Ruins

The plane touched down at an airport outside the city. Aaron Balsey stepped off the plane, squinting in the bright afternoon sunlight. He was tired from the long flight back from Kenya, but his weariness was overshadowed by a deep sadness.

Delgado exited behind him. Aaron turned to face the man. "I'm sorry about Gabriel," he said solemnly, referring to the mercenary who had been killed in the ambush by Kenyan soldiers.

Delgado's weathered face remained impassive. He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Death is part of life in our line of work, my friend." His voice was gruff but not unsympathetic. The two men shook hands, exchanging meaningful nods of respect forged in the heat of battle.

Delgado turned and strode across the tarmac towards a black SUV idling nearby, where his crew of mercenaries waited. Aaron watched as the men piled in, the vehicle's tinted windows reflecting the hot sun's glare. With a rumble of the engine, they peeled out onto the main road.

Alone now, Aaron pulled out his cell phone and tapped Ramsey's number on speed dial. The line picked up after a couple of rings. "We're back," Aaron said flatly. "But we lost one of the mercenaries you hired named Nunez in Kenya after getting ambushed."

Ramsey's voice crackled over the tinny speaker. "Damn, that's rough. But you completed the main objective at least?"

"Yeah, consignments were delivered safely to Fazul," Aaron confirmed, sticking to the coded language of their underworld dealings. "Listen, we'll regroup tomorrow and go over the full debrief."

"Sounds good. Welcome home, brother," Ramsey replied before disconnecting the call.

Aaron took a deep breath of the city air, allowing the faint smells of diesel fumes and hot asphalt to fill his lungs. It was good to be back. He hit the next number in his contacts.

"Hey Cain, it's me," Aaron said when the line connected. "Just touched down. How're things in the city?"

Andre Cain's deep voice rumbled in response. "All's quiet on the western front, boss. No major flare-ups since you've been gone."

"Good, keep it that way," Aaron instructed. "I'll be back at the warehouse soon. We've got planning to do." He ended the call.

Using his secure encrypted app, Aaron summoned a private car to take him into the city centre. As he waited, he leaned back against the chain-link fence surrounding the tarmac and lit up a cigarette, exhaling a stream of smoke into the warm breeze.

At the Hospital, Detective Sam Edwards was recovering in his hospital bed. His face was covered in thick white bandages that looked very different from his dark skin colour. With each breath, the bandages around his head gently moved up and down as his chest rose and fell slowly. Sam had been badly injured and was healing from his wounds.

A soft knock came from the doorway, and Sam's friend Paul entered, "What up, Detective?" Paul said with a tired grin, trying to lighten the somewhat grim atmosphere of the hospital room.

Sam's one visible eye crinkled at the sound of the familiar voice. "Paul? That you, man?" His speech was slightly muffled under the bandages.

"The one and only," Paul replied, rolling closer to the bedside. "Damn, you look like the wrong end of a bar fight, my friend."

Paul's face turned more serious. "Hey, listen...they told me what happened. About how you went looking for Lopez's killer alone." Paul shook his head slowly. "You're one reckless son of a bitch, Edwards."

"I had to find the bastards," Sam rasped with conviction. "For Sophia...for his daughter. I owed it to them."

"I know, I know," Paul said, raising a hand reassuringly. "Which is why I'm here now. I've been tracking the gang responsible, doing all the computer wizardry I can to pinpoint their hideouts."

Sam's visible eyes widened with surprise and hope. "You have? Dammit Paul, I owe you one."

"You owe me about a million at this point," Paul said with a wry half-smile. "But who's counting?"

Paul playfully punched Sam's arm. "Jerk." But he was laughing too.

After filling Sam in, Paul stepped outside to talk to the doctor. "When can he be discharged?"

"A few days, if his recovery stays on track."

"Good, because the gang that did this might come after him again." Paul fixed the doctor with a serious look. "Don't release him to go home yet - too risky."

The doctor frowned. "But the paramedics found him outside the station. If they wanted him dead..."

"I'm just covering all bases, doc. Trust me on this."

Meanwhile, across town, the final school bell rang out, releasing a stream of students from their classes. Leo Balsey stood waiting just outside the main entrance, idly checking his phone to pass the time.

A few minutes later, Sophia Lopez emerged from the crowd, her bookbag slung over one shoulder. "Hey Leo, sorry I'm late!" she called out in a breathless rush. "I had to go back for one of my textbooks."

Leo smiled at the sight of his friend. "No worries, you know I don't mind waiting." The two began walking together down the sidewalk toward the student pickup area. "Any luck finding a ride to the hospital to visit your uncle?"

Sophia shook her head, her expression turning worried. "No, not yet. Mom's working late again."

"Well in that case..." Leo quickly opened up the rideshare app on his phone and tapped through a few menus. "I'll just call us an Uber. We can go see how Sam's doing."

"Oh Leo, thank you!" Sophia gave him an impulsive side hug. "I was so worried about him after...well, you know."

Leo nodded somberly, wrapping a reassuring arm around his shoulders. He knew how much Sam meant to her after taking over as a father figure when Lopez was killed in the line of duty a few weeks back.

The Uber arrival notification popped up a few minutes later, and a nondescript grey sedan pulled up to the curb. "There's our ride," Leo said, leading them over to the idling vehicle.

An older man with a kind face and greying hair rolled down the window as they approached. "Where to, kids?" he asked pleasantly.

"Lakeshore Hospital, please," Leo replied, opening the rear door and gesturing for Sophia to climb in first. Once they were settled, the driver smoothly merged back into the flow of traffic, heading across town.

As their journey began, the driver spoke up again, craning his neck to glance at them in the rearview mirror. "So what's the occasion for a hospital visit, if you don't mind me asking? Nobody hurt, I hope?"

"Oh no, nothing like that sir," Sophia assured him. "We're going to see Sam Edwards my dad's colleague. He's a police detective who was injured while investigating the gang that killed his partner."

The driver's eyes widened with concern and he let out a low whistle. "Wow, that's rough. Police work is no joke these days with all the gang violence happening."

Leo nodded grimly. "Tell me about it. Sam's been trying to find out who killed my, partner, Lopez." He patted Sophia's hand comfortingly. Lopez was Sophia's dad."

"I see, I see," the driver murmured solemnly. "A tragic cycle of violence, for sure. Believe me, I know a thing or two about that from personal experience."

Now it was Sophia's turn to glance curiously at the kindly old driver. "Personal experience? What do you mean by that, sir?"

The man sighed heavily, keeping his eyes focused steadily on the road ahead. "Well, let's just say I was a soldier once, back in my glory days during the Cold War. I saw and experienced plenty of senseless violence over there that still haunts me."

He paused, idly adjusting the rearview mirror. "Then after I got back home, there was an...incident. With my wife and one of our neighbors. It escalated too far, too fast before I realized what was happening."

Leo and Sophia exchanged concerned glances, sensing they were about to hear a painful story. The man continued in a low, remorseful tone.

"See, this neighbour's husband, he was some kind of gang leader. Stupid little disagreement over something trivial, you know how it goes. But being the stubborn idiot I was back then, I tried to handle it with force instead of calm discussion."

His eyes turned glassy with the weight of the memory. "Long story short...the gang guy retaliated. And my beautiful wife...she paid the ultimate price for my foolishness." He shook his head slowly, blinking away the shimmer of moisture in his eyes.

Sophia mentioned stopping for flowers first.

"Sure thing," Bruce replied easily.

At the flower shop, Sophia carefully selected a bunch of purple hydrangeas and paid the smiling owner. Leo held the door for her as she rejoined him outside

.Sophia: Oh Bruce, I'm so sorry...

Bruce: Her last words were "An eye for an eye is how everybody ends up blind." Truer words were never spoken.

Leo: Those are really powerful words to live by, man. Violence just breeds more violence.

Bruce: You're right, son. This is why I'm hoping the police can find a peaceful resolution to this gang war before more innocents get caught in the crossfire.

Sophia: Me too. I just want Uncle Sam to get better so he can stop worrying us all.

Bruce: I'm sure he'll make a full recovery. You folks just stay positive.

(They arrive at the hospital)

Bruce: Well, here's your stop. I wish you all the best with your uncle.

Leo/Sophia: Thanks Bruce, take care.