Chapter 3 - THE CRATE
Daniel’s ring was tied to a strip of red cloth.
Natsu’s old harness had once carried the same fabric.
A rescue marker.
Someone wanted us to know Daniel had survived the avalanche.
Elias admitted he delivered the crate.
He worked for Hale but claimed he had begun helping prisoners escape.
Why now?
Because Daniel had vanished from the detention system three weeks earlier.
Hale believed he had contacted me.
He had not.
But someone had.
The crate contained a map drawn beneath the false bottom.
Three locations.
The mountain site.
Fort Sentinel.
A medical research center in Virginia.
Nguyen recognized Fort Sentinel from restricted transport orders.
Soldiers were being moved there after overseas injuries.
They never returned to active duty.
Ryan whispered, “My brother was sent there.”
That changed his fear.
His older brother Luke had disappeared after a training accident.
Hale’s system reached into his family too.
But Ryan had still chosen to become the kind of man who kicked someone because a superior told him humiliation was useful.
Pain did not excuse character.
The false police breached the outer hall.
Nguyen triggered the fire shutters.
We moved through the kitchen corridor with Natsu leading.
The dog stopped at a laundry cart.
Inside lay a wounded man wearing a cook’s uniform.
Captain Daniel Mitchell.
Older.
Thinner.
Alive.
I touched his face.
His eyes opened.
“Sarah?”
The moment lasted one breath.
Then he said:
May you like
“Don’t trust me yet.”
Read Chapter 4 to learn why Daniel doubted his own identity.
