Chapter 5 - The Order to LeaveAnnie did not sit down.
"On what grounds?"
Administrator Hensley adjusted his glasses.
"Concerns about professional conduct. Unauthorized orders to medical staff. Disruptive behavior during an emergency. We also received a complaint regarding your access to restricted military communications."
"Which complaint?"
"That information is confidential."
"Then how can I respond to it?"
Hensley shifted in his chair.
The man in the dark coat answered for him.
"You don't need to respond. You need to leave."
Annie turned to him.
"Who are you?"
"Someone trying to prevent this from becoming much worse."
"That's not a name."
He opened the envelope and slid a single page across the table.
It contained a termination notice, already signed.
At the bottom, beneath Hensley's signature, was Teague's.
Annie studied the document.
"You prepared this before the casualties arrived."
Nobody answered.
"Before I spoke to Captain Mercer," she continued. "Before anyone knew what happened tonight."
Teague folded his arms.
"Your attitude is exactly why this is necessary."
"My attitude?"
"You have been hiding information about your past. You've made the staff uncomfortable. And now you are interfering with a military operation that doesn't concern you."
Annie looked at the man in the coat.
"What military operation?"
He smiled without warmth.
"One that requires discretion."
"Then you should have chosen a different hospital."
For the first time, his expression changed.
"You think your past makes you untouchable, Ms. Keller. It doesn't. You were removed from your previous assignment for a reason."
Annie felt a sharp pressure behind her ribs.
"Who told you that?"
"I've read your file."
"No, you haven't."
The words came out so quietly that Hensley leaned forward.
"What did you say?"
Annie met the stranger's eyes.
"My file was sealed. Even the personnel office at Pine Harbor couldn't access it. If you've read it, you have credentials you haven't disclosed. If you don't have those credentials, you're lying."
The stranger's smile vanished.
Teague moved toward the door.
"That's enough."
Annie ignored him.
"What's your name?"
The man stood.
"Deputy Director Paul Rusk. Office of Special Investigations."
He produced a badge, but he held it just long enough for her to see the emblem before putting it away.
"Your presence here has become a security concern. You will surrender your access card and any military property in your possession."
"My access card is hospital property. My identification tags are mine."
"Give them to me."
"No."
Hensley looked alarmed.
"Annie, please. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."
She turned toward him.
"You've known me for seven months. Have I ever endangered a patient?"
He looked down.
"Have I ever refused an assignment? Have I ever falsified a chart? Have I ever abandoned a patient?"
Hensley said nothing.
"Then tell me what I'm actually being accused of."
Rusk closed the folder.
"You are being instructed to leave."
Annie reached for the termination notice, folded it once, and placed it on the table.
"Then you'll have to escort me out."
Teague gave a short laugh.
"Gladly."
But before he could move, the conference room door opened.
Captain Mercer stood in the doorway, his uniform now dry beneath a hospital-issued jacket.
Behind him were two military police officers.
"Nobody is escorting anyone anywhere," Mercer said.
Rusk's face hardened.
"Captain, this is a civilian hospital matter."
"Not when someone is attempting to remove a protected witness during an active investigation."
Hensley went pale.
"A protected what?"
Mercer ignored him.
He handed one of the officers a document.
"Mr. Rusk, your authority to access this facility has been suspended pending verification of your credentials. Please accompany the officers to the security office."
Rusk didn't move.
"You're making a career-ending mistake."
"Possibly," Mercer replied. "But I prefer to make it with witnesses."
The officers stepped forward.
Rusk finally turned toward the door, but as he passed Annie, he leaned close enough for only her to hear.
"You should have stayed quiet, Angel Six."
Annie's blood turned cold.
The nickname had not been spoken outside her old unit for seven months.
She watched Rusk disappear into the hallway.
Then she turned to Mercer.
"Why did you call me a protected witness?"
"Because that's what you were supposed to be."
"Supposed to be?"
Mercer hesitated.
Annie stepped closer.
"Captain, what did I witness?"
He looked toward the closed conference room door.
"Something that could bring down people who have spent years making sure nobody asks questions."
"And Daniel?"
Mercer said nothing.
That silence was the answer she feared.
Then he reached into his pocket and handed her a small, battered memory card.
"Your brother's last message was recovered from a damaged field recorder. We were never able to open it."
Annie stared at the card.
"Why give it to me now?"
"Because it was encrypted with your medical callsign."
May you like
He lowered his voice.
"And because someone tried to destroy it tonight."
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