Chapter 9: The Enemy Within
Nobody moved after the call ended.
I stared at my phone screen.
The call duration was less than thirty seconds.
But it had changed everything.
Because now there were two possibilities.
Either Daniel Hayes was lying.
Or the person we were hunting had successfully convinced everyone he was guilty.
And I hated that I couldn’t immediately tell which one was true.
General Harrison extended his hand.
“Colonel.””
I gave him the phone.
He checked the number.
“Encrypted.””
Ryan looked frustrated.
“So he calls, says he’s innocent, and disappears?””
I looked at him.
“Yes.””
“That sounds exactly like someone guilty.””
I didn’t answer.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
But something bothered me.
Daniel sounded afraid.
Not defensive.
Not angry.
Afraid.
My mother stood.
“I need to talk to Emily.””
General Harrison looked at me.
I nodded.
“Give us a minute.””
Everyone stepped outside except my family.
For the first time that day, there were no officers.
No titles.
No uniforms.
Just us.
My mother looked at me.
“I’m sorry.””
I looked away.
She wiped her eyes.
“I know that doesn’t fix anything.””
“No.””
“I know I should have told you.””
“Yes.””
She accepted the answer.
That surprised me.
“I thought if I stayed quiet, I could keep you safe.””
I looked at her.
“Quiet didn’t keep me safe.””
She nodded.
“I know.””
My father remained near the door.
He looked different.
Smaller.
“I owe you an apology.””
I turned toward him.
He struggled to speak.
“I spent years telling people you were lost.””
I said nothing.
“I thought you were running away from your life.””
A bitter smile crossed my face.
“I was running toward it.””
He nodded slowly.
“I know that now.””
For years, I had imagined this moment.
The moment they finally understood.
But standing there, I realized something.
Understanding was not the same as healing.
Not yet.
Ryan stepped forward.
“I was jealous.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He looked embarrassed.
“I thought you disappeared because you thought you were better than us.””
My expression softened.
“Ryan.””
“I know. It sounds stupid.””
“It does.””
He actually smiled for a second.
Then became serious.
“I hated that everyone worried about you.””
I looked at him.
“I didn’t know you worried.””
He looked down.
“I did.””
That hurt more.
Because maybe we had all been trapped by things we never said.
A knock interrupted us.
General Harrison entered.
“Colonel.””
I turned.
“Yes?””
“We found Daniel Hayes’ last known location.””
“And?””
The general’s expression was serious.
“He left evidence.””
“What kind?””
He handed me a small storage device.
“This was delivered anonymously thirty minutes ago.””
I looked at it.
A single word was written on the label.
*EMILY.*
My father stepped closer.
“What is it?””
I looked at General Harrison.
“Can we open it?””
He nodded.
A technician was brought in.
The device connected.
A video file appeared.
No date.
No title.
Just one recording.
I pressed play.
The screen showed an older man sitting in a dark room.
Uncle Daniel.
He looked exhausted.
Different.
Not like the confident man from family gatherings.
Like someone who had been running for years.
He looked directly into the camera.
“Emily.””
My heart tightened.
“If you’re watching this, it means they finally found you.””
Everyone became silent.
Daniel continued.
“I know what they’re telling you.””
He swallowed.
“They’re telling you I betrayed your team.””
My hands clenched.
“But I need you to understand something.””
He leaned closer.
“The person who destroyed your operation…”
The video glitched.
Then returned.
Daniel looked terrified.
“…was someone you trusted more than anyone.””
My mother whispered:
“No.””
The video continued.
“Emily, the reason your family was kept away from your work wasn’t because of your clearance.””
A pause.
“It was because someone inside your family had access to information about you before you ever joined.””
My heart stopped.
Daniel looked straight into the camera.
“And the person who gave them that information…”
The screen suddenly went black.
A loading symbol appeared.
Then one final message appeared:
*FILE CORRUPTED.*
Nobody spoke.
Then General Harrison’s phone rang.
He answered.
His face changed immediately.
“What?””
A pause.
Then:
“Where?””
He looked at me.
“Colonel Hayes…”
I stood.
“What happened?””
His voice was quiet.
“Your brother Ryan’s military records were accessed.””
Ryan froze.
“What?””
General Harrison looked at him.
“The person who accessed them…”
May you like
He hesitated.
“…used your sister’s authorization code.””
