Damage Control (Valiant Knox)

by Jess Anastasi

  Widening the search parameters, she started checking for other information she hadn’t included for the others, like high school and hospital records. A note in the pilot’s high school files caught her attention.

  Sub-Officer Nolan Lawler had been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, which could be an ongoing issue. For a second she felt bad that such a nice guy had such a terrible disease, but then another thought occurred to her. Weird that she hadn’t seen any mention of it in his UEF personnel file. Pulse picking up slightly, she accessed the med records for various tests all candidates went through when joining the UEF.

  The blood test Lawler had after joining the UEF and coming to the Knox showed no sign of the disease. In fact, his blood type was totally different than that listed in the med records from high school.

  A shot of excited disbelief ripped through her. She tightened her grip on the datapad. Lawler wasn’t really Lawler. He was somebody else. This was it, the evidence she’d needed. She’d found the traitor. But Lawler? He seemed like such a dependable and unassuming guy.

  Out of all the instructors, none of the recruits ever had a bad thing to say about him, and clearly he had Leigh’s trust. Her stomach churned, making her feel sick. This was exactly what she’d been afraid of. How was she supposed to tell Leigh something like this?

  Switching tabs on the datapad, she pulled up the comm system to send a message to Leigh, thinking about how she should word it. No doubt as vaguely as possible, but she still needed him to realize it was crucial. All communications on the Knox were routinely and randomly monitored, and she didn’t want anyone to question why a recruit personally messaged the CAFF so often. But this was too important.

  She typed the message with an unsteady hand deciding to get straight to the point. Where are you? Need to see you now. Urgent.

  After scooting to the end of the bed, she started tapping her foot against the floor while she waited for a reply. If he was in a meeting, it might be hours before she heard from him. The datapad gave a soft chime and a new message appeared.

  Was just heading back to my apartment. Where are you?

  She pushed to her feet, typing a quick message as she walked. Dorms. Heading out now, meet you halfway.

  As she reached the end of the passageway, another message arrived. Already on the transit, wait there for me.

  She arrived at the transit, glancing around the deserted passageway. Only about a third of the recruits who’d started the FP program remained, and it seemed like none of them had stayed in the dorms tonight. Maybe they’d all gone down to Harley’s like Kayla.

  The transit arrived with a ding and she stepped closer as the doors opened to reveal Leigh. Though it had only been a bit over an hour since she’d last seen him on the transport that had brought them back to the Knox, her heart gave a little kick.

  He exited the transit and crossed his arms, expression locked down.

  “What’s going on, Mia?” He stopped in front of her, leaving an impersonal amount of distance between them.

  Her heart gave a painful squeeze at how detached and cold he seemed toward her. But it had been her decision to end things, and they had more important issues to worry about right now. She held out his datapad.

  “I found him. Running the profiles worked. Nolan Lawler isn’t really Nolan Lawler. I found blood tests that confirm it.”

  If she hadn’t known him so well, she would have missed the utter devastation in his eyes before his expression hardened. “Then who the hell is he?”

  She shrugged one shoulder, her heart aching for a different reason now. She hated being the one to tell him this. And in that moment, she regretted that she’d so effectively cut him off, because she wanted nothing more than to comfort him. “That I can’t tell you. But there’s no doubt he’s an imposter. It’s all right there in the files.”

  Leigh skimmed through the evidence she’d put together.

  “Got you, you son of a bitch,” he muttered, dark fury flashing across his features before he looked back up at her. “You came through. And now it’s time for you to get out of this mess.”

  She crossed her arms. “You don’t need to tell me twice.”

  He gave a short nod. “I need to get this information to Commander Yang. Thanks, Mia. I know you won’t ever get any public recognition for what you’ve done, but you’ve saved the lives of my pilots, and that’s something I can never repay.”

  A surge of self-conscious gratitude at his words stopped her from replying. Instead she simply nodded and then watched as he disappeared back onto the transit with a quick wave.

  So that was it. She helped him find the traitor and all she got was a quick thanks. Not that she expected any sort of commendation or reward, but after everything they’d been through together, he could have at least made his appreciation a little more personal or sincere. Although, what did she think his response would be after telling him a few short hours ago that things were over between them?

  She sighed and rubbed a hand over her face, deep tiredness dragging at her now that everything was done. She was relieved at this finally being over, but a weird pang tightened her chest, because it also meant she didn’t have a reason to see Leigh outside of sessions anymore.

  Now that she no longer had the shadow of espionage or an inappropriate relationship with a superior officer hanging over her head, she could give her full attention to finishing the FP program and consider what other posting to apply for once the training was over.

  Except, with the end in sight and the reality that she would walk away from Leigh once and for all weighing down on her, she realized that she couldn’t imagine going day after day without seeing him, even if they couldn’t have any type of personal relationship. For half a second, she considered staying in the squad just to be near him. But then remembered the whole death-defying danger aspect, leaving an anxious chill creeping through her. No, fighter pilot wasn’t the career for her, and taking a position just because of her feelings for Leigh would be foolish and irresponsible.

  Maybe her overtired brain simply needed a decent night’s sleep and everything would look lucid and clear in the morning.

  With heavy steps, she returned to her bunk, quickly changing and the burying herself under the blankets, sinking into the peaceful relief of sleep.

  Leigh clasped his hands behind his back, locking himself down as he waited for Commander Yang to review the information on his datapad. He wanted nothing more than to find that backstabbing bastard Lawler and take a pound of the guy’s flesh for the four pilots that could have been killed when he’d tampered with the jets, and an extra pound or two for the times Mia had almost been killed. Not to mention the fact that they’d been more than just a CO and pilot, they’d been friends. Seb, more than anyone, was going to be devastated when he heard the news. However, instead of letting his fury drive him, he stood in front of Yang’s desk, following due process.

  At last Yang sat back in his chair, clasping his fingers tightly, expression contemplative, but edged with tight anger.

  “Looks like you’re right, Alpha. Lawler had to be the traitor in the squad.” Yang speared him with a knowing look. “And it’s amazing that you knew how to work the Knox’s systems so well to find all of this information.”

  “What can I say, sir, I have hidden talents.”

  “Uh-huh,” Yang returned dryly. “More like a hidden source, but what I don’t know, I can plausibly deny. So yeah, let’s just believe that you’ve got the skill to do this kind of hacking.”

  “That’s very wise of you, sir.”

  One side of Yang’s mouth kicked up in a grin. “So, what’s your play on this?”

  “Actually, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I brought this straight to you as soon as it came to light.” Because mentioning that really he wanted to find the guy and beat the ever-living crap out of him wouldn’t help the larger situation at hand.

  Yang sat forward and reached out to tap at the datapad set in the recess on his d
esk, opening a comm line. “Olivia, can you get me the current whereabouts of Sub-Officer Nolan Lawler?”

  Olivia confirmed, and a moment later, reported that he was in the larger gym on communal level.

  Yang stood and rounded the desk. “Let’s go have a chat with Lawler before we bring Stanton in on this. We need to know who his accomplice was.”

  Leigh followed Yang out of the command center and down to the communal level. Anticipation rushed hot through his veins, clashing with the ice-cold ache of betrayal, along with relief that his squad would no longer be in danger. They could finally get the answers they’d been seeking these past weeks.

  In the gym, they found Lawler at the weights with two other guys from the FP squad. They all stopped what they were doing and saluted—more for Yang’s benefit than his own—as they approached.

  Leigh searched Lawler’s face for any signs of guilt or subterfuge, but he appeared the same as he had every day since joining the squad four years ago. Looking at him now, however, made him sick to the guts.

  “Lawler, we need to have a word.”

  “Of course, sir.” Lawler grabbed up a towel, not looking the least bit worried and sent a wave to the other two pilots, before they went back to working out.

  Lawler didn’t say anything as they led him out of the gym and up to squadron level. If he was worried, he certainly wasn’t showing it. But then again, he’d apparently had them all fooled for years.

  Yang led them into one of the smaller ready rooms on squad level, and as Lawler walked to the middle of the room, Leigh noticed Yang locking the door with his own officer codes. Even he wouldn’t be able to get out now. Not that he wanted to go anywhere until he’d gotten some straight answers from Lawler.

  “Take a seat, Sub-Officer.” Yang indicated the single large table, skirted by half a dozen chairs.

  Lawler nodded and then sat, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms. “What’s this all about?”

  Yang moved to sit across from him, but Leigh was too wired to sit.

  “It’s recently come to our attention that you suffer from a rare blood disorder, Lawler.” Leigh braced his hands against the edge of the table adjacent to Lawler and leaned in. “See, we’re going to have to address this issue, reassess your suitability for the FP program. I can understand why you’d want to hide something like that. It can really damage a guy’s career.”

  “I don’t have any blood disorder, so wherever you got that information, it’s wrong. You can get a doc in here and test me right now.” Lawler looked a little annoyed, but still not worried.

  “Then you must have had some miraculous kind of recovery in the past ten years, because according to the records we have, it seriously impacted your sophomore year of high school,” Yang said, tone conversational as though they were discussing nothing more interesting than the weather.

  Lawler passed a slow look between the two of them, then abruptly shoved to his feet and ran for the door. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get any farther and slammed a fist into the hatchway when he realized he was trapped.

  “Did he really think he could make a run for it?” Leigh shot the question at Yang, who almost looked amused. “Obviously he’s not that smart after all.”

  Leigh stalked over and grabbed the back of the guy’s shirt, yanking him away from the hatchway and steering him over to the table. He threw the guy back into the chair and then clamped a hand on his shoulder to stop him from getting up again. It was all he could do in that moment not to let the fury loose and snap the guy’s neck.

  “You sure as hell aren’t Nolan Lawler. So who are you?” The cold violence in his tone came out crystal clear, and for the first time, Lawler actually looked concerned.

  But the guy tipped up his chin, putting on a tough front. “Torture me all you want. I’m not telling you shit.”

  Leigh let him go with a rough shove and rounded the table to stand next to where Yang was still seated. “We don’t torture people, not like you sick CSS sons of bitches. But you will talk, because if you don’t, then we’re going to send you back to your own people with a nice explanation about how helpful you are.”

  Fake-Lawler wasn’t looking so smug anymore, in fact, he’d started looking a little pale.

  Leigh dragged the chair out next to Yang and sat down. They needed Lawler to roll over on his accomplice to see this situation resolved. “Now, I don’t know how accurate those rumors are, about what the CSS does to their own people who betray them. But even if just a fraction of that is true, then I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be in your shoes right now.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Mia’s steps were measured as she left the transit on squadron level and headed along the passageway toward the officer’s wardroom. She’d seen Sub-Lieutenant Rayne at messdeck, and he’d told her she could find Lieutenant Brenner up here.

  Despite going to bed early, she’d slept the night away deeply and soundly, as though her body was trying to catch up on all the sleep she’d missed in previous nights. However, when she’d woken up, she still hadn’t been sure what kind of transfer to request. All of the work she’d done for Leigh had made her realize she’d never be suited to Command Intelligence, and while she still wanted to be an aeronautical engineer, usually a person needed a few years experience serving on ship before moving into such a position. That would be her ultimate aim, but she wasn’t sure what to do with herself until she’d gained the necessary background. Still, a little voice kept telling her that staying in the squad might be the answer.

  She didn’t want to be a fighter pilot. So why this lack of enthusiasm about cutting the ties? She had a feeling it came down to two things that shouldn’t influence her decision. First off she was more than a little competitive and quitting had never been her play, even though requesting a transfer after graduation technically wasn’t quitting.

  Secondly, stupidly, it came back to Leigh and the trepidation that after giving up her spot, she’d leave the Knox and never see him again. He hadn’t been hers to begin with, so the fact that she’d gotten so attached to him was no one’s fault except her own fool self.

  So she had to organize a transfer, work out where she wanted to go, and how to get there. This morning. Right now. Because the two reasons dragging her footsteps weren’t good enough to keep her here. She only wished there was some way to get out of the day’s sessions, because after the final exam, the remaining recruits would be taking their maiden solo flight in a jet. Maybe flying a jet would be fun, but maybe it wouldn’t be. Truthfully, she didn’t want to find out.

  She arrived at the officer’s wardroom to a closed-over door. She tabbed the call icon on the inset screen and waited for Brenner to let her in. The hatchway cracked open and she pushed through, but had only taken two steps into the room when she stopped short.

  Lieutenant Brenner was nowhere to be seen, but Leigh was standing next to the conference table, coffee in hand, a brief flicker of surprise crossing his features.

  Her damned heart flipped out before simply stopping altogether, making her next breath impossible to find. Every time she saw him, her physical reaction to him became stronger. Her heart tried to tell her she’d made a huge mistake in ending things with him, becoming louder and more insistent every time. It was exactly why she needed to get away from him, before she did something stupid, like decide Leigh and everything he made her feel was worth the destruction of both their careers.

  “What are you doing here? Class starts in a less than half an hour.”

  She clasped her hands behind her back, glancing around the room as if it might give her some clue as to where Brenner had gone.

  “I’m here to see the lieutenant.” The reason didn’t matter as a more pressing issue took over her thoughts. “What happened with Lawler?”

  There were shadows in his gaze that hadn’t been there a few days ago, new lines of tension and strain around his eyes and mouth, as though this whole situation had started taking a physical toll on
him.

  “I can’t tell you. I’m sorry. But you were right, he betrayed us all.”

  She wanted to press him for details, wanted to ask if he was okay or there was anything she could do for him, but she’d given up the right to any of that days ago.

  “So, do you know where Lieutenant Brenner is?”

  Leigh set the coffee down and leaned against the edge of the table. “She just got called up to launch deck. I’m not sure why. But I doubt she’ll be back before you need to be in session to sit the exam. Is there something I can help you with?”

  She hadn’t wanted to have this conversation with him, but there was no point in skirting the issue, he’d find out eventually anyway. She took a deep breath, pushing her shoulders back a little. “I wanted to talk to her about a possible transfer, instead of taking a spot in the squad after training is complete.”

  Leigh’s expression gave nothing away as he stared at her for a long, silent moment.

  “We both know it’s the right thing to do,” she continued after the silence started getting to her.

  “Maybe. Maybe not. Its not a question of what’s right, it’s a question of what you want. Do you want to be a fighter pilot, Mia?”

  The sound of her name, inflected with the slightest hint of intimacy, deflated the indifferent bravado she’d held onto. She let her shoulders drop as she glanced away from him.

  “I don’t think flying is my thing, but I’ll admit, I don’t like the idea of quitting. Not to mention I have no idea where to go from here because even if I get another posting on board the Knox, it’ll be years, if ever, before I get anywhere near aeronautical engineering.”

  From the corner of her eye, she saw him straighten and step toward her, sending her heart into an erratic pound. The closer he got to her, the harder it was to remember why they were supposed to be staying apart.

  “Then don’t quit. At least wait until the end of the day. See if you pass the exam. Take the maiden flight. If you make it into the squadron, you could look at transferring in twelve or eighteen months when you’ve got some solid experience. Or maybe you’ll get into that jet and it’ll be like coming home. You’ll know you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.”