That’s double the number from just twenty years ago, andit’s no accident. The laws have started catching up to the oligarchs, but evil is like water: It finds and exploits the tiniest crack in the system. The richest of the rich have refined their tactics, starting with hiring and funding a phalanx of soulless leaders to test every boundary, norm, and law out there.
While I’ll provide counseling and support to the operatives, my main job will be profiling the world’s most powerful people and identifying the ones we should keep an eye on for human rights violations, environmental endangerment, and election interference.
Am I excited by the thought of working more closely with the family business? Of course. The idea of being part of a team helping to rid the world of the worst of the worstisexciting.
Am I happy about being manipulated into this position? No, I am not.
To be honest, I haven’t decided whether this is actually where I want to be. Hedy’s already promised to put me in rooms where important mental health reforms are being discussed, but my dads have always taught me to trust my own path. And I don’t feel beholden to people who haven’t been completely upfront with me.
Based on the way Hedy’s looking at me, I think she knows it.
“But it’s not just Rae,” Mav says, picking up the conversation while nailing Aunt Hedy with a glare. “What about that guy with the weird side-blinking eyes? Like a goat. Yet another secretary y’all kept from us. Foryears.” He curses under his breath. “Secret.”
Yeah, that… Oof.
Mav and I are gonna need some answers on that.
Hedy, looking chastised, holds up her hands. “I have been specifically forbidden from warning y’all about anything.”She looks around, then leans in, whispering to Mav, “But when Rae comes to get you for the next part, keep your wits about you and your hands on your weapons.”
Mav thins his lips. He’s on the operations side, so our training diverges from this point on. Can’t say I envy whatever they’ve got planned for him this afternoon. He doesn’t know it, but I’ll be observing from an empty dorm room that overlooks the sparring area.
Hedy waves off Mav’s mutinous look. “I’m just sayin’. Edison one hundred percent hesitated during his test, which resulted in my favorite blouse being ruined.”
“Ahem.”
We all flinch and turn to find Rae with her arms crossed over her chest, grinning down at us. Rae’s an older Black woman with neat braids in a low bun and more muscle than most people half her age. Not that I’d dare ask her age, but she’s gotta be at least in her sixties, despite the fact that she looks barely forty.
“You still bitching about that blouse, Gaia?” she asks, using Hedy’s call sign.
Mav had been super excited to get a call sign but was devastated to discover they no longer use them. Except to chirp at each other.
Hedy shoots Rae the finger. “Shut it, Sissy.”
I bite back a laugh while Mav stares at Rae’s head. I take the opportunity to examine her carefully curated braids and…damn. I’m right next to her, and I still can’t tell. That’s one hell of an adaptation.
Rae grabs Mav’s shoulder. “Finish up here and meet me in the training center.”
Mav considers the pile of food in front of him and pushes away his tray, rising to stand at the ready. “I have a feeling it’dbe a mistake to do whatever you’ve got planned on a full stomach. Let’s just get this over with.”
She winks at him. “Smart man.”
Mav sends me an uneasy look, then follows Rae like she’s leading him to death row.
Dramatic.
Hedy watches him go, then sits and pulls the tray in front of her. “It’d be a shame to let this go to waste.”
As we eat, she continues our earlier conversation.
“Now that you understand a bit more of the dynamics of this place, hopefully you can see the need to survey all operatives for strengths and weaknesses.”
“Sure,” I say, biting into my burger. I chew and swallow before asking what I think is a pretty obvious question. “But didn’t you already profile every operative before they were hired?”
She nods, spearing an enormous bite of salad. “I profiled their ability to do the job at hand,” she says, crunching happily. “That’s different from diagnosing and examining any neurodivergencies or mental health issues that may have cropped up as a result of their service.”
“So…Uncle Anders.”
She laughs and takes another big bite. “Maybe treat it like a wine flight. Start with someone a little saner, like Holmes or Honoré, before moving on to the more full-bodied crazies.”
