Chapter 3: The Enemy Inside the Command
The name on the screen belonged to someone I trusted.
That was the part that bothered me most.
Not the attempted breach.
Not the possibility that someone wanted access to my classified records.
Not even the fact that my cover had been exposed in front of 1,040 people.
It was the name.
Commander Ethan Voss.
For nearly seven years, I had worked alongside Ethan in places where mistakes were measured in lives.
He was not careless.
He was not reckless.
He was not someone who would randomly search through restricted intelligence files.
At least, that was the person I believed I knew.
The security officer continued staring at the tablet.
“Captain Hayes?””
I did not answer immediately.
Colonel Reed noticed.
“Do you know him?””
I looked at the screen again.
“Yes.””
Sullivan, who had been silent for several seconds, suddenly stepped forward.
“Ethan Voss requested access?””
The security officer nodded.
“Confirmed.””
Something changed in Sullivan’s expression.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
It lasted less than a second.
But I saw it.
And that bothered me more than anything.
“Commander Sullivan,” I said.
He looked at me.
“What?””
“How do you know Commander Voss?””
His face hardened.
“Everyone in this community knows him.””
“That is not what I asked.””
The room became tense.
Sullivan looked toward Colonel Reed.
“Sir, I don’t appreciate being questioned like I’m the suspect here.””
Colonel Reed’s eyes remained fixed on him.
“Then answer the question.””
Sullivan clenched his jaw.
“I worked with Voss during a previous deployment.””
“Which deployment?”” I asked.
His eyes moved toward me.
“You don’t have clearance to ask me that.””
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was the exact kind of answer people gave when they wanted to hide something.
“Interesting.””
Sullivan narrowed his eyes.
“What does that mean?””
“It means you are suddenly very protective of a man who just attempted to access my classified identity file.””
“That’s an accusation.””
“No.””
I looked at the security officer.
“It’s a fact.””
The officer nodded.
“The access attempt came from Commander Voss’s authorized terminal.””
Silence.
Colonel Reed walked closer to the tablet.
“Was the attempt successful?””
“No, sir.””
“Was anything viewed?””
“No, sir.””
“Can you determine what information was requested?””
The officer hesitated.
“Yes.””
Everyone waited.
He looked at me.
“The request was specifically targeted.””
Colonel Reed’s expression changed.
“Targeted how?””
The officer swallowed.
“The system was not searching for Captain Hayes’ current assignment.””
A pause.
“It was searching for her previous identities.””
The room went still.
My hands remained calm.
But inside, every instinct I had developed over years of operations activated at once.
Someone was not trying to learn who I was.
They were trying to find out who I had been.
That was worse.
Much worse.
Because my current identity was protected.
My history was protected.
But my history contained names.
Locations.
Operations.
People.
Some of whom were still alive.
Some of whom were not.
Colonel Reed turned toward me.
“Captain, what exactly are we dealing with?””
Before I could answer, Brock Sullivan spoke.
“I think we’re dealing with someone who has been hiding information from us.””
Everyone looked at him.
He continued.
“Maybe we should ask why Captain Hayes was operating under a different identity in the first place.””
His tone had changed.
The anger was gone.
Now he was calculating.
He was searching for a weakness.
I recognized that immediately.
He was no longer trying to defend himself.
He was trying to redirect attention.
I stepped closer.
“Commander Sullivan.””
“What?””
“You struck me because you thought I was someone you could control.””
His expression tightened.
“Careful.””
“No.””
I held his gaze.
“You should be careful.””
Colonel Reed looked between us.
“Captain.””
I turned.
“Sir?””
“Enough.””
His voice was calm.
But firm.
“This is not the place.””
He was right.
The room was becoming exactly what someone wanted.
Chaos.
Emotions.
Accusations.
Distraction.
And distraction was dangerous.
I looked back at the security officer.
“When did the access attempt happen?””
“Three minutes after the incident on the parade field.””
Three minutes.
That was too precise.
Too convenient.
Someone had been waiting.
The moment my identity was exposed publicly, they moved.
Which meant they had anticipated something.
Or they had caused it.
I looked at Sullivan.
And for the first time, I wondered if Brock Sullivan’s mistake had actually been a mistake.
“What happened during your previous deployment with Commander Voss?”” Colonel Reed asked.
I did not answer.
Not immediately.
Because some memories never became easier to discuss.
They only became older.
Eight years earlier, before I became Captain Avery Hayes, I had been known by another designation.
A name that appeared in classified reports.
A name that enemies recognized.
A name that even some allies were not supposed to know.
That identity was buried for a reason.
Because the mission connected to it had ended with people disappearing.
Including my closest teammate.
Ethan Voss knew about that mission.
He was one of the few people alive who did.
Finally, I spoke.
“Commander Voss and I were part of a special operations intelligence group.””
Sullivan crossed his arms.
“That’s all?””
“No.””
Everyone waited.
I looked at Colonel Reed.
“He was also involved in the operation that caused my identity to be sealed.””
The room became silent.
Colonel Reed’s expression changed.
“You’re saying he knows the reason you were placed under protection?””
“Yes.””
“And now he’s trying to access those records.””
“Yes.””
Sullivan shook his head.
“This is absurd.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because you’re making this sound like some conspiracy.””
“No.””
“Then what is it?””
I picked up the folder from the table.
“It’s someone trying to uncover information they know they shouldn’t have.””
Before Sullivan could respond, the security officer’s tablet made another sound.
Everyone turned.
His face immediately changed.
“Sir.””
Colonel Reed looked at him.
“What now?””
The officer stood straighter.
“We have another alert.””
“From Voss?””
“No.””
A pause.
“From inside this building.””
Nobody moved.
The words seemed to lower the temperature in the room.
Inside this building.
That meant someone physically present had attempted access.
Not remotely.
Not from another location.
Someone nearby.
Someone who knew exactly where we were.
Colonel Reed looked toward the security officer.
“Can you identify the device?””
“Yes, sir.””
“Whose is it?””
The officer stared at the screen.
Then slowly lifted his eyes.
“I’m sorry, sir.””
“Whose?””
The officer hesitated.
Then answered.
“Commander Brock Sullivan.””
Every person in the room looked at Sullivan.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Sullivan looked genuinely shocked.
“That’s impossible.””
The officer shook his head.
“The system does not make mistakes.””
Sullivan stepped forward.
“Someone cloned my credentials.””
“Possible,” the officer said.
“But?””
The officer looked uncomfortable.
“But the request was approved using your personal authentication device.””
Silence.
I watched Sullivan carefully.
This was the moment where most people revealed themselves.
Not when they were accused.
When they realized the accusation might be true.
His face showed anger.
Confusion.
Fear.
But beneath all of it was something else.
A calculation.
He was thinking.
Fast.
Too fast.
Colonel Reed noticed too.
“Commander Sullivan.””
Sullivan looked at him.
“Yes, sir?””
“Where is your authentication device?””
A pause.
The room waited.
Slowly, Sullivan reached into his uniform pocket.
Then stopped.
His face changed.
“What?””
Colonel Reed stepped closer.
“Commander?””
Sullivan checked another pocket.
Then another.
His breathing became heavier.
“It was here.””
Nobody moved.
“My device was here.””
I looked at the spot where he had been standing on the parade field.
The place where thousands had watched him strike me.
The place where cameras had captured every movement.
A thought entered my mind.
Someone had planned this.
Not just the access.
Not just the breach.
Everything.
The confrontation.
The public exposure.
The timing.
Commander Sullivan looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw something different in his eyes.
Not arrogance.
Not anger.
Fear.
“You think I did this,” he said.
I studied him.
“I think someone wanted us to think that.””
His expression shifted.
“Then who?””
I looked at the security officer.
“Find Commander Voss.””
The officer nodded.
But before he could move, another alert appeared.
This one was different.
The entire room saw it.
Because the message was not hidden.
It appeared across the security screen in bold red letters.
*CLASSIFIED IDENTITY FILE: HAYES, AVERY*
*STATUS CHANGE: DECLASSIFICATION PROCESS INITIATED*
My heart stopped for half a second.
Because that command could only come from one place.
The highest level of authorization.
Someone was not trying to steal my identity anymore.
They were trying to expose it.
To everyone.
And beneath the warning message was the name of the person who had authorized the release.
A name that made Colonel Reed step back.
A name that made Sullivan go completely silent.
May you like
A name I had not heard in eight years.
The person who ordered my secret to be revealed was the last person I ever expected to see again.
