Let Freedom Ring

by Weston Parker

  Only once the hostages were safe and loaded into a van to get them back to the base did Eden sidle up to me. His gaze was firmly fixed on our lieutenant. The man might as well have had a thundercloud on a leash for the storm that brewed in his eyes when he glanced over at me.

  “Shit,” Eden muttered. “This isn’t going to be good.”

  “Relax. I’ll deal with him.” It wouldn’t be the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last. “Go. Check on the hostages or something. Just get away from me.”

  He tried to protest but did what I asked a minute later. The lieutenant marched up to me with a hard, glacial expression that never slipped. “You didn’t wait for my order.”

  “We saw a window of opportunity, sir. The radio went silent, so we took it.” I held his gaze. “Which led to the safe recovery of all the hostages. The mission was a success.”

  He harrumphed but kept his calm. “You and I are going to have a talk about this little stunt once we get back to the base.”

  After staring me down for another minute, he shook his head and walked away when someone called out his name. Eden appeared beside me again, not succeeding at hiding his smile.

  “There’s going to be hell to pay when we get back.”

  I shoved my shoulder into his, grinning as I watched the lieutenant retreating. “Yeah, but what can they really do? We got the hostages out, didn’t we? Fuck the orders. We got the results, bro. That’s all that matters.”

  Chapter 2

  Sofia

  Discuss three root causes of common health issues affecting the wellbeing of children and families. A smile spread on my lips as I read the penultimate question of my last final for the semester.

  The Determinants of Children’s Health class had been one of my favorite electives this semester, and I was blowing through the final with no problems.

  Easy. I could think of at least six root causes I’d have been able to discuss in detail. Let’s go for childhood obesity, family disruption, and environmental health problems.

  My pen scratching against the surface of the paper joined in the sounds of sighs and the ticking of the clock in the quiet room. The guy next to me kept letting out these annoying little grunts, but I tuned him out enough to concentrate on answering the remaining questions.

  As I added the period to the end of my last sentence, I sat back in my chair and praised all that was holy that finals were over. Studying to become a doctor meant putting in long hours, but this week had been ridiculous. I hadn’t even brushed my hair in the last three days.

  The tousled beach look I was rocking in my shoulder-length bob hadn’t exactly been planned. It looked tousled because it really was. But whatever. Once I got some sleep, I’d worry about personal care. At least the hot pink headband I wore kept the stringy strands off my forehead. Besides, I liked the messiness of it. I might even keep it.

  I chewed on the end of my pen as I reread my answers. When I was satisfied I hadn’t messed up anything obvious, I packed up my stuff and slung my satchel over my shoulder.

  Our professor stood at the front of the class. She was a remarkable woman who always wore power suits when she wasn’t in her scrubs. Her silver hair was twisted into a sleek bun behind her head and her makeup was immaculate.

  I looked like a drowned rat in comparison, and it wasn’t just because I’d been up all night studying. She’d have been up all night, too. She just didn’t take shit from anyone or anything. Not even exhaustion could bring her down. Yeah… so, tiny lady crush over here.

  I got up, taking the stairs in the lecture hall down two at a time and grinning at her as I placed my paper on top of the stack. “Thanks for everything. I’ll see you next semester.”

  “Ms. Cantor,” she said when I started turning to leave, her voice sharp and clear. “Have you got a few minutes to wait? I’d like to speak to you in my office when the others are done.”

  “Oh, uh, sure.” My heart bucked, but I couldn’t be in trouble. At least, I didn’t think that was what it was about. “I’ll wait right outside.”

  She nodded firmly. “I’ll be out in approximately six minutes.”

  “I’ll be there.” Seriously, Professor Carstens was a superhero in her field. I’d have waited forty days and forty nights for her if she’d asked.

  The hallway outside was quiet, with only a few students trickling out of their exam venues so far. They hurried out with their books clutched to their chests or with their heads bent close to their friends as they furiously dissected whatever final they had just written.

  Everyone in this hall was a medical student, and it was easy to see the toll finals had taken on them. Sallow skin, hair as dirty and eyes as red as mine. A few hadn’t even bothered to change out of their slippers before coming down. Hey, I’m not judging anyone.

  My own classmates also slowly started finishing up, coming out of the lecture hall I’d just left with grim expressions on their faces. A lot of them were practically vibrating with stress, pulling their textbooks out and checking on answers while they walked.

  I frowned. The final hadn’t been that hard, had it? I was feeling reasonably good about it actually. Just in case I’d missed something, I spent the rest of the time I waited double-checking my own answers.

  “This way, Ms. Cantor,” the professor said as she breezed past me. “It will just take a minute.”

  Jumping at the sound of her voice, I scrambled to stuff my book back into my bag and caught up with her. She didn’t look at me as she unlocked her door or as she set the stack of answer sheets down on her elaborate desk.

  “Have a seat.” She waved a perfectly manicured finger at a chair before moving to her own. Gracefully lowering herself into it, she brought her clear blue eyes to my hazel ones. “I won’t take up much of your time. I know it’s been a long week. You must be dying to join your peers in celebrating your survival of the semester.”

  “Celebrating can wait. The only thing I’m dying for is my bed.” I wound my fingers together in my lap. “Am I in trouble, Professor?”

  A flash of surprise crossed her features. “No, not at all. The exact opposite actually.”

  She gave me a gentle smile as she relaxed back in her seat. “You’ve done phenomenally well in my class. My colleagues have said the same thing.”

  If I’d been standing, I’d have fallen over my own feet—while standing still. I opened and closed my mouth, but no words jumped to mind immediately.

  “Thank you,” I said lamely when nothing else wanted to come out. “It means a lot.”

  “You’re welcome. We wanted you to know that we recognize your hard work.” Her gaze strayed from mine for a moment as she pulled open a drawer. When she extracted her hand, there was a brown paper envelope in it. “There are application forms in here to join a fast-tracking program. It will require giving up your summer and winter holidays, but you’ll graduate a year early if you do it.”

  “A year?” I blinked too many times. This wasn’t the first time I’d been made an offer like this, but it still came as a surprise. “Thank you. I’ll consider it.”

  She set the envelope down and pushed it across her desk with purpose “I hope you do, Ms. Cantor. We don’t offer just any student the option to enroll in this program. You’ve proven your dedication and willingness to work hard. You’re certainly extremely intelligent. This program would be a good fit for you.”

  “Thank you,” I repeated.

  What else was I supposed to say? I would consider it, but I already knew I wouldn’t be enrolling in the end. I had too much to do this summer, and I had to go home to San Diego. Staying in Los Angeles wasn’t an option for me this year. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

  “You’ve earned it.” She gave me another smile as she reached for a pen and uncapped it. “I’d better get to grading these papers. Good luck, Ms. Cantor.”

  “Thank you.” God, I was starting to sound like my repeat button was jammed. I picked up my satchel and stood. “Have a good summer, Pr
ofessor.”

  “You too.” She pulled the first final off the stack, opening the front page and letting the pen hover above it. I got the hint. I’d been dismissed.

  After hightailing it out of the building, I stepped into the warm air outside. It was a muggy, humid day that instantly made sweat form on my brow.

  The midday sun shone brightly, but I had forgotten my sunglasses in my rush to make it out of the dorm on time this morning. All around me, students were laughing and talking in their groups. A few of my classmates tried to catch my attention, but I avoided them all.

  The last thing I felt like doing right then was compare answers. I kept my eyes on the path and made my way to my dorm room.

  Loud rap music pumped from inside when I got there, and I heard my roommate giggling as she tried to sing along. I smiled as I pushed open the door.

  “Hey,” I said above the music. “How was your exam?”

  Melody picked up her phone to turn down the volume of her speakers, her shoulders sagging. “I think I bombed it, but whatever. The only thing that matters is that it’s over now, right?”

  “Right,” I said, but it was a lie. What mattered was whether we’d passed, not that we’d written the paper. But as she’d said, whatever.

  She perked up when she spotted her suitcase lying open on the floor. “At least it’s summer. I’m so thankful the semester is over. I wouldn’t have survived even another week.”

  “I don’t know. I like it here.” Prepping for finals may have left me sleep deprived, but school wasn’t too hard. “I would have been okay with staying. So long as it wasn’t for more finals.”

  Melody snorted as she hopped off the bed and crossed our small room to her wardrobe. “You would say that. I, for one, am happy to be going home. What are your plans for the break? Staying and taking more classes?”

  “No.” I was flattered by Professor Carstens’ offer, but I couldn’t take it. “I have to head back home, too. My dad is retiring. I need to be there for him.”

  She balled a shirt up in her hands, giving me a sympathetic smile before tossing it in her bag. “My dad retired last year. Good luck with that. They become like grumpy bears for a while.”

  I groaned. “I’m not looking forward to that part. My dad’s been a military man all his life. Retirement will not come naturally to him.”

  “I hear you.” She took a step back from the cupboard, nodded as she narrowed her eyes, then went to zip up the suitcase. “Well, have a good summer.”

  “Are you leaving already?” I frowned. There was a lot of stuff strewn all over her side of the room. Clothes littered the floor, sheets still covered her bed, and all her odds and ends remained on her dresser.

  She followed my gaze, then shrugged as she extended the handle from her bag. “I’ll bring my brothers back here to help with everything else tomorrow. Right now, I just need to get home.”

  I nodded dumbly, but I knew she lived only an hour away. Then again, I only had two hours to travel myself.

  “I’ll see you in the fall, roomie.” Without a backward glance, she rolled her case to the door and gave me a wave as she walked out of it.

  It swung shut behind her, clicking into place with a resounding thud.

  Just like that, I was alone in our room for what felt like the first time all year. My dad would be waiting, but I needed to take a nap. And a shower. Once that was done, I’d make my way back to Coronado Island and the military base I called home.

  Chapter 3

  Lincoln

  “You nervous?” Eden asked as he came to stand next to me in the eerily empty hallway of the administrative wing. He had his cap tucked under his arm and he looked smart in his whites.

  I whistled between my teeth and gave him a firm slap on the butt. “Nope. I’m not nervous. There’s no reason to be.”

  His light eyebrows swept up on his forehead. “We’re about to go in front of a panel of superior officers to be questioned about the mission we just went on. You know, the one where we went in without authorization?”

  My jaw hardened. “Just remember that we did the right thing. We saved a lot of lives and lost zero. If they want to give me a rap over the knuckles for that, then so fucking be it.”

  “It could be a lot worse than a rap across the knuckles,” he mused, shifting on his feet. There was a light sheen of sweat on his forehead and a vein jumping below his jaw. “They could end us for this, Linc.”

  “They won’t.” I knew they could, but I really didn’t think they would. If we’d lost a hostage, sure. But with all the valuable American assets back safe and sound, they’d be stupid if they tried to get too heavy handed with us.

  Eden glanced up at me, his tongue swiping across his lower lip. “If this is it, you should know it’s been an honor serving with you.”

  My lips rose into a smirk as I arched a brow at him. “It has? Really? That’s great, Phillips. Tell me again at our retirement party fifty years from now.”

  He rolled his eyes at me, but my confidence seemed to give him something of a boost. “Cocky asshole.”

  “You love it—”

  “Dobbs?” a curt voice called. An officer I didn’t know stepped out of the room the panel had convened in, turning his steely-gray eyes on me. “Lincoln Dobbs?”

  “That’s me.” I gave Eden a final smirk, planted my clean white cap at an angle on my head, and went to face my fate.

  Despite what I’d just told Eden, I wasn’t a fucking robot. Nerves buzzed like angry hornets beneath my skin, but I refused to let it show. What we had done had been the right call. I just had to make the panel see that.

  I’d expected the room we were going to be in to be decked out like some kind of court in a fantasy movie. Perhaps there would be raised seating around a coliseum-like arena or, at the very least, some hooded figures standing behind evenly spaced podiums.

  In reality, it was just another room on the base. A plain long desk that looked like any self-assembled picnic table had the three superior officers behind it who held my career in their hands.

  Commander Charles fucking Cantor had the seat in the middle. The man was a highly decorated officer who had been a SEAL instructor since before I’d been born.

  His square jaw was set, and his spine was so straight that there had to be a broomstick up his ass keeping him from slouching over. Hazel eyes filled with hate met mine, and his mouth twisted into a grimace.

  Every time he saw me, it was like he suddenly smelled shit. He wasn’t a nice guy, and he’d been vocal in his dislike of me before. And he’s the guy who has to decide if I get to keep doing the job I love.

  Charles and I had never seen eye to eye. I had no reason to believe we’d start now.

  Thankfully, it wasn’t all in his hands. I planted my feet about a foot apart once I reached the spot where I had to stand, snapping my fingers to my forehead in a salute. One of the men sitting next to Charles nodded. “At ease, Dobbs. Have a seat.”

  The officer playing bailiff for the proceedings gestured to a plastic chair behind a table the size of a pea. I folded my big body in behind it as best I could, but my knees kept hitting the underside of the fucking thing. It was like it had been made for a first grader.

  A hint of a cruel smile appeared on Charles’ features, but his colleagues waited expressionlessly for me to get settled.

  Once I was, the Lieutenant Commander and Commander sat back while Charles preened like a peacock. Clearly, he was running the show today. Just my luck.

  “Dobbs.” He folded his arms on the table. “You’re here to discuss your actions during your most recent mission to Tehran.”

  “Yes, sir.” I fixed him with my gaze.

  He narrowed his but didn’t look away. “Your mission was to locate American hostages and extract them, correct?”

  “Yes, sir. We achieved both objectives.”

  The Lieutenant Commander next to Charles nodded, but the man himself didn’t move a muscle. “You did, but you failed to wait for
the order to move forward. According to the report, a firefight broke out before we had cleared the civilians from the area.”

  There was no question there, but I answered anyway. “That is correct.”

  “Are you aware that gunfire kills people, Dobbs?” He pursed his lips. “Particularly when being fired by hostiles within their own territory.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  A predatory gleam entered his eyes, and he leaned forward like he was going in for the kill. “In light of that, would you agree that your actions put the lives of the very hostages we sent you to save in danger?”

  “No, sir, I would not.” I made eye contact with him first, then with each man beside him. “All the hostages were extracted safe and sound, sir. Their lives were in danger for the entire time they were in that building. Our actions did not place their lives in further danger. We saved them.”

  He banged his fist against the table, his face turning an alarming shade of puce. “Your actions drew armed hostiles toward those hostages. Your actions caused said hostiles to fire on those hostages. How in God’s name can you justify something like that?”

  “With all due respect, sir,” which, admittedly, wasn’t much, “suggesting that we drew armed hostiles toward the hostages is disingenuous. The hostiles were on the property, already armed and already wielding their weapons against our people. What we did got them away from their captors.”

  “Without waiting for the order authorizing you to take any action whatsoever,” he barked. A vein in his forehead bulged, and his hands curled into fists. “Do you understand how the command structure works?”

  “I do, sir. We waited for the order, but it never came. A window of opportunity presented itself when all the hostiles vacated the area where the hostages were being kept. After days of surveillance, that was the first time they’d left the hostages alone and none of their captors were in their immediate vicinity.”

  “Why do you think that makes it okay to move without permission from your lieutenant?” he ground out.