"How many?" I ask.
"Too many," Sarah answers, highlighting each marker. "Several already dead in the past few days. Made to look like accidents or random violence. Kessler's team is professional about it."
Rachel goes rigid beside me. Her breathing changes, becomes carefully controlled in a way I recognize from years of watching operators manage fear. She's fighting to stay present, to process this without spiraling.
"My coworkers," she says quietly. "People I worked with. They're on that list."
"Were on that list," Kane corrects, his tone gentler than usual. "Cross got to most of them first. They're in protective custody, scattered across multiple countries under new identities. Kessler won't find them."
Rachel exhales shakily. Her hands are fisted in her lap, knuckles white with tension. I want to reach for her, want to offer some kind of comfort, but the operator in me knows this briefing requires full attention. Comfort comes later. Right now, we need tactical clarity.
"When can I talk to Jen?" Rachel asks. "I need to hear her voice."
"After this briefing," Kane says. "We've got a secure video link set up. Tommy configured the encryption himself. Untraceable, unbreakable."
"Nothing's unbreakable," Tommy mutters without looking up from his keyboard. "But this is close. Multi-layer encryption with randomized routing through servers across multiple countries. Even if the Committee intercepts the signal, they won't crack it before the call ends."
Sarah pulls up another file, this one showing financial transactions traced through shell companies and offshore accounts. Cross's intelligence work, detailed and damning.
"Kessler's operating with Committee resources but increased autonomy," Sarah explains. "Webb gave him carte blanche after Rachel escaped. Whatever it costs, whoever has to die, Kessler's authorized to eliminate the witness. Lucas is the primary target. Rachel's secondary. Anyone helping them is collateral."
"So we keep hiding," Rachel says, though her tone suggests she already knows that's not the answer. "Keep running until Kessler gets bored or the Committee decides we're not worth the resources."
"They won't get bored," Mercer says from his position against the wall. "And to the Committee, you're not a resource problem. You're a credibility problem. Lucas can testify about what he saw. That testimony could connect the Committee to active murder operations on U.S. soil. They'll spend whatever it takes to silence him."
Rachel's hand finds mine under the table. Her fingers are ice cold despite the controlled temperature of the war room. I squeeze gently, offering what reassurance I can while Kane continues the briefing.
"Cross's latest intel suggests Kessler's changing tactics," Kane says. "He's done searching. Now he's baiting. Hitting targets close to Rachel, making it personal, trying to force her into a mistake."
"What kind of mistake?" I ask, though I already know the answer. I've seen this playbook before. Committee psychologicalwarfare, designed to break targets emotionally before moving in for physical elimination.
"Emotional response," Sarah answers. "Kessler wants Rachel to panic, to reach out to someone he's monitoring, to make contact with family or friends that leads him straight to her location. He's counting on fear for herself and those she cares about overriding operational security."
Rachel's grip on my hand tightens. She's holding herself together through pure willpower, but the strain shows in the tension of her shoulders, the rapid flutter of the pulse visible in her throat.
"That's not happening," I say flatly. "We maintain blackout protocols. No contact with anyone outside this facility unless it's through Cross's secured channels. Rachel doesn't make any moves Kessler can track."
"Agreed," Kane says. "Which brings us to the real question. Do we keep playing defense, or do we go on offense?"
The room goes quiet. Mercer straightens from his position against the wall. Sarah pauses her data analysis to focus completely on Kane. Even Tommy stops typing, his attention shifting from his monitors to the conversation.
"You want to hunt Kessler," Mercer says. Statement, not question.
"I want to end this threat before it ends us," Kane replies. "We've got Cross's intel on Kessler's movements, his team composition, his operational patterns. We know he's in Phoenix, coordinating from a Committee safe house. We know his security protocols and communication methods. We have everything we need to flip this from a defensive operation to an offensive strike."
Rachel releases my hand. Stands up from her chair with movements that are too controlled, too deliberate. Everyone watches her, waiting to see how the civilian in the roomresponds to the suggestion that we hunt the man hunting her son.
"You're talking about killing him," she says. "About going after Kessler and his team. Offensive strike means eliminating the threat permanently."
"Yes," Kane says without hesitation or apology. "That's exactly what I'm talking about."
"Good," Rachel says, surprising everyone except me. I've seen her backbone, seen her survive things that break trained operators. "Let's end this. I'm tired of being this bastard's prey."
Kane nods once, respect showing in the slight shift of his expression. Rachel just earned something from him that most people never get—acknowledgment that she belongs in this room, making these decisions.
"We'll need Dylan back first," Mercer points out. "Full team for an operation this complex. Plus Sarah's tactical analysis and Tommy's electronic warfare support."
"Dylan's on approach," Kane says. "We'll brief him immediately, finalize the operational plan, and move as soon as we have a confirmed location on Kessler's current safe house. Cross is working on that now."
