Chapter 17
Boone
The Montana night settles back into silene.
Smoke drifts slowly across the church parking lot.
Five bodies lie scattered near the SUVs.
The sixth man kneels beside Russ’s truck, wrists zip-tied behind his back, breathing hard through the cold air.
Adam stands in front of him, calm and steady.
The way men look when the fight is already over.
“Let’s try this again,” Adam says.
“Who sent you?”
The man shakes his head.
“I told you. I don’t know.”
Russ snorts.
“That answer’s getting old.”
I lean against the side of the truck, studying him.
He's trained.
You can see it in his posture.
Military or contractor.
The kind of man who knows how interrogations work.
Which means he also knows when not to talk.
Mara stands a few feet away near the church steps.
Watching everything.
Quiet.
Observant.
Adam crouches down in front of the prisoner again.
“You knew Boone,” he says calmly.
“Which means you were briefed.”
No answer.
Adam sighs softly.
“Okay.”
He stands up.
Russ glances at him.
“That it?”
“For now.”
Russ looks disappointed. He looks over at Blade.
The radio on Adam’s vest crackles.
“Adam.”
Wren’s voice.
Adam grabs the mic.
“Go ahead.”
“You need to hear something.”
“What’s up?”
A short pause.
Then Wren says quietly.
“The network updated.”
Adam frowns.
“What does that mean?”
“It added new candidates.”
I watch Adam’s expression change slightly.
“Candidates for what?”
“Command.”
Russ glances at me.
“Command?”
Wren continues.
“The system is evaluating operators across multiple teams.”
Adam looks toward me.
“Who’s on the list?”
There’s another pause.
Then Wren answers.
“You are.”
Adam blinks once.
“Well.”
“That’s interesting.”
“And Boone.”
Now everyone looks at me.
Russ chuckles softly.
Blade shakes his head.
“Congratulations.”
I shake my head.
“That’s not good news.”
“No,” Adam agrees.
“It isn’t.”
Mara shifts slightly near the church.
She’s listening.
Adam notices.
His eyes move toward her.
“You seem calm about this.”
Mara meets his gaze.
“I’ve known about the system for a while.”
Russ raises an eyebrow.
“That would’ve been helpful earlier.”
“I tried to warn him,” she says, nodding toward me.
I push off the truck.
“Then start explaining.”
Adam folds his arms.
“Yeah.”
Mara hesitates for a moment.
Like she’s deciding how much to reveal.
Then she walks closer.
“The Architect built a selection model.”
“For what?” Adam asks.
“Leadership.”
Russ frowns.
“Leadership for what?”
“Of the network.”
I shake my head.
“You’re telling me someone spent years building a national emergency-response system…”
“Yes.”
Russ lets out a low whistle.
“That’s ambitious.”
Adam’s voice stays calm.
“Why us?”
Mara looks directly at me.
“Because you’ve already proven you can lead people in chaos.”
I don’t like that answer.
“Tested how?” I ask.
She gestures toward the church.
“Tonight.”
Russ turns slowly toward her.
“You’re saying the attack…”
“…was part of the evaluation.”
Adam’s jaw tightens.
“You set Boone up.”
“No,” Mara says quickly.
“I warned him.”
That’s not the same thing.”
She exhales slowly.
“The Architect predicted Boone would come back tonight.”
Russ shakes his head.
“This keeps getting better.”
Adam studies her carefully.
“What does the Architect want with Boone?”
“To see how he reacts under pressure.”
“Well,” Russ mutters, “he reacts by shooting people.”
“Exactly.”
The prisoner suddenly laughs.
A sharp, bitter sound.
Everyone turns toward him.
Adam steps closer again.
“You find something funny?”
The man looks at me.
“You think you’re investigating the network.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not.”
I step forward slowly.
“Then what are we doing?”
His smile widens slightly.
“You’re being measured.”
Adam’s voice drops.
“Measured for what?”
The prisoner glances toward the dark church behind us.
Then back at me.
“For whether you’re strong enough to lead what’s coming.”
Russ shakes his head.
“I hate cryptic people.”
Adam leans down closer to the man.
“One more question.”
“What?”
“Where is the Architect?”
The prisoner’s smile fades.
“I don’t know.”
Adam studies his face.
He believes him.
Which means the Architect is still several layers removed from this operations.
That’s not good.
I look back toward Mara.
“You’ve seen him?”
She hesitates.
Then nods once.
“Yes.”
“Who is he?”
She shakes her head slowly.
“I don’t know his real name.”
Russ groans,
“You’re killing me.”
“But I do know one thing,” Mara continues.
Adam watches her carefully.
“What?”
Her voice lowers slightly.
“The Architect believes something is coming.”
“What kind of something?” I ask.
She looks toward the dark horizon beyond the town.
The mountains rising in black silhouettes against the night sky.
Then she answers quietly—
“The kind of collapse that takes governments with it.”
Silence settles across the parking lot.
Because if she’s right—
This network isn’t just a conspiracy.
It’s a contingency plan.
And someone has already decided we’re going to be part of it.