by Laura Acton
William sighed. “Daniel, say something.”
“What do you want me to say, sir?”
“Tell me you wish to stay, and I’ll make it happen.” William waited, hopeful his son might change his mind.
Anger pushed in where only pain existed before. Stay? He expects me to continue after killing Brody? Notwithstanding all my other reasons for leaving, if I remain, it will give those who believe I receive favors because I’m the general’s son more ammunition. My life was hell before shooting Brody. I can only venture to guess how much worse things will be after this. “I can’t do that, sir,” Dan stated in a flat tone, hiding his anger.
“Daniel, you’re a Broderick. We are military men and have been for more than eight generations. Brodericks are guardians of this country. Are you willing to ruin the family legacy over this incident?”
“It’s already destroyed, sir. Have you forgotten I killed one of our own? No one will trust me, sir. I failed you again. I will never be the perfect soldier you desire. Never. I’m a complete and utter disappointment to you, sir. A fact I know well.” Dan stopped when anger flared and showed in his tone.
Dan dialed back to flat. “Besides, things are in motion already. Commander Gambrill is expecting me in Toronto on the fifteenth. He has a position for me which fits my skills. I’m going back to the police force, sir.”
William sat down and calmly assessed his son who stared straight ahead not moving a muscle. He didn’t miss the anger in Daniel’s voice. William, a master at using masks, understood his son’s stoic expression hid much. All Brodericks learned how to present one face to the world while concealing their real emotions. A skill necessary to survive the harsh realities of military life.
Just as his father had done with him, William began Daniel’s military training when he was young. Sadly, somehow in the process, he screwed up their connection. He tried to restore a father-son bond for nineteen years, but everything he did made their relationship worse, not better. Regrettably, a trait they shared, incredible stubbornness, perpetuated the impasse of their attachment. William pushed those thoughts aside and focused back on what Daniel said.
This was the first he heard of Daniel accepting Walter’s offer to join the elite Tactical Response Force of the Toronto Police Department. William had called Walter Gambrill when Daniel expressed a desire to leave the military. He discussed several options with his old friend, the TRF being one possibility. Daniel’s choice to return surprised William. He assumed the aspiration to be a constable left his system long ago.
William internally groused. The damned committee gave Daniel an option for early release from his military contract after clearing him. He fought the board on this point and strongly recommended they not offer Daniel the opportunity for an honorable early discharge. But the members all feared Daniel had become a target of much animosity due to the friendly fire incident.
Their position only strengthened when they became aware of the incident with the guards. The four who William entrusted to keep his son alive while under suicide watch violated all protocols and his trust when they tasered Daniel into unconsciousness. He agreed with the summary judgment handed down for all four soldiers. Each would receive a bad conduct discharge after being incarcerated at Club Ed for six months. Although, in addition to their stint in military prison, William wished he could’ve tasered the bastards in the same manner.
After Corporal Tapia and the others had been arrested, charged, and sentenced, hostility towards Daniel increased. The committee deemed the environment too toxic and worried Daniel’s life might be at risk. They believed their route protected Daniel.
What they didn’t realize was Daniel could defend himself with no problem. They were unaware of Daniel’s full training, and William was not at liberty to divulge the information. So they presented him with the opportunity. Unfortunately, Daniel accepted. Damn!
William’s only ray of hope was he retained significant latitude to define the release terms. Officially Daniel fell under Special Forces chain of command. However, he was also a member of an elite covert unit within the Special Forces. A unit with the unofficial designation of Guardians. Their ultra-secret missions which were sanctioned by the government required higher level security clearance than regular soldiers possessed.
Three Guardian units operated under cover of being regular Special Forces units. A fourth acted as his security detail. Most of the Guardian’s missions were assault or intel gathering of extreme-threat targets around the world. Occasionally they covertly rescued citizens from dangerous and volatile areas and protected high-level officials. Lately, the Guardians mostly engaged in anti-terrorism. Although to maintain their cover, they also completed many standard missions.
With Daniel being a Guardian unit member, William possessed the power to streamline his son’s return to military service after Daniel got his head on straight. William remained confident Daniel would want to come back once he finished mourning Brody. My son is a protector through and through, a natural Guardian. The work he did as part of Lieutenant Blain’s unit saved thousands of lives. Daniel belongs right here where he utilizes his skills and makes a real difference.
But for now, William resigned himself that Daniel wouldn’t change his mind and stubbornly set his sights on leaving the service. Butting heads with him over this decision, at this point, would be fruitless. He needed to give Daniel time to sort things out. William was sure his son would return soon. With the thought still in his head, he opened the folder. “Sit down, Daniel. I must review your discharge terms.”
Dan took a seat in one of the two chairs facing the desk. He held himself rigidly, as if at attention. As he listened to the terms, his irritation rose. How can he impose these conditions on me? They are not standard by any means. The general is screwing with my life again.
His anger continued to grow as one unfair term after another was laid out. When the general highlighted the length of time he could be recalled for Guardian unit assignments, Dan couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. He blurted out, “Sir, this is way beyond reasonable. This is unprecedented.”
William’s expression remained impassive as he stated coldly, “You are not an ordinary soldier, Daniel. The review board may have given you an early release option, but you made commitments. These are the conditions if you want to run away from them. Sign these documents, and you are free to join the TRF. Don’t sign and you will remain in your unit and under my command until you fulfill your obligations.”
Dan wanted to rage. So much for sticking it to the general. Based on these terms, he can recall me involuntarily any goddamned time he wants. Dan had no choice but to sign—he couldn’t remain here. He must leave. His voice ice-hard, a near duplicate of the general’s, Dan asked, “Where do I sign?”
General Broderick turned the file towards Daniel and handed him a pen. “Initial the bottom of the first ten pages and sign the last one.”
Dan took the pen and began to sign. As he did so, resentment grew instead of dissipated. He couldn’t get away from this man who held nothing but contempt for him. He never measured up and he never would. Dan couldn’t imagine why the general sought such terms.
Then it hit him. Shit! If he recalls me for some bogus reason, then he can arrange for me to die in the field, thus restoring family honor. Goddamn him! He might succeed now that I don’t have Brody or the guys to cover my six. There are many here who would be happy to put a bullet in my back for free and make it look like it came from the enemy.
William pressed his intercom button. “Corporal Merrill, bring in the voluntary reactivation paperwork now.”
Dan stared at his father a moment. With an air of disbelief, he said, “Sir, there is no way I will sign reactivation papers.”
Entering and leaving the door ajar, Merrill strode forward and set the form down in front of the younger Broderick.
William explained, “It isn’t for now. It is for when your head is on straight and decide to return. This will streaml
ine the process, making your activation instantaneous like you never left.”
Merrill pointed to the paper. “I filled out all the necessary information except for one piece which you must do for yourself. You need to create a reactivation code and write it here.”
Dan couldn’t control his rage anymore. He strove to maintain calm and respect the position, even if he did not respect his father, but this was too much. Pushed to his limits Dan’s well-developed control vanished for the first time in the general’s presence. Everything he felt, all his loss, grief, and pain fueled him.
Standing abruptly, knocking the chair over, Dan strode around the desk, stopping within inches of the general—who rose at the same time. He invaded his father’s personal space and let loose decades of anger. “Damn you to hell! I will never under any fucking circumstances voluntarily rejoin.
“Hell will fucking freeze over first! That will never fucking happen. Quit deluding yourself old man. I will never willingly consent to be in the fucking military again. You screwed with my life for the last goddamned time. I would have shit for brains to ever fucking do that again.”
Dan maintained an icy glare and drew a sharp breath. “To be crystal clear, I will not be creating a fucking voluntary reactivation code.”
William remained still and quiet as Daniel raged loud and harsh directly in his face. He disregarded the very colorful language which flew out of his mouth. He focused on the sorrow and the fire in Daniel’s eyes as he erupted. Some might say William was a cold-hearted man. In fact, he deliberately portrayed the persona to the world to protect those most precious to him—his family, Daniel included.
He was not cold-hearted—quite the opposite. William’s possessed a soft spot for his entire family. Although, given his position, his Achille’s heel might be used against him if it became common knowledge. Publicly he shielded those sentiments because in the past a few people tried to manipulate and harm him via his family, especially Daniel, ever since his son joined Special Forces. To safeguard the child he loved dearly, William purposely distanced himself from Daniel, though the action pained him.
It distressed William that his child suffered so much torment. The desolation he read in Danny’s eyes pierced him to the core, but those emotions gave him hope too. A spark of life still resided inside Daniel. His son’s ability to vent anger meant there was a chance Daniel would survive the loss of Brody. Something William feared not possible a short time ago.
Six weeks ago, he moved Daniel to a barren cell and placed him on suicide watch to save his life. William wanted Daniel’s unit mates by his side, but they were utterly devastated by Brody’s death and Daniel’s reaction to discovering Brody’s body.
The shock of killing the man he considered a brother, had been too much for Daniel and he collapsed in the field when he found Brody. His heart stopped, and if Corporal Nils Carsten had not been close and started CPR, William would’ve lost Daniel that day.
Lieutenant Blain, Master Corporal Shea, and Master Corporal Simons all shut down emotionally too. The few times they visited Daniel in the hospital, they wouldn’t or couldn’t look at or speak to him. Dr. Pastore said the unit’s continued unresponsive behavior added fuel to his worry Daniel might commit suicide. It became apparent that in their grief, the men were unable to help as they did in the past.
So, after three days, William transferred Daniel to a safe place for the duration of the investigation. Sending a psychologist to assess Daniel, wouldn’t work. When Daniel was a child, he saw a slew of them after Sara’s death—it never helped. And with the specialized training Daniel received to become a member of the Guardians, he could snow any psychologist into thinking he was fine.
Seeking help and advice, William talked to his three younger brothers and a few of his long-time friends about the situation. He reached out to people who had known Daniel since he was a baby. They all agreed coming to terms with what occurred might take Daniel some time … if he ever truly could … killing a friend accidentally was no easy thing to accept.
Daniel’s complete lack of control and discipline now gave credence to their opinions. His son walked the edge of a precipice, and he needed a hand to pull back on solid ground. His old friend, Walter Gambrill, offered a place where Daniel might begin to heal. Walter assured him he had a team with unique skills which he believed might be Daniel’s salvation and help him recover from the devastating loss of his best friend.
William preferred to keep Daniel close and in the army—Brodericks were military men after all—but the damned board’s option blew that to hell. He reluctantly agreed Walter could contact Daniel and talk to him about a position with the Toronto Police Tactical Response Force.
His musing stopped as Daniel finished spewing his vitriol. Two sets of sapphire eyes locked in combat as William commanded in a hard tone, “Master Corporal Broderick, create your code! That is an order, soldier!”
Dan sucked in a breath. A fucking direct order! This will be the last goddamned order I’ll take from him. Fury still raging in him, Dan rounded the desk and quickly wrote his code.
Throwing the pen on the floor, Dan scowled at his father. “Screw you, sir! I’m done trying and failing to be what you want and taking orders from you. With a father like you, who fucking needs enemies.”
He gave one last parting shot. “General, you’re a failure, too. You failed to kill me. You tried for six fucking years, and you missed the mark every goddamned time!”
Dan flipped off the general, pivoted, and stormed out of the office slamming the door as he left. Fuck this! I’m out of here. My father will never order me again. I’ll commit suicide before I ever allow myself to be subjected to my father’s command a second time.
Merrill stared dumbfounded. He swallowed hard. Christ, if looks could kill, the general would be dead on the spot. Merrill witnessed the angry flash in General Broderick’s eyes when the younger Broderick flipped, the older off. Father and son are unquestionably cut from the same cloth.
William reeled at Daniel’s last words and gesture. His son’s utter loss of control—quite disturbing. Daniel never disrespected the position, even if he didn’t like or agree with the man. This is solid proof of Daniel’s fragile mental state. Though, he couldn’t stop the flash of anger which surged. He grabbed the paper Daniel wrote his code on and strode rapidly to his door. He yanked it open, ready to bellow at Daniel to return.
He stopped in his doorway as the outer office door slammed shut. William noted his entire staff staring at him with rounded eyes and slack-jaws. They overheard the whole rant. Their expressions displayed their unreserved disbelief a soldier harangued General Badass and still lived, even if said soldier happened to be his son.
Glancing down at the paperwork he held, William’s brows rose as he read the code Daniel had written. DWB-B10-231-938-hell-just-froze. Instead of yelling angrily, he burst out into gut splitting laughter. Christ, my son possesses a sharp intellect and smart-ass wit.
The faces of his staff transformed from shocked to baffled and astounded as General Broderick turned and went back to his office still laughing.
William gained control as he set the paper in the file. After closing folder, he handed it to Merrill. “Corporal, process this ASAP. I want Master Corporal Broderick on the next flight to Ottawa. Today, if possible.”
“Yes, sir,” Merrill said in a shocked tone. He took the folder and scurried out of the room, making sure to close the door as he exited.
William slumped into his chair. He stared out the window at the barren, brown landscape within his view. It precisely matched the wasteland where his heart used to be. Daniel’s last words hurt profoundly. He messed up so badly with his son. He shouldn’t have barked the order at Daniel.
As he raked his fingers through his hair, William decided he would give Daniel a few months to grieve Brody. In that time Daniel would also figure out he was a soldier, a damned good one, and he didn’t fit the urban police officer mold. Then he would approach Daniel a
bout coming back to where he belonged. It should be easy to convince him to return.
His mind rolled back to what Daniel said before he stormed out of the office. Why did Daniel think I tried to kill him for six years? That merits some consideration. Daniel isn’t one to throw out arbitrary or untrue statements, even in anger. Though his mental state is somewhat shaky at the moment—but still.
He blew out a long, discouraging breath. This meeting didn’t go as he intended, like all interactions with Daniel. Nothing would fix their relationship at this moment, but he would still look out for Daniel.
William pulled out his phone and dialed. “Walter, Daniel is in your hands now. I hope the team you talked so highly of can help my son heal. Keep me apprised of Daniel’s progress and if he needs anything, anything at all, call me.”
Shots Fired at Central Bank
3
July 13
Toronto – Central Bank
Dan sat in the bank’s small reception area waiting to speak with an account manager. He needed to transfer his bank account from Ottawa to Toronto and deposit Brody’s life insurance check into the BMH Scholarship fund which he, Brody, and Ripsaw established several years ago.
As he waited, Dan gazed at a little girl across from him playing with her stuffed rabbit on the floor at her mother’s feet. She couldn’t be more than about four years old. Her long, golden hair hung in messy braids. She wore a pink sundress with white sneakers. Remnants of the chocolate chip cookie her mother gave her smeared on her chin.
When the little one peered up at him, she smiled sweetly. A pang of loss sliced through Dan. Her green eyes twinkled. Not the emerald green of Sara’s, but green nonetheless. Images of his little sister superimposed themselves over the girl’s face. Sara’s bubbly personality shone brightly for only seven years. Her giggles caused him to laugh, and her smile alone dispelled his foul moods and made him grin.
But Sara is gone, and it’s all my fault. I should’ve seen the vehicle and pulled her to safety. My parents can’t stand the sight of me. They hate me so much the general bellowed at me and told me he wished I was killed by the car instead of Sara. My world changed irrevocably that horrible summer afternoon. I lost everything the day I failed to protect my sister.
