Silence on the line. The satellite static hissed in my ear.

When Harrison spoke again, he lowered his voice — the tone he used interrogating high-value targets, a lethal calm that promised violence. “Claire, do not start a war you lack the firepower to finish.”

I took a slow sip of scotch. “Harrison, the war ended at 0900 this morning. You just didn’t notice you’d lost your command codes.”

I cut the connection and hard-blocked his frequency. I slept better than I had in sixty months. Until 04:30.

Chapter 3 — The Breach

That was when I woke to a sound no civilian should ever hear inside their own home.

Not a knock. Not a lockpick. The high-pitched whine of a breaching charge being adhered to reinforced steel.