Page 7 of Code Name: Tank
Tomorrow, we’d be working side by side again. And God help me, I was already counting the hours.
3
TANK
Back in my hotel room after dinner, I spread the data I’d collected across the desk and opened my laptop. Dragon’s “good night” outside our rooms still echoed in my head, along with the way she’d paused, key card in hand, before disappearing inside. I forced myself to focus on the numbers streaming across my screen instead of wondering what might have happened if I’d stepped closer.
Shifting into work mode, I followed up on a hunch I’d had earlier. After reviewing the defense-contractor records, I knew I was onto something. There were unusual irregularities around the Titan incident dates, but the source remained unclear.
My phone buzzed with a message from Dragon.Found something in the financial systems. Can we discuss on the flight tomorrow?
I stared at the text longer than necessary before responding.Absolutely. I have findings to share too.
The three dots appeared, disappeared, then reappeared before her reply came through.Good. See you at 0600.
Straight to the point, no unnecessary words. I needed to follow her lead on that.
I spent another hour documenting the data. What emerged was troubling—this wasn’t random criminal activity. The coordination suggested an organized financial theft rather than opportunistic fraud.
The private jet’scabin felt smaller on the return flight the next morning, though nothing had changed except the tension between Dragon and me as we discussed our findings.
“Before you get into what you have, I need to show you something,” I said, pulling up the financial data on my tablet.
“What am I looking at?” Dragon leaned closer to examine the charts, and I caught that light floral scent that had been distracting me since yesterday.
“These irregularities around the incident dates show clear trends, but I can’t determine the source yet,” I said, highlighting the correlations. “The organization suggests structured funding, but we need more data to understand who’s behind it.”
Her expression sharpened with interest. “What you found supports what I mentioned in my text to you last night,” she said. “Someone’s orchestrating these fund diversions systematically.”
“Exactly. The evidence suggests this is more than isolated incidents,” I said, studying her reaction. “We might be looking at organized theft.”
Dragon rested against her seat. “We need to see if this holds at Apex.”
The remainderof the flight passed quickly, with each of us diving deep into our work. When the helicopter touched down at Canada Lake, the September weather felt crisp, with early fall colors just beginning to show around Kane Mountain. The Adirondack landscape looked spectacular in the afternoon light,making it hard to believe we were dealing with serious national security threats in such a peaceful setting.
Dragon headed toward her camp at Whisper Point while I made my way to mine at Granite Ridge. Once I dropped my bag inside my door, I had about twenty minutes before the briefing we’d scheduled before we left JFK.
Instead of processing my findings, I found myself thinking about Dragon’s quiet competence during our trip, the way she’d handled the contractor interviews with such professionalism.
Jesus—I shook my head. I needed to focus on the job, not on how her presence seemed to fill every room she entered.
My phone buzzed with a text from Admiral.Briefing moved to conference room in fifteen minutes instead of thirty.
Copy that,I responded, grabbing my laptop and notes.
When I arrivedat the command center, Alice was already there with Admiral, looking green around the gills, as they say. Dragon slipped in right behind me, carrying two steaming cups.
“Here,” she said quietly, setting crackers and tea in front of Alice. “This might help.”
She looked up gratefully. “Thank you. I was trying to hide it, but apparently, I’m not as subtle as I thought.”
“No need to hide anything. We’re all here to help any way we can. Morning sickness bad?” Dragon asked.
Alice nodded. “All-day sickness is more accurate. Admiral’s been hovering like I’m made of glass.”
“I do not hover,” Admiral protested, though his protective glance toward his wife suggested otherwise.
Dragon smiled. “Of course not. You just happen to be in the same room as Alice at all times purely by coincidence.”
