Paramedics rushed in for the captain.
The co-pilot leaned close. “They want you to come out first.”
“No,” I said. “Him first.”
He nodded, and for the first time, he looked at me like he understood what leadership really was.
When the cockpit door opened, warm air hit my face, along with the sound of boots and radios and people saying my call sign under their breath like a prayer.
I stepped into the aisle.
Every head turned.
Phones pointed at me.
I walked through it like I’d walked through worse.
Outside, the two stealth fighters sat far down the tarmac, engines ticking, their pilots waiting.
One of them snapped to attention the second he saw me—like his body did it before his mind could stop it.
Old habits.
Old legends.
“Ma’am,” he said, voice tight. “Eagle Lead sends his regards.”
I nodded once. “Tell him… I’m grateful.”
