E.C.H.O.

Stage 32 "All That Ends Well" (Final)

I apologize for the extreme lack of editing. Due to being behind, I posted this chapter as soon as it was completed.

A perfect silence was broken only by the occasional clicking as fingers rushed over a keyboard.

A woman with bright red lipstick and hair pulled into a tight bun sat behind a desk. As her fingers flew across the keys, her eyes took in the words forming on the screen.

Sitting across the room from her, Lucas' head was tipped back, eyes close.  Bandage was plastered to the side of his head, the only sign of the other hidden wounds he carried beneath his clothes. It hadn't taken the doctor but a few minutes to patch him up. The mental strain from the truth syringe was another story.

"It'll take some weeks," the voice echoed in the operative's mind.

Lucas could feel the headache coming even as the memory flashed through. He didn't flinch, mind focused on other thoughts – more important ones.

A door creaked and another woman popped her head through the opening.

The lady at the desk continued typing rapidly, seeming oblivious.

"They're ready for you," the newcomer called.

Lucas' eyes slowly opened. He got to his feet, steeling himself for the ordeal that lay ahead – debriefing.

As he approached the door, it opened fully.

Lucas stepped through. The door clanked shut behind him, several locks sounding in succession.

Security is high, the agent noted at once. The higher ups have got to be resent. He resisted the urge to swallow and stepped forward, no hesitation.

A moment later the room opened up.

It was dimly lit. One man sat at the steel table ahead. Lucas recognized him immediately – Stanly. It was his supervisor, one of the few who assigned him missions. Behind him stood Conner.

As always, Lucas couldn't help the thought.

He kept his eyes on Stanly, ignoring the seven large screens around the wall. Each showed a silhouette of a person. The lack of movement revealed that the person on the other end of every screen had already disconnected.

Lucas had never attempted to figure out the identities. If an ECHO agent knew without it being revealed intentionally, they would be executed. For the seven figures were the heads of ECHO, the ones who owned every operative and had to give their go ahead on any move the agency made.

The screens gave away an important piece of information. They had a meeting with Stanly just before the debriefing. That meant that most likely Lucas' mission had been vital to the organization.

These thoughts flashed through the young operative's mind in the brief moment he came to stand before the steel table. He spread his legs slightly, placing his hands behind his back as he put himself on his best behavior.

A smile stretched across Stanly's face.

"Welcome back K13."

That's the first time Stanly hasn't called me by my name. Lucas showed no trace of the thought, he simply nodded.

"You retrieved the object and achieved the objective." Stanly reached out and took a file handed to him by Conner. He placed it down and opened it. "However," the eyes rose to pierce Lucas'. "It was messy."

Behind his back, Lucas squeezed one wrist with his other hand.

"I take full responsibility."

Stanly nodded and pushed the papers together. "I understand you've been physically declared ready for work by the doctor." He looked up. "You'll go through psychological analysis next."