MY BILLIONAIRE FATHER DISOWNED ME 26 YEARS AGO BECAUSE I CHOSE TO JOIN THE MILITARY

"Marcus," I said, turning to General Vance, my voice instantly transitioning into full combat command. "Scramble my transport back to Fort Meade. Cancel my leave."

Vance didn't ask questions. He saw the look in my eyes—the exact same look I had when our forward operating base was ambushed outside Sangin in 2011. He immediately pulled his radio from his belt. "Detail Alpha, bring the General’s vehicle to the West Basement exit now. Code Amber."

"What is it, Kate?" Vance asked as we moved swiftly down the Colonnade toward the awaiting black Chevy Suburban.

"Arthur’s greed wasn't the only crime committed here," I told him, the words clipped and sharp. "The Cypriot company that sold Trevor the downgraded microchips? It wasn't an ordinary contractor scam. Fort Meade just found an active hardware backdoor embedded in the Aegis drone guidance modules."

Vance’s face went completely gray. "A foreign exploit? In our primary autonomous strike fleet?"

"If those drones had deployed to the Seventh Fleet next month as scheduled," I said, "an adversary could have neutralized every autonomous asset in the Pacific theater with a single broadcast pulse. Arthur didn't just commit fraud, Marcus. He walked our national defense directly into an ambush."

We reached the SUV. The Marine driver snapped to attention, holding the heavy armored door open.

Before I could get in, another Secret Service agent jogged up the driveway, holding an evidence bag containing Arthur Mercer’s personal belongings, including his gold-plated smartphone which was buzzing incessantly.

"General Mercer," the agent said breathlessly. "The suspect, Arthur Mercer, requested that this call be routed to you. He claims it's his primary financial broker in Zurich, but the number is routing through an encrypted relay in Hong Kong."

I took the evidence bag, pulled the phone out through the plastic, and looked at the screen.

The caller ID was masked, showing only an alphanumeric string: **ARCHANGEL-7**.

I hit accept and pressed the phone to my ear, remaining silent.

For three seconds, there was only the hollow hiss of a satellite delay. Then, a low, smooth voice with a faint European cadence spoke through the line.

"Mr. Mercer. We see that the White House reception did not conclude according to your expectations. The transfer of the Aegis source code was supposed to be confirmed thirty minutes ago."

My blood ran like liquid ice through my veins.

"Arthur Mercer is in federal custody," I said, my voice dropping to a gravelly, lethal whisper. "And you are speaking to General Katherine Mercer."

A long pause hung over the line.

Then, the voice laughed—a dry, chilling sound that carried no amusement.

"Ah. The prodigal daughter," the man said smoothly. "General, we anticipated your father’s incompetence. Arthur Mercer was a blunt instrument—loud, arrogant, and easily manipulated by his own narcissism. But if you think arresting an old man and his foolish stepson stops the deployment of Project Aegis, you are gravely mistaken."

"We’ve already initiated the purge of the Huntsville facility," I countered. "The supply chains are locked down. Every component Trevor purchased is being crushed and incinerated."

"Is it?" the voice whispered. "Check your logistics manifest for the USS *Gerald R. Ford*, General. The Aegis pre-production test units were delivered to the flight deck forty-eight hours ago. And the sea trials began at noon."