Chapter 2
Barrett leaned closer.
“Say something.”
Emily looked past him.
A medic was pressing gauze to a soldier’s neck.
Another soldier had blood soaking through his sleeve.
A young sergeant with a burned face grabbed the edge of his stretcher and tried to sit up.
Emily met Barrett’s eyes.
“Twelve men are alive.”
Barrett’s jaw tightened.
“That does not excuse insubordination.”
“No,” Emily said softly. “But it explains why I’m still standing here.”
A few airmen looked down to hide their reaction.
Barrett heard it anyway.
His face turned red.
“You think this is funny?”
Emily did not smile.
Nothing about the last two hours was funny.
She could still hear Alpha 3 screaming over the radio.
Pinned down.
Taking fire.
No extraction route.
No drone overhead.
No fast movers close enough to help.
Just a dying signal cutting through static.
Raven 13, if anyone can hear us, we are out of time.
She had been sitting in the cockpit when the call came.
Helmet on.
Engines warm.
Ready for a routine patrol.
Then Alpha 3’s coordinates hit the net.
A valley surrounded by ridge lines.
Enemy movement closing from both sides.
Friendlies wounded.
Smoke marking their position.
Emily had looked toward the tower.
She waited for clearance.
None came.
Then Barrett’s voice cut across command frequency.
“All aircraft hold position.”
Emily had pressed the transmit button.
“Command, Raven 13 is armed and ready. I can be overhead in seven minutes.”
Barrett answered instantly.
“Negative, Raven 13. You are grounded.”
“Sir, Alpha 3 is taking heavy fire.”
“I said grounded.”
The voice from Alpha 3 returned, broken and terrified.
“We have wounded. We need air now.”
Emily looked across the runway at the other aircraft.
One had fuel issues.
Another was waiting on authorization.
Two were still being armed.
Her A-10 was old.
May you like
But it was ready.
Read Part 3 to see why Emily chose the runway over Barrett’s order.
