Chapter 15 #2
Graves's abrupt welcome breaks the chatter in the room.
“Evening, Ashfall.” He strolls right into the center of the room, the tablet in his hand discarded to the desk with a loud clatter.
Hawk casually struts in after him, leaning against the far wall.
There's none of his cheery aura or greeting. I’m guessing he had his ass handed to him by Graves when we got back.
More footsteps coming down the corridor make my ears prickle, and I turn to see 656 fill the space.
Rhaine, Hunter and Gunner come and greet us all, and chatter starts up again as we haven’t seen them in months.
Casual greetings and pleasantries fill the room.
Graves clears his throat, a non-vocal command to beckon the room for his focus.
“We've had progress on the logo we've been investigating these last three weeks. We were able to track a newly formed website to an IP address, and low and behold it links to the club you guys operated through last night.” He doesn’t look pleased upon his mention of last night.
“Aside from that, as you know, 656, we've been monitoring movements the last couple of weeks. Volokov’s men have been offloading cargo to a separate warehouse north of here, but there's been no movement the last couple of days. We're continuing to monitor.”
My stomach churns at the new information.
It’s so clear now - Noc is tangled up in all of this.
How did I not piece it together sooner? Volokov faked killing him, Noc using him as a scapegoat - an illusion that allowed him to slip right back into his grasp, because it can only be him that he leaked all the intel to.
Hawk takes the opportunity to step in, his own tablet in hand.
He turns the screen toward us. “Our comms team was intercepted last night while we were at the hotel” he says.
"Nothing serious, just a link to a site we managed to decode.” He pauses, then adds, “And this is what was sent.”
It’s a website - just a single page. The background is a washed-out grey, except for the tattered eagle in the center. Its red eye pulses steadily, a quiet but unmistakable warning, exactly like the logo. Beneath it, there’s words in a bold and demanding font.
The Truth Will Always Prevail, Commander’
I glance over at Graves. He looks livid, Hawk likely stole his dramatic reveal, and it’s clear he’s not thrilled about it.
The two lock eyes, tension simmering between them.
Graves finally relents, shifting his focus back to us.
“Nocturne is behind this,” he says, his voice measured but heavy with certainty.
“Since he revealed himself last night, he’s upping his game.
He knows you’ve reported him back, Nyx. 656 has been debriefed on our previous intel, and the events of last night. ”
I feel Gunner’s eyes on me before I even turn.
The vulnerable part of me wants me to shrink away, to fold into myself under the weight of shame.
Fuck that. Fuck him. Fuck anyone who has something to say about my relationship with Noc.
I was just as naive as anyone else would’ve been - or at least, that’s what I tell myself.
If they’ve got a problem? I’ll settle it like an adult, my version of it anyway.
“As I was saying,” Graves’s voice is still edged with a deadly tone.
“We'll be continuing to monitor this to see where they're headed next.
We know he's working with Volkov, and likely has been this whole time.
We need to take them down. We'll check back in when there's progress. Dismissed.”
Our unit rises to leave, but I pause as I hear my name. “Nyx, can I have a word?” Great. I turn to Graves as he leans against the table, and I take the closest seat to him. “Yes sir?”
He folds his arms and steadies his features.
“I know last night would have been hard for you. You may have thought no one knew about you and Nocturne, but I did.” I try to fight the heat that wants to sear my cheeks.
“It was obvious at the Seattle base.” I shift uncomfortably in my seat before I clear my throat.
“I don’t believe any regulations were broken at the time, Sir.
He wasn't in my direct chain of command.
I had no idea that he'd done anything he has been accused of.”
That maybe wasn't the right word, because the fury Graves had barely managed to suppress resurfaces instantly. “Accused?” he huffs out a sharp laugh “Nyx, he wasn't accused. He is downright guilty - I have the evidence to prove it. Years of it. I understand that might be hard to accept, but it’s the truth.” He exhales, moving to sit beside me. “There's something I’ve never told you,” His voice goes quieter. “At the time we weren’t certain. But once the truth was uncovered, General James, who then took your mother’s place, wanted to keep it quiet.
Director Burrows agreed. But I’m willing to break the silence - because you need to hear it. ”
My body goes rigid, a creeping unease about what he’s going to tell me.
I don’t need anymore fucking secrets. “We didn't want it getting out,” he pauses as he looks over at me.
“It made us look incompetent, an enemy embedded within our military, a special force officer - right under our noses. So, the investigation was sealed.” I stare at him, unblinking, barely aware of the dryness stinging my eyes as I hang on to every word.
“Your mother knew what Nocturne was doing,” I force a swallow, my throat feels like it's coated in sand, I want to tell him to stop, but I can’t find my voice.
“She asked me to help her with the case.” The temperature now plummets.
Goosebumps forming along my arms. He sighs as his eyes shift to the corridor behind me before fixing me with an unwavering glare.
“'I’ll spare you the details, Brodie, but your mother didn’t die in an explosion in Cairo. Nocturne had her killed.”