A wave of relief, happiness and determination rolls over Cecil as he takes the willowy woman's hand.
"Welcome, Cecil," she says. "Until next time, Agent Lee."
"Of course, ma'am." Lee touches the brim of his hat.
The beam flickers for a moment, then is gone, taking Cecil and the woman with it. Cox and Agnes catch up to Lee. He turns, hands up, .38 hanging on his thumb.
"I can walk, men," he says with a smile. They escort him to the fallen Williams. Jones is working on bandaging Williams's arm.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Williams sputters, wincing as Jones works on him. "You just sacrificed our children, Lee, you bastard! You of all people --"
"I of all people have learned that I will do whatever it takes to save this planet, sir," Lee says quietly, kneeling next to Williams. Agnes and Cox keep their weapons pointed at him. He searches Williams's pockets and pulls out a cigarette tin and a lighter. "The Humanity Society approached a number of agents including myself a month ago, asking for our help in recruiting those Marked left by the NTs in winning games."
He places a cigarette in Williams's mouth and lights it.
"So far, the HS has managed to collect many Marked by being careful: play the game as intended, follow the rules to the letter, try not to attract notice. This time, however," he places a cigarette in his own mouth and lights it. "I was a bit hasty," he says with a smile, blowing out smoke. "I was sure Dubois would choose a proper person to Protect, and today it would be a simple matter of picking the last Controlled from the bunch. But," he shook his head. "I did not consider human folly. So I called the HS a bit early, and had no time to warn them not to show. Of course, perhaps I could have waved them away. But, there Cecil was, former CIA! Well, to let a prize like that burn to a crisp..." He shrugs. "I did what I had to."
"And you'll see time for it!" Williams snaps. "Cuff him!"
"I don't think so, Williams," Lee says, smiling. Jones and Anderson pull their weapons on Cox and Agnes. The four men are in a standoff. "This goes much higher than you, I assure you. So, why don't we end this civilly. Take some leave, get that arm in working order."
He stands, nods to Cox and Agnes. They reluctantly return their weapons to their holsters. Jones holsters his own weapon and pulls Williams to his feet. Williams staggers a bit as he walks, glowering at Lee.
"Let's go," Lee says, nodding to the black Imperials in the parking lot. "We have many games to play, men. We haven't lost just yet."
Eight men in black suits enter two black Imperials. The sun is high as they drive from the barren town, one heading east, the other west, the dust from the vehicles the only sign of humanity for miles.
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