When All Else Fails (A Push of a Button Novella)

Chapter Five

B702 stepped into his office at headquarters and sighed when he saw his contact with the Supreme Council sitting in his desk chair. The Supreme One offered him a razor sharp smile. He offered a tight one back and leaned against the door jam, crossing his arms. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Supreme One?"

The Supreme One steepled his fingers, that eerie smile still on the lower portion of his face not covered by the confounded hoods the Supreme Council members all wore to cover their faces. Best they remained anonymous, aloof, and mysterious. Otherwise, people might dare think that the Supremacy was not God. And furthermore, the anonymity and conformity helped to ensure no one knew who was who. Assassinations were as likely to hit an innocent target as they were to actually hit a Supreme Council member. Even the Council members themselves didn't know who the others were for certain. Stupid, really. "Sir, with all do respect, I have things to do. I'm still mopping up the mess left behind by the last agent who tried to take down Sebastian Auclaire, and I'm—"

"Dealing with Vivian too?" The smile widened. "How is that going, by the way? Is it almost time to restore her memories or not just yet?"

"I..." B702 tensed. "I don't believe we should, sir. I'm not ready to make my move or reveal my position in the household. Is there a reason I should consider moving up the timetable?"

"Hmm..." The Supreme One pushed away from the desk with a shrug. "I'll leave that up to you. Just make certain you inform me of everything. I mean everything. No matter how trivial you think it is, you will pass it along. Otherwise, you can forget the promotion I told you accompanied successful completion of this mission."

B702 clenched his fists at his side. "I report everything, Supreme One. Have I ever done anything disloyal in all my time as one of the Supremacy's men?"

"No," Supreme One admitted with a sigh.

Was he disappointed that B702 hadn't ever slipped up? Did he wish he had an excuse to terminate one of his own agents? It would hardly be surprising. And it was one of the reasons that B702 wasn't as loyal to the Supremacy as they would've liked. Of course, it paid to continue in his current position, to pretend he had no doubts or qualms about what he was doing. But he did. He had to. Too many things happened behind these closed doors for him to blindly follow like everyone out there did. Still, he wasn't convinced yet of any need to defy them or leave. And if he ever was? Well, he would be forced to quash that instinct and response immediately. He had no intention of risking life and career to go against someone who could crush him like a bug if he got out of line. No. He would find quieter ways to deal with his distaste for the things they did. Maybe make it to retirement and then use his connections to retire off planet, to disappear and take the only person he cared about on this planet along with him. It wasn't ideal, but it was an option.

The Supreme One brushed past him with a low chuckle, and B702 shivered, averting his gaze. No one knew precisely what the Supreme Ones could do. Some said their buttons granted them more than one ability. Some said they could read minds. It was a huge conversation topic, and as his contact left the room and he stepped further inside, he tried not to let his mind wander that way. If they could read minds, he was screwed. Royally so. The only question then would be how much did his contact want him gone? Enough to reveal the minor transgression of keeping a few tiny secrets? Or would he keep those to himself to hold over his agent until he needed them to coerce obedience? B702 shuddered and slid into his seat in front of his desk's holo. Better to dismiss the thought entirely. "I'll go mad if I see shadows everywhere I turn around here," he muttered and signed into his holo, banishing the idea from his mind.

SEB USHERED VIV into his kitchen with a frown. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, and it didn't look like she'd slept in days. He stayed quiet. Did she want him to hold her and tell her it would be okay? Or did she want him to keep his distance? When she'd contacted him via holo earlier in the evening to say she needed a place to crash, she hadn't given much in the way of details. He hadn't asked either. If she needed a place to say, she'd have it. Viv was the only friend he had, and he loved her more than anything. Well, maybe not more than his own mother, but still... She meant a lot to him.