Chapter 6 Chain of Command
The rhythmic thud of fists against reinforced leather echoed through the training hall.
Eric found Rafe alone in the combat cage, working through one of his routines.
Left hook.
Right cross.
Elbow.
Knee.
Every strike landed with practiced precision, sending the heavy bag swinging violently.
Across the room, Martinez and Chen competed over deadlifts, arguing about whose form was worse.
Rafe finished his combination before glancing toward the doorway.
"You look terrible."
Eric didn't answer.
"I need to talk."
Something in his voice made Rafe straighten immediately.
Without another question, he grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his face.
"Martinez."
The younger soldier looked over.
"Yeah, boss?"
"You and Chen finish locking up."
"You got it."
Rafe threw on his jacket.
"Come on."
---
They walked in silence until they reached the outdoor firing range.
The morning drills hadn't started yet.
The place was deserted.
Only then did Rafe stop.
"What happened?"
Eric took a deep breath.
"Remember the mutant from the Red Lion?"
"The one using Morse code?"
Eric nodded.
"I figured out what it was trying to say."
For the next fifteen minutes...
He told him everything.
The address.
Sarah Marcus.
Daniel.
The little girl waiting for her father.
The DNA test.
Rebecca's discovery.
The classified military files.
Seventeen confirmed identities.
When he finished...
Neither of them spoke.
Rafe simply stared across the empty firing range.
Finally he asked,
"Do you have the report?"
Eric handed him the encrypted tablet.
Rafe read every page.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His expression never changed.
Only after reading the final report did he look up.
"Rebecca ran all of these herself?"
"Yes."
"Chain of custody?"
"Clean."
"Verification?"
"Three separate comparisons."
Rafe remained silent.
He flipped through the files again.
Daniel Marcus.
Sarah Winters.
James Rodriguez.
Michael Chen.
One after another.
Soldiers.
Every one of them.
Finally he exhaled.
"If these reports are genuine..."
"They are."
"I'm not saying they aren't."
Rafe handed the tablet back.
"I'm saying we need to think clearly."
Eric frowned.
"How?"
"Because panic gets people killed."
He folded his arms.
"So let's establish what we actually know."
He held up one finger.
"The DNA matches military personnel."
A second finger.
"The mutations were engineered."
A third.
"The files are classified above our clearance."
He looked directly at Eric.
"What we don't know..."
"...is who authorized it."
Eric opened his mouth.
"The Vanguard."
Rafe shook his head.
"Maybe."
"But maybe not."
"It could be one division."
"A black project."
"A contractor."
"A rogue command."
"If you assume everyone is guilty, you'll trust no one."
He stepped closer.
"And that's how people make fatal mistakes."
Eric looked away.
"So what do we do?"
Rafe didn't answer immediately.
Instead he asked,
"Who knows?"
"You."
"Rebecca."
"Tessa knows I suspected something, but not about the DNA."
Rafe nodded.
"Good."
"The fewer people involved, the better."
Eric clenched his jaw.
"So we keep pretending?"
"No."
"We report it."
Eric blinked.
"To who?"
"Commander Malcolm."
Eric stared at him.
"If this organization created the mutants—"
"You don't know that."
"Not yet."
Rafe's voice remained calm.
"Malcolm commands field operations."
"He isn't research."
"He isn't intelligence."
"He isn't executive leadership."
"If anyone deserves the chance to act before we assume the worst..."
"It's him."
Eric wasn't convinced.
"And if he's involved?"
"Then we'll know."
Rafe's tone hardened.
"But if he's innocent and we go around him..."
"We become traitors before we've proven anything."
Eric slowly nodded.
That made uncomfortable sense.
"What about Rebecca?"
"Exactly why Malcolm comes first."
Rafe pointed toward the tablet.
"Those files were obtained illegally."
"If Malcolm chooses to protect the investigation..."
"He can claim he authorized the analysis."
"If we bypass him..."
"Rebecca becomes the first casualty."
Eric hadn't considered that.
Rafe continued,
"You don't accuse him."
"You brief him."
"Treat this like an operational failure."
"Unknown genetic signatures."
"Friendly personnel identified among hostile targets."
"Possible intelligence compromise."
"Facts."
"No theories."
"No speeches."
"No emotional appeals."
"Let Malcolm ask the questions."
Eric took a slow breath.
"And if he orders me to forget everything?"
Rafe's expression became unreadable.
"Then we'll have our answer."
"We?"
Rafe smiled faintly.
"You thought I was going to let you do this alone?"
Eric let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"I appreciate it."
"Don't."
Rafe's voice was serious again.
"If this is real..."
"...we're standing in front of something far bigger than either of us."
He looked toward headquarters.
"And once we open this door..."
"We don't get to close it again."
Eric nodded.
"I know."
"No."
Rafe held his gaze.
"I don't think you do."
"If this reaches the wrong ears..."
"They won't just erase the evidence."
"They'll erase the people asking questions."
The words settled heavily between them.
Finally Eric pulled out his phone.
Commander Malcolm's contact sat near the top of his list.
His thumb hovered over it.
Then he pressed Call.
The line rang twice.
"Commander Malcolm."
His voice was calm and authoritative.
"Vaughn."
"What can I do for you?"
Eric glanced at Rafe.
Rafe gave a single nod.
"Sir, I've uncovered information regarding recent field operations."
A brief silence followed.
"What kind of information?"
"I'd rather discuss it in person."
Another pause.
Then—
"Does it concern operational security?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well."
"Fourteen hundred hours."
"My office."
"Come prepared to justify interrupting my schedule."
"Understood, sir."
The call ended.
Eric slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Two hours."
Rafe nodded once.
"Use them wisely."
As they walked back toward headquarters, Eric felt strangely calm.
The fear hadn't disappeared.
It had simply changed.
Until now, he'd been chasing the truth.
In two hours...
He would find out whether the truth had been waiting for him all along.
