“Sir?”
“At ease, Sergeant Major.”
She relaxed, tucking her hands behind her back, feet shoulder width apart. “What can I do for you, sir?”
Sitting back in his chair, he picked up a paperweight and tossed it from one hand to the other. “A new country will be joining our coalition. It’s going to be a lot of work for you in the next few months. You know how difficult it can be to get a new member up to speed.”
“Yes, sir.” She’d been in the thick of it when they formed the worldwide coalition of militaries and had done more paperwork to make it all happen than she’d wanted to do in her entire life. She’d much rather be out in the field, but if this is how she could best serve her country, she’d do the best job that could be done. “Which country, sir?”
A triumphant, almost cruel expression crossed his face. “China.”
That was not an answer she wanted to hear. The bottom dropped out of her stomach.
Oh, shit.
2
Bren licked her lips and tried to keep her voice even. “I thought China didn’t want to join the coalition, sir.”
Arthur’s dark eyes cooled. “My efforts to convince them it’s the best thing for their citizens were successful.”
“Congratulations, sir.” Another wave of dread went through her, numbness following in its wake. She wasn’t sure what measures he’d taken to ensure their cooperation, but it would have to be extreme. China had made it very clear from the beginning they wanted to stand alone on this issue, that they wanted no part of an operation run solely at the discretion of the United States.
Who had Arthur threatened or killed to get what he wanted? She curled her fingers into tight fists, horrified she had to ask herself the question, and yet…not surprised by it at the same time. It wasn’t paranoia that had kept her up at night, and that lame excuse crumbled in the face of the unrelenting truth before her. He wasn’t the man she remembered, the man she’d respected, almost worshipped. Something had changed in the last few months. She wasn’t sure if she was just seeing it now, and it had always been there, or if it was a new development.
He still looked the part of the perfect officer and gentleman. Soldier. Hero. The kind of man who ended up with commemorative statues after he died in battle. She stifled a snort at that—as if any of them did this for the glory.
But something about that caught her, made her pause.
She focused on his face and realized that that was the difference. Since the Kith had come and Arthur had had the chance to band together the militaries of Earth to fight them, it had gone from saving the world to controlling the world. Perhaps it was the glory or just the power, but it really didn’t matter why, did it? Arthur, a man she would have sworn a year ago was a dedicated soldier to the core of his being, had lost whatever internal compass guided him. He’d crossed the line one too many times and never suffered any consequences for it. People were scared and they were desperate for the safety they had once known. The safety of ignorance.
All those people were willing to let Arthur do whatever he wanted in order to reclaim that security. They’d hand over their armies, their control, their independence, their money. Everything.
She could see in Arthur’s eyes how much he liked that. It wasn’t about safety for him anymore; it wasn’t about protection or what was good for humanity. It was about him now. His power, his control, his ability to convince people they would never be safe without him in charge.
A chill rippled down her spine, and she swallowed hard, forcing her expression to impassivity. “You have a meeting with the president at ten, sir.”
“Thank you, Preston.” Arthur continued to stare at her for a long moment, and Bren refused to give in to the urge to fidget. “Dismissed.”
She nodded and executed a quick about-face, marching out of his office and closing the door behind her. It wasn’t until there was a thick wooden barrier between him and her that she let out the breath she’d been holding.
Perching in her office chair, she logged in to her computer and just stared at the screen. Her thoughts ricocheted in her mind, unable to settle. She kept coming back to the same conclusion she had the night before. Regardless of the Sueni fleet being here or gone, this was going to be a no-win situation for Earth. Arthur, the savior of humanity, was going to make it a no-win situation. People had died, and more people were going to, if Arthur remained in command.
So what was she going to do about it?
Her hands folded tightly in her lap, her nails digging into her skin. Whatever remained of her initial numbness evaporated. Panic and terror bolted through her, made her uniform dampen with sweat.
She could do nothing. It was in her best interest to keep following orders and just…living her life. Because the army was her life. This was who she was. It was all she’d ever wanted to be.
She’d run like hell from her foster family the day she’d graduated from high school, signed on with the army, and never looked back.
She’d been lucky and she knew it. Her foster father had satisfied himself with occasionally kicking the crap out of her and the other kids and neglecting them the rest of the time. And that had been one of the better homes she’d lived in after her parents died. She was just grateful to have never had to look herself in the mirror and see the empty, hollowed-out eyes of the walking ghosts some of those foster kids had become.
Bren had known then that she would do everything she could to make sure she was never anyone’s victim ever again. She’d learn how to fight back, she’d learn how to never be weak, she’d learn how to protect people who couldn’t protect themselves. And she had. The army had given her that. A sense of purpose, of duty, of belonging to something greater than herself.
But that was the problem, that was why she couldn’t blindly follow Arthur now, because the army had given her a purpose, had made her country and its citizens more important than anything else. More than personal gain or power or prestige. She couldn’t just stand back now and do nothing when the things she lived for were threatened.
She forced herself to cold, calm calculation. Now was not the time for panic. She had to do something. There was no question left in her mind about that. This was not optional. But what could she do? Who could she ask for help? Who could she trust? Conspiring against the most powerful man on the planet had gotten people far more influential than her killed. Who would be willing to step out of line to protect everyone from Arthur?
A flash of Farid’s face entered her mind. She dismissed it, but then paused.
If Arthur was the enemy, then was the enemy of her enemy someone she could turn to? Farid hated Arthur, of that she had no doubt. He’d love some retribution for the preemptive strike against the Sueni armada. If she gave him the chance to exact his revenge, would it save the planet or make the situation worse?
There was only one way to find out, but she couldn’t call him just to ask. No, this meeting would have to be private and it would have to be in person. She closed her eyes and sighed. Pulling her cell phone out of her purse, she opened up an encrypted email and composed a new message that would somehow interface with the Sueni ships. Her lips twisted. Apparently, they’d been able to dumb down their communication system to get the most advanced
