Chapter 4Commanded To Kneel By My Ex Husband

A faint tapping of a keyboard could be heard through the channel.

“Rendezvous will be in Sector E-7. Extraction route… take Route Three.”

Route Three.

The moment she heard the extraction order, Lexi was nearly in tears of relief. “We’re saved!”

But I cut her off, my voice hoarse and cold.

“Route Three is the emergency plan for ‘Catastrophic Failure’ or ‘Total Exposure.’”

“That route is completely open ground, exposed for its entire length. Taking one hundred-plus slow-moving civilians down that route… is sending everyone to a firing squad in an open field.”

I grabbed the comms, roaring with the last of my strength.

“Elias Barrett! This isn’t an extraction route! This is a slaughter route! What is your purpose?!”

“My purpose?”

He chuckled, his tone light, as if discussing the weather.

“The order and the route have been issued. Captain Reed, you are the legendary Raven Lead. Surely, getting a few people out of open ground is a basic skill? Whether you can bring them home… well, that’s your problem now.”

He paused, then delivered the final, devastating line.

“After all, you weren’t so concerned about the route when you left me alone five years ago.”

Lexi was shaking with impotent fury.

We faced two dead ends: bleed out on the position, or walk into the naked death trap of Route Three.

“Captain, what… what do we do?” Lexi’s voice was strained to the breaking point.

I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I reached into the deepest pocket of my gear and pulled out the small, black satellite terminal used for absolute emergencies.

My fingers flew across the cold keys, typing in a sequence of scarlet-lit code: Confirm, Send.

Lexi saw the code flash on the screen and her face went white, her voice shattering.

“That… that’s Raven Protocol 3-1-3… the highest level, All-Hands-Lost Pre-Code…”

“Yes.”

My voice was unnaturally calm.

I tossed the terminal onto the ground, spun around, and faced the terrified, bewildered civilians and my bloodied, yet still standing, teammates.

I drew a deep breath, forcing my voice to cut through the roar of the artillery.

“Fellow citizens! Hear me!”

“The statement I was forced to make was false and coerced!”

“My ex-husband, Commander Elias Barrett, has abused his authority, maliciously vetoed all standard extraction plans, cut off all our support, and forced us onto a lethal retreat route!”

“I have just sent the Raven Team’s Final Annihilation Code to High Command. This is our last report before we are wiped out!”

“I, Nova Reed, and my team, will use our bodies as your final shield, drawing all fire, to rip open a path to safety!”

“If none of us survive, remember his name.”

“Elias Barrett.”

“He is responsible for the deaths of us all.”

The final charge signal was sounded.

“All hands!”

“Prepare to charge! Open the path for our people!”