Chapter 8 - THE OTHER EMILY
The woman was Claire Bennett, a former Army intelligence specialist.
Similar height.
Surgically altered face.
Voice training based on my speeches and calls.
Carter Defense recruited her after my promotion to colonel.
If I discovered the company’s crimes, Claire could appear in compromising footage or issue false orders.
She had already attended two remote meetings under my identity.
The family’s contempt for my uniform had hidden their dependence on it.
Claire released Madison because Carter Defense promised to locate her missing son.
The promise was false.
When she learned that, Claire surrendered.
She revealed Madison had gone to the old Carter manufacturing plant.
Noah’s training records, Sophie’s samples, and the original trust server were stored there.
Federal teams entered.
Madison broadcast herself from the factory floor.
She held a sealed envelope identical to mine.
She said it contained proof I ordered the defective armor substitution.
The signature inside was mine.
Real.
I remembered signing blank inspection acknowledgments during a deployment briefing.
My father had inserted new text.
Authentic signature.
False consent.
Then Madison held up a phone.
Liam appeared on screen inside a dark room.
My son was supposed to be with military family protection.
May you like
The boy beside me in the secure center might not be Liam.
The replacement scheme had reached us again.
