Reeves lowered his voice.
"There's another problem."
"What?"
"Someone accessed the archived mission database last night."
Eleanor stopped walking.
"Who?"
"The system identifies a terminal in the logistics building."
"Can you trace the user?"
"Not yet."
She looked toward the opposite corridor.
Hayes was speaking with his assistant.
"Captain, I need you to do something."
"Anything."
"Find out who still has access to the old operation files."
Reeves nodded.
Meanwhile, in the general's office, Whitmore was reviewing an old audio recording.
The recording had been recovered from a damaged communication device.
At first, there was only static.
Then a man's voice appeared.
"Change the extraction coordinates. Make sure the team receives the revised route."
Another voice asked:
"Are you certain?"
"Yes. There can be no mistakes."
The recording ended.
Whitmore listened again.
He recognized the first voice.
But he needed confirmation.
He called his intelligence officer.
"Run a voice comparison against Colonel Hayes's archived briefings."
"Yes, sir."
"And keep this investigation restricted to the smallest possible team."
"Understood."
At the same time, Eleanor returned to her locker.
She opened the small metal box and removed a folded letter.
James had written it shortly before the operation.
She had read it hundreds of times.
But tonight, something caught her attention.
A sentence near the bottom had been underlined.
"If anything happens, trust the person who remembers the old lighthouse."
Eleanor stared at the words.
The old lighthouse.
She remembered.
James had once told her about an informant who worked near the coast.
A man who had provided intelligence about the compromised mission.
His code name was Lighthouse.
The informant had disappeared shortly after James's death.
Eleanor folded the letter.
She needed to find him.
But before she could leave, her phone vibrated.
An unknown number appeared.
A message arrived.
STOP ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT SILENT HARBOR.
A second message followed.
YOU ALREADY LOST ONE PERSON. DON'T LOSE ANOTHER.
Eleanor stared at the screen.
Then a final message appeared.
THE GENERAL IS NOT SAFE EITHER.
For the first time that evening, Eleanor felt genuine fear.
Not for herself.
For Marcus Whitmore.
At 0600 hours the following morning, General Whitmore issued an unexpected order.
All personnel assigned to the command and logistics departments were to report for a mandatory security review.
No exceptions.
No advance notice.
No informal substitutions.
The order immediately created confusion across the base.
Colonel Hayes was furious.
He entered the general's office without waiting for permission.
"Sir, I need an explanation."
Whitmore looked up.
"Good morning, Colonel."
"Why are my personnel being questioned?"
"Because their department may have been involved in a classified security breach."
Hayes's face tightened.
"That is an outrageous accusation."
"An accusation is not a conviction."
"You are disrupting an entire installation based on a three-year-old incident."
Whitmore closed his laptop.
"I'm investigating a current security threat."
Hayes stepped closer.
"With respect, sir, you're allowing a former officer to influence your decisions."
Whitmore stared at him.
"Be careful."
"I'm only saying what others are thinking."
"Then perhaps you should spend less time worrying about what others think and more time explaining your own authorization codes."
Hayes said nothing.
Whitmore stood.
"Colonel, you are relieved of your command responsibilities until the investigation is complete."
The words struck Hayes like a physical blow.
"Sir?"
"You heard me."
"That is my installation."
"Not anymore."
Whitmore called his aide.
"Please escort Colonel Hayes to his quarters. His access credentials are to be suspended pending further review."
Hayes looked from the general to the aide.
"You cannot do this."
"I just did."
Hayes left without saluting.
Across the base, Eleanor was helping Sarah organize emergency medical supplies when Captain Reeves entered.
"Miss Blake, General Whitmore wants to see you."
"Is everything okay?"
"Not exactly."
She followed him.
Inside the command building, the general was standing beside a large display.
Several security camera recordings were paused on the screen.
One showed a person entering the logistics office after midnight.
The face was partially obscured.
"Can you identify this person?" Whitmore asked.
Eleanor studied the footage.
The individual was wearing a maintenance jacket and carrying a small equipment case.
"Not from this angle."
Whitmore nodded.
"That's what I thought."
He changed the screen.
Another image appeared.
This time, the individual was standing beside a communications terminal.
Eleanor leaned closer.
"Wait."
"What is it?"
"The left hand."
Whitmore looked at the screen.
The person's left hand had a distinctive movement.
A slight tremor.
Eleanor recognized it.
"That's Sergeant Miller."
Reeves frowned.
"Logistics Sergeant Thomas Miller?"
"Yes."
"Are you certain?"
"I worked with him during the previous deployment. He injured his left hand during training."
Whitmore immediately called security.
"Find Sergeant Miller. Do not approach him alone."
The call ended.
Several minutes later, security personnel reported that Miller was missing from his assigned quarters.
His vehicle was also gone.
Whitmore looked at Eleanor.
"He's running."
Eleanor shook her head.
"No, General."
"What do you mean?"
"He's not running away."
She pointed to the map.
"He's going somewhere."
Reeves studied the location.
"The old communications station."
Eleanor nodded.
"That's where the backup transmission system is stored."
Whitmore immediately ordered a security team to secure the facility.
But before the team could depart, a loud alarm sounded.
The entire building shook as the emergency power system activated.
A voice came over the intercom.
"Security breach in the communications wing. Repeat, security breach in the communications wing."
Whitmore grabbed his radio.
"Lock down the installation."
Eleanor was already moving.