Chapter 4: The Secret My Father Buried
I stared at the photograph on the computer screen.
I wanted to say something.
Anything.
A question.
An accusation.
A denial.
But my mind had become strangely quiet.
Because the impossible thing about seeing a ghost from your own past is not the ghost itself.
It is realizing you might have misunderstood the entire story.
For thirty years, I had carried one version of my father.
A man who doubted me.
A man who laughed when I announced my plans.
A man who looked at my ambition like it was a temporary phase.
A man who told Glenn, right in front of me, “Rebecca will come home when she realizes this isn’t a game.””
I had built my entire career partly out of spite.
Every promotion.
Every difficult assignment.
Every night sleeping on uncomfortable cots in unfamiliar places.
A small part of me had always been proving him wrong.
But now I was staring at a picture of him standing beside my future command post.
And beside him was a younger version of me.
Not the officer I became.
Not the colonel standing in that archive room.
A teenager.
A girl who had no idea what was waiting for her.
I looked at Ellis.
“Explain.””
She looked uncomfortable.
“I wish I could.””
“That picture has my father, Colonel Voss, and me.””
“Yes.””
“I have never been assigned here.””
“No.””
“Then why am I in a photograph at this installation?””
Nobody answered.
That was when I knew.
Everyone in that room knew something I didn’t.
I turned toward General Hale.
“You recognized something when you saw my father’s file.””
He didn't deny it.
“I recognized the name.””
“Not the situation?””
A pause.
Then he said, “Not completely.””
“That is not an answer.””
Hale looked down.
“When I was a captain, I served under Colonel Voss.””
The room became still.
“You knew him?””
“Yes.””
“And my father?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
He walked toward the table and placed both hands on the folder.
“Your father was part of a leadership assessment program.””
I frowned.
“That sounds like a polite way of saying investigation.””
“It was.””
“Why?””
Hale looked at the old photograph.
“Because something happened here.””
“What?””
“An operation went wrong.””
The words landed heavily.
“People were hurt?””
“Yes.””
“How many?””
His silence answered before his mouth did.
I looked away.
“How does that involve my father?””
“He took responsibility.””
“That doesn’t explain why there are files with my name.””
Hale looked at me.
“No. It doesn’t.””
I folded my arms.
“Then start from the beginning.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Hale pulled out a chair.
“Your father and Colonel Voss were considered two of the strongest leaders in the service.””
I almost laughed.
“My father?””
“Yes.””
“That’s interesting because he spent years telling me I wasn’t suited for this life.””
Hale’s expression softened.
“Colonel Mercer, your father spent years telling people you weren’t suited for this life.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
“Because he didn’t want anyone to know he was preparing you for it.””
I felt my face tighten.
“That makes no sense.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t understand. My father never supported me.””
Hale looked at Glenn.
“Did he?””
Glenn opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
I turned toward him.
“What?””
My brother looked uncomfortable.
“Glenn.””
He rubbed his forehead.
“Rebecca…”
“No.””
My voice became sharper.
“What do you know?””
He looked at the floor.
“I knew Dad was different with you.””
I stared at him.
“Different?””
“He was harder on you.””
“That’s one way to describe it.””
“But I didn’t know why.””
I laughed quietly.
A bitter sound.
“So everyone knew something except me?””
“No,” Glenn said quickly.
“Yes.””
I looked at the photograph again.
“That has been the story of my life.””
Ellis stepped closer.
“Colonel, there is something else.””
“What?””
She hesitated.
“Your father’s investigation was closed officially.””
“Officially?””
“Yes.””
“And unofficially?””
She looked at the folder.
“Someone continued looking into it.””
“Who?””
“We don't know.””
I pointed at the screen.
“Someone sent this message.””
“Yes.””
“Someone knew I was coming.””
“Yes.””
“Someone knew I would find this.””
“Yes.””
I looked at Hale.
“General, when I arrived at the gate today, I thought I was dealing with a simple security mistake.””
Hale nodded.
“I understand.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“I don’t think you do.””
The room went quiet.
“I walked into this installation thinking the biggest problem I would face was convincing people I belonged here.””
I looked around at the old files.
“Instead, I find out someone has been waiting for me.””
Hale said nothing.
Because there was nothing to say.
The truth was sitting right in front of us.
Someone had built a trail.
Someone wanted me to follow it.
The question was why.
My phone vibrated.
Everyone looked at it.
I pulled it from my pocket.
Unknown number.
One message.
*YOU FOUND THE PHOTO. GOOD. NOW FIND THE PERSON WHO TOOK IT.*
My chest tightened.
I showed the screen to Ellis.
She read it.
Then immediately looked toward the door.
“Colonel…”
“What?””
“If someone has access to this archive system—”
“Then they have access to us.””
“Yes.””
Hale reached for the radio.
“Security sweep of the records building. Now.””
His voice filled the room.
The casual command presence was gone.
This was the voice of someone who had seen danger before.
Within seconds, footsteps sounded outside.
Personnel moved through the hallway.
Doors opened.
The building became alive.
Glenn stood beside me.
For once, he had nothing sarcastic to say.
“You okay?””
I looked at him.
“That’s a strange question from you.””
“I know.””
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Then he looked at the photograph.
“Rebecca…”
“What?””
“I remember this day.””
I turned.
“What?””
“The picture.””
My entire body went still.
“You remember?””
He nodded slowly.
“We were kids.””
“How old?””
“Maybe sixteen. You were fourteen.””
I stared at him.
“You were there?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?””
His face changed.
“Because Dad told me not to.””
The room seemed to shrink.
“What did he say?””
Glenn looked ashamed.
“He said you needed to hate him.””
I blinked.
“What?””
“He said if you knew the truth, you would stop pushing.””
I couldn’t speak.
Glenn continued.
“He told me you were going to quit if people helped you.””
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t sound like him.””
“It wasn’t.””
“What do you mean?””
Glenn looked at the photograph.
“Dad wasn’t trying to stop you.””
He swallowed.
“He was trying to protect you.””
I stared at my brother.
“From what?””
Before he could answer, the lights went out.
The entire archive room fell into darkness.
Someone shouted in the hallway.
A security alarm began screaming.
Then the emergency lights flickered on.
Red.
Dim.
Warning.
Ellis grabbed her radio.
“Status?””
A voice answered immediately.
“Ma’am, we have an issue.””
“What kind?””
A pause.
Then:
“The archive server has been wiped.””
Everyone froze.
Ellis looked at the computer.
The message window was gone.
The photograph was gone.
Every file on the screen had disappeared.
Hale stepped forward.
“What do you mean wiped?””
“Someone accessed the system remotely.””
“When?””
The answer came back.
The radio crackled.
“Three minutes ago.””
Ellis looked at me.
“Three minutes ago…”
My phone vibrated again.
Another message.
This time, only four words.
I opened it.
And felt the blood leave my face.
*HE WAS TRYING TO SAVE YOU.*
Below it was a photograph.
Not an old one.
A new one.
Taken that morning.
At the base entrance.
It showed me standing at the gate.
And behind me, partially hidden near the guard station, was a person watching.
Someone who had been there the entire time.
Someone who had seen me arrive.
Someone who knew exactly who I was.
I zoomed in.
The image became clearer.
And I recognized the uniform.
I recognized the face.
Because it belonged to the one person who should have been impossible.
May you like
The man in the photograph was Colonel James Voss.
But Colonel James Voss had been dead for twelve years.
