Val stood in front of the live feed, sipping cold coffee like it might stop the sense of dread crawling up her spine.
"Drone status?"
The tech at her side tapped the screen again. "Lost signal. Complete black-out. No feed. No debris ping either-just... gone."
Val's jaw clenched. "That drone had advanced cloaking. Noise reduction. Reinforced frame. It wasn't supposed to be seen."
The tech gave her a look. "It wasn't seen. It was found."
Val turned away from the monitor, walking back to her desk with cold purpose.
She opened the old file again-Francesca Vale-now stamped with CLASSIFIED: TERMINATED across the front.
She clicked Override.
[CLASSIFIED FILES UNLOCKED: OPERATION ECHO]
Photos. Mission logs. Black-ink redactions.
One clear photo: Frankie in full gear, blood on her face, knife in hand, looking straight at the camera like she knew it was there.
Val stared at it.
"She's not hiding anymore."
She sat down, steepling her fingers.
"She's watching us now."
The tech returned. "Do you want to send another drone?"
Val didn't look up.
"No. Not yet."
She tapped her screen once, pulling up another file.
Reynolds, Robert.
Vital signs: Normal. Resting. No longer pinging distress.
Still with her.
Val's fingers tapped the desk, slow. Calculated.
"Send a message to the team. I want an update from Barnes."
"Just him?"
"Just him."
Because if Francesca Vale was back in play...
Val needed to know just how far gone Bob Reynolds already was.
YOU ARE READING
Code Name: Untraceable
FanfictionShe's not on the roster. She's not in the system. She's not even supposed to be alive. Every mission the Thunderbolts run, she's there-appearing out of nowhere, tearing through enemies like a storm, then vanishing without a trace. One time? Coincide...
