Rebel Heart

Brady pulled out his water bottle as he listened.

"He was right. She was brilliant, loyal, sweet. I've never been a saint; I saw I could use her, so I put her in college and brought her to work for me. Had her trained in intelligence, emergency operations, technology. She can learn anything. Sent her to half a dozen agencies on rotation. I turned her into something I could use in my office to open more doors for our cause."

"I didn't think there was anyone capable of the nukes, if not us," Brady observed. "You think she knows who did it?"

"I think she knows enough to help me put the final pieces of the puzzle together. Things haven't been right since the war, but the issues haven't been out in the open. And, the government chose to pursue the PMF rather than risk another civil war by going after people with a lot of influence and money. The last civil war set us back fifty years."

"Who would want to start another civil war?" Brady breathed.

"A civil war where both sides have enough dangerous shit to destroy the world twenty times over. How big is the vault she has?"

Brady held up his palm and drew a square around it.

"You think you know what it is?" he asked.

"Not at all. But if she's not talking, I'd take extreme precautions if I were you," Tim said, again thoughtful.

"We're breaking camp and scattering today," Brady confirmed.

"She'll probably have an issue with being under the protection of the PMF," Tim said.

"I have it handled. I explained that she needs to do what I say or else."

"Gently, Brady," he chided. "Take her underground, if you must. Keep her safe until I know who's after her."

"I'll take care of her." Brady promised. "I think it was General Greene."

"Greene? Not Smith?"

"Smith went crazy and dove off a cliff."

"What do you mean crazy?" Tim asked, eyes narrowing.

"I mean, totally insane. They said he'd been a basket case for almost two months by the time he jumped. The doc declared him unfit."

"Greenie wasn't on our list," Tim admitted. "He spent too much time overseas."

"Maybe Arnie found out about Greenie."

"Maybe. I'll run his name through a few different people. Can you check in again in a few days?"