Aaron remained outwardly calm, but anyone familiar with him would have recognized the warning signs.
He was angry.
He looked at the old woman, who was still throwing threats at everyone around her, and said evenly, "Fine. We'll wait for your son. I'm curious to see exactly how he plans to deal with me."
Grant was having considerably more trouble hiding his temper. After everything that had happened on the plane—and after watching the woman immediately try the same routine again at the airport—his patience was almost gone.
Before he could respond, several people hurried into the terminal.
At their head was a middle-aged man with close-cropped hair and glasses. The moment he spotted the old woman on the floor, his expression changed and he rushed over to help her up.
"Mom, are you all right? What happened?"
The woman's face immediately brightened.
"Jason! You're finally here!"
She grabbed his arm and pointed toward Aaron and Grant.
"If you'd come any later, your mother would've been bullied to death! Look at these people! None of them have any respect for me!"
The newcomer was her son, Jason, Deputy Mayor of Sealine City.
Before Jason could ask for details, one of the men accompanying him stepped forward. He was heavyset, with narrow eyes and the eager expression of someone who had just spotted an opportunity to impress his boss.
He focused on Grant.
"Which unit are you with? Why are you at the airport with armed personnel?" His tone immediately became officious. "If this deployment wasn't properly authorized, you'd better have a very good explanation."
Grant stared at him for a second.
Then he almost laughed.
Of all the things he had expected to deal with today, being lectured by some deputy mayor's aide after responding to an air disaster had not been one of them.
The man mistook his silence for hesitation and pressed harder.
"If you acted without authorization, there will be consequences."
Grant's amusement disappeared.
"And who exactly are you to threaten me with those consequences?"
The aide's face darkened.
He opened his mouth to fire back, but Jason suddenly interrupted.
"Wait."
He looked properly at Grant for the first time.
"You're... Major Grant?"
That recognition changed the atmosphere immediately.
Grant folded his arms.
"Deputy Mayor Jason. Impressive entrance. Your man has been here less than a minute and he's already threatening to have me removed from my post."
His voice remained mild.
"Anyone listening might think he runs the city."
Jason's expression tightened.
Whatever authority he held in Sealine City, Grant was outside his administrative chain of command. Picking a direct fight with the man in charge of the local base would accomplish nothing useful.
Unfortunately, his mother was already clinging to his arm.
"Jason, don't listen to them! They're all bullying me!"
Jason sighed and looked toward Grant.
"Whatever else happened, surely there was no need to frighten an elderly woman like this."
Grant laughed.
"You might want to ask what your mother actually did before deciding who frightened whom."
Jason frowned.
He turned toward her.
"Mom. Tell me exactly what happened."
The old woman immediately pointed at Aaron.
"It was him!"
Her confidence had fully returned now that her son was present.
"He insulted me on the plane, attacked your father, and then these people took his side! You have to arrest him. Don't let that little bastard get away with it!"
Aaron watched the performance without interrupting.
Jason followed her finger and finally looked directly at him.
"Young man. Is that true?"
Aaron met his gaze.
"No."
Jason waited for more.
Aaron gave him none.
Then, after a moment, he added, "And before you start questioning me based entirely on her version of events, you might want to find out what actually happened."
The deputy mayor's expression cooled.
The heavyset aide immediately jumped back into the conversation.
"Watch your attitude."
He pointed at Aaron.
"You're speaking to the Deputy Mayor of Sealine City. Show some respect."
Aaron glanced at the finger in front of him, then back at the man.
The aide took his silence as encouragement.
"Do you even understand who you're talking to? Deputy Mayor Jason is expected to become mayor next year. You're just some student—"
Grant moved before he could finish.
SMACK!
His palm caught the man across the face hard enough to send him stumbling sideways.
A tooth hit the floor.
The terminal fell silent.
The aide clutched his cheek in disbelief.
"You hit me?!"
Grant stepped between him and Aaron.
"That's enough."
His voice had lost every trace of humor.
"You've spent the last several minutes threatening people you know nothing about, and now you're insulting someone who just saved an entire passenger aircraft."
He looked toward the personnel behind him.
"Take him aside."
Two of them immediately restrained the stunned aide before he could start another tirade.
"What are you doing? Let go of me! Deputy Mayor, do something!"
Jason barely seemed to hear him.
Something Grant had said had caught his attention.
"Wait."
His eyes narrowed.
"What did you mean by that?"
Grant looked back at him.
Jason continued, "You said he saved an entire passenger aircraft."
Grant's expression turned almost amused again.
"Oh, you really don't know anything about him, do you?"
Jason's unease deepened.
Grant gestured toward Aaron.
"You're looking at a recipient of Hualis's highest national honor and an Honorary General."
For the first time since entering the terminal, Jason completely lost his composure.
"What?"
His gaze snapped toward Aaron.
Then back to Grant.
"You're telling me this kid is an Honorary General?"
The old woman's grip on her son's arm loosened.
Even the aide stopped struggling.
Jason stared at Aaron as though seeing him for the first time.
"Major Grant... what exactly are you talking about?"
Grant's smile disappeared.
"I'm saying you might want to learn who your mother has been threatening before this gets any worse."
...