On the screen, the thermal signature moves with patient precision. Not rushing. Not making mistakes. Just gathering information with methodical care.
Kane leans over Tommy's shoulder, studying the movement patterns. "He's working a grid. Systematic coverage of the entire area. Looking for anomalies."
"Thermal signatures from our ventilation system," Sarah says. "Power generation. Any heat source that doesn't match natural terrain."
"Can he detect us from this range?" Hawthorne asks.
Tommy shakes his head. "Not with current equipment. But if he gets closer, if he brings better sensors, he'll start picking up our exhaust signatures. We've got good camouflage but nothing's perfect."
Stryker moves to stand beside Kane, both of them studying the tactical display. "He's alone. No support team visible on thermal."
"Reeve works alone," Hawthorne says. "Doesn't trust anyone else with operational security. Makes him harder to track but also limits his capabilities."
"A single operator can still pose a significant threat," Kane says. "Especially one of Reeve's caliber."
I watch the thermal signature move across the screen, each deliberate step bringing him closer to discovering Echo Base. Closer to Lucas. The testimony we just recorded was supposed to make my son worthless as a target, but watching Reeve hunt with such precision makes that logic feel hollow.
"What do we do?" I ask.
Kane doesn't look away from the display. "We wait. Monitor his movement. If he gets too close, we'll deploy countermeasures. But right now, engaging would reveal our position definitively. Better to let him search and come up empty."
"And if he doesn't come up empty?" The question comes out sharper than I intend.
"Then we eliminate the threat," Stryker says simply.
Standing in this operations center watching a man hunt my son, I'm grateful Stryker is willing to do what's necessary.
Hawthorne crosses to where I'm standing. "The testimony changes the equation. Even if Reeve gets close, even if he somehow breaches Echo Base, Lucas's identification of Kessler is already secured. Killing him now would be pointless."
"You think that will stop him?" I ask.
"No. But it might make Webb reconsider the resources he's deploying." Hawthorne glances at the screen. "Reeve is expensive. If the strategic value of eliminating Lucas drops because his testimony is already documented, Webb might pull him for more productive operations."
"Might," I repeat. "That's a lot of uncertainty to bet my son's life on."
"It's all we've got," Kane says. "The Committee operates on cost-benefit analysis. We just changed the calculation. Now we wait to see if they adjust their strategy."
The contact continues its methodical search pattern. An hour passes. Reeve moves with the kind of patience that suggests he's prepared to spend days mapping this terrain if necessary.
Tommy provides periodic updates as the signature shifts position. Heading northwest. Pausing to check something. Doubling back to verify a reading. Every movement speaks to professional tradecraft and terrifying competence.
"He's good," Mercer mutters, watching the screen with the assessment of one professional evaluating another. "Better than Kessler was."
"Kessler was a hammer," Stryker says. "Reeve is a scalpel."
The comparison makes my stomach turn. We barely survived Kessler's assault on the safe house. What happens when someone more skilled, more patient, more methodical comes after us?
Dylan shifts in his chair, favoring his injured shoulder. "What's his background?"
"Former SAS," Hawthorne says. "Special reconnaissance. Spent years operating behind enemy lines in hostile territory. The Committee recruited him after he left the service."
"Why'd he leave?" Sarah asks.
"Officially? Medical discharge after an injury." Hawthorne's expression darkens. "Unofficially? Suspected of executing prisoners during an operation in Afghanistan. The brass couldn't prove it but they wanted him gone."
"So he's not just skilled," Dylan says. "He's got no moral boundaries."
"None that I've ever detected," Hawthorne confirms. "The Committee values that quality."
