Lana said nothing. If not for Mr. Tim's assertion, she would not have pursued her instincts. Research conducted during quiet nights such as this only bolstered her opinion that the only organization that might have the capabilities still couldn't have done this. Her years of training led her to a conclusion she couldn't yet embrace: that the only way to hide the large-scaled planning would require someone on the inside of the government.
Her gaze settled on the animated timeline. All of the attacks occurred between three fifteen in the morning and four thirty. Mr. Tim had called her well before. If he knew something was about to happen, then others within the government did as well. She just couldn't find it.
"I'll be rotating to the surface this afternoon," Elise said. "You with the psycho commander today?"
"Probably," Lana responded, turning away from the map. "General Greene is headed down there this morning. He normally keeps the commander close to him. I'll probably have to stay with Arnie if the general isn't around."
The door behind Lana slid open. She twisted in her seat to face General Greene, one of the three people on the compound authorized by the manic commander to be present in the command hub alone. His clothing was pressed and his appearance spry despite his almost sixty years.
"Elise out." The security commander's image disappeared from the screen.
Lana studied the general. To an outsider, he appeared as confident and fresh as a man just starting a mission after a good night's sleep. She, however, saw the lines of pain and exhaustion under his eyes. His right arm hung limply at his side. He had not used it in over a month.
"How are you feeling, sir?" she asked.
"Another beautiful day," he said. "Any word from the West?"
"No, sir."
"Maybe tomorrow," he said with a shrug. "The commander is officially no longer in command. The doc finally declared him unfit after his last episode."
Lana almost sighed in relief.
"No more lunatic rages or attempts to blast himself to the moon or whatever he was doing last week," General Greene added with a shake of his head. "Unfortunately, Arnie needs a babysitter, someone who can hush up anything he says that he shouldn't. There are only three of us here with access to that level of information, and I'm ordering you to do it."
"He has been very erratic lately," she agreed.
"He's so drugged up by the doc right now, even you should be able to handle him. He'll be replacing Elise as your current roommate for the time being. Anything happen last night?"