Chapter 14 - The Hidden Ally
We drove for over two hours through winding mountain passes, ditching the primary vehicle near an abandoned logging camp before transferring into an unmarked civilian transit van Marcus had stashed weeks prior.
Inside the back of the van, Daniel stirred, blinking sleepily against the dim cabin lights.
“Daddy... where are we going?” he whispered, rubbing his eyes.
I turned around from the passenger seat, my heart softening instantly as I reached back to squeeze his small hand. “We’re just taking a trip, buddy. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”
Daniel nodded, resting his head back against Maya’s lap. Maya gently stroked his dark curls, offering me a reassuring, exhausted look across the narrow aisle.
“Where to, Colonel?” Marcus asked from the driver’s seat, keeping his eyes glued to the rearview mirror. “Every federal database, state police checkpoint, and private security grid on the East Coast is looking for us right now.”
“Not every database,” I said quietly, pulling out an old, analog encryption drive from my inner tactical pocket—a device that hadn't touched the civilian internet in over a decade. “There’s an old safe harbor in downtown Manhattan. A man named General Thomas Vance—my former commanding officer before he retired from active intelligence. If anyone has the clearance to dismantle the rogue faction inside the Department, it’s him.”
“General Vance?” Marcus raised an eyebrow. “They said he stepped down and cut all ties with black-budget oversight years ago.”
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“He didn't cut ties,” I replied grimly. “He went underground to watch the very monsters he helped create. Step on the gas, Marcus. We’re going back to the city.”
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