The End: Rogue

An Emp Post Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

Zion Cage

Copyright © 2020 Zion Cage

All rights reserved

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people or real people are used for fiction purposes only. Other names, characters, places, and events are the ultimate product of the author imagination, and any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Now Available!!

Also By Zion Cage

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Epilogue

About The Author

Coming Soon

Books In This Series

Now Available!!

The End: Into The Past

In events prior to the EMP, Vivien will do anything to please the one she loves. That is until he decides to put her away. Her eyes open and, for once, she realizes the truth. She will have to make a hard decision.

Get Your Free Gift Now!!

Also By Zion Cage

The End: Genesis

The End: Fight For survival

The End: Captives

The End: Warzone

“There is no Den in the wide world to hide a Rogue”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Prologue

10th January 2020,

7:46 am.
Four Seasons Resort. Orlando, Florida.

USA.

Adrik kissed Vivien’s neck as she lay with her back to him on the bed. Suzanne rolled her eyes, knowing he wouldn’t notice.

Adrik sighed.

“You used to like it when I did that,” he whispered into her ear.

“Things are just not the same anymore, Adrik. The last time we were like this was nineteen years ago. Forgive me if I don’t remember the things I used to like,” she said as she sat up on the bed.

“I’d like some coffee. Would you want some too?” she asked as she moved to leave the bed. Adrik held her arm.

“I never stopped loving you throughout those nineteen years, Viv. How do you want me to prove it to you?” he asked, staring at her intently.

Vivien returned his deep gaze. She wondered if he meant his words.

“Adrik, I want to go home and build a life for myself. I’ve been here for nineteen years, and I’ve served faithfully throughout that time. I’m forty-one, Adrik. And my life is nothing to write home about,” she said.

She hardly believed she had said those words. They had been buried in her heart for too long, looking for the right moment to come out. She wondered how Adrik would react. She had seen him discipline other agents. Fear began to fill her.

Adrik smiled at her instead.

“I know, Viv. I know how you feel. We’re almost done. This is the climax . I also can’t wait for all of this to be over. I want to settle down with you and have children and watch them play in the park,” he said, and Vivien felt her heart melt. She had been waiting to hear those words for so long.

“But this is the last phase. This year is when your brilliant idea will finally become a reality,” He said as he turned to the bedside table and searched his bag. He pulled out a file and handed it over to her.

Vivien didn’t want to make him angry. She had been fortunate that he hadn’t gotten angry the first time. She didn’t want to push her luck. She took the file from him and looked through it; all the while, keeping her face emotionless.

“Billy, as you know, is the Democrats candidate for the election. Thanks to my team, he has an impressive track record from kindergarten till now,” Adrik began. Vivien chuckled.

“The man didn’t even know America existed when he was in Kindergarten,” she said, and Adrik chuckled too. Vivien knew the man- Billy Monroe, better known as Alexei Igor. She had been the one to move him up the ranks in the US government. She had ended her duty as a worm in the government a year ago. Now, she served as a moderator for the agents in the US. When Alexei got the position, she would become the next Chief-of-staff

“Anyway, his opponent, Donald Boris, has more following and seems more likely to win. This is not good for us. We don’t want this to stretch longer than it has already. We need to do something,” Adrik said, finally. He had become serious.

Vivien pulled her attention back to the file in her hand. All of Donald’s records were in it from childhood to date. It seemed completely perfect.

“But we already have our agent as the Senate President. He could just alter the votes when he counts,” she said.

“It won’t be that easy. You know how tight security measures are during counting. Besides, even if we can manage that, we need Billy to win on merit, on the surface, at least. He’ll be doing some controversial things when he wins. We don’t want people suspecting him from the start,” Adrik said.

Vivien understood what Adrik expected. A couple of ideas began to run through her mind. Digging up Donald’s dark past was the first step. If he truly had a clean slate then, she’d just look for any of his proclivities and set him up with it. If he proved too stubborn, then she knew a couple of people in power who she could discuss this with to oppose him. She also had some good friends in the media who were at the top of the industry. They could help her influence the public opinion.

As the ideas kept coming, she began to feel dirty again. She had been getting the feeling a lot lately.

Was she really the one coming up with these plans? Had she really become that depraved?

“Your silence tells me you’ve got some ideas already. But let’s put that aside in the meantime. I didn’t come to talk work. I just want to be with you this weekend,” he said as he took the file from her and kissed her.

Vivien didn’t refuse him. However, she wished the weekend would end soon.

Chapter One

"We must take him out as a warning to others…"

15th November 2021
11:49 am
Old Port, Portland, Maine.
USA.

The EMP had gone off.

Suzanne sat on the ground, panting. Sweat covered her, and blood trickled from her abdomen where there was a large cut. Her left hand, with which she held a knife, quavered. She restrained herself from crying. She had to be strong. She brought her right hand again into the cut and probed her insides. It had to be in there somewhere. She had watched as it was implanted in other agents. She was sure it was on the left side. And she hoped it was; she didn’t want to have to cut open her right side too.

“Come out, please,” she cried as she pulled her hand out. The pain was unbearable and the act was disgusting. She hoped she wasn’t going to end up killing herself in the process.

She tried one more time. After probing for a couple of seconds, her fingers came across something metallic. Taking deep breaths, she curled her fore-finger around it to ensure it wasn’t a vital organ. When she was sure of what it was, she gently pulled it out.

She held up her bloodied hand and looked at the object. It was small and cylindrical. At its center, a small red dot flickered. She smiled at it. A tracker charged by the body’s chemical energy: the Ray of Hope’s technology was groundbreaking. It had lasted for over twenty years! She was impressed.

Suddenly, she frowned and threw the tracker away. A surge of pain came over her abdomen. Sweat had touched her wound. She swallowed hard and allowed her head to rest on her bag. Breathing heavily, she closed her eyes. She needed to rest. She was proud of herself. She was now one step ahead of the Ray of Hope. They thought she was dead.

How had she even allowed herself to come that far?

Thoughts of what she had done washed over her. Usually, she’d fight them. This time, she allowed the memories to come. They would give her reasons to fight. If she were lucky, she’d be able to end the evil she had started. If she were lucky, still, she’ll die before she did that. Both ways, she just wanted out of the whole thing.

One particular memory stood out to her. It was from those days when she was known as Vivien Dmitri. It was the first time she knew that the journey she was on would never end…

10th November 2000
3:36 pm
Moskovsky, Moscow.
Russia.

Vivien watched her opponent carefully. She and Khristina were at the top of their class. That was why they were paired together. Vivien knew Adrik was watching her from the gallery above, so were the other members of the governing body. The two ladies were being considered as potential members of the council. So far, only men were on the council. Khristina wore what looked like a metal glove. Vivien decided she didn’t want to receive any of her punches.

Khristina made the first move, running at Vivien. Vivien dodged Khristina’s fist. She dodged the kick, and then she dodged the elbow. Before Khristina got far, Vivien grabbed Khristina’s head and pulled it down to make contact with her knees. The blow stunned Khristina, though not as much as the kick that followed. Khristina fell to the ground, but she quickly rebounded. She wiped the blood from her lips, where she had bitten herself.

Vivien smiled at her, acknowledging the hate she saw in Khristina’s eyes. Their rivalry went beyond their desire for the position. Vivien knew Khristina hated her because, though she was dark-skinned and less beautiful, she had managed to get Adrik’s affections and hold it for so long. Vivien didn’t hate the girl, but she just returned the feelings. If Khristina wanted rivalry, she would get it.

Vivien waited for Khristina to move again. Khristina returned with a punch. Vivien dodged it; however, the punch was just a decoy move. Khristina gave her an uppercut that sent her reeling to the floor. She tried to get her bearings, but Khristina began to kick her. Vivien raked her to the floor and stood up again. Once Khristina jumped up too, Vivien jabbed her in the neck and sent her back to the floor.

Vivien took a moment to breathe. Her body hurt, but she wasn’t tired yet. She watched as Khristina got up slowly. Once Khristina was up, she tried to steady herself. Once again, Vivien waited for her. This time, though, Khristina flexed her fingers so that the retractable claws she wore came out.

Vivien wasn’t surprised. The fight was supposed to be ‘full damage’. She had been waiting for Khristina to make that move first.

One more chance, Khristy. Let’s not go there, shall we?

She raised her hands to show that she wasn’t armed. Khristina smiled wickedly and lunged at her. Vivien kept dodging the incoming scratches and hitting when she could. Khristina wanted to rip out her guts. Soon, Khristina’s claws made contact with Vivien’s arm. The pain seared, but Vivien couldn’t stop since Khristina didn’t stop. She was used to pain. That was all the motivation she needed.

As Khristina swung her claws the next time, Vivien dodged and moved behind her. Pulling a syringe out of her belt, she sunk it into Khristina’s neck and pushed the plunger. Khristina paused in her steps for a second. In the next second, she fell to the ground, unconscious. Vivien flipped her blonde hair backward and grinned in victory. The next second, her left hand went to where Khristina’s claws had wounded her. Blood poured out, and the pain was searing.

“That wasn’t part of the rules, young lady,” Nikolas, one of the members of the governing council, said from above. “You aren’t supposed to kill her, only to knock her out.”

“She isn’t dead. I loaded the syringe with a mild tranquilizer and hit her in a muscle. I’d been practicing that move for weeks now. She’ll wake up with just a slight headache,” Vivien said as she looked up.

“Still, that was dangerous. You could have killed her,” Viktor, another man, said.

“I practiced, sir. Besides, the rules said I could do anything to knock her out completely, bearing in mind that I’d forfeit my life if I took hers. I believe I’ve kept to those rules,” she said, bowing her head.

The men watched her. She knew the men had wanted Khristina to win. They all liked Khristina. She looked at Adrik, her only supporter. His face was void of any emotion, but she had learned to read it still. He was pleased with her. Finally, the council members began to whisper to each other. Vivien sat on the ground and patted Khristina on the head as she awaited their verdict. She waited for two minutes and looked up, wondering what was taking so long. She had thought the decision would be a simple one: she had won, and so, she’d be on the council.

Finally, three more minutes later, the men finished, and Nikolas stepped forward.

“We have decided that both of you will join the council. Congratulations, Vivien. Your progress has been remarkable,” he said.

Vivien was going to protest. If the men were going to allow both of them to enter the council, why had they allowed them to fight? She restrained herself. Living with Adrik had taught her to control her emotions. She allowed a bright smile to illuminate her face; then, she bowed her head.

“Oh my! I’m most honored. Thank you so much. I promise not to disappoint you,” she said.

“We hope you won’t,” Nikolas said as he turned and walked away. The other men followed him, leaving Adrik alone on the gallery. She fixed her eyes on his face as medics came to take Khristina away. The moment all the members of the council were gone, a small smile appeared on his face. Hers brightened all the more.

He whispered to her:

My office. Four PM.

Then he turned away and left. She nodded.

When she got to his office by 4 pm, she knocked on the door.

“Come in,” he said.

When she entered, she found him staring at a large world map on his wall. His back was turned to her. She stood and waited for him to acknowledge her presence. She knew Adrik didn’t like to be taken for granted, so she treated him as a superior while they were at work. Things got very different when they were alone together, though.

He turned to her and smiled as he watched her; then he walked up to her. Kissing her lightly on her lips, he said:

“You disappointed me today, you know?”

Vivien kissed him back too before saying;

“You mean to say I made you proud, don’t you?”

“No. I meant what I said. I expected you to finish Khristina in the first sixty seconds. I can’t believe you let that fight last for ten minutes. I got bored, watching the whole drama,” Adrik said as he went to his seat. He motioned for her to sit down too.

“It’s Khristina we’re talking about here and not some expert martial artist. That girl is a monster. Look at what she used to punch my jaw. My jaw still hurts.”

“And you? What in this universe gave you that idea? I’ve seen people use different weapons, but I’ve never seen anyone go as far as using a syringe.”

“And yet, it’s the most potent weapon. I’d been thinking about all the possible ways this fight would turn out. I came to one conclusion. Khristina wouldn’t pass out unless she was knocked out by a truck.”

“And neither would you, right?”

“Exactly. I needed something to put her out immediately, but I didn’t want to use it until she pulled out those tiger claws against me,” Vivien said as she held where Khristina had wounded her. It had been bandaged. Adrik smiled at her again.

“I’m proud of you,” he said finally. She returned the smile with a pout.

“I knew you were. By the way, I’m surprised you kissed me here. Did they take out the cameras?” she said, turning to look at the CCTV mounted at a corner of the wall.

“No. I just wanted them to see it.”

Vivien was going to ask who he was referring to, but he tilted his head, motioning for her not to ask. She got his message and understood what he had said. She smiled.

“We have a mission for you, Viv. It’s a serious one,” he said as he picked a file from his table and handed it over to her. She gladly received it. She had carried out some missions for the organization before: stirring up agitation among farmers in the west, giving out stolen resources to Orphanage homes in rural areas. She wondered what the next mission would be.

She opened the file and read through the contents of the paper in it. There was a picture pinned to the piece of paper. The photograph was of a middle-aged man. He wasn’t too handsome, though he was blonde and had blue eyes. When she raised her eyes to Adrik, worry filled them.

“It says I’m to assassinate him,” she said.

“Yes. You look appalled,” he said, watching her face intently.

“Well, I don’t understand how this will help us achieve our goals,” she said.

Adrik sighed.

“I’ve taught you this over again: you don’t need to ask questions. Just do as you’re told.”

Vivien bowed her head in consent.

“I will tell you this, though: George Pevensie is a British oil baron. He deals in the export of Russia’s crude oil to his country. Unfortunately, he is too selfish to give back to the people he takes from. His activities mess up the environment, but he does nothing to fix things. He is corrupt and gets most of his access by bribing corrupt people in authority. We do not like him, and he refuses to leave, so we must take him out as a warning to others like him. We trust you to do this. You’re a member of the council now. You’ll be in the know of more missions like this. You should get used to it.”

Vivien nodded slowly. The lines had started blurring again.

What’s wrong? What’s right?

“Vivien, my darling, you are just doing what needs to be done to create the Russia of our dreams. How do you think great civilizations are born? Though we regret to do it, blood must be shed. It’s inevitable. If you’re going to allow guilt to weigh you down, you’ll never be able to do anything great here. Look how far you’ve come. Do you want to give it all up?”

Vivien allowed his words to overrule her conscience. She was only doing what needed to be done. Russian had to be great again. She gave him a small smile.

“Yes, Adrik,” she said.

“Good.”

Her eyes returned to the map on the wall. There were red pins on three locations: America, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Notes and pictures of people were attached beside the pins. She became curious.

“Hey, what’s that about?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about it, Viv. You’ll soon be brought into the knowledge of our greater plans. For now, let’s focus on what we have before us, shall we?’ he asked, stretching over the table to take her palms in his.

15th November 2021
12:36 pm
Old Port, Portland, Maine.
USA.

Waking up from sleep, Suzanne allowed her mind to focus. The wound on her stomach still lay open.

Come on, Suzu, you know better than sleeping with an open wound. You could get an infection.

She sat up against the wall and pulled her bag over. After searching the bag, she pulled out a bottle of antiseptic, a bottle of spirit, a pack of cotton wool, a bandage, a sewing thread, and a needle. She set to work, cleaning herself up and covering her wound.

Spain and UK were next, and they didn’t know it yet. Her mind wandered to the children and youths that were being trained in special programs back in Russia. Those children were the next generation to cause a massacre on the world. The plan wasn’t going to end with her and the people she had worked with. No one was getting out. They were all in it till death.

Her attention was called back to the present as she heard voices from outside. Two people were shouting the name of a third person. She was willing to bet that the third person was either a young lady or a child and that the person was missing. She shook her head.

She had to stop this.

She pulled out her tab and turned it on. It was in incognito mode so that the organization couldn’t track her. She had uploaded a virus to the organization's main computer some days ago. She hadn’t installed it then since the time wasn’t right. Now, it was time to activate it from her device.

She scrolled down to the worm icon and clicked it; then, she put in her password. The virus would give her access to all the information on the computer; however, for it to get installed without interruption, she had to shut down the system for a day.

She chuckled. It would just be a tiny glitch in their operations. She hoped they wouldn’t mind. A prompt showed up in Russian.

Do you want to run the program now? Please note that the host computer will be blank while the program runs.

She clicked 'yes'.

Lights out.

Chapter Two

“Remember, you’re not there for a paycheck…”

16th November 2021
8:15 am
Old Port, Portland, Maine.
USA.

 Suzanne broke the padlock to an automobile repair shop and dragged a motorcycle inside. She looked around her and got to work, picking all the tools she needed. When she had rounded them up, she bent over the motorcycle and began to dismantle it. Her abdomen hurt as she bent, but she endured it. Adrik had always told her that pain was a distraction. She had to put it aside.

She looked at the connections in the motorcycle. She had read extensively about EMPs a week ago. She was sure that most parts of the bike were intact. The problem was most likely to be the rectifier. She looked up again and saw a couple of dismantled cars. Some ideas came to her mind. She had prepared adequately for this moment. A week ago, she had learned just what to do to revive a vehicle after an EMP. She could find fuel from other disabled vehicles that had been abandoned. She went over to one of the dismantled cars and began to disconnect some things. She needed her bike functional before it was evening.

As she worked, her mind went over the past once again. She had to keep remembering. She needed to focus on all the reasons why she had to do what she was doing.

14th January 2002
6:20 am
Capitol Hill, Washington DC.
USA.

Vivien left her apartment and took a cab to the Liaison Office, where she worked as a junior secretary. She had just arrived in New York the previous weekend. Suzanne Fraser was what she would be known as. She kept rehearsing the name in her head. She didn’t want to mess up on the mission. It was going to be her first day at work. She wondered how long it would take before she returned to Russia. Nothing in America was how she remembered it. That was probably because she had been much younger when her family had moved to Russia. Even while they had stayed in America, they hadn’t had the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place.
Once she got out of the cab, she stood and stared at the building. Taking a deep breath, she walked up the stairs and went in. She spotted the receptionist's desk and went in that direction. Adrik had told her to ask for Bidden Harris when she got there.

“Hello, ma’am. I am Suzanne Fraser. I need to see Mr. Harris, please,” Vivien said to the receptionist. She was nervous. The name on the counter was Barbara Austin.

“Oh. Do you have an appointment with him?” Barbara asked.

“Well, yes. I’m supposed to be the new junior secretary under him,” Suzanne said with a smile.

Barbara frowned.

“Junior secretary? I’m not aware of such an opening. I’m sorry, where did you get that information?” she asked.

Vivien swallowed. She had been expecting everyone to know that she would be coming in. She began to stammer, not knowing what to tell the lady.

Just then, a hand rested on her shoulder, and she turned to see a dark-haired middle-aged man smiling at her. He looked handsome in his three-piece suit and with his slicked-back hair.

“You must be Ms. Suzanne Fraser, the new junior secretary,” he said to her with a broad smile. She nodded slowly.

The receptionist looked from the man to Suzanne, not sure of what was going on. Vivien was equally surprised.

“You know her, sir?” Barbara asked, and he turned to the receptionist.

“Yes, I do. She’ll be working for me. Don’t worry, Barbara. I’ll take it from here,” he said, and the receptionist nodded before looking back at her computer.

“This way, Suzanne. We’re pleased to have you here,” he said as he motioned for Suzanne to follow him. Vivien followed him reluctantly. She had a couple of ideas as to why he knew her; however, she couldn’t figure out how he had known the moment she arrived.

“Ty iz Adrika, da?” he whispered to her as they walked through the corridor. Her suspicions were confirmed. He was probably the one she was to look for. He was asking if she was from Adrik.

“Da. Ty dolzhen byt’ Harris,” she replied in a low tone too.

Yes. You must be Harris.

The man nodded and smiled. When they got into the elevator, they were alone. He looked up so that her eyes went up too. She saw the camera, and she nodded. They remained quiet until they got out of the elevator and went to his office. When the door was closed behind her, he smiled at her again.

“Welcome, sister. I am Harris Bidden, special adviser to the president on legislative affairs,” he said in English as he took his seat and motioned for her to sit down too.

Vivien nodded in respect, wondering how he’d managed such a feat.

“Adrik told me of your great idea, and, I must say, it’s an honor to work with such a brilliant mind."

“Thank you, Mr. Harris. The honor is all mine,” Vivien said.

“Great. Then you understand how important your mission is. You can’t afford to mess it up. You can’t afford to be caught. You can’t afford to be lazy or even get into any scandal. You know what happens if you disappoint the Ray. Adrik spoke so highly of you. It would be a shame if you disgraced him,” Harris said, handing a file over to her.

“In two more years, I’ll have to leave this office; however, I’ll be able to get you a higher position before then. You’ll have to find your way from then on. It’s in your best interest to begin to come up with a strategy. You were sent here because they believed your mind was up to the task.”

Vivien nodded. She had only just met Harris. She couldn’t tell him how afraid she felt or how lonely America made her feel. She couldn’t tell him that she was confused and didn’t know what to do. She simply smiled confidently and nodded her head.

“Yes, sir. I promise not to disappoint you,” she said.

”Take that file to Mrs. Gazelle. Her office is noted on the folder. Introduce yourself to her. You’ll be working under her,” he said, and Vivien got up.

Just as she was about to leave, she asked:

“How did you know the moment I arrived? It was as though everything had been perfectly timed.”

Harris laughed lightly.

“You tracker is still in your abdomen, isn’t it?” he asked. She raised her head in surprise.

“Oh,” she said as she turned and left the office.

18th January 2002
11:50 am

Vivien carried a file heap from her table and took them to the elevator. She had to deliver each file to the appropriate office.

Mrs. Gazelle was nothing like a gazelle. If anything, she was a lioness: roaring orders at Vivien and overworking her. Vivien was sure the lady had something against black people.

Worse still, hardly had any of Vivien's training prepared her for being a secretary. She hated typing. The only thing she hated more than that was carrying heaps of files around. In a couple of minutes, she completed her deliveries and headed back to her desk. Her break period was around the corner, so she began to get her papers in order. There was a doughnut shop close-by. She loved doughnuts.

Once noon struck, her phone began to ring. She wondered who was calling as she picked up the call.

“Suzu, my beloved. How are you?”

She recognized Adrik's voice, and she became excited. She took her bag and rushed out of her cubicle.

“Adrik! I’m fine. I’ve missed you,” she said as she stopped by Mrs. Gazelle’s table and signaled that she was going on break.

“Me too. Hearing your voice just made me happy. How was your first week in America?” he asked.

“Hectic. My direct boss has been killing me with work, and I don’t know anyone here. Making friends is just awkward as I don’t want to get too close to people. It could mess things up,” she said.

Adrik laughed, but she heard the sternness in his voice when he spoke.

“Remember, you’re not there for a paycheck, Sue. The priority is not your job. That’s just a means to an end. What plans have you come up with? Have you noticed any loopholes you can use?”

Vivien froze. She had been unable to think all week long because she had been so stressed out.

“Oh my! Was I supposed to come up with that already? I’m so sorry; I haven’t had time to think since I got here. It’s been really hectic all week long. I promise to do it over the weekend; at least, after I’ve gone cloth-shopping,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

“What!” Adrik roared. “You’ve been there a whole week, and you’ve come up with nothing? You’re disappointing me, Viv.”

He hadn’t called her Suzanne this time. That told her how angry he was.

“I’m sorry, Adrik. It’s been hectic for me. I’m still trying to get used to this place. Please understand,” Vivien said. She was no longer enjoying the conversation.

“I’ll call you again soon. Have something good to tell me, please,” he said.

“Wait, Adrik. Please talk to me. I miss you,” she cried, but the phone went dead anyway. Tears ran down her eyes. She wasn’t too far from the office, and people were looking at her. She didn’t want them to ask questions, so she dried her tears with her palm and walked on.

The questions remained, though.

Why had Adrik treated her that way? Was it her or the mission that he loved more?

Once she got to the doughnut shop, she pulled out her phone and went to the call log. She knew the protocol. She had to delete the call record.

16th November 2021
2:53 pm
Old Port, Portland, Maine.
USA.

Suzanne had returned to the half-completed building and was thinking up her next move. She had moved from Washington, DC to Maine in the company of two others to reap children. It was the last mission. Or so the other agents thought. She knew it didn’t stop there. That was why she had gone off on her own, leaving the other agents clueless as to her whereabouts shortly after they arrived at Maine. Adrik hadn’t wanted her to join in with the reaping. He’d ordered her to go to New York. She had agreed but had snuck away. Luckily for her, she had long since prepared for this moment.

She looked at her device. The installation was at seventy-three percent. She groaned. It was taking so much time; she feared the organization would stop the process before it was complete.  Her fear was assuaged by the fact that the virus had survived on the computer for months without their knowledge. Once it was done, she’d be able to read from the headquarters super computer incognito. Its features were limited so that she couldn’t change things with her device. However, she could get any information she needed from the computer and intercept its messages. She had outsmarted the organization. They didn’t know they were being watched.

However, no matter her expertise, she knew that taking the Ray of Hope down wasn’t a job for one person. She needed help. Her mind raced as she searched for people who would be of help to her. There was so much that needed to be done, but she couldn’t do it all alone. All the people she knew were either unwilling or unable to work with her. She didn’t want to get anyone killed.

She opened a pack of biscuits she had taken from a store.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from another section of the building.

“Hello, is anyone here?”

The voice was that of a man. He was still far from the section she was in.

Shit! Soldiers.

She got up. She knew they were forcefully moving everyone to New York. That’s what they had been instructed to do. She didn’t know what to tell them if they saw her in her current state; neither did she have the strength to get into a fight.

Another thing that worried her was the identity of the soldiers. If they were Russians in disguise, she’d be in a lot of trouble. All her plans would be ruined, and she would be discovered. She couldn’t allow herself to be seen. She threw the biscuits into her bag and got up, hanging her bag on her shoulder in the process.

She looked around her for a place to hide. She was surrounded by cement on all sides. The windows were barred though there was no glass on them. The men were getting closer. Running stealthily out of that section, she paused and peered from behind a wall. Two soldiers had just left a section and were coming towards her. She looked behind her. If she went that way, she’d be trapped. Going forward would expose her. The cut on her stomach still burned a little. She didn’t want to have to fight anyone yet. She took a step backward, and her feet hit a plastic bottle. The sound reverberated all around.

Suzanne was horrified. They’d find her now.

“Hello! Who is there? You know you’re not supposed to be here. Please come out. We need to get you to New York,” another voice said.

She placed her hand on the wall as her mind raced for the next line of action. That was when she noticed that some of the red bricks were missing from the wall.

She looked up and saw that the ceiling boards were in place. An idea came to her mind. Her hand went to the knife at her belt.

The two soldiers walked into the furthest section of the building. They looked around, but there was no one there.

“I could have sworn I heard sounds from here,” one of them said.

“Me too. And there’s the bike that’s parked outside the building,” the other said.

“That could mean anything. All vehicles are currently down. Maybe the owner abandoned it there and left. People said they saw a lady here. That’s why we’re here,” the first one said.

“Well, there’s no one,” the second one said after looking around. “Let’s check another building.”

The first one agreed, and they left.

They didn’t notice the torn out ceiling board. Suzanne was hiding on the wooden trusses that made up the roof.

16th November 2021
4:02 pm
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

Adrik sat in his office at the underground headquarters of The Ray of Hope. Across the table, Harris sat with two other members of the governing body.

“So what have you guys found out so far?” Adrik asked, running out of patience.

“This is very hard for me to say, sir, because there is no reasonable explanation for how it would have happened: I think that our main computer was attacked by the Wormhole. It has all the attributes we’re currently experiencing. I’m sure that the program is still at the installation stage. That’s why we can’t access the computer’s features,” Harris said.

Adrik sighed, running his palms over his face.

“What can we do about it? There should be an antivirus for it, right?” he asked.

Harris wasn’t too eager to reply.

“Well, we would have been able to rectify it if this happened two days ago. The issue now is that the antivirus is with our software engineers in Russia and, apart from our computer, there’s currently no other means of international communication.”

Adrik barely managed to restrain himself from reaching out over the table and grabbing Harris by the collar. Maintaining his calm composure, he asked, “But how is it possible that we have the virus and not the antivirus? In fact, how is it possible that we didn’t have the antivirus installed on our computer before this attack?”

“It was an oversight, sir,” Harris said, and his voice quivered. “We requested only the virus as we felt there was no need for the antivirus. We weren’t expecting this attack from anywhere. I’m sorry, sir.”

Adrik thought for a while. It was an oversight, and, really, no one would have expected what had happened.

Who could have done this? He thought.

“When was this virus uploaded to the system? Gather all the staff on duty in that period for questioning,” he said.

“We have a problem with that: we don’t know when the upload was done. There was no uploading done within the past two days. We used the secondary computers to check the hard drive where the video footage of the main computer room was stored. No one was doing anything suspicious then. It means that the upload was done before the EMP. We don’t know what date to look into. However, what I can say is that whoever did this was smart enough to install it at such a moment. Trying to interrupt the installation by cutting off power supply will render our hard drive useless. We’ll all be trapped here,” Harris said.

“That’s true,” Adrik said, deep in thought. “How many people had access to that software after it arrived in the US?”

“Just a handful: it came to me then we sent it by a mercenary to Viv-” he paused, knowing that Adrik and Vivien had been lovers. He feared that hearing her name would make Adrik angry. She had died mysteriously after the EMP, and so she couldn’t be a suspect. Adrik rolled his eyes.

“I know. Vivien had access to it too. Who else?” he said.

Harris watched Adrik’s eyes. It was as though he weren’t bothered by Vivien’s death in the least. Well, Adrik always seemed cool irrespective of how he felt. Harris cleared his throat and continued.

“There was the agent that assisted her at the white house, but the lady is out reaping now. Some guys here had access to it, but there’s just a handful of them.”

Adrik banged the table with his fist.

“Well, get them for questioning, will you? One of them must know something. Find out who is responsible for this before the end of today. All our operations are on hold because of your negligence. Get to work, now!” he said.

Harris got up slowly.

“Yes, I will get to it,” he said as he left the office.

The other two people sat in silence. Adrik thought about all that had happened. He wondered how it had been possible for Vivien to have been killed barely a day into the final lap of the mission?

And the most important question: why had she gone out despite his instructions?

He had forbidden her to go with the other agents. She had said that she wanted to lead the other agents by example and go with them on their mission, but he had maintained his stand and had instructed her to move to New York. If she hadn’t disobeyed, she would still be alive. She had become more self-willed over the past months, going where she wasn’t supposed to go.

It brought up a new question: was Vivien really dead?

Viktor, one of the members of the governing body, spoke.

“You know this means that we’ve been compromised, right?”

“I do,” Adrik said, not wanting to talk.

“What are we going to do about it, then?” Viktor asked.

“We’ll wait for the systems to come back on. When they do, we’ll report back to Russia and see what plans we can come up with,” Adrik said. He looked at the other council member to see if there was any question from her.

It was Khristina, and she was smiling in silence. She didn’t have any questions.

Adrik was sure she was pleased with Vivien’s death. He bowed his head, deep in thought.

He had already begun to make plans of vengeance on whoever had done this. The person would wish to have not been born.

Chapter Three

"I repeat for emphasis: kill on sight…"

17th November 2021
5:10 am
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

No. she can’t be dead!

Adrik couldn’t believe that Vivien was dead. She had been trained by many experts, including himself. It was almost impossible for her to be bested in combat.

The main computer had finally been restored the night before. Immediately, they had contacted their specialists in Russia to send them the antivirus. Unfortunately, the antivirus was only a preventive measure. Once the virus was installed, nothing more could be done. The main hard drive had to be replaced, and all the files on it had to be transferred to the new hard drive except the virus- that was the tricky part since the virus couldn’t be detected. One of the technicians had to come to America with the hard drive and handle the transfer. That would take days. Till then, whoever had access to their information store would keep getting their correspondence. There was no way around it. They couldn’t stop communicating with their units.

If Vivien had been killed, the killer would probably have a link with the person who had done this. And if she hadn’t been killed… He shrugged the thought off. He didn’t want to imagine that Vivien was capable of such. She was too attached to him to do so.

He walked out of his office and headed to the information center.

“Young man, send an instruction to the reapers at Maine. Tell them to head to where Suzanne was reported dead and to find her body. They are to gather as many clues as they can find and report to us. Get back to me immediately they send anything in,” he said.

Mikolas, who was on duty at the information center, had been sleeping when Adrik came in. he jumped up and nodded.

“Yes, sir. I’ll do just that,” he said drowsily as Adrik walked out of the room.

Mikolas’ assistant chuckled as he watched the scene unfold. Mikolas turned and slapped his shoulder.

“Stop laughing and tell me what he said, will you?” he said grumpily.

17th November 2021
7:22 am
Old Port, Portland, Maine.
USA.

Suzanne woke up to the sound of her tab beeping. She had been having nightmares, and so she woke up with a headache. She pulled her phone to herself and turned it on, squinting as the light entered her eyes. The installation had completed during the night. She was glad that it hadn’t been interrupted. Two alerts had come in. She opened the first one.

When she read the contents, she gasped, and tears slipped out of her eyes. Daan was dead. She allowed herself to cry. Somehow, the tears made her feel human again. She had hoped Daan would join her on her mission. Unfortunately, his loyalty had been to his family in Russia. Now, he was never going to see them again.

After crying for some minutes, she wiped her tears and returned to the tab. The organization had left instruction for all agents around Chicago: they were to retrieve Daan’s device from an unknown person. The person had found the device around North Orchard and had turned it on. The organization didn’t want any loose ends.

Suzanne bowed her head. More killings- that was what the Ray of Hope lived for. She was about to go back to sleep when an idea came to her.

She had planned to find a way to get all the activities of the Ray of Hope to the United Nations. So far, she knew of only one computer in the whole of America that was capable of such transmission and would still be functional: the main computer of the Ray of Hope. It was located at a secret facility in New York. The Ray of Hope had been smart enough to build their devices and vehicles with advanced vacuum tube technology so that they couldn’t be affected by an EMP.

She looked at her slim tab and wondered how they had managed to fit a vacuum tube in it. Their technology always amazed her.

While other devices like the tablets handed out to the agents and the computers at all the delivery units were only able to correspond with the main computer and each other, the main computer was able to transmit to other countries. It was how they kept in touch with Russia.

So far, she had achieved the first goal: to get access to the main computer. However, she needed people who could help her. The plan was too big for one person to accomplish. Whoever had been able to turn on Daan’s device probably knew something. If the person had been the one to kill Daan, the person would have the skills to help her.

She ran her hand through her hair. It was a wild card. All her thoughts were just guesses and were probably not correct; however, leaving was better than remaining in Maine. Along the way, she was likely to meet other people who would help her.

She opened the next notification. As she read through the contents, she felt her blood freeze over. The organization had issued instructions to the agents in Maine to find her corpse at that building. The instruction had come in only two hours ago. She looked through the window. The sun had risen well enough to be spotted easily. She couldn’t remain there.

She got up quickly and packed her bag. Rushing outside, she got on her motorcycle and looked around. There was no one around. No one had seen her. She joined the two wires from the ignition of the motorcycle, and the engine roared to life. Getting the bike in gear, she drove off. Chicago was her destination.

As she drove, she began to think about the facility where the main computer was. She knew how difficult it would be to get in. She had been there before; Just some days ago…

13th November 2021
3:10 pm
Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

Vivien sat at the bus stop waiting for her ride. Everywhere was cold, making her wish she had worn a lot more.

She forced her attention back to the road. Since the election had been successful, and Alexei had become the new president of America, it was time to move to the next phase of the plan. Harris Bidden was going to be taking her to the headquarters of the organization in America. After he had served as the special adviser to the president on legislative issues, the Ray of Hope had faked his death and that of his family so that he could be in charge of the headquarters. She had never been there before, but she had managed to convince him to let her go when he disclosed to her that he had to be part of a secret meeting with stakeholders from around the world. After Adrik had left in haste for Russia the previous day, she had suspected something important was happening, so she had called Harris and asked what the next phase was. He’d trusted her too much to keep secrets from her. She had taken a flight to New York that day. She couldn’t miss the meeting as it was her only chance to further her plans.

She questioned herself again. Could she accomplish it? Somehow, it felt better for her to just go along with the flow. She couldn’t fight the organization’s ten years old plan with a plan she had fashioned just two weeks ago. She was weak. She’d never win.

She hugged herself as the cold seeped through her clothing to get to her skin. When she returned her gaze to the street, she saw a man walking towards her in the distance. She frowned. Why was he walking alone in the cold? She turned her attention from him and continued to think over her plans. The man came close enough and sat at the far end of the bench. She raised a brow, uncomfortable with his presence. He looked like a hobo.

“I’m very sorry, ma’am. I’m just tired. ‘Been walking for a long while now,” he said as he swung his head to the sides. “Let me rest a bit, please.”

Vivien nodded. The bench was public property, so he didn’t need her permission. One thing bothered her, though.

“Where did you come from? Don’t they have cabs there?”

The man chuckled.

“You know, sometimes, you get on a journey, and you don’t realize it’s farther than it looks. Later on, though, you realize yourself, but you’ve gone too far. Turning back seems impossible; however, you just have to go back if you’re going to get home. That’s why I’m here now. It’s tempting to sleep here, but I’m going to continue till I get home,” the man said, nodding his head with vigor.

Vivien looked out to the road. There were no houses as far as her eyes could see. She wondered where the man lived. That same second, she realized how the man's statement seemed to line up with her life. She frowned.

“What do you mean, sir?” she asked.

“I’m sure you understand,” the man said, standing up. “I need to go home now. I think you should too. This place is too cold.” With that, he walked away.

Vivien kept watching him as he got further away.

Go home. This place is too cold…

A car honked, causing her to jerk in her seat. She turned to see a black car. The glass went down to reveal Harris’ face. The smile she remembered was still there. She returned it.

“Harris,” she said as she got into the car. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. It’s been a while.”

“I know. We’ve both been really busy for a great cause,” he said as he started the engine and drove off. They kept talking. As they passed the strange man, Vivien looked at him. He’d given her the encouragement she needed.

Soon they got to the facility. Above the ground, it looked like a restaurant. Harris and Suzanne got out of the car and went in. Harris led her through the dining area until they arrived in the kitchen. He spoke in Russian to the cooks, greeting them, and they replied. One of the cooks took out a key and opened a door marked, ‘Authorized Personnel Only’. Vivien and Harris went in. Some supplies were stacked there. Harris led her to the back wall. Reaching behind the bags of grain stacked, he pressed a button, and the wall partitioned to reveal an elevator. They went in and they were taken downwards. When Vivien stepped out of the elevator, she was impressed by the activity there. Agents sat before computers, managing information between Russia and America. None of the computers there concerned her. She needed to find the main one. Security men searched her and her bag to ensure she hadn’t come with any illegal material. She had nothing except for her phone. Her bag was also returned to her after no incriminating material was found in it. Harris had an agent lead her to her room. Every agent there revered her. She was known as the High Priestess, the one that made a way. She laughed to herself.

While in her room, she was unable to sleep. She knew the meeting would commence by midnight. She had to have accomplished her plan before then.

By 8 pm, she left her room and went to find Harris. She found him standing in front of a large computer with his team. They were preparing for the meeting. She placed a palm on his shoulder as she came to stand by him.

“Busy, eh?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Yes. The governing body set up this meeting with everyone who had supported our causes over the years. We want to wrap things up. This meeting can’t go wrong,” he said, and she nodded.

She looked at the CCTV camera in the room.

“I’m impressed by the security here. I noticed a camera in my room too. Does every where here have cameras?” she asked.

“Yes. But they’re all down now because of what we’re trying to set up. The feed transmitter software is what we use for the cameras, and we’re upgrading it to host more users. It should be back up once we’re done,” he said.

“Oh. That’s great,” Vivien said as she smiled. Inside, she was glad that part of her work was being done for her. She had been thinking of what she’d do to get the people in the watch room out for a while. She didn’t need that anymore.

“Hey, I need to use the restroom, please,” she said abruptly. Harris gave her directions. Just as she turned to leave, he called to her.

“Adrik is angry that you are here. He says you both will thrash it out when he returns to New York and that you’ll be in charge of giving the final address to the reapers tomorrow, so you should be prepared to leave for Washington as soon as it’s dawn.”

Vivien rolled her eyes.

“You’d think he’d respect me enough to let me do what I want, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, it isn’t so,” she said and left. When she was out of sight, she began to look for the room where the CPU was. She knew access would be restricted. She began to think of how to get through.

She arrived at a door.

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. DO NOT ENTER!!!

The words were written boldly in red. The door required special key cards. She was willing to bet that less than five people in the whole base had a card. That had to be the room she was looking for. She found a corner and watched. Soon enough, a young man walked to the door, opened it, and went in. She smiled. The restroom wasn’t far from the door. She went to wait for him in front of the restroom. The man walked out some minutes later. Vivien walked out of the restroom as though she had just used it. She bumped into the man.

“I’m so sorry,” she said in Russian as she put her hand to her forehead.

“It’s all my fault, high priestess,” the man said. “I apologize. I should have been more careful.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I see you’re busy,” she said, and she glanced at the man’s pockets.

“Oh, yes. There’s a lot to do tonight. The server for the meeting needs to be secured. That’s what we’re working on now.”

Vivien nodded.

“Great. Well done, brother,” she said as she hugged him. “Russia owes you a great debt. Thank you for sacrificing your life for this cause.” She was shorter than him, so her arms went under his arms.

Mikolas was surprised by her gesture. Her humility and warmness wasn’t something he easily saw among the other superiors. She ended the hug and nodded for him to leave.

“I learn from role models like you, high priestess,” he said as he nodded and left.

Vivien followed behind, though she walked at a slower pace. When he was far enough, she turned and walked back briskly, twirling the card in her fingers. Once she got to the door, she paused and said a prayer.

Let this be the room. Let me not get caught.

She slid the key she had taken through the slot. The red light turned green, and she pushed the door open. It was empty. Relieved, she entered and pulled out her phone from her pocket.

While she had served as the Chief of Staff, Ray of Hope had used her access to infuse the White House computers with a virus they had developed. The virus, Wormhole, was special as no existing antivirus could detect it. It behaved like the normal system software. Ultimately, it replicated all the content of the host computer on another prespecified computer. The problem was that uploading it to the CPU was complicated and usually took about twenty minutes.

May I not be caught.

She hoped the Ray of Hope was arrogant enough not to have created and installed an antivirus for Wormhole on their computer.

She found a small laptop computer connected to the large CPU; then, she began to work.

“Mikolas, use the main computer to stabilize the signals!” Harris said to the young man standing by him. Mikolas nodded and headed for the supercomputer room. He got to the door; then he put his hand in his pocket to get his card. He frowned. It wasn’t there. It had to have fallen somewhere. He turned to look for it.

Vivien noticed the shadow beneath the door. Someone wanted to come in. The upload was 69% complete. She bit her lips in anticipation. There were still at least eight minutes to go. She didn’t have the luxury of time.

Please hurry up!

Mikolas walked back to the operating room where he had come from. He’d searched for his card everywhere but hadn’t found it. He didn’t understand what was happening.

“Status report, Miko,” Harris said without turning to him.

“I’m sorry, sir. I think I lost my card somewhere around here,” Mikolas began.

“There’s no time for that, boy.” Pointing to another agent, he said, “Peter, go with Miko and open the door for him. Don’t lose your card too.”

Mikolas followed Peter to the door.

They opened it and went into the room.

It was empty as usual. They went to the small laptop and began to navigate it. It worked normally. Mikolas took notes of what he needed. Together with Peter, he left the room.

Vivien came out from the small space between the furthest wall and the CPU. She sighed in relief. She waited for a minute before she went to the door and opened it.

No one was on the corridor. She shut the door and left for her room. When she got to the restroom, she dropped the card on the ground so that Mikolas would find it whenever he came that way again.

The Ray of Hope was as arrogant as she hoped it would be. Mission accomplished.

17th November 2021
9:00 am
Old Port, Portland, Maine.
USA.

Selene, the blonde-haired young lady, searched the uncompleted building with her teammate. No one else was in it, though they had found blood in one of the sections. She wondered if the High Priestess had been killed in a fight. Who would have been that strong?
So far, they had been unable to find a cause of death. The High Priestess had to have been buried already to hide all evidence.

The guy by her spotted something on the ground and bent to pick it up. It was a small and cylindrical metal.

“Whatever is that?” she said as she joined him to look at it. It seemed to have blood on it. She took the object from him and used her tablet to take a photo of it. She sent the photo to the Ray of Hope with a text.

We were unable to find her body. We did find this, though, and it’s bloody. I don’t know what it means. What’s the next step?

“Let’s go, Andrei. They’ll tell us what to do soon. In the meantime, let’s get to our delivery point,” she said to the guy. They had four children captives waiting for them in the corridor.

They had barely gotten out of the house when another notification came from the organization. It had been labeled urgent with a red caution sign. The picture of the High Priestess was attached to the notification. Selene and Andrei read from their devices.

All units are hereby instructed to be on the lookout for Vivien Romanov Dmitri, who has been found guilty of treason, and are to kill on sight. I repeat for emphasis: kill on sight

17th November 2021
9:09 am
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

Someone knocked on Adrik’s door, and he called for the person to come in. It was Mikolas.

“Any reply? He asked.

Mikolas nodded, holding out his tablet for Adrik to see.

“They said they didn’t see a body, but they found this,” he said as he scrolled to the picture. Adrik looked at the picture of a small cylindrical metallic object. He knew what it was but didn’t understand why it was outside a body.

Suddenly, the realization hit him, and his blood froze over.

He didn’t want to believe it, but there was no other explanation.

Vivien had removed her tracker.

She had gone rogue.

But how?

Another realization hit him.

“Call Harris for me,” he ordered Mikolas, and the young man hurried out of the office. In a couple of minutes, Mikolas was back with Harris.

“Yes, Adrik. Good morning,” Harris said.

“You said Vivien was here on the thirteenth, right?” Adrik asked.

“Yes. Is there a problem?” Harris asked, frowning.

“Get me the video footage for the period she was here. I want to see everywhere she was, everything she did. I even want to see her sleeping.”

Harris found that very funny though he didn’t let it show on his face. Adrik didn’t seem like one to get obsessed over another person, especially when he was busy with work. For some reason, though, he seemed to be gripped with Vivien today, which was all the weirder since he had always acted as though he didn’t care.

“We don’t have any footage for the period she was here. We were preparing for your meeting with the buyers, and so the software for the cameras was down for an upgrade.”

“Did you, by any chance, tell her that?”

Harris thought about it. His memory of that day was a bit vague, but he could remember speaking to her about cameras.

“I think so, though I’m not sure.”

Adrik groaned.

Suzanne had betrayed them.

His mind tried to wrap itself around the possibility of what was happening. Why would she do it? How had she gotten so far without his knowledge?

She had been trained by many experts, including himself…

He had made her the machine she was.

And Harris had just made her mission easier for her.

He pulled out his gun and shot Harris through the head. Then, looking at Mikolas, he said,

“Get this message out to all the agents in the country: they are to find Vivien Romanov Dmitri and kill her immediately!”

Fear filled Mikolas so much that he didn’t know when he nodded his head to Adrik’s order.

18th November 2021
7:02 pm
East Orange Street, Hoopeston, Illinois.
USA.

Morgan sat on a bench and waited. After waking up to see Daan's corpse, he had buried him, and had walked back to the delivery point in Illinois. It had taken him two days to get there. The hardest part for him was having to walk alone and make all the decisions himself.

 Without his mini tab, it had been almost impossible to find the delivery point in Illinois. He had been lucky to find some fellow reapers who had led him there. The only reason he had been recognized at the delivery point was the tracker in him. He needed to report the death of Daan. He knew the people who had been responsible for it, he knew the direction they were headed, but he needed backup to exact revenge on them.

A couple of minutes later, a blonde man walked out of the office opposite where he had been seated.

“Come in, Morgan. The officer will see you now,” the man said and led the way into the office. Morgan knew the man’s name was Trevor. He’d been one of the agents that had brought Morgan to the delivery point.

Morgan murmured about the excessive bureaucracy at the organization before going in. He saw an older man seated behind a grand desk in the office. He greeted the man in Russian.

“Welcome, Morgan. I heard what you’ve been through,” the man said in Russian too. “Tell me, what happened to your device?”

“It was stolen by the people who killed Daan. They took both our devices,” he said.

The man nodded slowly.

“We received instructions from the headquarters yesterday concerning Daan’s device. Somehow, the person managed to turn it on. We’ve been unable to find this person. Do you have any idea where they are?”

Morgan nodded.

“Of course, sir. That’s why I’m here: to give you that information. I want revenge on them for their actions against my brother. I just need backing to find them. I’ll snuff them out immediately.”

The man laughed.

“We’ll send you out, Morgan, but it’s not because we want you to have revenge. Sure, you can do that if you want; however, the most important thing for us is to retrieve those devices. We don’t want any loose ends. You need to get this done immediately,” he said. “Trevor will go with you. He’s an expert at tracking.”

Morgan nodded.

“Yes, sir, I won’t disappoint you,” he said.

“Good. See it as a compensation for all you have lost,” the elderly man said.

When Morgan turned to look at Trevor, Trevor was smiling. The blonde man seemed to be bloodthirsty, which was very good.

Chapter Four

The mission was so easy…

21st November 2021
04:32 pm
North Orchard, Chicago, Illinois.
USA.

Okay, this is where Daan was detected dead, Suzanne thought.

She was in the woods near Lincoln park. She stood before some logs of wood, stacked together and partly covered by snow. She was sure there was ash underneath. As she approached it, she looked around carefully. She hoped that there was no Ray of Hope agent still looking for clues around there.

That was most likely the place where Daan had kept his captives. She began to look around for clues, bending over and digging in the snow and dirt with her hands. After digging for a long time, she still hadn’t found anything useful. She stood straight and sighed.

That was when she noticed a trail from the side of the logs of wood. The days of mild snowing, coupled with her digging had almost wiped it off. Her eyes followed the trail. It disappeared at some points and emerged again at other points. Finally her eyes landed on a heap of earth in the distance. She went to it and dug into it. It turned out to be a shallow grave and she gasped when she saw Daan's face. His eyes were closed and he looked peaceful in death.

Soon, Daan. Soon, I’ll be like you, she thought as she trailed her fingers over his eye brows.

She covered him back with earth and stood up. She had to search elsewhere for clues. There was no time to waste.

She went back in the direction she had come, still wary of any agent. Just as she neared a tree close to the fireplace, she spotted a rope in the soil. It had been cut in half.

A thought flashed through her mind.

That’s it!

She pulled out her device.

22nd November 2021
11:03 am
Fairlane Woods, Dearborn, Michigan.
USA.

Morgan trudged through the woods behind Trevor. Trevor had led him through a path via the woods, saying that it would get them to the migrants faster. After watching Daan die from a snake bite, he wasn’t too eager to talk walks in the woods anymore.

Things were changing rapidly. He wondered if the mission would still end successfully. On the seventeenth, an order had come from the headquarters, asking every agent to keep their eyes peeled for the High Priestess and kill her for treason. A nice reward had been placed on her head. He wondered why she would rebel when she had been at the heart of it all.

She had brought them all to the US to ruin them. Daan had been a fool to trust her…

Daan used to be fanatic about Vivien though she was obviously beyond his reach. Morgan hadn’t been close to her since she had seemed aloof, but it still didn’t make sense why she would go rogue. And now, she had to be killed. The next day, another message had come from the headquarters for the agents around Chicago to find Daan's device. It had become a matter of urgency. He remembered the blackout on the first two days after the EMP.

Too many cracks are forming in the wall. It’ll be better to jump ship…

“I’d have thought that we’d get there sooner,” he called out to Trevor finally. Trevor turned and looked at him.

“Were you always like this with Daan?” he asked.

“Shut up,” Morgan said as he walked past him. Trevor shook his head and continued. The edges of the woods were now visible.

“You’ve got to relax. We went through a shorter route. If what you said was correct and they actually headed east, we shouldn’t be too far from them,” Trevor said as they got to the last line of trees. He stepped out first and smiled as he looked ahead.

“Well, come on out, Morgan. Come look at this,” he said as Morgan stepped out too.

Morgan looked ahead to see a large group of migrants in the distance. Exhilaration filled him as he imagined himself killing Xander and his sisters. He was just a matter of minutes away from it.

Trevor put a palm on his shoulder.

“We’ve got to be discreet, bro. We don’t want them to see us coming, do we?” he said.

22nd November 2021
11:40 am
Dearborn, Michigan.
USA.

Suzanne drove her motorcycle towards the group of migrants in the distance. The past days had been very fruitful, though slow-paced for her. Her wound had mandated her to move slowly, only a couple of hours a day. The day after she left Maine, she had met a young lady, Aaliyah. She pitied the girl. Her grandmother had died yesterday from the migration; however, the same day, Aaliyah had texted her, saying she wanted to be part of the plan. Vivien had gotten into a small brawl with the girl at a pharmacist store in Vermont when she had gone to get more bandage and disinfectant for her wound. She had also seen the girl bravely fight off three agents of the organization who had abducted some children. The girl was smart and strong. Vivien had been sure she would be very useful in helping her accomplish a task, and so she had asked the girl to join her.

On the eighteenth, she had also intercepted two messages from the Headquarters. The first was of a soldier who was purported to have some knowledge of the organization’s activity. His name was Stephen Wallace. They had been trying to find and kill him for a while. They had finally spotted him in Ohio and had instructed some agents to assassinate him. She had gotten there first. It turned out the guy didn’t know as much as she’d thought. However, he’d also proven useful to her. He was going to help her with another phase of her plan. She had been so slow in her journey. She was just lucky that he hadn’t been killed before she found him. The second was a repeat message, giving orders for Daan’s tablet to be found. That was the reason she was on the road now.

She was on her way to find the last piece of the puzzle. He was somewhere among the migrants she could now see. She just hoped she wasn’t too late to find him. The organization had no clues about the person with Daan’s device. The agents who had been assigned to the issue were probably worn out from their search. Her advantage was the motorcycle that allowed her to cover much distance in less time. The main issue, however, was how to identify her target. Neither his name nor his face had been displayed. She had come up with a trial solution by checking Daan’s correspondence with the organization before he died. He had sent pictures of three children to the organization for vetting. The images had been shared with another agent, Morgan. The children were never delivered to the organization. If she could find them, she’d get a step closer to finding the device.

She doubted any agents were still reaping children. Except for the ones on special missions, the agents were all at the various delivery stations, awaiting transport back to Russia. She was relieved by that. It meant that she expected no confrontations on her recruiting mission.

The migrants had begun to look back at the sound of her motorcycle. She was sure none of them had been expecting that. She stopped the bike, though she was still a bit far from them. Her abdomen had healed considerably. She was fit enough to jog. She ran and joined the migrants. They all stared at her in surprise. Suzanne laughed inwardly,

One would think they’d never seen a lady on a motorcycle before.

She kept walking as she looked at the faces of every child. Time passed, and she hadn’t found the ones she was looking for yet. Soon it was time for them to rest. People began to settle down on the roadside. She knew the authorities in the group would soon accost her, and she needed to leave before that happened. The kids were probably among another migrant group.

Just as she was about to turn, she found two girls running around.

“You’re it, Grayson,” the dark-skinned one said as she ran away from the light-skinned one.

She ran to the girls. People were staring at her, but she didn’t mind. She just wanted to complete her mission.

“Hey, girls,” she said as she stood in their way.

The girls became suspicious the moment they didn’t recognize her from their group.

“Who are you?” the fair one asked as both girls stepped back. Suzanne smiled at her. Their reaction showed that they had been abducted.

“Is there a problem?” a voice came from behind. Suzanne turned to see a young man with a black backpack.

“No. They’re your sisters?” she asked. The girls went to the young man.

“Yes,” he said, looking at her suspiciously.

“They are beautiful,” she said, offering him her hand. “I am Suzanne.”

“Xander.”

“Great to meet you, Xander. I’ll go find something to eat now,” she said as she turned to leave. Xander didn’t reply. He was suspicious of her. She hadn’t gotten very far when she turned back.

“Can I speak with you in private, Xander?”

“Why?” he asked, drawing the girls closer to himself.

“You’ll know if you oblige me.”

“I don’t know you. I’ve never seen you all the while we’ve been moving, so I’m sure you’re not one of us. I don’t trust you enough to oblige you.”

“I know that. However, I know your sisters were kidnapped too. I also know that it gets worse in the future. Please, let’s talk,” she said. Her voice was low.

Xander, Prim, and Grayson were stunned.

“Who are you?” Xander asked.

“In private.”

Xander stared at her for a while; then, he turned to the girls.

“Go find Nia. She’s in front. I’ll be there soon.”

Grayson and Prim nodded before running away. Xander walked with Suzanne far away from the group. They got to a small yard by the road and stood on the lawn.

“What’s this all about?” he asked.

“Tell me how you managed to get them back,” Suzanne said.

“I went after them and found them.”

“And the man who kidnapped them?”

“Men, actually. They are dead,” he said.

Suzanne nodded.

“Did you kill them yourself?”

Xander rolled his eyes.

“You’re really blunt, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Only when the fate of many people depends on the question.”

Xander paused before replying;

“I didn’t kill them. One fell on a snake I don’t know what happened to the other.”

“Did you find any phones with them?” she asked.

“Yes. What does this have to do with anything?”

Suzanne thought of the best thing to tell him. Obviously, he wasn’t what she thought he was. He was so young; she doubted he’d be able to do anything useful for her.

“There they are.”

Two men stepped in front of them. One held Prim, the other held Grayson. Each of the girls had a gun to their heads. Suzanne and Xander raised their hands. Xander recognized one of them.

“It’s you again! Morgan, right? I thought you were dead.” Xander asked the burly, dark-haired man.

Morgan laughed.

“Oh, I didn’t die. But my friend did, and you will pay for it.”

“Put your gun down,” Suzanne said to him in Russian. He laughed.

“High priestess? What are you doing with this man? He killed Daan. You loved Daan like a brother. You worked with him for years. Now, you’ve gone rogue against the organization and are siding with the enemies? That’s pathetic!” Morgan said.

“We didn’t even know we’d find you here. The organization has ordered you to be killed. It’ll be an honor to be the one to accomplish that task. We’d kill two birds with one stone,” the other man said. He wore his blonde hair as a bowl cut with side-swept bangs.

“You have been lied to. The Ray of Hope will not give you the life you want. It will only be more crime for you. Aren’t you tired of this?”

“The High priestess has gone soft. Isn’t that interesting?” The blonde man said as he took the gun from Prim's head and pointed it at Suzanne. The man was beginning to irritate Suzanne.

“Hey, boy. You have my tablet, don’t you? Hand it over now,” Morgan said to Xander.

“Let the girls go first,” Xander said defiantly.

“How about this: you hand over the devices or watch the girls die one after the other? It’s up to you,” Morgan said.

“You’ll kill us all anyway,” Xander said, trying to be brave.

“Give him the devices, Xander,” Suzanne said. “There’s no use arguing with them.”

Xander looked at her, and she nodded at him.

Xander pulled his bag off his back and held it out to Morgan.

“It’s in there,” he said, and the men came closer.

Suzanne watched Morgan stretch his other hand to take the bag.

The blonde man was grinning. The mission was so easy.

Suzanne bent, using one hand to hold the blonde man’s hand so that his gun pointed elsewhere, and using her raised leg to kick Morgan’s gun out of his hand. The sound of bullets reverberated through the air, but no one was hurt. With the same leg, she kicked the blonde man on the head so that he fell, taking Grayson with him.

Xander pulled his bag back and rushed headlong at Morgan. Both of them got into a brawl. Suzanne kicked the blonde man’s gun away and kicked his head so that Grayson could get away from him. Seeing the tussle before her, she took the girls' hands and pulled them along as she ran towards the house in the yard.

Once they got to the patio, she let them go.

“Hide, cover your ears, and close your eyes. You’re too young to see what’s about to happen. If you don’t hear your brother’s voice, don’t come out, okay?” she asked quickly, and the girls nodded.

Turning from them, she pulled out the two guns tucked in her belt under her coat and walked away.

The blonde man had gotten up and picked his gun. Morgan was beating Xander, though he didn’t have the chance to get his gun.

The blonde man pointed his gun at Suzanne. She pointed her two guns at him and fired. He fell to the ground dead.

“Morgan, stop it!” she said, standing over him with her guns. When he raised his head and saw her, he froze and raised his hands. Xander was too beaten to move.

“Why are you doing this, Viv? Would you really kill me because of our enemies?” Morgan asked in Russian.

“You don’t understand. Daan didn’t understand either. But if you looked at those two girls as your daughters, you’d get a glimpse of why I’m doing this. If I don’t, this will continue. Spain will fall. The UK will fall too. So many innocent people will di-“

Morgan leaped at her before she could finish her statement, taking her to the ground. He punched her hard on the face, and she felt blood rush from her nose. She tried to reach for her guns, but they were beyond her reach. Another blow landed on her face. She felt consciousness leave her.

Like a flash of light, she remembered a move.

As his next punch flew through the air, she moved quickly, allowing her knuckles make contact with one of his shoulders. He shouted in pain, using his other hand to hold the shoulder she had dislocated.

In a rage, he moved to knock her out completely.

A bang filled the air, and Morgan paused, staring blankly into the air. He fell on her, lifeless.

Suzanne pushed his body off to see Xander holding Morgan’s gun. Xander fell to the ground, tired.

“The irony of life: live by the sword; die by the sword,” Suzanne said before she spat out blood.

23rd November 2021
3:54 pm
Detroit, Michigan.
USA.

Suzanne was deep in thought as she rode on her bike. Xander had proven useful, after all. He was a programmer: the perfect skill set for the task she had assigned to him.

She was on her way to New York.

The 3rd of December- that was the climax. By the end of that day, it was either her plans proved successful or the Ray of Hope remained undisputed in their victory. Bringing her motorcycle to a stop, she swallowed hard.

Bowing her head over the handles of her bike, she finally allowed herself to cry. She had come to the end of herself.

I don’t know if you’re real, God, but help me, please! I’m on a journey of no return.

Epilogue

2nd December 2021
2:26 pm
Fort Drum Military Base, Jefferson, New York.
USA.

Stephen and Bucky walked into the military base. There were only a few soldiers there as most of them had gone to lead migrant groups from the states around New York. As they walked past an officer, they saluted. The man looked at them in their military uniforms and returned their salute.

“Hey, we're from Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio. We just got our migrant group to New York some days ago,” Bucky said, showing the soldier his ID. Stephen showed his ID too, careful not to allow the soldier to have a good look at the face on it. “We were hoping to come home, and this was the closest military base to us. We were hoping to stay a few days.” Bucky finished.

The soldier eyed them for a while.

“Well, we’re a bit busy here. However, you could meet our commander and talk with him. You’re fellow soldiers. I’m sure he’ll be able to work something out with you guys,” he said.

Stephen smiled and nodded. Just what we needed!

“Great! Where is the commander? We’ll love to see him,” he said.

The soldier pointed backward at the camp and was about to explain; however, he realized how complicated the explanation was and sighed.

“You know what? I think I’ll just take you there. Shall we?” he said as he led the way back into the camp.

As Stephen followed him, he thought about what he had to do. Never had he thought he would be in such a situation. If he failed, he was sure to die. If he succeeded, he was still probably going to die.

Well, he had always been on death row for as long as he could remember. He was used to it already.

At least, his family would live. His death wouldn’t be a waste.

The got to the office, and the soldier, whose name they had learned was Troy, knocked on the door. They heard a call from inside, telling them to come in, and they obeyed.

They saluted the commander once they stood before him.

“At ease,” the man said, and they relaxed.

“Privetstvovat’ Solntse,” Stephen said flippantly.

“What was that?” the commander asked.

“Oh, it was nothing. I just remembered something a migrant used to say,” he lied. Suzanne had told him to say the Russian words as a test for Russians. The Russians were compelled by their law to respond. Clearly, the man wasn’t a Russian.

“I take it you have something to tell me,” the man said, seeming weary of the company. “Troy, you may return to your duties. There’s so much to do. As for the two of you, I just hope whatever you have come for is worth my time.”

“Yes sir, we assure you,” Bucky said as Troy saluted and left the office.

“Great. Shut the door before saying anything,” the man said. Stephen went to close the door. Things were going too well. The man seemed to be the kind of person they needed for the job. He turned back to the man, ready to divulge all the information he came with.

“Privetstvovat’ Solntse. Welcome, brethren,” the man said.

Bucky and Stephen froze.

3rd December 2021
5:09 pm
New York Habor, New York,
USA.

Aaliyah stood on the dock and watched the sunset over the waters. Around her stood many people awaiting the promise of the government for deliverance.

Truly ignorance is bliss…

She remembered her meeting with Suzanne. She remembered the words:

The kidnapped ones are the lucky ones…

Truly a lot of people had been kidnapped. She had heard stories from many families of how they had lost their children and daughters. She remembered her own experience.

Suzanne had told her what to do. It had been a bit difficult, but she had managed to get it done. Everything was in place.

She felt Ted’s hand go around her shoulders and pull her close. He felt her tension. As usual, he was trying to protect her. She leaned in and took the comfort he offered.

Suddenly, in the distance, she heard the sound of a loud horn. She looked up to see a ship rising in the horizon. Her jaw tensed as fear filled her.

She looked up at Ted, who gave her a knowing nod.

He was ready.

She turned her head and looked at some people in the crowd. They, too, nodded their heads.

Aaliyah swallowed hard. It was time.

3rd December 2021
6:12 pm
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

Xander sweated profusely as he descended in the elevator. Suzanne was by his side with two guns. Suzanne had given him a gun too, but he had never used one before except on Morgan. He doubted he’d be able to use it now.

The elevator door opened. He bent and took cover as Suzanne began to shoot. Her gun had a silencer attached to it, so it didn’t draw any attention.

She led him to another room where there was a large computer with footages of the whole facility. They had seen her enter, and were about to raise an alarm. She shot one through the head and shot the other in the arm.

She walked to the one she had shot on the arm and looked at him.

“High Priestess, please have mercy. My mother is waiting for me. I don’t want to die,” the young man pleaded.

Suzanne recognized him, and sadness filled her.

“I’m sorry, Mikolas. I really am. But I must do this,” she said as she shot him on the chest. Xander watched with horror as Suzanne bent over and searched through the man’s pocket. She pulled out a card and handed it over to him.

“Follow me,” she said as she led him to a door with a bold ‘AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. DO NOT ENTER!!!’ sign.

“This is the computer room,” she said as she motioned for him to use the card. Xander put the card in a slot, and the door clicked open. She nodded.

“Do exactly what I told you to do. If you’re done, and I’m not back for you, go back the same way we came,” she said.

“Okay,” Xander said as he turned to enter.

“And, Xander,” she said, and he turned to her again. “Use the gun, please. It’s the only thing that will keep you from dying.”

Xander nodded and swallowed hard.

“What about you? What are you going to do?” he asked.

“I’m going to settle some old scores,” she said.

“Security unit, do you read me?” Adrik said into the Telecom. There was no response. He frowned.

What’s going on?

Khristina placed her hand on his chest from behind and tried to pull him back to bed.

“Relax, Adrik. Maybe their receivers are having problems,” she said.

Adrik shrugged.

“Go out and check if all is well,” he ordered. Khristina sighed as she got up and put a robe on.

“I keep telling you not to worry, Adrik. You know me. If there’s any problem, I’ll easily sort it out,” she said as she strolled out of the room.

About The Author

Zion Cage is the author of more than a dozen science fiction novels and the winner of the prize for the best adaptation of the new generation Apocalypse in 2018 still being at College. he wrote for the newspaper group and delivered podcasts on the apocalypse being at Georgia State University. today he lives with his charming wife in Valdosta in the south of Georgia and is passionate about all the possible directions that the world could take if the apocalypse really happened. His favorite stories to read and write are mostly for characters who become stronger by overcoming the challenges and fears. Zion Cage love Basketball and he often plays in the Gym with his friends on Sundays. He also loves soccer and his favorite team is Atlanta United.

Zion Cage loves to hear from his readers so you can find his books and connect with him via any of the channels listed below:

Facebook at Zion Cage

Email at ZionCage97@gmail.com

Or Join Zion Cage Reader Fan Newsletter and Get a free gift here

            Get Your Free Gift

Coming Soon

The End Series final

Get Your Free Gift

If you Enjoyed this book or found it useful, please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon here.

Thank you for your support!!

Books In This Series

The End

Something Sinister is brewing in the United States…
The United States is hit by an EMP from an unknown source and its citizens are asked to move to New York. Without basic survival skills and being in the middle of winter, it’s more of a journey to the death for most. And then there is the increasing number of kidnap cases everywhere.
4 Unlikely Heroes…
Xander, Aaliyah, Stephen and Suzanne are individuals from worlds apart and with different conflict. However, with suspicions of foul play in the country spreading, fate must bring them together to clear the air and set things right.
Or at least die trying…

The End: Genesis

Alexander Michael’s life is thrown into tumult in the wake of the EMP. He had been warned but he never listened to rumors. He sister, Grayson is now nowhere to be found and he is separated from the rest of his family. He sets out on a quest to find his sister despite the negative odds and, soon, he finds out that something dark is at work in the United States- something bigger than he could imagine.

The End: Fight for Survival

Aaliyah isn’t ready to face the truth of what has happened to their world because she isn’t ready to let go of the ones that she loves. Now, with her grandmother, Marcia, by her side, she has no choice but to continue further to the unknown, where only a small amount of the population are surviving. As Marcia’s health continues to deteriorate, Aaliyah is forced to make decisions that will impact her life, forever.

The End: Captives

It’s the Eve to the massive EMP plan and the Ray of Hope terrorist group has gathered the orders of various black market buyers for the children that will be kidnapped after the EMP attack. The leaders of Ray of hope inform their agents of the progress, warning them to be alert so that every displaced child be carried off at the first opportunity. Connor and Morgan are part of these agents and they are sent off.

The End: Warzone

As a veteran, Stephen is used to undesirable climates. From his days in the military, he has taught himself not to be so dependent on man-made appliances. He’d always been a bit suspicious of the activities of the government, and when the EMP did occur, he was more prepared than most. With survival skills that surpass basic, he is easily able to adapt to this new world as he begins on his trip to New York, where his only companionship is his German shepherd, Tanner.