Authors Note: Thank you so much for reading, this is based off a real book by Sun Tzu, one of my favorite books that I have spend years studying, hope you enjoy.

-Jess-

"Brilliant." Jess mumbled to herself.

She had been the last one at the ARC and was just making her way out of the locker rooms when a security lockdown was put into place. She didn't even know what caused the lockdown. She had a sinking feeling that she would have to simply wait it out all night until someone came in the morning.

Resigned to this fate Jess decided to try and get what little sleep she could - most of the other areas of the ARC were locked tight but she was able to find some sparring mats and she dragged them into the locker room laying them on the ground. As she laid herself down on them she tried not to think about how many sweaty bodies had been on it.

After a while Jess simply gave up, there was no way she could sleep here. And to make matters worse she was bored out of her mind. She looked around the room trying to rack her brain on possible means of amusement when she glanced over at the lockers. He gaze falling on one.

H. Becker

A mini war raged in her mind, should she… she knew she shouldn't but in her mind she justified it, it was technically ARC property so it wasn't really 'his'. Jess got up and ambled over, she had to fiddle with the lock and a bobbie pin for a moment until it popped open, and with a bit of guilt she looked inside.

It was as clean and as organized as she would have expected it to be, very Beckerish. However looking at the bottom of it she noticed a book. The very sight of it surprised her. Becker didn't seem like the type to read anything, with some amount of care she picked it up and read the cover.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

'Figures' She thought trying not to giggle, she had heard about this book in passing – it was suppose to be one hell of a brilliant book with a soft intake of breath she moved back over to the mats and sitting down opened the book.

8 Hours Later…

Jess was still reading and pondering over the book when there was a rasp on the door of the armory.

"Jess is that you in there…we are disengaging the security lockdown now, are you ok?" Connors voice was loud but muffled, cursing under her breath she quickly put the book back in Becker's locker shutting it – knowing that at the first chance she got she would run over to the bookstore and get a copy for herself.

When the shutters opened Connor gave her a friendly hug, Becker was standing right behind him in his typical military pose his face giving nothing away but she did see him let out a little breath when he saw her – at least that was something right?

"Are you alright?" Connor asked.

"Yeah… I'm fine." Jess assured, she was more than fine actaully that book had kept her up and occupied the whole night.

Jess was very distracted throughout the entire day, she was sure the others chalked it up to her being trapped all night – but that wasn't it at all. Jess had the uncanny ability to make connections, one reason she was so good at her job - the book The Art of War had completely entranced her. She looked over her shoulder at Becker who was going over various documents at his worktable. Two of the quotes from the book came to her as she studied him for a moment.

" There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare."

In her mind Jess wasn't thinking about war per say – she was thinking about her trying to get Becker's attention over the last bloody year. It feels like it has been a long and dragged out war for Becker's affection and she hadn't gotten anywhere. The whole ordeal has become quite draining come to think of it.

The second one was the most important, and it dominated almost all other thoughts in her mind.

"If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

Again she applied this to her issues with Becker, she had to admit to herself that she really didn't know Becker that well…hell, she didn't even know if she had a girlfriend. A 'battle plan' if you will - was starting to build in her head. She now knew she was going about this all the wrong way.

She resigned herself to find out the following facts before she made any more moves on winning Becker's affection.

Did he have a girlfriend?

Why did his past girlfriends break up with him?

What are some of the activities he participated in outside of the ARC?

She needed to find out these things if she was ever going to move forward. There was a building of excitement in her chest at the thought of having sneak around and find this stuff out. This book on battlefield strategy …may have, amazingly, just solved her problem.