Patience is not a virtue.

Esong was on the phone with his son for an hour, indulging him in whatever he wanted to talk about about. Once Justin dosed off, he hung up and returned to business. 

This entire time while he was comforting his son, the body of a bleeding, bruised and broken Atlas was laying at his feet on his spaceship.

All the men who participated in the hunt were there, drinking and discussing what they had enjoyed the most.

"Is he alive?" Markay poked Atlas with his foot. 

Captain Jacks came over and looked at Atlas's face up close. He opened a beer bottle and took a swig then said casually, "He is alive, we barely touched him." 

Elroy and Beord shared a look, both thinking to themselves that barely was stretching the word thin. Atlas's face was swollen and bloody, half of his bones were broken. 

He was traumatized, whimpering softly on the ground and terrified. Whatever the goal was, it had been accomplished.