Chapter 8
Barrett was taken away under the last orange light of the sunset.
The runway stayed silent until the final ambulance door closed.
Then the wounded sergeant from Alpha 3 raised his hand from inside the truck.
It was not a salute.
He was too weak for that.
But Emily understood.
She lifted two fingers to her brow.
The ambulance pulled away.
Only then did her knees almost buckle.
Doyle caught her arm.
“Easy, Raven.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, ma’am,” he said softly. “You’re not.”
For once, she did not argue.
She leaned against the A-10’s ladder and closed her eyes.
The aircraft ticked beside her like an old warhorse cooling after battle.
Ugly.
Bruised.
Alive.
Just like her.
Two weeks later, the investigation became official.
The recorder confirmed everything.
Barrett had ignored three distress calls.
He had delayed launch authorization because he did not want the A-10 used during a high-level evaluation.
He had written in a report that Alpha 3’s situation was “stable” while they were taking fire.
He had tried to blame Emily before anyone reviewed the radio logs.
Then more came out.
Maintenance complaints he had buried.
Pilots he had threatened.
Requests for close air support he had dismissed because they did not fit the image he wanted for the base.
The man who cared so much about looking strong had built his command on cowardice.
He lost that command.
Then his promotion track.
Then his retirement honors.
May you like
Colonel Barrett was done.
Read Part 9 to see what Alpha 3 told Emily when she visited them in the hospital.
