Elena sat down.
"All right."
Mercer slid a blank notebook across the table.
"Start with the first warning you received."
"The first report indicated that the evacuation was complete. It came through the operations channel, but the source wasn't identified in the message itself. Nathan asked whether the facility manager had confirmed the status."
"And the answer?"
"Major Sloane said the report was considered reliable."
"Did Nathan accept that?"
"Not immediately. He asked for confirmation from the site contact."
"Was confirmation provided?"
"No. We were told the contact was unavailable."
Mercer made a note.
"What happened next?"
"We received an update suggesting that personnel might still be inside the facility. Nathan requested clarification. The answer was that the information was unconfirmed and that the primary threat had moved."
"Did you believe that?"
Elena looked at the table.
"I believed it was possible. I didn't believe we had enough evidence to treat it as certain."
"Did you communicate that concern?"
"Yes."
"To whom?"
"Captain Cole, then Major Sloane."
"What did Sloane say?"
"He said the team needed to proceed before the situation deteriorated further. He acknowledged that the information wasn't perfect, but said the risk of delay was greater."
Mercer wrote that down.
"Did he mention the warning about the evacuation?"
"No. Not in the conversation I remember."
"Could he have received it before that conversation?"
Elena looked at the timestamp on the report.
"According to this, possibly."
"Would that have changed your decision?"
"If I had known that a credible warning about personnel inside the facility had been received and not resolved, I would have argued more strongly against proceeding."
"Would you have disobeyed the order?"
"I don't know."
Mercer nodded.
"You don't have to pretend you know the outcome of a situation that never occurred," he said.
Elena looked at him.
"I've spent two years doing exactly that."
"I know."
"No, sir. You have the reports. You have the interviews. You have the conclusions. You don't have the part where you wake up and remember every decision you made, then spend the day trying to prove to yourself that you could have made a different one."
Mercer remained silent.
"You're right. I don't have that part."
He stood.
"I'll arrange for you to review the relevant communications under supervision. Until the review is complete, you are not to contact Major Sloane or anyone connected to the original operation about these discrepancies."
"Understood."
"And Ward?"
She looked up.
"Don't let the possibility of misconduct turn into another certainty before the facts support it. You have already carried enough blame for decisions you didn't control. Don't replace that blame with an accusation you cannot yet prove."
Elena nodded.
Mercer left the room.
And only then would she decide.
The following morning, Elena arrived at the training hall to find her name written beside a new assignment.
Elena had been assigned as team leader.
"That should be interesting."
"Why?"
"Because I assume you won't let me forget what happened last week."
"I have no reason to bring it up unless it becomes relevant."
"And if it does?"
"Then we'll discuss it."
"I'll do the job," he said.
"That's all I expect."
Elena immediately divided the available information into three categories: confirmed facts, unverified reports, and unresolved questions.
Bennett organized the communications log.
Miller reviewed the facility map.
Rourke was assigned to compare the reported locations of the simulated threat with the team's available movement options.
No one was left without responsibility.
At first, Rourke seemed uncertain about the arrangement.
"You want me to verify the movement reports instead of leading the response group?" he asked.
"I want you to establish which reports are current."
"That's not a leadership role."
"It is if the information determines what the team does next."
Pike shrugged.
"Sounds reasonable to me."
Rourke returned to his work.
Elena looked at Rourke.
"What do you have?"
"The original report is older than the maintenance update. Neither source confirms whether the personnel are still there."
"Can we verify it?"
"Not directly. The simulated communications channel is down."
"Then what can we establish?"
Rourke examined the map.
"We can identify another route, but it adds time. We can also wait for a scheduled status update, though that might delay the response."
"What do you recommend?"
Instead, he considered the available evidence.
"I recommend we prepare the alternate route while Bennett tries to restore the status feed. We don't commit to either route until we know whether the corridor is occupied or the delay creates a greater risk."
Elena nodded.
"Do it."
Rourke looked surprised.
"That's it?"
"Do you need a speech?"
"No."
"Then get started."
During the debrief, Cross asked Rourke why he had recommended the alternate route.
"Because the shortest route depended on an assumption we couldn't verify," he answered. "The delay was a risk, but so was moving through an area we couldn't confirm was clear."
"What made you change your approach?"