I clicked on the raw engineering reports from the USS *Hampton*, the submarine that had supported the operation.

I scrolled through the technical logs for that specific date.

According to the submarine’s master maintenance ledger, the diving equipment had been fully functional.

In fact, the pressure gauges had recorded no drops in level.

I frowned and opened the medical logs for Nathan’s unit.

One entry stood out.

On the night of the exercise, a young petty officer named Martinez had been treated for severe decompression sickness.

The official incident report, signed by Nathan, stated that Martinez had suffered the injury during a recreational swim the following day.

But the medical officer’s handwritten intake notes told a different story.

“Patient states symptoms began during the night dive,” the note read. “Reported equipment issue to Commander Reed before descending. Ordered to proceed regardless.”

My chest tightened as I read the words.

Nathan had sent a man down with faulty gear, then falsified the timeline to make it look like a recreational accident.

I opened another file, a safety checklist for a training exercise in San Diego.