Back at the base of the outpost, Jay fired a signal flare into the sky.
But after waiting half an hour with no zipline descending, Jay grew puzzled.
"What's going on? Didn't we tell Levi to wait for our signal at the outpost?"
Roy frowned. It was only nine in the morning, hours before the agreed-upon two o'clock deadline. Levi shouldn't have left the outpost.
"Could something have happened?" Jay wondered.
At that moment, Drasa, who'd been mostly silent, spoke up.
"There's a secret passage at Amacham that leads up. You can follow me."
Jay hesitated. Drasa's presence at the bottom of the canyon already suggested Amacham was up to something shady.
Who's to say Drasa wouldn't lead them into a trap?
"I think it's worth a shot," Roy said.
Since Drasa had seen Roy's strength and still offered to help, it likely meant she had no ulterior motives—unless she had a death wish.
"Follow me!"
Drasa led Roy and Jay to the base of the opposite cliff, where a cave was hidden behind a cluster of bushes. You'd miss it if you weren't looking closely.
The three crawled into the cave and found an elevator.
"So this is how you got down here?" Jay asked, scanning the surroundings. The cave had clearly been excavated long ago, proof that Amacham had been planning this for a while.
Drasa didn't have much to say. She was just a hired hand for Bartholomew and knew little about the bigger picture.
Luckily, Jay didn't press further. The three stepped onto the elevator, which slowly ascended, soon reaching the top of the canyon.
To their surprise, when they opened the hidden door back into the outpost, they ran into an old acquaintance.
"You're finally back, my dear Drasa," Bartholomew said, lounging in a chair with a smug look. Her expression shifted the moment she saw Roy and Jay emerge.
"And you brought guests? Oh, isn't that Mr. Roy Black?"
Jay and Drasa were in full gear, their faces obscured, but Roy's equipment had been shredded by Asmodeus, making him recognizable.
"Bartholomew. It's you," Roy said.
"Damn it! Why'd you bring him up here?" Bartholomew snapped.
It sounded like Bartholomew knew Roy was part of this operation. Amacham likely had someone on Hammer's warship.
This tech company's reach was terrifying—seemingly infiltrating every department of the federal government.
Bartholomew tried to stay composed. Behind her stood four heavily armed mercenaries holding strange firearms Roy had never seen before.
"Didn't expect to run into you here, Mr. Black. I thought Drasa had taken care of you."
Her words were clearly meant to sow discord, and they worked. Jay subtly stepped away from Drasa, trying to pull Roy with her.
But Roy didn't budge. He patted Drasa's shoulder.
Whatever Drasa's intentions were before, she'd saved Roy once. He judged people by their actions, not their motives.
"Miss Bartholomew, why don't we talk about why you're here? This is a military restricted zone. Even as a Pentagon partner, Amacham needs clearance to enter. Did you get approval?"
Jay snapped out of it. Bartholomew was the real problem here—Drasa was small fry in comparison.
She raised her gun, aiming at Bartholomew. The four mercenaries behind Bartholomew mirrored her, aiming at Jay.
The tension in the outpost became palpable, like a powder keg ready to blow.
"Bartholomew, answer Black's question! Did you sneak into this restricted zone without permission?"
Bartholomew's face darkened. She had snuck in, aiming to silence Drasa.
Drasa had completed her mission and was promised freedom from Amacham—a deal Bartholomew had no intention of honoring. Drasa knew too much, having done plenty of dirty work for her, some even behind the company's back. She had to be eliminated.
To ensure it went smoothly, Bartholomew had come in person to handle Drasa.
But Drasa had brought Roy along, and now Bartholomew was in a bind.
Last time, at the Oak School entrance, Roy had flipped her car in front of her, leaving a lasting impression.
Since then, Bartholomew had been terrified of Roy's retaliation, upgrading her security team. And now, it seemed that decision might pay off.
Her expression softened suddenly.
"Mr. Black, I miscalculated today. How about we call it even and pretend this never happened?"
Roy flashed a bright, sunny smile.
"What do you think?"
Bartholomew was the one at Amacham who'd been targeting Roy. Several of his past troubles traced back to her.
Now that he'd caught her red-handed, there was no way he'd let her slip away.
"Mr. Black, must we make this ugly? Aren't you worried that if a fight breaks out, the two ladies beside you might not make it?"
Threatening him with Jay and Drasa? Roy's smile grew even brighter.
"Miss Bartholomew, I hate being threatened."
The outpost fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was on edge—one wrong move could spark a firefight.
Roy found it odd that Bartholomew was so bold. He'd shown his physical resilience at Oak School, yet she still took such a hard stance.
Did she have some kind of trump card?
Roy studied Bartholomew and her four mercenaries. The most suspicious thing was those unfamiliar firearms they held.
Was that her ace?
After a tense standoff, Bartholomew was the first to crack.
This was military territory. If things got loud and other outposts caught wind, she'd be done for.
"Mr. Black, there's no point in dragging this out. How about this: hand over Drasa, and I'll ensure Amacham never bothers you again. Plus, I'll throw in a hefty compensation."
Jay and Drasa both looked at Roy.
Jay didn't want Roy to compromise—Bartholomew's actions clearly violated military interests.
Drasa felt similarly but for a different reason: she didn't want to be handed over.
Roy, of course, wouldn't betray Drasa, who'd saved him. And he didn't trust Bartholomew one bit.
"I've got a better idea…"
Fear Domain activated!
Roy didn't bother talking further and unleashed his Fear Domain.
Bartholomew instantly succumbed to terror, but to Roy's surprise, the four mercenaries behind her were unaffected, raising their guns to fire.
Roy was faster. In a blur, he drew and fired, planting a .50 caliber "peanut" in each mercenary's head.
As the four hit the ground, Jay and Drasa realized what had happened.
"That's it?" Drasa stared at Roy, incredulous, relieved she'd abandoned her mission. This guy was unbeatable.
"Of course. You two keep an eye on Bartholomew. I'm checking these mercenaries."
It was the first time Roy had seen humans immune to his Fear Domain. Something was off.
Pulling off the mercenaries' masks, Roy was stunned to see all four had identical faces.
Jay, coming over to look, gasped.
"Clones! Damn it, I knew Amacham was up to something!"
It sounded like Jay knew something about clones.
"Jay, care to fill me in?"
Jay nodded, as this didn't seem to involve classified military info.
"About six months ago, Amacham developed cloning tech. It cuts labor costs and handles high-risk tasks, so lots of departments adopted it. The military and FEA got hit hard."
Her words made Roy think of the Ghost Mirror incident. He'd found Paxton's special forces unit suspicious back then—could they have been clones too?
If so, the FEA was deeply compromised. Paxton might be Amacham's man, explaining his control over clones.
With that sorted, Roy ignored the clones and woke Bartholomew with a slap.
Coming to, Bartholomew glared at the trio with venom.
"I've lost. Just kill me!"
"Happy to oblige!"
Roy pressed his Smith & Wesson M500 to her head, but Jay stopped him.
"Black, she's a high-ranking Amacham exec. She knows a lot. If we hand her to General Hammer, it could cripple Amacham."
Jay, the pro intelligence agent, had quickly weighed the pros and cons.
Roy grinned, intrigued. If it meant hitting Amacham harder, he was in.
"Great idea. Let's do it."
Bartholomew's face twisted as she erupted.
"You bitch! Don't think you can use me against the company!"
Surprisingly loyal for someone like her.
Roy yanked off his sock and stuffed it in her mouth to shut her up.
Drasa seized the moment to twist the knife.
"I'll be a tainted witness. I've got recordings of this woman—enough to keep her locked up for a long time."
Drasa was cunning, always recording her missions.
Bartholomew wasn't dumb, though. She used jammers during most in-person meetings, so Drasa's recordings were limited but still damning.
Bartholomew shot Drasa a murderous look, but it was too late.
"Nice work. Tie her up. I'll check on Levi."
Levi hadn't sent the zipline as planned, meaning something was likely wrong.
Given Bartholomew's presence, Roy suspected Levi had been taken out by Amacham's people.
At the outpost's terrace, Roy spotted a figure on the other side of the canyon. The guy ducked back upon seeing him.
Roy took a running leap across the canyon.
The canyon was over a hundred meters wide. The move shocked not just the guy on the other side but Jay and Drasa too.
Midair, Roy realized he'd overestimated himself. At about eighty meters, he started falling, still twenty meters short.
To avoid plummeting, he briefly shifted to Nephilim form, using wings to boost himself, then switched back.
Luckily, Jay and Drasa didn't see, and the guy who did was quickly dispatched by Roy.
But Roy was too late. Levi was dead, killed by Amacham's spy on Hammer's warship.
Roy found a military ID on the guy, who'd likely used his status to enter the outpost and ambush Levi.
This crime would be pinned on Bartholomew too. If she hadn't been caught, she'd have walked free. But now…
"Your Excellency Black, thank you so much!"
Hammer, face grim, shook Roy's hand.
"No need for thanks. I'm just keeping my end of the deal. Just don't forget your promise, General."
"I won't! But thanks are still in order. Without you, this could've spiraled out of control."
Hammer only grasped the situation's complexity after Jay's report. The Laytons' tampering in the base, Amacham's schemes—he'd been clueless.
Worse, there was an Amacham spy on his warship. If that got out, Hammer's career as a lieutenant general was toast.
But with Bartholomew caught and Drasa as a tainted witness, there was a chance to salvage things.
"General Hammer, what's the plan for this woman?"
Hammer's face twisted with disgust.
"She'll face a military tribunal and get what's coming. Amacham's in for a rough time."
Roy smiled. That's exactly what he wanted.
"General, you've got a lot on your plate. I won't keep you."
Hammer nodded.
"Alright, get some rest. Once you're ready, I'll arrange your trip back to the American mainland."
A guard escorted Roy to a room at Fog Island's dock. Jay stayed behind to report more details.
In the room, Roy had just taken off his shirt to crash when someone knocked.
Guess who?