"Kessler's dead," Stryker says from his position against the wall. "We eliminated him two days ago."
"Which is why Webb deployed Reeve," Kane adds.
Hawthorne goes very still. "Reeve is involved?"
"Confirmed through Cross's intelligence," Kane says. "He's in the region. Tracking with significantly more patience than Kessler demonstrated."
The temperature in the room seems to drop several degrees. Hawthorne's expression hardens into something professional and deadly.
"Reeve doesn't fail," he says quietly. "He's patient enough to wait months if necessary. Smart enough to recognize traps. Brutal enough to eliminate anyone who stands between him and his target."
"Which is why we need Lucas's testimony secured now," Kane says. "Before Reeve gets close enough to act."
Hawthorne looks at me again. "This has to be your call, Rachel. I can facilitate everything. The prosecutor I've vetted is solid, no Committee connections. The recording will be secured with people I personally trust. But it's your son. Your decision."
Every instinct screams to protect Lucas from this. To find another way, any other way, that doesn't require him to relive that trauma. But standing in this operations center surrounded by people who've dedicated themselves to fighting the Committee, I understand the reality we're facing.
Reeve won't stop. The Committee won't stop. And Lucas will never be safe as long as his testimony remains a threat they can eliminate by eliminating him.
"What would the process involve?" I ask, hating how steady my voice sounds.
"Gentle interview format. Age-appropriate questions. We record everything with you present. Lucas describes what he saw in his own words. We document identifying details about the perpetrator and the victim. The whole thing takes maybe an hour at most." Hawthorne's voice is calm and professional. "Then the recording gets secured in multiple locations with federal protection. If anything happens to Lucas, the testimony still exists."
"Making him worthless as a target," I say, understanding the logic even as it makes me sick.
"Making him a witness with protected testimony instead of a liability that can be silenced," Hawthorne corrects gently.
I look at Stryker, needing something I can't name. He pushes off the wall and crosses to stand beside me, his hand finding the small of my back in a gesture of support that grounds me.
"It's the right call," he says quietly. "I know it's hard. But it's what keeps him alive."
I close my eyes and think about Lucas in the gym with Khalid and Odin, playing soccer and being a normal kid. Think about the nightmares that wake him screaming. Think about the men who want him dead for witnessing something he never should have seen.
"Okay," I say, opening my eyes. "Let's do it. But I'm there the entire time. If Lucas gets upset or scared, we stop immediately."
"Agreed," Hawthorne says. "Your rules. Your son."
Kane nods once. "Tommy, set up the secure recording equipment in conference room two. Make sure everything's isolated from external networks. Sarah, coordinate with Cross's prosecutor. Hawthorne, you'll conduct the interview?"
"If Rachel's comfortable with that," Hawthorne says, looking at me for confirmation.
I nod. Lucas knows Hawthorne. Trusts him as much as a six-year-old can trust someone from fragmented memories of that terrible night. If anyone can make this process less traumatic, it's the man who carried him to safety while I was still in shock.
The team mobilizes with practiced efficiency. Tommy disappears to set up equipment. Sarah coordinates communications. Kane pulls up files on Protocol Seven while Mercer and Dylan discuss tactical considerations for what comes after.
I stand in the center of organized chaos, trying to prepare myself for watching my son describe a murder.
Stryker's hand is still at my back, steady and warm. "This is the right call."
"Doesn't feel right."
"Because you're his mother. Protecting him is your job. But sometimes protecting means making the hard choices." He turns me gently to face him. "You're not failing him, Rachel. You're keeping him alive."
I want to believe that. Need to believe it. But the tension doesn't ease.
Tommy returns within minutes, confirming the recording equipment is ready. Hawthorne has his notes prepared. Kane gives the go-ahead.
Time to get my son and ask him to relive his worst nightmare.
