Chapter 4 - The Internal Audit
I stared at the blinking notification on the screen, the digital timestamp confirming the access request had been logged less than thirty seconds ago. Colonel Hayes’s office was directly above us on the second floor of the annex.
"General," I said, pointing at the screen. "Colonel Hayes just pulled the digital backup of these exact ledgers from his office."
Vance didn't look surprised. In fact, his expression hardened into something cold and calculating, as if a long-suspected trap had finally been sprung.
"Hayes knew why I brought you here," Vance said softly. "Or at least, he suspected it. When I requested your personnel file, I had to route it through his command office for administrative clearance. I wanted to see how fast the news traveled upward."
"You used me as bait?" The words left my mouth before I could filter them through military protocol. The realization stung sharper than I expected. I wasn't just an investigator handpicked for my integrity; I was a calculated tactical maneuver in a silent war between generals.
"I used your record because it was unblemished," Vance corrected, stepping closer. "And I gave you the truth because you deserved to know what you were walking into. If Hayes is looking at these files right now, it means he realizes we've found the 2015 tampering. Which means he knows we're closing in on who authorized the civilian contractor transfers."
Before I could answer, the secure comms unit on the wall chimed—a direct audio link from the front desk downstairs.
“General Vance, visitor for you at the security checkpoint,” the duty specialist announced, his voice tinny through the speaker. “Commander Miller from Naval Criminal Investigative Service. He’s asking for Corporal Reynolds.”
Vance and I exchanged a sharp glance. NCIS. Federal investigators didn't drop by a classified logistics annex on a rainy Monday morning without a very specific, high-stakes mandate.
"Tell Commander Miller to wait in the secure briefing room," Vance ordered crisply. "I'll be there in two minutes."
"Sir," I whispered as Vance turned toward the door. "If NCIS is here, it means someone from this base already filed a complaint against us. Or against me."
"Or," Vance said, pausing at the threshold, "it means Colonel Hayes didn't just look at our files—he preempted us. He went to federal investigators first to frame our investigation as an unauthorized breach of classified archives."
The danger of the situation suddenly crystallized. This wasn't just a quiet internal review anymore. It was a high-stakes institutional collision, and I was sitting right in the crosshairs of a military command structure protecting its own corruption.
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"Grab the 2015 ledger," Vance commanded, his eyes burning with absolute focus. "We're going to meet NCIS on our terms. Bring the evidence, Corporal. We're about to find out who really runs this base."
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