Page 233 of Broken Oath

“Wade said something before he left.”

Every operator turned toward her.

“What?” Rook asked.

She looked into the past.

“We had dinner two nights before his mission. He received a call and said he had to leave.”

Her voice softened.

“I asked where he was going.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me that if anyone asked, I should say the sun was setting.”

Nobody moved.

“I thought it was a joke,” she continued. “But he wasn’t laughing. Not really.”

Fathom searched the phrase through the recovered files.

A damaged authorization appeared.

One sentence remained.

PROJECT NIGHTFALL INITIATED UPON SUNSET PROTOCOL AUTHORIZATION

Wade hadn’t been making a joke.

He had given Sarah a clue.

A fragment he hoped she would remember if he didn’t come home.

“Sunset activates Nightfall,” Sniper said.

Rook looked toward the date on Wade’s mission.

Five years ago, someone had authorized the protocol.

Seven men disappeared.

Four survived.

And Warden had spent millions ensuring they remained hidden.