorescent lights overhead kept her company. She was exhausted. Her left cheek throbbed with a dull, persistent ache, a lingering physical reminder of the violent altercation that