Chapter 9 - The Second Page
Mason remembered chaos after explosion.
Smoke.
Casualty reports.
Communications failing.
Rachel being transported.
Sloan brought stack of emergency forms.
Mason signed multiple evacuation and reassignment documents.
One packet had carbonless continuation page.
He never read it fully.
That was negligence.
But was second page later substituted?
Document examination answered.
Mason's genuine signature had transferred through carbon sheet onto lower page at same time.
He had physically signed packet containing witness-separation authorization.
He did not knowingly approve erasing names.
But he signed without reading.
Sloan insisted Mason knew.
Who was telling truth?
Rachel stopped relying on expressions.
Evidence.
Recovery archive contained draft metadata.
Witness-separation form created at 01:48 by Sloan workstation.
At 01:52 changed by Gabriel North account.
At 01:55 printed.
Explosion occurred earlier that evening.
Mason signed around 02:05.
Then digital alterations began 02:14.
North account involvement looked damning.
But Ross said North built recovery mechanism.
Why modify form?
Recovered version showed his change.
Original Sloan draft:
REMOVE SUBJECT PERSONNEL FROM RAVEN ATTACHMENT.
North changed to:
TEMPORARILY RESTRICT CONTRACTOR ACCESS TO SUBJECT PERSONNEL RECORDS PENDING IG REVIEW. DO NOT ALTER MILITARY ASSIGNMENT HISTORY.
North had made form safer.
Someone printed earlier version anyway.
Printer spool proved two copies.
Sloan workstation printed original.
North printed corrected copy.
Which Mason signed?
Original.
North tried stop it.
That placed Sloan closer.
Brooks obtained Sloan financial records.
No mysterious millions.
No Harbor ownership.
But one $85,000 consulting payment two years after retirement.
From Harbor Response.
Sloan said legitimate training consultancy.
Contract existed.
Work product thin.
Suspicious.
Then Evelyn Shaw admitted she authorized payment.
“Why?”
“Vane told me Sloan had helped company during crisis.”
“What help?”
“He contained an administrative misunderstanding.”
Rachel felt cold.
“What misunderstanding?”
“Raven Twelve accusations.”
Shaw claimed she didn't know records were falsified.
She believed Sloan helped reconcile erroneous field reports.
Then Thomas Vane’s old emails were subpoenaed from acquisition archive.
One message to Sloan:
FOUR WITNESSES CAN BE HANDLED THROUGH PROTECTED STATUS. CARTER IS PROBLEM BECAUSE INJURY MAKES HER VISIBLE. KEEP HER MEDICAL UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT SHE REMEMBERS.
Rachel read twice.
There it was.
Vane wanted Rachel treated as unreliable while four witnesses were hidden behind protected status.
Sloan replied:
UNDERSTOOD.
That was ugly.
But still not proof Sloan executed digital changes.
Next email:
NORTH REFUSES TO PROCESS CORRECTION. I’LL HANDLE THROUGH MASON.
Sloan.
Then:
MASON SIGNED PACKET. HE DIDN’T READ ANNEX.
Sloan knew.
Mason had been used.
Not innocent overall—his careless signature enabled action and later he failed investigate—but not architect.
Then final email:
ROOT COMPLETE. HALE WILL NEVER SEE IT UNLESS SOMEBODY REOPENS AUDIT.
Sender:
P.SLOAN.
Recipient:
T.VANE.
Rachel stared.
Sloan had lied.
But mystery still had one layer.
If Sloan and Vane did this, why was Gabriel North missing?
And why had North waited years rather than expose recovery file?
Ross answered:
“He didn't wait.”
“What does that mean?”
“He tried in 2020.”
“What happened?”
Ross looked at Hale.
“Someone inside government told him the audit had been closed and threatened prosecution if he retained copied records.”
“Who?”
Ross slid letter across table.
It bore Hale’s signature.
Again.
Hale stared.
“That isn't mine.”
May you like
Another forged order.
Someone had continued using system after deployment.
