Page 60 of Pursuit of Her

After the planning session, Eve explored the sanctuary's eastern corridor where Reagan's network had established an armory that rivaled PRPD's own resources.

"Impressed?" Reagan asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Concerned," Eve admitted. "This isn't something you assembled overnight. Or alone."

Reagan moved carefully to stand beside her. "The network started small. Just me and Sophia after I recovered from being shot. Then we found Elena. Each woman brought skills, connections, and resources."

"How many?" Eve asked, lifting a custom communications device.

"Twenty-seven core members. Another forty who provide occasional support." Reagan's voice carried a hint of pride. "All women the system failed in various ways. Assault victims whose cases were dismissed. Officers forced out for reporting harassment. Medical professionals who lost positions for challenging powerful men."

"You built an entire shadow justice system."

"We built an alternative when the official one failed. Every woman here joined because they tried the proper channels first and found them corrupted."

They continued into a communications center where three women monitored police frequencies and surveillance feeds.

"Command and control," Reagan explained. "We maintain constant monitoring of department movements, emergency responses, and administrative communications."

"How?" Eve asked. "These are secured channels. The department spends millions on encryption."

"Mira worked in the DA's office for fifteen years," Reagan nodded toward a woman with salt-and-pepper hair. "She helped design the protocols. When she was forced out for investigating Barrow's connections, she brought her knowledge with her."

They proceeded to a documentation center where evidence was cataloged.

"Evidence-handling protocols that would stand up in court," Eve noted.

"If courts could be trusted," Reagan added.

At a digital archive, three women processed evidence from the gala operation, preparing it for distribution.

"This is what you've been doing for ten years," Eve realized. "Not just hunting targets for execution. Building something."

Reagan's expression softened. "The executions were necessary when legal channels failed, but they were never the primary objective. This was creating a system to expose what official channels had buried."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? When we reconnected?"

"Would you have believed me?" Reagan asked. "Three weeks ago, Captain Eve Morgan trusted the system despite its flaws. Would you have accepted that an underground network of discarded and forgotten women could deliver justice when your department couldn't?"

The question struck Eve with its accuracy. She would have rejected this as vigilante fantasy, pursued arrest rather than alliance.

"No," Eve admitted. "I wouldn't have."

Reagan nodded. "You needed to see the corruption for yourself."

Sophia joined them with a tablet. "Stroud's 'medical leave' begins tonight instead of tomorrow. He's clearing his calendar."

"He's running," Eve concluded.

"Or preparing to," Reagan agreed. "We need to move faster."

"You said there were twenty-seven core members," Eve noted. "Inside the department?"

"Two officers besides Foster. Three administrative staff," Reagan confirmed. "They've never participated in operations, only provided intelligence."

"What happens when this is over?" Eve asked. "After Barrow and Stroud are exposed."

Reagan paused, as if caught unprepared. "The network continues. The corruption goes deeper than Brooks and his associates."

---