Chapter 6 - What Her Father Did
Jade didn't shoot him.
Later, I realized that was the moment she won.
Not the mission.
Not the archive.
Herself.
Peter Monroe stood across the ruined command shelter and admitted the thing she had crossed half a country to learn.
"I'm the reason Red Hollow happened."
Jade's rifle remained pointed at his chest.
"Explain."
Peter nodded.
"I was investigating Calder."
"That's not an explanation."
"He was selling military access."
"To who?"
"Private networks. Contractors. Smugglers. Anyone who paid."
Hale said, "We suspected corruption."
Peter looked at him.
"You suspected pieces."
Voss asked, "Why didn't you come to us?"
Peter laughed.
"Because I didn't know which of you was compromised."
Jade's voice cut through.
"Red Hollow."
Peter looked at her.
"I created the reconnaissance mission."
"You sent my unit."
"Yes."
"You sent Nathan."
"Yes."
"You sent me."
Peter's eyes filled.
"No."
Jade's face hardened.
"What?"
"You were never on the roster."
Hale looked shocked.
Peter continued.
"Calder added you."
"Why?"
"Leverage."
"Against you?"
"Yes."
Jade lowered the rifle another inch.
"He knew I was your daughter."
"He knew both you and Nathan were mine."
She turned toward Hale.
"You said Nathan was intelligence."
"He was."
Peter nodded.
"I placed him inside the team to collect proof against Calder."
Jade looked sick.
"You used my brother."
"Yes."
Peter didn't defend himself.
That mattered.
"I believed he could do it."
"He died."
"I know."
"You didn't even bury him."
Peter's voice broke.
"I wasn't allowed."
Jade's eyes filled.
Peter continued.
"When I learned Calder had added you, I tried to abort."
Hale said, "I never received an abort."
"Because Calder intercepted it."
Voss closed his eyes.
"The credential breach."
Peter nodded.
"He used mine. Then yours."
Hale stepped closer.
"Why did you disappear after the mission?"
"Because Calder threatened Jade."
Jade laughed bitterly.
"I was already half dead."
"He said if I surfaced, he'd finish the job."
"So you abandoned me."
"I chose the only way I knew to keep you alive."
Jade looked at Rebecca.
"Everybody keeps saying that."
Rebecca lowered her eyes.
Peter said, "I was wrong."
Jade looked back.
He continued.
"I thought distance was protection. Secrecy was protection. Silence was protection."
His voice shook.
"It wasn't."
Jade slowly lowered the rifle.
Peter exhaled.
Then Jade said, "Where's my mother?"
Peter closed his eyes.
"Safe."
"Where?"
"Not here."
"Is she alive?"
"Yes."
"Does she know I'm alive?"
Peter looked at Rebecca.
Jade understood.
"She does."
Rebecca stepped forward.
"Jade—"
"No."
Rebecca stopped.
Jade looked at Peter.
"Why didn't she come?"
Peter struggled to answer.
"Because Calder told her that if either of you made contact, he would kill the other."
Jade stared at him.
"And she believed him."
"So did I."
"So everybody protected me by making sure I had nobody."
Nobody answered.
Jade turned away.
For several minutes, she said nothing.
Then she looked at the old field map pinned to the wall.
Seven marks.
Red Hollow.
She touched number seven.
Nathan.
Peter stepped beside her.
"He saved your life."
"I know."
"He knew who you were."
"I know."
"He asked to tell you."
Jade turned.
"What?"
Peter's voice broke.
"I told him no."
She stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because I was afraid."
Jade backed away.
Peter continued, "I thought if you knew, you'd act differently around him. Calder might notice."
"So my brother died thinking I didn't know him."
"Yes."
Jade slapped him.
The sound filled the shelter.
Nobody moved.
Peter accepted it.
Jade's hand shook.
Tears finally came.
Eight years of them.
Maybe more.
"I would have loved him anyway."
Peter nodded.
"I know."
"You stole that."
"Yes."
"I hate you for that."
"I know."
She cried harder.
"But I don't want to."
Peter's face collapsed.
"I know."
For one second, I thought she might hug him.
She didn't.
Not yet.
Hale walked toward the terminal embedded in the back wall.
"Archive."
Peter wiped his eyes.
"Calder has been trying to open it for years."
Voss produced the black drive.
Jade showed the scar.
Rebecca held the metal capsule.
Peter looked at them.
"All three."
Jade said, "And you."
"Yes."
They activated the terminal.
Drive.
Scar.
Capsule.
Peter's authorization.
The screen unlocked.
Folders appeared.
Thousands.
Financial records.
Audio.
Orders.
Names.
Hale stared.
"This is enough."
Peter nodded.
"To bring down everyone."
Voss began copying the data.
Then the shelter door slammed shut.
Lights died.
Calder's voice came through the ceiling speakers.
"Thank you."
Peter's face went white.
"No."
Jade raised her rifle.
"What?"
Peter ran to the terminal.
"Remote extraction."
Voss swore.
"They're copying the archive."
Hale tried the door.
Locked.
Mercer checked the walls.
"Secondary exit?"
Peter shook his head.
"Collapsed years ago."
Calder's voice continued.
"Peter, Marcus, Daniel. You were always so sentimental."
Jade looked at the ceiling.
"Calder."
"Hello, Sparrow."
"You don't need me anymore."
"No."
"Then let them go."
Calder laughed.
"Still carrying everyone."
The phrase.
Nathan's authentication answer.
Jade froze.
"How do you know that?"
Calder was silent.
Jade stepped toward the speaker.
"That phrase belonged to my team."
No answer.
Peter looked at her.
Jade's face changed.
"Calder was there."
Voss said, "What?"
"At Red Hollow."
Hale shook his head.
"No."
Jade stared at the old map.
"The first blast came from inside the valley."
Peter whispered, "Calder commanded remotely."
"No."
She pointed to the ridge.
"He had to be close enough to trigger the second charge after we changed formation."
Hale understood.
"He watched."
Jade nodded.
Calder's voice returned.
"Very good."
Peter clenched his fists.
"You were there."
"Of course."
"Why?"
"To make sure none of you survived."
Jade touched the terminal.
"And you failed."
Calder laughed.
"Did I?"
The screen flashed.
ARCHIVE DELETION: 10:00
Ten minutes.
Voss began typing.
"He's wiping it."
Hale said, "Can you stop it?"
"Maybe."
Jade asked, "Can he wipe the copies?"
"Not if we get one external."
Peter pulled a small encrypted transmitter from behind a panel.
"Military burst uplink."
Voss connected it.
"No signal."
Jade looked around.
"Underground shelter."
Mercer pointed upward.
"Antenna shaft."
Peter nodded.
"Roof."
"How?"
"Maintenance ladder."
He opened a narrow hatch.
Jade looked at the wheelchair.
Then at the ladder.
Mercer said, "Don't."
She smiled.
"You know what I'm going to say."
"Yeah."
"I need your legs."
He sighed.
"You're exhausting."
He lifted her.
Together they climbed.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Hale supported from below.
I followed with the transmitter.
We reached the roof hatch.
Locked.
Mercer hit it.
Nothing.
Jade looked at the hinge.
"Rifle."
He gave it to her.
She fired once.
The hinge shattered.
Mercer pushed.
Cold air rushed in.
We climbed onto the roof.
Gunfire erupted immediately.
Calder's men.
Jade dropped behind cover.
"Two left ridge. One tower."
She fired.
One man ducked.
Mercer moved.
I connected the transmitter.
Signal.
Voss shouted over radio.
"Upload starting!"
Archive deletion: six minutes.
Upload: four.
We could make it.
Then a figure appeared near the old tower.
Calder.
He held Rebecca.
A pistol against her head.
Jade froze.
Calder shouted across the ruins.
"Stop the upload."
Jade aimed.
He moved Rebecca in front.
"No shot."
Mercer whispered, "I can try."
"No."
"Jade."
"No."
Calder smiled.
"Still carrying everyone."
Jade lowered the rifle.
Hale emerged from the shelter roof.
"Calder!"
Calder looked at him.
"Marcus."
"Take me."
"No."
"Then what do you want?"
Calder looked at Jade.
"Sparrow."
Rebecca shouted, "Don't!"
Calder struck her.
Jade's face hardened.
"I'll come."
Mercer grabbed her arm.
"No."
She looked at him.
"Trust me."
He didn't want to.
But he did.
Jade stood with his help.
Then moved forward alone.
One painful step.
Then another.
Calder watched.
The archive upload reached seventy percent.
Jade got closer.
Calder smiled.
"Kneel."
She did.
Rebecca cried.
Calder moved the pistol from Rebecca to Jade.
"Eight years ago, you should have died."
Jade looked up.
"Probably."
He smiled.
"Any final words?"
Jade glanced past him.
"No."
Calder frowned.
Jade smiled.
"But my weapons technician has some advice."
"What?"
"Never trust a damaged magazine."
Calder looked confused.
Behind him, Collins fired.
His first shot jammed.
Exactly as Jade expected.
Calder turned toward the sound.
That was all she needed.
Jade lunged.
Rebecca dropped.
Mercer fired.
Calder's pistol spun away.
Hale rushed him.
They hit the ground.
Archive upload: ninety-three percent.
Calder reached for a knife.
Peter appeared.
"Thomas!"
Calder turned.
Peter froze.
Gunshot.
Peter fell.
Jade screamed.
The upload hit ninety-nine.
Then the screen on my transmitter flashed.
CONNECTION LOST.
Calder smiled through blood.
"Too late."
Jade looked at the stalled upload.
Ninety-nine percent.
One file had not transferred.
Voss's voice came through the radio.
"Sparrow."
"What?"
"The missing file is the identity list."
Calder began laughing.
Jade looked at him.
He smiled.
"You still don't know who is left."
Then Rebecca's phone rang.
She stared at the screen.
Her face went completely white.
Jade whispered, "Who is it?"
May you like
Rebecca looked at her.
"It's your mother."
