Deep in a cellar near the Place de la Concorde, Commander Thayer took a deep breath. He signaled to the men of the Ironclad Squad, who were busy checking the firing pins of their Sten guns and the fuses of their explosive charges.
"Hold your positions," Thayer commanded, his voice echoing against the damp stone. "I just received a call through a secure relay. The source knows that Vivienne (The Artist) has sold us out. The Milice already have shadows on the 'Canvas' undercover team."
He looked at his team, their faces smeared with charcoal and grease. "The caller asked if we were moving to extract the 'Canvas' cell. If so, we are to rescue them immediately. If not, we are to vanish into the night."
In their shadow-language, the "Second Aunt" was the Milice—the traitorous police of the V
