“So I don’t have to worry about you.”
“That depends,” said Shepard. “On whether I have to worry about you.”
“No,” said Peter. “We’re good.” He put out his hand, and Shepard took it.
He didn’t look like much, Peter thought. But there was a lot to him. You could feel the invisible intention there, the force of his will. The knowledge that it would allow him to do whatever he found necessary.
Which was basically Peter’s attitude, too.
“If you see me again,” said Peter, “don’t shoot.”
“I told you,” said Shepard. “I’m retired.”
They got back in the truck and Lewis gunned it down the road. “You believe him?”
“What, that he’s retired? Or that he wouldn’t have killed my parents?”
“Both,” said Lewis.
“Yeah,” said Peter. “I do.”
Lewis shifted into third. “Why?”
“Same reason I knew you’d be up on that rocky outcrop,” said Peter. “Your word means something to you.”
Lewis gave Peter one of his elaborate shrugs. “All any of us got, in the end,” he said. “Listen, you gonna need another driver pretty soon. I got to find an airport, get back to Dinah and the boys.”
“Portland okay?” asked Peter. “I’m headed down to Eugene, to see that shrink I told you about.”
Lewis smiled his tilted smile. “Jarhead gotta stop camping out someday.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I began to research the first Peter Ash novel, The Drifter, by talking with veterans and reading about their experiences both overseas and returning home.
I’m grateful to be able to continue those conversations, in a variety of ways, with veterans of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam. A number of you told me how much The Drifter meant to you, and that I “got it right.” Those conversations are the best reward for any writer, especially this one.
Thanks to all who shared your experiences and helped this civilian get it as right as possible. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Burning Bright has a lesser emphasis on Peter’s post-traumatic claustrophobia than The Drifter. This is due in part to the requirements of the book, which takes place largely in outdoor settings, and also because I want to begin to show Peter’s path through this particular challenge. Just as the veterans who experience the symptoms of post-traumatic stress aren’t defined solely by those symptoms, Peter isn’t defined by them, either.
We know a great deal more about post-traumatic stress than we used to, and there is more help available now than ever before. Simple steps like meditation and exercise, along with writing in a journal or talking with others with similar experiences, can make a big difference.
For those who’d like to learn more, Once a Warrior Always a Warrior by Charles W. Hoge, MD, is a hands-on manual for those suffering from post-traumatic stress, or for anyone whose loved one may be suffering. I also recommend The Evil Hours by David L. Morris, both a memoir of post-traumatic stress and a deep exploration into its causes and remedies.
? ? ?
MOST OF THE TECHNOLOGIES presented here are very real, although not necessarily in the form I’ve given them. I thought I was writing ahead of the curve, but the curve is catching up fast.
Cognitive computing and machine learning are revolutionizing how we interact with the world, from voice recognition in our devices to facial recognition at our borders to industrial robots teaching themselves to solve physical challenges.
IBM’s Watson, a “cognitive computer” once best known for beating three human Jeopardy! champions simultaneously, now aggregates and summarizes diffuse information for IBM clients.
As I write this, a large technology company is testing a solar drone that can stay aloft for three months at a time, designed to provide Internet access to remote parts of the globe. By the time this book is in print, those drones may well be in use.
Our ever-advancing technologies can have the effect of leveraging our mere human efforts into something greater. We can learn more, know more, build more, do more—and that’s wonderful. But access to these tools is not limited to those with good intentions. A small determined group can do a lot of damage. Large institutions, both public and private, operate with few controls in a fast-changing environment.
For some reason, I don’t find this entirely comforting.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS