General Wallace went absolutely still. He wasn’t scrolling. He was reading. His face, which had been hard granite, slowly drained of all color. His eyes widened, just slightly. He read for maybe fifteen seconds. Then he looked up from the pad.

He looked at her not as a General looks at a contractor. He looked at her as a man looks at a living legend.

He slowly, methodically, clipped the data pad back to his vest. He straightened his uniform. He stood at perfect, rigid attention.

And Major General Ivan Wallace, commanding officer of the entire U.S. Military Academy, a man who reported directly to the Pentagon, raised his right hand to his brow and rendered the sharpest, most respectful salute I have ever seen.

“Ma’am,” he said. His voice was thick. “My apologies. I was not aware you were on-site.”

The… the… what?

My brain finally shattered.