Washington D.C. (The Past)

Two months after the events in Libya, Angel walked up a long staircase inside Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., with his sister, Cassie, stepping at pace alongside. Both were in full-dress uniforms and had blank, unreadable faces. As they stepped to the top, lower officers would stop and stand at attention. Angel waved them off rather unprofessionally, as he felt sickened to be there.

Cassie gripped his hand and squeezed, which offered only a slight relief from his troubled feelings. They walked through the front doors, followed the directions of the MP at the door, and headed towards their destination. Soon, they reached a door labeled "General Eckhart" and entered. A middle-aged officer sitting behind a well-designed desk welcomed them. "Good morning. Do you have an appointment?" She asked with a crisp, yet kind, voice.

Cassie spoke up so Angel could keep his feelings in check: "Yes, ma'am. Sergeant Kevin Collins and first lieutenant Cassandra Collins to see General Blake Eckhart."

The officer took a quick glance at her open appointment book, then nodded to the two, "Have a seat. I will let the general know you're here."

Fifteen minutes later, the far door opened, and General Eckhart, a mid-60's thin but solid man, head bald of hair and white mustache, gave them the once over and nodded, "Come in, you two."

Without a word, Angel stood, Cassie followed him, and they joined the general in his office. The general walked around to sit in his tall black leather chair and pointed to two basic chairs across from his desk. Angel and Cassie sat down.

"Before we begin," the general said, "I want to extend my personal sympathies to both of you and your team for what you experienced."

"Thank you, sir." Cassie said. Angel stayed silent.

The General noted it: "We've wrapped up our investigation of the incident and—"

"Incident!?" Angel's voice growled. Cassie put her hand on his arm to calm him, but he was having none of it. "That wasn't a fucking incident, General; it was a God-damned massacre!"

"Sergeant, I understand, but—" The General started again.

"Do you?" Angel interrupted again, "Do you really think you understand what it's like to gun down twenty defenseless, innocent children!? I don't think you do, so don't placate me with 'official' words."

"Angel!" Cassie hissed.

"No," the general raised a hand at Cassie, "let him continue." He turned back to Angel, "You have more?"

"I know this is going to get filed away as some incident, General. Just some fucking bureaucratic bullshit, and Tag is going to walk clean, isn't he?"

Leaning back in his chair, the General eyed Angel for a moment, then spoke, "I read your report, Sargant, all of it. Four times." The tone of the general's voice reached Angel. He had expected a full sweep under the carpet, but now? The General continued, "After the massacre, Colonel Tag had trucks brought in, and they cleaned out the building in under an hour. Now, we knew that he had planned this, but we assumed he would take the contraband to the airport to be transported back to US soil. By the time we got your report about the children and sent in an investigation, he'd disappeared."

"AWOL?" Cassie asked.

"Very much so. He got away with a large store of weapons, artillery, munitions, and over twenty million in gold. He'd been planning this for a long time."

"How was he not discovered?" Angel asked, his rage depleted.

"He played the game well. Used his training and skills to manipulate and connect with foreign entities over the span of at least the last five years."

"Five." Angel swallowed. "That's almost as much as I've been under his command."

"Yes." General Eckhart's eyes narrowed. "And why you've been under investigation, as well."

"What?" Cassie snapped, "You can't be serious!"

"No." Angel shook his head. "The general's correct. It would appear to anyone in the higher branches that I'm a very likely accomplice. Tag trained me and showed me his ways. I understand the scrutiny."

"Indeed." The general's voice softened. "But you have one hell of a team, Angel. They are all clean, clear, and trusted, and they all vouched for you. Even threatened to quit with you if we charged you with anything."

Angel barely smirked, but Cassie saw his posture. Pride, gratefulness, and love. His team saved him again.

"Your service is also a factor. You've done a great deal of good work, son, and you should be proud."

"Proud child killer, you mean?" Angel's tone darkened again as he lowered his eyes in guilt and shame.

"You are not at fault for that. Colonel Tag is." The general said:.

"Where is he?" Angel lifted his eyes to the general.

"As far as we know, he's still in Libya or some other non-extradition country. With all we have going on, we can't spare anyone to go after him."

Angel breathed through his nose. "I'll go."

"We thought you might say that." Ekhart frowned. "But we can't spare anyone, not even your team, and we can't authorize you to go on your own. You'd be killed. No, until such time as we can devote resources or he turns up in a country we can extradite from, I'm afraid Colonel Robert Tag is off limits."

"Fucking military bureaucracy!" Angel began to stand.

The general raised his voice in a commanding tone, "Sit down, Sergeant. Now!"

Cassie reached over, took Angel's arm, and helped him sit back down.

"Look. You're right. I don't know what you are feeling, Mr. Collins; I don't. What you and your team had to experience is absolutely disgusting." The general reached into a drawer on his desk and pulled out a small box. He opened it and looked inside as he spoke, "But we need you. Not for vigilante missions, but leading our best troops and your team out in the field."

He turned the box and slid it across the desk. Inside was the rank insignia of a Colonel. Cassie's eyes widened, and she looked at her brother with admiration and said, "Brother. What you could do with—"

Angel reached over and slapped the box closed. "No, thank you, sir. I'm sticking with my—our—requests for discharge."

"Kevin." Ekhart pleaded, "This is an amazing opportunity. You would be the first ever to be promoted to this rank, and at your age. You may have been trained by Tag, but your skill set has proven to be superior. You are needed here."

"Where I am needed, the army can't follow, sir." Angel stood up for real this time. "Thank you for the offer, but you have the paperwork for our resignation. I trust it will be processed?"

Seeing the futility of trying to convince Angel, the general sighed, "Yes, I will see to it personally." He titled his head a bit, "But it won't be a general discharge."

"Sir!" Cassie protested, "He did nothing wrong! Neither of us did."

This time the General smiled, "So quick to assume, Miss Collins. No, you won't be granted a general discharge. Both of you will receive honorable discharges, with all the rights and privileges granted by it."

"Sir." Cassie choked, "Thank—"

"Whatever." Angel turned on his heels and moved to the door, "If we're done here, I have things to do."

Cassie stiffened at the General's look, but he waved his hand, "You're both dismissed."

Cassie saluted and turned as Angel opened the door, but the general spoke again, "Mr. Collins?"

Angel stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Find peace, son. Please."

With a curt nod, Angel turned back and left. Cassie stood there for a moment, looked back at the general, and mouthed, "Thank you." She then left to follow Angel out of the office.

Cassie caught up to Angel but stayed silent as she sensed his anger. Once they were outside, however, Angel stopped dead in his tracks and let out a single sob. Cassie pulled him into a hug, sniffing with him. "What are you going to do now?"

Angel swallowed, and in a whisper, he pleaded, "Find redemption?"

Cassie tightened her grip and whispered back. "I'll help."