The Briefing Room

The room was silent except for the occasional clink of a spoon against ceramic. Jessica sat at the small table near the window, staring at her untouched coffee. Outside, Washington moved in its usual rhythm, unbothered, oblivious.

Leanna sat across from her, arms crossed, watching. Olivia was still waking up, her hair a mess, nursing the largest cup of black coffee the hotel offered.

Nobody spoke.

Finally, Olivia sighed. “Alright. Let’s unpack this.”

Jessica exhaled. “You want the short version or the long one?”

Leanna leaned forward. “Short version: Black wants us to go to Langley, but he also doesn’t want us to. That about sum it up?”

Jessica smirked. “Pretty much.”

Olivia rubbed her temples. “And what the hell does ‘a war that never ended’ mean?”

Jessica shrugged. “Either he’s talking in riddles, or he’s hinting at something bigger than Vanguard.”

Leanna sighed. “Which we already knew.”

Jessica leaned back, eyes flicking to the ceiling. “I think that’s the point. He’s keeping us moving. Just enough truth to make us chase the next thread, but not enough to actually understand what we’re chasing.”

Olivia took a slow sip of her coffee. “And yet, we keep playing.”

She didn’t say it aloud, but Black’s words still echoed in her head. Not the threat. She was used to threats. It was the idea that they weren’t chasing the truth. They were walking a script.

---

Leanna placed a folder on the table. “Alright. Let’s focus on what we can control. Olivia, your press pass should clear today.”

Olivia nodded. “I’ll only get one question in that room,” Olivia said, brushing imaginary dust from her blazer. “So it better land like a grenade. I can’t exactly cross-examine him.”

Jessica studied the folder. “No. But you can watch him. See if anything feels… off.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow. “You mean more than the obvious?”

Jessica exhaled. “We’re looking for the details. The way he reacts to certain questions, his body language, if there’s someone in the room he defers to. Any hesitation, anything rehearsed.”

Olivia nodded. “Alright. What about the questions? I can’t just walk in and start talking about Vanguard.”

Leanna pulled out a notepad. “We brainstormed some angles last night. Subtle ways to test if he remembers things he should.”

Jessica tapped the list. “Questions about past decisions. Not policy. Personal decisions. Things only he would have a natural response to.”

Olivia glanced over the notes. “And if he doesn’t?”

Leanna’s expression was grim. “Then we know we’re right.”

* * *

Jessica flipped to the next section of the notes. “Langley’s not an option yet. We need to figure out who we’re dealing with first.”

Olivia nodded. “Alan Kurtz.”

Leanna drummed her fingers against the table. “That’s the tricky part. We don’t know if he’s the architect of this, or if he’s just the next step up the ladder.”

Jessica frowned. “If Black wanted us to meet him, it’s not because Kurtz will tell us the truth. It’s because he’ll confirm something.”

Leanna nodded. “Which means he’s either a gatekeeper… or a warning.”

Olivia leaned back. “So how do we approach this?”

Jessica hesitated. “Not directly. Not yet. We watch first. See where he moves. Who he meets.”

Leanna smirked. “Surveillance. Classic.”

Jessica shrugged. “If this is as big as we think it is, we can’t afford to walk into the front door of Langley and ask the wrong question.”

Olivia crossed her arms. “And if we don’t find anything?”

Jessica looked at her. “We will.”

* * *

The conversation lulled, and for a moment, the three of them just sat there, the weight of everything settling in.

Leanna broke the silence first. “We’re getting deep, Jess.”

Jessica exhaled. “Yeah.”

Olivia studied her. “And you still want to do this?”

Jessica met her gaze. “I don’t know if I want to. But I know I have to.”

A pause. Then Olivia smirked. “Well. At least it’s never boring.”

Leanna shook her head, but there was a flicker of amusement. “That’s one way to put it.”

Jessica glanced at her watch. “Alright. Olivia, you focus on the White House. Leanna and I will start watching Kurtz.”

They stood, readying themselves for the day ahead. This was it. The next move.

Jessica’s gaze lingered on the hotel lobby mirror as they left. A man she hadn’t noticed before adjusted his tie, eyes on the wall, but angled just enough to watch their reflection.