Chapter 3 - What My Father Bought
Charles Mercer woke with his wrists tied.
The last thing he remembered was waiting with Margaret in the protected corridor.
Then a hotel employee had approached.
"Mr. Mercer, Colonel Mercer needs you upstairs."
Charles had followed.
Stupid.
He understood that now.
A light switched on.
A masked man stood across from him.
"You raised an interesting daughter."
Charles stared at him.
"If you want money—"
The man laughed.
"That's why people like you are so predictable."
He placed a folder on the table.
Ardent Systems.
"You bought something without understanding its value."
Charles looked at the folder.
"What?"
"A key."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"That's true."
The man leaned closer.
"But your daughter does."
Meanwhile, Evelyn was already moving toward the basement.
Marcus followed despite the instruction that she come alone.
"I'm not letting you walk into this."
"You're not."
"Good."
"You're staying one level above."
Marcus frowned.
"That's not better."
"It's the order."
He stopped arguing.
At the basement entrance, Evelyn removed her dress jacket.
Her medals disappeared beneath a plain security coat Marcus had found upstairs.
She entered.
The basement smelled of concrete and electrical equipment.
A phone rang somewhere ahead.
Evelyn followed it.
She found Charles in a maintenance room.
Alive.
Alone.
"Dad."
His head lifted.
For the first time in years, relief flooded his face at seeing her.
"Evelyn."
She cut the restraints.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Who took you?"
"I couldn't see his face."
"What did he say?"
Charles hesitated.
"He said you would understand something called Sentinel."
Evelyn stopped.
Charles saw it.
"You do."
"Later."
"No."
"This isn't the time."
"I made tonight about humiliating you in front of four hundred people because I thought I understood your life."
His voice cracked.
"I clearly don't."
Evelyn looked away.
"Then start by trusting me."
"I am."
That surprised her.
Charles handed her something.
The kidnapper had slipped it into his pocket.
A USB drive.
Evelyn stared at it.
"Did he say what this is?"
"Only that you would know where to open it."
She did.
Not here.
They returned upstairs under security escort.
Federal teams had secured the building.
The explosion had caused injuries but, remarkably, no deaths.
The blast had been directional and deliberately positioned away from the densest part of the ballroom.
That confirmed Evelyn's suspicion.
The attackers wanted attention.
Not casualties.
Someone was forcing her to reopen Sentinel.
At 2:13 a.m., Evelyn entered a temporary secure operations room established in the hotel.
Charles insisted on staying outside.
Evelyn connected the USB drive to an isolated system.
One file appeared.
SENTINEL_01.
She opened it.
A video began.
A younger Evelyn appeared on-screen.
Six years earlier.
Beside her stood Major Daniel Cross.
Her former commanding officer.
Officially, Daniel had died five years ago.
Evelyn stopped breathing.
The recording showed Daniel looking into the camera.
"If this file has been recovered, Sentinel wasn't destroyed."
Evelyn leaned closer.
Daniel continued.
"The breach came from inside."
Then he said something that made her blood turn cold.
"Do not trust the official investigation."
The video glitched.
A second image appeared.
A list of companies.
One was Ardent Systems.
Another was Mercer Capital.
Evelyn stared.
Impossible.
Six years ago, Mercer Capital had no connection to Ardent.
Unless—
The relationship had existed secretly.
Charles had unknowingly stepped into something that had been moving around him for years.
The door opened.
Marcus entered.
"You need to see the acquisition paperwork."
He placed several documents beside her.
"There was an intermediary."
"Who?"
"Someone personally recommended Ardent to your father."
Evelyn scanned the page.
The name stopped her.
Jonathan Vale.
Charles's closest business adviser.
The man had attended every Mercer Christmas for twenty years.
The man Evelyn called Uncle Jonathan as a child.
"Where is he?"
Marcus didn't answer.
"Marcus."
"He was at the gala."
"And now?"
"Gone."
Evelyn stood.
Her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
"Colonel Mercer."
A familiar voice replied.
"You always were difficult to surprise."
Evelyn's face went pale.
She knew that voice.
"Daniel?"
Silence.
Then:
"Hello, Evelyn."
Her former commander was alive.
"Where are you?"
"That's the wrong question."
"You were declared dead."
"I needed to be."
"Why?"
"Because Sentinel wasn't a compromised network."
Evelyn gripped the phone.
"What was it?"
"A trap."
"For whom?"
"For you."
The line disconnected.
Evelyn stared at the phone.
Marcus stepped closer.
"What did he say?"
Before she could answer, the secure computer chimed.
A new file had appeared.
No one had transferred it.
Evelyn opened it.
A photograph filled the screen.
Jonathan Vale stood beside Daniel Cross.
The photograph had been taken tonight.
Underneath was one sentence:
ASK YOUR FATHER WHAT HAPPENED THE NIGHT YOU ENLISTED.
Evelyn slowly turned toward the glass wall.
Charles was waiting outside.
She opened the door.
"Dad."
He stood.
"What?"
"What happened the night I enlisted?"
Charles's face changed instantly.
Evelyn saw it.
He knew.
"What happened?"
Charles looked at Marcus.
Then back at his daughter.
"I've been afraid you'd ask me that for twelve years."
Evelyn stepped closer.
"Tell me."
Charles swallowed.
"Your decision to enlist wasn't the first time someone tried to recruit you."
Evelyn stared at him.
"What are you talking about?"
Charles looked toward the hallway.
Someone was approaching.
His face drained of color.
"No."
Evelyn turned.
May you like
Jonathan Vale was walking toward them.
And he was carrying Evelyn's original enlistment file.
