Code Name: Untraceable

Chapter Twenty-Seven: We're Going Back

The sun rose slowly over the Thunderbolts compound, casting long shadows and lighting up the tension no one had slept through.

Yelena sat on the floor of the hallway, gear spread out in front of her. Her knives were sharp enough to cut through steel, and she'd already cleaned them twice.

Ava walked in with a bag of water bottles and didn't say a word.

John followed, looking like hell. "We're going back."

No one argued.

Alexei was already packing rations.

Bucky came in last, slinging a duffel over his shoulder. "I knew you'd all crack."

Yelena rolled her eyes. "We didn't crack. We made a tactical decision."

"To protect the man who can bench press a tank and still flinches when someone says his name too loud?" John asked.

"Exactly," Ava muttered.

They loaded up: food, water, medkits, silencers, portable dampeners. Everything Bob could've forgotten. Everything he might need.

No jet.

Too loud.

Too obvious.

Too easy for them-whoever was tracking Frankie-to follow.

"We walk," Bucky said. "We keep it quiet."

"Long way to hike," John muttered.

"Good," Yelena replied. "Gives us time to figure out what we're going to say when she threatens to kill us for showing up again."

As they moved out, gear on their backs, silence between them said more than words ever could.

⸻

Back at the bunker...

Frankie sat at the console, eyes burning from hours of no sleep.

Bob was still curled up under the blanket, snoring softly. It should've been irritating. It wasn't.

Her screen pinged.

She froze.

[NEW MESSAGE RECEIVED]
[ATTACHED: IMAGE]
[TEXT: "Tick tock."]

She opened it.

The image was of her.

Sleeping.

Except she hadn't slept.

Which meant-

The photo was old. Staged. From a time she hadn't even realized she was being watched.

The next line appeared:

"You blinked, Francesca."