The heavy steel door of the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) sealed shut behind us with a suffocating thud. The soundproof room in the basement of headquarters felt like a tomb. There were four of us inside: the two Counterintelligence agents, myself, and a hyperventilating Major Thorne.
The moment the locking mechanism engaged, Thorne lost whatever remaining sanity he had.
“You...
PART 2 — THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT BROUGHT BACK SYRIA
Faulk looked from the agent's badge to Lieutenant Colonel Wynn.
“On whose authority?”
“Your commander has directed preservation of the government device,” the woman replied. “I'm Special Agent Mara Chen. This is Special Agent Daniel Ortiz. We'll explain the scope of our inquiry before we interview anyone.”
Wynn nodded once.
“Give her the phone, Major.”
Faulk...
Part 2
The sharp, concussive reports of my 1911 shattered the stunned silence of the firing range. Four hundred yards away, a man in winter camouflage tumbled out of the branches of a towering blue spruce, his rifle clattering against the tree trunk before he slammed into the snowy forest floor. I had fired straight through the glare of his...
PART 2 — THE GHOST OF CRESCENT MOON
“DOWN!”
I slammed into Dominic and drove him behind the concrete barrier as a shot cracked across the range. Stone chipped above us. Gideon pulled his warriors into cover while I grabbed the radio from a stunned guard.
“Seal the compound. Keep the children inside. Nobody goes to the eastern service road.”
Gideon bristled. “You...
Part 2
The color drained from Richard’s face so fast he looked corpselike. The murmurs erupted then, a tidal wave of shocked whispers crashing through the wealthy guests. Evelyn gasped, taking a step away from her new husband, her eyes wide with horrified confusion.
"Arthur, what—what is she talking about?" Evelyn stammered, looking from her father to Richard.
General Vance kept his...
PART 2 — THE SIGNATURE THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST
I returned the salute, uncomfortable with the attention. Colonel Hartwell was my superior in rank; his salute was a personal gesture of respect, not a requirement. Three years earlier, he'd commanded a training brigade when I helped uncover falsified inspection reports about protective equipment. He had listened, corrected the failures, and protected...
Part 2
The MPs approached cautiously, their eyes darting between Thorne’s red, furious face and my complete lack of reaction. One of them stepped in, firmly grabbing Thorne's wrist and prying his fingers off my collar, before taking the heavy black card from my outstretched hand. The metal was cold, engraved with nothing but a gold microchip and a barcode....
PART 2 — THE PILOT ON THE MEMORIAL BAND
Rourke jerked his sleeve down, but it was too late. Major Chen had seen the bracelet, and so had the pilots closest to him.
“That's impossible,” he said. “Ward was killed in Operation Gray Lantern.”
“I was listed as killed,” I answered. “There's a difference.”
Seven years earlier, Rourke had commanded our flight in...
Part 2
The silence in the courtroom was suffocating. Judge Harrison adjusted his glasses, peering down at me with an expression that hovered dangerously between curiosity and contempt.
"Proceed, Counselor," the judge rumbled.
Carter didn't just present the video; he put on a theatrical performance. He projected the short clip onto the large monitor for the entire gallery, and the whispering reporters,...
PART 2 — THE SECOND HALF OF THE VIDEO
Brigadier General Marcus Halloway didn't salute anyone or stride toward the judge as though he owned the room. He waited by the witness stand until Judge Carr asked for his name and credentials. Only then did he raise his right hand and swear to tell the truth.
Grant's attorney shifted in her...
