Someone she had once held in her arms.
"Who is he?" she whispered.
Walker answered.
"Thomas Brooks. According to the records, he's currently serving as a senior intelligence adviser under Deputy Director Caldwell."
Evelyn stared at the photograph.
Her son was alive.
And he had spent years working for the man responsible for destroying their family.
Victoria leaned closer.
"Does he know who you are?"
"Probably not."
"Then we need to find him."
Evelyn shook her head.
"No. We need to understand why he's standing beside Caldwell."
Meanwhile, inside the National Security Directorate, Richard Caldwell stood behind his desk.
Thomas Brooks entered the room.
"Sir, you asked to see me?"
Caldwell closed a folder.
"Sit down."
Thomas obeyed.
Caldwell studied him for several seconds.
"Do you know General Evelyn Brooks?"
Thomas shook his head.
"Only from military records."
"She's a dangerous woman."
"Why?"
"She believes she has uncovered something that should have remained buried."
Thomas frowned.
"Operation Silent Harbor?"
Caldwell's expression changed slightly.
"You've been reading old files."
"That's part of my job."
Caldwell stood and walked toward the window.
"Your mother was involved in that operation."
Thomas looked up.
"My mother?"
Caldwell smiled.
"Not your biological mother. The woman who raised you."
Thomas relaxed slightly.
"I see."
Caldwell returned to his desk.
"There's a reason I brought you into this department. You are intelligent, disciplined, and loyal."
"Thank you, sir."
"Now I need you to prove that loyalty."
He pushed a photograph across the desk.
It showed Evelyn Brooks.
Thomas picked it up.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Find out where she's going."
"And if I discover something?"
Caldwell leaned forward.
"Then you make sure she never gets the chance to tell anyone."
Thomas looked at the photograph again.
For some reason, the general's face made him uncomfortable.
There was something familiar about her.
Something he couldn't explain.
He turned the photograph over.
On the back was a handwritten name.
THOMAS BROOKS β ORIGINAL BIRTH RECORD.
His fingers went cold.
"Sir..."
Caldwell's smile disappeared.
"What's wrong?"
Thomas slowly looked up.
"Why is my name on this?"
For the first time, Richard Caldwell had no immediate answer.
Then the telephone on his desk rang.
He picked it up.
A voice spoke urgently.
"Sir, we have a problem."
"What?"
"Madison Reed is alive."
Caldwell's jaw tightened.
"And?"
"She's agreed to testify."
Caldwell looked at Thomas.
"Then we have two problems."
He ended the call.
Thomas was still holding the photograph.
And beneath the photograph was another document.
A birth certificate.
The name of the mother was clearly printed.
Evelyn Margaret Brooks.
Thomas stood up.
"Sir, what exactly have you been hiding from me?"
Caldwell slowly closed the folder.
"Sit down, Thomas."
But Thomas didn't move.
For the first time in his life, he wondered whether the man who had raised him professionally had also stolen his entire identity.
Madison Reed woke up in a hospital room.
Her head hurt.
Her left arm was bandaged, and a monitor beside her bed beeped steadily.
A federal investigator sat in a chair near the window.
His name was Agent Daniel Foster.
When he noticed her moving, he stood.
"Officer Reed?"
She opened her eyes.
"What happened?"
"You were attacked outside your apartment."
Madison tried to sit up.
"Did they find him?"
"Not yet."
She closed her eyes.
"I told you someone was coming."
"We know. Your phone records and security footage helped us identify the vehicle."
"Who sent him?"
Foster hesitated.
"We believe the order came from someone connected to Richard Caldwell."
Madison looked at him.
"Why would a government official care about an old general?"
Foster placed a folder on the bed.
"Because General Brooks is threatening to expose a conspiracy that has existed for thirty-seven years."
He showed her photographs from Operation Silent Harbor.
Madison examined them.
Then she recognized something.
"Wait."
Foster leaned closer.
"What?"
She pointed at a man standing beside Caldwell.
"That's him."
"Who?"
"The man who contacted me after the incident. He told me the general was dangerous."
Foster examined the photograph.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
The man was Michael Turner.
Madison swallowed.
"He told me he could save my career if I helped him."
Foster wrote something down.
"Did you agree?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Madison looked toward the window.
"Because I finally understood something."
"What?"
"I thought wearing a uniform made me powerful. I thought I could treat people however I wanted because nobody would challenge me."
She looked at the photograph of Evelyn.
"But that woman had more dignity kneeling on the pavement than I had standing above her."
Foster said nothing.
Madison continued.
"I want to testify."
The investigator nodded.
"Then we'll protect you."
Meanwhile, Victoria and Evelyn had arrived at a secure military facility.
The micro-storage device had been successfully accessed.
Inside were hundreds of files.
Financial records.
Audio recordings.
Photographs.
And a video dated thirty-seven years earlier.
Evelyn sat in front of the screen.
Victoria stood beside her.
Colonel Walker watched from the doorway.
The video began.
A younger Evelyn appeared on the screen.
She was standing inside a military command center.
Daniel Carter was beside her.
And Richard Caldwell was speaking into a radio.
"Extraction team, abandon the eastern position. Repeat, abandon the eastern position."
Daniel turned toward him.
"Sir, we still have eleven men out there!"
Caldwell answered without hesitation.
"They are no longer part of the mission."
Daniel stepped forward.
"You can't leave them!"
Caldwell's expression hardened.
"That's a direct order, Sergeant."
The recording continued.
Daniel looked toward Evelyn.
"General, we have to go back."
Evelyn nodded.
"Prepare the rescue team."
Caldwell slammed his hand on the table.
"Brooks, stand down!"
Evelyn ignored him.
"Those men are under my command."
Caldwell stepped closer.
"You have no idea what you're interfering with."