Chapter 9 - The New Dawn
With the syndicate dismantled and the military brass thoroughly purged of corruption, the Department of Justice officially exonerated Master Sergeant David Vance, restoring his full pension, military honors, and rank with retroactive commendation for extraordinary heroism.
The Vance family returned to their home in the mountains, where the air smelled of pine and clean mountain rain, far away from the dark corridors of the Pentagon and the subterranean rail terminals of the city.
One crisp, sunny Saturday morning, David and Noah stood together on the private shooting range behind their house—not a classified military testing ground, but a quiet, peaceful wooden deck overlooking a rolling valley.
David set a fresh target card down at the five-hundred-yard mark, walking back to where Noah stood holding a newly polished, lightweight youth-model hunting rifle.
"Wind's coming from the west at four miles per hour, Noah," David instructed gently, leaning against the wooden railing with a warm, proud smile. "What's your adjustment?"
Noah peered through the scope, adjusting the windage turret with practiced, effortless precision. He locked his body into a comfortable, balanced stance, exhaled half his lung capacity, and squeezed the trigger.
Crack.
Five hundred yards away, the center ring of the paper target punched through with a clean, perfect bullet hole.
May you like
Noah lowered the rifle, grinning brightly. "Bullseye, Dad."
David laughed, pulling his son into a firm, affectionate headlock, ruffling the boy’s hair. "That's my boy. Now, come on—your mom made pancakes, and if we're late, she'll deploy the real artillery."
