Chapter 179
"We still have one more window."
Their heads snapped towards him, wide-eyed.
"Once Command scrubs this mission from existence, Marcus and Richard are officially dead. Nile’s missing, and everything gets ’sealed.’ No one’s going to touch this again. It’ll disappear." He let out a long breath. "The clock’s ticking. But we can’t move too fast, we’re buried with them."
Winter’s gaze never left Bale. His mind, racing at a thousand miles per hour, tried to latch onto something solid. Something they could use.
Ima was the first to speak. She paused mid-pace, her eyes meeting Bale’s before shifting to Winter. "We can’t go back now. We’re compromised. We’ll need clearance codes, untraceable gear. We need to wipe every trace of our activity before we even think about re-entering Sector 9."
She turned to Winter, her expression sharpened by the sense of finality in the room. "That’s the only way. Any slip-up and Command’ll smell us coming. And you know what happens when they do that."
He did. They already rushed into something and got their asses handed to them. It would be foolish to rush back in, even though it hurt to stay still.
"We’re not going back for intel. We’re going back for them." Winter said quietly.
His eyes, darkened with something between resignation and relentless drive, met Ima’s. "Marcus. Richard. They’re not dead until we say they are. And Nile—he’s ours too."
Bale absorbed the words, eyes narrowing as he scanned Winter’s face. He could see it clearly. The hunger for redemption. For retribution.
Ima’s breathing slowed, the hesitation lingering in her throat. "You’re not wrong," she muttered, her mind already working through the logistics in the background, calculating the risks. "But don’t forget, going back means every single move will be under surveillance. Every slip, every breach—we can’t afford it."