#
Ben barged into Field’s office and stormed toward his desk. He grabbed Field by the neck and lifted him out of his chair, shoving him against the wall.
“You were willing to throw me to the wolves!” he shouted into Field’s passive face.
Field didn’t even flinch. “Ben, as an agent, you’re always willing to give your life for the Establishment. We both know that.”
“When I consent to it, at the start of each mission!”
“You consented to it when you joined the Program. You don’t renew your pledge with each mission.”
Field slowly reached up with his biomechanical arm, and gently but forcefully removed Ben’s hand from his neck, benefiting from the enhanced strength of his fake appendage. Ben knew better than to resist – he didn’t need a broken wrist today.
“Look Ben,” Field said, taking his seat again. “It was not an easy decision for me. The Echelon insisted I use my best agent. You’re like a son to me, Ben. It hurt me, but I had to do it.”
“My own father would never take away my right to choose. I’d have gladly died for the Program. But I was tricked into taking this mission. I had no choice in it.” Ben flopped down in the chair opposite Field.
“Your own father understood the Program, accepted the protocols, and wouldn’t have done a thing differently. I should know. I was his protégé. He was there when I lost my limbs. And neither of us has any regrets.”
Ben scowled at Field.
“You couldn’t know what was going on, or it wouldn’t have worked,” Field continued. “Now I’m not going to sit here and defend the decisions of the Establishment. You have saved Earth, saved the Solar System, and even saved other systems from future assaults of Axo. You will be retired with honor. Isn’t tomorrow your retirement day?”
“Yes,” said Ben somberly.
“It’s just such a shame that Olivia won’t get an honorable retirement. I wish we’d been able to recover her body, so we could have had a proper Program Threnody Ceremony.”
“When she was killed on Axo’s ship, I wasn’t able to carry her body to the shuttle. There was just no time.”
Field saw the look in Ben’s eye, and said, “It’s alright, Ben. I understand. You may be like a son to me, but that girl was like a daughter. Her death will weigh even more heavily on me than the others we suffer each year in the Program.”
Ben leaned forward in his chair. “You know, despite the manipulation, I’m glad I was able to serve the Program as I did on this final mission. And I’m glad to have known you, Sir.”
“In a few hours, you’ll be a civilian,” Field said, breaking into a small, rarely seen smile. “Call me John.”
#
The fire cracked and popped in the large fireplace of the great room of the rustic lodge in the Swiss Alps. Ben stood beside the hearth, staring into the flames, feeling the warmth emanating from the burning logs.
A man in a suit entered quietly from a side door and gave him a terse nod.
“Are you ready?” he asked Ben.
“More than ready,” Ben said.
At that moment, a figure appeared at the top of the staircase that led down to the great room. Slowly, methodically, the woman glided down the stairs like an angel descending from the heavens. Her dress flowed behind her as she stepped up to Ben and took his hand.
“Olivia, you look . . . um,” he paused, and one side of his mouth curled upward as he burst into a short laugh, “I’m actually speechless! I’d say ‘beautiful,’ but that just doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
“Thank you. You look pretty hot yourself in that tuxedo,” said Olivia with a wink.
“Shall we begin?” asked the man in the suit.
“Absolutely,” they both said together.
Within minutes, they were married. As they signed the legal papers, Olivia looked at Ben.
“It’s too bad Field couldn’t be here to see this,” she said.
“I know,” said Ben, “but if he didn’t think you were dead, there’d be no wedding to see. You’d be spending one more year trying to stay alive in the Program, and I’d be going crazy worrying about you.” He took her hand and started to lead her upstairs. “I’m glad we did it this way.”
“I guess we got the last laugh on the Program, eh?”
“Actually,” said the man in the suit, removing his flesh-like mask, “you should know there’s nothing the Program doesn’t know.”
“Field?” the newlyweds said together, shock on their faces.
“Don’t worry,” Field smiled. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
THE END
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