Good, Not Perfect Lesbian Story

The Post Office

Agent Foster nodded, his eyes were sharp and flooded with thought. He shifted back in his chair considering Agent Baker's responses and her history with the Post Office. "As there was the termination of a threat you are to report to Agent Couch immediately after our debriefing for clearances. Additionally, we have a new skin for you and it does not allow for the standard disengagement period we would normally allow. Agent Couch has been instructed to determine if you are capable of this assignment."

Again Jane nodded, in her line of work agents who went in deep undercover were not put back into play for at least two months after the shedding of their "skin." It allowed agents to disengage emotionally and cognitively. In many cases agents who wore too many skins, too close together jeopardized operations and increased the risk of collateral damage. Over the course of her short 3-year career with the Post Office, she had only four skins. Her last being her longest assignment, Jane's first three were less than two months each.

"Agent Baker if you are cleared you will be forwarded the jacket and you will engage at the beginning of next week, in just three days. Until then see Agent Couch, get to the "package room", and log in time at the range."

"Yes sir."
----

Jane sat across from Agent Couch, a woman in her mid to late fifties with a medium build, silver and black hair, and a stark and angular face. She waited patiently while she reviewed the summary file from her last operation. "Agent Baker," she opened up, "how are you feeling today?"

"Fine, thank you. It's good to be home." Jane found these interviews somewhat tedious but felt no resentment that some agents felt. She saw value in the process and understood it as a necessary step for a prolonged career. Pragmatically, they had to be done. Compliance ultimately meant a faster return to work. "The last operation was exceptionally long and grinding, but it did not require physical or emotional strain."

Agent Couch leveled her eyes at Jane. "Agent Baker, you killed a man. You killed a man who had a family. You killed a man as he slept. You have only taken a life one other time, and that was in life-threatening, exceptional circumstances."

Jane's gaze wavered slightly as she remembered her second "skin." Trained in military special ops and extending her career into the Post Office cell of black operations, she was prepared physically and mentally for the hand-to-hand fight for her life. But, the emotional fallout of the first time she took a life kept her sidelined for several months. Jane needed to work through and process her tactical decisions. As well as the moral sparring that occurs after one extinguishes a life. Only the scars on her body lingered as a constant reminder.

"Agent Couch. I have come to terms with what it is I do. I am not a 'good person' I am just a person. Dr. Mars was an immediate threat to the lives of many, many people. That threat needed to be eliminated. I took no pleasure in what I did, but I do not regret it."

Agent Couch nodded, "That sounds like a very 'prepared' statement, you've been thinking about this." She was making a statement, not asking a question.

"Of course. I'll think about every decision I make for the Post Office. I'm not a machine. I'm not evil. I'm just not 'good.'" Jane's tone was matter-of-fact.

"Agent Baker, given the trauma you experienced after your second assignment, is there any need to be concerned about the personal relationships you form or fail to form?" She glanced down at her notes, "Agent Foster suggested you may have been able to shorten your timeline in your last assignment."

Jane stared back, giving nothing away. Not only had she taken a life, but she fostered romantic ties with her asset in order to access information. When he found out who she truly was, Agent Baker found herself fighting for her life. She was both physically and sexually assaulted before she was able to extinguish the imminent threat. She had not developed a personal relationship in any way ks

"You have absolutely no need to be concerned. You cleared me after the assignment. I don't, nor have I ever formed personal relationships. I create and maintain ties that help me complete the operation and I do so in a minimalistic manner. Less is more."

Agent Couch smirked."You're correct. But the topic of your recovery from that assignment is something that I will continue to revisit as needed." Jane nodded and Agent Couch pressed on. "And collateral damage? What would you have done if his daughter was home?" Dr. Couch arched her eyebrow. "Would you have been able to complete the operation?"

"That was simply not a possibility. Why would I even consider that? My work is by nature very detailed. I am meticulous."

"You did not answer the question." Agent Couch's eyes were piercing and unflinching.

Jane gazed back levelly and her breathing was calm and even. "Absolutely, Agent Couch."

"How would you have felt if the Post Office asked you to eliminate Dr. Mars's wife? Or Child?"

"I am not an assassin by training. I complete operations that garner results with the least amount of disruption, intrusion, or attention. I am a ghost that occasionally must engage in unsavory work. The Post Office trusts me to use my judgement in meeting my objectives."

"Agent Baker, again, you did not answer the question."

"I would have felt that it was unnecessary based on my reconnaissance."

Agent Couch leaned forward,"So you would not have completed the operation?"

"Agent Couch, that is not the question you asked me." Jane smirked. "I would have completed the operation ensuring that we retrieved all the data possible and eliminated a threat to national security. And no I will not kill a child. I will not kill a person who is known to be innocent. I am not an assassin."

Agent Couch leaned back into her chair, weighing and measuring Jane. "Agent Baker, you work for a "dark" cell within the U.S. government. The rules of engagement are different for us."

Jane nodded, "I understand that very well. I am here because our government trusts that I can navigate those rules of engagement."

"What do you think happens when you make a choice that the government cannot tolerate or you fail to make the correct choice?"

Jane looked deeply into Agent Couch's eyes, she knew very well that her line of work was high risk from all sides."I think that will be the end of my time with the Post Office in one way or another."

"I see." Agent Couch was amused by Jane's conviction in her response. She stared across at a beautiful young woman barely 29 years old. She graduated top of her class from the Naval academy, showed exceptional skill sets in language, chemistry, and genetics, and was recruited before graduation for elite military operations. Having succeeded in everything that she engaged in, including her time at the Post Office, Agent Couch was unsure that Jane truly understood what she was saying. Agent Couch didn't believe that Jane could entertain the idea that she might fail in such a way that her time with the cell would be terminated. "One last line of questions, Agent Baker. Do you enjoy being alone? Do you see yourself in a personal relationship outside of work? Have you told anyone you are gay?"

Jane's eyes widened with surprise at the last question; she had not shared that information with anyone at the Post Office but she recovered quickly realizing that the agents were all probably periodically the subjects of internal surveillance. Her response was level and unashamed. "I do not particularly 'enjoy' being alone but it is a lifestyle that is comfortable and familiar to me. I have no family, which I believe, is one of the main reasons why the Post Office recruited me. I do not see myself in a committed relationship in the near future. I simply have not had the time or inclination to develop a meaningful relationship. But to be clear, I think I am more than capable."

Jane paused speaking slowly so there would be no miscommunication. "I do not share any of my private life with my colleagues, but I think that you know as well as I do that the Post Office has known about my sexual preferences from day one. My sexual affairs are limited and finite, they meet my needs."

Agent Couch nodded and stood up unceremoniously, "Thank you for your time Agent Baker. I will be forwarding my report to Agent Foster tomorrow morning. Welcome home."