- M E N A - J U R I V I C H -

     My fist raps on the door, echoing through the hall with a bit more intensity than I had bargained for. I hear rustling inside as I step back, stealing a few glances down the hall. The line of doors extends farther than one would think, lined with offices for various company figureheads. Most of them don't even know what we do - only that we exist. 

     I'm not sure whether I find that cool anymore.

     The door slowly opens, and I see Raleigh peer out at me. His face mixes surprise with a hint of knowing dread, quickly steeling. "Mena," he says warmly, his eyebrows raising. "What's up?"

     "I..." I start, my jaw tightening as I second-guess myself. "I need to talk to you."

     I manage to get the sentence out before my resolve has an opportunity to crack, and he nods quickly. I can't decipher whether he expected this or not - who am I kidding, he expects almost everything. He steps back, beckoning me inside his office.

     I step inside, seeing his grand office. The word may be deceiving, though - as Raleigh practically lives here, his office is pretty much his house attached to the building. Floor-to-ceiling windows sprawl out ahead of me, letting lots of light into the two-story living room. He has a desk, sure - but he carries his meetings out on his couch. It caught me off guard the first time I came here, but if there's one thing you don't question Raleigh about, it's his devotion.

     "Would you like a glass?" Raleigh asks, gesturing to the wine rack on the far wall.

     "Thank you," I say, appreciating the thought. "But not now."

     "Of course," he nods, closing the door behind us and following me to the living room. He takes a seat in a side chair, and I sit across from him. The distance provided by the long table gives me a tad of comfort as I lean forward.

     "I'm glad you came up here," Raleigh sighs, leaning back in his chair with exhaustion taking over his face. "I was planning on talking to you today anyway."

     "You were?" I question, my face slightly tightening at that detail.

     "Don't worry so much," he smirks, a light chuckle escaping him. "I'm not giving you lunch detention, Mena."

     The joke does little to ease my posture, a microtell I know we're both acutely aware of. His smirk fades, squinting slightly. "No quip?" He asks, a bit of worry in his voice.

     "What happened out there, Raleigh?" I question, more warmth in my voice than I intended. Some habits never die, huh?

     I feel the seat getting warmer beneath me as the memories of Erbil fly through my mind. His posture stiffens now, exhaling as if he knew what I was going to say ten minutes before I did. He raises a hand to rub his eye as he sits up, the cushion below him aching as he shifts in the chair. The silence is deafening, with even the ceiling fan far above introducing itself in the quiet.

     His hands clasp together on his lap. "Yeah, that didn't go as planned, huh?" He mutters, half-jokingly. Normally, I'd eat that up - not today. Not right now. My hands fidget as I try to decipher his non-answer.

     "What was the plan?" I ask, curious if I already know the answer. He blinks especially long, lips pursed like he's weighing what to say.

     "You know how sensitive this is," his voice breaks through the silence. "The power of the sun in the hands of a monarchy on the brink. The exiled son is the only solution, and I, no, we, have the best escort in the world."

     My mind races as he circles the question, all but confirming my fears. "You had her old trauma pop up and steal her cargo," I state, and his face contorts into annoyance.

     "Between you and me," he mutters quickly. "I hate General Barr. I think he's a useful, state-controlled idiot. Unfortunately, Delta has an effective plan to prevent bloodshed in place."

     The hostility catches me off guard, making me trip over my thoughts slightly. "Listen, the plan was not always to have Barr take the guy. When the terrorist attack happened at the palace, it accelerated the clock," he clarifies, popping his knuckles as he sits uncomfortably.

     I twist my head slightly, trying to vet the words before they leave my mouth. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" I ask, and he raises an eyebrow. "Adara, she- her compass points north. She's principled. If she's abandoning this, should we not be concerned?"

     "No," he replies swiftly, with conviction. "Adara has difficulty handling the situations where things become gray. I don't like dealing with Barr, but we are in the business of saving lives."

     I exhale, falling back in my seat slightly. Raleigh inspects me from across the table like a surgeon inspecting a wound. Normally, I give Raleigh the benefit of the doubt, but I don't know anymore. I already knew this before I came in here, but part of me hoped it was a genuine misunderstanding.

     "What happens to her?"

     I find myself asking the question as Raleigh rests his hands on the armrest, a quiet understanding in his eyes of my stance. I suspect he already knows I disagree strongly, but there are professional layers to this. "I... don't know."

     "What?" I respond swiftly, surprised at the answer. "You don't know?"

     "I obviously didn't plan on my commandant operative defecting," Raleigh sighs, a bit of sadness in his eyes as he says it. "I hope she comes back. There's a reason this unit began with her."

     I nod, satisfied with the answer. Finally, we can agree on something in this conversation. "That's all, Raleigh."

     "I know you're upset, Mena," he states as I stand up, pausing my movement. "But we're doing this for the right reasons. Please don't lose that truth."

     I nod without a word, and I see a slight bit of relaxation come back to his face as I turn around and walk for the door. I catch a glance back as I open it, seeing Raleigh stand up and head for his wine. The door shuts, allowing me to breathe in the hall. I tell myself I'm satisfied with the answer as I head back to my room, trying to grab some shuteye.

- ~ -

     "You have any idea what this is about?"

     "Nah, not really," I respond, stretching as the elevator whirs down to the training area. Lucas stands there with me, fidgeting with his shirt as the range comes into view. I glance around at all the different stations and my lab as the elevator begins to slow. Towards the end of the room, I see three people at the coffee bar.

     Natalia, Dom, and Raleigh.

     My hands tighten as I see Dom talking to Raleigh, my mind flashing to his face when I threatened him with a wrench earlier. I don't regret it, to be fair. The elevator stops, and the glass doors slide open effortlessly. Lucas exhales as the two of us stand still.

     "Why am I worried?" He asks, apprehension smeared across his face.

     "Kinda same," I shrug, stepping forward reluctantly and causing Lucas to follow. My tennis shoes pace quietly across the floor, taking me past my lab and the range. The trio comes back into view, glances being stolen by them at our arrival. Dom, in particular, looks at the two of us walking together with a flash of surprise. I can't figure out why, though.

     Honestly, I can't figure out a lot of things Dom does.

     Like shooting her.

     "Thanks for making it," Raleigh welcomes loudly, the exhaustion from earlier still crushing his face down. He grabs his coffee, sipping it a little too aggressively for comfort.

     "Yeah," Lucas responds, taking a seat alongside me opposite Natalia and Dom. The two of them look on at Raleigh, slightly confused as well.

     "Sorry, this is slightly impromptu," Raleigh sighs, setting his mug down before looking at us all. "I've been thinking a lot about our situation, and I'm going to make a change."

     My ears perk up as I listen closely, trying to make out Raleigh's look behind the bags. He's nearly unreadable, maybe a bit anxious. He picks the mug up again, taking a swig and emptying the cup before speaking again.

     "Obviously, what happened was unfortunate on many levels," Raleigh starts, and my brain shifts into gear. Is this from our conversation? Where is he going with this? I steal a glance at Dom, whose body tenses immediately.

     "Kónsdottir has gone rogue," Raleigh states flatly, his eyes bouncing between each of us. "Seeing as she was the Commandant Operative, that leaves a fairly obvious void here at Maelstrom."

     I feel Lucas's body tense now, his anxiety emanating as he shifts in his seat. Raleigh continues. "That means one of you will take the title."

     "She's... she's out?" Lucas stammers, slightly bewildered as he seems not to believe the words he's saying.

     "She's not an enemy," Raleigh mutters, shaking his head. "But she's not on our team anymore, and I'm not about to hunt her down. If she wants to come back, that's her choice, but we're not going to find her."

     The words land like a gut punch and a relief simultaneously. Adara can handle herself fine, but against someone like Natalia or Dom... that would be different. Maybe she's safer this way. Then again, I want to see her. I want to apologize, to say things will be okay, to-"

     "Your new commander," Raleigh states, snapping me out of my thoughts. "...is a hallmark of all a soldier should aspire to be. They're dedicated to the cause, they understand how to protect those who need it most... and have done everything they can to prove they're the woman for the job."

     My stomach sinks. Woman. It can't be me. Please don't be me. I don't want my chance at the position to be because my best friend is AWOL. This is not how things were supposed to go-

     "Natalia Latusek."

     The panic subsides briefly as my heartbeat slows. Thankfully, it's not me. I breathe a quiet sigh of relief as I look over towards her, a mix of surprise and elation on her face.

     Wait. Natalia?

     She's extraordinarily competent, for sure - she's a legend in the Latvian Special Forces, but... Natalia? She's so different from Adara. Natalia is very private, very reserved, and cold. She will do what she needs to do, and I haven't seen her truly break down under the pressure or the weight of her choices. She doesn't feel as... as human.

     "I'll do my best, Raleigh," Natalia says, an edge of confidence to her voice as she nods in approval. 

     "I know you will," Raleigh smiles lightly, nodding back. "That is all, ragazzi. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a really big coffee."