Page 123 of Until the End

She’d pieced together that Sanborn had used Westcott’s hacker group to plant false classified SIGINT chatter on a time-delayed release to give credence to the veracity of their staged attacks and cement Khan as the culprit. Only cybergeniuses would’ve been able to pull that off. Sanborn also used the Outliers to get the blueprints and security codes for Zulu’s target site—the water treatment facility—and Alpha’s target site, where they were headed now. A recently built supermax prison.

Currently, high-intelligence security risks, those suspected or convicted of treason, were kept in the Hole—a supermax housed within another federal prison. The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the director of national intelligence had lobbied for a new, independently contained facility. Basically, a bigger, deeper Hole, where no one would ever find the largest collection of this country’s greatest threats.

It was being inaugurated today.

Sanborn opened a case and showed it to Bravo. “The two targets are to be isolated as we discussed. Z-1984 is to be used on them. That’s how I want them to die. Not with a bullet, under any circumstances. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” Bravo said with a smile.

Ashley must’ve misheard him over the wind. He couldn’t have said what she thought. “Sir, did you say Z-1984 is going to be deployed in a real scenario?”

“I did.”

Ashley blanched. This was in complete violation of the original plan. When Ashley and her team had agreed to steal the bioweapons en route from Nexcellogen to Fort Detrick, they had decided on scare tactics only. The point had been to teach the government a lesson, elevate awareness, put a feather in the cap of the Gray Box, force confessions from the senator and directors responsible for the creation of the weapons. And ultimately rip those responsible parties out of seats of power.

But not this.

“This isn’t what we agreed to,” Ashley said. “The weapons were never to be used. We never signed up for cold-blooded murder.”

“And this is precisely why I have Bravo.” Sanborn’s eyes darkened. “Because none of you on Zulu have the stomach for what’s necessary. I told you what you needed to hear to get the mission done. You all did a marvelous job hijacking the bioweapons and capturing Khan.”

Marvelous until an innocent woman had been accidentally killed. Guilt gnawed at her, woke her up sometimes in the middle of the night. Logan did his best to soothe her conscience and comfort her. The only thing that eased the terrible weight she dragged around was doing good whenever and wherever possible. Like interfering with the transport of those child brides. But every decent deed was going to be washed away in blood if Sanborn had his way.

Ashley stepped closer, trying to appeal to his sense of reason. “We can still get the confessions and—”

“I don’t need their confessions,” Sanborn said lightly. “I have enough evidence stockpiled against them to not only condemn but convict them.”

“Then why are you doing this? Why not just use it instead?”

Shaking his head, Sanborn narrowed his eyes and stared at her like she was the crazy one. “How can you of all people ask me that? Winthrop Lee Pomeroy III set this in motion, or have you forgotten? When he was sitting in the national security advisor’s chair, he was the one who counseled the president that it was in our country’s best interest to steal that compound from the Germans. It was him who tried to have you killed over it while I saved you.”

She cut a glance at Howe, remembering all too well. The bastard blew her a kiss.

“It was Lee who moved the pieces on the chessboard, enabling the president to restart a disgusting bioweapons program. It was Lee who brought Senator Boswell into the fold, and it was Boswell who made the rest possible. They have no consideration for the value of human life. They didn’t care about what could have happened, the kinds of pandemics that could have been caused if those weapons fell into the wrong hands.

“Not until I gave them a wake-up call. One they badly deserved, and one that will serve them the miserable, agonizing deaths they were so ready to inflict on others. That will be the consequences of their actions.”

Ashley was stunned speechless. Her ears were on fire with disbelief. This was why the details had been compartmentalized, why Alpha team didn’t know what Zulu was doing and vice versa. She’d assumed it was only for operational security.

The truth was that Sanborn hadn’t wanted her—or anyone from Zulu—to know how ugly and blood-stained the path he was leading them down was.

“How are you going to contain it and prevent an outbreak?” she asked.

“I’ve already coordinated with the CDC about the threat of a potential bioattack and instructed them to prepare for containment. They’re standing by. Waiting to deploy. They can reach this location in less than twenty minutes.”

Sanborn was right. She didn’t have the stomach for it because she still had a soul. She would champion justice with her dying breath. But she wouldn’t be complicit in this madness.

“Are you strong enough to be with me?” Sanborn asked. “To get back to Yankee? Or are you against me?”

Were those her only two choices?

Bravo, Charlie, and Echo drew their weapons but kept the guns lowered at their sides.

If she was against him, then she was as good as dead.

That narrowed her options down to one. “Of course I’m with you.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” He turned and picked up four garment bags, handed one to her and the rest to the others. “Get dressed.”