17 October, 2023

M.I.D.A.S. Report: 17 October, 2023

^{Interview with COL Amy Wasselman, US Army, 16:07, 23/10/2023}

Agent Douglas: Good afternoon, Colonel. Thank you again for coming in on such short notice.
COL Wasselman: Can we skip the pleasantries? I have much more important business to attend to.
Agent Douglas: I'm sure you do. Tell me, what do you remember about Lieutenant Vonovitch?
COL Wasselman: First Lieutenant Vonovitch.
Agent Douglas: Right.
COL Wasselman: She left the armed services years ago, what purpose does this inquiry serve?
Agent Douglas: Just answer the question.
COL Wasselman: Very well. She was a dedicated soldier. She risked her life for her fellow servicemembers, just like any other would. In the end, she suffered severe injuries, and was honorably discharged from service.
Agent Douglas: You were her commanding officer, if my records are correct. You would have known her better than most.
COL Wasselman: I was.
Agent Douglas: Did you have any other thoughts about her? Any other opinions?
COL Wasselman: Like I said, she was a dedicated soldier.
Agent Douglas: I heard that part, yeah.
COL Wasselman: Good. Are we done?
Agent Douglas: Wow. I see patience isn't one of your strong suits.
COL Wasselman: Ha ha.
Agent Douglas: But, I do have another question for you. After Lieute- First Lieutenant Vonovitch left the armed forces, did you endeavor to stay in touch?
COL Wasselman: ... I did.
Agent Douglas: I take it that's not standard procedure, though. Or is it? It's been a bit since I've brushed up on my-
COL Wasselman: Is there a point to this, Agent?
Agent Douglas: Right, the point. Yes. How many of your other fellow officers kept in touch with her after she was discharged?
COL Wasselman: I was the only one.
Agent Douglas: None of her fellow First Lieutenants attempted to make an effort? Attempted to be there for her?
COL Wasselman: ... No.
Agent Douglas: None whatsoever?
COL Wasselman: No. I was the only one who made an effort.
Agent Douglas: And how long did you stay in contact?
COL Wasselman: We... we lost touch roughly seventeen weeks after her discharge.
Agent Douglas: Seventeen weeks? And for what reason, if there was one, did you lose contact?
COL Wasselman: It became... complicated.
Agent Douglas: Complicated? Complicated enough to where you decided it was the best course of action to abandon her?
COL Wasselman: I did nothing of the sort!
Agent Douglas: Then explain why you lost contact.
COL Wasselman: We... I... I had to end our contact.
Agent Douglas: On what grounds?
COL Wasselman: Responsibility. It was "unbecoming" of an officer to be involved with a subordinate, current or former.
Agent Douglas: Oh, I... see.
COL Wasselman: It was end contact, or face disciplinary action. Given my rank, it would likely have been a court-martial. At best, an other-than-honorable discharge. At worst... I had no choice.
Agent Douglas: Service above self.
COL Wasselman: Exactly.
Agent Douglas: And was there an effort to aid in her transition back to civilian life?
COL Wasselman: No.
Agent Douglas: So, she suffered severe injuries, was discharged from the armed services, forced back into civilian life with no safety-net, and had the last remaining pieces of her old life ripped from her by military protocol?
COL Wasselman: That is an uncharitable view of the situation.
Agent Douglas: But is it one you dispute?
COL Wasselman: ...
Agent Douglas: Right. In your last conversations, did she seem distant at all to you? Depressed?
COL Wasselman: That was years ago. I can't remember.
Agent Douglas: Of course. One final question, and then you'll be free to go. Are you familiar at all with the Silver Claw?
COL Wasselman: I'm sorry?
Agent Douglas: You know, the Silver Claw. The mysterious criminal with cybernetic enhancements that's been connected to a string of break-ins at various Army recruitment centers?
COL Wasselman: I've received the briefings. But what does this have to do with First Lieutenant Vonovitch?
Agent Douglas: Just a hunch. You're free to go now, Colonel.

Report Addendum 1

^{Addendum added by Agent Jackson Douglas, 10:46, 7/1/2024}

Colonel Amy Wasselman has been reported as AWOL as of 04:00 on 7 January, 2024. It's unknown if her disappearance is in any way connected to the Silver Claw or First Lieutenant Vonovitch, assuming at the present moment that the two are separate individuals.