The two Raptors suddenly engaged their afterburners, the roar of their engines vibrating the very marrow of our bones as they shot upward toward the sun, leaving two shimmering trails of gold in their wake.
I sat back, the silence in the cabin feeling heavier than the noise.
The man in 12B, Julian Sterling, was staring at me as if I were a god. “Commander… I… I had no idea. I’m so sorry about earlier. I’m a VP at Sterling Dynamics. We… we support the troops! If I can offer you a position, or a ride—”
“I know who you are, Julian,” I said. My voice was low, a rumble that made the water in his plastic cup ripple.
Julian blinked. “You do?”
“I spent my last six months in the service as a Senior Auditor for JSOC,” I revealed, looking him straight in his grey, terrified eyes. “I was the one who flagged the ‘contracting irregularities’ at Sterling Dynamics last month. The $12 million your firm siphoned from the body-armor budget? I’m the ‘Thug’ who signed the seizure order this morning.”
Julian’s face went from pale to a sickly, translucent grey.
“I didn’t buy a first-class ticket because I like to see the truth from the back of the room,” I said, closing my eyes. “You have forty-five minutes of luxury left, Julian. I suggest you enjoy the recycled air. Because when this plane lands, there won’t be a car waiting for you. Only a federal marshal.”
The “Unexpected Ending” wasn’t just the sight of Julian being led away in handcuffs at the gate.
It happened ten minutes later. I walked through the terminal, carrying my single sea-bag, looking for a taxi. I felt the weight of my retirement like a lead shroud. Then, I saw a little girl sitting on a suitcase, holding a sign that was covered in glitter and messy crayon marks.
