“Sarah Beth saw a map. It wasn’t a premonition or second sight through someone’s eyes, but a memory, she thinks, captured from one of the men who helped load the weapon on the plane.”

“But she didn’t see it until now?”

“Yeah, and that part was weird. Maybe whoever has been blocking us kind of gave up once you guys had things under control. Everyone suddenly got a literal hurricane of images. But this one seemed very important.”

Jed remembered the feeling at the hangar in New Jersey—like some sort of spiritual jamming system was keeping a dome of silence over the facility. Had that been Victor?

“So tell us exactly what you guys saw.”

“The map had pins in it, and it labeled different sites. One was DC and underneath the flag it said Rose Garden—with the names of the president, the vice president, and a bunch of other people, like senators and stuff. Then there were other flags—in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Denver. Each had names underneath. We’re sending the names she can remember.”

Ben looked at Jed, his eyes and face grim.

“Additional targets?” Jed said.

Ben nodded. “Sounds like.”

“But we have the weapon.”

“We have a weapon. What if there was more than one?”

“In which case those could be additional targets.”

“That’s my concern,” Ben said. “Have Nisha get with the head shed at home and have a talk with Zhao to see if it’s possible.” Jed nodded and Ben turned back to the phone. “Send Jed and me everything you have, Corbin. And tell Sarah Beth good work.”

Jed let out a long sigh through his teeth. He turned on a heel to jog to the hangar and get with Nisha.

“Jed,” Ben called out after him. “You and the team get all your gear and get on board the C-130. Something doesn’t feel right about this to me. We’re heading home. I need to get back to Trinity with the leadership team. And I want Joshua Bravo as a QRF.”

“But what about the other possible targets?”

“I’m mobilizing the other Shepherd units to every location the Watchers identified.”

“All the units?” Jed asked, a chill running down his spine.

Ben nodded.

“I noticed Nashville wasn’t one of the cities she named,” Jed said.

“There’s something bigger at work here. My gut tells me Victor is making a power move, but what that move is, I don’t know,” Ben said, fire in his eyes. “We need to be ready for anything and everything. The serpent only dies when we cut off the head.”

Jed nodded. He felt eyes on him and turned to see Gayle staring at him from beside Schmidt, a pained look on her face. He jogged over to her, ignoring Schmidt and sticking out his hand to her. She took it, surprise on her face.