They sat in the room, waiting. They did not know for who they waited, but that didn’t matter. The appointment had been made by the home office. They would be as patient as they needed to be. Weldon needlessly straightened his gloves. On someone in any other line of work, it might have been a sign of anxiety. But they hardly got anxious. It was simply important to look one’s best. After an unspecified amount of time, the door opened. Crocker, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened up, almost eager to see who was coming. He wasn’t disappointed. “Sir,” Weldon greeted. “Sir,” Crocker said with a polite nod of the head. “Gentlemen. Crocker, have a seat.” The man suited his actions to his words and took a seat opposite from Weldon. Weldon had no idea who the man was, exactly, and he doubted that Crocker did, either. But the stainless white of his gloves said it all. It was only worn by Corporate Management. It said that this man did not get his hands dirty. That, obviously, was why he had summoned Weldon and Crocker. The man opened his briefcase, and as soon as Crocker had taken a seat next to Weldon, he handed them both a stack of papers and began to speak. “You are both familiar with our Prodigy program at the Academy.” Weldon nodded. “I have been fully briefed to level blue clearance. Mr. Crocker visited the Academy itself to assist in the investigation into the allegations of a mole.” “Yes, to quite satisfactory results, if too late to do more than simply limit the damage.” Weldon raised an eyebrow, and suppressed the urge to look at Crocker. The official company line had been that there had been no such thing as a mole in the company, and he had never heard differently from his partner. Not that he would have expected to have heard—that was part of their job. “Sir,” Crocker asked, “are we to understand that access to the Prodigy program information has been downgraded in regards to clearance level?” “Most certainly not. Exceptions, however, have to be made. These are unique and trying circumstances. The files I have just handed to you contain selected level white clearance information on Prodigy and certain related matters. For an unspecified amount of time from today onwards, you are both on special assignment, reporting directly to me at the home office. Your replacements at your former assignments have already reported for duty.” “Understood, sir.” Reporting *directly* to the home office. That was almost unheard of, and an enormous career opportunity. “Immediately preceding the investigation into and execution of the two moles in the Prodigy program, one of the program’s subjects was taken out of the Academy and delivered to persons unknown.” Even Crocker looked shocked at *that* bit of information. Layers of confidentiality within more layers of confidentiality. “To ensure complete deniability, the company has thus far depended on outside operatives to retrieve the subject, with our special operatives limited to simple collection after capture by third parties and the following up of only the most obvious leads.” Weldon looked at the photograph on the first page of the file. Yes. He had seen it before. It had been widely circulated on the cortex, a substantial reward offered for the subject’s retrieval in unharmed condition. “Upper management no longer finds the situation tenable. No longer does the mere existence of the subject pose a threat to the company, but unless it is retrieved immediately, the subject—one of our most promising—will be irrevocably damaged in its development.” “Have any leads been uncovered as to the subject’s whereabouts since its displacement?” “There has been only a single sighting since the initial investigation lost track of the subject’s initial flight route. The latter was on Persephone, suggesting an attempted escape into the largely uncontrolled border planets to go into hiding. The former, however, was on Ariel, so there is no telling what the subject is planning exactly. All the information is in the file.” “Known associates?” Their minds, trained to focus on their primary mission above anything but survival and the sanctity of company secrets, were racing so fast that they almost forgot who they were talking too. The man from the home office—chief secretary Cheng, the contact information in the file identified him—did not take offense, however. Efficiency was paramount. “Subject’s blood kin, recipient of the subject immediately upon her extraction. Pertinent information included in the file. Subject’s blood kin still present at Ariel sighting. Unknown associate, suspected combat specialist, assisting in subject’s evasion of authorities on Ariel. Images from security footage included. More associated suspected at Ariel sighting, none confirmed. All associates, including any you will uncover in your investigation, up to any persons with incidental contact with the subject for an extended period of time, are to be cleansed with prejudice.” Weldon nodded, skimmed the relevant pages of the file. “So noted.” “I must stress that the subject is not, under any circumstances, to be underestimated. An agent pair was dispatched to the Ariel sighting, but the subject may have sensed their approach, and consequently eluded them.” There was little chance of that. Weldon and Crocker had been trained at the Academy themselves—as had all agents of blue level and higher—and even from what little information as was released to blue level clearance, the Prodigy program intended to take its subject as far beyond their training as they were beyond back-world farmers. “State of subject’s progress?” “Mid-conditioning. At the point at which the subject was extracted, it should have been functionally catatonic. Obviously, it is not.” That was disturbing. None of the company’s program’s allowed for anomalies of that level. It was not efficient. The secretary closed his briefcase with a snap and stood up to leave. “Your expense accounts have each been upgraded to white level for the duration of this assignment. Senior management expects first results within the month. Needless to say, if I have nothing to tell them at that point, it will be at the cost of your jobs.” “Understood, sir,” Crocker said. “Understood, sir,” Weldon said. They barely noticed as the secretary left the room. Their minds were whirring, absorbing the files in front of them. They would present their projections to each other when they finished the file. Usually, they arrived at the same conclusions, and that was as much of a confirmation as they required for the start of their investigation. River Tam was as good as found.

(Read Chapter Four: Playing House, now previewing at www.BattleOfSerenity.tk )