Page 17 of Ashfall
I spot Adam as we enter the command center. He looks at me - at least this time the pity seems to be gone - and pats the seat next to him. I fall into it with a sigh; all I seem to do is expel breath these days. Plus, I owe him an apology. “Adam, look,” but he cuts in. “Don’t apologize, Nyx. I know you’re internally fucking squirming at having to say it in the first place.” Now it’s his turn to sigh. “Even though I'd quite enjoy it after your asshole behavior this morning, it’s not needed. I get it. You're going through it.” I squeeze his arm in silent thanks, knowinghe's saved me from embarrassing myself. Having to talk about my feelings is hard enough, never mind trying to grovel.
Graves's abrupt welcome breaks the chatter in the room. “Evening, Ashfall.” He strolls right into the center of the room, the tablet in his hand discarded to the desk with a loud clatter. Hawk casually struts in after him, leaning against the far wall. There's none of his cheery aura or greeting. I’m guessing he had his ass handed to him by Graves when we got back. More footsteps coming down the corridor make my ears prickle, and I turn to see 656 fill the space.
Rhaine, Hunter and Gunner come and greet us all, and chatter starts up again as we haven’t seen them in months. Casual greetings and pleasantries fill the room. Graves clears his throat, a non-vocal command to beckon the room for his focus. “We've had progress on the logo we've been investigating these last three weeks. We were able to track a newly formed website to an IP address, and low and behold it links to the club you guys operated through last night.” He doesn’t look pleased upon his mention of last night. “Aside from that, as you know, 656, we've been monitoring movements the last couple of weeks. Volokov’s men have been offloading cargo to a separate warehouse north of here, but there's been no movement the last couple of days. We're continuing to monitor.”
My stomach churns at the new information. It’s so clear now - Noc is tangled up in all of this. How did I not piece it together sooner? Volokov faked killing him, Noc using him as a scapegoat - an illusion that allowed him to slip right back into his grasp, because it can only be him that he leaked all the intel to. Hawk takes the opportunity to step in, his own tablet in hand. He turns the screen toward us. “Our comms team was intercepted last night while we were at the hotel” he says. "Nothing serious, just a link to a site we managed to decode.” He pauses, then adds, “And this is what was sent.”
It’s a website - just a single page. The background is a washed-out grey, except for the tattered eagle in the center. Its red eye pulses steadily, a quiet but unmistakable warning, exactly like the logo. Beneath it, there’s words in a bold and demanding font.
The Truth Will Always Prevail, Commander’
I glance over at Graves. He looks livid, Hawk likely stole his dramatic reveal, and it’s clear he’s not thrilled about it.
The two lock eyes, tension simmering between them. Graves finally relents, shifting his focus back to us. “Nocturne is behind this,” he says, his voice measured but heavy with certainty. “Since he revealed himself last night, he’s upping his game. He knows you’ve reported him back, Nyx. 656 has been debriefed on our previous intel, and the events of last night.”
I feel Gunner’s eyes on me before I even turn. The vulnerable part of me wants me to shrink away, to fold into myself under the weight of shame. Fuck that. Fuck him. Fuck anyone who has something to say about my relationship with Noc. I was just as naive as anyone else would’ve been - or at least, that’s what I tell myself. If they’ve got a problem? I’ll settle it like an adult, my version of it anyway. “As I was saying,” Graves’s voice is still edged with a deadly tone. “We'll be continuing to monitor this to see where they're headed next. We know he's working with Volkov, and likely has been this whole time. We need to take them down. We'll check back in when there's progress. Dismissed.”
Our unit rises to leave, but I pause as I hear my name. “Nyx, can I have a word?”Great. I turn to Graves as he leans against the table, and I take the closest seat to him. “Yes sir?”
He folds his arms and steadies his features. “I know last night would have been hard for you. You may have thought no one knew about you and Nocturne, but I did.” I try to fight the heat that wants to sear my cheeks. “It was obvious at the Seattlebase.” I shift uncomfortably in my seat before I clear my throat. “I don’t believe any regulations were broken at the time, Sir. He wasn't in my direct chain of command. I had no idea that he'd done anything he has been accused of.”
That maybe wasn't the right word, because the fury Graves had barely managed to suppress resurfaces instantly. “Accused?” he huffs out a sharp laugh “Nyx, he wasn't accused. He is downright guilty - I have the evidence to prove it.Yearsof it. I understand that might be hard to accept, but it’s the truth.” He exhales, moving to sit beside me. “There's something I’ve never told you,” His voice goes quieter. “At the time we weren’t certain. But once the truth was uncovered, General James, who then took your mother’s place, wanted to keep it quiet. Director Burrows agreed. But I’m willing to break the silence - because you need to hear it.”
My body goes rigid, a creeping unease about what he’s going to tell me. I don’t need anymore fucking secrets. “We didn't want it getting out,” he pauses as he looks over at me. “It made us look incompetent, an enemy embedded within our military, a special force officer - right under our noses. So, the investigation was sealed.” I stare at him, unblinking, barely aware of the dryness stinging my eyes as I hang on to every word.
“Your motherknewwhat Nocturne was doing,” I force a swallow, my throat feels like it's coated in sand, I want to tell him to stop, but I can’t find my voice. “She asked me to help her with the case.” The temperature now plummets. Goosebumps forming along my arms. He sighs as his eyes shift to the corridor behind me before fixing me with an unwavering glare. “'I’ll spare you the details, Brodie, but your mother didn’t die in an explosion in Cairo. Nocturne had her killed.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
nyx
Istand at the perimeter of the base, staring out into the woods. The sun setting just to the east of us, the woodland ahead cast in a haunting glow. The sun piercing between the trunks with streaks of light shining through hitting the earth - it looks almost heavenly. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. Time feels irrelevant. All I know is that I'm devoid of all emotions. No anger. No sadness… Just nothing. I'm a shell of a human being. Hollowed by the loss and betrayal dealt in a short space of time. The after effects are dangerous. They turn someone into a lethal weapon. Someone who knows they’ve nothing to lose anymore. I know I'm a ticking time bomb, waiting for the shock to fade, waiting for the moment to finally go off. I just hope it comes when I'm standing with a gun to Nocturne's head. I had the perfect opportunity.
Footsteps crunching on the gravel sound behind me, but I don’t acknowledge them. I stay still, locked onto the horizon, lost in the vast, consuming nothingness. “Hawk and I overheard you with Graves, but I thought I'd give you time to digest first.” Adam’s voice is low, cautious, like he’s treading carefully. Not wanting to startle the beast forming inside me. I nod, not saying a word, I'm not even sure what would come out of my mouth.My mind isn't my own. “Talk to me, Nyx. You can't keep this all bottled up inside.” I reluctantly break my gaze from the tree line to look at his expression. No, it's not pity - It's worry.
“There's nothing to say Adam. I can't change the past or what happened. Only the future.” I shift my gaze back to the tree line. It offers a strange, unsettling calm, just enough to keep a lid on the darkness slowly bleeding its way beneath my skin.
“That doesn’t fill me with confidence.” His laugh is uneasy beside me as he steps forward, deliberately shifting to block my view. “Don't do anything irrational, Nyx. You can't do it on your own.” I let a wicked smile form break from my static features; it makes him visibly pale. It feels as murderous as the scheme in my head. “When have you ever known me to be anything butrational, Adam?” He’s concerned; I can tell, he’ll be adding me to his watchlist. I can't have that for what I'm about to do.
“I know you, Nyx. You’re plotting. I can only imagine the lengths you’re willing to go to. Which is why you can’t.” I deliberate over my words, eyes cast down at my boots. I put my hand on his shoulder, my grasp firm, giving him a reassuring squeeze before I met his eyes.
“You have nothing to worry about, Adam.” I leave him in the lingering silence as I head back to the quarters. I’ll need to try to get a couple hours of sleep before I head back tohell.
Surprisingly, a sense of peace settles over me as I lay my head on the pillow, or maybe it’s just that my emotions have finally shut down. My alarm is set to vibrate, forcing me to wake in a couple of hours. My bag is packed and ready. I’m going to burnPekloto the ground. I get up and change. Black tactical gear, long-sleeved shirt, bulletproof vest - all in place. My supply bag and belt are loaded with whatever I could grab in the short space of time: explosives, a suppressed Glock 19, a smoke bomb and some other nano-sized device I swiped from the supply room earlier. Thankfully, no one was around when I packed up;everyone’s in bed early, on post-mission rest. I grab my black bomber jacket and pull it on, concealing everything beneath it. My hair is tucked inside, my hat in place. I shove the balaclava into my pocket - it’s only for my entrance.
When I have him on his knees in front of me, he’ll see exactly whose face is responsible for his last breath. I quietly crack open my window - the screws I loosened earlier to let me slip through with ease, avoiding Adam’s watchful eye in the corridor. I stick to the shadows, avoiding open spaces and the gaze of watchtowers, moving like a wraith through blind spots. Once I’m clear, I break into a quiet sprint toward the tree line, pausing only to let my hearing adjust - making sure no one caught onto me.
I get to the vehicle hut, pulling the screwdriver from my pocket as I approach one of the land cruisers. “'You're not gonna leave me out of the fun, are you?” I whip round so fast the screwdriver scrapes the paint on the cruiser's door. “Blitz! What are you doing?” I whisper-yell at her. “Saw gear missing from the supply room, very particular choices and only enough for one person to carry. But enough to blow an entire block out if not carefully thought through. Suspected it was you after the news you've had, so I was waiting outside for you to leave.”
I stare at her, mouth agape, my mind scrambling to catch up. Has Adam just decided to tell the full unit? “Go back, Blitz. I need to do this on my own.” I slip into the land cruiser, shutting the door quietly behind me, but before I can even process it, she’s already in the passenger seat, securing herself with the seatbelt. “Are you deaf?" I snap, turning to her. Shecan’tcome with me. I’ll be dismissed after this. If I’m going out, I’m going out with a bang - alone.
She sighs, shifting to face me fully, her expression unshaken. “I’m not going anywhere, Nyx. I’m coming with you. Not just because you have enough explosives in that bag to cause acatastrophic event - which you’ll kill yourself trying to escape - but because you can’t do this alone. I won’t let you.” Her gaze sharpens, cutting through the silence. “You’re hurting,” her voice is softer now. “I can see it in your face." I twist to stare out on the road ahead, my nails digging into my palms to stop the tears threatening my eyes.
“Betrayal darkens the soul, but if you fuck this up. Kill innocent people? That's a whole other depth you'll go to, and I can't allow that to happen to you, Nyx, you're better than that. So at least let me be your wing woman and we can raise hell together. In a controlled environment of course.” Her smile is genuine as she takes my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. She’s right, and it's annoying. I grabbed anything I could find on a whim; I haven't thought through a strategic enough plan. I just want the world to burn right now.
No. I can’t allow myself to be likehim. Killing innocent people, killing my own flesh and blood. The thought of that threatens the bile to rise again, so I swallow deep and stare ahead. “You could be dismissed for this Blitz, I can't add that to my conscience.”
“You'll be caught if I let you head out alone. But with me? I'll help make it look like a gangland hit, should you decide to go with the bangs. We'll work together and get back in enough time so that no one will suspect a damn thing. Besides...” a devilish smile forms on her lips. “I haven't done anything devious since joining special ops, I need this.” She leans her head back on the headrest. A frustrated breath exhales from me, admitting defeat.
