Chapter 6
The aftermath was swift and uncompromising. The Vance Corporation was dismantled within forty-eight hours. Julian and Sarah, once the darlings of the social scene, found themselves in a federal holding cell, waiting for a trial that would likely end in a life sentence for corporate espionage and treason.
The “”homeless veteran”” story went viral, but not the way the Vances had intended. A bystander’s video of the tanks rolling into the quiet suburb had hit the internet, followed by the image of an Admiral saluting a man in a tattered jacket.
But Elias didn’t watch the news.
He was standing on the deck of the carrier as it moved out into the deep blue of the Pacific. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of bruised purple and gold. Leo was standing beside him, wearing a tiny, oversized sailor’s cap.
“”Elias?”” Leo asked, looking at the horizon.
“”Yes, Leo?””
“”Do you think they’re still cold?””
Elias looked at the boy. Even after everything, Leo still had room for empathy. That was the victory. That was what made all the years of war worth it.
“”I think they’ve been cold for a long time, Leo. Long before that rain started.””
Elias reached into his pocket and pulled out a small photograph of his late brother and Leo’s mother. He let the wind catch it for a second before tucking it safely back into his breast pocket, right against his heart.
He had fulfilled his promise. He had protected the boy. He had rooted out the rot.
A young ensign approached and snapped a salute. “”Admiral, the fleet is ready for your command. Where to, sir?””
Elias looked down at Leo, who was staring at the stars beginning to peek through the twilight. He felt the steady thrum of the engines beneath his feet—a heart of steel that beat for a nation that didn’t always remember its heroes.
“”Take us home,”” Elias said, his voice soft but carrying the weight of a thousand storms. “”And tell the cook to start breakfast. We’ve got a long way to go, and the boy is hungry.””
As the ship cut through the waves, Elias realized that his greatest rank wasn’t Admiral. It was being the man who stayed in the rain so a child didn’t have to.
The world would remember the tanks and the helicopters, but Leo would remember the hand that held his when the doors were locked.”
