“Fine.”
Carver blinked.
“Sarge?”
“Give him the phone.”
“Procedure—”
“Speaker.”
Dalton grinned at Zeke.
“I want to hear your magic call.”
Carver held the phone in front of Zeke.
“Unlock it.”
Zeke leaned slightly forward.
The biometric sensor activated.
The screen opened to a plain interface.
He selected an innocuous icon resembling a calculator.
Entered a code.
The screen changed.
Not theatrically.
No flashing classified warnings.
Just a secure communications page Carver did not understand.
One contact appeared.
ARCHANGEL.
Zeke tapped it.
The call connected almost immediately.
A man answered.
“Sterling.”
“This is Washington.”
The tone on the other end changed at once.
“Authenticate.”
Zeke gave the required verbal response.
General Colton Sterling said:
“Go.”
“Status black. I’m detained by local law enforcement in Oak Haven, Alabama. Two deputies. Possible compromise of protected device.”
There was silence for less than a second.
“Physical status?”
“Uninjured. Cuffed.”
“Names?”
Zeke looked at Dalton’s badge.
“Sergeant Royce Dalton, badge 492.”
Carver swallowed.
“Officer Lane Carver, 510.”
Sterling replied:
“Put the senior officer on.”
Zeke looked at Dalton.
“He wants you.”
Dalton smirked.
Carver held the phone closer.
“Who’s this?”
“Sergeant Dalton?”
The voice coming through the speaker was not loud.
That made it worse.
“Yes.”
“This is Lieutenant General Colton Sterling.”
Dalton rolled his eyes.
“Sure.”
Sterling continued.
“I’m going to give you an opportunity to verify that before you say anything else.”
Dalton looked at Zeke.
“This some prank?”
“No.”
Sterling gave his full name, service position, and an office number Dalton could verify independently.
Then he said:
“Your department has a computer in the cruiser.”
Dalton’s expression shifted.
“Use it.”
Nobody spoke.
Dalton snatched the phone from Carver and walked toward the patrol car.
He opened the laptop.
Typed.
Waited.
The first official result appeared.
Photograph.
Dress uniform.
Rows of decorations.
Pentagon biography.
Press photographs with cabinet officials and the president.
Dalton’s mouth opened slightly.
Sterling’s voice continued through the phone.
“Have you verified who I am?”
Dalton swallowed.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“Now listen carefully.”
Dalton’s face went pale.
“Mr. Washington is a retired colonel currently serving in a protected advisory capacity. His identity is flagged in federal systems because of active national-security obligations.”
Dalton turned toward Zeke.
Sterling continued.
“You will remove the restraints.”
Dalton hesitated.
“General, with respect, we’re conducting—”
“No.”
The word stopped him.
“You are going to remove the restraints, return his property, and preserve every second of video associated with the stop.”
Dalton looked toward his body camera.
Sterling added:
“You will not delete, disable, overwrite, or alter any recording.”
Carver’s face changed.
Zeke saw it.
A flicker.
Not fear of Sterling.
Recognition.
That detail mattered.
Dalton tried again.
“We had reasonable suspicion.”