Page 239 of Broken Oath

Wade sat beneath the harsh light.

Older.

Bruised.

Exhausted.

Alive.

Six days earlier, he had looked toward an unseen interrogator and refused to surrender the final Nightfall access sequence.

If they’re coming, you should start running.

Then the recording ended.

The people Warden failed to bury were coming.

Rook stared at Wade’s frozen image.

“Play the section about Nightfall again.”

Fathom returned to the middle of the recording.

The distorted interviewer spoke.

“Sunset Protocol has been reactivated.”

Wade’s expression changed.

“By whom?”

“That is not your concern.”

“It became my concern five years ago.”

“You will provide the remaining Nightfall access sequence.”

“No.”

Fathom paused the recording.

Rook studied Wade.

“Nightfall requires an access sequence.”

“Apparently,” Fathom said.

“Then it isn’t only an operation.”

Sarah stood near the monitor.

“It could be a database.”

“Or a physical archive,” Reef added.

“Something Warden can’t access without Wade,” Rook said.

That explained why Wade remained alive.