Major Daniel Smarx arrived at Victoria's office at 15:20.
He was not smiling.
His uniform remained immaculate, but his expression looked exhausted. The confident posture he had displayed during their first encounter was gone.
He stood outside her desk for several seconds.
"Lieutenant Colonel Hayes."
Victoria looked up.
"Major."
"Do you have a moment?"
"Yes. Please sit."
He took the chair opposite her.
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
Finally, Smarx cleared his throat.
"I understand the investigation is expanding."
"That's correct."
"And I understand you're involved."
"I'm assisting the authorized review team."
He nodded.
Then he looked toward the office door.
"I want to talk about what happened when you first arrived."
Victoria placed her pen down.
"Go ahead."
"I know I handled the situation badly."
She waited.
"I shouldn't have shouted at you."
"That's true."
"And I shouldn't have knocked your paperwork onto the floor."
Victoria looked directly at him.
"Then why did you?"
Smarx shifted in his chair.
"I was under pressure."
"From whom?"
He looked uncomfortable.
"From several administrative matters."
"That doesn't answer my question."
He exhaled.
"I had been told that the office was going through changes. I didn't know exactly what those changes involved."
"You had the assignment notice."
"Yes."
"You acknowledged receiving it."
"Yes."
"You refused to verify it."
Smarx looked down.
"Yes."
Victoria remained silent.
He rubbed his hands together.
"I thought you were being brought in to replace me."
"Did anyone tell you that?"
"No."
"Then why did you assume it?"
"Because people were talking."
Victoria leaned back slightly.
"Major, I was assigned to carry out an organizational assessment. I was not sent to compete with you."
"I know that now."
"You could have asked."
"I should have."
"Instead, you ordered me out."
Smarx nodded.
For a moment, he looked genuinely ashamed.
Then his expression changed.
"There's something else I want you to understand."
Victoria waited.
"Some of those administrative decisions weren't entirely mine."
"Which decisions?"
"The complaint closures."
"Who else was involved?"
He hesitated.
"Mr. Brooks handled some of the processing."
"Captain Collins has already provided information about that."
Smarx looked up sharply.
"He spoke to you?"
"His statement was provided through the official review process."
Smarx shook his head.
"I knew he would do that."
Victoria's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing."
"Major, if you have relevant information, provide it through the appropriate process."
He leaned forward.
"I was trying to keep the office functioning. There were deadlines. There were reports that needed to be cleared. Sometimes things were handled differently than the written procedure."
"Did you approve closures without the required interviews?"
He looked away.
"Some of them."
"Why?"
"Because I believed the matters had already been resolved."
"By whom?"
He did not answer.
Victoria waited.
Finally, he said, "I don't know."
"Then the review will need to establish that."
Smarx's face tightened.
"You know, Lieutenant Colonel, I think this entire situation could have been avoided."
Victoria looked at him.
"How?"
"If you had simply spoken to me before filing that report."
"I tried to discuss my assignment with you. You refused to verify it."
"That's not what I mean."
"Then explain."
He lowered his voice.
"You could have given me a chance to correct the situation privately."
Victoria studied him.
"Would you have corrected it?"
He looked at her.
"Yes."
"Would you have acknowledged that you ordered an assigned officer out of her workplace?"
He hesitated.
"Probably."
"Would you have corrected the earlier complaints?"
"I would have looked into them."
Victoria nodded.
"Then the investigation can determine whether those actions should have happened earlier."
Smarx stared at her.
"You're not going to withdraw the report?"
"No."
"Even after my apology?"
"An apology and an investigation are two different things."
He stood abruptly.
"You're making this impossible."
Victoria remained seated.
"No, Major. The facts are making it necessary."
He looked at her for several seconds.
Then he walked out.
At 16:10, Colonel Bennett contacted Victoria.
"Lieutenant Colonel, the interview with Mr. Brooks has been completed."
"What did he say?"
"He confirmed that he processed several closure requests without the required supporting documentation."
"Did he identify who instructed him?"
"Yes."
Victoria waited.
Bennett lowered his voice.
"He identified Major Smarx and stated that he received additional pressure from someone in the senior command support office."
Victoria looked at the documents on her desk.
"Did he provide evidence?"
"Several internal messages. They're being authenticated."
"Then we need to preserve them and compare them with the audit trail."
"Already underway."
Bennett paused.
"There's another development. General Whitaker has requested an independent review of his own office's involvement."
Victoria was silent for a moment.
"That's appropriate, sir."
"Agreed."
At 17:30, the formal preliminary findings were distributed to the authorized review team.
They identified several procedural failures.
The records showed that complaints had been closed without the required supporting documentation. Some approvals had been made without proper verification. Certain communications appeared to discourage personnel from raising unresolved concerns.
However, the review had not yet established that every individual involved had acted with the same knowledge or intention.
Major Smarx was scheduled for another formal interview.
Mr. Brooks would be required to provide additional information.
Captain Collins would be asked to clarify his role.
And General Whitaker's office would be examined independently.
Victoria closed her laptop.
She walked to the window.
Outside, the military compound was beginning to quiet down. Vehicles moved along the road, and officers crossed between buildings.
She thought about the first morning.
The slammed desk.
The fallen clipboard.
The finger pointed toward the door.
"Pack your things! You shouldn't be in this office!"
She remembered how Smarx had laughed when she said she would submit a complaint.
He had believed that she was powerless.
He had mistaken her restraint for weakness.
But the investigation had never been about proving that Victoria was more powerful than he was.
It was about ensuring that nobody could use authority to silence another person.
Her phone vibrated.
A message from General Whitaker appeared.
Lieutenant Colonel Hayes, please attend the final command briefing tomorrow morning. The preliminary findings are ready.
Victoria read it carefully.
Then she placed the phone on her desk.
Tomorrow, the command would hear the findings.
And Major Smarx would finally learn what accountability looked like.