GWOT II - How Much For Just The F___ Up?

[drewkitty]

GWOT II - How Much For Just The F___ Up?


Client FInance and I are going over the last month's invoices.

This is really not what I should have on my mind right now. I am still reeling from Homeland's gun truck visit - but no one died. I am trying to figure out how to block the good Colonel's retaliation in advance, and recruit another assassin in case Sean fails. Plus all the extra workload from the Ammunition Technical Working Group - a function which I cannot admit exists.

It's like juggling balls in the air. Except that when you drop one, someone dies, and no promises that it's not you.

Dueling laptops. We don't normally waste paper to print out something as prosaic as an invoice, but for whatever reason, the Finance geek has.

"We're not paying these."

Say what, bro?

I look at them carefully. Mostly I am trying not to figure out how I am going to fold them into all sharp corners. But reluctantly, my managerial training comes to the fore, and I note date and time and addressing.

"These services were not provided on site. You need to bill this to Homeland."

Mutual aid. Yeah, that's actually technically correct for values of normal. Which we left behind when San Francisco did the neutron dance.

Two mutual aid events - the Memorial Day un-Parade and the downtown San Jose riot. Both were command performances. Homeland called and we hauled, because last one to the party gets the sidewalking.

It's not that anyone is really going to notice four hours of billing for a SecMgr II (me) and eighteen staff, one of them an EMTB/T. It will come out of my budget, I will yell at my Corporate, they will put it back in. Or for that matter, another four hours of billing for Services, Riot Control & Mitigation.

But this sets a precedent. And I'm not going to be able to send a bill to Homeland, as these were California Mutual Aid events and we have no contract to bill under. And I don't want to start off on the wrong foot with the soon arriving, long-threatened Homeland Security & Training Team by hitting them up for invoice payments. And. And.

"These services were essential to the protection of the site. I'm disputing. Next level is the SLE."

"Explain."

"If we failed to respond as commanded, Homeland would come out here and kill us all. That means that we were in fact protecting the site, at one remove. Think of it as backfill. There should be a billing code for billable backfill."

Now that was a pre-War discussion. When a client asked for a service, that was billable at high rates. But when we started robbing a client to support another client, and absorbing ridiculous costs (mostly in overtime pay) to do so, could we then also bill the cost of punishing Peter to save Paul? Most clients said not only No but Fuck No.

Not an ordinary client relationship. We'd already gone so far beyond that.

"So by that logic, we should be billing Homeland for sending the Reaction Teams to the hospital?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Good fucking luck. You could fucking try to do that, but Homeland would totally fuck you up. First fucking question would be something along the lines of how fucking dare you?"

My use of profanity was not casual. I was trying to save him from a deadly mistake.

"What you might try doing is writing it off as a donation. Like the efforts at the school. That way you're only dealing with an IRS auditor who can only imprison you, not sidewalk you."

"This is an SLE question, I think you're correct. New subject. When did laundry services become billable?"

"When the Company Laundry stopped washing uniforms. Contract says uniform expenses above normal wear and tear are at client expense."

And with that we were back to the usual absurd grind, of making protective services in a war zone somehow fit a pre-War commercial security services model.

###

The calendar had beeped me a 20 minute appointment with the SLE.

I'd made it slightly before time, so he waved me in.

"I'm approving these," he opened, waving the same invoices the Finance geek had. "But we need to chat about whether Homeland can run up an unlimited line of credit at Company's expense."

"Obviously they can't. I'm open to splitting the damage. I'd prefer to somehow take it out of the billing system. But the California Mutual Aid agreements don't allow reimbursement unless it's OES or agreement by hire. We're not OES registered and don't want to be. Agreement by hire, well, do you want Company to sign a contract with Homeland?"

"No. In the future, bill it as training at 1 point markup, no backfill, no OT. Tell them you can't stay out past twelve hours without an agreement, and I will then negotiate that agreement. And fail to come to an agreement."

I nodded. I didn't salute. We're not a military and he's my customer not my commander.

"On another subject. I have been asked to volunteer six personnel, subject matter experts, to work with the US Marine Corps on our products."

I nodded.

"Would you like to go? The team leaves Monday."

And the Homeland STT arrives Tuesday.

He was offering me an extraction. A way to get out of town before Homeland shows up.

I didn't even think about it.

"No. I'm needed here."

"That you are. But you would be useful there."

And much, much less likely to get sidewalked.

"Very well. Last issue. I understand that you and the Vice President of Human Resources have been ... ahem ..." he picked up a piece of paper from his desk, a handwritten note, "... screwing like minks with their tails on fire, in her office, during working hours."

I said nothing and did my best to appear blank.

My best was nowhere near good enough.

"In conducting a sensitive investigation, one must decide who to talk to first. I'm talking to you first, not her. This poses certain... challenges."

A Company reaction team, armed heavily, entered the room behind me.

"Please keep your seat. I really must insist."

My senses told me that I was being muzzled by every firearm in the room that was not either holstered or in the SLE's desk drawer.

"Mr. Eighteen will be sitting quietly in my office while I go take care of a minor matter. If he speaks or tries to get up, kill him."

WIth that, I heard the SLE leave the room.

The Reaction Team leader said quietly, "If you turn your head, move, cough or blink, I will light you up myself. No reply is desired or expected."

Perforce I remained stock still.

He didn't say it was nothing personal. We both knew it wasn't.

Perhaps a minute later, the SLE returned.

"Stand down, dismissed, return to your duties."

I took a deep breath as the door closed behind REACT.

"We've started staffing two REACT patrols at all times. That was when I heard the first rumors of this. It's cut into our coding and I'll probably dial it down. You do understand why that was necessary?"

I nodded. If it turns out that your head of security is a rapist... well, Cartwright had been the subject matter example of why you don't let a security manager under suspicion move freely. And if the SLE had thought to take then the little precaution he'd taken just now, both his executive assistant and his close protection specialist might be still alive.

"I would normally say something pithy about tact and discretion, or more likely have my VP of Human Resources do it for me. But as your affair is clearly consensual, and she has ... a conflict of interest ... I must simply let our little gavotte just now warn you of the garrote that might follow further indiscretions."

Nobody is perfect. The SLE had missed the other possibility. He hadn't asked me if it was consensual. And I had no idea what I would say if he did.

I stood.

"Dismissed?"

He nodded.

I left.

That was the last time I saw him alive.