Then he noticed Foster.
His expression changed slightly.
RICHARD ROWE: "I see you found the archive."
DAVID BROOKS: "We found the original authorization records."
RICHARD ROWE: "Then you understand why they were restricted."
DAVID BROOKS: "I understand that you approved an operation involving unlawful detention and falsified military records."
Rowe remained calm.
RICHARD ROWE: "You are interpreting the documents without the full intelligence context."
DAVID BROOKS: "The context does not justify what happened to those people."
RICHARD ROWE: "Those decisions were made to protect national security."
MARCUS REED: "You canceled our extraction."
Rowe looked at him.
RICHARD ROWE: "Captain Reed. You were not supposed to enter the lower facility."
MARCUS REED: "We were sent there."
RICHARD ROWE: "Your mission was to retrieve intelligence."
MARCUS REED: "We found civilians."
RICHARD ROWE: "And you compromised the operation by refusing to withdraw."
Marcus stepped closer to the screen.
MARCUS REED: "You knew we were trapped."
RICHARD ROWE: "I knew the mission had become compromised."
MARCUS REED: "You knew people were still inside."
Rowe did not answer.
MARCUS REED: "You knew wounded soldiers were waiting for extraction."
RICHARD ROWE: "The decision was made to prevent a larger breach."
MARCUS REED: "You abandoned them."
Rowe's expression remained cold.
RICHARD ROWE: "I made the decision that I believed was necessary."
MARCUS REED: "You made the decision from a room hundreds of miles away."
For the first time, Rowe's expression tightened.
RICHARD ROWE: "You have no understanding of the responsibilities involved in protecting classified intelligence."
MARCUS REED: "I understand the responsibility of protecting people. That's what I was trained to do."
Brooks stepped forward.
DAVID BROOKS: "Richard, your authorization is on the archive. The original extraction cancellation, the personnel transfers, and the false casualty reports are all documented."
RICHARD ROWE: "Then you should understand the consequences of releasing them."
DAVID BROOKS: "The consequences of hiding them have already been paid by the people you abandoned."
Rowe looked toward the screen.
RICHARD ROWE: "You cannot release those files without exposing classified assets and ongoing investigations."
DAVID BROOKS: "The records will be reviewed by an independent authority."
RICHARD ROWE: "You are making a dangerous decision."
DAVID BROOKS: "No. I am correcting one."
Rowe's image flickered.
Then the connection ended.
The technician looked at the terminal.
TECHNICIAN: "The external connection has been terminated."
Brooks stared at the blank screen.
DAVID BROOKS: "Preserve the recording."
TECHNICIAN: "Already done."
Marcus looked toward Foster.
MARCUS REED: "He knows we have the evidence."
SERGEANT FOSTER: "He knew we would eventually find it."
MARCUS REED: "Then why contact us?"
Foster looked toward the archive.
SERGEANT FOSTER: "He wanted to see who was still alive."
Brooks turned toward Major Price.
DAVID BROOKS: "We move to the second facility now."
The recovery team departed the first location with Colonel Vance in custody and the recovered archive secured.
The second facility was located beyond a narrow mountain road.
The team arrived shortly before sunset.
Unlike the first building, this location was active.
Floodlights illuminated the entrance.
A security vehicle was parked beside the gate.
Several armed guards were visible near the outer perimeter.
Major Price studied the layout.
MAJOR PRICE: "We have to assume the security personnel have been told about our arrival."
DAVID BROOKS: "Can we verify who they are?"
MAJOR PRICE: "Not yet."
Marcus looked toward the building.
MARCUS REED: "There are people inside who were transferred from the original facility."
MAJOR PRICE: "Then we need to secure the location without putting them at risk."
The team approached the entrance.
A security officer stepped forward.
SECURITY GUARD: "This facility is restricted. You are not authorized to enter."
Brooks showed his official credentials.
DAVID BROOKS: "I am the Secretary of Defense. Stand aside."
The guard looked at the identification.
Then he looked toward a camera mounted above the gate.
He hesitated.
SECURITY GUARD: "I need to confirm your authorization."
DAVID BROOKS: "You have just confirmed it."
The guard stepped back.
The gate opened.
The team entered.
Inside the facility, several corridors led toward separate rooms. Medical equipment was visible behind glass doors.
A group of civilians sat in a waiting area.
Some looked frightened.
Others appeared exhausted.
Marcus recognized one woman from the original records.
He approached slowly.
MARCUS REED: "My name is Captain Marcus Reed. We're here to take you somewhere safe."
The woman stared at him.
CIVILIAN WOMAN: "Are you really military?"
MARCUS REED: "Yes."
CIVILIAN WOMAN: "They told us nobody was coming."
Marcus looked at her.
MARCUS REED: "I'm sorry they told you that."