Chapter 10
The helicopter flew east across the desert, landing at a hidden military facility in Nevada as dawn broke.
Maya was escorted down a long, sterile white corridor lined with reinforced steel doors.
She entered a high-tech command center filled with glowing screens displaying satellite imagery of Washington D.C.
Standing at the central map table was an elderly man in a clean military uniform adorned with silver stars.
General Thomas Vance turned to face her, his sharp blue eyes looking remarkably like her grandfather's.
"You look just like your mother, Maya," General Vance said softly, offering a warm, respectful nod.
Maya stood tall, her olive green hoodie stained with mud, her face set in stone.
"Where is my father, and what did he do to Marcus?" Maya demanded without wasting a single breath.
The General walked over to a secure display screen, tapping a code to bring up a classified file.
"Your friend Marcus is alive and currently being held at a private compound in Virginia," the General reported.
"Victor needs him to force you into surrendering the physical decryption key on that flash drive."
"What is on this drive, General?!" Maya demanded, slamming her hand onto the glass table.
May you like
"It contains the launch codes for the private defense satellite network your grandfather built," Thomas revealed gravely.
"Victor intends to sell the entire network to a foreign syndicate at noon today."
