Chapter 44: Debriefing at the Top

Rachel was laying down on Rick’s broad chest, cheek pressed against it. They were both dressed in their uniform and just enjoying each other’s presence. There was no mood for sex ever since their miraculous return from the Greenland mission. They just needed the closeness.

Captain Walker has been hospitalized for the last three days. Rick’s work had saved her life but there had been complications with the cauterization of her bullet wound. Doctor Hunt had told him that she was out of trouble and he did the right thing but he didn’t feel any better about it.

Rachel had her own wound checked and the tissue would heal better than her eye. She could still use it at one hundred percent but the scar across it would be a very visible one, unlike on her calf. As a result she was now covering the right side of her face with her hair. Despite Rick’s reassurances she was still an eleven out of ten. He honestly found it sexy and badass and the comment made her smile. She felt better like this even though the scar was just a thin straight line.

Rick was the one who did a more thorough report to the Major, while Rachel was recuperating and the Captain was in a coma. He left no detail out of it from his perspective. From their landing to their escape.

Major Hunt shared that he had told the president about the situation and had ordered a secret investigation of who might have been the leak. It wasn’t a trivial matter. The Unit was one of the best on a regular basis and the absolute best regarding dealing with bio-terrorism. That was why they were still active despite POTUS having created the Federal Bio-terrorism Commission after 9/11.

It was the face of the fight against Bio-terrorism and as such was very public. It had a lot of latitude to act but for some things was way too much under the spotlight. That’s where the Unit usually came into action. Now with only three tenths of it still alive there was bound to be some changes. Both Rick and Rachel believed it would be disbanded.

It didn’t matter much for Rick. He was about to pass his finals for his Bachelor in Biology. It took a bit longer than intended because of the War on Terror and him being away so long and so much he wasn’t able to pass his second year exams but he was about done. More importantly his five year contract with the army would be over in a bit more than a month.

Coming 2004, Rick would be free.

The only down side about it was that he wouldn’t have Rachel in his life anymore in a permanent manner. That was before it was only her, the Captain and him left. It soured and spoiled the whole thing. The taste in his mouth was quite bitter to end on a monumental failure after five years of excellent work.

Thinking about the loss of the small family he had gotten made him feel even worse and that was why he purposefully tried to not think about it that way. Rick was re-framing his relationship with his dead teammates as friendship at best to make him easier on himself.

Instead, he focused on what he was going to do. He needed to find a place to live, although he was sure Jill would let him sleep on her couch for a while. Then there was finding a job but from what he knew, the army would help with that.

His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. Rachel raised her head in confusion, the sleepiness on her face quickly fading away. Rick removed his hand from the small of her back and went under her body to reach for his phone.

“First Lieutenant Wald.” He said while looking intently at his partner and listening to who was speaking to him. “Now, sir?” Rachel frowned when Rick did. “We’re on our way.”

Rick ended the call and gently slapped the ass of the beauty laying on him. A clear invitation to move, Rachel pushed on her hands to get up.

“What does the Major want? Any news on the Captain?” She dismounted him and put her naked feet on the ground.

“We’re meeting with the President at the White House.” He stood up and went to his closet while Rachel’s eyes widened in utter shock. “Two hours from now, we better hurry. The snow may create traffic.”

There was no need to tell her twice. She hurried to her own locker and undressed to her undies in record time. Being a tease and a flirt, Rachel wore a skirt for her AGSU. Besides, the pants were ‘simply awful and a crime against womankind’ or so she always said. No one would catch her dead dressed in one of those.

When she looked at herself in the small mirror on the wall to check if everything was in order. The ribbons were all there, so were the medals. As she put on her service cap on her head, she turned around to see Rick struggle with his necktie.

That made her smile a bit. After five years he still had trouble with that one part. Somehow it always ended up crooked a bit. As always she walked up to him to help her with that. She turned him around so he would face her and grabbed the accessory with both hands.

The first time Rachel had done this, Rick was around six feet tall. Not much of a difference with her own height and she simply had to raise her head a bit to help him. Now that he was taller by five inches, she had to look way up. It had always been funny to her how much he had grown up and so fast and always teased him about it. Usually it ended with her in a full nelson and Rick jackhammering into her, making an utter mess of her pussy. His way to assert his bigger build and pay her back. She particularly liked when they were done and he simply cuddled her in his wide embrace making her feel safe, protected and a bit owned.

With a teasing smile she chidded him. “Some things never change, hm?”

“Why would they? I like when you’re taking care of me like this.” His reply was nothing but gentle.

“Why do you think the President wants to see us? We’re just grunts.” She finished making the knot and tucked the tie inside his coat. It was perfectly straight.

“I don’t know, honestly. He has our reports so I don’t see what he would want with us.”

Ready to go they stepped out of their room and went to the garage. Since they were on an official summon they took the government issue car instead of the regular jeep. Rick went behind the wheel, not wanting to let Rachel strain her leg by driving, She was still recuperating from her gunshot wound after all.

While there wasn’t much traffic on the road, the snow forced them to go slower than what they wanted. It ended up delaying them quite a bit. What took usually three quarters to go through took half an hour more. Twenty of those because of the circulation inside Washington.

When they made it to the White House they were delayed further because they weren’t on the list of admissions. Rachel made a quick call to Major Hunt and within minutes they were waiting outside the oval office where they met their superior. Rick was looking all around in silence.

Their wait didn’t last long and soon enough they were ushered inside. There behind a wooden desk charged with the history of the whole country sat Betram Graham, 45th President of the United States of America. Their boss.

The man dressed in a suit that cost perhaps more than half Rick’s annual salary, was finishing applying his signature on documents he handed to his secretary. After telling her to not let anyone inside except in case of a crisis, he stood up and waved his hand.

“Relax.”

Immediately Major Hunt, Rick and Rachel obeyed the order of the chief of state. Naturally, their hands laced behind their backs and their stance became less rigid.

“I would like to offer my condolences for the loss of your comrades during your last mission in Greenland,” The president started with. “I was intimately familiar with every report of your Unit, I know those men and women were the best of the best and their actions served our country in ways that can’t properly be put into words. They will be dearly missed.”

“Thank you, Mister President.” Hunt nodded politely.

“They will be promoted posthumously and awarded the Medal of Honor.”

That didn’t take anyone of the trio by surprise. After everything their friends have done to secure not only the United States but also the world, it was well deserved. Still, the three of them would have prefered if they were alive. Rank and awards are great but they matter little when you’re dead and that most of what you did is Top Secret.

Graham continued. “So will the three of you and Captain Walker.”

That surprised them a lot. The Medal of Honor, as the highest award and decoration in the entire military, was rarely given to soldiers when they were alive.

“I can see the surprise on your faces.” He smiled. “You did missions and jobs that no-one else ever could. Put an end to no less than eleven viral outbreaks in total, gave a severe blow to the B.O.W. black market and on top of that helped with dealing with multiple terrorist organizations. You’ve more than earned it.”

Walking to one of the sofas, Graham sat down and invited them to do the same.

“On a related note, the leak has been dealt with.”

The Major blinked. “So soon, sir?”

“Yes, so soon. It had been easy to find the person responsible when they acted as if the whole Unit had been wiped out.” The president turned to Rick. “Very few people are aware of your abilities, Sergeant. They were not among those and the information the Secret Service uncovered from the USB drive you recovered helped in identifying them. Harsh justice will be delivered, I assure you.” He said solemnly.

“Thank you, sir.” The trio answered as one.

“This brings me to why I summoned you today.” His words made everyone more attentive. “As of today your unit is disbanded. Considering the state it is in, it cannot operate anymore. However,” Graham quickly added. “Our country still needs you. Major Hunt, you and Captain Walker will receive a new assignment that will use your talents fully. Nothing as demanding as the Unit, be reassured.”

“Yes, sir.”

The president turned to Rachel and Rick who were sitting side by side. “Lieutenant Foley, with your service records you can choose any affection you want. That is a guarantee I’m giving you. I would like for you, however, to join the FBC. While they could learn a lot from you and use your expertise, I want you to be watchful of what’s happening there.”

“You want me to spy, sir?” Rachel’s voice was full of disbelief.

Graham nodded. “Yes. Ever since 9/11 and its creation, the FBC had accumulated a great amount of power and autonomy. I need someone inside that I can trust, to keep a close eye on things. As I found out a few days ago, traitors could be anywhere and it wouldn’t be good if the FBC had something rotten in it.”

Rachel nodded but didn’t give an answer. That was a decision she needed time to make. The president then turned to Wald.

“Lieutenant Wald—”

“I’m being discharged, sir.” Rick cut him off before Graham could make his proposition. Both Rachel and Hunt exhaled deeply at how rude that was but the president simply chuckled.

“I know. I’m well aware of your view regarding the governments or any form of authority and how you found yourself enlisted.”

It was no secret to the man that Rick had been forcefully recruited to avoid jail. When he read the exact report of the event of the quarantine camp, he found it funny, then considered it a very smart move from Major Hunt’s part when he read what Rick could do.

“To be honest, after the events of the past few days, I can’t say you are wrong to be a bit distrustful.” A sigh of resignation escaped Graham’s lips. He knew he wouldn’t be able to convince Rick to stay in the military and serve the US. It was such a waste of resources in his opinion. In his eyes, the young man was a born soldier.

“Not just a bit, sir.”

Once again Hunt and Rachel took a deep breath. Rick was pushing it too far but POTUS didn’t care one bit and even laughed.

“Regardless of your trust, you being discharged is actually a golden opportunity.”

One of Rick’s eyebrows arched in confusion and skepticism. “Sir?”

“Umbrella is done for. Soon the trials will be over and there is no way the company can escape justice. All thanks to the many testimonies of Raccoon City survivors and Dr. Annette Birkin. It was a lot of work made possible thanks to acquaintances of yours. Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield. They and a few more people made an organisation that will soon be public. The Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance or BSAA for short. It is an international counter-terrorism organisation sanctioned by the United Nations and finances and serves as a means of more readily combating the rising use of biological weaponry.”

“So that’s your angle, sir.” Rick suddenly realized what the President wanted for him and Rachel. “The FBC can act outside US soil but is a purely American organization. There could be a rivalry with the BSAA and create trouble. You want me to join the BSAA and spy; much like Rachel would spy for you in the FBC.”

Graham nodded. “More or less. I would nuance it further however. I am under no delusion that if you had to choose between the country and your acquaintances, you wouldn’t choose the latter. Your loyalty towards the people close to you has been well documented. This is why I do not expect you to spy and report on your friends and coworkers. I would only ask of you to keep your eyes and ears open and report any suspicious activities the organization does if it either threatens the United States or the World. If possible, make sure it does what it is supposed to do.”

Rick stayed silent for a moment. “I’ll think about it, sir.”

“Good.”

Seemingly satisfied with the answer he got, the president stood up and thanked the group again for their service while offering them a handshake. As they left the oval office, Rick and Rachel exchanged a glance. A very brief one which was enough to have a silent conversation.

Fuck first once they get back then talk about the whole ordeal.