“Are you asking your fiancé what she thinks of her betrothed?”
“I’m asking whatyouthink ofme?”
“Why is that important to you?” I asked.
“Because I’m about to place my life into your hands and I’d like to know we can trust one another,” he replied.
“You want my official assessment? I think you’re a down-home, straight-shootin’ kind of a guy and I can see why you were selected for Longbow,” I replied.
“Meaning?”
I shrugged. “You’re charming and no one loves a charming guy more than other guys.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a theory you came up with all on your own?”
“Let’s just say it’s an assessment based on first-hand experience,” I replied.
“Okay then. If charm is catnip to tomcats, which you seem to think I’ve got a pocket full of, why worry?”
“Because Sasha isn’t a tomcat, remember? He’s a snake. And the tactics that have brought you success back home will get you killed over here.”
Wallace nodded slowly. “I get it. You think I can ‘pull one over’ on the local yokels back home with my pretty smile and good ol’ boy charm, but out here in the real world I’m out of my depth. Is that about right?”
“Honestly, yes,” I said.
“Good to know,” he replied in a flat tone.
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I’m trying to keep you alive.”
“Don’t worry. You didn’t hurt my feelings or say anything I hadn’t already picked up on from your body language and overall demeanor with me. I asked you to be honest, not complimentary. You were honest and now I know the baseline we’re starting from.”
“Baseline? What do you mean?” I asked.
“In a couple of hours, you and I need to walk straight into hostile enemy territory with the confidence and swagger of a couple who not only run a business together, but who also share a life. A romantic life. I needed to know your true emotional baseline towards me, so I’d know how you’d subconsciously project me to others.”
“I’m sorry. What are you talking about?”
“Subconscious projection. It’s a topic that was discussed during our time at Camp Peary. Don’t youremember?”
“I try hardnotto think of my time at the Farm, so I’m afraid you’ll need to give me a refresher in Professor Lynott’s Psyche 101 class.”
“The concept of subconscious projection deals with how you perceive the traits of others based on your own traits. For instance, an unfaithful spouse might begin suspecting their partner of cheating based solely on their own behavior. Subconscious projection also comes into play regarding how your feelings towards a person can be projected to other people around them.”
I crossed my arms and frowned. “And you think I’m projecting?”
“So much so that I’m afraid your buddy Sasha is going to pick up on it. Subconscious projection also includes how others perceive your opinion of a person based on facial expressions, body language, and social cues. And if Sasha is as smart and perceptive as you say, I’m afraid he’ll pick up on your internal projection of me.”
So, Officer Wallacewasn’tan idiot. He was still green and that made me nervous, but he was right. Normally, a team has some time to bond and develop as an organic unit. We didn’t have that time or luxury and were only hours away from our first field test. A test where failure likely meant being tortured to death.
“I have an idea but I’m not sure you’re going to like it,” I said.
“I’m all ears,” Wallace replied.
“What you said makes sense and you’re right,I’ve got a chip on my shoulder with your face on it, and it needs to be knocked off. We need to come off as a strong and united couple in every way possible, and we have very little time to build rapport.”
“So, what do you suggest?” he asked.
“Drop the towel,” I replied.
