Rise of a Valkyrie

Part 23

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Absorbed in paperwork, Halloran Reed heard the tap on his office door as someone entered.

"I got that new kid settled in okay, Cap," Kyellan Bell's voice announced. "My personality eval is in your inbox."

"No ranks." Reed looked up from the shipping forms on his desk. "We aren't soldiers anymore, remember?"

"Sorry sir- uh... sorry," Bell said as he scratched his neck. "Old habits are hard to kick."

"Adapt for Victory. That was my old regiment's motto."

"Yeah." Bell grabbed a chair and sat down, his eyes wandering aimlessly around the makeshift office.

Reed watched him for a moment. "Is there something troubling you, Bell?"

"Well... uh... I mean, you can go too far with 'thinking outside the box' can't you?"

Reed nodded. "Absolutely. Which is why I like to encourage my men to maintain a healthy skepticism, and express their concerns when necessary."

"I wouldn't say I have concerns exactly."

"So, what's up?"

Bell sighed. "I joined the Special Forces because I wanted to do whatever it took to win. But playacting as execs? Corporate fraud? Whatever—it's a whole different game. There're so many weird rules. I think I nearly lost this new kid when I asked about his ex-girlfriend."

Reed sat back in his chair. "Plenty of businessmen have a military background. Civilians understand that our world is a little different. These kids are naïve and trusting—they may find us blunt or awkward, but they won't challenge us."

Bell tilted his head. "But do you really think we can pull this off? What about when the Army figures out what we're up to?"

Reed chuckled. "Oh, come on, Bell. That bureaucratic monster would take the better part of a year to commission an investigation. Then they would be stuck in the planning and organization phase for months, all so a bunch of career chasing narcissists could waste time and resources to justify their rank and pay. That's if they even have the imagination to accept what we're doing. Alien technology? Secret bases? If I were the investigator presenting a report to the General's board, I'd expect to be laughed out of the room."

"Because it's a crazy-ass plan."

"Ambitious and imaginative, sure. But Madam Rayker is as brilliant as she is driven. She has the Adjudicate wrapped around her finger. The Cardinals are doing a fine job of covering up what we're doing, even if they don't understand it." Reed smiled and leaned forward. "And don't forget, we have the best soldiers in the galaxy. The League has an old, frail hand on the reins of power. By the time they see what's coming for them, it will be too late. Time for new blood."

Bell raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that part I like. Getting there is the difficult bit."

"In the long term," Reed said, "we will need a plan to gather human subjects for the machine. I'm thinking about putting a team into the field, toward Lanstead. I'll keep you at the top of my list. Once you get out on the ground, away from this miserable dungeon, you'll start to regain your confidence."

"I was going to say something about that. With the Rackeye site up, we should be able to talk about more leave for the guys. Trips to the farming towns hardly count."

"Actually," Reed said as he sat back in his chair and crossed his hands, "I think that a permanent team in the city would make sense. As time passes, the researchers will gossip, and people might start asking questions. We should be proactive in monitoring the social scene."