《The Memorial Day Murders》Chapter 8 : Reunited
Advertisement
Arlington National Cemetery, Washington D.C.
Standing alone in front of the grave of the fallen commanding officer I held back the tears welling in my eyes as I placed flowers in front of the headstone. His widowed wife, Margaret, arrived a few minutes later and we stood in front of the grave in silence. Every grave here in Arlington will be decorated with flags in front of their tombstone during every Memorial Day. She has been living off her life with her husband's military pension, paid annually since the lieutenant general's retirement until his untimely demise. "Before he died he left something for you Isabella." she said, handing me a box. "In his words, a gift to a daughter he would want to have." I opened the box and saw the insignia of the rank of Major attached with a piece of folded paper.
"I know that everybody on the team weren't fighting for glory but promotions are the best thing you all deserve. Signed, your commanding officer." Taking the insignia in hand the memories came flooding as I then pinned the insignia on my uniform.
"Your team is here Isabella. Good luck Major." she said. Within a minute, Margaret departed after laying flowers on her husband's grave as a team of five people approached. We exchanged smiles and the boys exchanged in arm shakes while we girls shook hands and hug.
Jason Roosevelt has already left the army along with Lincoln Jefferson, having risen to the rank of Captain and Major respectively. Olivia rose to the rank of Major as well, Gerald rose to be Commander in his unit. Dominic however, this is nothing new to us. But Dominic and I have something in common, being members of the Cabinet of the new and second Reagan Administration. "Ooo... new promotion rank there." Olivia said, noting the new insignia.
Advertisement
"LGF's posthumous gift." I replied, showing them the box.
"So now we have three Majors, a Captain, a Commander and a General." Gerry said. After that we shared a moment of silence together to deliver our respects to our fallen commander. "Hey guys, how about this? Dinner at D.C. tonight? I know a place." he said.
"You paying?" Olivia asked him.
"What do you think Major?" he asked her.
"Just saying." she shrugged.
Hours later
The black SUV driven by Gerry pulled up to the road curb and we got out, looking at the sign as Gerry went inside the restaurant to confirm his reservation. Two minutes later a man exited, dressed in a sharply tailored suit with tag with the position of restaurant manager emblazoned on it. "Welcome Madam Vice President, Secretary Hayes." the manager said, in a professional manner. "This way please." he said, leading us in. The restaurant is dimly lit but not enough to make people have the feeling that they're walking into a establishment that serves as a place for shady dealings. But this restaurant has a reputation for receiving VIP guests, but a VIP from The White House or Capitol Hill is a rare occurrence. The restaurant is empty, unusual as this hour the place is normally packed with customers. We then sat down at a round marble top table and looked at the menu.
"You spoil us Gerry." Jason smiled upon looking at the dessert section.
"You're always having a sweet tooth Jason." Olivia said in a sarcastic manner. "You hardly changed."
"Old habits die hard Major Wilson." he retorted.
"That looks nice." I whispered to Gerry, pointing at the name of a dish on the menu. We placed our orders five minutes later and the waiter served us each a glass of fine red wine. But silence wasn't on the menu as we talked about our lives together as the black ops military team Elite Alpha, using specific names to avoid being eavesdropped regarding to the confidentiality of the information. "Did you guys get the message from Dom?" I asked.
Advertisement
"Yeah we got it." Lincoln replied. "From what I can see we're in real danger."
"They're gunning for the EA team now." Olivia added. "Anyone still here besides us?"
"I have no-" before I could reply the door was opened again and two men came in, one dressed in an Army Service Uniform and another one in a casual button down and black pants. "idea."
"Hey, wasn't him that guy stationed with us at Burqa?" Jason asked me.
"Yeah but we can't talk about our problem with them around." I replied.
"Hey Fox!" Lincoln called before we could clasp his mouth shut.
"Jefferson! You dead serious in changing the subject?" Gerry scowled upon the action. But Jefferson's voice attracted the attention of Luke Fox and he turned his head, searching for the source of the voice.
"Lincoln Jefferson?" he asked.
"Oh boy." Olivia said.
"Hey man." he said. "What are you doing here?"
"Nothing, just having dinner with my friends." he replied. The footsteps of the waiter interrupted the conversation as he served plates of food at our table. We ate in silence during the entire meal, unable to continue our discussion because of Jefferson's actions.
Advertisement
Gamer's Guide to Waking up as a Dinosaur
Being born is hard. Being reborn is even harder. But being reborn as a baby dinosaur in a world where everything wants to kill you, skin you, and suck the marrow from your bones? That's the hardest. At least the magical blue boxes say I can evolve, though? Link to the discord: here. Cover art done by Monomuss. You can connect with him via the discord server.
8 192Club Novus
Six people go missing many months apart in the small town of Wilton, Indiana. The FBI gets involved once it is discovered the bodies have all been drained of blood. Edward Wright, an agent specializing in missing persons, is assigned to the case. Everything in Wilton seems normal at first, but as Edward spends more time investigating he uncovers dark secrets no one would ever believe.
8 66To Protect
Of all that drives man, rare is the desire to protect others. Rarer still is those that act on that drive to defend the weak and save those in need. But those that do act are heroes, men and woman willing to risk everything to do what is right. Allen was one such person whose courage forced him to act in a time of crisis. But not all stories end happily. Though he is successful in saving others, he himself pays the ultimate price. Now, Allen is reborn to a new life. A new home in a new world. With everyone he meets speaking a language hes never heard before, hes going to have to take one small step at a time to understand this new reality of his. Baby steps in fact.
8 276The Smol Detective
This is a fanfic set in the universe of They Are Smol, an awesome series of stories which you should totally go read right now if you haven’t. The Smol Detective features one Oscar Williams, your standard Manly Badass DudeTM who gets thrown into a larger world where his physical skills are about as useful as a bucket of donkey spit. Therefore, he’ll have to adapt and do so quickly. It turns out that humans are really good at that sort of thing. But still, he’d better adapt fast. Because Oscar’s about to get sucked into a web of alien intrigue, drugs, and murder which will tax his other abilities to the limit… Formal Disclaimer Type Thing: I do not take credit for the original setting, this story is set in an alternate version of the 'They are Smol' universe, written by the one, the only u/tinyprancinghorse.TPH takes many forms and is known by many names. He is like Nyarlathotep, only smaller and cuter and more prancey. TPH also has a Website should you require more Smol Shenanigans in your life. And of course you do, so go ye forth and read. The cover art for this story comes courtesy of the mighty Akella, and you should totally go and throw money at them for commissions because they are awesome.
8 177THAUMATURGY
Born into the house of elite wizards of Crimsonmane, Alicia Crimsonmane did not inherit the ability to control magic like her other relatives, which led to her being ostracised from her own family for bringing disgrace and damaging the prestige of House Crimsonmane. One day, Alicia found an obscure orb containing a rare and powerful source of magic that makes people willing to kill each other to get it. The orb attached to Alicia, granting her access to its power to create magic. However, her life would no longer be the same when many people hunted her for the Divine Grace. After a series of studies to find out the origin of the orb, she realised she was not just an ordinary orb mage. Her encounter with the orb would lead her to a greater destiny, having a significant impact on the conflict-ridden world of thaumaturgy...=========================================== Title: Thaumaturgy Author: RestuIbu Art cover: @pen_camp (twitter) Tag: Action, Fantasy, Magic, R18 Release schedule: Every Thursday and Saturday
8 193Triumph Book 1
Audrey's life started out hard. one miss fortune after the other, she wonders if her life will ever get better. Audrey is a young orphaned Werewolf who knows nothing of her birth parents, to only be raised by a man who abuses her. She was Abandoned by just about everyone she has ever loved, the few who should have been forever where only there momentarily. This is rated for mature, there will be violence, sex, and strong language.
8 103