You’re still rubbing your cheek after Epsilon’s outburst as you make your way into Morris’s house. Epsilon is very silent and very sore, more furious with him than with you. Despite your current looks, you feel like the child seeing their parents fight.
It all started as you waited for her (well, them - Type-0 agents are effectively genderless.) to recover, while the Organization’s agents cordoned the area under the guise of an FBI investigation. She gripped your hand, pulling the trigger of an absent gun before looking at you, mortified. “What happened? What was that?”
“That,” you told her, “is payback for fooling me. Couldn’t help you since they took my gun.”
“Fooling you...?”
“With Trev, back at Tessa’s house. And also taking over Nick and calling me trash--”
That was when she unleashed the second most painful slap you’ve felt, wearing a skin or otherwise. “Asshole” was her only reaction, and since then, she remained silent.
Once inside, Epsilon lashes at Morris, but her response alerts you. “Since when you decided to activate him, sir?”
“I cannot disclose the particulars,” he responds, his cocky attitude replaced with clinical sterility.
“At least since I got the first call,” you reveal. “You were the one who called me and connected me to Sil – uh, Epsilon’s bugged phone.”
“Exactly.”
“Which means you’re not really Morris,” you say, unamused.
“Of course not,” he affirms, resuming the attitude you’re more familiar with. “But I can’t tell you who I really am. Above your clearance, I’m afraid.”
“Except Epsilon did it for you,” you tell him. “Morris is supposed to be a Type-3 agent, isn’t it? She shouldn’t call you ‘sir’; you’d have to call her ‘ma’am’.”
“Something that will have to be corrected,” he points out.
“That’s something we’ll have to discuss, sir. Immediately.”
“Not in front of non-operatives,” he stresses out.
“Then you shouldn’t discuss it with me,” Epsilon counters. “After all, I’m still a ‘rogue agent’.”
“But it was your plan, no?” You interrupt them, relieved to reveal your conclusion. “Fake your defection, so I'd be the one chosen to chase you.”
“That doesn’t mean I disagree with Sigma’s claims.” That shocks you, but not Morris. “He proved himself in the field, better than Classroom students. He deserves to know.”
“I agree, but my hands are tied.” Morris grins sideway, looking at you two. “Then again, he’s still active, given his orders were to take you. Your case is different; I want to agree that you were acting as a double agent, but your claim incriminates you.”
“Sir, the Organization’s flawed. Sigma’s decision was the nuclear option. We had to stop him, but his decision doesn’t invalidate his claims. If we don’t deal with this, it’ll happen again.”
“You’re starting to lose me,” you tell them.
“Our agents defecting to other groups,” Morris explains, “or striking on their own. The ENNEU Protocol exists to protect the secrets of the Organization. Sigma’s defection was the most dangerous, as he stole the agency’s biggest secret. The damage is already done, and all we can do is mitigate it.”
“But the Organization hasn’t done anything to address the core of the problem. And while it stands, defections will continue.”
“And I assume that’s related to why you asked me to stay with my family. It’s like joining a monastery, right?”
Morris and Epsilon look at you, nodding. “You could say that,” says the former. “Agents are required to abandon all attachments to the outside world. The Organization rarely allows any kind of emotional attachment, either between the agents themselves, their past lives, or their targets.”
“But you still love Clark, don’t you?” You grab Epsilon’s hand, looking at her in the eye. “Is that what you’re trying to fix? Allowing some sentimental relationships to develop?”
Epsilon remains silent, but Morris takes the word. “Agents are allowed a certain degree of liberty with their lives while in-between missions. I take you know the divisions between the agents, right?”
“Uh, sort of. Type-4 are support, Type-3 are deep-cover, Type-2 are active agents, and Type-1 are cleaners.”
“Exactly. While in a mission, Types 3 and 4 are allowed to pursue relationships for as long as the mission lasts. And as you can imagine, it’s unwise to form a long-lasting relationship. The Organization must remain a secret in order to work.”
“Why not between agents, though? It’s a relationship between partners.”
“Agency policy. Agents aren’t revealed the identity of others; if they’re part of the same class, they might recognize each other by tells, and if strictly necessary, agents will be informed of the identity of others, but this is for everyone’s safety.”
“Because, that way, they won’t be endangered if one’s captured.”
“Exactly. It is for their safety and ours.”
You snort, shaking your head. “That’s stupid. I mean – I get it, it’s a security hazard, but if it’s causing defections because you can’t even relate to your own co-workers, is it worth the extra protection?”
“Unfortunately, that’s out of the discussion. Even speaking about the reason why has repercussions.”
“Except that this operation proves them otherwise.” Epsilon stands between you two, patting your clavicle to reinforce her point. “Had it been anyone else, I wouldn’t be here. I’d be dead, or suffering Sigma’s fate. It was his instincts that allowed us to defuse this dangerous situation.
“Perhaps, but he wasn’t informed about the situation. It could be attributed to luck.”
“Or it could be attributed to how much we know each other. His orders were to terminate me, just like with Sigma. I had to make Sigma believe I was with him. He had no reason to think I was working as a double agent.”
“Or that she wanted me to figure out her whole plan,” you add. “Because it was Epsilon’s suggestion to recruit me, wasn’t it? Because she suspected I’d knew about what happened to Clark and realize she was trying to save him?”
Morris splits from your side. He hums, tapping his lip, as he gives a surprising response. “It is an anomaly they’ll have to study. It could be argued that attachments may increase loyalty between the agents. And it fits with the overall loyalty classes have between themselves. I can’t promise you anything, Epsilon. But it is data they’ll be interested in.”
“Any change will make this worthwhile.” Epsilon sighs in relief, patting you. “So? Did he pass?”
You shiver, turning towards her. “What’s that all about?”
“Non-operatives deputized by the ENNEU Protocol are often mind-wiped once the operation ends,” Morris explains, though you know he left the other part out. (“Or killed.”) “But when I was evaluating who to send against them, your notes caught my attention.”
“What kind of notes.”
“That you’re a natural,” Morris affirms. “And you proved it. You showed remarkable adaptability and deduction skills. Like Epsilon suggested, they surpass most Classroom students. There are things that could improve – marksmanship, for example – but you made some impressive achievements.”
“I suppose you refer to what I did with Anette and Pandora Phelps.”
“You’re a very quick thinker. Using that girl to infiltrate in the target’s stronghold--”
“Could we stop calling my brother a ‘target’? It feels...weird.”
“You still managed to convince one of his friends, his employer, and even used that event to pressure the target – and by that, I mean Epsilon – to react. Few agents can engineer an event so naturally. And the way you impersonated Pandora Phelps without a neural link means you’re exceptional at improvisation.”
“And that was before he was deputized,” Epsilon adds, though you sense she’s bragging. “His deduction skills are far better than many of the examinees with the best marks.”
“Yes,” Morris agrees as he shows his phone. “I never expected he’d wait until contacting me to send the coordinates.”
“That was what I saw in him, sir. He’s a natural. He’s already got a replacement – mind-wiping him would be a great loss.”
“I know that’s what you saw in him,” Morris declares. “And like I said, he did exceptionally. His familial attachments are a matter of concern, but our discussion suggests the loyalty they form is actually a positive point. I agree, though – it would be a shame to lose him.”
“So that means I’m in.”
“What it means is that we’re approving your internship. You have still much to learn, young man.”
“Internship? So, I’m gonna do missions, or just serve coffee to you guys?” You notice the looks in their faces – amused and pitying – and sigh. “It’s gonna be serving coffee, right?”
“Field agents don’t serve coffee,” Morris stresses. “Field agents do field work.”
“Oh, so I’m gonna be out there working. What about her?”, you say, pointing at Epsilon, only to see the same looks.
“Agent Epsilon has acted against the Organization,” Morris denounces. “There will be an investigation regarding her activities; until then, they will be relieved of their duty. Their expertise, however, is too valuable to be dismissed.”
“In other words,” Epsilon translates, “you’ll be filling in for me for the time being. Until I’m proven a traitor or loyal.”
You stare at them, baffled. “I’m... just going to replace them as Silva, right?”
“Because of the extraordinary circumstances – the eminent threat of the counterfeit C-Sets, the loss of various important operatives and your exceptional qualities – I am hereby deputizing you to fulfill the duties of a Type-Z operative.”
“Which means all the job, none of the benefits.” Epsilon pats you, grimacing. “Buckle up, Adrienne. You’re in for a long ride...”
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