Chapter 25 – When Honor Is Put to the Test
October 9, 2015 – 4:03 PM
Mid-Wilshire Police Station – Officers' Break Room
The late afternoon filtered golden light through the station's windows. The atmosphere was light. President Obama's visit still echoed in the hallways, mingled with the quiet respect that now surrounded Derek Davis.
In the break room, Angela Lopez, Tim Bradford, Talia Bishop, Captain Zoe Anderson, and Sergeant Wade Grey sat in an informal circle, sipping coffee and exchanging patrol stories like veterans savoring the little respite the city offered.
Derek leaned against the wall, arms crossed, listening as Angela told a hilarious story involving a suspect who escaped by jumping into a pool in a wool coat.
"And then he sank!" Angela said, laughing. "He looked like an anchor with legs!"
Talia laughed, nearly spitting out her coffee.
Bradford pointed at her.
"You're the one who pulled him, right?"
"Of course. He even asked for help! I said, 'Only if you promise to stop stealing sushi delivery.'"
Laughter filled the room.
Zoe, with her usual half-smile, was about to add a comment when the door to the room burst open.
Three men entered. Dark suits. No visible badges, but with postures that made it clear they were there with authority.
The first of them, with shaved gray hair, stepped forward, his voice sharp:
"Derek Davis?"
The laughter died. Derek straightened.
"It's me."
The man pulled out a folded document and presented it. NCIS – Naval Criminal Investigative Service identification.
"You are under arrest on charges of murder of civilians during an operation in Afghanistan, Marjah District, Helmand Province, approximate date: September 23, 2010."
The room froze.
"Excuse me?" Derek said, his voice low, almost as if he'd misheard.
The second agent stepped forward, removing handcuffs from his back holster.
"Please turn around. We need to handcuff him."
Angela jumped to her feet.
"Wait a minute! This is a mistake! He's a police officer here, he can't be taken away like that!"
Zoe stood, her face impassive but her tone firm.
"I want a full explanation, now."
The NCIS agent raised his hand authoritatively.
"We have a federal warrant. It was issued after reviewing declassified documents and anonymous testimony about an alleged execution of noncombatants during a raid. Chief Davis's name appears as the operator in charge of the sector."
Grey took a step forward, as if he had seen a lot and yet still doubted what he was hearing.
"You know who you're dealing with?"
"We know. And we know the history. But orders are orders."
Derek calmly raised his hands. He didn't resist. But his expression was one of disbelief.
"Angela," he said firmly. "Call my parents. And Angel. Ask them to activate JAG. Talk to Colonel Hendricks. He's still in the Navy Legal Corps. He'll know what to do."
Angela was already pulling out her cell phone, her eyes wide, her voice trembling.
"But Derek... you... this can't be real."
"It's not," he replied. "But it will be. And I need to be ready."
The handcuffs clicked on Derek's wrists. The NCIS agents were serious, but even they looked uncomfortable. They knew this wasn't just any prisoner. They knew they were taking a man who deserved reverence, not distrust.
Zoe turned around, impetuously.
"You really want to take a decorated operator, an exemplary cop, based on anonymous testimony and declassified documents from five years ago? What kind of justice is that?"
The agent replied, almost regretfully:
"Justice that doesn't choose faces, Captain. He'll have a chance to defend himself. But now, he's coming with us."
Derek looked at Angela. A look that carried a thousand unspoken words. And then, at Zoe and Grey.
"Thank you."
Zoe crossed her arms, her eyes steady.
"You're our man. And we're going to pursue this until the end."
Angela was still holding her cell phone, dialing.
Bradford cracked his fists. He was clearly outraged.
"This is ridiculous. They're going after the man who saved more lives than any of these bureaucrats sitting in a cold room."
Talia merely muttered,
"The war never ends."
4:47 PM – Main Corridor of the Police Station
Derek was escorted down the central corridor, handcuffed. All the officers fell silent as they watched him pass. Some stood, others just watched in silence, eyes downcast. It wasn't shame. It was respect.
Angela ran to the end of the corridor, catching him before he was put in the car.
"I spoke to your father. He's already activating JAG. Elizabeth also called the general in charge of the awards review board."
Derek nodded.
— "Good. Don't forget Angel."
— "She already knows. She cried. But she's holding on."
He looked at her, and for a moment, he let his shield fall.
— "They're turning up ghosts. And I'm going to face it head on. But I didn't... do what they say. Angela... I followed orders. And I saved whoever I could."
She gently touched his handcuffed hand.
"I know. I believe you. And we're going to prove it."
The NCIS agent put him in the car, which drove off shortly after.
Angela stood there, watching the vehicle drive away.
The day that had begun like all the others now ended like a nightmare.
But one thing was certain:
They wouldn't let Derek Davis face this alone.
Chapter 26 – Mirrored Room
October 10, 2015 – 9:04 AM
NCIS Regional Headquarters – Los Angeles
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service building, located on the outskirts of Los Angeles, had the austere appearance of any federal facility. Dark glass panels, reinforced concrete walls, cameras at every possible angle. It was the kind of place where the truth was sought with surgical precision—but not always found with justice.
At the reception desk, Captain Zoe Anderson, Sergeant Wade Grey, Angela Lopez, Tim Bradford, and Talia Bishop stood grimly while a uniformed agent spoke on the phone. No one there had slept well the night before.
Angela paced back and forth, arms crossed, face tense. Zoe maintained a military posture, but her eyes betrayed impatience. Bradford drummed his fingers on his thigh, and Talia just stared at the digital sign above the reception desk as if she might shatter it with her gaze.
The agent ended the call and looked at them.
"You may go up. A representative from the Navy Legal Corps has arrived. Interrogation is underway. You may not intervene, but you will be allowed to watch from the mirror."
Zoe nodded firmly.
"We are here as representatives of the LAPD. This man is our police officer. And he is also a national hero."
"Understood, Captain. Follow me."
9:14 AM – Observation Room – Fifth Floor
The room was cold, with cream-colored concrete walls. A large spy-mirror window dominated the front wall, offering a clear view of the interrogation room just beyond. Inside, Derek Davis sat at the table, hands free but clearly tense.
Beside him, in impeccable uniform, was Colonel Marcus Hendricks of the JAG Corps. Broad shoulders, a face with hard features, but watchful eyes, as if he knew all the pitfalls of the military system.
Across the table, NCIS agent Richard Kessler, a man with a stiff posture, a suspicious look, and a voice trained to search for inconsistencies, slowly leafed through a thick file in front of him.
Zoe, Grey, Angela, Talia, and Bradford watched breathlessly.
9:16 AM – Interrogation Room
Kessler began:
"Chief Davis, let's get straight to the point. On September 23, 2010, in Helmand Province, Marjah District, during a raid on a village considered hostile, you led one of the front lines."
Derek simply nodded.
"Yes."
"According to the report at the time, three men were shot in an outbuilding. The bodies were unarmed when they were found."
"Yes."
Kessler narrowed his eyes.
"So you admit to shooting unarmed civilians?"
Hendricks intervened immediately.
"Be careful with your wording, Agent. The report also cites suspicious movement, lack of cooperation, and evidence of hidden weapons. Context matters."
Kessler twirled a pen between his fingers.
"Okay. Chief Davis, describe the moments leading up to the shooting."
Derek rested his hands on the table. His voice was firm, but thick with memory.
"We were on a joint operation with Afghan forces. We had received intelligence that Iranian-made weapons were being stored in villages south of Marjah. We arrived during the early morning hours. As we approached, we noticed two men running toward a barn. A third was already there. Neither responded to the voice command. One of them tried to pull something from his waistband. I gave the order to fire."
Kessler took notes.
"And then?"
"We approached, searched. There was a disassembled AK-74 behind bales of hay. An improvised grenade hidden under a loose board. But... the bodies were unarmed."
The silence stretched. Derek continued:
"At that moment, we had five seconds to decide if this was an ambush. I chose to live. And protect my men."
Beside the mirror, Angela murmured, almost involuntarily:
"He never had a choice."
Zoe looked at her, but said nothing.
Kessler didn't back down.
"What about the report signed by an Afghan interpreter that states the three men were pastors? That one of them had just arrived from the local mosque?"
Hendricks laughed in disbelief.
—"Anonymous report, no identification, no locator. You're basing a federal charge on an unauthenticated document? Why has this come to light now, five years later?"
Kessler ignored him.
—"Chief Davis, you know that today's operational standards have changed. The use of force must be proportionate. Do you acknowledge that there was excess?"
Derek stared at the agent with an almost military coldness.
—"With all due respect, Agent Kessler... I was trained to eliminate threats, protect my squad, and carry out orders within combat guidelines. There was no excess. There was survival."
9:43 AM – Observation Room
Angela turned to Zoe, visibly shaken.
—"They're trying to paint him as an executioner."
Zoe stood her ground.
—"They want a head. Some senator must have pressured. They're digging up old missions, with partial information, trying to clean up the institutional image."
Grey crossed his arms.
"And who pays the price? The men who fought dirty to keep the country clean."
Talia murmured:
"He killed to protect. And now they want to bury him for it."
Bradford said something no one refuted:
"If this were another country, he would be greeted with medals and monuments. Here... he gets handcuffs."
9:58 AM – Interrogation Room
Hendricks pulled out a document.
"Here is the statement from Lieutenant Richard 'Hawk' Coleman, a former Red Squadron officer, attesting that Davis acted according to protocol. Coleman says: 'Davis is the most ethical operator I have ever served with. In 2010, he saved the lives of five men in a decision I wouldn't have the courage to make myself.'"
Kessler remained impassive.
"What about the videos? There's no record of the action."
Derek said:
"The drone lost signal. There was no camera coverage in the field. Only partial audio."
"Convenient," Kessler said.
Hendricks leaned forward.
"Agent Kessler. With all due respect. If you continue to treat this man like a criminal before the investigation is even concluded, I will contact the General Command of the Navy Legal Corps and request your replacement for improper conduct."
Kessler closed the folder slowly.
"The interrogation is suspended for now. We will resume analyzing the data."
10:14 AM – NCIS Hallway
The office door opened. Derek walked out, flanked by Hendricks. Across the hall, Zoe, Angela, Grey, Bradford, and Talia waited.
Derek stopped when he saw them. He was exhausted. But still standing.
Zoe moved closer.
"You held on tight. We saw everything."
Angela went to him and hugged him tightly. He took a moment, but hugged her back.
"This isn't over," she said.
"We still have the truth on our side," Hendricks said. "And that will outweigh any doctored report."
Grey put his hand on Derek's shoulder.
"And you have us. Until the end."
Derek nodded, but there was a dark glint in his eyes now.
It wasn't anger.
It was memory.
And maybe, fear.
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