life tarnished
and just wanted him to get the help he needed. But if Seth appealed, then the
drug use would become official and on the record. So Seth left without so much
as a word.
Seth was still trying to figure things
out when he found himself at the doors to AeroTech. The only thing he could do
now was go talk to Jack. He wanted to make sure Jack heard the story from him
first so he would know the truth. Seth would submit to any form of drug testing
or lie-detecting tests to prove that he had no idea what had happened at the university.
Seth put his security badge up against
the reader and received the same red lights he got from his lab doors on
campus. “Shit. You have got to be kidding me.”
It seemed as though the universe was
repeating itself as Seth watched two security guards approach him from inside
the building. When they reached the door, one spoke through the intercom. “I’m
sorry, sir, but you need to leave. Your building privileges have been revoked.
You have the legal right to stand outside the building on public property, but
we’d prefer if you didn’t. Thank you and have a nice day.”
Seth couldn’t believe what was going on.
This was all bullshit but he couldn’t figure out why. Then his phone beeped,
for the first time in almost two days. When he read the text message, it was
from his girlfriend. “Don’t ever contact me again.” Ex-girlfriend .
If Seth had been firing on all cylinders
today, he would’ve put it together sooner. The fighter crash. This was all a
part of that. It had to be. The timing was too coincidental to be a chance
event.
Jack. Was he a part of this? Or was he
being systematically destroyed just like Seth was? Jack hadn’t returned any of
Seth’s communication attempts, but maybe he couldn’t. Seth was equal parts
worried and angry; he didn’t have enough information to know which one he
should totally be right now.
Two weeks had gone by without contact
from anyone Seth knew. Luckily for him, his parents had been on the other side
of the Coalition, for an ambassador function of his father’s, and hadn’t
planned to make it back for his graduation anyway. So there was at least one
story he didn’t have to come up with for why there wasn’t a graduation for him.
Seth had watched the graduation from a
safe and non-trespassing location. When he got home, he found a small piece of
a newspaper stuck in the crack of his front door. Two words were printed on one
side: “I’m sorry.”
He didn’t recognize the handwriting; in
fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen actual handwritten anything .
That was smart of the sender; it would be harder to track handwriting than a
computer-generated message. Probably from Jack, Seth thought.
It was time to come up with a plan. Seth
knew he couldn’t sit around in his apartment forever. He was starting to run
out of rent money, for one thing. As far as he could tell, none of his newly
acquired ill-repute extended beyond the university or AeroTech. It was time to
find a job.
A week later, Seth found himself in a
Marine Corps officer-recruiting seminar. By the end of the presentation, Seth
knew what he wanted to do. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to find out what
had happened to the fighter crew or why, but maybe he could make a difference
somewhere so it wouldn’t happen again.
And who knows, he thought, maybe one day
he would be able to walk up to Gunnery Sergeant Mike O’Connor’s widow and show
her proof that her husband didn’t cause the fatal accident that day. Maybe he
would someday be able to give her that simple peace of mind.
~
Somewhere
Inside The Coalition Strategic Operations Command Center:
As the intelligence officer was perusing
his morning emails, his monitor lit up with an emergency flash traffic message.
A keyword search had hit the monitoring station just over eight seconds ago.
After checking the message, he verified
its contents, and then opened the protocols
and just wanted him to get the help he needed. But if Seth appealed, then the
drug use would become official and on the record. So Seth left without so much
as a word.
Seth was still trying to figure things
out when he found himself at the doors to AeroTech. The only thing he could do
now was go talk to Jack. He wanted to make sure Jack heard the story from him
first so he would know the truth. Seth would submit to any form of drug testing
or lie-detecting tests to prove that he had no idea what had happened at the university.
Seth put his security badge up against
the reader and received the same red lights he got from his lab doors on
campus. “Shit. You have got to be kidding me.”
It seemed as though the universe was
repeating itself as Seth watched two security guards approach him from inside
the building. When they reached the door, one spoke through the intercom. “I’m
sorry, sir, but you need to leave. Your building privileges have been revoked.
You have the legal right to stand outside the building on public property, but
we’d prefer if you didn’t. Thank you and have a nice day.”
Seth couldn’t believe what was going on.
This was all bullshit but he couldn’t figure out why. Then his phone beeped,
for the first time in almost two days. When he read the text message, it was
from his girlfriend. “Don’t ever contact me again.” Ex-girlfriend .
If Seth had been firing on all cylinders
today, he would’ve put it together sooner. The fighter crash. This was all a
part of that. It had to be. The timing was too coincidental to be a chance
event.
Jack. Was he a part of this? Or was he
being systematically destroyed just like Seth was? Jack hadn’t returned any of
Seth’s communication attempts, but maybe he couldn’t. Seth was equal parts
worried and angry; he didn’t have enough information to know which one he
should totally be right now.
Two weeks had gone by without contact
from anyone Seth knew. Luckily for him, his parents had been on the other side
of the Coalition, for an ambassador function of his father’s, and hadn’t
planned to make it back for his graduation anyway. So there was at least one
story he didn’t have to come up with for why there wasn’t a graduation for him.
Seth had watched the graduation from a
safe and non-trespassing location. When he got home, he found a small piece of
a newspaper stuck in the crack of his front door. Two words were printed on one
side: “I’m sorry.”
He didn’t recognize the handwriting; in
fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen actual handwritten anything .
That was smart of the sender; it would be harder to track handwriting than a
computer-generated message. Probably from Jack, Seth thought.
It was time to come up with a plan. Seth
knew he couldn’t sit around in his apartment forever. He was starting to run
out of rent money, for one thing. As far as he could tell, none of his newly
acquired ill-repute extended beyond the university or AeroTech. It was time to
find a job.
A week later, Seth found himself in a
Marine Corps officer-recruiting seminar. By the end of the presentation, Seth
knew what he wanted to do. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to find out what
had happened to the fighter crew or why, but maybe he could make a difference
somewhere so it wouldn’t happen again.
And who knows, he thought, maybe one day
he would be able to walk up to Gunnery Sergeant Mike O’Connor’s widow and show
her proof that her husband didn’t cause the fatal accident that day. Maybe he
would someday be able to give her that simple peace of mind.
~
Somewhere
Inside The Coalition Strategic Operations Command Center:
As the intelligence officer was perusing
his morning emails, his monitor lit up with an emergency flash traffic message.
A keyword search had hit the monitoring station just over eight seconds ago.
After checking the message, he verified
its contents, and then opened the protocols
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