Chapter 6 Chain of Command

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Eric found Rafe in the training facility, running through combat drills with focused intensity that made the weighted punching bag swing like a pendulum. Each strike was precise, calculated, the kind of approach that had made Rafe strong.

Martinez and Chen were at the weights on the far side, their conversation a low murmur beneath the clang of metal plates.

"Need to talk," Eric said from the doorway.

Rafe landed one more combination before stepping back. He grabbed a towel, studying Eric with sharp eyes. "Why are you walking around looking like someone shot your dog?"

"Something like that."

Rafe's expression shifted. "This about the Morse code thing?"

"We didn't settle it. We dismissed it." Eric glanced at Martinez and Chen. "Can we go somewhere private?"

Rafe nodded immediately. He grabbed his jacket and called out, "Martinez, Chen, lock up when you're done."

"You got it, boss," Martinez called back.

Rafe led Eric outside toward the perimeter fence. They walked in silence past the administrative buildings until they reached the practice range. Rafe didn't speak until they were alone.

"Alright," he said. "What's going on?"

Eric took a breath. Then he told him everything. The address decoded from the Morse code. The visit to Sarah's house, the family photos, the two children asking when Daddy was coming home. The wedding ring. How he'd convinced Becca to run DNA tests illegally.

"Becca ran the tests," Eric continued. "Daniel Marcus. Sergeant in the Army Rangers, deployed eighteen months ago. Reported missing four months ago." His voice was hollow. "The mutant from the alley. It was him, Rafe."

Rafe was quiet for a long moment.

"Jesus Christ," he said finally. "Are you sure the test didn't get mixed up or something? Lab errors happen."

"She ran it three times. Cross-referenced with military databases, genetic markers, dental records." Eric pulled out his phone, showing Rafe the encrypted file. "It's him. And that's not all. She tested the others from our last mission. Every single one came back with a match. Soldiers. All of them."

Rafe stared at the screen, processing the information. Eric watched the realization settle over his friend's face.

"How many?" Rafe asked quietly.

"Seventeen from recent missions. But if the pattern holds..." Eric's hands clenched. "Rafe, we've been executing our own people. Soldiers trying to get home, trying to communicate…...."

"Stop." Rafe's voice was sharp. "Stop spiraling. If this is real, we need to think tactically, not emotionally."

"How can you be tactical about this?"

"Because being emotional would not produce any meaningful results ." Rafe turned to face him. "You said Becca accessed everything illegally?"

"The files were classified beyond my clearance level."

"Which means if you go to the wrong person, you're a criminal who commits  crimes." Rafe's jaw tightened. "They'll bury you before addressing what you found."

Eric felt the weight of that truth. "So what do I do? Keep killing people?"

"No. You take this to Malcolm first."

"Malcolm?" Eric blinked. "But if the organization is behind this…."

"Malcolm is the next higher-up after you. The operative commander." Rafe's expression was serious. "Take it to him, let him decide if it warrants going higher."

"But…"

"Listen. Malcolm might not know." Rafe paused for a while. "Or he does know, and bringing it to him forces his hand. Makes him choose between covering it up or taking action."

"And if he covers it up?"

"Then you'll know how deep this goes." Rafe moved closer. "More importantly, Malcolm has the rank to take this higher without questions about authorization. He can claim he requested the tests himself, protecting Becca from the consequences of her actions."

Eric hadn't thought about that. "He'd do that?"

"If he's the man I think he is, yes. If not, we learn something important about leadership here." Rafe's hand found Eric's shoulder. "But once you do this, there's no taking it back. You'll have identified yourself as someone asking dangerous questions."

"I know."

"Do you? Because right now you're thinking about families. But you need to think about what happens to you, to Becca, if this goes sideways."

"Better to try than live with what we've done."

Rafe studied him, something shifting in his expression.

"Alright. But you do this right. Go to Malcolm with facts, not accusations. Present it as an operational concern, we're eliminating intelligence sources, destroying evidence of whatever created these mutations. That's what the language command understands."

"So I lie about why it matters?"

"You lead with what gets his attention. The emotional argument comes after." Rafe pulled out his phone. "Request a meeting. Tell him you've discovered irregularities in mission parameters."

Eric pulled out his phone, staring at Malcolm's contact.

"What if he doesn't care about the families either?"

"Then we figure out our next move. Together." Rafe squeezed his shoulder. "But until you talk to Malcolm and get his response, you do nothing. No board, no protocols, no unauthorized actions. Clear?"

Eric nodded slowly.

"When should I approach him?"

"Today. Now, if possible. The longer you wait, the more time to second-guess yourself." Rafe released his shoulder. "And Eric? Whatever Malcolm says, don't react. Stay professional. His response will tell us everything."

"And if he's part of it?"

"Then you walk out calmly, and we decide together what comes next." Rafe's voice was steady. "You're not alone in this."

Eric felt gratitude flood through him. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. We haven't survived this, let alone what comes next."

Eric pressed the call button. The line rang.

"Malcolm." The operative commander's voice was crisp, professional.

"Sir, this is Vaughn. I need to request a meeting. I've discovered irregularities in mission parameters that require your immediate attention."

A pause. "How immediate?"

"As soon as possible, sir."

Another pause. "My office, fourteen hundred hours. Come prepared to brief."

"Yes, sir." Eric ended the call and looked at Rafe. "Two hours."

"Good. Organize your thoughts. Facts first, implications second, recommendations third." Rafe's expression was serious. "And Eric? Malcolm's response will tell us everything we need to know about how deep this goes."

"Understood."

Eric walked back toward the compound, mind working through how to present the information. How to frame seventeen dead soldiers as operational irregularities. How to tell his commanding officer their organization might be transforming people into monsters.

Two hours to prepare for a conversation that could either expose a massive conspiracy or end his career.

Two hours felt both too long and not nearly long enough.