Chapter 8 - The Command He Never Gave
Daniel stared at the countdown.
"I didn't order anything."
"The system doesn't care," Hayes said.
"You said it receives my orders."
"Your authorized orders."
"I never gave them."
Rachel was already examining the activation log.
"Someone prepared them in advance."
Thomas looked over her shoulder.
"Encrypted payload."
"Can we open it?"
"Not without successor authority."
Daniel held out his hand.
"Use whatever you need."
The system required voice confirmation.
Daniel read the security phrase.
The payload decrypted.
The first line appeared.
OPERATION LANTERN.
The second:
TRANSFER WARDEN CONTROL TO PRIMARY SUCCESSOR.
The third:
REMOVE COMPROMISED COMMAND NODES BEFORE 1800 ZULU.
Rachel felt sick.
"Remove," Daniel said. "Meaning what?"
Hayes looked away.
Rachel answered.
"Could mean detention. Could mean assassination."
Daniel stood.
"Cancel it."
Thomas searched.
"No cancellation function."
"Then shut the system down."
"Warden is decentralized."
Daniel looked at Rachel.
"Tell me you can stop it."
Rachel did not lie.
"I don't know yet."
For the next three hours, they mapped Warden nodes.
Thirty-seven active domestic contacts.
Fourteen overseas.
Seven aircraft.
Two medical evacuation companies.
Three private intelligence contractors.
One communications satellite lease.
Most cells did not know others existed.
A beautifully designed conspiracy.
Or contingency.
Rachel still wasn't sure which.
Victoria was brought into the room.
Daniel barely looked at her.
She saw the countdown and began crying.
"You opened it."
Daniel laughed.
"You knew?"
"I knew enough."
"You knew my blood unlocked a secret army."
"No. Not exactly."
Rachel said, "Stop protecting yourself with technicalities."
Victoria looked at her with hatred.
"Frederick said you would destroy everything."
"Frederick seems to have said many things while pretending to be dead."
Victoria flinched.
Daniel asked, "When was the last time you saw him?"
Victoria's lips parted.
Rachel watched.
"Answer."
"Nine years ago."
Rachel knew it was a lie.
Daniel knew too.
"Again."
Victoria looked at her son.
"Three months ago."
Daniel closed his eyes.
The betrayal hit harder than anything else.
"You saw him."
"Daniel."
"You saw my father three months ago."
"He contacted me."
"And you didn't tell me."
"He said it wasn't safe."
"You always choose his secrets."
Victoria began crying.
Daniel's voice shook.
"Did he ask you to push Caroline at me?"
Victoria said nothing.
Rachel felt the room change.
Daniel looked disgusted.
"Why?"
Victoria whispered, "He said Rachel had to be separated from you."
Rachel stepped forward.
"Why?"
"He said your marriage made Daniel visible."
Thomas frowned.
"To who?"
"The Crown."
Rachel asked, "Where did you meet Frederick?"
Victoria looked at Daniel.
"An old church outside Alexandria."
"When?"
"Three months ago. Then twice after."
"What did he want?"
"He wanted me to convince Daniel to take a posting overseas."
Daniel laughed.
"Which posting?"
"Brussels."
Rachel knew immediately.
Warden maintained two European command nodes near Brussels.
"Frederick wanted Daniel close to the network," she said.
Victoria shook her head.
"He wanted him away from you."
"Same thing."
Victoria looked toward Rachel.
"He said if Daniel remained married to you, eventually you would discover who he was."
Rachel asked, "Why did he care?"
Victoria's eyes filled.
"Because he said you would have to choose between Daniel and the country."
Nobody spoke.
Rachel hated the sentence because she understood it.
If Warden was unlawful, Daniel's hereditary control made him a national security threat whether he wanted power or not.
Thomas suddenly looked at the screen.
"Rachel."
A new message had appeared.
FIRST NODE ACKNOWLEDGED.
Then another.
SECOND NODE ACKNOWLEDGED.
Warden cells were waking.
Rachel checked the time.
Nine hours remained.
Daniel looked at Hayes.
"How do I contact them?"
"Once activation begins, instructions are one-way until execution phase."
"What execution?"
Hayes did not answer.
Rachel did.
"Whatever Operation Lantern tells them to do."
Daniel stared at the encrypted target list.
"Open it."
Thomas tried.
"Different key."
Daniel authorized again.
Denied.
LINEAGE SECONDARY REQUIRED.
The room went silent.
Rachel remembered the earlier result.
PRIMARY SUCCESSOR: DANIEL F. WHITMORE.
SECONDARY SUCCESSOR: UNKNOWN.
Daniel said, "There's another one."
Hayes went pale.
Victoria looked confused.
Rachel watched Victoria.
Then understood.
"Frederick had another child."
Victoria shook her head too quickly.
"No."
Daniel stared at her.
"Mother."
"No."
"Do I have a brother?"
"No."
"A sister?"
Victoria's eyes filled.
"No."
Rachel saw the distinction.
"Daniel didn't ask whether you had another child."
Victoria looked at her.
Rachel continued.
"He asked whether Frederick did."
Victoria whispered, "I don't know."
Another lie.
Daniel moved toward the door.
Rachel stopped him.
"Where are you going?"
"Away from her."
"We don't have time."
"I can't look at her."
"Then look at the problem."
Daniel glared.
Rachel did not back down.
"Someone needs the secondary successor to unlock the target list. That means whoever started this probably knows who they are."
Thomas's phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed immediately.
"Say that again."
Rachel watched him.
Thomas ended the call.
"What?"
"Someone just tried to access Caroline Hayes's medical file."
General Hayes stiffened.
"Why?"
Thomas looked at him.
"The request specifically asked for her blood type and paternity markers."
Caroline entered the room behind the escorting MP.
She had heard enough.
She looked at her father.
"Dad?"
Hayes stared at his daughter.
Rachel watched his face collapse.
And suddenly the answer became obvious.
Rachel turned toward Victoria.
"You weren't pushing Caroline toward Daniel because of General Hayes's influence."
Victoria looked down.
"You were putting the two successors together."
Daniel stared at Caroline.
Caroline whispered, "What is she talking about?"
General Hayes began to cry.
"Caroline..."
She stepped backward.
May you like
"No."
Hayes said, "Frederick was your biological father."
