Volume Two
Chapter Thirteen: The Mole Among Us
INT. COALITION SAFE ROOM – NIGHT
The atmosphere was electric with suspicion. The coalition—now a patchwork of law enforcement, Navy, NCIS, and civilian experts—sat in a tight circle. Gibbs stood at the front, his voice low and commanding.
"We've been compromised. Someone in this room is feeding intel to the enemy. No one leaves until we know who."
Lightman scanned the room, reading micro-expressions, while Olivia and Voight quietly compared notes from recent operations. Penelope and Sylvester, side by side at their laptops, ran digital traces on every coalition member's communications.
Walter (quietly, to Paige):
"We're running out of time. If the mole gets another message out, everything we've built could come crashing down."
Paige:
"We'll find them. We have to."
INT. TECH HUB – LATER
Penelope's fingers danced across her keyboard, eyes darting between code and encrypted logs. Sylvester methodically cross-referenced access times with physical locations.
Penelope:
"Someone's been piggybacking on our internal Wi-Fi. See this spike? It matches the exact moment our plans leaked."
Sylvester:
"And it's coming from… inside the safe room."
They exchanged a worried look.
INT. SAFE ROOM – CONTINUOUS
Lightman stepped forward, his gaze locking on each team member in turn.
Lightman:
"People lie for three reasons: fear, greed, or loyalty to something bigger. I'm going to ask each of you a question. Don't think—just answer."
He moved down the line, rapid-fire questions, watching for the tiniest flicker of guilt or hesitation.
When he reached Lieutenant Commander Samara Bishop, her jaw tightened.
Lightman:
"Who are you really loyal to, Commander?"
Samara met his gaze, steady. "To the truth. And to stopping the people who killed Taylor."
Lightman nodded, but his eyes narrowed. "You believe that. But you're hiding something."
INT. HALLWAY – LATER
Gibbs and Voight cornered McGee, who looked pale.
Gibbs:
"McGee, you accessed the comms logs last night. Why?"
McGee:
"I was following up on a lead from headquarters. I didn't share anything—check my logs."
Voight's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, then at Gibbs. "We've got another breach—this time, a physical one. Someone left the building for ten minutes during the raid."
INT. SAFE ROOM – NIGHT
The coalition reconvened, tension at its breaking point. Walter projected a security feed on the wall: a shadowy figure slipping out a side door, face obscured.
Happy (from the back):
"Whoever it is, they're good. But not perfect. I can enhance the footage."
The image sharpened—just enough to reveal a distinctive patch on the figure's jacket: a faded Navy insignia.
All eyes turned to Samara.
She raised her hands, calm but resolute. "Yes, I left. But not to betray you. I was meeting a contact—someone inside the CIA who wants to help us. If you want answers, you'll have to trust me and come with me. Now."
EXT. PARKING GARAGE – NIGHT
The coalition, wary but desperate, followed Samara into the shadows. The hunt for the mole had led them to a new crossroads—one where trust would be tested, and the truth would change everything.
END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN