"Well, I'm not the kind of guy who looks a gift horse in the mouth, although with my recent track record of accepting free vacations, I might want to revisit that policy," Peter said. "So, thanks, my friend. I'd say I owe you one, but I guess we're even now."
"You bet," Van said. "Go hide in the pod. I've got someone else to talk to."
Van walked out into the hall and made his way to the maintenance area where Cindy was currently sitting on the ground. Her right arm was handcuffed to a radiator and she looked very uncomfortable.
"Back to levy empty threats against me?" Cindy asked, not looking up at Van. She was staring at the floor, and he could tell that she was in quite a lot of pain.
"They roughed you up pretty badly, didn't they?" Van asked as he sat down.
"Yeah, well, can you blame them? My name's all over this place. Hell, I'm the only one in this base who has a profile online that says 'Draco representative.' No wonder they beat the tar out of me."
"I'm sorry," Van said, "but they probably wanted information."
"Oh yeah, and they got a lot of it," Cindy said. "Everything they wanted, I told them. But… this one guy, a real deranged fella by the name of Neil, he tells me that he knows I'm keeping a secret. He handcuffs me here and leaves me to rot."
"Do you know a secret?" Van asked.
"Go to hell," Cindy said. "You're free, aren't you? You figured out some way to destroy Draco and now your buddies are here to save the day. Why the hell do you want to come and torment me?"
"I'm not here to torment you," Van said. "I'm here to offer you a chance at a better life."
"Ha, and how so?" Cindy asked as she sharply looked up at him. He could see she was very bruised and battered. It made him uncomfortable, to think how effortlessly they had interrogated her with violence, but then he remembered the crimes that she'd perpetrated against the world. Even so… Torture and ethics were definitely far beyond him, but something made him deeply uncomfortable when he saw people in positions of power taking advantage of those who were at a disadvantage.
"Things are changing for the CIA," Van said. "The mission is over and they want to quit while they're ahead. Earth is safe, and so there's no reason for them to keep fighting Draco."
"Makes sense," Cindy said.
"But Sang and I have a different plan. You see, we're not going to stop fighting against these evil lizards. On the contrary, the battle is just getting started."
Cindy snorted. "What's going on in that tiny little mind of yours?" she asked. "Do you have any idea just how big Draco is? Sure, their mothership got tanked, kudos to you, but you do realize that these guys span the entire universe?"
"Oh, I know that," Van said as he leaned in close to Cindy. "And I'm ready to take the fight to them."
"You're nuts," Cindy said as she shook her head. "You are an absolute madman if you think you can kill them all."
"We have the means to do it," Van said. "We've figured out a method, and we have the power to access the game that's used to corral the Xevov. But we need something."
"And what's that?" Cindy asked.
"We need access to more Draco tech. This place is belly-up, as you know. The CIA's gonna dismantle everything and make sure it doesn't ever get reported on by anyone. All of this precious tech is going into the hands of a government that intends on doing nothing with it."
"And you think I know where there's more Draco tech," Cindy said.
"I know you're holding out on us. Neil might be bonkers and a deeply terrifying man, but he's a smart one. If he thinks you're keeping a secret, then I know you have something for me. What is it?"
"Why should I tell you?" Cindy asked. "You're just gonna use it and leave me behind."
"Well, that's where an offer comes into play," Van said. "The government won't forgive you, and you know it. But they don't have to have you in their possession, do they? If you can lead us to more technology, if you can take us to the promised land, which I know you can, we'll let you go."
"Just like that?"
"Hey, as of today, I don't work for the government anymore."
Cindy slowly nodded at that. "Well, I suppose it's a better deal than whatever these CIA guys are going to try and offer me. I know for a fact that none of them will deliver on whatever promises they make. I figure, with you, I've got maybe a 50/50 chance of you keeping your word. Not great odds, but better than my guaranteed hanging. So… okay. Deal. If you help me out of here, I'll help you out."
Sang rushed back into the reception area to find Frederick Yuri walking into the base. Neil and O'Hara were nowhere to be found. Sang felt an iciness run through her veins the moment she saw Yuri, though.
"Agent Sang," Frederick said as he strolled up to her. "I hear you have some good things to report."
"Yes, sir," Sang said as she stepped slightly away from him.
"You seem a little nervous," Frederick said. "I hope Neil hasn't been filling your head with fiction about our plans for you."
"As deranged and cynical as he is, he's not a liar," Sang said. "You're firing us."
Frederick sighed. "I'm sorry, Sang. I fought for you guys tooth and nail, but the higher-ups have decided that the world just isn't ready to deal with the whole alien thing yet. We're going to be cleaning this whole thing up. The good news is that you're going to be retired with full honors, and you're getting what would be your pension up front and in cash, so you won't have to work if you don't want to. That's our thank you for your working so hard."
"And Van?" Sang asked. "What about him?"
Frederick shrugged. "He'll receive some compensation for his efforts, as well. While I am… concerned as to his stability, given the loss of his precious video game, I don't think he'll be a risk. We should have sufficient means to keep him quiet about all of this."
Sang growled a little. "I'm beyond pissed at you all."
"I know you are," he said. For what it was worth, there was a heaviness on his shoulders and he seemed to be somewhat depressed. "But there's not much I can do. You're in the deeper circles of the clandestine world. A lot of things are going on that you don't really understand. Half the time, I don't understand, either. We're grateful for what you've done and you will be rewarded, but your time with the CIA is coming to an end. We will also be writing up a history of mental instability and verifying it with a few people to ensure that, if you do start talking about aliens, you'll be discredited immediately."
"Gee, you know some places give their valuable employees a plaque on the wall that says Employee of the Month," Sang replied.
"I never want to hear your voice on any public forum," Frederick warned. "This is all going away. We're pushing the lid down tight and we're not going to open it back up until the time is right."
"And just like that, the world doesn't get to hear the truth?"
"The truth can be a very dangerous thing when it's applied carelessly," Frederick replied as he moved closer to Sang. She backed up against the wall. For a moment, she really felt a genuine fear. Not of him, but of his words.
"The truth is bandied about as if it were the ultimate thing that mankind must pursue, but let's be real here: if people knew the actual truth about the nature of the world, it would be chaos."
"That's not for you to decide!" Sang shouted back.
"Of course, it's not, which is why I've been ordered to clean this whole affair up!" Frederick replied. "You don't understand, Sang, and maybe you never will, but there are powers that control things far more than you would like to think. They have deemed this kind of information to be too dangerous for the rest of the world. And what am I to say to them? No? Am I to tell them that my opinion matters more than theirs?"
"Who are these people in charge?" Sang asked.
Frederick sighed again. "The highest echelons of the government. The big boss called me into his office and told me exactly what I was to do. I was allowed to ask approximately zero questions, because in this kind of world, you don't really get to ask questions."