Chapter 15 – The Chairman Speaks
Chapter 15 – The Chairman Speaks
Every phone in the room displayed the same live feed.
No one touched a screen.
No one disconnected a device.
The transmission had forced itself onto every encrypted network in the building.
Daniel frowned.
"Can you trace it?"
A cyber analyst was already typing.
His fingers flew across the keyboard.
"I'm trying."
Three seconds passed.
Then five.
Finally, he looked up.
"Nothing."
"The signal is bouncing through dozens of military satellites."
"It changes locations every second."
The man on the screen chuckled.
"I wouldn't waste your time."
His voice was smooth.
Controlled.
Almost polite.
"I've invested a great deal of money in staying invisible."
His face remained hidden beneath the shadows of the high-backed chair.
Only his hands were visible.
One rested on the armrest.
The other held a crystal glass filled with amber liquid.
A thick silver ring gleamed beneath the light.
Margaret's expression hardened.
"I know that ring."
I turned toward her.
"You've seen it before?"
She nodded once.
"Only once."
"Twenty years ago."
"The night my cover was compromised."
The Chairman laughed softly.
"Margaret."
"You've aged well."
She didn't respond.
He turned his attention to me.
"And Evelyn."
"I've heard remarkable things about you."
"I wish we were meeting under different circumstances."
"I don't."
I answered.
"You've destroyed too many lives."
He tilted his head.
"Have I?"
"I simply provide opportunities."
I stepped closer to the screen.
"You traffic children."
"I rescue them."
"You murder witnesses."
"I remove liabilities."
"You destroy families."
"They were already broken."
His calmness was infuriating.
Daniel interrupted.
"Enough."
"Release Lily."
The Chairman smiled.
"I don't have your daughter."
Everyone in the room exchanged uneasy glances.
Margaret narrowed her eyes.
"Don't lie."
"I'm not."
He leaned slightly forward.
"If I had the little girl..."
"You'd already know."
A heavy silence followed.
If he wasn't holding Lily...
Then Margaret had told the truth.
She had taken Lily first.
To keep Victor from reaching her.
But where?
The Chairman slowly set his glass on a nearby table.
"Victor has become... emotional."
"He mistakes fear for loyalty."
"He also believes he can replace me."
Daniel looked at the screen.
"You're turning on your own people."
"I remove those who disappoint me."
His words were almost casual.
"As I'm sure Agent Carter understands."
I stared back.
"No."
"I don't."
"I protect my people."
"Even when it's difficult."
He smiled again.
"That's why you'll lose."
Without warning, the screen changed.
The Chairman disappeared.
A live security camera feed replaced him.
An old wooden cabin appeared.
Snow covered the roof.
Pine trees surrounded the clearing.
My breath caught.
Lily sat inside.
Wrapped in a blanket.
Safe.
Margaret hadn't lied.
Then another figure stepped into view.
An older man.
Gray beard.
Flannel jacket.
He handed Lily a bowl of soup.
She smiled.
She looked completely unafraid.
Margaret exhaled slowly.
"Thank God."
Daniel looked at her.
"You know him."
"His name is Thomas Hale."
"He saved my life seventeen years ago."
"He's one of the few people the organization never found."
The Chairman's voice returned.
"I'll admit..."
"That was clever."
"Moving the child before Victor arrived."
Margaret's jaw tightened.
"You'll never find her."
The Chairman laughed.
"Oh, Margaret."
"I don't need to."
He snapped his fingers.
The camera angle changed.
A second live feed appeared beside the first.
A black helicopter flew low over the forest.
No markings.
No identification numbers.
It was heading directly toward the cabin.
My heart stopped.
Daniel shouted,
"Can we identify that aircraft?"
The analyst worked furiously.
"No transponder."
"Military-grade radar masking."
Margaret reached for the map on the table.
"It's less than fifteen minutes away."
I grabbed my tactical vest.
"I'm going."
Daniel did the same.
"So am I."
Margaret looked directly at me.
"There's another trail."
"The helicopter can't see it."
I nodded.
"The creek."
She smiled faintly.
"You remember."
"I remember everything."
Grant suddenly stepped forward.
"I want to help."
The room fell silent.
I looked at him.
"Why?"
His eyes filled with tears.
"Because I've spent months failing my daughter."
"I'm done failing her."
Before anyone could respond, Nora's phone rang.
She answered immediately.
Her expression changed after only a few seconds.
She looked at Daniel.
"We just received confirmation from Washington."
"What confirmation?"
She took a slow breath.
"The DNA from Margaret Carter."
Everyone waited.
"It matches."
I closed my eyes.
There was no doubt anymore.
The woman standing beside me...
Really was my mother.
Margaret gently squeezed my shoulder.
"We'll talk later."
"We'll have years."
I looked at her.
"Only if we all survive tonight."
She nodded.
"Fair enough."
Outside, engines roared to life.
The rescue convoy was assembling.
Armored SUVs.
A tactical medical unit.
Two FBI response teams.
Daniel looked at every agent gathered in the command center.
"This operation has one objective."
"Bring Lily home."
Every agent answered together.
"Yes, sir."
As we moved toward the vehicles, every light inside the building suddenly flickered.
Then went dark.
Once again.
Only this time...
The power hadn't failed.
Someone had shut it off.
A single emergency monitor powered by its own battery lit up.
The screen displayed one sentence in bright red letters.
WELCOME TO PHASE TWO.
Beneath the words...
A countdown timer appeared.
May you like
09:59
And it was already counting down.
