Melanie Graber: A Short Story
“You got it. Thanks.” He ended the call and tucked the phone back in his coat pocket. Melanie Graber was a talented freelancer whose skills were available to the highest bidder. She started out like most hackers, looking to make a mockery of government websites and their security. When her “work” was discovered rather than put her in prison the government hired Melanie to improve their security. She worked for them and for others off the books. Her genius IQ, calm demeanor, and superior hacking skills made her a sought after commodity. It didn't hurt that she was a stunning brunette with model good looks who was fluent in three languages either. Maybe that was the reason she preferred to be in the background, that way her looks didn't distract
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It had been ages since he'd bothered to allow himself the luxury of a real date. When it got past the second or third date and the woman started to ask what he did for a living and where he worked, things got complicated. Sure, he could lie, but he'd grown weary of it. It was easier to save himself the aggravation. The intelligence community was rife with stories of ugly divorces and custody battles when the long-suffering spouse couldn't take the secrecy, denial and danger the job entailed. It took a special person to handle it. Most of the time it was someone who worked in the same profession. Those relationships didn't seem to fair any better as far as Alec could tell. It got lonely. It would be nice to have someone to come home to. If he had that would want to go back out again? Probably not. That was why so many transferred out or just retired from service. That wanted a life beyond the CIA and they didn't want their family sued as a bargaining chip.
Most agents were fine with putting their lives on the line, for them it' was part and parcel of serving the country. Once they were married and had children their focus inevitably shifted to their family and to ensuring their safety. Every married agent knows their family can be used as a bargaining chip. It's something they fight against, taking special precautions not mention them, carry pictures or even have cell phone number
It had been ages since he'd bothered to allow himself the luxury of a real date. When it got past the second or third date and the woman started to ask what he did for a living and where he worked, things got complicated. Sure, he could lie, but he'd grown weary of it. It was easier to save himself the aggravation. The intelligence community was rife with stories of ugly divorces and custody battles when the long-suffering spouse couldn't take the secrecy, denial and danger the job entailed. It took a special person to handle it. Most of the time it was someone who worked in the same profession. Those relationships didn't seem to fair any better as far as Alec could tell. It got lonely. It would be nice to have someone to come home to. If he had that would want to go back out again? Probably not. That was why so many transferred out or just retired from service. That wanted a life beyond the CIA and they didn't want their family sued as a bargaining chip.
Most agents were fine with putting their lives on the line, for them it' was part and parcel of serving the country. Once they were married and had children their focus inevitably shifted to their family and to ensuring their safety. Every married agent knows their family can be used as a bargaining chip. It's something they fight against, taking special precautions not mention them, carry pictures or even have cell phone number