-Kai-
The call came sooner than Kai expected.
The communication screen in the control room lit up, connecting directly to Directorate V. For a brief moment, Kai thought Colonel Voss would appear — the one who knew Liv beyond reports, someone who might ask about her condition before anything else.
But instead, Commander Crowe appeared.
His gaze was cold. Flat. No trace of concern.
"Explain the situation, Major."
Kai stood straight, keeping his voice steady despite the fragments of events still unsettled in his mind.
"Captain Hart lost contact during the operation. The target is still in pursuit. And —" he paused briefly, making sure his next words were clear, "Leon Archer is alive. Captain Hart is currently with him."
A short silence followed. Enough to shift the air in the room.
"I have already halted the operation."
Crowe's tone dropped — firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
"You violated protocol, Major."
Kai clenched his jaw but didn't argue, fully aware that one wrong step here could cost him not only his command but the chance to save Liv.
"With all due respect, Commander," he said, controlled but firm, "the situation in the field is no longer following operational patterns."
Crowe didn't react.
Kai continued, calmer now, more deliberate.
"I'm tracking the target's movement. There's something inconsistent with previous reports."
A pause. Then Crowe cut in.
"There will be no further investigation."
The words came flat — but that only made them heavier.
"Cease all movement until further orders."
Kai frowned slightly.
"With all due respect, Commander, we can't wait," Kai said, his tone deeper now. "Captain Hart is out of range. I need to ensure —"
"Enough, Major."
This time, Crowe didn't leave any room at all.
"I've already halted the operation. That includes any initiative from you."
Kai remained still.
"What about Captain Hart's condition?"
The question slipped out before he could stop it.
Crowe's expression hardened.
"Don't overstep your authority, Major."
A pause.
"If you cannot follow orders, I won't hesitate to pull you out of this unit."
The threat was clear. Unfiltered.
The room behind Kai fell into silence.
But Kai didn't look away.
"Understood, Commander."
His voice returned to neutral. But not the same.
The connection cut.
—
Kai stood there for a few seconds, staring at the now-dark screen.
Something wasn't right.
It should have been Voss. There should have been questions about Liv — not a unilateral decision to shut everything down.
And what bothered him most — Crowe ended it too quickly. As if he didn't want certain things discussed.
Kai exhaled slowly, then turned back toward the main control room.
Everyone was still at their stations.
"Find Leon Archer's last mission data."
The order came calm — but absolute.
Rian moved immediately, pulling up old archives.
A few seconds passed. Then —
"Major…"
Kai stepped closer.
"What?"
"The file exists. But it's locked."
Kai stared at the screen.
"Why?"
Rian shook his head slightly.
"Not standard restriction. This is locked at the central level. Even with our authorization… access denied."
Silence settled again.
Kai didn't react immediately.
This wasn't random. Someone locked this. And that someone was above them.
"Find anything on Leon Archer," Kai said finally. "Any alternate identities he might be using."
A brief pause.
"Including Eclipse Order."
The name made a few people exchange glances.
Eclipse Order. An organization hunted by Directorate V for years — but never truly reached.
They didn't operate like normal groups. They didn't recruit. They took.
The best agents. The best systems. People who couldn't be controlled — and turned them into something else.
Behind it, they controlled illegal arms trades that didn't exist in any known network. Clean routes. Too clean.
Drugs. Unauthorized experiments. Black operations. All under their control.
And the most disturbing part — they erased.
Anyone considered a threat simply disappeared. No trace. No evidence. No body. As if they had never existed.
That was how they survived. Unseen. Untouchable. Always one step ahead.
And now — Leon was part of them.
Kai crossed his arms, his mind reconstructing everything.
They thought they had been hunting Volkov. But the pattern never made sense.
Volkov wasn't running. He was appearing. At the right time. At the right place. As if waiting.
Waiting for something. Or someone.
Kai's jaw tightened.
Liv.
—
"Major…"
Rian's voice broke through again.
"I'm still trying to breach the system."
Kai gave a short nod.
"Keep going."
But his mind was already elsewhere.
There was only one image left — Liv. Standing somewhere he couldn't reach. With someone who was supposed to be dead.
Kai exhaled slowly.
This wasn't just about speed anymore — each minute lost meant Liv was in greater danger, and his own future hung in the balance.
The path he trusted was closing. And for the first time — he needed another way.
"Rian."
His voice was calmer now.
"Contact Colonel Voss."
A brief hesitation.
"Now, Major?"
Kai didn't look away.
"Yes. I need someone who knows Captain Hart… and Leon Archer. Not just from reports."
A pause.
"There are things that were never written down."
Rian moved immediately.
And Kai stayed where he was. Silent. But already moving ahead in his mind.
And this time — he wasn't going to wait for answers. He was going to find them.
—