Page 211 of Broken Oath

“I’m trying.”

Rook looked toward Wade’s photograph.

Four operators had survived.

Someone had secretly transported them into a system designed to erase human beings.

Someone else may have used the Silver Sword seal to keep them alive.

Whether that person was an ally or another enemy remained unknown.

But for the first time, they had a destination.

Black Site Theta.

The place where people disappeared.

21

ROOK

Three in the morning became four.

Four became five.

Coffee disappeared.

The storm continued.

So did Fathom.

The analyst sat surrounded by monitors, flight manifests, medical records, and encrypted files recovered from the Northern Star.

Across the room, Sarah remained near the operations table.

Wade’s photograph rested in front of her.

Five years of searching had led to one name.

Black Site Theta.

Proof should have made the uncertainty easier.

Instead, it had given her hope.

Hope could break a person faster than grief.

Rook had watched it happen to families waiting for news after missing-person operations.

Sarah was living inside that uncertainty now.

She knew Wade survived five years ago.

She still didn’t know whether he was alive today.

A sharp curse echoed through the warehouse.

Everyone looked up.