Canvas Skies (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) by S. L. Wallace

field.” He
shook his head. “I didn't even know who to call.”
    He was honest and modest, both admirable
traits, and he had stuck by Aimee until his mission was complete. I
smiled at Guy and nodded.
    Guy put his hand on the younger man's
shoulder and looked him in the eye. “You did just fine, and you
helped us discover a flaw without anything going terribly wrong.
From now on, we'll be sure to give all Shepherds two local numbers,
in case anything like this happens again.”
    Harlow nodded. “Thank you, sir!”
    Guy took the bottle of wine from me and
walked over to the dining table. He handed it to Eberhardt, who had
already set out five glasses. Then he pulled out my chair, and I
sat. I crossed my legs at the ankles, folded my hands in my lap and
kept my posture straight. Aimee watched with interest. She looked
like she wanted to laugh, so I winked at her. It felt unnatural to
be acting this way in the company of soldiers and bodyguards.
    However, during our trip to New London, Guy
had explained the importance of the high level of etiquette I would
be required to display at upcoming social events. He'd insisted
that I begin practicing immediately, and in all settings, so that
the behavior would become second nature. But this level of courtesy
was downright frustrating! I knew how to open the door for myself
and how to sit in a chair without looking like a lug. I let out a
sigh, which resulted in a stern look from Guy. I looked right back
at him, but then lowered my gaze. He knew what I was thinking, but
I also knew he was right.
    Guy took a sip of wine. “First things first.
We need a new contact within the military.”
    “What about McGraw?” Harlow asked.
“Shouldn't our objective be to find her? She's your main
contact.”
    “Not anymore. She's missing. Our main
objective now is to make sure the movement survives. Individuals
are secondary.”
    Harlow countered, “That's how the military
operates. I thought the Resistance was different. We shouldn't
leave her behind, not without knowing what happened.”
    “And we won't.” Everyone turned to look at
me. Elite women were taught to defer to their fathers and husbands,
but this was different. Guy and I were partners. To hell with
practice; this was not the time. I uncrossed my legs and leaned
forward. “You're both right. We need to have someone in place
during McGraw's absence. Then we should try to figure out what
happened to her. If we find her, and there's anything we can do to
help, we will.” I reached out and took Harlow's hand. His eyes
widened in surprise, but I held his gaze. “It's what we do. We look
out for each other.” I let go and turned to Guy, “Didn't McGraw
tell you her second, like how Scott told you she was his?”
    He nodded. “Kamau, but we've lost contact
with him as well.”
    “When?”
    “Just tonight.”
    “Was he in Special Ops too?”
    “Yes. We've lost our main connections to the
military. I need to know why. Harlow, are you ready for a
promotion?”
    “Now just a minute.” Again, everyone turned
toward me. Harlow needed to understand what a promotion like this
meant. “In the car, you said you'd been trained to follow orders,
not question them. Accepting this role will require you to do just
that. You'll need to question what you're told and act
independently, while appearing to follow military orders. Can you
do that?”
    David thought about it for a few minutes. He
even stood up and walked around the apartment. Then he sat down and
looked me in the eye. “Yes, I can.”
    “Okay then, you need to know some things
before we can ask you to accept such a position.” We needed to tell
him about what happened at Ramsey Corps. I looked at Eberhardt, Guy
and even Aimee. They all nodded in agreement.
    ***
    So it was decided. David Harlow was our new
link to the military. He wasn't ideal. He didn't have the clearance
or leadership skills that usually accompanied such a position, but
if someone was onto us, they probably