Pike would coordinate the second group. Rourke would serve as Elena's deputy, responsible for maintaining the communications log and tracking changes to the operational picture.
He looked toward Hale.
"Sir, may I ask why I was selected?"
"Because you need to demonstrate that you can support a leader without turning every disagreement into a contest."
Rourke accepted the criticism.
"Understood, sir."
Hale looked at Elena.
"Staff Sergeant, your team will have fifteen minutes to review the initial information. After that, the exercise begins."
"Understood."
Elena assigned responsibilities, then asked each member to identify the most significant uncertainty in the scenario.
Rourke highlighted the communications relay.
"If we lose that relay, we may lose contact with Pike's team," he said. "We should establish an alternative reporting method before we move."
Elena looked at him.
"Agreed. What would you recommend?"
"Scheduled status reports at fixed intervals, with a predetermined location where both teams can reestablish contact if communications fail."
"Good. Add it to the plan."
Rourke entered the information into the log.
The first report arrived within three minutes.
Elena requested confirmation of the report's source and timestamp.
"Do we proceed north?" one candidate asked.
"Not yet," Elena replied. "We have a reported location, not a confirmed one."
Rourke checked the communications log.
"The report came through the secondary relay. Its timestamp is current, but we don't know whether the original observer had direct visual confirmation."
"Can we contact the observer?"
"Not through the primary channel. I'll attempt the secondary connection."
Elena nodded.
While Rourke worked, Pike's team reported a possible obstruction along the longer route.
Elena reviewed the alternatives.
"We'll hold our current position while Rourke verifies the northern report. Pike, continue assessing the longer route, but don't commit your team until we confirm the obstruction."
A minute later, Rourke received confirmation.
The report was accurate.
As they moved, a second message arrived.
A simulated civilian group had been reported inside a building previously marked as evacuated.
One candidate suggested that the report was probably outdated.
Elena stopped.
"Probably isn't a verified status."
"We'll lose time checking it," he replied.
"We'll lose more if we assume it's empty and discover otherwise."
The confirmation arrived shortly afterward.
The report was genuine.
Elena's team adjusted its route.
In the observation room, Cross watched the developing exercise alongside General Mercer.
"She's maintaining the same pattern," Cross observed. "Verify the critical information, preserve alternatives, and revise the plan without treating a change as a personal failure."
Mercer nodded.
"What do you think Rourke has learned?"
Cross watched the corporal update the communications log.
"He's beginning to understand that supporting a leader is not the same as surrendering his judgment. He's allowed to identify a problem without needing to control the entire decision."
"Good. A team needs people who can disagree without making disagreement destructive."
The communications relay failed.
Elena reviewed the updated situation.
"Good work, Corporal."
Rourke looked up.
"Thank you, Staff Sergeant."
"Today, one team finished faster than Ward's team. But speed alone did not determine the result. The evaluation considered how effectively each team managed uncertainty, communicated changes, and responded to new information."
"Staff Sergeant Ward's team met every major objective. More importantly, when its assumptions proved incorrect, the team adjusted without allowing the original plan to become a source of pride."
As the room began to empty, Rourke approached Elena.
"I wanted to thank you for letting me handle the communications problem."
"You were assigned that responsibility."
"I know. But you could have taken over when the relay failed."
"You had a contingency plan."
"And you trusted me to use it."
Elena considered him.
"Trust isn't pretending someone will never make a mistake. It's giving them responsibility, expecting them to think, and being prepared to correct the problem if they don't."
Rourke nodded.
"I think I'm beginning to understand that."
"Understanding is the beginning. Consistency is the test."
Then he hesitated.
"Staff Sergeant, if I ever start behaving like I did on Friday again, I hope someone tells me."
Elena met his eyes.
"They will."
He almost smiled.
"Even if I don't like hearing it?"
"Especially then."
Rourke walked away.
Elena watched him join the others.
Now she understood that leadership also meant creating a team in which people could question a decision before it became irreversible.
And for the first time since arriving at Blackridge, she was beginning to believe that she might be ready to lead again.
Samuel Dorsey lived in a modest house on the outskirts of a quiet town, several hours from Blackridge.
"Staff Sergeant Ward," he said.
"Mr. Dorsey."
"General Mercer said you might come."
"He authorized me to review the transmission records. I understand you have additional information."
Dorsey stepped aside.
"Come in."
"I've read these records so many times that I know most of them by heart," he said. "But knowing what happened and proving what happened are two different things."
Elena opened the envelope.
"How did you preserve these?"