Chapter 19 - The Mysterious Package
A year later, on a crisp autumn afternoon, a FedEx delivery truck pulled up the long gravel driveway of the Montana ranch.
The driver handed Mark a heavy wooden crate wrapped in thick steel strapping, stamped with a Swiss customs seal.
"Mr. Sterling? This requires a thumbprint signature and a government ID," the driver stated professionally.
Mark signed the digital pad, carrying the heavy crate into his workshop behind the barn.
He used a crowbar to pry open the wooden lid, revealing a layer of protective foam surrounding a black steel briefcase.
Inside the briefcase lay an encrypted satellite phone, a set of military micro-films, and a brass key.
A typed letter sat on top of the micro-films, bearing the crest of the United States Department of Defense.
Mark opened the letter, his heart skipping a beat as he read the top line:
May you like
"Captain Sterling: Operation Crimson Shield was only Phase One."
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