How To Gather Intelligence III

Cassy and the other two recruits were surprised when they saw a person's silhouette behind the window of their new office. However, this wasn't a rare occurrence in the slums. Though it was technically possible to buy a house in the slums district, a deed wouldn't stop the homeless from occupying the building while you weren't there. The slums' children had been similarly displaced, so this was a familiar experience.

"Should we run them out?"

Lety shook her head at Jog's question. Unlike the three recruits, Carolyn and Derrick had been informed about the presence inside their office by Lety.

"No need. They work for us."

Though Lety wanted to use a decent building to serve as their office, she knew that a place like that had probably been occupied already. Furthermore, since she didn't intend to have any of the children live at the office, it would be unoccupied for long periods of time, making it easy for another group to move in while they were out. Therefore, Lety asked Derrick to find a location that met her requirements even if it was occupied.

After receiving a nod from Lety, Derrick went to the building and knocked on the door. He then quietly said the secret passcode and stepped back before the door opened.

"Mr. Derrick and company, I'm pleased to meet you all. Please, come in."

Everyone except Derrick and Lety was surprised by the one who exited from the house. It was a young man with black hair and a scar on his cheek. He appeared to be a year or two from becoming an adult, but he didn't seem to belong in the slums. His shirt and pants were certainly soiled and worn out; however, his skin was relatively clear, and his demeanour suggested an educated background.

"You can put me down now. Let's go in."

Carolyn was curious about the young man's background and why he chose to join them, but she didn't let that stop her from following Lety's command. After Carolyn lowered Lety to the ground, the group entered the building. There was only one room inside, but it was implicitly separated into a bedroom, a dining area and a storage area. The storage area on the right had a collection of buckets and pans as well as broken pieces of furniture. Carolyn couldn't tell what the damaged furniture was for, but everything else inside the room was kept tidy and orderly. This further fuelled her curiosity about the young man and the two little girls who now stood by his sides.

"Shall we introduce ourselves to the rest of your group, Ms. Letira?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Very well. You can call me Andy, and these two are my little sisters."

"Celia."

"Row."

The three bowed their heads at the end of their introductions, and even in this aspect Carolyn could tell that they had been trained. She wished to learn more about them, but though she was the oldest, she knew it would be rude to speak before the head of their group.

"Mmm, I've met Andy, but it's good to meet you two as well. You've seen Derrick before, and the other three children with me are Cassy, Jog and Mia."

The children stepped forward and nodded as Lety introduced them, leaving Carolyn as the last unnamed guest. Picking up the signal from Lety's glance, Carolyn did her own introduction.

"My name is Carol. I'll be somewhat of an aide to Letira, so you can treat me accordingly."

To match the demeanour of Andy and his sisters, Carolyn used slightly more formal language. She could sense surprise coming from the three when she mentioned her position, but Andy covered it up well.

"Since we've all been introduced, how may we be of service, Ms. Letira?"

"Before we get there, I want everyone to be on the same page. Where can we sit?"

"Just a moment."

Originally the dining area only had a single table and three chairs, but Andy and his sister went into the storage area and pulled out three stools hidden under the clutter. Once they returned with the stools, Derrick and Lety sat on the chairs around the table while the other three children sat on the stools. Carolyn had planned to keep standing, but Lety told her and Andy's group to sit as well. Carolyn took the remaining chair while Andy's group sat on the bed.

"Firstly, I want everyone to know how our organisation will be structured. It's nice to say things like 'everyone's equal', but we all know that's not true. I will assume responsibility for strategic planning and all high-level decisions that need to be made. If anything unexpected happens, then seek me or Derrick first, but if either of us is in danger, prioritise my brother."

"Lety—"

Derrick tried to interrupt, but Carolyn held his shoulder and shook her head. This wasn't the first time Lety had declared her intention of putting him above herself, but Derrick had never agreed to it, and Lety knew that. Neither was willing to back down on this point, but at the end of the day, Lety was the one who managed this organisation, so her word was of a higher priority, even if it did mean prioritising someone else.

"As for Carol here, she will be assisting me with planning as well as training you in your main duties. For our titles, you can consider Carol and I as 'Executives', while Derrick is the 'Chief'. Those working in the field will be known as intelligence officers, while Andy's group will be referred to as custodians. You don't have to use these titles in public, but bear them in mind. Under normal circumstances, neither group has the right to order another unless an executive allows it. As for emergencies, we'll put that aside for now. With the exception of the meaning of the titles, are there any questions?"

Though Lety didn't state it explicitly, both the newly dubbed intelligence officers and custodians were able to figure out the hierarchy of their organisation. Derrick was symbolically at the head, while Lety held the real power, and Carolyn was second to her, with the intelligence officers and custodians below them holding the same level of authority, at least on the surface. Given their current role, it would be sufficient to consider the custodians as housekeepers, but Lety deliberately used a more formal term to give them a better impression.

Derrick was still upset about the status Lety gave him in the organisation, but Carolyn looked at her with warm eyes mixed with both admiration and concern that nearly made Lety break character. The response from the intelligence officers was lacklustre, but Andy similarly raised his evaluation of his new employer.

"Executive Letira, is there a name for our organisation?"

Lety's expression did not shift in response to Andy's question because she had an excuse prepared.

"We're still in the building phase, so there's little benefit in sticking to anything and risking exposing ourselves. For now, just use 'the organisation' to refer to us when appropriate."

"Understood."

Andy accepted Lety's response with no complaints, but Carolyn knew her well enough to see through her facade. Lety ignored her knowing smile and continued.

"Until further notice, the custodians will be responsible for maintaining this building, which will serve as our office. Meanwhile, Executive Carol will train the intelligence officers and Chief Derrick until she deems them fit to carry out their official duties."

No one found an issue with the Chief being lumped in with the intelligence officers, except for one person, but Jog raised his hand.

"Do you have a problem with my decision, Jog?"

"Well, yeah. I don't mind her being an executive or what you call it, but why is Carol-"

"Executive Carol."

"...Why is Executive Carol the one training us?"

There were rumours of Carol's exceptional physical prowess since she sometimes used force to subdue slums' residents who tried to attack her or the children, but few had ever seen her skills in person. Furthermore, her naive personality and dainty atmosphere made it hard to believe she was in any position to train anyone. Though the three intelligence officers shared this sentiment, as the most physically adept among them, Jog was especially against the idea.

"Because I decided that she was fit for the role. Are you questioning my judgement?"

"I just—"

"Let's stop here. My suitability for the role will be obvious once the training begins. Right, Executive Letira?"

Lety was upset that Jog went against her, but she didn't need Carolyn to tell her that it was too early to expect absolute obedience.

"Indeed. I assume you have no problem with that, Jog."

"...No."

"Good. Moving on..."

Lety then detailed the official duties each group would perform once the organisation was ready to seek clients and the various ground rules of their organisation. Lety planned on writing a document expounding these rules, but for now she shared a simplified version.

1. Betrayal is not tolerated under any circumstances.

2. Follow the orders you're given as soon as you're given them.

3. Do not let your pride stop you from requesting aid when necessary.

4. Prioritise the mission above all else.

5. Results are rewarded, not effort.

There were many aspects that Lety thought could be adjusted, but for now these rules would govern them. As she looked at the faces before her, Lety felt the weight of being a leader, but she was excited to be another step closer to accomplishing her goal. Even if the one she worked so hard for had a frown on his face.