"He's asking you to report immediately."
Reeves stepped forward.
"She is currently assigned to medical support. Any disciplinary interview should be properly documented."
The officer glanced between them.
"Those are my instructions, Captain."
Eleanor placed a hand on Reeves's arm.
"It's all right."
She followed the officers.
Inside the administration building, Hayes was waiting with two security personnel.
A thick folder lay on his desk.
"Sit down."
Eleanor remained standing.
"What is this about?"
Hayes opened the folder.
"Your identity."
"My identity?"
"Your employment history contains discrepancies."
"Which discrepancies?"
"Restricted military assignments. Missing records. An unexplained resignation."
Eleanor said nothing.
Hayes smiled.
"Do you know what I think?"
"I'm sure you'll tell me."
"I think you're hiding something."
"Most people have a private history, Colonel."
"Not when they work on a military installation."
He pushed a document toward her.
"This is a request for full disclosure."
Eleanor read it.
Then she looked up.
"This document is not signed by the appropriate authority."
Hayes slammed his hand against the desk.
"Enough!"
One of the security officers shifted uneasily.
Hayes stood.
"I don't know what kind of games you're playing with General Whitmore, but they end now."
Eleanor remained calm.
"I haven't played any games."
"Then explain your connection to him."
"That's a private matter."
"Not anymore."
He moved closer.
"You're going to tell me everything."
Eleanor looked directly at him.
"No, Colonel. I'm not."
Hayes stared at her.
It was the first time someone had refused him so plainly.
He turned toward the security officers.
"Escort her out."
Before they could move, the door opened.
General Whitmore entered.
"Nobody is escorting anyone."
Hayes immediately straightened.
"General."
Whitmore looked at Eleanor.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, sir."
Then he turned to Hayes.
"Why is this meeting being conducted without my authorization?"
Hayes hesitated.
"I was investigating irregularities."
"Under what authority?"
"Command authority."
Whitmore placed a document on the desk.
"Your command authority does not extend to unauthorized access of restricted personnel records."
Hayes stared at the paper.
"Sir, I—"
"You're suspended from all personnel investigations pending review."
The room went silent.
Hayes's face turned pale.
"General, surely that's unnecessary."
"That decision has already been made."
Whitmore turned toward the door.
"Captain Reeves will accompany Miss Blake back to the medical department."
Eleanor nodded.
As she passed Hayes, he whispered:
"This isn't over."
She stopped.
For a moment, she looked at him.
"No, Colonel."
Then she continued walking.
Outside, the general waited until the others had left.
He opened his folder.
"There's something else you need to see."
He handed Eleanor a printed communication record.
The document showed an encrypted transmission sent six hours before Operation Silent Harbor.
The sender had used an authorization code associated with Hayes.
The message contained the extraction coordinates.
Eleanor read it twice.
Then she looked up.
"General, this isn't just a personnel violation."
"No."
She folded the paper carefully.
"This is treason."
Whitmore nodded.
"And we need to prove it."
That evening, General Whitmore called a private meeting in the command conference room.
Only three people were invited.
Eleanor Blake.
Captain Daniel Reeves.
And Colonel Hayes, who had been ordered to attend as part of the preliminary investigation.
Hayes arrived wearing a perfectly pressed uniform.
His expression suggested that he considered the entire situation an inconvenience.
He sat opposite Eleanor.
"Quite a meeting for a civilian employee," he remarked.
Eleanor ignored him.
Whitmore placed a sealed folder on the table.
"Colonel, this meeting concerns Operation Silent Harbor."
Hayes leaned back.
"I've already explained what I know about that operation."
"Then explaining it again should be easy."
The general opened the folder.
A map appeared on the screen.
It showed the original extraction route, the alternate route, and the location where the team had been ambushed.
Whitmore pointed to a marked intersection.
"This was the approved route."
Hayes nodded.
"Correct."
"And this was the route transmitted to the hostile network."
He pointed to a second line.
Hayes looked at the screen.
For a fraction of a second, his expression changed.
"I don't recognize that."
Eleanor spoke.
"That's because it wasn't the route we were given."
Hayes turned toward her.
"You weren't authorized to participate in this briefing."
Whitmore interrupted.
"She was the senior surviving officer from the mission. She has every right to be here."
Hayes said nothing.
Eleanor stood and approached the screen.
"James and I noticed a discrepancy before the operation. Our intelligence indicated that the extraction point might have been compromised."
She pointed to the eastern road.
"We recommended changing the route."
Whitmore nodded.
"I found the recommendation."
Hayes frowned.
"That recommendation was rejected."
"By whom?" Eleanor asked.
Hayes hesitated.
"Headquarters."
"Which officer?"
"I don't remember."
Eleanor turned toward him.
"You signed the authorization."
"I signed hundreds of documents."
"Did you know our coordinates had been transmitted?"
"Absolutely not."
"Then why did your authorization code appear in the transmission record?"
Hayes leaned forward.
"Those codes can be duplicated."
Whitmore looked at him.
"That is possible. Which is why we're investigating."
Hayes appeared relieved.
"Then I suggest you focus on the actual security breach instead of questioning officers based on assumptions."
Whitmore closed the folder.
"Agreed."
The meeting ended.
But Eleanor noticed something.
When Hayes stood, he looked at the map one final time.
His eyes settled on a small symbol near the original extraction point.
He recognized it.
She was certain.
After the meeting, Captain Reeves approached Eleanor.
"Did you notice that?"
"Yes."
"He knew something."
"Maybe."