James Davrell hunched over his cubicle desk, sorting the last bits of his office supplies into a cardboard box. It'd been a easy task; there wasn't much to put away. Wrapping up the picture frames in foam had been the hardest part. His encased purple heart sat next to a worn-down copy of Homer's The Iliad, a bookmark wedged two-thirds of the way through the brick of pages.
James stepped back and winced as a twitch of pain shot up his left thigh. He looked longingly at the small orange capsule next to his box, half-full of tiny white pills. With a sigh, he packed them away. Already had one this morning. No need for another till after dinner.
"Packed up already?" Agent Jack Tremain peeked over James' cubicle, grinning.
Davrell turned, smiling. Tremain was the only colleague that James had come close to calling a 'friend' in his year or so as an office jockey. "Wasn't much to do." He shrugged. "You'd think I would have left a bigger mark in this space after a year."
"Simple man, Jim," Jack smirked, "simple space for a simple man."
"You know I hate being called 'Jim'."
"Yeeaupp." Jack laughed. "Figure you can take it, today. Getting a promotion after a year of work. Liason for the Justice League, no less." He whistled. "Some of us would kill for that slot."
James shrugged, running a finger through his hair. "...between you and me, I'd rather be out on the field."
"So you've told me." Tremain lifted a mug of black coffee to his lips. "Leg's still acting up though, eh?"
"It'll heal."
The phone in his cubicle interrupted them - Kidman, requesting James at Joyner's office.
James took a breath. "Guess that's my cue." He walked to his colleague and offered his hand. "Been a pleasure, Jack. Thanks for bothering with me."
Tremain shook it. "Thanks for letting me bother." He clapped him on the shoulder. "You're a good kid, Jim. Bright future. Never feel like you're not doing anything important being stuck behind a desk. Sometimes, the only change a man can make in the world is with a keyboard and a cup of coffee. We're only human, after all."
James laughed, a quiet but genuine gesture. "Yeah. That's what worries me."
---
James Davrell knocked twice on Joyner's office door before entering.
"Sir? You sent for me."