Chapter 13 Summary:

Colonel Daniel Weaver of U.S. Army Special Operations Command receives a classified request from CIA operative George Ramsey: identify a retired Green Beret capable of covertly surveilling three highly intelligent individuals flagged by Quest as potential national security threats. Weaver, nearing retirement himself, delegates the search to his young assistant, Lieutenant Daley.

Daley compiles a shortlist of five candidates. One name stands out to Weaver—Captain Mark Peltier, code named Bravo, a highly decorated operator who once led a daring rescue of a downed Night Stalker team in hostile territory. Weaver is surprised to learn that after leaving the service, Peltier never claimed any veterans’ benefits and was recently flagged for accessing a government system from the U.S. Virgin Islands using his old credentials—an unusual but not illegal action.

Weaver instructs Daley to trace the phone number to an address in the Virgin Islands and books a flight to find and meet with Peltier in person. Weaver boards a C-17 military transport plane bound for the islands. As the jet ascends, he reflects on his career and his hope that Peltier—by far the most qualified of the candidates—will accept the mission.