Silence stretches between us.
The storm fills it.
Then—
“We go above them.”
I freeze.
Slowly look at her.
“You’re talking about the President.”
She doesn’t answer right away.
And that’s my answer.
I let out a quiet, disbelieving breath. “You don’t just call the President, Mila.”
“No,” she agrees.
Then her eyes meet mine.
“You don’t.”
There’s something in her expression I haven’t seen before.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Resolve.
The kind that comes with a cost.
“What are you not telling me?” I ask.
She holds my gaze for a long second… then uncrosses her arms and steps closer.
“There’s a protocol,” she says quietly. “Emergency clearance. Built for wartime scenarios—if command is compromised.”
I go still.
“One-use,” she continues. “Encrypted. Direct. No intermediaries.”
My pulse kicks harder.
“And after it’s used?”
Her lips press together slightly.
“Every system lights up.”
Of course it does.
I huff out a breath, shaking my head. “So the second we hit that… we’re exposed.”
“Yes.”
