Leon seized the broom and dustpan and began walking toward the exit on the second floor.
Eyes drew from every direction and paused as he moved past the doors.
He lowered his head, shoved the hood over his head, and sighed the moment he stopped and waited at the front, where the elevator was.
A mechanical hum echoed as the door opened.
He stared at the faces that were already in the car and smiled faintly.
Once inside, he kept his head down, but his heightened sense caught every shift in the mechanical humming sound as the car descended.
"…shifted to janitorial duty already?"
"What did you expect? Grade E is basically a civilian class. He might as well be useful."
"Poor Zoe. Trading Kang T's spotlight for this… a guy who fights dust."
"She'll learn."
"Told you he'd come back broken. Surviving against Kang T just broke him differently."
The doors opened on the ground floor, releasing him into the marginally cooler air of the lobby.
