Stress Relief by Evangeline Anderson Page B

monitors show an alarming surge in agent Alpha’s emotions.
Why has this not been rectified?”
    “Alpha’s just returned to his base after fulfilling a directive.”
Andi tried to keep her voice level and reasonable. “He always runs in the red
for a little while after a mission. He’ll be fine—I’m keeping an eye on him.”
    “Negative.” The cool voice barked. “Agent Alpha did not complete
his directive.”
    “He…he didn’t?” For a moment Andi was at a loss for words. Not
complete a mission? Alpha, who was her best and most competent agent? It was
unthinkable. He had never failed to complete before—what the hell was wrong
with him?
    “He aborted with no explanation—the target it still alive. Now his
stress readings are off the chart and you appear to be doing nothing about it,
Tibedeaux.” The cool voice was positively icy now. Andi felt like a cold finger
was being drawn down her spine.
    “I…I’ll look into it at once,” she promised, staring at the
spinning CTA logo and wishing, not for the first time, that she could see the
person addressing her. “I’m on it, Central, don’t worry.”
    “But we do worry,
Tibedeaux. Agent Alpha is our most valuable asset. He must have stress relief
at once and then he must be brought in for debriefing. Is that understood?”
    “Yes, of course. But, well…there’s a slight problem.” Andi cleared
her throat nervously, aware that it sounded like she was making excuses. “You
see, Central, two of my girls are currently in use with agents Delta and Gamma
and the third is at the repair facility. So I really don’t have any—”
    “If no girls are available, you must go yourself.”
    “What?” Andi was sure she’d heard incorrectly. “Please repeat,
Central. It sounded like you said I should go myself.”
    “Affirmative,” the cool female voice agreed. “The situation is too
critical to trust to a mere machine anyway. You must go to Alpha yourself,
Tibideaux. You were given basic training for this eventuality. You know what to
do.”
    “But…but it’s suicide!” Andi felt her nipples harden in fear.
“There’s a reason Alpha is your best agent. He’s utterly ruthless. And huge .
God, he must be six four and two forty if he’s an ounce and every bit of it’s
muscle. I can’t just go to his apartment and offer myself for stress
relief—he’ll tear me apart!”
    “That is precisely what we expect you to do, Tibedeaux.” The cool
voice was like a blast of arctic air. Andi could almost feel it chilling her as
it came from the monitor. “Agent Alpha must be calmed and preserved at all
costs. The mission he aborted was of utmost importance. The director of the
Agency himself is waiting to debrief him. We expect you to have him ready for
pick-up by o-seven hundred hours.”
    “But that’s…that’s insane. I can’t—”
    “You will do as you are instructed, Tibedeaux. May we remind you
that if agent Alpha has to be terminated, he will not be alone?”
    Andi felt herself grow cold all over. There was no quitting the
Agency and there was no refusing a direct order. Directives were given and
obeyed without question at all times. The only alternative was a body bag and a
ride home in the cargo hold of an army plane.
    “Do you understand?” The voice rapped out.
    Andi swallowed and crossed her arms over her painfully peaked
nipples. “I…I understand, Central,” she said, forcing the words out through
numb lips. “I’ll report to Alpha’s apartment for stress relief.”
    “At once,” the voice admonished. “And Tibedeaux?”
    “Yes, Central?”
    “Stress relief must be extremely through. We want Alpha completely
docile at pick-up time. Understood?”
    “Under…understood.” Andi nodded at the monitor. “Tibedeaux out.”
    “O-seven hundred hours,” the cool voice reminded her. “Central
out.”
    Andi watched as the CTA’s logo flickered and winked out before
wrapping her arms around herself and letting the shivers