Chapter 18 - THE CLASSIFIED DOSSIER
Agent Vance signaled his team to secure the cargo bay before turning to address Ethan privately.
"These crates contain prototype military hardware stolen from Fort Bragg six months ago," Vance revealed.
"The syndicate used your declared death as a cover story to move these weapons out of the country," Vance added.
Ethan walked over to one of the opened crates, pulling out a sealed steel document canister.
Inside the canister was a leather-bound dossier bearing his own name and his late father's military service serial number.
"Why is my father's name on a classified weapons dossier from three decades ago?" Ethan asked, staring at the file.
Agent Vance’s calm demeanor cracked for a brief moment, a look of genuine surprise washing over his face.
"Your father was the chief engineer who designed these guidance systems during the Cold War, Ethan," Vance explained.
"He didn't die of natural causes in 1998... he went into hiding to protect these blueprints from the syndicate," Vance dropped the bombshell.
Ethan stood frozen in the vibrating cargo plane, holding the ghost of his father's secrets in his gloved hands.
Everything he thought he knew about his family, his military career, and his life was built on a foundation of classified deception.
"Where is my father now?" Ethan demanded, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and hope.
May you like
"That information is classified above my pay grade, Sergeant," Agent Vance answered carefully.
***
