Chapter 4 - Shadows of Kabul
Chief Thomas Vance of the Ashford Police Department walked into the house, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of heavily armed special forces operators standing in a suburban living room. When he saw his own lieutenant zip-tied on the floor, his jaw dropped.
"What in God's name is going on here?" Chief Thomas demanded, looking between me and Agent Vance. "Who authorized this military presence in my town?"
Agent Vance stepped forward, presenting the federal warrant. "Defense Intelligence Agency, Chief Thomas. Your officer here just assaulted General Voss and intercepted a classified Pentagon transmission. We are taking control of the scene under federal emergency protocols."
Chief Thomas looked at me, his eyes scanning my uniform pants and the authoritative stance I held. He knew who I was—or at least, he knew of my family—but he had no idea I had reached the rank of General.
"Evelyn?" Thomas said, his voice softening. "Is this true? Frank assaulted you?"
"He handcuffed me while I was speaking directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief Thomas," I said clearly. "He then drew his weapon and forced me to the ground, causing physical injury. Your lieutenant has a severe problem with authority when it doesn't belong to him."
Frank started to yell. "Chief, she's exaggerating! She was acting suspicious! She refused to identify who she was talking to! I thought she was a threat!"
"Shut up, Frank!" Chief Thomas snapped, turning a harsh gaze onto his subordinate. He looked back at me, rubbing his temples. "General, I apologize deeply for his actions. Frank has... a history of being overzealous. But a federal arrest? Can we handle this internally? It will ruin the department's reputation."
"This isn't an internal police matter anymore, Chief," I said. "This goes far beyond a domestic dispute. Frank’s sudden hostility toward me isn't just about his ego. It's about what I was discussing on that secure line before he broke in."
The room grew quiet. Frank’s eyes flickered with a sudden, sharp panic. It was a look I recognized—the look of a target who realized their cover had been blown.
"What are you talking about?" Frank whispered, trying to sound innocent.
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I took the secure phone from Agent Vance, who had retrieved it from the kitchen. I tapped the screen, displaying a series of encrypted file logs that had been downloading just before Frank attacked me.
"I didn't come home just to visit my mother, Frank," I said, looking down at him. "I came here because the Pentagon tracked a series of highly classified military hardware leaks. Illegal weapon shipments from the Kabul transit operation that ended up on the black market right here in this region. And the local point of contact facilitating the transport through police checkpoints... was you."
