Chapter 7 Jurisdiction
Commander Malcolm's office overlooked the entire compound.
From the floor-to-ceiling windows, Eric could see recruits running obstacle courses while instructors barked orders below. Beyond them, the training ranges echoed with distant gunfire.
A place built on discipline.
On obedience.
On trust.
Today, all three felt fragile.
Malcolm sat behind his desk, hands folded neatly in front of him as Eric finished laying out every piece of evidence.
He never interrupted.
Never questioned.
He simply listened.
When Eric finally stopped speaking, silence settled over the office.
Malcolm leaned back in his chair.
"That's... quite the accusation."
"It isn't an accusation, sir."
"It's evidence."
Malcolm studied him for several seconds.
"The evidence was obtained illegally."
Eric's jaw tightened.
"That doesn't make it false."
"No."
"It doesn't."
The commander stood and walked toward the windows.
"The DNA matches are genuine?"
"Yes."
"Verified?"
"Three separate tests."
Malcolm nodded slowly.
"I assumed as much."
Eric frowned.
"You assumed?"
"I've worked with Dr. Lawson before."
"If she tells me she verified something three times..."
"I believe her."
For the first time since entering the office, Eric felt a flicker of hope.
"Then you understand."
Malcolm remained silent.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"I understand why you're disturbed."
He turned back.
"But disturbance doesn't automatically change reality."
Eric stared at him.
"Seventeen people, sir."
"They weren't monsters."
"They were soldiers."
"They had families."
"They still do."
Malcolm's expression softened.
"I know."
Those two words caught Eric off guard.
"You... know?"
"I know every operative we lose."
"I read every casualty report."
"I've signed too many condolence letters to count."
His voice remained calm.
"But tell me something, Vaughn."
"If those people had reached a city..."
"If they had attacked civilians..."
"What would you have done?"
Eric hesitated.
"I..."
"You would've stopped them."
"Wouldn't you?"
"They were still dangerous."
Eric couldn't deny it.
"They attacked us."
"They killed people."
Malcolm nodded.
"Exactly."
He walked slowly around the desk.
"The question isn't whether they were once human."
"The question is whether they could still be saved."
Eric remained silent.
Malcolm continued.
"Have you ever seen one recover?"
"No."
"Have you seen one cured?"
"No."
"Have you seen one peacefully surrender and remain peaceful?"
Eric immediately thought of the woman in the alley.
The raised hands.
The terrified eyes.
He said nothing.
Malcolm noticed.
"You hesitated."
"There was one."
Eric answered quietly.
"It raised its hands."
"It looked..."
He struggled for the right word.
"Afraid."
Malcolm's expression didn't change.
"One moment doesn't erase hundreds of attacks."
"No."
Eric admitted.
"But it means they're still in there."
"Somewhere."
The commander sighed.
"Perhaps."
He returned to his desk.
"Do you know the hardest part of command, Vaughn?"
Eric shook his head.
"Accepting that every option is terrible."
"You think leadership is choosing between right and wrong."
"It isn't."
"It's choosing which wrong costs fewer lives."
Eric looked away.
"I didn't join to execute victims."
"No one does."
Malcolm's voice was quieter now.
"But wars rarely give us clean choices."
He tapped the tablet containing Rebecca's report.
"I'll submit this."
"You will?"
"Yes."
"I can't ignore evidence like this."
Relief spread through Eric's chest.
"But..."
The word stopped it immediately.
"It goes to the Executive Director."
"Not because you've proven a conspiracy."
"But because you've raised legitimate operational concerns."
He looked directly at Eric.
"Until then..."
"You will stop investigating."
Eric frowned.
"Sir—"
"No."
Malcolm's voice carried unmistakable authority.
"You've already compromised a researcher."
"You've accessed classified information."
"If you continue..."
"I won't be able to protect you."
Eric searched the older man's face.
"You'd protect me?"
"I protect my operatives."
"Even when they make mistakes."
For a moment...
Eric almost believed him.
Almost.
Then Malcolm asked the question that changed everything.
"Who else knows?"
Eric answered carefully.
"Only Dr. Lawson."
Malcolm held his gaze for several seconds.
Then nodded once.
"Good."
The answer felt...
Too quick.
Too relieved.
Malcolm walked back behind his desk.
"I'll handle the rest."
"You'll return to duty."
"You'll discuss this with no one."
"And you'll allow the chain of command to do its job."
Eric stood in silence.
Every instinct told him something was wrong.
Malcolm hadn't looked shocked.
He hadn't looked confused.
He hadn't even asked to see the raw DNA samples.
Almost as though...
He'd expected this conversation eventually.
"I understand, sir."
"I hope you do."
Malcolm offered a small smile.
"You're one of my best operatives, Vaughn."
"I'd hate to lose you."
Eric nodded once before turning toward the door.
"Dismissed."
---
The office door clicked shut behind him.
Only then did Eric release the breath he'd been holding.
The conversation had answered almost nothing.
But it had revealed one important truth.
Commander Malcolm hadn't denied the possibility.
He hadn't called Eric delusional.
He hadn't questioned the science.
Instead...
He'd asked who else knew.
Eric stepped into the elevator.
His phone vibrated before the doors could close.
Rebecca:
I found something else.
Not over comms.
Meet me immediately.
Eric read the message twice.
Malcolm's warning echoed through his mind.
Stop investigating.
Trust the chain of command.
Slowly, Eric typed a reply.
On my way.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
If Malcolm was telling the truth, he was about to disobey a direct order.
If Malcolm was lying...
He might already be too late.
As the elevator descended through Vanguard Headquarters, Eric couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere above him...
Someone was already deciding what to do about him.
