Chapter 7 - THE SECRET OF NORTHSTAR
Northstar Training Facility had been closed for seven years.
It was located deep in the mountains, surrounded by thick forest and protected by old security fences. Officially, the facility had been abandoned after a chemical accident.
But when Hayes accessed the original records, he discovered that the facility had remained active under a private contract controlled by Voss.
Elena, Kane, Hayes, and Pierce traveled there before dawn.
Brooks was arrested and placed in military custody. Before being taken away, he had given them one final warning.
“Voss knows about Elena. He has known since the day she joined.”
The gates of Northstar opened automatically as their vehicle approached.
No guards appeared.
That was worse than seeing them.
Inside, the compound looked frozen in time. Training buildings stood beneath the snow. Rusted vehicles lined the courtyard. A faded sign warned of restricted access.
Kane scanned the rooftops.
“This place is watching us.”
Hayes led them to the medical building.
According to the records, twenty-three patients had been treated there during the year of Operation Night Glass. All records had later been destroyed.
But the basement was still intact.
Behind a wall of broken cabinets, Elena found a hidden door.
The brass key opened it.
Inside was a small room filled with old files, photographs, and audio equipment.
On one wall were pictures of soldiers who had disappeared over the years.
Some were listed as dead.
Some had simply vanished.
At the center of the room was a photograph of Mara Ward.
She was older, thinner, and standing beside a teenage boy.
Elena moved closer.
The boy was holding a military identification card.
His name was Daniel Ward.
Her younger brother.
Elena’s entire body went cold.
“That’s impossible,” she whispered.
Kane looked at her.
“You have a brother?”
“I was told he died before I was born.”
Pierce took the photograph from the wall.
“No,” he said quietly. “He was the witness.”
A monitor suddenly flickered on.
Voss appeared on the screen.
He was older now, with silver hair and a calm smile.
“Hello, Elena.”
Kane raised his weapon toward the monitor.
Voss smiled wider.
“You look exactly like your mother.”
“Where is she?”
“Alive.”
The word struck Elena harder than any blow.
“Let me speak to her.”
“You will. But first, you need to understand something. Your mother did not disappear after the church. She was taken to Northstar.”
“Where is she now?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“You murdered my brother.”
“No. I protected him.”
Elena stared at the screen.
Voss leaned closer to the camera.
“Daniel was a child when your mother fled. He was the only person who knew where she had hidden the original evidence. I kept him alive because I believed she would eventually return.”
“Why did you tell us he was dead?”
“Because grief makes people obedient.”
Kane stepped forward.
“What did you do with Captain Ward?”
Voss’s expression hardened.
“She refused to cooperate. So I gave her a choice. Reveal the location, or allow her children to disappear.”
Elena’s hands shook.
“Where is my mother?”
Voss looked toward someone outside the camera.
A door opened behind him.
A woman entered.
She had silver in her dark hair, a scar along her cheek, and the same eyes Elena saw in the mirror every morning.
Mara Ward looked directly into the camera.
“Elena,” she whispered.
Elena pressed both hands to her mouth.
Her mother lifted one finger to her lips.
Then she mouthed two words:
DON’T TRUST HAYES.
The screen went black.
Kane turned immediately toward the colonel.
Hayes did not move.
Elena stepped away from him.
“What does that mean?”
Hayes’s face was unreadable.
Before he could answer, the facility alarms began to scream.
Every door locked at once.
The lights turned red.
A voice came through the speakers.
“Colonel Hayes, step away from the recruits.”
Kane raised his weapon.
Hayes slowly lifted both hands.
Elena stared at him.
May you like
Voss’s voice echoed through the building.
“Your colonel has been working for me since the beginning.”
