Page 79 of Code Name: Tank
She glanced around the room.
“My administrative leave wasn’t due to a family emergency. I went undercover while we conducted a search-and-rescue op.”
The silence that followed was profound. Piper tensed beside me.
“Search and rescue?” Admiral asked.
Before Brenna could respond, footsteps in the corridor announced another arrival. The door opened, and Cory Pierce entered the command center.
He looked better than when we’d last seen him—recovered from whatever the Zaristani had used to sedate him. He was clean-shaven and wearing a crisp button-down shirt and dark slacks. But more than his physical appearance, there was a clarity in his demeanor that had been missing during his time with K19 Sentinel Cyber.
Piper’s breath caught, and her entire body went rigid. I shifted to position myself between her and Flint.
“Hello, everyone,” he said, his gaze finding hers. “I apologize for the deception, but mission security required maintaining my cover.”
Brenna gestured for Flint to take a seat.
“Agent Pierce has been working with the DOJ on a long-term investigation into foreign financial operations targeting US defense systems. The Prague mission three years ago uncovered evidence of coordinated thefts.”
Flint nodded. “I found indicators of systematic theft backed by Zaristani intelligence. When I tried to look deeper, they put a bounty on my head. Going into witness protection was the only way to survive.”
“But you kept working the case,” said Alice.
“I had to. The ramifications of what they were doing were too great to ignore.” His expression turned grim. “When Secretary Hartwell approached the DOJ about bringing in K19 Sentinel Cyber, it raised questions, given it was unusual.”
“What did you discover?” Emma asked.
“Ultimately, that Hartwell was being blackmailed.”
Flint’s voice carried deep regret.
“The Zaristani had been leveraging old financial irregularities against him for years, then escalated to threatening his family when he tried to resist.”
“He still did it,” Piper said, her voice controlled but strained. “He still authorized those thefts. Millions of dollars meant for defense systems.”
Flint nodded. “He did. He told me he tried to find other ways, but when they threatened his wife and children…” He paused. “He brought in K19, hoping you’d expose the Zaristani connection without revealing his involvement. He was trying to find a way out that wouldn’t get his family killed.”
His eyes met Piper’s. “And he was trying to protect you.”
“Before you disappeared, you said you had evidence,” she said, her voice steady despite the emotion I could hear underneath.
“I was close to proving the Zaristani connection, but I needed to get away from the compound to gather the final pieces. Brenna arranged for extraction, but we were ambushed en route.”
Brenna leaned forward. “That’s when I went dark.”
“At the cabin,” Flint said, “I learned the whole truth. Hartwell was trapped in an impossible situation, but one where he’d already committed serious crimes. The massive theft that happened during the rescue was the Zaristani’s exit strategy. They planned to kill us both once the money was safely transferred.”
The room fell silent as the implications sank in.
“James died trying to protect me,” Piper whispered. “But he also betrayed his oath. Put American soldiers at risk.”
The words came out flat and emotionless.
“He did,” Flint confirmed. “He chose your safety over his own survival.”
I watched Piper struggle with this new understanding of Hartwell’s final actions.
“The encrypted message with coordinates,” Admiral said, “that was you?”
