Chapter 6 - The Setup
The loading dock of the Franklin VA Medical Center was empty, save for a single, rusted laundry transport truck parked in the bay. The cold morning air felt like a shock to Lily’s lungs as they stepped out of the heavy steel doors.
The sky was a dull, bruised purple, the first light of dawn just starting to break over the city skyline.
Lily helped Caleb into the passenger seat of the transport truck, her fingers checking the keys in the ignition. They were there—hanging from a heavy brass ring in the steering column.
"We need to get you to a private clinic," Lily said aloud, her voice tight with worry as she started the engine. "Your oxygen is too low. You're going into multi-organ failure if we don't get a chest tube in you within the hour."
Caleb didn't look at her. He was staring at the small, folded paper in his hand. He tapped her shoulder, his fingers moving with a sense of urgency that defied his physical exhaustion.
The clinic on 4th Street, he signed. Dr. Aris. He was Navy. He knows who I am. He won't ask questions.
Lily nodded, throwing the heavy truck into reverse and backing out of the loading bay just as the high-pitched wail of police sirens began to echo from the front of the hospital.
As they sped through the quiet, empty streets of the city, the adrenaline began to drain from Lily's system, leaving behind a cold, hollow dread. She knew what would happen next. Concincaid and Trevor would report her for patient kidnapping, assault on federal guards, and theft of a hospital vehicle. Her face would be on every local news station by noon.
The quiet, invisible life she had spent four years building was gone.
"Why did you do it?" Caleb's hand on her shoulder broke her train of thought. He was watching her, his eyes filled with a quiet, paternal concern that she hadn't seen since her training officer had died in Karachi.
Because they thought you were weak, Lily signed back, her left hand keeping the heavy transport truck steady on the road. And because I know what it feels like to be left to die in a room full of people who are supposed to protect you.
Caleb stared at her for a long moment, then slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, encrypted thumb drive, placing it on the console between them.
The manifests are just the beginning, he signed. The shipyard was shipping more than weapons. They were shipping people. Specifically, young women from Eastern Europe. The manifests have the destination coordinates. One of them is a warehouse owned by Concincaid's private investment firm.
Lily felt her blood run cold. The pieces of the puzzle suddenly slammed together with a terrifying, heavy thud.
This wasn't a military operation. It was a trafficking ring, operating under the cover of diplomatic transport and federal medical facilities. And Caleb Ror had accidentally intercepted the shipping data during his final deployment in the Arabian Sea.
"We can't go to the police," Lily said, her voice shaking as she realized the scale of the conspiracy. "If Concincaid is connected to this, the local field office is probably compromised too."
That's why I needed the Sparrow, Caleb signed, a grim smile on his face. I knew you were still out there. I knew you would come when the light went out.
May you like
Lily looked at the thumb drive on the console. The small blue light on it was blinking quietly, like a tiny, mechanical heart.
"Let's go see Dr. Aris," she said, her voice hardening with a cold, unstoppable resolve. "And then, we’re going to burn this whole thing down."
