Chapter 12 - What Varenne Did
Varenne stared at the screen.
“No.”
Nobody spoke.
The video continued.
He opened the vehicle’s brake access panel.
Reached inside.
Then stepped away.
Fifteen minutes later, Mercer climbed onto the vehicle.
Léa felt her pulse pounding in her ears.
Varenne looked at Delcourt.
“Where did you get this?”
“Range security archive.”
“That camera was offline.”
“It was supposed to be.”
Cutter turned away.
Even he understood what the video meant.
Varenne shook his head.
“You don’t understand.”
Léa faced him.
“Then explain.”
“I wasn’t sabotaging it.”
“You opened the brake panel.”
“I was checking it.”
“At night?”
“Yes.”
“After a mechanic declared the vehicle unsafe?”
Varenne looked toward Cutter.
The general said nothing.
That silence broke something inside him.
Varenne laughed.
A broken sound.
“You son of a bitch.”
Cutter stared ahead.
Varenne pointed at him.
“He told me to clear the maintenance hold.”
Cutter replied calmly.
“You are making accusations because you were caught.”
“He said the vehicle only needed to complete one demonstration.”
Léa asked, “Why?”
Varenne looked at her.
“Visitors were coming the next morning.”
“Government officials?”
“Yes.”
“Readiness inspection?”
“Yes.”
Thomas swore.
Varenne continued.
“We needed every vehicle operational on paper.”
“So you opened the brake system?”
“I was looking for the pressure sensor.”
“Why?”
“So the system wouldn’t display the warning.”
Everyone went silent.
Léa felt anger replace shock.
“You disabled the warning.”
“I didn’t know the brakes would fail.”
“You knew the vehicle was unsafe.”
Varenne’s voice cracked.
“I thought Mercer would drive it fifty yards.”
“He almost died.”
“I KNOW!”
His shout echoed across the range.
He covered his face.
For the first time, Lieutenant Colonel Marc Varenne looked small.
Not powerful.
Not frightening.
Just trapped.
Cutter said, “This man is clearly unstable.”
Varenne looked at him.
“You knew Mercer saw the stolen parts.”
Cutter’s expression remained blank.
“You told Sloan to make sure the investigation blamed Mercer.”
“No.”
“Sloan offered Delcourt sixty thousand.”
Sloan stared at the ground.
Varenne turned toward him.
“Tell them.”
Sloan said nothing.
“TELL THEM!”
Sloan finally looked up.
“You signed the altered report.”
Varenne froze.
“And you changed the database.”
“Because Cutter ordered it.”
“You did it.”
“So did you!”
Their alliance was gone.
Léa watched years of conspiracy collapse in less than five minutes.
Not because anyone forced them.
Because each man desperately wanted the others to carry more guilt.
Hale spoke into the satellite phone.
“Did you get all of that?”
A federal investigator answered through the speaker.
“Every word.”
Cutter finally lost his composure.
“You cannot record a four-star officer without proper authorization.”
The investigator replied.
“General, you were informed this call was active.”
Hale looked at Cutter.
“I told you they were listening.”
His face hardened.
“This is not finished.”
Léa stepped closer.
“No.”
She looked toward Inès.
Then Thomas.
Then Delcourt.
“It isn’t.”
Because there was still one person missing.
Daniel Mercer.
The soldier nearly killed by Vehicle 4417.
The witness who had been threatened into silence.
Léa looked at Delcourt.
“Call him.”
Delcourt hesitated.
“Léa.”
“He deserves to hear this.”
Delcourt dialed.
No answer.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Thomas frowned.
“He was watching the cameras forty minutes ago.”
Delcourt checked another number.
Still nothing.
Then his phone received a text from Mercer.
May you like
Only five words.
THEY FOUND MY FAMILY. HELP.
