The door slammed against the wall and the three people sitting in front of the large, oak desk, with their backs to me, jumped and spun around in their seats. Inspecting their faces, I supposed Wallace had at least chosen as well as he could, under the circumstances. Naomi, Sean, and Manuel were all among the best of the recruits. Still, they were certainly not yet prepared for whatever he was planning. And even if they were, I wouldn’t tell him that, because I had a suspicion that whatever was going on here, it wasn’t something I wanted to encourage. But that was what I was here to find out, wasn’t it? I met Wallace’s eyes across his desk. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Next time, please remember to knock if the door is closed. This is a private meeting, Rayna.”

“Yeah, your secretary mentioned that. It seems like a good call. I prefer to make my embarrassing mistakes in private, too.”

“Do you? I can’t say I noticed,” he folded his hands on his desk.

Touché.

“We need to talk. Now.”

“Have you been drinking?”

“Don’t change the subject, Peter,” I slipped the flask from my pocket and took a pointed sip.

“Oh, are we on a first name basis, suddenly?”

“I’m not in the mood for games, today. And I am not leaving until you tell me what is going on.”

“I could have you removed.”

“You could try,” I smiled.

“You know, I don’t remember you being this insubordinate with James.”

“Then you weren’t paying attention. Also, for the record, you aren’t James.”

Wallace shook his head and turned to our audience, sitting silent and open mouthed, unsure of how to react. It was tough on kids, when mom and dad fought in front of them.

“I apologize,” Wallace struggled to keep his voice even and suppress any trace of emotion. He mostly managed it. “It appears I have something I need to deal with. It won’t take long. Go back to your rooms. I will send someone for you when I am ready.”

The three students rose, eyes fixed on the ground, trying not to look at me as they slipped out of the room and closed the door behind them. I claimed a seat in front of the desk, kicking my feet back onto another of the vacated chairs.

“Well,” Wallace returned his attention to me, his blue eyes cold. “I’d ask what brings you here today, but since I just sent Tom to retrieve Luke from your lesson, shall I simply assume that one of them told you what we are planning?”

I considered pretending I knew everything, to try and get him to reveal more, but I didn’t really have enough information to even bluff effectively. Any attempt would fall apart at the first question. No, this was more of a blunt force situation.

“No, I am sure you will be happy to know that they were both good boys and kept their mouths shut, for the most part. Problem is, they are terrible liars,” I paused. “Maybe that isn’t fair. Tom isn’t bad, but I know him too well. Luke is legitimately awful, though, I could see him sweating from a block away.”

“Something we’ll have to work on, I suppose.”

“Yeah. Either way, they were both extremely cagey about this meeting. Which, for future reference, is why I got suspicious. And I figured if they wouldn’t say, I would have to go to the source. So here I am,” I leaned back in my chair.

“So, I see. But what makes you think I will tell you anything?”

“It’s fine if you don’t.”

“What?” Wallace frowned.

“Look, I know you are planning to use the four of them for something. It doesn’t really matter what because none of them are ready. So, I don’t really need the details, as long as you call it off.”

“I can’t do that, Rayna. I know that your recent experiences have made you a bit… gun shy, but you should remember that risks are a necessary part of this business. They have to go out into the field eventually, and we won’t know if they are ready without testing them.”

“Oh, so I must have misunderstood. This is just a test. Something safe, and reasonable. Surely you can tell me all about it, then,” I held his gaze.

“I suppose there is no cause not to tell you. The only reason I didn’t want you involved in the first place was to avoid a scene, and that ship has already sailed, clearly. I am simply sending them on an errand to retrieve some materials our chemists need. It isn’t anything you need to worry yourself over.”

“You know the less detail you provide, the more certain I am that this is a stupid idea, right?”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“There are some details I am not willing to share with you, yet. You haven’t proven yourself stable enough. But you are right, if I am going to tell you, I might as well be clear,” Wallace paused for a moment, considering how much to divulge. “Our scientists require a… particular chemical. Do not ask what they are planning to use it for, that is one of the things I am not yet willing to share with you. Suffice it to say the chemical is experimental and the supply is tightly controlled. There is only one company that manufactures it, and they are not permitted to sell it. So, I am sending a small team in to… retrieve what we need.”

“Retrieve it how, exactly? What is your plan?”

“Nothing complicated. They are going to go in, hold the place up, get a as much as they can, and leave. Perfectly simple.”

I stared at him for a long, uncomfortable moment, before I finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, I was waiting for the punchline. But you aren’t kidding, are you? I just assumed.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, not a problem. There are many problems. That plan is insane. An armed raid on what sounds like a secret, secure chemical facility? I am not training these kids just so you can get them killed, or worse, use them to kill innocent people.”

“I don’t know what you’ve heard but nobody said innocent people would be involved,” Wallace smirked.

“I am not one of your recruits, Wally, don’t try to sell me that bullshit. Ubarae would never work at a chemical company, or in chemical research. With their sensitivities, it is too dangerous for them, and we both know it. I know you are sending them in there to attack a human run facility. Don’t treat me like an idiot.”

“Fine. Still, I don’t know where you got the idea that I am planning a massacre. We simply need access to their product and there is no way to get it legitimately, so I am going to send a few of our trainees to acquire it. Hopefully, the staff will be smart and simply hand over what we need, then actual violence won’t be necessary.”

“You think that going in, guns blazing, and robbing a chemical research lab will go peacefully?”

“There is, of course, some risk. But trust me, I have considered this move very carefully. We need this. It has to happen. You aren’t going to talk me out of it.”

The door burst open again. I turned to see Tom leaning heavily on the doorframe, with Luke hovering behind him in the hallway. They were both disheveled and out of breath, clearly having run most of the way here.

“What took you so long?” I asked.

“You took my keycard and left us locked in the last sector,” Tom gasped. “We had to find someone who could swipe us through! What the hell, Ray?”

“Relax, you got here, didn’t you?”

“That isn’t the point!”

“Were you worried about me, or for me?” I asked.

“Trust me, Ray, it can easily be both.”

“Well as you can see, you had no cause for concern, either way. Wallace was just catching me up on things.”

Tom looked sharply at his boss, who shrugged, unperturbed.

“He told you, then?” Tom looked back to me.

“I told her enough,” Wallace affirmed, subtly warning him not to volunteer too much.

“Yes, I’ve learned the basics. Enough to wonder why you agreed to this. I mean, honestly Tom, what were you thinking?”

“Come on, Ray,” Tom collapsed into the remaining vacant chair next to me. “I know you don’t want the recruits to take this kind of risk, but sometimes these things are necessary.”

He and Wallace were clearly spending too much time together.

“Necessary,” I scoffed. “It’s a stupid fucking plan, and you know it. You say you aren’t planning a massacre, Wallace, but I don’t see how this could end any other way.”

“Alright, I admit that it is a possibility,” Wallace acknowledged. “But it is not what we are intending with this mission.”

That was as close as I was going to get him to admitting the truth. He didn’t care if his recruits died for this. If civilians died for this. He had already decided that the sacrifice was acceptable. I briefly considered punching him in the face but decided that wouldn’t accomplish much. Still, I couldn’t just let this happen, so I tried another angle.

“You don’t say,” I rolled my eyes. “But surely you can see that this is less likely to help you, than it is to blow up in your face, right? Shooting up a research facility is not going to go unnoticed, and I don’t think you have the pull to keep it quiet. Do you really want that kind of heat right now? Can you really handle it?”

There was a long moment of silence. That got him. And thank fuck for that, because if I had missed my guess, if he really did have that kind of pull, we would all have been in serious trouble.

“Come on, you have to know this isn’t a viable plan,” I pressed.

“I take it you think you could do better?” Wallace raised an eyebrow.

“Obviously.”

“Fine, then. Enlighten me. If you were in charge, how would you handle this?”

“Put me in charge and find out.”

Wallace paused, chewing his lip.

“You can’t be considering this, surely?” Tom broke in.

“Why not? I don’t really care how it gets done, as long as it does. And she isn’t exactly wrong,” Wallace admitted. “Alright, Rayna, if you think you can manage this, then it’s yours. But I want to hear the whole plan before you attempt anything. I have final approval.”

“Fine by me,” it would have been better if I could have just stopped the whole thing, but I doubted that was feasible, so this would have to do. “I will need a few things first, though. I am going to need my laptop and phone back, for starters. And internet access, of course. I have a lot of research to do before I can give you a fully fleshed out plan.”

“Of course. Luke will assist you with that, won’t you?”

Luke nodded sharply.

“Should I summon the others back, to speak with you?” Wallace continued.

“That won’t be necessary. I am planning on using a smaller team.”

“Very well. But I am going to insist that you bring Tom and Luke, at least. I don’t want you doing this alone.”

“I wasn’t planning to, but I am sure I don’t need both of them. Tom has more important things to manage, doesn’t he?”

“No. Nothing is more important than this, right now. Right, Tom?” Tom nodded sharply, but he didn’t look especially happy. “I want you to use both. It isn’t up for debate.”

I nodded. That made things a bit more complicated, but it was still doable.

“Of course, glad to have him, as long as you are sure you can spare him.”

“What else do you need?”

“I suppose I am going to need your approval to call in an… outside contractor, too.”

“Oh? I would prefer you keep this in house, Rayna.”

“Not possible. The person I have in mind has a very specialized skill set, and we are going to need it. But don’t worry, she can be discreet and besides, she owes me a favor or two. It won’t be a problem.”

“Who do you have in mind?” Wallace narrowed his eyes, suspiciously.

“You remember Elizabeth Ward?”