Chapter 2: The Medal of the Forgotten Heroes
Colonel Marcus Vance held the tarnished silver medal in both hands.
His fingers trembled.
"This medal..." he whispered.
"...hasn't been seen in twenty-four years."
The ballroom remained frozen.
Victoria Sterling folded her arms.
"It's an old piece of metal. Surely you're not stopping my banquet over junk."
Vance slowly looked up.
"There were only twelve of these ever made."
A murmur swept through the guests.
"They were awarded to members of Task Force Phoenix, an elite military rescue unit whose identities were sealed by the government."
He turned toward Maya.
"Each medal carried a hidden identification number engraved beneath the insignia."
Using a handkerchief, he gently polished away decades of dirt.
Tiny numbers appeared.
PX-07.
Vance closed his eyes.
"Oh, God..."
One of the senators stepped forward.
"You recognize it?"
"I issued it myself."
The room exploded with whispers.
Vance stared at Maya.
"PX-07 belonged to Colonel Nathan Hale."
The name echoed through the ballroom.
Even Victoria had heard it.
Nathan Hale wasn't merely a decorated soldier.
He was a national hero who had disappeared with his wife and infant daughter after exposing a criminal trafficking network involving powerful officials.
Their vehicle had been found burned beside a mountain road.
Everyone believed the entire family had died.
Except...
"No bodies were ever recovered," Vance said quietly.
He looked at Maya.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-four."
His heart nearly stopped.
"The same age as Nathan's missing daughter."
May you like
Every eye in the ballroom turned toward Maya.
The orphan they had mocked suddenly became the center of a mystery that had remained unsolved for nearly a quarter of a century.
