"Her brother was a criminal, Roxanne. A killer. Melissa would go out of town on these 'business trips' as she called them, and leave for weeks at a time. She'd always come back with some story about how her family was involved in the corporate world and how she had to help out." Joe said.
"One week in December someone tried to kill the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when he visited the Academy. You might have read that headline a few years ago. What you didn't read was that I stopped the guy, though he about kicked my teeth down my throat. He escaped, though one of the MP's managed to shoot him on the way out. I was pretty banged up when my phone rang." Joe said, remembering the pain in his ribs and arms like it was yesterday.
He remembered what happened next as though it was happening in front of him.
"Melissa is on the other end of the line in a panic. She told me was out of town that weekend which was okay because I had a test on Monday. She says she in trouble and needs help. I wasn't allowed to leave campus but I did anyway. I got to her place and found her bandaging up the assassin, who turned out to be her big brother, Jason. Jason recognized me, too.
And that was when Melissa explained how her family made their money. She and her brother were spies and, when needed, assassins. She begged me to keep their secret and even asked me if I wanted to join up." Joe said.
He remembered how /insulted/ he'd been when they asked him. He also remembered how angry he was at the time.
"We got into a shouting match. I left. I couldn't take it. I sat on the information for two days before I turned him in. Even with a bullet in him, Jason Landon killed three cops before they brought him down. Melissa...she was so angry. She became someone else before my eyes. Told me that I was a liar for not telling her about my dad and that I'd ruined her family and her life by turning her brother in.
She left that night and I didn't see her again until they asked me to identify her body a month later. I guess the people they were working for didn't take kindly to failure." Joe told her.
"Because I didn't come forward with the info immediately, Commander Talbot, who hated my guts already, brought it up as an Honor Code violation. Immediate expulsion. Dad was furious, especially when I wouldn't tell him why I didn't come forward."
no subject
"One week in December someone tried to kill the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when he visited the Academy. You might have read that headline a few years ago. What you didn't read was that I stopped the guy, though he about kicked my teeth down my throat. He escaped, though one of the MP's managed to shoot him on the way out. I was pretty banged up when my phone rang." Joe said, remembering the pain in his ribs and arms like it was yesterday.
He remembered what happened next as though it was happening in front of him.
"Melissa is on the other end of the line in a panic. She told me was out of town that weekend which was okay because I had a test on Monday. She says she in trouble and needs help. I wasn't allowed to leave campus but I did anyway. I got to her place and found her bandaging up the assassin, who turned out to be her big brother, Jason. Jason recognized me, too.
And that was when Melissa explained how her family made their money. She and her brother were spies and, when needed, assassins. She begged me to keep their secret and even asked me if I wanted to join up." Joe said.
He remembered how /insulted/ he'd been when they asked him. He also remembered how angry he was at the time.
"We got into a shouting match. I left. I couldn't take it. I sat on the information for two days before I turned him in. Even with a bullet in him, Jason Landon killed three cops before they brought him down. Melissa...she was so angry. She became someone else before my eyes. Told me that I was a liar for not telling her about my dad and that I'd ruined her family and her life by turning her brother in.
She left that night and I didn't see her again until they asked me to identify her body a month later. I guess the people they were working for didn't take kindly to failure." Joe told her.
"Because I didn't come forward with the info immediately, Commander Talbot, who hated my guts already, brought it up as an Honor Code violation. Immediate expulsion. Dad was furious, especially when I wouldn't tell him why I didn't come forward."