Balance (46 page)

“Why
yes,
very good
.  Did you find the book illuminating?” Takada inquires, remembering
she had
been reading the book almost a year ago.

“It’s not really applicable today.  We don’t wage war any more, at least
not on the same
type of
arena
.  I wonder what Sun
Tsu would write as the tenants of the type of battle we wage
now
?”
She
turn
s
and
sit
s
down in one of the less comfortable looking
leather
chairs.

“Interesting question
,
though I’m a little surprise
d by your sentiment
,
considering
,
your tattoo.” 
Pointing at her wrist, he
sit
s
down
in
the opposite
chair
.

“This?” Turning
her hand
over
,
exposing the
four
small
Chinese
symbols
etched into her skin, “A child’s
impulse.  I didn’t understand
the
meaning behind the phrase, thinking
it sounded interest
ing. 
B
ecause of it,
I sought the book in the library in the first place.”
Rena
commit
s
the first
of
what will be many
lies during this conversation.

“
And the reason for the small dragon tattoo?
  Yin and Yang?
” He
asks,
nodding
at the other wrist
.

“
Uh huh. 
Pretty much a m
atched set, young and impulsive
.
”
S
he
explains
.

Takada regards Rena with interest, deciding whether to believe her or not.
 
“Well my dear, you wanted to discuss Meg
?
  Is sh
e doing acceptable in her training?
A
re there concerns?”

“Well, that
’s
pretty much what I wanted to talk about.  Michael and I are not
entirely
sure how we should be training her.  After
we
had completed our assessment testing
,
you and Alexander explained what you had identified and envisioned. 
We found it very enlightening. 
It
would help
us
,
if we knew what
the scout
identified and
what you
expect
.”

“I understand.
” Takada comments, studying her to assess the game underway,
“
W
e haven’t been very forthright
regarding
Meg
,
have we?
  Well, Alexander is not here to explain in his eloquent words what he identified, but he did confide in me the summary.”

“So
,
she was identified by Alexander?  Well
,
tha
t makes me feel a little better.
H
is explanation
regarding Michael and I
was
so detailed and informative, I would expect no less forethought regarding Meg.”

“Yes, she was identified by Alexander.  He saw in her some unique traits, some of which
,
you have been exposed to.  As Alexander
explained
it, she has
a
n
intense
will for survival.  As he put it, she will do almost anything to stay alive,
demonstrating
surprising creativity.  Now, as you can imagine, this unique trait may manifest itself in many useful
ways
, as you have already seen
… Does this provide you any useful insight?”

“
A
ctually it does.  Is there any
guidance
you
could
provide as to how you
’d like to utilize
the
se skills in the future?”  Rena
,
dispatc
hing with pleasantries,
gets
right to the point.

Rena’s directness
surprises
Takada
.  A
lt
hough he expected
her
to eventually understand Meg
’s
purpose, her
bravado
at this point is unexpected
…

“Well
my dear
… It was actually
you
,
that prompted Alexander to envision Meg’s potential. 
You see, you
r skill
set has opened our eyes to new opportunities. 
A
s you already know,
y
ou were initially identified as an excellent candidate for
I
nfiltration, but then you exhibited skills mu
ch more advanced then
we
’ve
experienced
in seasoned agents that eventually evolve into Seers.  This wasn’t
totally unexpected, since many I
nfiltrators become Seers
.

What really caused us to
take notice were
your skills
in
D
ispatch, though not on a level akin to Michael.  I must admit
;
I don’t expect anyone to ever be at that level
.
 
You
presented us with a paradigm shift.  An asset with heightened, almost pinnacle level skills of all
three
Infiltration
disciplines
.

Now, as you know, it’s not as simple as just training someone in these skills, you have to have certain predisposed traits.  For example, Michael may one day become an excellent Seer, but
he’ll
never likely be a good I
nfiltrator, he’s just too obvious.
  Unlike you Rena
,
Michael will immediately put people on guard
,
w
hereas, you have the ability to disarm and
plant suggestion
almost
effortless
ly
.

This is where Meg comes in.
W
e see in her the potential to
develop
many
o
f
these
same
skills.  She is by no means as refin
ed as you were when you arrived, but we see enough similarities between you and her to feel hopeful.
”

After considering
Takada’s disclosure
for a moment
,
Rena proposes,
“So you want me to train her to be like me, blending the skill
s of all three disciplines
.”
Her tone
cold
.

“Please, don’t
feel this is an insurmountable task.  We recogn
ize
you are quit
e
unique, a
diamond
, shall we say
.  But
,
an asset with
a blend of even average level
skills
would be highly useful, s
tronger than the sum of the individual parts.”  Takada
explains
, at the same time
declaring
his admiration
.

F
eeling
strangely
uncomfortable,
Rena
realizes
Takada is attracted to her, whether
physically
or intellectually,
she’s
unsure and not in the least
bit
interested in
discerning
.
 
“To what end?
” She
asks, trying to steer the
conversation away from herself
.

“Well for starters, we were thinking
we would add
he
r to your team, you and Michael …
and Mr. Black of course. 
The unique rapport and strategic skills you and Michael share diminishes the role and necessity of the Seer.  A
s a
result,
we are not effectively
utilizing
Mr. Black
or any S
eer
, for that matter
.
W
e also felt
we could make your team stronger, more
functional
,
if we added ad
ditional resources.  We ha
ve never really had the capab
ility to infiltrate very deeply.
S
omeone with
a
skills
et
comparable to
yours
, albeit diminished,
could immerse deeper, facilita
te smaller imperative actions
in order to accomplish a greater goal.”

“Then wh
y not just send me in?” Rena asks,
aware of
t
he answer, but
desiring
Takada’s
explanation
.

“Three
reasons
.
The first
is
overkill.
Y
our skills
are
better suited for finalizing the end game, where sensitivity and criticality is elevated
, almost like a closer
.  Second
is your
availability.  This new role may be out of pocket for extended periods, acting almost freelance.  We felt
your continued availability too valuable
.
The third
is
Michael.
 
Y
ou
two
have a
n
uncanny rapport.  To remove you from that interaction
, even temporarily,
would
influence
his effectiveness.
”

“So this deep operative will report to me?”

“To the Seer, but I expect
your relationship with the Seer will evolve as well. 
T
he Seer
would
act
more
as
a
lifeline
to the deep
operative. 
T
he team
,
as a whole,
would be
responsible for
her
support and
extraction.
Al
though
,
I expect someone like Meg, with the right training
,
to
be able to facilitate
her
own extraction
, if needed
.  Remember, this operative would not normally be placed in direct contact with the objective, operating more around the perimeter to gather information and affect
ancillary
pieces critical to the final
immersion
.
”
Takada explains.

“Is there a timeline for Meg
’s implementation
?”

“A few months.  We’
re monitoring several potential opportunities.”

“Can I make a suggestion
?  I’d like
to assess Meg for myself.
”

“By all means
.”
Takada
dis
plays
keen
interest in Rena’s initiative
.

“Can Michael and I take
Meg
out in
to a live setting, a controlled
,
less volatile
environment
to ascertain he
r
skills
personally?  Some place
unfamiliar
and
challenging.  Michael and I will test and observe her under these circumstances.”