Page 194 of Broken Oath

A partially destroyed mission report.

Several transfer forms with missing destinations.

Someone had systematically removed most of his history.

But Fathom had found a matching personnel record among the copied files from the ship.

Wade’s photograph filled the center monitor.

Young.

Confident.

Smiling.

Alive on the day the picture was taken.

Sarah stared at him.

Her face gave nothing away.

Her hands did.

They were clenched at her sides.

Rook remained several feet behind her.

Close enough if she needed him.

Far enough to give her space.

Fathom enlarged the first surviving report.

“This document was filed three months after Wade’s team disappeared.”

Sarah drew a sharp breath.

“What?”

“The date is verified. It isn’t a clerical error.”

Sniper stepped closer.

“How do you know?”

“The report carries an authentication code created on the day it was filed. Someone couldn’t have entered it earlier and changed the date afterward.”

Fathom highlighted a line near the bottom.

STATUS: ACTIVE

The word illuminated the room.

Sarah stopped breathing.

Five years of searching.

Five years of being told Wade had died.