There shouldn't have been any alerts blinking on her console at all. Kodiak was practically under lockdown, and she had left specific orders not to be disturbed. Whoever was calling, they were doing so with a clearance level high enough to reach her private line. With a mixture of decisiveness and deep concern, she tapped the call through.
"Director Adenauer."
"I hear you're still looking for me." The voice on the other end was gravelly, like shrapnel in a blender. The sound turned her blood to ice.
"Underwood?" Her accent had already melted away, the affectation replaced by pure disbelief.
"What do you want?" It was definitely him, and the question had thrown her for a loop. It took her precious seconds to formulate a reply.
"I wanted to thank you- for the hard work. We've got what we needed- it's all tied off, it's over." She would've stopped there, but-
"I guess I owe you an apology." The man deserved that, at the very least.
"Is that official?"
"No- no, off the record. You know how it is." They both knew he was supposed to be dead. If the Navy ever caught wind that their old ace was still active and covert, and more or less free of her control already, there would be hell to pay.
"Goodbye-"
"Wait, wait!" Whether he'd already hung up or not, she couldn't tell - she was already too busy leafing through documents. It was here, the one piece of evidence that could convince him to come back.
"Your old ship's here. I have the papers here to prove it. The same Guardian you've been flying since you made Captain - date of manufacture 4/15/817. The agency- we could all use your help in the days to come. Directly."
"Why don't you come in and we'll- talk about it?" Her fingers held her earpiece so tightly she felt it might snap. "Sam?" The silence on the other end was deafening. She couldn't even make out his breathing. The line could have died and she'd never have-
"Get some rest, Eva. You look tired." Before she could even process the words properly, the line had died.
The director whirled around in an instant, her eyes wide and staring, but the Alaskan ice clouds outside were as empty as ever.
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