Chapter 2 - The Silent Radio
Seeing Miller dead in the water sent a fresh wave of ice straight through my veins.
He was the only person outside of the agency director who knew my true identity and the real purpose of my mission.
I hauled his lifeless body closer to the crate, desperately checking his neck for a pulse that I knew wasn't there.
His tactical vest was completely soaked in blood, meaning whoever killed him had done it recently, right before throwing him overboard.
I unclipped a waterproof pouch from his belt, hoping to find his field notes or some clue about who compromised our operation.
Inside the pouch was a heavily encrypted digital map of the Resolute, with a flashing red dot hovering precisely over Deck Four.
Deck Four was supposedly an abandoned storage sector, but the flashing dot suggested it was the center of everything.
I carefully placed the digital map into my pocket and turned my attention back to the satellite radio inside the orange crate.
I powered the device on, praying that the saltwater hadn't destroyed the internal battery or the main transmitter.
The green light flickered to life, emitting a low burst of static that sounded like music to my freezing ears.
I pressed the transmit button, holding the heavy plastic microphone close to my lips to block the sound of the ocean wind.
"This is NCIS Agent Hannah Cole, requesting immediate extraction at my GPS coordinates, over."
The radio crackled with heavy interference for a long moment, making me wonder if the signal was even reaching a satellite.
Then, a voice finally cut through the static, but it was not the emergency Coast Guard dispatcher I had been expecting to hear.
"I have to admit, Petty Officer, you swim much better than I anticipated."
My blood ran completely cold as I instantly recognized the arrogant, drawling voice of Colonel Victor Kane.
"I found your little evidence packet hidden under your bunk, Agent Cole."
May you like
He laughed softly into the microphone, the sound echoing chillingly across the empty, darkening ocean.
"The cleanup crew is already on their way to your coordinates, so just try to relax and let the water take you."
