Assignment's End

Philip Alcorn possesses an uncanny ability: anyone who comes near him is instantly soothed, while he remains haunted by relentless, dream‑like hallucinations. In his cramped office, his wife‑like partner Kitty tries to steady him with appointments and affection, but the specter of his power drags him toward a looming crisis. As the day’s meetings approach—a conference on irradiated foods and a call from the enigmatic Victor Jaffers—Alcorn wrestles with the question of whether his gift is a curse he can ever escape.

When Jaffers contacts him, the offer is clear: a lucrative position in a shadowy organization that wants to exploit Alcorn’s talent for high‑stakes negotiations. Yet he refuses to turn his calming influence into a weapon for profit, fearing the ethical fallout and personal danger it could bring. The story follows his uneasy balancing act between duty, sanity, and the temptation to sell the very power that isolates him.