Three Weeks Later - Hart Senate Office Building, Washington D.C. The hearing room was packed. Members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence sat in their elevated positions, looking down at the witnesses arranged before them. This was a closed session—no press, no public gallery. What was about to be discussed was so classified that even the stenographer had TS/SCI clearance. Senator Patricia Morrison, the Committee Chair, gaveled the session to order. She was a thirty-year veteran of the Senate, with sharp eyes that had seen administrations come and go. "This hearing will come to order. We're here to discuss what I'm told is the third Echelon Protocol activation in five years. The third time that federal agents have detained Perseus Jackson, and the third time we've had to deploy Ghost Ops to extract him." She looked down at the witness table where five people sat: Director of National Intelligence James Cartwright, CIA Director Sarah Webb, NSA Director Michael Torres, FBI Director Raymond Chen (no relation to the analyst), and Secretary of Defense Harold Smith. "Before we begin," Senator Morrison continued, "I want to make something abundantly clear. I've been on this committee for twelve years. I was read into the Perseus Jackson situation nine years ago. I was told then that safeguards were in place to prevent exactly this kind of incident. And yet, here we are. Again." She let that hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "Director Cartwright, you oversee the entire intelligence community. Why does this keep happening?" DNI Cartwright was a former Air Force general, a man who'd commanded forces in three different wars. He looked tired. "Senator, the short answer is compartmentalization. The long answer is more complicated, but it boils down to the same problem: we've kept the information about Perseus Jackson so tightly controlled that the people most likely to encounter him in the field have no idea who he is." "Then why not just tell them?" Senator Morrison asked, her voice dripping with exasperation. "Because, Senator, Perseus Jackson is not just a protected asset. He's an anomaly that, if widely known, would cause panic, operational security nightmares, and potentially international incidents. He's been alive for over four hundred years. He's witnessed and participated in events that would rewrite our understanding of history. He has capabilities that we still don't fully understand. The decision to keep this information restricted came from the highest levels and has been maintained across multiple administrations." Senator Richard Blake, a junior member of the committee from Texas, leaned forward. "Director, with all due respect, that's horseshit. We're not talking about revealing him to the public. We're talking about telling our own agents not to arrest him." "I agree, Senator," Cartwright said, nodding. "Which is why we're here. The current system isn't working." Secretary of Defense Smith spoke up. "If I may, Senator. The Echelon Protocol was created in 1947, shortly after the CIA was founded. At that time, the intelligence community was much smaller. Everyone who needed to know could be personally briefed. As our agencies grew, as we added tens of thousands of employees, the compartmentalization became more and more problematic. But changing the protocol requires presidential authorization, and frankly, every administration has been reluctant to expand access to this information." Senator Morrison turned to CIA Director Webb. "Director Webb, you're the one whose agency actually detained him this time. Walk me through what happened." Director Webb had prepared for this moment, but it still felt like walking to her own execution. "Senator, three weeks ago, two of my field agents—Agent Thomas Afferty and Analyst David Chen—were conducting an investigation into the international assassin  known as La Cebra. Their research led them to Perseus Jackson. The evidence was compelling: pattern matching of locations, witness descriptions, operational methodology. They believed, in good faith, that they had identified a serious threat." "And they didn't know about the Echelon Protocol?" "No, Senator. They didn't have the clearance level to access that information. In our system, knowledge of Perseus Jackson is restricted to director-level personnel and above. The field agents were operating with the information available to them at their clearance level." "Which was incomplete information," Senator Morrison said flatly. "Yes, Senator." Senator Blake jumped in again. "So let me get this straight. We have an asset—and I use that term loosely because I'm not sure Perseus Jackson works for us so much as he sometimes helps us—who is so protected that we'll deploy a kill team if someone arrests him. But we don't tell the people most likely to arrest him that he exists. Does anyone else see the problem here?" There were murmurs of agreement around the table. FBI Director Raymond Chen spoke for the first time. "Senator, the FBI has had two near- misses with Perseus Jackson in the last decade. Both times, agents were investigating legitimate criminal activity that intersected with his... activities. Both times, we caught it before an arrest was made, but only because someone at headquarters recognized the name and stopped the field operation. We've been lucky. The CIA wasn't." "So what's the solution?" Senator Morrison asked. "And please don't tell me we need another study or working group. I want actionable recommendations." DNI Cartwright pulled out a folder. "Senator, we've already been working on this with the White House. We're proposing a complete overhaul of how we handle the Perseus Jackson situation. Specifically, we want to implement a flagging system in all federal law enforcement and intelligence databases." He opened the folder and distributed copies to the committee members. "Under this proposal, Perseus Jackson's file—and any aliases we've confirmed he uses—would be flagged in every system: FBI databases, CIA records, NSA intercepts, DHS watchlists, even state and local law enforcement systems that interface with federal databases. The flag would be simple and clear: 'DO NOT DETAIN - CONTACT DIRECTOR IMMEDIATELY.'" Senator Morrison studied the document. "And if an agent ignores the flag?" "Then they can be prosecuted," Secretary Smith said firmly. "This takes the burden off ignorance. If an agent sees that flag and proceeds anyway, they're willfully disobeying a direct order. That's prosecutable under UCMJ for military personnel and under federal law for civilian agents."  "What about agents who don't access the database?" Senator Blake asked. "Say someone just sees Perseus Jackson on the street and recognizes him from a wanted poster?" "We don't put him on wanted posters," CIA Director Webb said. "And we'd remove him from any watchlists that might be publicly accessible. The only places his name would appear are in internal law enforcement systems that require login credentials." Senator Morrison nodded slowly. "What about the international aspect? The Echelon Protocol applies if any federal organization arrests him. Does that include foreign intelligence services?" "Yes, Senator," Secretary Smith confirmed. "The protocol was written to include allied intelligence services as well. If MI6 arrests him, if Mossad arrests him, if any intelligence organization that cooperates with the United States arrests him, Ghost Ops deploys. It's caused diplomatic incidents before." "How many times has this happened with foreign services?" "Twice," DNI Cartwright said. "Once with the French DGSE in 2012, once with German BND in 2018. Both times, the extraction was successful, but it severely damaged our intelligence-sharing relationships for years afterward. The Germans in particular were furious that we hadn't warned them about Perseus." Senator Morrison leaned back in her chair. "So we're proposing to share this information with foreign intelligence services as well?" "With our closest allies, yes. Five Eyes partners at minimum—UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Possibly Israel, France, and Germany as well. We'd provide them with the same flagging system and make it clear that detaining him triggers an immediate response." Senator Blake looked skeptical. "And we trust them not to leak this? The existence of a four-hundred-year-old immortal who works with American intelligence? That won't cause a media shitstorm?" "They already know he exists," Secretary Smith said bluntly. "The major intelligence services have all encountered him at some point. They know something unusual is going on. Right now, they just don't know about the specific protocol we have in place. This would formalize the arrangement and prevent future incidents." There was a long silence as the committee members absorbed this information. Finally, Senator Morrison spoke again. "Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Is Perseus Jackson actually La Cebra?" The witnesses exchanged glances. CIA Director Webb cleared her throat. "Senator, our analysis suggests... possibly. The evidence Agent Afferty and Analyst Chen compiled was compelling. But we haven't been able to confirm it definitively because we're not allowed to investigate him further." "And if he is La Cebra, are we okay with that?" DNI Cartwright took this one. "Senator, La Cebra's targets have exclusively been individuals who, by any objective measure, were legitimate threats. War criminals, terrorist  leaders, cartel bosses, corrupt officials engaged in human trafficking or genocide. If Perseus Jackson is La Cebra, then he's been conducting extrajudicial killings, which is obviously problematic from a legal standpoint." "But?" Senator Morrison prompted, hearing the unspoken caveat. "But," Cartwright continued carefully, "Perseus Jackson has also saved American lives on countless occasions. He's provided intelligence that prevented terrorist attacks. He's conducted rescue operations when our own people were captured. He's fought alongside our troops in every major conflict for the last seventy years. Whatever else he might be doing, his net contribution to American security is overwhelmingly positive." Senator Blake laughed bitterly. "So we're saying that as long as he keeps helping us, we'll look the other way if he's also running around the world killing people? Even if those people probably deserve it?" "I'm saying, Senator, that this is above our pay grade," Cartwright replied. "The decision to maintain the Echelon Protocol, to protect Perseus Jackson at all costs, was made at the presidential level and has been reaffirmed by every administration since Truman. If you want to change that policy, you'd need to take it up with the White House. What we're here to discuss today is how to implement the existing policy more effectively." Senator Morrison nodded slowly. "Fair enough. Let's focus on the practical issues. This flagging system—how quickly can it be implemented?" "We could have it operational across all federal databases within sixty days," NSA Director Torres said. "The technical implementation is straightforward. The harder part is coordination with state and local law enforcement, but we can phase that in over six months." "What about training?" another senator asked. "Agents need to understand what the flag means and why it's there." "We're proposing a mandatory briefing for all federal law enforcement and intelligence personnel," FBI Director Chen said. "Not a full disclosure of Perseus Jackson's history or capabilities, but enough information to make clear that this is a national security issue of the highest importance. The briefing would emphasize that ignoring the flag carries severe consequences." Senator Morrison made some notes. "And what about the agents involved in this latest incident? Agent Afferty and the others?" CIA Director Webb shifted uncomfortably. "Agent Afferty and Analyst Chen have been placed on administrative leave. They're facing potential disciplinary action, but given that they were genuinely unaware of the protocol and were operating in good faith, we're recommending against criminal prosecution. However, their security clearances are under review, and they'll likely be reassigned to positions that don't involve field operations." "And you, Director Webb?"  "I've been formally reprimanded by the Secretary of Defense and the President. I remain in my position, but this incident is now part of my permanent record. If something like this happens again under my watch, I'll be removed from office." Senator Morrison studied her for a long moment, then nodded. "Alright. Here's what's going to happen. This committee will recommend the implementation of the flagging system to the President. We'll also recommend that the DNI coordinate with our closest allies to establish similar protocols. And we're going to require annual reports on any incidents involving Perseus Jackson, no matter how minor." She looked at each of the witnesses in turn. "But I want to be crystal clear about something. This is the last time we're going to be having this conversation. The next person who arrests Perseus Jackson, flag or no flag, is going to face the full weight of federal prosecution. The next director who fails to prevent it is going to be fired. The system has failed three times, and that's three times too many. We're going to fix it, and it's going to stay fixed. Understood?" A chorus of "Yes, Senator" echoed through the room. "Good. Now, let's talk about the specifics of the implementation..."

Two Hours Later - Office of the Director of National Intelligence After the hearing, DNI Cartwright returned to his office with the other directors. They gathered in his secure conference room, the mood considerably less formal than it had been before Congress. "Well, that could have gone worse," Secretary Smith said, loosening his tie. "Could have gone better too," CIA Director Webb replied. She looked exhausted. "I'm lucky I still have a job." "You're lucky no one died," FBI Director Chen said bluntly. "If Ghost Ops had actually killed those agents instead of just roughing them up a bit, you'd be in federal prison right now, not just reprimanded." "I know," Webb said quietly. DNI Cartwright poured himself a whiskey from the decanter on his desk. It was three in the afternoon, but fuck it—he'd just spent two hours being grilled by Congress. "The flagging system is the right call. Should have done it years ago." "The previous administrations were worried about leaks," NSA Director Torres said. "The more people who know about Perseus, the higher the chance someone talks to the press." "And now we've had three Echelon activations that required deployment of our most classified special operations unit," Secretary Smith countered. "The operational security risk of the current system is higher than the risk of controlled disclosure." Cartwright took a sip of his whiskey. "There's another issue we didn't bring up to the committee." The others looked at him. "Perseus is getting tired of this shit. I spoke with him last week—informally, over coffee. He was polite about it, but he made it clear that this keeps happening, he's going to stop cooperating with us entirely. Just disappear. And given his capabilities, if he decides to vanish, we'll never find him." "Can we really afford to lose him?" Webb asked. "No," Cartwright said flatly. "The intelligence he provides is irreplaceable. His combat effectiveness is unmatched. His historical knowledge has helped us understand geopolitical situations that would have otherwise been opaque. He's a strategic asset beyond measure." "So we implement the flagging system and hope it works," Torres said. "It'll work," Secretary Smith said confidently. "Once agents know there's a flag and know they'll be prosecuted for ignoring it, they'll follow the rules. The problem before was ignorance. We're removing that excuse." FBI Director Chen leaned forward. "What about the La Cebra question? Are we just going to pretend that didn't come up?" Cartwright swirled his whiskey. "Officially? Yes. We have no concrete proof that Perseus Jackson is La Cebra. The evidence is circumstantial. Without a confession or direct evidence, we can't make that determination." "And unofficially?" "Unofficially, if Perseus Jackson is spending his spare time killing war criminals and terrorists, I'm not going to lose sleep over it." Cartwright set down his glass. "The man has been fighting for causes he believes in for four centuries. He was at Agincourt. He fought in the Thirty Years' War. He was at Gettysburg, though we didn't know it at the time. He's got his own moral code, and frankly, it's more consistent than most nations'." "That's a dangerous precedent," Webb said carefully. "I agree. Which is why this conversation never happened, and why we're never going to officially acknowledge any connection between Perseus Jackson and La Cebra. As far as the United States government is concerned, Perseus Jackson is a retired military consultant who occasionally provides services to the intelligence community. Period." The others nodded in understanding. "Now," Cartwright continued, "let's talk about implementation. Torres, I want the technical specs for the flagging system on my desk by tomorrow. Webb, Chen—you coordinate with your field offices to prepare the briefing materials. Smith, you handle the Ghost Ops side and make sure they're prepared for the possibility that this happens again before the system is fully implemented." "What about the international coordination?" Torres asked. "I'll handle that personally. I've got calls scheduled with the heads of MI6, CSIS, ASIS, NZSIS, and Mossad over the next week. They're going to be pissed that we didn't tell them about this sooner, but they'll understand once I explain the situation." Secretary Smith stood. "We should also consider what happens when Perseus eventually dies. If he's immortal, that might be never, but we should have a succession plan for the Echelon Protocol." "He's not immortal," Cartwright said quietly. "He just ages very slowly and heals from injuries that would kill normal humans. But he can die. He's told me that himself. Says he's been close a few times." "So what happens when he does die?" "The protocol dies with him. There's no one else like him, and frankly, I hope there never is. Managing one immortal warrior-saint is complicated enough. I don't want to imagine what it would be like with more of them running around." They all chuckled at that, the tension in the room finally breaking. "Alright, people. Let's get to work. We've got sixty days to implement this system, and I want it done right. No more Echelon activations. No more embarrassing Congressional hearings. No more explaining to the President why our own agents keep arresting our most valuable asset." The directors filed out, each heading back to their respective agencies with marching orders. Cartwright remained in his office, staring out the window at the Washington skyline. Somewhere out there, Perseus Jackson was going about his business, probably flipping that ancient coin and wondering if this time the government would finally get its act together. For everyone's sake, Cartwright hoped they would. He picked up his phone and dialed a number he'd memorized but never saved. It rang twice. "Yeah?" Perseus's voice was calm, unsurprised. "It's Cartwright. Just wanted to let you know—we're implementing the flagging system. Every database, every agency. Within sixty days, every federal agent in the country will know not to touch you." "Will it work?" "It should. And if someone ignores the flag, they'll face prosecution. We're taking this seriously." There was a pause. "Good. I'm tired of this, James. I've been helping your country since before it was a country. The least you can do is tell your people to leave me alone." "I know. And I'm sorry it took this long. For what it's worth, I really do appreciate everything you do." "I don't do it for appreciation. I do it because it needs doing." Another pause. "But thanks anyway." The line went dead. Cartwright set down his phone and finished his whiskey. Sixty days. They had sixty days to fix a problem that had been festering for decades. It had to work. Because if it didn't, if Perseus Jackson decided he'd had enough and disappeared forever, the United States would lose something irreplaceable. And James Cartwright would have to explain to the President how they'd managed to lose a four-hundred-year-old asset because they couldn't figure out how to update a database. He poured himself another drink. It was going to be a long sixty days.