Chapter 10 - THE UNSEEN GUARDIAN
Without another word, the Incoming Commander turned on her heel and began walking slowly up the center aisle toward the heavy steel security doors at the back of the operations floor.
Her black work boots made a quiet, rhythmic thud against the floor as she passed row after row of silent, standing airmen. The morning light was just beginning to break through the high security monitors at the top of the room, casting long, dramatic shadows across the subterranean command center.
As she reached the heavy security doors, the automated scanners hummed, recognizing her presence, and the reinforced steel panels slid open with a heavy pneumatic hiss.
She paused at the threshold, looking back one last time over her broad shoulder at the glowing green radar displays and the quiet, focused room of airmen returning to their consoles.
She reached up with her right hand, her fingers catching the zipper tab of her oversized black fleece. She pulled it up slightly tighter against the morning chill, keeping her rank, her identity, and her medals safely hidden beneath the plain black fabric.
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She stepped out into the corridor, the heavy steel doors sliding shut behind her, sealing the operations floor back into its silent, watchful vigil over the skies.
Inside the room, Airman First Class Nash slowly sat back down in his combat chair. He looked at the glowing radar screen where Viper One-One was now cruising safely toward the home runway, then looked down at his own trembling hands. He pulled his chair close to the desk, adjusted his headset, and began typing the telemetry coordinates, ready to learn the lesson that had just saved a life.
