As The World Ends

Chapter 5 - Consultations

Carl saluted as he entered the room.

Jay looked up from the paper he was signing, "ah, good. Is Adrian ready to go?"

"Yes, sir. We're all accounted for."

"Good." Jay put down his pen and stood up, neatly pushing in his chair and straightening his lapels. "When is Alex getting back?"

Confusion flickered over Carl's face, but he quickly replaced it with his carefully disciplined mask. "The report the pilot gave when they took off off said they were due approximately three hours and forty-five minutes from then, which leaves about thirty minutes now."

Jay nodded, "good." They hadn't told anyone in the division where Alex had gone, which was unusual but not unheard of, just that there was an emergency which only required one person.

He recalled the rushed call with Alex a few hours prior.

"Agent? What is it?"

"Can I bring someone with?"

"What?"

"You know- a person? Can I bring a person with me?

"Do I know them?"

"Probably not. Their name is Jasmine."

Jasmine. Shoot.

"What do they look like?"

"Uh- I dunno- dark everything? Charming?"

"Fine. But keep them on the down-low. I don't need my boss finding out about this before I do an official background check."

Alex sounded incredibly confused and more than a little suspicious, but they agreed and clicked off.

Carl cleared his throat, causing Jay to realize that he was still waiting for orders.

"Go wait for Alex's ship. He's got a plus-one. Get both of them off the airfield and in here as quickly and quietly as possible. I don't want anyone else knowing, clear?"

Carl nodded once and darted out of the room, not taking the time to shut the door. Jay sighed and did it himself.

They zoned out immediately after, staring into space in the direction of their desk.

Static snapped him back to reality and his hand shot up to his ear. "Yes?"

"Commander, President Brown is making another public announcement. General Ivan is requesting you watch it."

Jay sighed, "alright."

His earpiece clicked and the faint static disappeared, leaving him bathed in silence. They stepped towards the screen on the wall to the left of the door and slid their fingers across it, tuning into the necessary channel.

The United States of America's president, John Avery Brown, appeared on screen. His hulking figure made the podium look minuscule, and his deep, booming voice could make anyone cower in fear.

"...threats from the rebels are next to nonexistent. We have nothing to worry about. The few attacks that do happen are promptly dealt with, and those involved are arrested."

Jay guffawed and shook his head. They hadn't had an agent arrested in over two years.

President Brown was a year into his second term, having won the election by a landslide after making the WSS illegal. Forty years after the country almost dissolved into chaos due to threat of nuclear war and a series of poor election choices, the citizens now voted out of fear rather than their beliefs.