The federal agent walked directly past Dr. Price and stopped in front of me. He looked at the name tag I had left on the counter, then back at my face.

“Nora Bennett?” the agent asked, his voice clipping the air.

“Yes,” I replied.

“We just received an emergency clearance update from the Department of Defense,” the agent said, pulling a encrypted tablet from his jacket. “The general’s personal medical directive was updated six months ago in case of an acute encephalopathy event. It states that under no circumstances is any medical treatment to be administered without the review of a specialist named Sergeant Nora Bennett, formerly of the United States Army Medical Corps.”

Dr. Price gasped, looking between the agent and me. “Sergeant? She’s an ICU nurse!”

“She was a combat medic attached to the Tier One Joint Special Operations Task Force,” the agent corrected coldly, not even giving Price the courtesy of a glance. “The general survived a black-budget operation in 2018 because of her. And apparently, he just survived this afternoon because of her as well.”

The agent turned the tablet toward Victor Hale. “Mr. Hale, the suspension against Miss Bennett is formally overridden by federal authority. Furthermore, this facility is no longer secure due to the power grid failure. General Calloway is being transferred to Walter Reed immediately via military transport.”

The agent looked at me, his expression softening into profound respect. “And the general’s orders specify that you are to accompany him on the flight as his primary medical liaison. Will you come with us, Sergeant?”

I looked down at General Calloway. His breathing was even now, the color slowly returning to his cheeks. The secret we shared—the memory of a dark basement, the smell of cordite, and a promise to never leave a man behind—was no longer just a ghost from my past. It was the reason I was standing here.

I looked back at Victor Hale and Dr. Price, who were staring at me with a mixture of awe and absolute terror regarding their own careers.

I didn’t say a word to them. They weren’t worth the breath.

I reached onto the counter, picked up my nursing badge, and clipped it back onto my scrubs.

“Let’s move him out,” I told the agent. “I’m ready.”