Captain Posen slowly walked besides a three year old daughter through the entrance of the zoo. He had been placed on administrative leave until an investigation was completed regarding his conduct during a recent mission. The Captain was not worried about the outcome of the investigation. It was more of a procedural investigation, than criminal investigation. Not being one to waste time, he decided that with his new found free time he would spend quality time with his daughter.

He watched Aubrey's first interaction with the panther exhibit. Her eyes went wide, pulled on his pant leg, and said, "Daddy, Daddy-cat. Big cat."

Captain Posen picks up Aubrey and says, "That big cat is called a Panther."

"Panther." Aubrey repeated back.

"Yes, Aubrey, that's correct."

The rest of the afternoon continued in a similar fashion. Captain Posen did find it funny that every new animal Aubrey was introduced to, she would call it a panther first, but then call it the correct animal when he corrected her. Eventually, after visiting half the zoo, they stopped to get a bit to eat. Sitting down, Captain Posen cut up Aubrey's hot dog so that she could handle the pieces herself. As they were eating, Aubrey pointed behind her father and said, "Panther?"

The Captain turned to look behind him to see what animal his child confused with the panther she first saw. There was nothing there. No animal enclosure, no animal balloons, and no body standing around. He looks back to Aubrey as she points again behind him and says again, "Panther." Once again, he looks again and there's nothing there.

"Finish your lunch Aubrey." He instructed his daughter, slightly left unnerved, but shook off the feeling and continued with his lunch.

After lunch, they continued their tour of the zoo. Periodically, Aubrey would called other animals, such as monkeys, elephants, and wolves - panthers. As usually, Captain Posen would correct his daughter and continue on their way. As they exited the reptile, he noticed that Aubrey looked distressed. At first he thought this was because they just looked at a bunch of creepy reptiles, but she keep on looking behind them.

"Aubrey, what's wrong?" The Captain asked as gently as he could possibly muster.

Aubrey once again, pointed behind them and said, "Panther."

Captain Posen looked behind them and there was only the exit door of the reptile exhibit. "There's no panther Aubrey," he tried to reassure his daughter.

Aubrey's grip became tighter on his pant leg as she said, "Panther right there."

Captain Posen was now getting concerned. Aubrey wasn't the type of child who played games and indulged in jokes. He focused on his surrounding once again, making sure to focus on even the most unassuming things. Aubrey was at a young enough age to not know if something should or shouldn't be outside the cages. The seasoned Army Captain was ripped out of his focus by his daughter gripping even harder on his pant leg.

Posen had never seen Aubrey like this before. Aubrey was fearless. She tend to take on challenges head on, without hesitation. Aubrey climbed trees, regardless of their heights. She wasn't afraid of clowns. The child wouldn't bat an eye at lightning and thunder. Seeing his child clutching his pant leg, terrified, sent a cold chill through the Captain's body.

"Daddy it's coming!" Aubrey screamed.

There was no hesitation from the father now, as he pulled his child up from the ground into his chest. Aubrey never screamed, not even in pain or surprise. He believed that something was after his daughter and whatever it was would have to go through him. Captain Posen held his daughter tightly as he observed his surrounding, while reassuring his daughter, "I got you sweetie. I got you."

Aubery's little voice, voided of any emotion, whispered, "It's here."

Before the harden military man could respond, Aubrey's eyes rolled to the back of her head as her body shake violently and uncontrollably. Captain Posen had been scared before, He had seen bloodshed and tragedy before his very eyes. The father of one had been shot, stab, and had been involved in not one but three explosions during his time with the military. He has never been as scared as he was watching an invisible force invade his child's body.

Captain Posen doesn't recall if he was screaming for help, but help did come quickly. EMTs showed up during the thick of things. It was a middle aged woman with a young man. They were asking him questions and tried to get him to put his daughter down. The first time ever, the Captain froze. He was just too overwhelmed. Things happened so quickly, that they passed in a blur. One moment his is putting his daughter on the ambulance's stretcher and hopping in the back. Next he is sitting in the ER waiting room. A doctor appears out of nowhere and takes him to Aubrey. She looks so small, sleeping on the hospital bed. The doctor says a lot. An onslaught of words, "scans," "too early to tell," "auras," "seizure," "epilepsy," "medication," and "may grow out of it."

It a few short hours, Captain Posen was able to take his little girl home. Aubrey was out. She hadn't woken up once, which the medical staff stated that was typical for children who have just had a seizure. Once they got home, the military man tucked his daughter into bed. Once Aubrey was safe in her bed, with her night light on so she wouldn't be scared if she woke up in the middle of the night, Captain Posen retired to the study. For the first time, since his wife died, he cried.