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"You got thumped by a college kid with no military experience," Kennedy said. "I still can't get over it."
Lewis interceded before Hurley could blow his lid. Looking at Stansfield, he said, "Let me give you the narrative." Lewis explained in detail what had transpired during the opening minutes of Rapp's arrival at the complex. Hurley tried to interrupt twice, but Lewis shut him down with an open palm. Stansfield, for his part, listened in total silence. Kennedy had nothing new to add and knew how Stansfield hated too many people talking, so she kept her information to herself. In situations like this, Hurley was more than capable of scuttling his own ship.
"Now to Victor," Lewis said, turning his gaze from Stansfield to Hurley. "I have made it very clear from the outset that I am not onboard with your methods of deception."
"I know you have," Hurley said, "and in your theoretical world I'm sure your points have merit, but this is where the rubber meets the road. I don't have all day to dick around with these kids. I need to know who has the goods, and the sooner I find out the better."
"And using your system, how many men have you found thus far?" Kennedy asked, unable to resist.
"My concerns," Lewis said forcefully, "are centered on building a relationship of trust, and if we introduce deceit into the training--"
"It's not training," Hurley said with a scowl. "This is selection, and besides, this is what we do for a living. We deceive people. If these kids don't understand that, they have no business signing up with us."
"There is a major difference between deceiving each other and deceiving our enemy. Again, strong relationships are built on trust. We can work on the deception part later."
"This is bullshit," Hurley said defensively. "You two come and go as you please, but I'm the guy down here twenty-four-seven playing nursemaid. I don't pretend to know how to do your jobs ... do me a favor and stop trying to pretend you know how to do mine."
"You are so thin-skinned," Kennedy said with a tone of open contempt.
"Yeah, well, young lady, this is serious shit. It ain't amateur hour. We recruit our candidates from the best of the best and that means Special Forces and Spec Ops guys. It doesn't mean some amateur who doesn't know the right end of a rifle from his ass or how to navigate his way through the woods in the dead of night or a thousand other things."
"Are terrorists li
ving in the woods these days?" Kennedy asked, making it clear she was mocking him. "The last time I checked they were urban dwellers, so I'm not so sure knowing how to start a fire with a knife and belt buckle qualifies you to hunt terrorists."
"Don't talk to me about training. You have no idea what it takes to turn these guys into killers."
"Apparently, you don't either."
"Well, at least I know how to recruit, which is more than I can say for you."
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you didn't do your job. I did a little reconnaissance of my own the past few days. Do you know where your boy spent the last few months?"
"He was staying at his mother's house in McLean."
"Yeah and spending his days hanging out at a dojo in Arlington."
"And what, pray tell, would be wrong with that? I told him he would need to be in shape, and it would be a good idea to start taking some judo classes."
"Yeah, well ... I spoke to his sensei."
"You did what?" Kennedy was irked that he had gone behind her back.
"I went in and had a conversation with his sensei. After going a round with him on the mat, I could tell something wasn't right."
Kennedy looked to Stansfield for help. "He had no right to do that. It's my recruit. I have worked almost two years on bringing him in, and I haven't left a single trail. No one in his life knows that we're interested in him."
"And they still don't," Hurley said dismissively.
"Really ... how in hell did you introduce yourself?"
"I told him I was a trainer from Richmond. Said I went a round with this young kid named Rapp and was very impressed. I wanted to ask his sensei what he thought."
"And?" Lewis asked, suddenly very interested.
"The kid doesn't pass the smell test. His sensei says he came in three months ago and claimed he had almost no experience. Within a month and a half he had throttled everybody in the dojo except the sensei."
