47
NSA Command Center
Uncle Bill walked out of the war room followed by a dozen senior military leaders, all dressed in Class A uniforms. Bill walked toward Cade and Knuckles as the men, all members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, departed.
Knuckles looked up from his laptop. Something about the expression on Uncle Bill’s normally stoic face gave him pause. “Sir?” Knuckles said. “Is everything okay?”
Cade swiveled his chair around. Bill’s eyes were locked onto the ground in front of him. He crossed his arms, then one hand began rubbing his chin which was buried somewhere underneath his cavernous gray beard.
Knuckles flicked a glance at Cade, then said, “Sir?”
Bill removed his glasses and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. “I’m getting too old for this s**t,” he muttered. He looked from Cade to
