CHAPTER 44 — THE COMMAND
Daniel raised his gun.
Mason stepped between him and Claire.
“Daniel.”
Daniel’s hand trembled.
“Move.”
“You don’t want to do this.”
“I know.”
“Then lower the weapon.”
“I can’t.”
Claire pushed Lily behind her.
Sarah shouted at Daniel.
“Four! Red door, broken bell!”
Daniel’s eyes flickered.
The gun moved away from Claire for one second.
Mason struck his wrist.
The weapon slid across the floor.
Daniel attacked him.
They crashed into a table.
Rebecca removed the implant from Dana’s neck while Ward tried to disable the ventilation system.
Rose picked up the gun.
She aimed at Daniel but could not fire.
Claire approached him.
“Daniel, look at me.”
He broke free from Mason and grabbed her throat.
Claire did not fight.
“You saved Lily in the hospital.”
His grip tightened.
“You tried to stop the transfer.”
Daniel’s face twisted with pain.
“You are not their command.”
He released her.
Then he turned the gun on himself.
Claire knocked it away.
A hidden panel opened in the safehouse wall.
Margaret stood beside it.
“There is an old maintenance passage.”
Ward stared at her.
“How do you know the federal safehouse layout?”
“Because Gray Tide helped design it.”
They carried Dana into the passage.
Behind them, the memory agent filled the room.
Daniel could barely walk.
Sarah supported him.
“You knew my trigger,” he said.
“We were trained together.”
“Were we friends?”
Sarah’s face remained unreadable.
“You saved my life once.”
“What did I save you from?”
“Claire.”
Daniel looked ahead at Claire carrying Lily.
The passage led to an abandoned subway platform.
A single train waited with its doors open.
No driver sat inside.
The destination sign displayed one word.
BLACKWATER.
Margaret looked at Sarah.
“You called it.”
Sarah shook her head.
May you like
The iron bell began ringing from inside the train.
Daniel whispered, “It called me.”
