The War Is Not Over
A flash fiction story by Joe Chiappetta
"I know how we can defeat Mr. Vigilant," said Dr. Bad Guy with a sinister wrinkle of his nose. "Trick him into thinking that the war is over; let him think he's won."
The idea was half the battle--or perhaps even more--because it was such a powerful concept. The rest was simple application of deceptive tradecraft: a few false rumors about Mr. Vigilant's fellow soldiers, a fake retreat by Dr. Bad Guy and his forces, a year of free virtual reality movies "anonymously" gifted to Mr. Vigilant, and a breathtakingly beautiful and lonely woman who "just happened" to move in right next door to him.
When a person believes their fight is over, they stop fighting. As a reliable agent fighting on the side of good v. evil, Mr. Vigilant had many years of fighting left in him. Yet such truths escaped him during that critical time. His heart for righteous battle was replaced with a heart for immediate comfort.
Later, Mr. Vigilant would recall with shame... as well as a renewed earnestness, "I let my guard down. I let my people down. But I live to fight again... for the victor's crown."