Chapter 5: The Truth Hidden In The Memory Card
We drove for twenty minutes without speaking.
Rain covered the windshield, turning Norfolk’s streets into blurred lines of gray and silver.
I sat in the passenger seat.
Ghost was in the back.
Watching everything.
Commander Hayes drove with both hands locked tightly on the wheel.
“You have a safe house?”” I asked.
“Yes.””
“Military?””
“No.””
“Then whose?””
He didn’t answer.
I laughed bitterly.
“Everyone seems to have secrets around me.””
Hayes glanced at me.
“You’re right.””
That was the first time he admitted it.
I looked down at the memory card in my hand.
“This contains proof, doesn’t it?””
“Maybe.””
“Maybe?””
“We don’t know what Ethan recorded.””
I looked out the window.
“But he knew someone would come after it.””
“Yes.””
“Which means he knew he might not survive.””
Hayes said nothing.
That hurt more than anything.
Because part of me had been holding onto one impossible hope.
That Ethan had simply been trapped.
That someday he would walk through my clinic door.
That he would smile and say he was sorry for disappearing.
But if he made this recording…
He knew.
He knew he might never come back.
The safe house was an old coastal property outside the city.
Small.
Hidden.
The kind of place nobody would notice.
Inside, Hayes immediately disconnected the internet and placed the memory card into a secure computer.
Ghost walked through the rooms, checking every corner.
A soldier.
Still working.
I watched him.
“Does he ever stop?””
Hayes looked at the dog.
“No.””
“Not even after retirement?””
“No.””
I touched the edge of the table.
“He wasn’t retired, was he?””
Hayes didn’t respond.
That was my answer.
The computer beeped.
A file appeared.
One video.
Created seven years ago.
No title.
Just a string of numbers.
Hayes clicked it.
The screen went black.
Then Ethan appeared.
Not the man from my memories.
This Ethan looked exhausted.
His face was thinner.
A cut ran along his cheek.
But his eyes were the same.
The same eyes that always made me feel like I wasn’t alone.
“Madison,” he said.
My breath caught.
“If you’re seeing this, Ghost made it to you.””
I covered my mouth.
Hayes looked away.
Ethan continued.
“I don’t have much time.””
He looked over his shoulder.
Like someone was nearby.
“The operation was compromised before we arrived.””
The video glitched.
“I found evidence that someone inside our command structure has been selling classified information.””
Hayes whispered, “No…”
Ethan looked directly into the camera.
“And I know who.””
The screen froze for a second.
Then returned.
“Madison, I need you to understand something.””
His voice softened.
“Ghost isn’t just carrying a message.””
The dog suddenly lifted his head.
“He’s carrying the evidence.””
Hayes and I looked at each other.
“What?”” I whispered.
Ethan continued.
“The people responsible know about Ghost. They know what he has. They will do anything to recover him.””
The video shook.
A loud noise came from somewhere behind him.
Gunfire.
Ethan looked toward the sound.
Then back at the camera.
“If something happens to me, don’t trust anyone wearing the uniform.””
Hayes stood abruptly.
“That’s impossible.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
He didn’t answer.
Because the video continued.
Ethan reached toward the camera.
“Madison, there’s one person who can help you.””
The image distorted.
Then cleared.
A name appeared.
Not spoken.
Written.
On a piece of paper Ethan held up.
My eyes widened.
Because I knew the name.
Everyone knew the name.
A decorated military officer.
A hero.
A man whose face had appeared on television.
A man who had received medals for bravery.
Ethan’s final words were barely audible.
“Don’t believe the story they tell about him.””
The video ended.
The room was silent.
Then Hayes whispered:
“General Marcus Vale.””
I stared at him.
“Who is he?””
May you like
Hayes looked terrified.
“The man who signed Ethan’s death report.””
