Killed in Action - A Spy School Story

Chapter 2: Reunion

J. Edgar Hoover Building

Washington, DC

December 18th, 2017

1845R

Erica POV

"Hey, Ben?" I called around ten minutes before we were set to depart with some more FBI agents—Dad, Grandpa, and Hansen were busy finalizing the details—stopping the younger man in his tracks.

Emphasis on the man part. While he didn't appear to have gotten much taller (if at all) since I saw him at my graduation, he had changed. He had gotten healthier, his build appearing to be on par with that of a swimmer—lean, but not as skinny as a runner. His face was clean-shaven, his haircut neat and suspiciously similar to Dad's. Of course, I wasn't surprised by the last bit, considering that Ben had taken him and Mom on as father and mother figures—which, of course, did make things a bit more awkward than they were.

Okay, it's not like things between us were awkward, just a little... nonexistent. You see, back on New Year's Eve in 2015, we finally tried going on a date to talk things through, but they ended up exploding in my face... because of me.

The words "stuck-up, cold-hearted bitch" still haunted me, thanks to Jawa quite literally pulling me aside and tearing into me like a starved pitbull with a steak. When Ben and I talked things through one more time, he laid out his decision: we needed to spend time apart and fix ourselves.

A small part of me was smug that I was right about relationships not being a good idea in our line of work. But the rest of me felt nothing but shame and pain. He wasn't unkind, but painfully blunt—with Dad hammering things further. It was the last major interaction we had, save for the Christmas break in 2016—though during that, we barely spoke beyond small talk, with him mostly interacting with my parents and Grandpa. I still saw him from time to time, with him even wishing me well at graduation, but those were all brief, as he quickly moved to talk to Jawa and Chip—both of whom went down a far different path than I.

And now here he was. Looks aside, he seemed to carry himself with more confidence and purpose. Unlike the time after Operation Fox Hunt, he didn't seem to be faking his happiness. Now, he seemed content and determined, ready to get the job done.

"Erica," he greeted with a nod. "You... you look good."

"Thanks."

"How've you been?"

"Alright. Been working CTMC for the past couple of years."

"That's good."

"... you?"

"I'm fine. Going through the motions. I've been looking towards being either a case officer or targeting officer... though I'll say that paramilitary doesn't look half bad. Though that bit's definitely towards the bottom of my list. That's some Chip-n'-Jawa crap. I'd rather play to my strengths, y'know?"

"... yeah, gotcha," I replied with a nod. He was all business right now, either focused on the op at hand or he just didn't want to discuss his personal life. Though given our rocky past, I couldn't say I blamed him.

"Yeah, you seem to be doing pretty well for yourself, Ice Queen," Zoe said, the shorter girl looking up with her typical grin. It's funny, really—after the brief friendship we'd struck during that Christmas break, we had a falling-out after the date that ended in disaster. But she ended up reaching out to me, rekindling our friendship in February. To paraphrase her, she'd forgiven me for toying with Ben and being an all-around bitch, and encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone more often. By the time I graduated, she just might've been my best friend.

Mike, Chip, and Jawa, too, all seemed to have forgiven me—or at least lost the desire to make my life a living hell. Chip and Jawa shook my hand at graduation (with the former almost breaking it, purposely or accidentally, I'm not sure), and Mike even hugged me alongside Zoe.

That last bit might sound odd, considering that he was even more pissed off at me than Zoe—I'm fairly certain he wanted to punch me in the nose at one point—but he actually said that, "in some jackassed way," I "was one of the best things to happen to Ben." Long story short, I'd effectively shown him some of the worst of humanity in myself and the enemies we faced and taught him a couple of things. When he broke away from me, he grew more than ever before, both as a person and junior officer, becoming more confident without me screwing with his head.

Yeah, like that wasn't salt in the wound. Underhanded compliment as it was, I took it in stride, nodding before Mike moved on to congratulate his Californian and North Carolinian friends. But his words never left my mind:

"I'm tellin' you, Erica, without you there to drag him down, he's freakin' back up better n' ever! It's like someone took his old self and boosted his fitness and critical thinking skills! I daresay he can bench a little more n' me!"

Okay, that last bit wasn't entirely relevant, but the first sentence stung. That annoying part of my mind kept nagging me about Mike's harsh—or at least passive-aggressive—words, but I still couldn't help but feel some sort of connection to Ben. Logic and Mom said to respect his wishes and focus on myself, but it had been two years since the disastrous New Year's Eve... what would happen now?

No, no, can't think about that now. We've got a job to do. Steel Tiger, feds, ISIL cell. That takes precedence now.

Obviously it did, but I still couldn't help but wonder.

"Whaddaya think?" Zoe asked, looking intently at me.

"Eh?"

"Didja hear what I said? About us grabbin' food afterwards? You, me, n' Ben? Just to catch up a bit?"

"Er..."

"Yeah, I'm thinking cheeseburgers. Good ol' American staple," Ben said. "It's actually kinda poetic... after taking down some anti-American bad guys, we celebrate with one of America's defining foods."

"That's one helluva poem you're thinking of, Smokescreen," Zoe snarked. "But yeah, I like it. Erica?"

"Er..." I mumbled again, one foot still in my whirlwind of thoughts.

"C'mon, Ice Queen. For old time's sake?" Ben asked. Now that was a surprise: sure, Ben was never harsh to me after the rift between us, but he still kept his distance from me for the most part. Now, he was actually inviting me to get a late dinner—or whatever the hell it could be classified as. Yes, Zoe was there too, so it's not as if it was a date, but still... this would be the first time we would actually interact with each other in two years.

"... sure," I finally forced out. After giving me a small grin and thumbs-up, Ben turned towards Zoe, the two beginning to discuss where exactly we would go post-Steel Tiger—the discussion quickly devolving into bickering typical of old friends. I couldn't help but feel a small bit of warmth at that little gesture. But unlike two years ago, when my head was at war with my heart, now both were oddly silent, as if something was simultaneously weighing down on the two.

After two years of self-reflection and confusion, things between me and Ben were leaving their stagnant status... though time would tell if it was for better or worse.

A loud whistle interrupted us, a quick turn revealing the source to be Agent Hansen, all geared up as he jerked a thumb towards the door.

"Let's rock n' roll, kiddos!"

"Rock n' roll," indeed...

Another short one as we explore the inner machinations of Erica's mind—an enigma, ultimately.

"The mind of a teenage girl is the most complicated thing I've encountered... and I've defused nuclear bombs." - Erica Hale, a teenage girl (one of the biggest "bruh" moments in the books).

Eh, I'll figure it out sooner or later. As always, thanks for reading! Sorry about the short length, but this thing's tricky to write for. I've got something for Mind the Gap coming soon too, as well as an update for WSM, if you're interested. Next up: Operation Steel Tiger!

Until we meet again,

- ADF-2