Chapter 5 - A Bracket Built for One Ending
“Who made the bracket?” I asked.
Captain Mason, the tournament coordinator, barely looked up from his clipboard.
“Software.”
“Who entered the names?”
“My staff.”
“When?”
“Why?”
That got his attention.
He studied me.
“You accusing someone of rigging a combatives tournament?”
“I’m asking a timing question.”
Commander Hayes found me near the field twenty minutes later.
“You pushed Mason.”
“I asked a question.”
He looked at the timestamp.
“Where’d you get this?”
“The printer queue.”
Hayes almost smiled. “Of course you did.”
Then his face went flat.
“Leave this with me.”
“Sir—”
“That wasn’t a suggestion.”
I nodded.
At dinner, Briggs made sure I could hear him.
“After I embarrass her tomorrow, she’ll be on the first flight back to wherever they pulled her in from.”
Owen Reed sat two tables away.
He looked at Briggs, then at me.
“Sergeant,” Reed said carefully, “isn’t she actually trained?”
Briggs laughed.
“She weighs a hundred thirty pounds.”
People laughed.
I stood.
Briggs called after me. “No comeback?”
I turned.
“Physics cares about leverage.”
The room went silent for one beat.
Then someone coughed to hide a laugh.
Briggs’ smile disappeared.
Outside, Hayes intercepted me.
“I know.”
“You can walk away.”
“No.”
“Nobody would think less of you.”
“With respect, sir, I would.”
Hayes studied me.
“Why?”
I looked toward the field where workers were assembling bleachers.
“Because every woman here has watched some version of him get rewarded for being cruel.”
I took a breath.
Hayes’ voice dropped. “Proof of what?”
“That he was right.”
Hayes said nothing for several seconds.
“Training safety recorder.”
I looked at it.
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Because tomorrow, I want facts.”
I clipped it inside my training vest.
Hayes started to leave.
Then he stopped.
“One more thing.”
I waited.
“Briggs asked Mason to change your first-round opponent this afternoon.”
“Why?”
May you like
Hayes looked toward the darkening field.
“That’s what I intend to find out.”
