Chapter 14 · The Drill They Already Know

"Formation alpha, now." I barked it across the yard before the morning bell finished ringing.

Reina looked up from her coffee. "Sir, we ran alpha yesterday."

"Then you'll run it better today." I didn't wait for her answer. Twenty-seven bodies moved into position, some faster than others. Danny stumbled over his own boots. Same as always.

I watched Reina. She set the cup down slow, eyes on me the whole time. Calculating. She knew something was off.

Good.

The drill was bait. I'd changed it last loop—moved the explosion point, rerouted the squads, locked down the east hall early. Twenty-six students died instead of twenty-seven. Progress, if you're generous with the word. But it told me what I needed: whoever was running this show reacted to my moves. They weren't working off a script. They were watching.

Which meant the mole was feeding them real-time.

Which meant the mole was about to slip.

"Sir." Reina stepped closer. The rest were already jogging toward the kill house. "You look like hell."

"Thanks for the eval, Cross."

"How many loops?"

I froze. The words hit like a blade between ribs.

She tilted her head. "You keep staring at the clock tower.