Elena looked at him.
"I don't know."
"Do you believe the omission contributed to Captain Cole's death?"
"I believe the warning was relevant to the decision to move. Whether it contributed to the outcome depends on when it was received, who saw it, and what other information was available."
"That's all for now."
Elena left the review room and walked into the corridor.
The new evidence did not prove that Sloane had betrayed the team. It did not establish that Nathan could have survived if the warning had been acted upon. It did not erase Elena's own decisions.
"How did it go?"
"The message is real."
"Did you recognize it?"
"I recognized the information. Not the exact record."
"What do you think it means?"
Elena considered the question.
"I think someone needs to establish who received it."
"And if we do?"
"Then we establish what they knew, when they knew it, and what decisions followed."
Cross studied her.
"You're being very careful."
"That's what the evidence requires."
"Doesn't it make you angry?"
"Yes."
"Then why don't you say so?"
Elena looked through the corridor window toward the training grounds.
"Because my anger doesn't tell us what happened."
Cross accepted the answer.
"General Mercer wants a follow-up meeting this afternoon," he said.
"I'll attend."
"One more thing. The investigation has identified the communications terminal associated with the routing record."
Elena turned.
"Whose terminal?"
Cross hesitated.
"Major Sloane's operations station."
"Does the log show an acknowledgment?"
"No."
"An access record?"
"Not yet."
"Then we keep looking."
Cross nodded.
"That's what Mercer intends to do."
Elena returned to the barracks and opened her notebook.
Then:
21:19 — MOVEMENT ORDER ISSUED.
An enormous distance in memory.
Then she closed the notebook.
She would not make it again.
By Wednesday afternoon, the recovered warning had become the center of the investigation.
The distinction mattered.
Elena knew it too.
At Blackridge, the weeklong leadership assessment continued. Cross had instructed the candidates to focus on their assigned tasks and avoid discussing the investigation. Most complied, although rumors had begun spreading beyond the training hall.
Rourke noticed Elena's growing distraction.
"Staff Sergeant?"
She looked up.
"Sorry. Go ahead."
"If the communications feed fails again, do you want us to switch to the alternate reporting system immediately or wait for confirmation?"
Elena studied the display.
"Switch to the alternate system, but keep the original channel open for incoming updates."
Bennett nodded and recorded the instruction.
The decision was sound.
"Something's wrong."
Elena closed her notebook.
"That's not a question."
"You've been distracted all morning."
"I've had other matters to consider."
"Is it connected to your old unit?"
She looked at him sharply.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you seem to be trying harder than usual not to make a mistake."
"I'm always trying not to make mistakes."
"No. Usually, you're trying to make the best decision with the information available. Today, you seem to be trying to make a decision that can't possibly be criticized."
Elena said nothing.
Rourke shifted his weight.
"I know what it's like to be afraid of looking incompetent. I spent half my time here trying to prove that I belonged. I thought if I could always be the strongest person in the room, nobody would have a reason to question me."
"And what happened?"
"I nearly got myself removed from the program."
"I don't know what happened to you before Blackridge. You don't have to tell me. But I know what it looks like when someone is so worried about making the wrong decision that they stop trusting themselves to make any decision at all."
Elena's expression softened slightly.
"Is that what you think I'm doing?"
"I think you're carrying something that makes every uncertainty feel personal."
Then she closed the locker.
"You're not entirely wrong."
Rourke seemed surprised that she had admitted it.
"I didn't expect you to agree."
"Don't get used to it."
She looked toward the training hall.
"When I was part of my previous unit, I questioned an instruction because the information didn't seem complete. I received an answer from someone who had authority over the operation. I accepted that answer and moved forward."
"And the operation failed."
"Yes."
"Because you accepted the answer?"
"Because the situation was more complicated than any of us understood. I don't know how much responsibility belongs to each person involved."
Rourke remained quiet.
Elena continued.
"For a long time, I thought the solution was to become more certain. To recognize every possible danger, anticipate every consequence, and never allow myself to be surprised again."
"That sounds exhausting."
"It is."
"Does it work?"
"No."
Elena looked at him.
"You asked why I counted during the exercise. The truth is that counting gives me a moment to recognize what is happening before I react. It helps me separate the situation in front of me from the one I remember."
Rourke considered that.
"So it isn't a trick."
"No."
"It's something you learned because of what happened."