We begin the Military Tour of the story. I tell you there are a lot of unlikeable people in this story... but none are as stupid faced as JD Ankow.
Eight

Jade woke just before the alarm went off, and silenced it before it had a chance to ring. It was still dark outside, and by the scant starlight coming in the window, she could just barely make out Tori's features, peaceful in sleep.

For a moment, Jade debated not waking her up. They'd meant to go to bed early, since she knew she had to leave for the base first thing, but somehow they'd ended up watching a Croc Hunter special and before she knew it, two am was staring them in the face.

Whoops. Jade rubbed her eyes, wishing she could close them, and go back to sleep.

The movement, however, woke Tori and she gazed up with half opened eyes at her, a smile sketching its way across her face. "Can I come with you?" She said.

Jade spoke at the same time. "You want to come with me today?'

They both stopped, and blinked.

"Wow." Tori remarked mildly. "The invisible psychic fiber hub's up and working, huh?"

A laugh escaped from Jade. "I guess." She rolled over onto her back and stretched. "I was just thinking I'd like to have an outside opinion while I go through there. I know I'm biased." Was that just an excuse to have Tori along though? Jade examined the thought carefully and decided it could go either way, but the fact that she wasn't impartial was incontrovertible.

Tori reviewed her schedule. "Well, I've got a marketing meeting I can reschedule, two conference calls that are just follow-up, and some small odds and ends... yeah, I can clear my day." She decided. "And, come to think of it, since you're going to be allocating my resources right and left to Uncle Sam, I think I'd better be there to see how much trouble you're going to get me into."

Jade turned her head and regarded the dimly seen profile in bemusement, remembering not so very long ago the agony Tori had gone through wondering if she was qualified to do the job Jade was asking her to. Since her promotion, Tori had blossomed into the position, exceeding even Jade's admittedly biased but high expectations for her. She felt briefly like a mother bird, watching it's offspring soar proudly. "You don't seriously think I'd overextend you, do you?"

A soft chuckle came out of the darkness. "No.. c'mon, Jade. You know our systems and infrastructure better than anyone else, including me. I was just kidding."

"Mm.. you're pretty close." Jade told her. "I'd say, if I had to judge both of us, you're doing a better job than I was as VP."

There was absolute dead silence from the other side of the bed for several long heartbeats. "I think my brain just exploded." Tori finally spluttered.

"Good thing you're in bed, then." Jade rolled up out of it, and stood. "C'mon.. I know I need the run this morning or I'm not going to be awake enough to drive south."

"Start the coffee. I'll just suck up my neurons and be right with you."

"You got it." Jade agreed, as she headed out of the bedroom and through the living room with Chino frisking at her heels. She opened the back door for the dog, then started the coffee running. By the time she turned around, a sleepy Tori was trudging into the kitchen. "That was quick… use the vacuum?"

"Sucked them up with a straw." Tori pulled open the refrigerator and removed a jug full of juice, sloshing it around a few times before she popped the top open, and poured herself a large glass full. "Can we stop talking about brains while I drink this? It's got pulp in it."

Jade slid both arms around her and rested her cheek against Tori's head . "Sure." She listened to the soft, distinct sounds of swallowing as their bodies touched through two thin layers of cotton and swore she could feel the cold juice as it traveled into Tori's stomach, under where her hands were resting. She rubbed the spot, and Tori gurgled as a chuckle interfered with her drinking. "Ah ah ah.. don't you dare bring that in here."

Tori glanced over to see Chino in the doorway, a big stick in her mouth, and a guilty expression on her face. "Honey.. where's your toy? Where's Hippo? Play with that instead, okay?"

Chino dropped her find immediately and dashed off, to return with a stuffed fleecy animal in the vague shape of a hippopotamus. "Growf." She dropped it expectantly at Tori's feet.

"Oh. So now I guess you expect me to play with you?" Tori put the glass on the counter, and her hands on her hips. "How about you running with me and mommy Jade, hm? That should tire you out." She reached behind her and patted Jade's thigh. "I'll get your gear, if you fix the coffee."

Jade released her. "Go for it." She nudged Tori towards the door, and busied herself in pouring.


As luck would have it, they hit rain halfway to the base. "Figures." Jade drummed the fingers of her right hand on the padded console next to her. "Hope you like mud."

Tori looked up from her laptop, which she'd been busy working on. "Mud." She regarded her pristine, nicely starched white shirt. "You did tell me not to wear this, didn't you?" Her eyes studied the wash of heavy rain hitting the windshield, then a smile appeared. "But you know, this reminds me of the first time I rode in your car."

Jade's lips twisted into a wry smile. "I'm sure that's not one of your fondest memories."

"Au contraire." Tori objected. "It most certainly is, Jade. That was the start of everything… That was one of the biggest turning points in my life. You know that."

It was quiet except for the rattle of Tori's keyboard for a little while, as Jade indulged herself in memories as she drove. "You know what I remember the most from that night?" She commented, after about fifteen minutes.

"Huh?" Tori looked at her. "Oh.. no, what?"

"Getting home, sitting down on the couch, and not being able to stop thinking about you."

Tori tilted her head back and smiled. "Oh yeah." She sighed. "If you'll remember, I sent you an email at one am…I hate to tell you because I know you'll laugh, but I slept in your sweatshirt that night." She admitted.

"Did you?" Jade did, in fact, laugh.

"Yeah… I really liked the way it smelled." Tori leaned over and sniffed Jade's shoulder, emitting a low hum of approval. "I'm not sure I remember what bs I fed myself to explain that." She paused. "Actually, I don't think I even bothered trying."

"I woke up the next morning, hired you, then conked out with the laptop sitting on my chest." Jade recalled. "I got your mail asking about the clothing and answered it before I was actually awake."

"Ah. That explains the shopping." Tori teased. "You have no idea how nervous I was waiting for you in the mall."

"I was pretty rattled too." Her wife murmured, steering carefully around a large puddle. "I'm not exactly a social butterfly."

Tori nodded. "I know.. you were fidgeting during dinner." She remembered watching Jade's long fingers play with the table tents restlessly. "But I felt really comfortable being with you." She added. "Especially after you shared your dessert with me."

Jade laughed. "Oh, so that was the big icebreaker, huh? I should have known."

Tori shook a finger at her. "Now that I know you the way I do, I know you sharing a plate with someone is a big deal, Jade, not to mention you actually gave me a bite of your dinner."

"Mm." Jade's face took on a curious expression. "I should have realized right then." She slowed the car. "Okay, hang on. Here we go."

Tori closed her laptop and tucked it into her briefcase as they turned into the base, the road blocked by gates, and an impressive set of armed guards. "Jade, that man has no neck."

"Don't' start me on interservice jokes, okay?" Jade muttered, as she pulled the Volvo forward. "Damn place hasn't changed much." She waited for the car ahead of her to be admitted, then drove on.

"I don't think the military is known for being avantgarde, hon." Tori watched with interest as Jade rolled down the window, and slipped on her attitude like a pair of sunglasses.

"I have an appointment with Commander Albert." Jade stated, in a crisp, no nonsense tone as she handed over her identification badge.

The guard studied the badge, then studied Jade as though comparing the picture. Then he consulted a plastic covered clipboard. His eyes lifted, and peered into the Volvo. "Commander Albert is expecting one person, ma'am."

"Lucky him. He gets two." Jade replied. "This is my Vice President, Victoria Vega." She offered him Tori's badge, which the brunette woman had helpfully passed over.

"I don't' have clearance for her, ma'am." The guard said.

Jade kept herself from smirking by sheer will. "Then I guess we'll be blocking your gate until you get it, or turning around and going back to San Francisco and billing you for our time." She said. "What's your name again? Williams, is it?"

"Ma'am, this is a secure base, and we don't just give people clearance because they show up at the gate." The guard replied stiffly. "I think you need to understand.."

"Dude." Jade leaned on the doorframe. "I used to eat breakfast every day with someone a lot scarier than you, so put your attitude up in your side pocket, and either let me in, or tell me you won't, and I'll do what I need to do."

The man stared at her for a moment, then retreated into his hut. Jade leaned back and crossed her arms, shaking her head slightly. "Some things just really never change." She sighed.

"I don't think I can quite picture you doing this, Jade." Tori observed. "Though... You'd look really cute in those uniforms." She fell silent as the guard returned, a look on his face that made her think he'd been sucking key limes in the interim.

"These are your passes, ma'am." He handed two clip on badges to Jade, and their identification cards back. "Wear them at all times when you're on the base."

"All right." Jade took one, and gave Tori hers. "Thanks."

"Commander Albert is in the Huntingdon building. Drive straight through the gates here, turn left, turn right, turn left, second stop on the right." He opened the gate, and ducked his head in a semi respectful salute.

Jade finished putting her badge on. "That's the long way." She gave him a grim smile. "But thanks."

Tori waved at the guard. "Dos Vedanya." She told him cheerfully, as Jade drove past. Then she settled back into her seat and looked around curiously, as they made their way along a somewhat weather-beaten road. It was so different than she'd expected, Tori mused, taking in the long rows of sturdy, but plain concrete buildings. Everything was neatly kept, and there were columns of men and women doing various military type things, like running, and chanting, drilling in a nearby field, and some were just walking about.

To one side, through a stretch of tall trees, she spotted a large cluster of small houses. She glanced at Jade, and saw her wife's eyes on them as well, a curious mix of regret and nostalgia on her face. "Was that home?"

"Yeah." Jade gave her head a little shake, and returned her attention to the road. "Wasn't much…I think my room was the size of the back of this car. " She fell silent for a beat. "I spent my first.. five, six years here, I guess. Then we moved out to Virginia, year or two after that to North Carolina, two years later to Baton Rouge, then we came back here for a while."

"Sort of tough on you moving to different schools all the time, hm?" Tori half turned in her seat, watching Jade's profile. "Making new friends and all."

Jade laughed shortly. "That was the least of my worries." She turned down a side street. "I never bothered much with friends. " She parked the Volvo and turned her head. "You ready for this?"

"Me?" Tori allowed an easy laugh to escape. "Jade, you forget how I grew up. It would take more than a bunch of hunky sailors and marines to spook me." She put a hand on Jade's arm. "Thanks for asking me to come along, though. I'm glad I'm here."

Jade smiled. "Me too." She gathered up her briefcase and opened the door. "C'mon. Let's go see what trouble we can get into."

Tori followed her as they walked along the sidewalk, and turned in to go up a short flight of steps to a guarded doorway. She tried again to imagine Jade as one of these stern, earnest professional warriors.

Ow. It made her brain hurt. She gave the guard a smile, and entered the portal to another world.


Jade's nose twitched as she walked along the hallway, memories gently buffeting her from all sides. The air was thick with familiar scents, wool and brass and wood polish, and floor wax she knew came in five gallon gray cans. The merest hint of gun oil trickled through, tickling her senses and bringing a faint smile to her face.

It was quiet as they passed closed doorways, a faint clatter of honest to goodness typewriters leaking through but not much more. Tori gave her a look. "Multipart forms." Jade murmured. "Eight layers at least, sometimes ten."

"Ew." Tori winced. "They ever consider donating part of the government's operating budget to saving the rainforests?"

"Mm." Jade led the way up a flight of double stairs that swept up to a landing, with a door guarded by an armed Marine. "I tried to convince them to go thermal, but they held onto those Selectrics like they were worth actual money, and wouldn't give them up." She gave the Marine a brisk nod, and turned past him, into a smaller, closer hallway with doors on either side.

"Jade?" Tori watched her bemusedly. "When was the last time you were here?"

Jade thought about it. "Jesus.. has it been ten years?" She shook her head and took a left, then put a hand on the first right hand door and pulled it open. "I can't believe it."

Tori glanced at the door plate, which said 'Computer Operations - Do Not Enter.'. "You're telling me they haven't moved anything in ten years?"

Jade looked at the plate, then at her. "Ten years? Tori, there are some government offices that haven't changed in over two hundred. C'mon." She followed her wife into a suite of offices, which had a darker shade of carpet, and colder air.

Now it was Tori's turn to twitch her nose. "That's not the mimeograph fluid I smell, is it?"

Jade chuckled, and walked past her, towards an office with a thick wooden doorframe, and a scarred wooden door.

A small desk was perched outside it, occupied by a dour looking woman with curly dark hair and an attitude three times larger than she was. She intercepted them as they walked forward. "Ms. West?"

Jade regarded her soberly. "Yes."

"Commander Albert is in a meeting. He asked me to fill in for him. " The woman stated flatly. "My name is Perkins, and I'm the Data Center manager." She stood up. "We have a full schedule, so if you'd like to give me a list of what you want, I'll see what I can do."

Jade flicked her eyes over the much shorter woman, and simply walked past her, heading down a small corridor towards a set of double doors.

"Ma'am?" The data center manager bolted after her. "Ma'am… that area's off limits."

Jade just kept walking, stiff arming the doors open and letting them close behind her, almost slapping her pursuer in the face. Tori sighed, and followed, catching the door as their naval guide blasted through them. Inside was a large room filled with mainframes, some of which, she realized, were perilously close to being an older vintage than she was.

"Ms. West, I need to ask you to leave, or I'll have to call the guard." The data center manager stated fiercely.

"Go ahead." Jade turned abruptly and faced her, showing her edgier side. "You call the guard, I call the Pentagon." She took out her cellphone and opened it. "Because frankly, Lieutenant, I've had about enough BS for one morning, and I just got here."

"This is a secure area." Perkins shot back. "You are a civilian, and this is off limits, I don't care how many generals you know." Pause. "Ma'am."

"Look." Tori eased between them. "Lieutenant Perkins? I know this is seriously messing up your day." She smiled kindly at her. "And I know that Commander Albert probably told you to be as big a pain the ass to us as possible, but that's okay, because Jade and I are used to that."

The Lieutenant eyed her warily.

"Most of the time when we're doing this, the people we're working with are scared silly we're going to fire them, and sometimes we do." Tori went on. "But you'd do us, and yourself a favor if you just relax, and let us do our jobs. Things will go much faster, and we'll be out of your hair before you know it."

The woman stiffened a little, bringing her head just slightly above Tori's. "We have a job to do here. Everything works, and we don't need a couple of outsiders coming in and changing things." She told her. "I don't have time to explain these systems to you. So why don't you do yourselves a favor, and just get the hell out of here."

"Because we're being paid to be here. Just like you are." Tori explained gently. "And frankly, lieutenant, you don't have to explain anything to us. Between Ms. West and myself, we've got enough certifications to plaster every square inch of the walls in here, so why don't you just go over there, and sit down, and stay out of our way."

The three junior operators who were in the room had become silent, radar eared statues, staring at their screens and watching the reflections of the three women behind them.

Jade put her briefcase down and unzipped it. "If we're done with the first round of jousting, I'm gonna get the analyzer up and connected, and start running first and second level tests." She pulled out a coil of network cable and booted up her laptop. "If you'd like to do something other than stand there gaping, Lieutenant, you can get me a list of subsystems and running job streams."

Without a word, the woman turned and walked out, letting the doors swish shut behind her with a vindictive sound.

"I'll take that as a no." Jade continued her task. She looked around and caught one of the console ops staring at her, a look of mixed awe and admiration on his face. "Would you like to run that for me?"

The sailor grinned at her wholeheartedly. "Yes, ma'am, I would."

Jade grinned back, and winked at him. "Smart boy."

The other console operator turned in her seat, and folded her arms over the back of it. "Who are you people?" She was a willowy thin woman with straight, russet hair and an innocent face. Her voice was soft and thickly Southern.

Tori, who was closest to her, held a hand out. "Tori Vega, and that's my boss, Jade West." She shook the red haired woman's hand with a firm grip. "Our company's been asked to come in and see what we can do to make your lives easier."

"You just did." The third operator drawled softly. "Lieut's been on the warpath all week, driving us half crazy."

"Well, that's probably our fault." Tori told him. "I know your leadership isn't too happy we're here, because they think we're going to find all kinds of things they're going to get blamed for. But that's not what our plan is."

"It's not?" The girl asked.

"Nope." Jade studied the results on her laptop screen. "The government's looking to spend some money here, we're gonna help them." Her brow creased.

"Why're they all freaking out, then?" The tow-headed man closest to Jade asked.

The lines of data flashed before her eyes. "You know, that's a good question." Jade looked up at Tori.

"People get comfortable with things, Jade. They don't like change." Her wife reminded her. "Even if the change is good."

"Mm." Jade finished her capture and closed her laptop. "That's all I need here for now. Let's see if we can get into the command and control center." She gave the operators a half wave. "We'll be back."

Tori heard the whispers and muffled laughs as they left, and she shook her head. She had a feeling this was going to be an all the way uphill battle.

And they were wearing roller blades.


Jade put her briefcase down on the scarred wooden conference table, and sat, folding her hands together. Tori took a seat to her right, and the two Navy officers settled opposite them. "We've finished our initial review." Jade said. "I've identified three main systems that need replacement of hardware, and I'm going to recommend installation of a new infrastructure to support that."

Albert and Perkins exchanged glances, but didn't comment. Tori could almost read their minds, which were buzzing along the lines of 'not as bad as we thought.' "I'll have the proposal transmitted to the Pentagon by tomorrow." She told her boss. "And an estimated timeline for install."

"All right." Commander Albert said. "You can coordinate with Lieutenant Perkins for that."

Jade nodded. "That was the easy part."

Both officers stiffened. "You're not finished?" Albert hazarded.

"No." Jade met his eyes. "General Oliver has forwarded us status and analysis reports on the existing processes you have in place here for training and implementation. He wants them reviewed."

Tori thought the two of them were going to implode, right there at the table. She'd never seen someone turn that red that fast, and her eyes widened a little as the veins appeared on the side of the Commander's temples. "It'll go faster if you just cooperate." She told them. "He's not saying you don't do a good job here, he just wants to see if there's a way to make things easier and better." She leaned forward. "Sometimes you need an outside pair of eyes to look at things - you get too close to the situation otherwise. Really."

"Lieutenant, Ms. Vega, would you excuse us please." The commander bit off his words.

Tori glanced at Jade, who cocked an eyebrow at her, then she stood and pushed her chair in. "I'll go find some coffee. " She waited for the glowering lieutenant to join her, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. "Would you like to tell me where it is, or do I have to go ask the Marines?"

The woman was grimly silent for a beat, then her shoulders perceptibly relaxed, and she shook her head. "Follow me."

They strolled along the corridor, and Tori took the opportunity to study their erstwhile adversary more closely. They were about the same size, she realized, and more or less the same age. She'd also detected a familiarity in the dark haired woman's speech. "Where in the North east are you from, Lieutenant?"

Brown eyes flicked to her in wary attention. "New Haven."

Tori nodded. "You sounded local. I'm from Darien." They stopped at a coffee station, and busied themselves in silence for a moment as they poured cups. Tori was aware she was being covertly watched, and it made her ears twitch. "Want to sit down for a minute, until they finish yelling at each other?"

Without answering, the other woman led the way to a utilitarian table, with two bench seats. She put her coffee down and straddled one, resting her elbows on the table and keeping her gaze firmly fixed on the beaten Formica top.

Tori took the opposite seat and composed her thoughts briefly. "We're not as bad as you think."

"Do you know how often we have to go through this?" Perkins lifted her head and glared. "Everyone thinks they know how to do our jobs, so they come waltzing in here, change things all around, and two months later we've got to go back to doing it the old way because it's the one that works."

Tori's eyebrows lifted. "They send in consultants every two months?"

"No." The other woman sighed. "Every god damned newly made admiral they put in charge of this place."

"Oh." Tori took a sip of the coffee, and held back a wince at the pungent strength of it. She was abruptly reminded of Jim West's affection for tar sludge, and now knew where he got it. "Well, we're not admirals."

"No, you're even more clueless about what we do." Perkins snapped.

"That can be a plus." Tori answered mildly. "And as far as I'm concerned, yes, you're right. I'm clueless about the Navy. But I've got a good understanding of the government, and how it works, because my mother's a Senator."

The lieutenant grunted, tensing muscular forearms as she lifted her cup.

"Jade, on the other hand, couldn't care less about the government, but she's got a good understanding of the Navy." Tori told her, hiding a smile as the other woman's head jerked up in surprise. "She was basically raised here, on this base."

One of Perkin's eyebrows lifted, very much like Jade's often did. "She's a navy brat?"

"Yep." Tori agreed. "She sure is… her father just retired, as a matter of fact." Should have told them that first, her mind analyzed. Might have made the day a lot more pleasant. "So between the two of us, we're not that clueless."

"Commander Albert know that?" The lieutenant asked. "About her?"

"I don't think so, no. Not unless Jade mentioned it before, and I don't think she did. " Tori replied. "Why?"

For the first time, a smile appeared on the other woman's face. "Just wondered."


Jade went to the window and looked out, ignoring the man behind her who was yelling into his telephone. She let her eyes wander over the familiar confines of the inner courtyard, noting the new sheds and walkways that dotted the grassy area. A smile appeared on her face as she eyed a thick hedge, remembering times spent huddled inside the center of it, in a tiny space she'd dug out for herself hidden from adult eyes.

How many hours had she spent there? In the leafy warmth, green filtered sunlight trickling through the leaves and spilling over the ragged pages of whatever book she'd been pouring over that week. Reading had opened the world to her, a love she shared with her father, but a skill only reluctantly displayed to her peers on the base.

You didn't get any points for being a bookworm in her childhood world.

So she'd saved her books for that little private space, absorbing the words greedily, reading years ahead of her age from almost the very start.

The phone slammed down behind her, and she reluctantly left her memories behind and turned, leaning back against the windowsill. "Done?" Albert looked about as frustrated as anyone Jade had ever seen. His face was beet red, and there was a small tick jerking the side of his mouth upward in disconcerting rhythm. "Look, Commander…"

"No. You. Look." He got out from between gritted teeth. "I am not going to have some half-assed civilians coming in here and telling me how to run my operation." He slapped his desk. "The base commander's on his way here, and let me tell you, lady, he's not going to put up with it either."

Jade exhaled. "Commander, I think you're overreacting." She told him.

"No ma'am, I am not." The naval officer shot back. "To have you come in here and evaluate our computers, well, I don't like it, but no doubt you know your business." He pointed at her. "But the Navy's my business, and madam, I don't need you telling me how to do it."

Jade sighed, and shook her head. "This is a waste of time."

"That's what I've said all along." Albert responded. "That's what I told the commander, and he agrees with me."

They heard heavy footsteps approaching, and a low gruff voice that seemed more a growl than anything else. "That's the commander." Albert looked relieved. "He'll get this straightened out."

Jade folded her arms and watched as the door swung open, admitting a very tall, extremely burly man with thick, grizzled silver hair and a full, well trimmed beard.

"All right." The newcomer boomed as he closed the door behind him with a solid crack. "Let's just get this cleared up right… son of a fucking bitch." His eyes had fallen on Jade, and he stopped in mid motion.

Albert glanced between his commander and Jade. "Sir?"

Jade blinked as a surprised smile spread across her face. "Uncle Jeff."

The man covered the space between them with startling rapidity, and engulfed Jade in a pair of very large arms, hugging her and lifting her completely off her feet. "Son of a bitch.. son of a bitch… I can't believe it." He gave her a squeeze, then released her and took her by the shoulders, studying her intently. "Tadpole, what the hell are you doing here?" He rumbled, then glanced at the dumbfounded Commander Albert. "Oh.. hell.. don't tell me you're the posse the Pentagon sicked on me?"

"Fraid so." Jade caught her breath, her mind still spinning with the shock of being reunited with a long lost part of her past. "I didn't know they put you in charge of this place."

"Lord God yeah… three months back." Jeff Ainsbright said. "Look at you… damned if you didn't grow up gorgeous!" He cupped her cheek with an easy familiarity. "I can't believe it."

The door behind them opened, and Jade was aware of Tori and the Lieutenant entering, her peripheral vision catching the shift in body language as Tori absorbed the stranger in the room with his hands all over Jade. She gave her wife a reassuring smile and caught her eye, then met the tall commander's gaze. "Feels like it's been forever since I saw you…wish I'd known you were in charge here. We could have avoided a lot of yelling."

Jeff pulled her into a hug again. "Tadpole, if I'd known you were behind this, I'd have just handed the keys off to you and gone fishing."

Jade watched Tori bite the inside of her lip to prevent a smirk from appearing. "Well, that's not what I was hired for." She told the tall man. "We're just here to give our best advice."

"Damn straight." The base commander agreed, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Albert, you give this lady whatever she wants, whenever she wants it, however she decides she needs it sliced and diced, you got me?"

"S…sir?"

"What part of that was in something other than English?" Jeff growled, turning his head to glare at the younger man. "Or are you developing a hearing problem?"

"No, sir." Albert braced. "But I'd like to remind the commander of the discussion we had…"

"Forget it." The answer came back. "I've got a whole different picture now. So you tell your staff to cooperate, or I'll have every last one of you scrubbing the heads with a box of Navy issue Kleenex, understand?"

"Yes, sir." Commander Albert got the words out from between clenched teeth.

"Good." Jeff turned and slung a long arm around Jade's shoulders. "C'mon lemme give you the top brass tour… well, hello there, young lady." The commander found a slim, woman planted firmly in his path.

Jade cleared her throat gently. "This is my associate, Tori Vega. Tori, this is Jeff Ainsbright. He's an old friend of the family."

Tori stuck a hand out. "Sir, it's good to meet you."

"Same here, Ms. Vega." Jeff cordially enveloped her hand in his much larger one, and shook it. "Let me take you both to lunch. I think we got meatloaf today. You still like meatloaf, Tadpole?" He gave Jade a grin. "C'mon."

"Sounds good to me." Jade agreed, allowing herself to be hauled through the door, as she guided Tori before her, leaving a glowering silence behind them.

Commander Albert waited until the footsteps had receded down the hall, then he looked at his data center manager. "Son of a bitch."

Lieutenant Perkins grunted. "This could be trouble."

"Yeah." The muscular, blond man tapped a pencil on his desk. "Get me a report on West. Find out who the fuck she is, will you? I never figured her for military."

"She's a brat." Perkins picked up a pad and scribbled on it. "She's from here. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out who she is.. her dad was Navy."

"Find out." Albert nodded. "Find out everything you can. This could fuck up the whole project."

"Big time." The woman agreed. "She ain't stupid. Neither is the other one, what's her name... Vega."

"Hm." Her boss pursed his lips. "See what you can get on her, too. " He exhaled in consternation. "We could be in trouble. I need to call Scrooge."

"Give him my regards." Perkins took her pad, and left, closing the office door behind her.