Volume Two
Chapter Sixteen: Ghost Protocol
16.1
INT. SAFEHOUSE – EARLY MORNING
The air is thick with tension. Maps, printouts, and empty coffee cups litter the table. McGee's fingers fly over the keyboard, eyes darting between lines of code and a digital map. Walter stands behind him, arms crossed, brow furrowed in concentration.
McGee (quietly):
"There's a pattern here—see? Every transfer routes through a shell company in Zurich. But the endpoint is masked. Whoever's behind Project Ghost, they're good."
Walter:
"Not good enough. Cross-reference with the judge's schedule. Find me any anomalies."
Across the room, Olivia and Samara load their weapons. Paige checks the burner phones, making sure they're charged. Penelope paces, reading through the decrypted emails.
Penelope (reading):
"'Phase Two commences at 0900. Target: Justice R. Vasquez. Contingency in place if primary fails.' That's in less than three hours."
Sylvester looks up, anxiety etched on his face.
Sylvester:
"We need to warn the judge. But if we go through official channels—"
Gibbs (interrupting):
"They'll tip off the hitters. We do this ourselves."
Happy (grimly):
"Just another day saving the world before breakfast."