Chapter 9: The Man I Called Father
Admiral Jonathan Pierce was the reason I became the man I was.
At least, that was what I believed.
When I was a young officer, Pierce was the first person who saw potential in me.
He taught me discipline.
Patience.
Leadership.
He taught me that a commander’s greatest responsibility was protecting the people under him.
I built my career on his words.
I repeated them to younger officers.
I turned them into my own philosophy.
Now I stood on a dark pier with a phone in my hand, realizing the man who shaped my life might have been the architect of my destruction.
“No.””
The word escaped before I could stop it.
Carter looked at me.
“Who was it?””
I looked at him.
“Jonathan Pierce.””
Nobody spoke.
Even Vale looked surprised.
That scared me.
Because if Thomas Vale was surprised, then I had just named someone far more powerful than him.
Daniel Cross stepped from the shadows.
“Pierce?””
I looked at him.
“You know him?””
Cross nodded slowly.
“Everyone in Black Current knew him.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why?””
Cross looked at the ocean.
“Because he was the one person nobody questioned.””
A wave crashed against the pier.
“He wasn’t a commander.””
“He wasn’t intelligence.””
“He wasn’t special operations.””
Cross looked at me.
“He was trust.””
That sentence stayed with me.
Because it was true.
Pierce never needed authority.
People followed him because they believed in him.
Including me.
Especially me.
Reynolds finally arrived, breathing heavily.
“Sir.””
I looked at him.
“Where have you been?””
“Trying to stop an entire security division from arresting us.””
“Result?””
He looked toward the academy.
“They’re still coming.””
I nodded.
Then my phone rang again.
This time, I answered immediately.
“Jonathan.””
A pause.
Then a tired voice.
“Richard.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why?””
Silence.
Not denial.
Not confusion.
Regret.
“Because you were never supposed to survive.””
The words cut deeper than any accusation.
“What did you do?””
“I saved the Navy.””
I laughed bitterly.
“By destroying me?””
“No.””
His voice hardened.
“By preventing something worse.””
“Stop talking like everyone else.””
I looked at the others.
“I want the truth.””
Pierce sighed.
“You always were stubborn.””
“You taught me that.””
A long pause.
Then:
“I know.””
I gripped the phone.
“Tell me what happened on Black Current.””
Pierce didn’t answer immediately.
When he did, his voice was quieter.
“Black Current uncovered a network.””
“The Ghost Trident?””
“Yes.””
“And you were part of it.””
“No.””
His answer came instantly.
“No, Richard. I was fighting it.””
I froze.
“What?””
“The Ghost Trident was supposed to protect classified information.””
Pierce continued.
“But over time, people inside it decided they were above oversight.””
My eyes moved to Carter.
“Then why was Michael erased?””
“Because Michael found out.””
“Why was I erased?””
Another pause.
“Because you found out too.””
The ocean seemed to stop.
“What did I find?””
Pierce’s voice became almost a whisper.
“The person leading the Ghost Trident.””
“Who?””
Silence.
Then:
“Yourself.””
I stared.
“No.””
“Richard—”
“No.””
My voice cracked.
“I would remember.””
“You did.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
Pierce continued.
“You created the original Ghost Trident protocol.””
Nobody moved.
The words felt impossible.
“You were the founder?””
“Yes.””
I looked at Carter.
He looked away.
The pain on his face told me enough.
“You knew.””
Carter whispered:
“Not until later.””
I turned back to the phone.
“You let me believe I was innocent.””
“I let you believe you were free.””
The call ended.
I stood there frozen.
Because suddenly the warning made sense.
The letter.
The fear.
The missing memories.
I wasn’t afraid of Admiral Richard Callahan.
I was afraid of the person I used to be.
Then Carter spoke.
“Richard.””
I looked at him.
“There’s one thing you still don’t know.””
“What?””
He looked toward the academy.
Toward the thousands of young officers gathered there.
“The Ghost Trident was never destroyed.””
A chill moved through me.
“Then where is it?””
Carter’s expression turned grim.
“Everywhere.””
My phone buzzed.
A final message appeared.
Not from Pierce.
Not from Vale.
From me.
A message scheduled twenty-four years ago.
*WHEN YOU REMEMBER EVERYTHING, GO TO THE PLACE WHERE IT STARTED.*
Below it was a location.
The coordinates of the Black Current wreck site.
May you like
And one final sentence.
*BRING MICHAEL. HE DESERVES TO SEE WHAT YOU DID.*
