“Then he touched someone under my protection.”
Silence stretches.
Miles finally mutters, “Jesus… he didn’t just poke the bear.”
“He reminded the bear who he used to be,” Jase says.
The comm crackles again.
Roscov’s voice returns—strained now.
“You should have stayed buried, Pierce.”
I lift the mic.
“You should have remembered why I disappeared.”
A long breath.
“You won’t kill me,” Roscov says. “You don’t execute anymore.”
I check my weapon.
Then answer calmly.
“I don’t.”
Pause.
“But my past command does.”
I switch channels.
“Delta Five,” I say evenly. “We’re transitioning to the dismantlement phase.”
Every voice answers without hesitation.
“Roger that.”
I glance once more toward Lena—safe, alive.
Then I move forward.
Roscov made a fatal mistake the moment he tried to study me rather than fear me.
And now the mountain is about to remember why my name is spoken in whispers.
22
Ronan
Location: Northern Alps — Subterranean Command Vault
0603 Hours
The tunnel reeks of smoke, dust, and panic.
Roscov’s men didn’t retreat far enough. Roscov is here somewhere. They fell back into what they thought was a secure fallback—reinforced steel doors, blast-resistant walls, a command vault carved straight into the mountain.
