Chapter 58 - The Ghost Signal from the Pentagon
The shock of the sub-zero water was instantaneous, knocking the air from her lungs like an iron fist.
Darkness enveloped her as she was pulled under by the weight of her gear and the churning undertow of the two massive vessels. But the heavy transfer tether held.
Before the sea could claim her, the high-speed winch on the *Vanguard* engaged at maximum torque. Rebecca was dragged through the frothing waves, breaking the surface gasping for air, and hauled over the *Vanguard’s* armored gunwale by four sets of strong hands.
"Get her inside! Corpsman, now!" Vance’s roar cut through the sound of the storm.
Warm hands stripped her frozen tactical vest, wrapping her in emergency thermal blankets as she was rushed down the companionway into the *Vanguard’s* combat information center.
Rebecca coughed, spitting salt water onto the deck plates, but her hand never released the black quantum drive. She shoved the corpsman aside, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she pulled herself upright against the tactical plotting table.
"Report," she demanded, her voice hoarse but steady.
Commander Harris turned from the primary sensor console, his face pale in the blue light of the displays. "The four Orion drones have been neutralized by our railguns, Admiral. The *Njord* has slipped beneath the waves—its ruptured ballast tanks took it down into the deep trench. It's crushed."
"And Cross?"
"Locked in the brig under armed guard," Harris said. He hesitated, his jaw working as if struggling to find the words. "Admiral... we have a catastrophic situation on the long-range comms."
Rebecca wiped the sea salt from her eyes. "Cheyenne Mountain?"
"Not just Cheyenne Mountain," Harris said, stepping back to let her see the master communications terminal. "Thirty minutes ago, while we were inside the mountain, a global emergency flash-traffic message was broadcast on the sovereign military network. It came from the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."
Rebecca leaned over the display.
`FLASH PRIORITY: ALL COMMANDS ACTIVE.`
`SUBJECT: ARREST ORDER / TREASON WARRANT.`
`TARGET: REBECCA HAYES, ACTING ADMIRAL, USN.`
`CHARGES: UNAUTHORIZED SEIZURE OF STRATEGIC ASSETS; COMPROMISE OF CLASSIFIED NAVAL CIPHERS; ATTEMPTED PREEMPTIVE TECTONIC STRIKE VIA PROPRIETARY DEFENSE SYSTEMS.`
`DIRECTIVE: USS VANGUARD IS DECLARED A ROGUE VESSEL. ALL ALLIED NAVAL UNITS ARE AUTHORIZED TO ENGAGE WITH LETHAL FORCE UPON DETECTION.`
Rebecca stared at the flashing amber text.
"They moved faster than we anticipated," she whispered.
"It gets worse," Harris said quietly. "The warrant was co-signed by the Undersecretary of the Navy... and witnessed by a civilian defense contractor liaison who testified under oath that you used your family accounts to launder funds for an unauthorized rogue syndicate."
"Who was the witness, Harris?"
Harris clicked the file open.
On the screen was a recent photograph taken in Washington, D.C. A man sitting in a plush leather armchair, wearing an expensive bespoke suit, holding a silver pen.
May you like
Thomas Hayes.
Her father had not just been an unwitting conduit. He was in Washington right now, claiming the hundred and ten thousand dollars was an extortion payoff forced on him by his own daughter.
