Page 208 of Scars of Fate

“Can you contact the air base?” Adam asked.

“If the antenna survived.”

I pulled the folded wire antenna from the false compartment.

Hawk connected it.

Static filled the speaker.

He adjusted the frequency.

Nothing.

He tried again.

A voice broke through.

Faint.

Unclear.

“Guardian Control…”

Adam took the handset.

“Guardian Control, this is Brave Actual.”

Static.

“This is Brave Actual. Emergency channel Indigo Seven.”

A pause.

Then a voice answered.

“Brave Actual, authenticate.”

“Courage runs deep.”

“Secondary response?”

“Love runs deeper.”

Every man exhaled.

The encrypted emergency channel had confirmed our unit credentials.

The words were the private secondary challenge Colonel Hayes had assigned to the operation.

Wynn looked at me.

“You still use that?”

“Yes.”

Her expression softened.

“That was written inside our wedding bands.”