CHAPTER 1 — "HE'S JUST AN OLD MAN..."
Rain hammered against the empty bus stop as the old veteran sat quietly, staring down the deserted street.
His faded cap simply read:
VETERAN
His hands rested on a worn wooden cane.
One pant leg ended above a carbon-fiber prosthetic.
He didn't ask anyone for sympathy.
He only wanted to get home.
Then three young men crossed the street.
Loud.
Confident.
Looking for someone weaker than themselves.
The tallest one noticed the prosthetic first.
"Yo... check this out."
All three burst into laughter.
"Dude... is that thing Bluetooth?"
Another leaned closer.
"How often do you recharge it, Grandpa?"
The third kicked the metal bench.
"I bet airport security loves this guy."
Their laughter echoed across the sidewalk.
People slowed down.
Some watched.
Nobody spoke.
The old veteran remained perfectly still.
His weathered eyes never left the wet pavement.
That silence somehow irritated them even more.
"What happened?"
"Couldn't afford the deluxe model?"
One reached down and tapped the prosthetic with his sneaker.
CLANG.
"You hear that?"
"It's real!"
The others laughed harder.
One pulled out his phone.
"This is going viral."
He pointed the camera directly at the veteran's face.
"Smile, Grandpa."
Still...
No answer.
No anger.
No fear.
Just silence.
The veteran slowly closed his eyes.
Not because he was afraid...
But because the sound of their laughter reminded him of another sound...
Young soldiers joking together...
Hours before an explosion changed all of their lives forever.
A tear almost escaped.
He swallowed it.
Then one of the boys crossed the line.
He grabbed the veteran's cane.
"What happens if I take this?"
The old man finally looked up.
His voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
"Son..."
"You don't want to do that."
The boys exploded with laughter.
"What are you gonna do?"
"Chase us?"
The leader tossed the cane into the middle of the road.
At that exact second—
A black SUV stopped so suddenly beside the bus stop that its tires screamed across the wet pavement.
Then another.
Then another.
The street instantly fell silent.
The SUV doors opened.
Men in dark suits stepped out with military precision.
Every one of them looked directly at the old veteran.
Not at the boys.
At him.
One hurried forward...
Stopped...
And saluted.
The veteran slowly returned the salute.
May you like
The three boys stopped laughing.
Something suddenly felt very wrong...
