Chapter 18
Thomas unfolded the paper, his grey eyes scanning the typed lines with a mixture of surprise and profound reflection.
"It's my official retirement orders, approved by the Secretary of Defense this morning," Thomas revealed softly.
Clara's eyes lit up with joy as she reached across the table to squeeze his hand.
"You're finally retiring from active duty?" Clara asked, a bright smile breaking across her face.
"Thirty-five years in uniform is enough, sweetheart," Thomas nodded, folding the paper and placing it on the table.
"It's time for me to hang up the boots and focus on the only mission that truly matters."
"Protecting our family right here at home," Clara finished for him with a warm, loving laugh.
"Exactly," Thomas agreed, raising his ceramic mug in a quiet toast to the future.
As night fell over the peaceful suburban neighborhood, the wind picked up gently through the oak trees.
Thomas walked inside the study to turn off the desk lamps before heading upstairs to rest.
He walked past the bookshelf where the small American flag rested in its neat triangular wooden display case.
Suddenly, a strange, low-frequency electronic tone beeped softly from the air-gapped laptop he had left plugged into the desk.
Thomas stopped in his tracks, his military instincts flaring instantly as he turned back to look at the monitor.
May you like
The screen, which should have been completely dead, was suddenly displaying a blinking red command prompt.
A single line of text appeared letter by letter on the dark display, written from an unknown satellite relay.
