"I know he is," Hayden said. "And that's not just dangerous… it's reckless. AMSO operates on structure and transparency. You hold back information in this line of work, people die."
Marlon exhaled. "He saved Lexa's unit. Saved survivors. Eliminated Meteorborns without support. He made the right calls on the ground."
"Right calls, yes," Hayden admitted. "But again outside protocol. He left formation. Disobeyed orders. And now, he's become the talk of every squad in the building. You know who's already trying to spin it to his advantage?"
"Ben Harrow," Ira answered dryly. Hayden knew well how things worked around AMSO and he was annoyed by it. That Ben Harrow was trouble. It was not new to them.
Hayden nodded. "Of course. Whispering into Commander Rico's ear. Trying to make Theo look unstable. Reckless. Possibly a threat."
"Rico's practically on Harrow's leash," Marlon muttered. "His father's money is neck-deep in AMSO."
