(A/N) Ok guys, time for our latest update, and with this come a few major announcements! Kind of suitable, given that this is a Director chapter. And that it's less than twenty-four hours after the premier of the first episode of Season 11 of Red vs Blue. You'd almost think that I had planned it this way! ;)

Anyway, I just wanted to inform you that, yesterday, we released the opening chapters of two new fics: "Grifball: Running Rampant" and "X-Ray and Vav", two projects that we are very excited to be working on. We're still looking for writers for our X-Ray and Vav fic, but will only be looking for another week, so if you're interested then head on down to our forum. Make sure to check out both fics. We have some big things planned for them!

We are also opening two new threads in our forum, specifically for applications for this fics sequel, and we're looking for writers for both established freelancers and new, OC, freelancers. For the sequel, the applications that we're currently looking for with regards to the established freelancers are for Connecticut and Utah. Yes, you heard me, we're looking for a writer for C.T. and Utah! What are you waiting for?! Get your ass over to our forum, now!

Anyway, enjoy!


Chapter Fifty-One - The Need to Know

The Director

Written by NicKenny


"It's daring to be curious about the unknown, to dream big dreams, to live outside prescribed boxes, to take risks, and above all, daring to investigate the way we live until we discover the deepest treasured purpose of why we are here." ― Luci Swindoll, "I Married Adventure"


"So, you allowed the Insurrectionists to get away," I stated, staring into the visors of the seven assembled freelancers. Carolina, York, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Alaska, as Florida was still undergoing surgery for his wound. "Your best chance at taking them down, and yet they managed to slip through your fingers."

Agent Carolina unwisely took this moment to speak up, "With all due respect, sir, we took down several of them, and retrieved their modified armour. The leader got away, not due to any mistakes on our front, but because they decided to sacrifice their own men in order to allow their leader to escape."

I bristled at this outburst, and turned to face her. "Exactly, Carolina. He escaped. And for that the only agent that I can't find fault with is Agent Florida. While, yes, the assassination of General Petrarch was, indeed, prevented, that was not your only objective. May I remind you that Lieutenant Ian Harper is the second-largest threat to our project, only losing out to the leader of the Insurrection himself. The fact that he escaped from your grasp is something that I find unpardonable, and will indeed be reflected in the new rankings, after the new recruits partake in their first simulation mission."

I could sense the effect of my words on the group, as they shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, none of them prepared to meet my eyes, well aware of the ultimate failure of their last mission. "I want you to all learn a lesson from this, and from the actions of Agent Florida. Don't be afraid to put everything on the line, in order to complete your objective. Do not fail me again. Next time I will not let you off as leniently as I have today. Dismissed."

The freelancers filed out, heads bowed in collective shame, and I could sense the frustration permeating of several of them, but directed at their own efforts, and not towards myself. Some of them (Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia), glanced at me as they filed out, and seemed to have something to say, but instead held their tongues and left with the rest of them.

Given the mood that I was in, that was probably the wisest course of action.

"Director," the Counselor murmured from his spot towards the far side of the room, "Do you not think that you were, perhaps, a little too harsh on them?"

I laughed: a cruel, harsh sound erupting from my lips. "No, Counselor, I let them off lightly. They failed to take down a serious threat to this project. I have little doubt that we will come to regret that fact, in the not too distant future. We've only just come across this Lieutenant Harper once in the field, and already I can tell that the sooner he's removed from the equation, the better. I do not tolerate failure, Counselor, in any shape or form."

The Counselor walked closer to me, his data-pad in hand. "They did prevent the assassination attempt, sir. And we have retrieved the bodies of the men they killed, including those suits of armour."

"I never said that the mission was a total failure, Counselor, just that we failed to eliminate a threat. The armour, in particular, was a valuable find. It appears that Agent Pennsylvania wasn't as successful at recovering or destroying the agents' suits during the rescue, or else they had already transmitted their finds to an offsite location. Either way, we are now looking at a very serious problem. Their suits offer superior protection in comparison to ours, but are considerably bulkier and less manoeuvrable. They compensate, in some ways, with a series of modifications built in, individual to every suit. It almost brings to mind a technology currently in development by another branch of the UNSC…"

I trailed off for a moment, my eyebrow furrowed as I concentrated on the holograms of the suits armour that we had obtained from the mission, my eyes searching them for information. In many ways, they had improved on our technology. The heavier mass was due to them utilising a particular form of titanium that offered greater protection than ours, which was more of a titanium-gold alloy, but restricted movement as a result. Personally, I found this modification to be detrimental. The usefulness of our agents hinged on their flexibility and speed, and I would take that over increased protection any day. However, some of their other modifications had intrigued me, and I made a mental note to bring up some demands next time HIGHCOM messaged the Mother of Invention. They had access to some assets that might greatly benefit my agents in the field…

At that moment, F.I.L.S.S. suddenly chimed in, interrupting my thought process. "Agent Arkansas is here to see you now Director."

"Ah, yes, thank you F.I.L.S.S.," I replied, dimly remembering asking her to send for him once I had finished the team's debriefing, "Send him right in."

The doors behind me whooshed open, and I turned around to see Arkansas march in, suited up in full armour, walking without a trace of the wound that had been inflicted on him only a few days before.

"You sent for me, Director?" he asked, somewhat uneasily as he took in his surroundings, and realised the room was empty but for myself and the Counselor.

I nodded slowly, pulling out my data-pad as I did so. "Yes, Arkansas, I did. I see you have recovered from your…spat with Agent California."

"Yes, sir. The medic on duty told me that I'd be fit for battle by tomorrow, but they just wanted to keep me overnight as a precaution."

His face was hidden behind his visor, which gave no suggestion as to what he was currently thinking, and his voice was carefully neutral, that of a man who had long ago realised the importance of choosing his words carefully.

I sighed, and shook my head. "Agent, when I interviewed your past-commanders, your drill sergeants, your teachers at the Academy, all of them told me the same thing. That you were level headed regardless of the situation, calm, collected, and, most importantly, intelligent."

I paused for a moment to let my words sink in. "I have seen little of this in the short period of time that you have been on-board this ship. I anything, I would be inclined to the exact opposite. So…what do you have to say for yourself?"

He glanced down at the ground, but I had no idea whether or not this was a genuine expression of shame, or just a façade made to placate my anger. "I can only apologise, sir, and guarantee that it won't happen again."

"Ark…" I murmured, pausing once more. "I didn't authorise the use of live ammunition in your fight against California, nor did I have any idea that said fight was occurring."

He looked back up at me, his head cocked to the side. "Sir?" he asked, in a voice of feigned confusion.

"The live ammunition is normally safely locked away within the armoury, and agents to not have access to it, except on particular occasions. Now, I have to ask myself, who has access to the armoury. Myself, the Counselor, and several other key members of staff on-board this vessel. However, I know that I did not remove that ammunition, and the other similarly assure me that they did not either."

Another meaningful pause on my behalf, but Arkansas continued to hide behind his visor, silent, unmoving.

"Then I ask myself, who else has the means to get in. Which agents have the skills that would allow them to hack into the system and deactivate the lock? The answer that I come up with, is yourself, and Agent New York. Now, York isn't exactly the type to encourage these sort of transgressions, so, once again, we come back to you."

Silence.

"We know you set up the fight between yourself and California, Arkansas," the Counselor broke in, his voice retaining the smooth and soothing quality that he had perfected for situations such as these.

Arkansas continued to stare at me, and finally spoke, his voice dark and guarded. "With respect, sir, you have no proof to back up that allegation."

I glanced at the Counselor, who had walked up next to me, and smiled. "You're right, Ark, we don't. However, we do have this."

He turned and his hand flickered across his data-pad, and the screen on the wall in front of him burst into life, displaying footage from Ark's recent fight with Agent California. I paused the screen at a particular moment and pointed to it triumphantly.

"There!" I exclaimed, turning to him. "You had enough time to make that shot, but instead you waited a fraction too long, allowing California to dive for cover. Why? If you were so intent on having this… "deathmatch" out with him, then why did you not take this shot?"

He stared at me, and shrugged.

"Because that could have killed him, sir."

"Was that not the very point of this fight?" the Counselor asked next to me, perplexed, but instead of answering, Ark just began to chuckle slightly, shaking his head.

"I never wanted to kill him. Believe me, that was never my intention," he began, then took off his helmet, smiling widely underneath it, the lights gleaming off his dark skin. "I just wanted to see what he would do, given that opportunity."

"You mean…if he would kill you?" I asked slowly, realisation beginning to dawn, although by the puzzled look on the face of the Counselor next to me, he still remained in the dark.

"I just wanted to see how far he would go. How far he would let me push him."

"And if he had killed you? If he hadn't stopped at simply wounding you and went the whole way?" I said, stroking my beard absentmindedly. "What then?"

Ark shrugged and smiled once more. "Then I would have known."


After I had dismissed Ark, ordering him to return to the medical wing in order to recuperate for tomorrow, when I would be sending the recruits out on their first simulation mission, I went back to my desk and began to stare out into the depths of space before me, not able to focus on the various screens in front of me. The Counselor had followed me in, carrying on with his work while pacing up and down in the far side of the room, but eventually he ceased his pacing, turned to me, and spoke up.

"Why didn't you punish him?"

I glanced over at him, pressing my hand up against my temple. "Arkansas, I assume. I didn't punish him because it wouldn't have served a purpose. In his mind, his actions were entirely justified, and anyway, he only put himself at risk."

"Does it not bother you that an agent would go to those lengths, just to see whether or not he was right about something?"

Smiling, I shook my head. "On the contrary, Counselor, that was the precise reason why I refrained from punishing him. An agent that is prepared to put his life in danger, just in order to size up a teammate…that is an agent that I can put to use. It shall be interesting to see how well our new recruits preform on tomorrow's simulation mission, particularly as I have laced Arkansas and California on the same team."

The Counselor started, his brow furrowing in concern. "Are you sure that that is wise, Director."

"I don't know, Counselor, but it will be interesting to find out," I replied, smiling warmly.

After all, then I will know.