Wires crossed?
Amon took a deep breath, gestured to his subordinates for silence, and pressed the answer button.
ZZZT!
Following a harsh static, the other end spoke first, "There are nine minutes left until the base self-destructs. Evacuate the island."
The voice was clearly synthetic.
The content of the message was enough to furrow Amon's brow.
Self-destruct? Impossible! I came leading my team in response to a signal from an inside informant. There's no way the other side would self-destruct!
But they had mentioned the base right away. This clearly indicated they knew his situation and were an insider.
"Who are you?"
"That's not important. You have nine minutes. In fifteen minutes, I'll contact you again. We'd like to propose a trade."
BEEP.
The busy tone conveyed that the call had been disconnected.
Pocketing the satellite phone, Amon gazed at the quiet base buildings ahead, his expression flickering uncertainly. It was, after all, only a matter of minutes.
