"Kane, Operations." I open the channel before Micah can. "Recommend alternate extraction route via the western service road. Sending coordinates now."
"Copy that, Operations." Kane's voice comes between the sounds of doors slamming and an engine starting. "We're moving now."
The minutes drag. I monitor communications channels, tracking Committee traffic for any sign they've become aware of the engagement. Micah watches the satellite feeds with the intensity of someone who's spent too many operations calculating how quickly things can go wrong.
The thermal overlay shows Kane's vehicle moving west along the service road while the secondary Committee team approaches the canyon from the south. The distances between them hold steady. Kane's team is going to make it clear before the backup arrives at the ambush site.
"Operations, Kane." His voice stays professional, but I catch the relief underneath. "We're clear of the immediate area. Reeve is secured, all team members accounted for. Estimated arrival at Echo Base in under an hour."
"Copy that." Micah's shoulders finally relax slightly. "Good work out there. Operations out."
The radio goes quiet. Micah and I sit in the sudden silence of the operations center, the adrenaline that's been keeping me focused starting to fade. Exhaustion settles in its place, mixed with relief.
"They made it," I say quietly.
"They made it," Micah confirms. He's still watching the satellite feed, though, tracking the secondary Committee team as they reach the canyon where Reeve's team died. "Now we see what happens when the backup finds dead operators and destroyed surveillance equipment."
I pull up the encrypted monitoring systems, listening to Committee communications channels. For long minutes, there's nothing. Then static crackles through the speaker, followed by a voice speaking in clipped, professional tones.
"Base, this is Alpha-Six. We have three KIA, one missing. Surveillance equipment destroyed. No sign of hostile forces. Requesting immediate exfil."
The transmission cuts off. I look at Micah. His expression has gone completely neutral—his operational mode. He's running scenarios, calculating implications faster than I can track them.
"They're calling it in," I say. "Webb's going to know Reeve's team was eliminated before they could confirm Echo Base location."
"Good." Micah's voice carries cold satisfaction. "Let him know we're not as easy to find as he thinks. Maybe it'll make him think twice about hunting us."
Or maybe it'll just make Webb more determined to find us before we can do more damage to his operations. Right now, we've accomplished the mission. Reeve's neutralized, the surveillance equipment is destroyed, and Echo Base remains hidden.
Time passes in careful monitoring. The Committee's secondary team secures the ambush site, calls in extraction, and evacuates with their dead. There's no pursuit, no expanded search pattern, no indication they have any idea where Kane's team went or what happened beyond a successful ambush.
"Operations, Kane." Kane's voice comes through nearly an hour later. "We're almost at the extraction point. Ready for Cross's team."
"Copy that," Micah responds. "Cross is en route. She'll be there in twenty."
Micah and I head to the extraction point—a remote clearing several miles from Echo Base where we meet outside contacts. The drive takes fifteen minutes through winding mountain roads. We arrive just as Kane's vehicle pulls in, and Dylan and Mercer haul Reeve out of the back seat.
Reeve looks worse than I expected. Blood soaks through the makeshift bandage on his shoulder, his face is pale with shock and pain, and how he's holding his ribs suggests Dylan's assessment about possible breaks was accurate. He's hooded, hands zip-tied behind his back, but I can see the tension in his body. He knows he's in serious trouble.
Kane emerges from the driver's seat, his expression grim. "He tried to struggle during transport. We had to sedate him, but it's wearing off."
"We need to keep him secured," Micah says, checking his watch. "Cross will be here in a few minutes."
While we wait, Kane walks us through the engagement. The timeline, the surveillance equipment destruction, confirmation that Reeve never transmitted any data back to Committee leadership before the ambush. Every detail supports what we already knew, but hearing it confirmed lets me breathe easier for the first time since we discovered Reeve's trajectory.
"How close was he?" Kane asks.
I pull up the analysis I've been running since Kane's team destroyed the surveillance equipment. "Based on the optics he was using and the position he'd set up, he was close. He was within days of having enough visual confirmation to pinpoint our exact location. He hadn't gotten there yet, and as far aswe can tell, he hadn’t transmitted any of his findings, but the margin was thin."
If we'd waited even a day or two to intercept him, Reeve might have had enough data to confirm Echo Base's position before we could stop him. The margin for error was thinner than I want to think about.
Kane nods slowly. "Then we got him just in time."
"Yeah," Micah agrees. "We did."
Headlights cut through the trees. A black SUV with tinted windows pulls into the clearing. Cross's team, right on schedule.
Two operatives emerge, both armed and professional. They take custody of Reeve without comment, loading him into their vehicle with efficient precision.
