Dumas waited while Chester spoke with Mari.  Although he couldn’t predict exactly how she’d react when she learned about his betrayal, it seemed almost certain that she’d never want to see him again.  Of course, they didn’t really cross paths during their normal nights at the club, but it still might be better for him to find a new job.  She’d never feel comfortable knowing that her rapist was constantly watching her through Wonderland’s security cameras.  Leaving quietly was the least he could do to make up for his terrible mistake.  Maybe he’d go back to being a bouncer at another club, or try his hand at bodyguard work.  People said there was good money in being a bodyguard, if you didn’t mind the risk.<br/><br/>Lost in his thoughts, Dumas jumped a little when Chester’s hologram started moving again.  The smirk on its face seemed promising -- surely Chester wouldn’t be amused by things getting even worse.  But Dumas’s heart was still too heavy to be lifted by hope.  Like a stone painfully embedded in his chest, it barely beat as Dumas listened to Chester reveal the result of his conversation with Mari.<br/><br/>“She wants to see me?”  Even as Dumas spoke the words, he could hardly believe them.  Why did Mari want to see him?  To scream at him in person?  To deliver a well deserved slap in the face?  Dumas supposed that he owed her that much satisfaction.  But could he handle being with her right now?  A deep ache filled Dumas as he realized how desperately he wanted to see his Bunny Girl.  Despite everything that had happened in the last few hours, he couldn’t forget how good he’d once felt when she was close to him.  And the bitch held less power over him now that his Mari knew the truth.  A meeting wouldn’t be without the risk of violence -- very few things in Dumas’s life were ever going to be without the risk of violence.  However, it seemed like a risk worth taking.<br/><br/>With his usual care, Dumas went through the proper disconnect procedure, before pulling out the plug that linked him to DEE.  Then he got up from his chair and addressed Chester’s hologram.  “I’m coming.”<br/><br/>Nodding to White as he left his office, Dumas began walking toward Mari’s apartment.  The journey had never seemed so long.  What should he say to her?  Should he say anything at all?  It didn’t seem possible that words, no matter how carefully chosen, could ever heal the wound that he’d inflicted.  But he felt compelled to try anyway.  Reaching Mari’s door, Dumas spoke to the real Chester.  “Wait here while I’m in there.  And if you hear anything that sounds like a thump, or a cry of pain, charge in and  shoot me with that stun gun of yours."<br/><br/>Dumas took a deep breath, feeling like he was about to jump from a great height.  Then he stepped into Mari’s apartment.  When he saw her, he could tell that she’d been crying.  Of course she’d been crying.  Dumas wanted to run over and wrap his arms around her, hold her close to his body until he’d absorbed all her pain.  But he couldn’t.  “Mari,” he began, softly shutting the apartment door behind himself.  “I’m so sorry.  I took something from you that I that I can never give back.  You wanted your first time to be with someone special, someone you loved...and it was just with me.”<br/><br/>Helplessly, Dumas spread his arms in the air.  He didn’t know what atonement to offer, didn’t know what sacrifice could pay for his crime.  “You can hit me, if you want.  Or kick me in the balls.  I won’t fight back.”