Polly J. Lux

SOON ENOUGH – SOMEWHERE FAMILIAR – A SANDY COASTLINE – 15:17

The sand is soft and warm. Polly breathes deeply, lungs filling with salt. Her senses are filled, driving out all other thoughts – thoughts of the past, of suspicion and of grudges, of the secretive exchange of glasses for favours, of lies and of half-truths, of promises falsely made. The future, too, feels suddenly far away, though mere hours ago she had walked on-stage at the university, taken her very own degree into her hands, and looked out into a sea of faces reflecting her own hopes, and fears, and joys. She'd looked beyond them, into the boundless green canopy of Seldonan meadows, and beyond even those, into the sharp, steady blue line of the horizon; so far away, and yet so close she could almost reach out and touch it.

As waves withdraw gently from the shore, they take everything with them but the present. Polly stands, eyes closed, and lets the moment stretch out into centuries. Starting today, and continuing on every day that follows, she's no longer bound by the past.

Today marks the beginning of her future.

SOME TIME LATER (BUT NOT TOO LATE) – A SECRET OFFICE – NORTH SELDONAN SUBURBS – 21:49

“Right… there.” With a flick of her cursor, Polly zeroes in on a tiny microphone, sandwiched between two tables. Easily missed, if you're an amateur.

Other members of the Anti-Fraud Division swarm around the computer, scrutinising the evidence, snapping photos, making calls. Polly pushes away from her desk, moving toward the exit. Admiring glances and sincere, approving words follow, but she doesn't look back. She's officially off the clock.

The sky above is clear. The new crescent Moon shimmers.

NEW MISSION DIRECTIVE: Make her own memories.