Page 30 of Viral Justice

“I don’t want to fix him, Dad. I want to help him fix himself.”

“You don’t know what’s wrong with him.”

“Do you?”

“Not entirely.”

“I thought he was an arrogant ass for a long time, but I’ve changed my mind. He’s not arrogant, he’s focused. So much so that he doesn’t always know what to say and who to say it with. He’s almost too honest. He needs someone like me to bridge the gap between his people and the rest of the army.”

General Stone grunted. “So, tell me again how having an argument in public is going to help the situation with Akbar.”

“I want to see if we can send inaccurate information by way of the grapevine to Akbar. Fool him into thinking Max’s people aren’t all on the same page. Convince him we’re divided on a number of issues and any response we might make will take longer or go in the wrong direction. I also want to plant doubt in the minds of the men supporting Akbar, help them see that he’s as much a danger to them as we are.”

“Baiting a man like Akbar is dangerous, Ali.” Concern creased her father’s face, and for him to show it meant he was scared.

“It’s our best chance at catching him.” She did her best to project confidence. If she didn’t find a way to reassure her father, he could put a stop to the whole thing. “Before he’s ready with whatever plague he comes up with next.”

“Akbar isn’t playing a game, he’s lost his moral compass. That makes him dangerous and he’s not going to be easy to predict.”

“He’s an extremely intelligent, angry, vengeful man,” she said to her father. “I think predicting his actions will be the least of our worries.”

“How many people he’s going to kill...” the general began.

“...is the bigger one,” his daughter finished for him. “We need to keep him off his game. If his allies start asking questions or begin to doubt his stated agenda, we win.”

He sat back and stared off into space for a long while.

Her father was not a man to waffle on a decision, but he did take other opinions into account, if those opinions were based in facts, sound strategy, and good tactics.

“No, Sergeant, I can’t condone this social experiment of yours. The situation is too volatile.”

Well, shit.

“Understood, sir.” She stood and saluted.

Her father returned her salute, then ordered, “Keep the verbal sparring down to a dull roar or you might find yourself facing those charges.”

Alicia left the general’s office and marched toward the lab.

Max was going to be happy to have the general on his side. She, on the other hand...

Son of a bitch.

No matter how mad she was, she was going to have to keep it tucked away where no one could even get a whiff of it. For her father to mention those possible charges meant it wasn’t an idle threat. He didn’t do that.

She didn’t have time for legal stupidity. Max needed her.

Needed her in a way no one had for a couple of years.

In many ways Max was the perfect soldier—built to protect at the cost of his own life. He took his fear and used it to fuel his brain. He was one of those guys who thought of his own safety last. If someone threw a grenade into a crowded room, he’d throw himself on it.

The problem was, he wasn’t disposable. There were only a few people who could step into his role and all of them were busy running their own organizations.

She made her way back to her quarters and made a couple of phone calls to the men who had stepped into her role as a combat instructor. Just in case those charges stuck.

They reported no issues and seemed enthusiastic about the work. If she ended up on trial or decided to transfer permanently, the program would be in good hands.

A few seconds after she hung up, her phone went off.

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