Hillary's video signal was cut off, leaving the briefing room in dead silence.
Twelve officers sat around the long table, everyone having heard the conversation just now.
The volume of the encrypted speaker was loud enough that Hillary's every word, every change in tone, was as clear as if she were present in the room.
Delta Force Commander Hilt was the first to stand.
"Commander," Hilt said, "We will hold. Delta Force never backs down."
The other officers nodded in agreement, with some muttering in low voices and others just straightening their backs.
But Lemont saw something else in their eyes—despair.
Declaring not to back down was merely to maintain the honor of Delta Force.
They knew very well that they had been abandoned.
Not by the enemy, but by the nation they swore allegiance to, by those who sat in secure offices issuing orders.
