Chapter 12 - The Files Beneath the General's DeskGeneral Whitaker looked stunned when Bennett informed him about Daniel's statement.
“My office?”
“Yes, General.”
“That's impossible.”
Bennett remained calm.
“We need to examine the relevant records and storage locations.”
Whitaker nodded.
“You'll have my full cooperation.”
The investigation revealed that Richard Hale had retained access to certain administrative storage systems after his retirement through a consulting arrangement.
One archived storage cabinet had been transferred between offices without a complete inventory.
When investigators examined it, they discovered several sealed media containers.
Among them were recordings from Operation Silent Lantern.
Whitaker sat beside me as Bennett reviewed the evidence.
The recordings were incomplete, but they contained communications from the hours before our evacuation mission.
I recognized Daniel's voice immediately.
“Command, we have conflicting route information. Request confirmation before moving.”
Another voice responded.
“Proceed under existing authorization.”
Daniel answered.
“Negative. We're receiving transmissions from an unidentified source.”
A pause.
Then came a third voice.
Richard Hale.
“Disregard the discrepancy. Continue the operation.”
I felt cold.
Whitaker closed his eyes.
The recording continued.
Daniel spoke again.
“Sir, I believe this channel is compromised.”
Hale responded sharply.
“Master Sergeant, you're delaying an authorized mission.”
Then the transmission ended.
Bennett paused the recording.
Whitaker stared at the table.
“I was never given this.”
“You were given a summary,” Bennett said.
He nodded.
“And I accepted it.”
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Whitaker looked at me.
“Rebecca, I owe you an apology.”
I shook my head.
“Thomas, we need to focus on what happens next.”
“No.”
His voice was firm.
“For eight years, you questioned that report. I told you to accept the findings.”
He swallowed.
“I was wrong.”
I had imagined hearing those words for years.
Now that they had finally arrived, they didn't make me feel victorious.
They made me tired.
Bennett continued reviewing the material.
Additional records connected Voss's private companies to unauthorized equipment transfers.
Financial documents suggested payments had been routed through several intermediaries.
The evidence was serious.
But it still needed to be authenticated and tested.
The investigators began preparing the next steps.
Meanwhile, Daniel remained in the hospital.
His doctors expected a long recovery.
He suffered from untreated injuries and the lasting effects of prolonged confinement.
But he was alive.
And he wanted to testify.
Two days later, Evan visited me.
He wore civilian clothes.
He looked exhausted.
“Colonel?”
“Come in.”
He sat across from me.
“I've been thinking about what happened at the airport.”
I waited.
“My whole life, I thought being strong meant never looking uncertain.”
He glanced at his hands.
“My dad was this larger-than-life figure. Everybody told stories about him. I felt like I had to prove I deserved his name.”
“And now?”
Evan smiled sadly.
“Now I realize he spent eight years surviving something I can't even imagine.”
He paused.
“I acted like an idiot because I was afraid people would figure out I wasn't good enough.”
I looked at him.
“You made a serious mistake, Evan. But you don't have to let it define every choice you make afterward.”
He nodded.
Then his phone rang.
He checked the screen.
“It's Dad.”
He answered.
“Hey.”
A pause.
His expression changed.
“What?”
He stood.
“Dad, slow down.”
I watched his face turn pale.
Then he looked at me.
“Colonel Mitchell.”
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“What happened?”
“Dad says someone tried to enter his hospital room.”
