The End: Revelations

An Emp Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

Zion Cage

Copyright © 2020 Zion Cage

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

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

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PROLOGUE

PART ONE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

PART TWO

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

PART THREE

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

PART FOUR

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

EPILOGUE

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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.

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“Spoiler, we die in the end.”

Atticus

PROLOGUE

22nd February 2021

3:55pm

Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow.

Russia.

Billy Monroe shook hands with Sergei Olga, the president of Russia. They had just completed peace talks and signed the most significant agreement in the history of both countries.

“I, for one, am glad that we have done this. The decision we have taken is the height of wisdom. It takes a courageous man to have offered what you did, President Monroe. The world will remember you for this. And you, President Olga, have demonstrated the height of team-play. Your names will go on throughout history. I had been wondering for how much longer the differences between both your nations would remain. The world is evolving, and we can only become better by joined efforts,” Aaron Ben-Ammi, the UN Secretary-General, said from behind them, where he sat. He had acted as a referee during the meeting, which had gone better than he expected. There had been no bantering. Billy had shown great self-control through it all. There were moments when Sergei had tried to prove difficult. However, Billy remained easy going. His character had been the foundation of the meeting’s success.

“That is true. I am glad that we have come this far,” Billy said, smiling brightly. They stood up and began to walk towards the door. Their escorts followed them. They knew that, beyond the door, so many reporters were waiting to hear the meeting’s outcome.

“I must say,” Sergei said, leaning over. “Between you and me, you’re the smartest president America has ever had.”

“I’d say the same of you, sir. It takes two smart minds to do something this momentous,” Billy said, nodding his head vigorously. Two men opened the large doors, and some escorts went ahead to make way for the men that mattered. They waved and smiled at the press; then, the UN Secretary-General gave a short speech to the public, announcing the meeting's outcome.

When Aaron was done, Billy and Sergei shook hands before the press, allowing them to take pictures.

Sergei smiled brightly but his seeming goodwill didn’t fool Billy. Billy knew that Sergei thought he was stupid and would look for every means possible to exploit the agreement to his favor and America's detriment. Sergei had only signed the agreement for what he stood to gain from it. He knew Sergei.

But he didn’t care. That wasn’t the goal yet. In fact, that kind of thinking was what he needed.

Soon after the meeting, Billy returned to his hotel room. He looked at his wristwatch. It was 7:37 pm. He wanted to sleep but he was waiting for a phone call. He took a shower. The call still hadn’t come. He wondered what was taking so much time.

He sat on his bed and thought about his wife- the wife that had been given to him by the ones above him. Then, he thought of his children- poor kids whose futures had already been programmed. They were going to turn out to be like him.

And he wasn’t a good person.

Like a thief, sleep came upon him. He didn’t know when he fell over on the bed and began to sleep. His escorts watched over him. There was no need to fear.

However, the dreams always brought fear with them: seeing himself run away from home… meeting Nikolas under the bridge… becoming part of something big… partaking in combat classes… being punished for slow thinking… struggling to rise through the ranks of his class… leaving Russia…

Suddenly, his phone rang, and he jumped up from sleep. Slowly, he realized that the sound had come from his phone and he calmed down. His two escorts looked puzzled at his reaction. Before he could pick his phone, the call ended. He looked at the caller ID. There was no name. he knew who was calling. He also knew he was in trouble. He wasn’t supposed to miss the call.

Sure enough, in a couple of seconds, the call returned.

“Excuse me,” he said to his guards and they left the room.

He picked the call up immediately.

“Hello,” he began.

“You know you were not supposed to miss my first call, don’t you, Igor?” a lady’s voice came from the other end.

“I know. I’m sorry. I fell asleep,” he begged. The lady was his Chief-of-Staff- at least in the public's eyes. She was way more than that.

“You’re lucky Adrik wasn’t yet a part of the call. I’m sure he wouldn’t have taken it lightly,” she said.

“I know, High Priestess. I promise it won’t repeat itself.”

There was a brief silence before she spoke again.

“I saw the news. You’ve been working so hard these days. I’m so glad it has all paid off well.”

Billy smiled.

“To say I’m relieved will be an understatement. Sergei just kept trying to play stubborn. It took all the wisdom I could muster to put him in that corner,” he said.

“I’m proud of you. It turns out you’re not so much of a scatterbrain after all,” the lady said. Billy frowned at that, but he said nothing. It was foolish to react rashly. She had given him he now wielded. She could easily take him down.

“Do you know if Adrik knows about my accomplishments? I’m sure he’ll be pleased with me,” he said. Adrik had believed in him. When the other council members had argued that he’d be unable to handle the presidency, Adrik had ensured that he was chosen.

“Oh, I bet he knows. He asked me to call by this time because he was in another meeting. I’ll add him to the call now; however, I believe you know it will be rather idiotic to expect him to congratulate you heartily,” she said.

The next second, the call was put on hold. Shortly after, the meeting resumed. This time, it was a male voice that spoke from the other end.

“Alexei, Vivien tells me you did a great job. I believe we are in line for the next phase,” the man said.

“Yes, Tsar Adrik. I’ve positioned us to strike without being noticed,” Billy said.

“Russia shouldn’t have been in a hurry to bite that bait,” Vivien said. “It’s never good to be arrogant. You’ll never know when you’re falling into a trap.”

Billy would have chuckled if Adrik hadn’t been listening. Vivien always had a way of making him laugh.

“True,” Adrik said. “Sergei will have to bear the initial brunt of our move. However, it’s a brief one. And, besides, he was too self-willed to be of any use to us. He has to go.”

Billy nodded. He noticed how silent Vivien was. He always wondered what went through her mind whenever she became quiet like that.

“Well, then, I’ll contact our weapon’s unit in Russia to prepare our package. It must be completely invisible. You and Vivien are to ensure that your defense and intelligence teams know nothing about this. Not even rumors should go around the US. You have brethren in every unit of government, military, and media. Use them wisely,” Adrik said.

“Yes, sir,” Billy and Vivien said together.

“Good. Vivien, disconnect Alexei. I want to speak with you in private,” Adrik said.

“Okay,” she said. “You know you have to wipe out all evidence of this conversation, don’t you, Igor,” Vivien said. The next second, Billy’s phone beeped. The call had ended.

He sighed as he went under his blankets.

Our Package…

The package was like Pandora’s Box. Once it was opened, all sorts of mayhem would be unleashed upon America. Innocent people would die.

He was betraying the nation he led. He was also betraying his nation by framing her. He was a bad person.

But he didn’t care. He’d been labeled bad since his childhood. That was why he had run away from home. If they chose to believe he was bad, he was going to be just that.

He called out for his guards to return. The two loyal men came in immediately. This time, as he slept, there was only satisfaction in his heart. It was only a matter of months.

To hell with America.

PART ONE

The Arrival

CHAPTER ONE

“This is way bigger than you are…”

23rd November 2021

12:05pm

Bronx Whitestone Bridge, New York.

USA.

Okay, folks. Before you is New York: our penultimate destination. Feel free to sigh in relief because we are not stopping until we cross those gates,” Sergeant Graham said as he turned and looked at the multitude behind him.

Murmurs rose from the crowd.

“But it’s time for us to rest. Our wives and children are tired,” a man in front called out.

“Well, then carry them on your shoulders. You’re a man; I don’t expect you to tire easily. You’re not tired, are you?” Graham asked him. The man didn’t reply. The murmurs continued but Graham didn’t care. They were going to get to New York before they stopped. He didn’t like civilians. They were too lazy.

Aaliyah stood with Ted and his family. They were all emaciated. The trek hadn’t been too favorable. Aaliyah was just glad that Marcia, her grandmother, hadn’t gone through it all. As her mind drifted to her family, she felt the wave of sadness hit her again. An EMP was never good news. Ted held her hand and squeezed lightly.

“You’re not tired yet, are you?” he asked with a smile as she looked up to him. She returned his smile and shrugged.

“I guess I am. Think you’re up to carry me?” she asked.

“He’ll carry you, alright; right after Rory Hankins becomes strong enough to carry me,” Elizabeth said, poking her husband on the ribs with her elbow. They all laughed.

“I’d carry you, Lizzy. It’s just that while the rest of us were getting slimmer, you were adding weight. I’m not sure I’d be able to lift you now,” Rory said, and they all laughed again.

Aaliyah nodded. She had lost a family, but she had found a new one. The Hankins had loved and protected her since she lost her grandmother. Elizabeth and Rory had been like parents to her. And Ted? Ted had become her closest friend. There was nothing about her that he didn’t know. He returned the feelings, opening himself up to her completely. His leg had healed considerably, and he could walk without any support. Aaliyah was glad that he had come for her when she had almost been abducted. That was the turning point for their relationship.

Despite the joy that she felt with them, she couldn’t help but feel the growing apprehension as she moved closer to New York. She wasn’t the only one who had lost someone during the journey. Many people had died during the migration; people no longer cried when they buried their loved ones. The destiny of everyone around her was now on her shoulders and none of them knew it-, no one except Ted. She had shared the secret mission with him, and he had promised to help her. Once they arrived in New York, she would have to begin.

Ted squeezed lightly on her hand again and she looked up at him.

“Don’t be afraid, Ali. We’re in this together. Nothing can go wrong.”

This time, she smiled again and squeezed his hand back.

“We’re in this together,” she said as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

She was safe with him. That was all she had wanted in the past, safety. Even if she died, she was glad that she had known safety with another person.

◆◆◆

24th November 2021

12:05pm

Columbus, Ohio.

USA.

Xander limped through the bookstore, searching for any book on ethical hacking. He had been searching for it for the past two days in every bookshop he had seen on the way to New York. Unfortunately, not many readers were fond of programming books. Currently, he was in the largest bookshop he had seen so far. It had three floors of books. It had taken Joel a while to break them into the store. Apparently, even though the shop owners were never going to see those things again, they were jealous enough to lock their properties up securely. Despite the security measures the store owners had taken, migrants had raided their shops. All grocery stores around were empty even before his migrant group had arrived. Apparently, no one was interested in reading books anymore. That was why the bookstore locks were still intact.

He still had the wounds from his last encounter with Morgan. His left cheek was swollen, his right eye was purple and swollen, and his leg still hurt a little. It was the same one that had been hurt in the accident after the EMP. The leg had become tired of being hurt all the time. Nia had been massaging him, and so, the injuries were healing; however, they weren’t healing fast enough. He was tired of people looking at him and wondering how he had incurred the injuries.

“Hey, Xander, is this what you’re looking for?” Grayson said, running to stand by him. She held an elementary math textbook up for him to see. Xander rolled his eyes.

“Are you trying to help me or are you just doing this to annoy me?” he asked, and she grinned.

“You know me too well, Xander,” she said and ran away as Xander moved to tickle her.

“This is serious, Gray. I don’t know how many times I have to say it to you. There’s no time to play around. If you’re not going to help me, don’t disturb me,” he said as he returned his attention to the bookshelves.

“I still don’t understand why you insist on finding a book on ethical hacking. It’s not as though you could still use it to do anything. There’s no functional computer existing anywhere on the planet,” Grayson said as she walked through the row of books behind him.

“It’s true, Xander. Why are you doing this? With all the passion you’re putting into this, it’s becoming hard to believe that it’s just for personal development. It has something to do with the lady from two days ago, right?” Joel asked as he came up the stairs. He had been searching on the ground floor. Nia and Harper were behind him. They, too, had curious looks on their faces. Xander sighed. He realized how foolish it had been for him to include them in his search. They were bound to ask questions. Suzanne had told him to keep what she had told him as a secret. She had also told him to start studying as soon as possible. Those two instructions were impossible to carry out at the same time.

The whole thing was even hard to believe. It had sounded like some crazy conspiracy theory from her. However, after watching Morgan come back from the dead and speak to the lady in Russian, it was impossible for him not to believe.

There was no Spain. After New York was the land of the dead.

How could he tell people that? No one would believe him. They’d all laugh at him. They would all think he was crazy- that was until they were face to face with the reality of the situation. He had to help Suzanne. She had a plan. If it worked, maybe he and the people he loved would be safe again. He had never been interested in watching movies on espionage. Looking back, he wished he had watched a lot more of them.

He sighed.

“I’m serious, guys. I’m just doing this because I’m bored and I need to wrap my mind around something from when life was normal,” he said.

“We’ve ransacked six bookstores in two days, Xander. One of the soldiers leading our groups, even asked what our raiding is about. And, of all the books in the world to look for, you want a book that deals with hacking. Besides, there is this urgency about you whenever you search; it’s as though someone’s life or death depended on it,” Harper said, tucking a stray strand of red hair behind her ear. Her police senses had kicked in again. She knew something was wrong.

“Come on. We’re all just worried over nothing. This is just a simple search for a book that I want to read. You all don’t need to join in the search. You could go and anything you want to. I just needed help getting in, that’s all,” he said, raising his hands in exasperation.

Nia came to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I know when you’re hiding something, Xander. Ever since you met that lady, you’ve become glum. If something is eating you up, say it. We are your friends. We’re here to help. It doesn’t matter whether your reason is good; it is always wrong to lie,” she said.

Xander felt like a rat that had been cornered. He swallowed, thinking of what to say. Prim and Grayson had also come to watch him. He couldn’t keep telling them that nothing was wrong. Then again, there was the probability that they wouldn’t believe him. He opened his mouth to speak; then, he paused again.

“Come on, Xander. Say something. What’s going on? Who is that woman? What did she tell you that put you on edge?” Nia pressed.

It was hard for him to keep quiet, but he had to do it. Her life depended on it.

“I’m sorry, guys. I can’t say anything yet. You’re going to have to trust me on this one. You can stop helping me if you want to, but I have to keep this to myself in the meantime,” he said.

Harper sighed and nodded.

“Okay, Xander. If you want it that way.”

◆◆◆

26th November 2021

07:25 pm

Outer Bridge Crossing, Charleston, New York.

USA.

The multitude of migrants cheered as they took seats anywhere they could find. Stephen watched them settle down tiredly. The group of five hundred and eighty people had gone through a lot to get to New York. They had been more numerous than that. Unfortunately, he had to watch many of them die during the journey- older adults, children, sick people. He was sure of one thing: more than half of the American population had died from the migration. Many more were going to die in the days coming. It saddened him. He turned to Bucky.

“Watching these people celebrate their death sentence breaks my heart,” he said in Bucky’s ear. Both chuckled ruefully.

“But, really, what could they do? They can’t see it coming. They trusted their president to take care of them; meanwhile, it was their president that brought this on them,” Bucky whispered back.

“We still have to get them to New York Harbor, and that’ll take, at least, a full day of walking to reach,” Stephen stated.

“You’re eager to see that Russian lady again, aren’t you?” Bucky asked, smiling.

“Well, yes. But not for the reason you’re thinking. I want to know where we’re going with this. I hope she’s not putting us on some wild goose chase.”

Bucky nodded quietly.

“I guess we’ll know all that on the third of December,” he said. Suddenly, he put his hand to his face. “And to think December used to be my favorite time of the year.”

Stephen smiled ruefully at Bucky’s words.

“I’ll miss Christmas karaoke at the Base,” Stephen said, and Bucky laughed.

“You were awful at it,” Bucky said.

“At least, I tried. Someone else was too shy to get on the stage,” Stephen said as he took his bag off his shoulders.

“Not everyone likes to be embarrassed, man,” Bucky said as he watched Stephen search his bag. Finally, Stephen pulled out a tablet. It was the tablet that Suzanne had given him.

“What are you doing, man? I thought she told you not to turn it on or allow anyone to see it,” Bucky whispered nervously.

“Chill out, man. I’m not turning it on. I’m just looking at it,” Stephen said as he turned the tablet over and looked at the plain white back.

“Well, people are going to see it and they’re going to wonder what you’re doing with a tablet. We know that there is a Russian agent among us, but we don’t know who it is. We’re at a disadvantage. We can’t afford to give any clue of what we’re doing,” Bucky said. “Put that thing back in the bag now!”

Stephen sighed and wrapped the tablet in a thick sweater again before putting it in the bag.

“I think we should turn this device in to authorities like the CIA. It could give them clues as to what is happening. It could just be the advantage we need against the Russians,” Stephen said.

“That’s not what the lady said you were to do with it,” Bucky said as he furrowed his brows.

“Damn Suzanne and what she said.”

“You don’t trust her, do you?” Bucky asked. When Stephen didn’t answer, he sighed.

“Bro, you’ dumb like shit! After all that you’ve seen, you still don’t realize that this is way bigger than you are. What authorities are you talking about? The ones that are Russian in disguise? You could get yourself killed if you want; I don’t care. Just don’t mess up what Suzanne is trying to do. She is the only one who knows what is happening. She is probably America’s only hope,” Bucky said as he turned to go elsewhere. Stephen had always been headstrong for as long as they had known each other. He just hoped that Stephen would think things through before acting.

Victor, the soldier he had been paired with to lead the migrants, walked up to him just then.

“Hey, Buck, I think we should walk a couple of hours still. We must get to the harbor. That’s quite a long way to go,” he said.

Bucky shook his head.

“No, Vic. They’re tired. Let them rest for the night. The ship isn’t leaving tomorrow. There’s still enough time,” Bucky said.

Victor nodded; then, he turned and looked at Stephen.

“Hey, Stephen, how are you doing?” he asked with a lopsided smile. Stephen nodded absentmindedly. The guy had been a recluse for most of the journey, only speaking with Bucky and a few migrants occasionally.

He returned his mind to the thoughts of Suzanne. Was it safe to trust her?

◆◆◆

30th November 2021

12:18 pm

South Plain Field, New Jersey.

USA.

Xander sat alone on the stairs, reading ‘NMap for Dummies’. He was almost done with the textbook. That was the third book he had read.

The other migrants were scattered all around the area. He had snuck away from the crowd so that he could study. Grayson wouldn’t leave him to study in peace. She kept pestering him to tell her what was going on. He couldn’t tell her, so he had to avoid her.

By the next day, they would be in New York and he would see Suzanne again. His work would begin. He had to be ready before then.

Someone walked into the building and Xander looked up. It was Joel. Xander sighed.

“How are you doing?” Joel asked.

Xander nodded. “I’m fine, Joel. Thanks. I know what you want to ask.”

Joel nodded and tilted his head.

“Really? Then what is it?”

“Why am I reading this book? I’m sorry. I can’t say anything.”

“Please, Xander. Talk to me.”

Xander bowed his head. He wished Joel would stop. Joel had not asked him about it since the day at the bookshop; however, he knew Joel was still curious.

Joel sighed and went to sit beside Xander.

“You might have noticed how attached I have become to you and your sister. You might also have noticed that I don’t have any family with me on this journey. You guys have become the closest I’ve had to a family. Your well-being has become my concern. I’ve watched a lot of people die during this journey. I don’t want to see you guys die too. I know you may not see me in the same light; however, please just give me the assurance that all is well, and there is no danger awaiting us,” he said.

Xander looked up at Joel. Joel’s words were true. He and Harper had stuck with Xander, Grayson, Nia, and Prim throughout the journey, helping them meet up. Joel cared.

“Can you keep a secret?” he asked Joel. Joel nodded.

Xander sighed; then, he began to speak. When he was done, Joel nodded his head.

“Well, at least, you’re not going to be doing anything really dangerous,” Joel said.

Xander managed a laugh but it was too nervous to sound real. Joel looked at him.

“Are you sure this is real?”

Xander rolled his eyes and looked away.

“I’m asking because, if it is, there is almost no way to stop it. I can’t believe we’ve been fooled all this time. We left the safety of our homes, thinking to be safe in another country,” Joel said in a soliloquy.

“You can’t tell anyone about it, please. Promise me you won’t breathe a word to anyone,” Xander said.

Joel nodded as he raised his hands.

“Of course. It’s too serious to relate with anyone. However, Xander, are you sure you want to trust this woman? You’ve barely met her and she’s proposing to do the impossible.”

“I don’t know much about that. All I know is that she saved my life and spoke Russian with Morgan. There has to be a reason for the kidnappings and, so far, she’s the only one to come forward with an explanation,” Xander said.

Joel nodded and stood up.

“Well, then, I’ll leave you to study. You have a nation to save,” he said as he smiled at Xander. “I’m proud of you. You’re quite courageous after all,”

Xander returned the smile.

“Thanks, Joel,” he said.

Joel walked towards the entrance to the building. The moment he was out of hearing range, he whispered to himself, “Neschastnyy mal’chik.”

The poor boy…

CHAPTER TWO

“Hail The Sun…”

1ST December 2021

10:03 pm

Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.

USA.

Stephen walked through the row of buildings, trying to draw as little attention as possible. He had left Tanner with Bucky. As Suzanne had instructed him after she had saved his life, he had turned on his device that morning by 5 am. A notification had popped up in the separate window she had created for him. It was a message telling him where to meet her. There were only two more days until the ship arrived. There was a lot to do before then.

Almost the whole of America had arrived in New York. Everywhere was congested. People slept in buildings and on the streets- anywhere that they could find. The government had mandated that every individual in New York opened their buildings for migrants to take residence. He was sure that every building in New York, whether it had been an office, residence, or a store, was now filled with people. All the supplies in New York had been finished already. The less fortunate ones were starving while those who had planned or had been in more fortunate positions hoarded the rations. He wondered how it had been possible for Suzanne to have secured a solitary location for the meeting based on what he saw.

As he walked, he felt like he was being followed. He stopped and looked around him. Everything seemed normal. Many of the migrants on the streets were sleeping or doing stuff they wouldn’t have done in the daytime.

There was nothing unusual.

He kept walking. He was already late for the meeting. He had to hurry up. Making a turn to the next street, he paused. The feeling of being followed came again- this time, stronger than before. He peered around more carefully, picking each detail one after the other. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

He put the feeling aside and went into the three-story building. When he arrived at the topmost floor, he noticed that the lobby entrance had a steel gate that was locked with three large padlocks.

Now it makes sense…

He didn’t knock. Instead, he shouted, “I can’t believe I’m going to Spain.”

For the first couple of seconds, there was no response. Then he heard the door of the room beyond the gate open. Out came a young girl- probably in her teens. She flipped her dark hair as she came towards him with a bunch of keys and opened the padlocks.

“Hey, lady, who are you? What are you doing here?” he asked. He had expected the meeting to be a private one.

“You must be Stephen,” the girl said. “Come on in. Suzanne has been waiting for you.”

Just then, a younger man came up the stairs, looking edgy. He wore a black backpack.

“Alexander, right?” the young lady asked him, and he nodded.

“I’m sorry; all this is just making me a little jumpy. I’ve never been part of a secret meeting before,” he said, holding out a hand to shake her. She took his hand.

“Well, Suzanne is waiting for us inside. She seems nice. I think we’re safe,” the girl said.

Xander turned to shake the larger man’s hand.

“Hey, you’re the guy I saw walking down the street. I didn’t know you were coming this way,” Xander said.

Stephen hadn’t seen Xander as he came.

Well, that explains the feeling of being followed…

“Well, it’s a small world; that’s what they say, right?” Stephen said as they followed the young lady through the gate. She locked the gate and led them to the apartment.

” By the way, I’m Aaliyah. It’s great to work with you guys,” the girl said.

“You too, Aaliyah,” Stephen said in courtesy. Xander was too preoccupied with his thoughts to reply. They entered the room and found Suzanne sitting on a couch. She beamed at them.

“Welcome. You made it. I feared that you both had bailed on me,” she said as she motioned for them to sit. There were two other large couches in the room and, in the corner, there was a desktop computer.

Stephen rolled his eyes as he, Aaliyah and Xander sat down.

“I’m only here because of the possibility that the lives of so many Americans are about to be thrown away by filthy Russians,” he said.

“Well, that’s why we are all here, actually. Besides, you need to be careful when you point fingers. Not all Russians are involved in this. Even the president of Russia, who everyone blames, is not aware of this,” Suzanne said. “Calm down, Stephen. We’ll get to the bottom of this; however, I need you to trust me.”

Stephen remained quiet at that. Suzanne stood up and addressed everyone together.

“Okay, team. I recruited just the three of you because I believe that the greatest blows dealt to any organization must be planned by as few people as possible and carried out by the crowd. I want to believe that we all realize the gravity of what we’re about to face. The lives of our friends and families are at stake. The Ray of Hope will destroy this nation and every other nation that stands in the way of Russia becoming the world power; then, they will take over Russia and rule. We can’t allow this to happen.”

“But what can any of us do about it? How could we hope to end a plot that the president is involved in? If even the CIA couldn’t stop this, what hope do we have?” Xander asked. He looked sick with worry.

“I have served with the Ray of Hope for so many years. I know their secrets. They are at the peak of their power right now. However, they are most vulnerable now than ever before. If we can strike them at the right points, all their schemes would turn on them. It’s too late to stop the EMP but we can still to stop their reign of terror.”

As she spoke, there was a small clanging sound from outside, but they were too engrossed in her speech to notice.

“So, what are we going to do? How do you propose we end this?” Stephen asked.

“I’ll tell you all that tomorrow when we gather here again. I don’t want to bother you with so much information. Right now, though, we have to begin preparations for the grand finale. That’s what this meeting is about.”

“Wait a second. Why are you going to keep your plans secret from us? Aren’t we supposed to be a team here? If we’re going to work together, I’m going to need you to be transparent with me,” Stephen said.

Suzanne took a deep breath.

“Chill out, Steve,” Aaliyah said. “It’s not as if she said she wouldn’t tell us the plan. She’s just giving it to us step by step.”

“Thank you, Ali,” Suzanne said as she nodded to the girl. “If you paid more attention to what I said with a mind to understand and not to criticize, you’d understand me clearly, Steve. I’m not keeping any secrets from you. I have nothing to gain from helping America. I’ve lost everything. Even if you don’t trust me, the least you can do is to respect the sacrifices I’ve made to save each of you from death.”

She and Stephen stared at each other for a while; then, Stephen sighed.

“I’m sorry. There’s just so much conspiracy going on. I can hardly breathe,” he said.

Suzanne smiled at him and nodded.

“If I said I wasn’t afraid, I’d be lying to you. But then, we all have very little to lose. If we don’t do this, we’ll all die. If we do it, we’re still very likely to die; so, don’t be afraid.”

When Stephen nodded at her, she continued.

“We’re going to be needing help. I’m sure each of us has allies. You’ll need their help now. Stephen, I’ll need you to head off to Fort Hamilton military base in Brooklyn to get us weapons. More importantly, you’re going to do what the Ray of Hope feared you’d do the most: you’re going to get military allies- people that can help us. Go with Bucky. You’ll have to be careful, though. Some of them are Russians in disguise. The Russians who were placed in the military will not be leaving until the migration is over.”

Stephen nodded his head.

“So how are we going to know who is Russian in disguise? We can’t just go barging into the enemy’s camp without knowing who the enemy is” he asked.

Suzanne was quiet for a while as she thought about his question.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. The best I could come up with was a form of greeting we used. Usually, we are all compelled to reply once another comrade greets us that way. I think it should work,” she said finally. She took out a pen and a piece of paper; then, she wrote on it and gave Stephen.

Privetstvovat’ Solntse.

He tried to say it, but it didn’t sound right in his mouth. Suzanne ended up taking the next couple of minutes, teaching him how to say it like an indigene. After countless tries, she became satisfied.

“Say it like that and no one will suspect a thing,” she said as she sat down.

“What does that even mean?” Xander asked.

“Hail the Sun,” she replied. “Xander, Aaliyah helped us scout the whole of New York and she found this desktop computer,” Suzanne said, nodding to a computer on a desk by the wall. “It runs on Windows 7 which is enough to handle what we need. I hope you learned how to hack?”

Xander nodded.

“But how are we going to get the computer to work?” he asked.

“The monitor was made with vacuum tubes. EMPs don’t work on old technology. We found the CPU and the accessories in a metal-walled basement. Luckily, they were not affected by the EMP,” she answered.

Xander looked at Aaliyah, wondering how she had managed to find all those things.

“Electricity?” he asked.

Suzanne pointed to the car battery on the ground beside the desk.

“I took it from a truck after I arrived in New York. It can power the computer for a couple of days.”

“And internet?” he asked.

“We’ll use the hotspot feature on our Ray Tablets. It should be enough to support what we need. You’ll be writing a program that will move all the information from the Ray of Hope’s central computer to a mail I will give you. The main computer has a very complex file transfer protocol. I’ll tell you all I know about it once we start. Your goal is to bypass that protocol. It will take you a while. I hope you’re ready.”

“Yes. But we need the NMap software.”

“I’m sure we can find that here in New York.”

“Okay. I’m ready, then.”

“Good,” Suzanne said. Then, she turned to Aaliyah.

“Aaliyah, you’ll get to work, stirring up a mob. I asked you to get the dirtiest, meanest conspiracy theorists in New York and become friends with them once you arrived here. Were you able to do that?” she asked.

“Let me just say that my Facebook friend list isn’t going to be the same once this whole thing is over,” Aaliyah said, laughing.

“Great. Let’s move to the next phase. I’ve sent all the evidence you need to your tablet. Make them hate the idea of going to Spain. Make them distrust their government. Ensure that no one is willing to get on that ship anymore. Is that okay?”

Aaliyah laughed at that.

“Rebellion used to be a hobby of mine. I’m on it,” she said.

Suzanne nodded.

“Good. So, we’re all good to go. We’re all going to begin early in the morning tomorrow, so y’all better sleep tight tonight. You have a long day ahead. Aaliyah and I have arranged the rooms for you,” she said.

Just as they all stood up to go to bed, they heard a loud clang from the gate. Someone had slammed it shut. They all ran to the door. When they looked out, they saw the gate was hanging open. Someone in a black hoodie was running down the stairs. Xander froze, realizing what had happened.

“He was eavesdropping on us,” Stephen said, as though to confirm Xander’s thoughts.

“Well, he’s not going to live long enough to tell,” Aaliyah said as she followed the person. Suzanne, Stephen and Xander followed behind her.

The stairwell was a steep spiral so that one had to be careful with one's steps. The person had a head start and was already on the first floor, on his way to the exit. Once Aaliyah reached the second floor, she decided to skip the stairs. Jumping over the railings, she landed on some boxes beneath the stairwell. Just as the owner of the boxes began to come after her, she dashed out towards the exit, darting between the migrants that filled everywhere. Suzanne and Stephen followed her example but Xander preferred to take the stairs.

Once Aaliyah left the building, she froze. Suzanne and Stephen came out next. Xander came out a couple of seconds later. When he arrived, he raised a brow.

“Joel?” he asked.

CHAPTER THREE

“Joel?”

1ST December 2021

11:49 pm

Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.

USA.

Joel was standing, holding a stick. At his feet was the hooded man, lying unconscious. Joel chuckled a bit.

“I see you guys had an uninvited member in your meeting. I caught him eavesdropping, and I left to wait for him here,” he said.

Stephen looked carefully at the person on the ground. In the darkness, it was a bit difficult for him to tell who it was. He went to the person and squatted over the body. Pulling off the hood, he gasped.

“Victor,” he said. “I knew I was being followed.”

“You know him?” Aaliyah asked.

“Yes. He was one of the soldiers who led my group here,” he said.

“Then, I guess he must have been the one to sell you out to the Ray of Hope,” Suzanne said as she squatted over the body. Turning him over, she searched his body. When she felt what she was looking for, she reached in and pulled out a mini tablet.

“Yes, he’s the one,” she said. Looking up at Joel, she asked.

“Who are you? How did you know about our meeting?”

“Xander told me,” he said casually. Suzanne turned and shot Xander a glare.

“He asked me not to let the others know, though. I just had to see this wonder woman who was going to save America. I needed to hear your plans. So, I followed him,” Joel finished.

“How could you, Joel?” Xander asked. “You knew how important this is.”

Joel ignored his question and spoke to Suzanne instead.

“Privetstvovat’ Solntse.”

The four of them gaped. Xander couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that Joel had been Russian all along. Suddenly, Joel's outstanding intelligence and survival skills made sense. Not every older man could do the things he did.

“Are you surprised, High Priestess? I should be the one surprised. I would never have believed that you’d be the one doing this. What happened?” he asked in Russian so that the rest couldn’t understand. Stephen groaned as the conversation continued in Russian.

“Who are you? What side are you on?” she asked. For the first time since the EMP, she felt cornered.

“You can’t remember? You made me the principal of the high school where Alexei allegedly graduated from,” Joel said.

Suddenly she remembered.

“But you died in a car crash five years ago.”

“It was so believable, wasn’t it? I couldn’t continue with the Ray of Hope any longer. My conscience wouldn’t let me. I had to leave, so I faked my death and removed my tracker,” he said.

“But Adrik said your body was retrieved. It was burned beyond recognition,” she said.

“Come on, High Priestess. You’re smarter than that. I could have found a cadaver anywhere. You guys didn’t run a DNA sample, did you?”

“Your body was completely destroyed. There was nothing left.”

“Good,” Joel said as he chuckled. “I moved on and got a normal life at the expense of my family in Russia; however, I couldn’t imagine myself doing what you’re doing. It must have taken a lot of courage to fight back.”

Looking at the other three, he asked in English:

“You guys know she was the Chief-of-Staff, right?”

They nodded, but no one could answer. He shrugged.

Suddenly, Suzanne ran to him and hugged him.

“Brother, where have you been all this time, I needed help?” she said. The other three smiled a little. Xander was very confused about what was going on, but he decided he would ask Joel about it later. For now, he was just glad Joel was on the good side.

‘Hey, I didn’t say I wanted to help you, did I?” he asked.

Suzanne looked up at him with a little frown.

“Would you help us?” she asked.

Joel smiled a little.

“I will.”

PART TWO

The Planning

CHAPTER FOUR

She had been at the pinnacle...

2nd December 2021
5:15 am
Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.
USA.

Joel woke up and looked at the other four people asleep on the couches. Together, they had stayed up for most of the night, thinking about what to do once they arrived at their stations. He had asked for their plans and he had made some input. When they finished, they were all too tired to head for the rooms.

His heart was heavy. From the moment the EMP happened, he had known the cause and fear had filled him because he knew the end had come. He and all the people he had loved would die. He had resigned himself to his fate.

His gaze went to Suzanne. She looked so peaceful in her sleep; he wondered what she was dreaming about. Most of all, he wondered what had propelled her to do the things she had done. He had left the Ray of Hope and forfeited his wife and son in Russia because he didn’t want to continue in all the wrongdoing; however, what had given him the most courage was that he had been quite inconsequential to the plan. The organization would hardly miss him, and he’d easily go off their radar. After that, he had settled down in Chicago and continued teaching. He had always loved to teach. He hadn’t remarried because he wanted to remain loyal to his family. All the while, he had awaited the inevitable, too afraid to do anything to stop the terrorist organization. What could he do? He was just one man. Who would believe him? He’d just make himself visible to the enemies again. Suzanne’s case was different. She had been at the pinnacle of the organization. She had been the reason why they had thrived so well in the US. America trusted her, and so, they trusted the people she introduced. She had been working with the Ray of Hope for so long.

How had her conscience been revived? What had given her the courage to step out and rebel? What was her assurance of victory?

He shook his head. Death was inevitable. The only thing he could decide was how he was going to die. He decided to stick with her team to the end- even if the end meant death.

And before he died, there were a couple of things he needed to tell someone. He needed to say his last words.

“Hey guys, wake up. We need to move now if we want to arrive at our destinations early enough,” he said as he clapped his hands.

“What? We’ve not even slept for two straight hours. What time is it?” Aaliyah groaned as she turned over on the couch. She had been sitting with Xander before she slept. Both were now facing each other with their faces only inches apart. When they opened their eyes and saw each other, they jumped away from each other in apparent repugnance. Joel laughed as he watched them. He wondered what they stood to gain from the mission. Their levels of courage were about to be stretched.

Stephen sat up straight and wiped his face with his hand. His years of military training had taught him to be content with little sleep. He looked around at his teammates.

“Morning,” he said.

Suzanne sat up last. She looked very tired.

‘Hey guys, good morning,” she said as she bowed her face in her palms. Her dark skin reflected the light from the lamp, which had become dim. When she raised her face, her smile was bright.

Joel returned her smile. She knew how to encourage her teammates.

“Good morning, team.” He said. “Xander and I managed to save from snack bars during our journey here. I guess we’ll have to manage it as breakfast before heading off to our destinations. I’ll go get them.”

With that, he stood up.

“Wait. Let Aaliyah go with you,” Suzanne said. Joel raised a brow at her.

“You don’t trust me, do you?” he asked, and she sighed.

“It’s not that. Of course, I trust you. It’s just that…” when she couldn’t think of an excuse to give, she sighed again, running her palms over her face. “It’s just that… I’m at my wits end here, and I don’t know what else to do. I’m tired. If anything goes awry, that’s it. The whole plan will fail. I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want these ones who have trusted in me to die for nothing. I’ve let you in on what I’m doing. I’ve trusted you. I just need to know that we’re safe with you,” she said.

Joel watched her in silence. Her cheerful mask had fallen, and she looked weary again. He nodded.

“Trust me, Suzanne. I will help you,” he said finally. The other three people watched them in silence. Suzanne nodded too.

“Please follow him, Aaliyah. Two are better than one,” she said.

◆◆◆

2nd December 2021
5:54 am
Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.
USA.

Aaliyah and Joel walked through the streets till they arrived at a row of penthouses. Joel led her into it. They took the stairs up to the twentieth floor since the elevators were down. By the time they reached their destination, both were out of breath.

“Wait for me here,” he said as they stood in the lobby.

“But Suzanne told me to follow you,” she said.

“And you have done just that. I need to see my family. It’s quite personal, especially when you consider that this will be my goodbye to them. So, please cut me some slack, will you?” he said. Aaliyah tilted her head, eyeing him with suspicion.

“Okay, then. I can’t stop you,” she said finally, and he walked to one of the doors. He knocked and waited. A red-haired lady opened the door shortly.

“Joel?” she asked, looking at him with sleepy eyes. When she saw the young lady he came with, she raised a brow in interest.

“Harper,” he said. “Let me in, will you?”

“Of course,” she said as she opened the door wider and stood aside for him to go in. The home belonged to a family of five. After arriving in New York, Joel and his ‘family’ had meet the owner of the house who had kindly allowed them to stay.

It was still dark, and everyone was sleeping.

“Xander is still out with his friends?” he asked as Harper shut the door.

“Yes. He hasn’t returned yet,” she said.

“What about Nia and the girls?” he asked.

“They are fine. They’re sleeping in the sitting room,” she said, and Joel nodded. She led him to the sitting room.

“You look like someone who hasn’t slept well. I wonder what you were doing all night long. And, seeing that you climbed those stairs, I’m sure you must be exhausted. I’ll go make a space for you to sleep,” she said as she turned towards the couch. Joel caught her arm.

“No, Harper. I’m not here to sleep. As a matter of fact, I’ll be heading out again now. I just wanted to tell you some things,” he said as he watched his family sleeping soundly.

She became concerned. Where was he going again?

“Well, I’m listening,” she said.

“My life has been a charade from the moment I arrived in America. It’s a long story for another day. However, I believe that coming to Chicago was the one decision I made that put me on the right path again. That’s because I met you and Xander and Nia and the kids. I was going to hold my feelings back, but then, we had to go on a long walk, and I saw your faces during every one of those days, and I had to play a fatherly role. I just couldn’t help but become attached to you all. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I love you. I love you all. Even if this is the last time I see all of you, I will be grateful for the fact that I had the opportunity of having another family to love again,” he said, staring into her eyes.

She laughed.

“What are you saying, Joel? It’s too early to scare someone that way. You sound like you’re about to die.”

He chuckled ruefully.

“We’ll never know, will we? I know you’re tempted to ask questions, but I’m going to ask that you don’t. Everything will unfold in time. Tell Nia and the kids I love them. I need to leave with some snack bars,” he said.

Harper watched him for a second, worry evident in her eyes.

“Is everything alright, Joel?”

“Trust me, Harper. And get me some snack bars, please.”

She shook her head as she went to the kitchen and returned with some.

“Just promise me I’ll see you again,” she said as he took the bars from her.

He didn’t reply. Instead, he kissed her long on the lips. When he pulled away, they were out of breath.

“I’ve missed that,” he said before walking back to the door.

When he went out of the apartment, he found Aaliyah sitting on the steps.

“Let’s go,” he said as he moved past her.

“Joel,” Harper called from the door, and he turned back. “Please be safe.”

He nodded. “You too,” he said before going down the stairs with Aaliyah.

CHAPTER FIVE

Of course, they will love to...

2nd December 2021
8:28 am
Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.
USA.

Suzanne and Xander returned to the apartment. They had gone out searching for the NMap software and found it after about an hour. The rest of the team had left to their stations by six-thirty. Xander was glad he didn’t have to leave the apartment. When he was younger, he had always imagined himself as one of the superheroes he saw on the television. Now he was glad he wasn’t one of them.

He bent over and turned the CPU on. When he sat up, he waited for the monitor to come on too. Suzanne stood behind him, watching. Once the welcome page came up, she handed the disk over to him.

“Install it. Once you’re done with that, start writing the program. I sent the computer’s protocol to your device. Ensure that your program can by-pass it. I’ll be here all the while to help you,” she said.

Xander slotted the disk into the CD reader on the CPU and waited for it to load. He had always prided himself as the best programmer in his class. It was time to prove it.

◆◆◆

2nd December 2021
8:54 am
Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, New York.
USA.

Stephen and Bucky jogged together in the cold. It had snowed lightly the previous night. They jogged for two reasons: to keep warm and to arrive at their destination faster. Since they had left the apartment an hour ago, they had alternated between walking and jogging, stopping to rest only when their bodies could not go any longer. Tanner jogged with them in excitement, held on a leash by Stephen. Since they had arrived in New York, his owner had not had the time to take him out on a walk. For most of the journey, they had moved in silence as both Stephen and Bucky were deep in thought. Bucky piped up.

“So, you confronted the lady, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“And what did you decide?”

“We’re on this journey now, aren’t we? I think I’ll trust her for the time being. That’s until she does something funny,” he said.

“We just have to be careful. Who knows what we’re going to see when we get to the military base? Imagine all of them are Russians. We’ll be shot dead on the spot. We won’t even get the chance to apologize for our mistake. Also, imagine if all this is just a hoax. We’ll be ridiculed,” Bucky babbled.

Stephen stopped moving, and Bucky looked back at him. Even Tanner looked up at him, wagging its tail as though wondering why they had stopped.

“Why are you stopping?” Bucky asked.

Stephen took a second to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat off his face as he said,

“This is already too scary without you being negative. And don’t you get out of breath when you talk while jogging?”

Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Bro, we have to consider these things. We need to plan.”

“Let’s do that when we get there. For now, let’s move in silence, shall we?”

“Okay. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when you’re eating bullets for lunch.”

◆◆◆

2nd December 2021
8:56 am
Bell Street, Rosebank, New York.
USA.

Aaliyah and Joel knocked on the door of a small wooden building. From outside, they could already hear the noise of the ruckus inside. The door swung open, and an emo girl greeted them. She beamed at Aaliyah.

“Aaliyah! Looking good, girl- pale but good. Come on in,” she said as she opened the door wider.

“Mia!” Aaliyah said as she entered the house with Joel. “I love the mascara. It’s darker. Did you get a new one?”

“You know me. The guys and I robbed one of those stores downtown and found all types of expensive cosmetics. I look like the devil’s wife,” Mia said as she laughed. She was dressed as a dominatrix, and she held a bottle of beer in one hand.

The house was crowded with boys and girls just like her: dressed in black with black make-up, holding bottles of alcohol, and playing dirty. Some were smoking cigarettes. Since there were no stereos to play music, a rock band played loud music in a corner. It was a full-on party.

“These are your friends, Aaliyah? I’d ground you for a millennium if I were your dad,” Joel whispered in her ears once Mia’s back was turned.

Aaliyah chuckled, but Joel could see beyond it. Something about his joke had saddened her.

“You’ve not seen anything yet. Wait until they get drunk,” she whispered back. The place reeked of smoke and alcohol.

“How did they even get all this alcohol? I thought there was a scarcity?” Joel asked. Before he could get an answer, a guy came over and took Aaliyah’s hand.

“Aaliyah! Where have you been all this time, sexy?” he said as he landed a full kiss on her lips. Joel watched Aaliyah return the kiss. It was either she was enjoying it, or she was a good actress.

“Come on, Doug. How is she going to reply if you kiss her that way?” Mia asked as she slapped the boy’s shoulder. He pulled away from Aaliyah as he laughed.

“Don’t be jealous, Mia. I kiss you like that all the time,” he said. Turning to Aaliyah, he said, “I see you brought your old man along. I hope he likes to party.”

Aaliyah laughed as she took the bottle of beer out of Doug’s hand.

“He needed to go on a stroll. He has arthritis. We were passing this way, and so, I decided to stop by,” she said.

Joel got the clue.

“Aaliyah, I think I need to sit down. My knees are about to kill me,” he said.

Aaliyah rolled her eyes.

“Come on, dad. I told you not to bring that up here. Go find yourself a seat,” she said.

“You’re grounded once we arrive at Spain,” he said as he went and found himself a seat.

Aaliyah laughed at him and turned back to her friends. “He’s so unbelievable. Hey, there was something I really needed to tell you guys. It’s out of this world; you guys won’t believe it.”

“Really?” Mia said. “You know I love gossip.”

“Hey, how about we head to my couch,” Doug said. “I’m sure the other guys will love to hear it.”

Aaliyah smiled.

Of course. They’ll love to

◆◆◆

2nd December 2021
2:26 pm
Fort Hamilton Military Base, Brooklyn, New York.
USA.

Stephen and Bucky stood some distance from the military base and watched. It looked calm. Nothing unusual went on in it. It was hard to believe there were enemies in there.

They had stopped some distance from the barracks. Stephen bent down and ruffled the hair on Tanner’s head. The dog barked at him and wagged his tail.

“Okay, boy. You’re going to go over there and sit, okay?” Stephen said, emphasizing the words ‘sit’ and ‘there’ as he pointed to some rocks in the corner.

The dog whined. He wanted to come along.

“Tanner?” Stephen said, tilting his head. The dog whined as he went to the place his master had chosen.

“Sit tight, boy. We’ll be back soon,” Stephen said before turning to Bucky. “Ready to eat some bullets?” he asked, and Bucky smiled. Together, they walked into the military base.

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

“Hey, we’re from Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio. We just arrived at New York with our migrant group 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. He had taken Victor’s ID. “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. We’re preparing to head out for the migration, so I doubt you guys will have a long stay. 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 asked.

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 been on death row for as long as he could remember. He was used to it by now.

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

They arrived at 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. 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 it is,” 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.

CHAPTER SIX

“We have the whole barracks on our head...”

2nd December 2021
2:30 pm
Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.
USA.

Xander sighed. He was tired. He had come up with various bypass solutions for the protocol, but none of them had been successful so far. He was running out of ideas.

Suzanne watched him.

“You are tired. You can rest if you want,” she said after a while.

He looked at her.

“But what about the program?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure out a way around it if we can’t meet up.”

Xander thought about it. A little nap would do him some good. He stood up and went to a couch.

“I saw Grayson again today when I went to find some food,” Suzanne said as she poured some powder chocolate in a cup and mixed it with water. “She was so happy playing with her friends. She’s going to grow up to be someone great in the future.”

Suzanne took the mug of tea to him and handed it over.

“That’s if she does grow up. Thanks for the tea,” he said.

“You guys look a lot like each other. In fact, you act like each other. You never give up,” she said as she sat at the edge of the couch. “Think about what it’ll be like to see her married one day. Wouldn’t it be beautiful? Your kid sister would be a grown woman.”

Xander thought about it. If there was anyone, he was willing to do anything for, it was Grayson. He loved her more than anything else in the world.

Too bad things had turned out that way. She wouldn’t get to be a teenager. She would never get a first kiss or join a cheer squad. They were all going to die.

Not if he could help it. He stood up from the couch.

“If I’m going to see her married, I’m going to have to by-pass a protocol,” he said as he sat before the computer and set the mug down on the desk. “Well played, Suzanne. You sure have a way with words,” he said as he went back to work.

◆◆◆

2nd December 2021.
2:30 pm.
Fort Hamilton Military Base, Brooklyn, New York.
USA.

What the heck are you doing, Stephen? Bucky thought. He could barely maintain his calm composure.

Stephen had pulled out his device and unlocked it with his fingerprint before the man. He was giving away Suzanne’s secrets.

“You mean a conspiracy against the Ray of Hope?” the man asked. He said something in Russian, and Stephen nodded his head as if he understood what the man had said.

“Yes, brother. Please forgive me for maintaining English. It would sound funny if anyone heard us speaking another language. Suzanne, the one we call the High Priestess, is behind this. We overheard her speaking with some people about it,” he whispered.

The man was so caught up in the conspiracy theory; he didn’t notice the flaw in Stephen’s reasons.

“But the Ray of Hope ordered that she be killed. I thought that was done?” the man asked, leaning forward.

“What? She is practically invincible. The only way to overcome her is to inform the organization of her plans. And, to do that, I need escorts. She found us eavesdropping last night and has been searching for us since then. We made it here by a stroke of luck,” Stephen said.

The man nodded.

“I shall appoint some brothers to go with you. This is very sensitive,” he said.

“Thank you,” Stephen answered.

The commander called in a soldier and gave him a list of people to call.

“Tell them to report here now!” he ordered. The soldier left the room.

“So, who are you going back to?” Stephen asked.

“My daughter’s family. She is all I have left.”

Stephen nodded.

Suddenly, he pulled out his gun and shot at the commander. He missed.

“Bucky block the door. No one comes in till I’m done,” Stephen called as he took cover beside a bookshelf. Bucky locked the door and turned back. He was exposed. There was nowhere in the room to hide.

“Treason!” the commander shouted aloud from beneath his desk as he loaded his gun. “All soldiers report to this office immediately!”

He aimed at Bucky. Just as he was about to shoot, Stephen shot from beside the shelf. The desk took the bullet.

Someone turned the knob from outside but couldn’t open the door. The person began to shoot at the lock.

“We have company. We need to hurry,” Bucky said. As he looked down at the desk, he saw the man was aiming for him again.

“Oh man!” he said as he dived out of the bullet’s way. The bullet knocked on the door. Bucky was on the floor with a perfect view of the commander. Before the man could fire again, he pulled out his gun and shot at the man. The bullet barely missed.

Stephen took advantage of the distraction and went behind the desk.

“Hey, commander,” he said before he shot twice. The room became quiet.

Bucky stood up.

“Are you crazy? Now we have the whole barracks on our heads,” he shouted. The military-grade lock was about to give way.

“Just shut up and help me find his tablet,” Stephen said as he searched the man’s body. Bucky searched his drawers.

“Eureka! It seems they all hide it in the same place,” Stephen said as he pulled out a mini tab from a pocket inside the man’s shirt.

The lock gave way finally, and the door opened to reveal over a dozen soldiers, ready to shoot.

“Before you shoot, we have something to say. Your commander is not who you think he is, and we have proof,” Stephen said from behind the desk where he and Bucky hid.

◆◆◆

2nd December 2021
3:22 pm
Vanderbilt Avenue, Clifton, New York.
USA.

“Bye, Shaiera, I have to take my dad home now. Get ready to fight for freedom. Remember; don’t tell the police or soldiers,” Aaliyah said as she and Joel walked out of the door.

Shaiera, the biker mom, her husband, Joe, and the rest of their crew stood at the door and waved, stunned by what they’d heard.

When they had gone far enough, Joel spoke.

“Shaiera? Is that even a real name?”

Aaliyah laughed at that.

“You’re a crazy actress, by the way. How did you manage to come up with those stories impromptu? I’m still shocked by how you made those memos comfortable with you,” he said.

“Uh! Don’t remind me about that,” she said as she wiped her lips with the back of her palm for the umpteenth time. “I just know what they want to see me as, and I play the part. By the way, what were you doing all those times I left you alone? I saw you talking with a couple of people.”

“I was spreading our message of doom too. I figured two are better than one and can do the job faster,” he said, and she laughed. “Hey, Aaliyah, I remember speaking of your father earlier. You seemed sad afterward. How is he?”

She looked up at him and smiled ruefully.

“Can every agent in the Ray of Hope read people so well or is it just a special attribute of you and Suzanne?” she asked.

“Years of training and espionage, I guess,” He said as he shrugged.

“My family died in a car accident caused by the EMP. My grandmother died during the journey. Talking about family still hurts,” she said.

“You must hate Russians, huh?”

“Not all of them. Just the ones that did this. The family I stay with now will probably say something along the lines of ‘forgive them seventy times seven’. I wish I could, but I don’t think I can.”

Joel looked at Aaliyah's face.

“Where you guys from America?” he asked.

“My grandparents were from Pakistan. They moved to America to have a better life. So, technically, I’m from America.”

“This whole EMP thing kinda makes you wish they stayed back, right?” he asked, and she chuckled.

“Don’t give up, Aaliyah. Life gets better,” he said.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Some people are about to be attacked hard…”

2nd December 2021
8:28 pm
Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.
USA.

Yes! I’ve succeeded,” Xander shouted as he jumped up from his seat in excitement. Suzanne, who had been sleeping, jerked up.

“What’s going on? Who’s attacking?” she asked, standing up and becoming alert.

Xander looked at her and laughed.

“No one. But some people are about to be attacked hard. I bypassed it. Come and see,” he said as he went back to the seat. Suzanne followed him and watched. As he typed, he spoke.

“So, I’m going to put the protocol on this makeshift site, blocking any outgoing information without my fingerprint authentication. Now, I’m going to try and send information to your mini tab’s recipient’s address. Look, it didn’t work. The protocol insists that I authenticate with my fingerprint, and we don’t have a fingerprint scanner, right? Check this: after installing my program, I run it and input the site’s URL. Then, I attach the same information and wait.”

A minute later, Suzanne’s mini tablet beeped. She opened it and saw the message.

Xander is a Genius!!!!

She smiled.

“Well done, Xander. You really are a genius,” she said as she clapped. Just then, there was a clanging from the gate outside. Suzanne opened the door and looked. It was Aaliyah and Joel.

“Welcome, guys,” she said as she took out her bunch of keys and opened the gate. “I take it you have good news.”

Joel spoke once they were behind closed doors.

“Oh, we do. Turns out, Aaliyah, here, has some crazy connections. We met up with eight groups of people who led large groups of rebels and misfits. Now, they are all afraid for their lives and are preparing to cause a stir tomorrow.”

“Great. I’ll be unveiling the whole plan tonight. Let’s just wait for the last set of people to arrive,” she said as she made chocolate tea for them.

An hour passed, and Stephen with Bucky hadn’t arrived. Suzanne began to get worried. She pulled out her mini-tab and texted him. She waited. There was no reply. She stood up.

“Everyone stand up!! We need to leave immediately. I think we’ve been compromised. Stephen has been killed, and if they have the faintest whiff of what’s going on, they’ll be coming for us,” she said as she picked her bag. Everyone stood up too.

“Hey, hey, calm down. We aren’t sure of that yet. We should wait,” Joel said.

“I will wait. Just not here. I want Xander and Aaliyah to return to their families and to pretend that this never happened. You can return to your family too. I’ll figure it out from here on,” she said as she pulled out a USB cable from her bag.

“Xander, upload the program on your device and give it to me,” she said, handing the cable to him. He did as she asked. When he was done, he returned the cable and his device to her.

“Help me dismantle the computer system. We need to destroy everything they can use to track us,” she said as she unplugged the wires from the monitor. After dismantling it, she found a golf club and lifted it to smash the CPU.

Just then, she heard a clang on the gate outside, and she froze.

“Everyone hides. I’ll go and check,” she said as she dropped the golf club and headed for the door.

Joel held her hand.

“I’ll go with you. Two are better than one,” he said.

Suzanne swallowed and nodded. Together they went to the door. Opening it, Joel peered out. When he saw the people at the gate, he jerked his head back in. Suzanne tensed up, ready for a fight. Her hands went to the gun at her waist.

Suddenly, Joel began to laugh as he opened the door wide.

“Relax, Suzanne. Our friends are back,” he said.

Suzanne looked out to see Stephen, Bucky, and an unknown dark-skinned man beyond the gate. She glared at Joel.

“What was that for?” she asked as he laughed.

“Are you guys going to open up or what?” Stephen asked.

Soon, they were all seated on the couches.

“What took you guys so long?” Aaliyah asked as she served the three men chocolate tea.

“There was so much explaining to do back at the barracks. They held us captive until we could explain what had happened,” Stephen said.

“So, are you going to introduce your friend, Stephen, or is he going to do it himself?” Suzanne asked.

“Or Troy is going to do more than introduce himself,” Bucky said instead.

Suzanne looked at Troy. He spoke.

“My name is Troy Fraser. I’m a sergeant from Fort Hamilton. These men came to our camp today and told us some things that shook our beliefs. As it stands, some of our teammates are being detained by us. We are confused and disturbed. We were supposed to move to the Harbor tomorrow, but things are too unclear. We need to know what is going on. Who are you? What’s the cause of this EMP? Tell me that all we have heard is a joke, please.”

Suzanne laughed a bit.

“Bro, I wish it was a joke. But it isn’t. My name is Vivien Romanov Dmitri,” she said, unleashing her Russian accent. “And I have quite some stories to tell you.”

She told him of her migration to Russia and her meeting Adrik. She told him how she had joined the Ray of Hope and had given them the idea that had enabled them to infiltrate America. She told him of their base in New York and how many political, social, and military leaders in the US were actually Russians. When she was done, Troy’s head was in his hands.

“My God!” he exclaimed. “Seeing my commander today with a Russian tablet was one shocker. I just had to verify the facts. This is too much.”

“Look, we’re past the stage of lamenting here. We need to stop this before tomorrow is over. I hope you are with us on this one,” she said.

He watched her, then he nodded.

“What’s the plan?” he asked.

“Good. The Ray of Hope is as trapped as we are. The only way for them to return to Russia is on the ships that are coming tomorrow. From the correspondence between the Headquarters and Billy, some international bodies had managed to come to America to discuss what had happened. They pinned it all on President Sergei Olga. The United Nations wants to begin talks on setting things right again; however, we all know how that will turn out if the Ray of Hope still leads this nation. They have four major points keeping them alive: their brain, which is the governing council. Two of them were dispatched to coordinate the whole process. They are at the base not far from here. Then, there is their heart, which is the president. He is at the North Star hotel in Manhattan. Their arms, which is the infiltrated military. You guys are a part of it. And their feet, which are the frightened masses. If we can hit them at all these points, we’ll completely finish them off. All their operations here and in every other nation would come to a halt. We’ve secured the masses. Currently, they’re ready to cause mayhem. Troy, if your base is with us on this, we might have enough coverage on the military side. Were you able to get the ammunition I asked for, Steve?” she asked.

He raised a brow and nodded at a big bag by his seat.

“What do you think is in there?” he asked.

Suzanne smiled a little.

“Good. Give some to Aaliyah and Joel. They’ll need it to cripple the ships coming in. Aaliyah, work with Joel and come up with a strategy. Co-ordinate your troops and strike with wisdom. Create confusion and cripple as many ships as you can.

“Stephen, get a small team of soldiers from the base and head off to Manhattan. The goal is to annihilate the president. Think constructively before you act. Remember you don’t know who is Russian and who is not.

“Troy, coordinate the soldiers from the barracks as they come here. Protect the civilians and wipe out as many Russian soldiers as you can discover. Everyone must be back before nightfall. The last person to return will be ridden like a donkey by all of us.”

Everyone laughed at that.

“What about you and Xander?” Aaliyah asked.

“Xander and I will be going to the Headquarters. Xander, you’ll forward all the details of the organization to the United Nations. I’ll handle the headshot.”

PART THREE

The Strike

CHAPTER EIGHT

"I can't guarantee that you'll live through this..."

3rd December 2021
8:15 am
Hylan Boulevard, Rosebank, New York.
USA.

Aaliyah knocked on the door of the apartment she shared with the Hankins. It was only a matter of seconds before the door was opened. Elizabeth’s eyes watered when she saw her.

“Aaliyah! You’re back. Are you alright, child?” she asked as she opened the door wide and hugged the younger girl.

Aaliyah felt at home in the embrace. The irony of it all was that she was hardly related to the woman. Maybe it was because the world was about to end; she suddenly felt a strange connection to the Hankins family.

“I’m fine, Mrs. Hankins. I’m sorry for leaving suddenly. I met an old friend and decided to hang out with her shortly before we leave for Spain,” Aaliyah said.

“It’s okay, Aaliyah. You don’t owe us an explanation. I just want you to know that you’re always welcome to be here with us. I just made breakfast- stewed meat. It’s not all that tasty. We’re still learning to cook with wood. Care to join?”

Aaliyah smiled shyly. “Why not?” she said.

As she entered the house, she spotted Ted. He was moving a bucket of water to the bathroom. When he saw her, he paused.

He put down the bucket and came over to hug her.

“You’re alive,” he whispered.

“Well, yes. For the time being,” she said.

He pulled away, smiling.

“So? We won?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“The battle is today,” she said in a whisper.

“What are you lovebirds whispering about? Come and have something to eat,” Elizabeth said as she walked past them. They shared the home with the black family who owned it.

Ted nodded at her. “We’ll talk more soon, okay?” he said, and she nodded.

As she followed him to the dining area, her eyes went to the street where Joel was waiting for her. She had asked for a little time with her family. She would soon disappear again.

This time, she might never return.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021
8:30 am
Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.
USA.

Xander trudged into the house glumly. Suzanne watched him sit on the chair close to the computer. She was geared up like a biker in her black leather suit. At her waist, there was a belt with a couple of weapons.

“What’s the matter? Is your family alright?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Grayson and Prim have started learning Spanish so they can blend in when they get to Spain,” he said.

“And is there a problem with that? You seem bothered.”

“Why won’t I be bothered? This whole thing is depressing enough to make someone commit suicide. And they are oblivious to it. I just wished they were safe from all this mess. But there’s nothing I can do about it,” he said.

“There is something you can do. And you’re doing it. You may not be comfortable fighting like this, but if you love those girls, you’ll go through the pain and fight to ensure that they are safe. This is the only way,” she said, coming to place a hand on his shoulder.

He was quiet for a while.

“I told them goodbye. Harper was so worried. Apparently, Joel had told her the same thing. I wonder if I’ll ever see them again,” he said finally.

“I don’t know. I can’t guarantee that you’ll live through this. In fact, I can’t guarantee we will win. But we must try. And, if we die, then it’s a worthy sacrifice.”

Xander nodded.

“I added your device as an administrator on the Wormwood software so you can have access to all their correspondence. You would have done the work from here, but I also need us to bust as many as are involved in this. Their tracker ID can only be accessed from the main computer, so you’ll go with me. I’ll get you to the computer room, and you’ll work from there. However, I also want you to send one more document to the United Nations. I’ll send it to you now. Xander, please, promise me you won’t open this document and read it,” she said.

Xander frowned.

“Why? What’s in it?” He asked.

“You don’t need to know that. I need you to trust me on this, and I need to know I can trust you,” she said with pleading eyes.

“Okay. I’ll do as you say. I just hope it won’t get us into more trouble,” he said.

“It won’t. It’s actually going to make things a whole lot better. This is just not the time for it to be unveiled yet. I’m sending the instructions to your device now, and we’ll leave immediately.  The computer and all the software on it use the Russian language. I’ll send you the instructions to change them to English, and I’ll also send you the English equivalent of the characters on the keyboard. Is your bag ready?” she said as she pulled out her mini tab.

Xander nodded and mumbled a ‘yes’.

When she was done, both went down the stairs and hopped on her motorcycle.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021
8:15 am
Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, New York.
USA.

Stephen and Bucky, once again, alternated between running and jogging. This time, though, they had an extra person with them, Troy. Tanner ran with them happily. This time, Bucky was the one who held his leash. The dog seemed to be excited about the mission more than they were.

By the time they arrived at the military camp, Troy would relate the news with his comrades, and, together, they would strategize on the best way to take out the president. Then, they would select a team to handle the operation while the others would head off to the Harbor to support the civilian resistance.

The good thing about the EMP was that it took out all means of electronic communication. The puppet president wouldn’t be able to see them coming.

On the other hand, there was no way of getting a clear picture of where they were going. They were going to have to work with their imagination, especially if no soldier had been there.

He knew that Fort Hamilton would most likely be sanctioned for organizing a strike on the president without authorization from higher-ranking officers. However, there was nothing anyone could do about it. If the lives of millions of Americans would be saved, someone had to do something.

CHAPTER NINE

"Can you climb trees?"

3rd December 2021.
9:22 am.
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.

USA.

Suzanne and Xander snuck through a row of buildings. Suzanne had stopped the motorcycle some distance from the row of buildings and had instructed him to come with her.

It had snowed the previous night, and so, the ground was white. Though the streets were empty, Suzanne had spotted some fresh footprints in the snow, causing her to become more vigilant.

They stopped behind a building that stood opposite what looked like a five-star restaurant. The restaurant was empty too.

“We’ll wait here,” Suzanne said as she pulled out a dart gun from her belt. She opened the barrel to reveal tranquilizer needles. She counted them before closing the barrel again.

“Let’s hope someone comes out quickly,” she said, peering over the side of the building.

And they waited.

Despite the cold, Xander could not help but sweat as he gripped the shoulder straps of his black backpack tight.

“Are you okay?” Suzanne asked over her shoulder.

“Apart from the fact that I’m probably about to die. I guess so,” he said.

Suzanne rolled her eyes.

“We’re all going to die one day, Alexander. That’s inevitable. What matters is how we do so. Stop thinking about that. You’ll get yourself too worked to be coordinated. Focus on the bright side. If we win, we save a whole nation, including your family. That’s what matters,” she said.

Xander remained quiet as he thought about her words. After waiting a while longer, Suzanne sighed.

“Alexander, I’m going to need you to walk to that restaurant and try to open the door. Then, pull out your device and act as though you’re making a call,” she said.

Xander’s eyes widened.

“What! I don’t want to die yet,” he said.

“You won’t die. You’ll just bring them out of their holes.”

“Why don’t we just wait?”

“In case you haven’t realized, we don’t have the whole day to do this,” she said, looking serious.

Xander sighed.

“I hate to do this,” he said as he left. When he reached the glass doors, he peered inside as though looking for something. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He looked up. Sure enough, there was a camera. It looked new. It was probably installed after the EMP. He pulled out his white mini-tab and tried to make a call. Then he put it back in his bag and walked back to the hideout, glad that no one had come out.

“Well done,” Suzanne said. “Now, we just wait.”

“So, what kinds of food do you guys eat in Russia,” he asked her to try to calm his nerves. She didn’t reply immediately.

Xander was about to ask again, but Suzanne turned sharply and put her index finger to her lips. He paused, wondering why she had been so abrupt. That was when he heard the voices. The sounds of two people talking came from the front of the building. They were walking towards the back where Suzanne and Xander were hiding. Suzanne looked around her for a place to hide. There was a small garden in the backyard with some fruit trees around. She looked at Xander.

“Can you climb trees?” she asked in a whisper.

“I don’t think so. I haven’t done so since I was a kid,” he said.

She sighed. She had to think fast.

Mandy and Cole walked to the back of the building. They weren’t allowed to smoke in the main building, so they had snuck outside to relieve themselves under the pretense of going to look for the suspicious man. They wore the moss green uniforms of the organization with leather boots.

Mandy leaned against the wall at the back of the house and pulled out a roll of weed.

“Hey, Cole, pass the lighter already. We don’t have the whole of today,” he said in Russian, impatient to get his indulgence over with.

“Calm down, man,” Cole said as he lit his own joint Once done, he moved to give the lighter to Mandy.

Suddenly, something whizzed through the air, and a needle appeared in Mandy’s neck. Mandy fell to the ground.

Cole was in shock. It had happened so fast. He didn’t have to think long on it, though. The next second, a needle pierced his neck, and he fell to the ground as well.

Suzanne jumped down from the tree branches where she had lain like a serpent.

“Come out, Xander,” she said as she walked over to the unconscious men’s bodies. Xander came out from where he stood behind a tree.

“Why didn’t you just kill them?” he asked as Suzanne dragged the body of one of the men to the shed in the garden. Xander dragged the other.

“Because I don’t want the guys inside to suspect anything. Once an agent is killed, the computer notifies the Ray of Hope. Take the clothes of that man and wear them over your clothes and bag. We need to get in unnoticed,” she said.

Soon, they were in the uniforms of the soldiers. Suzanne had worn her utility belt over the uniform. Packing her hair tightly, she took out a dart from her gun and held the knot. She took a knife from her belt.

“Turn away, Xander. I don’t think you want to see this,” she said.

Xander obeyed, wondering what she was doing. When he looked again, he saw that she held a bloody thumb in her hand. She wiped the thumb on Cole’s underwear.

“He’s going to wake up in so much pain,” she said as she used her lock-picks to lock the shed with the men inside.

“Let’s go. Keep your head low,” she said as she marched confidently towards the restaurant. Xander gulped before following her.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021
10:09 am
North Star Hotel, 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York,
USA.

Stephen,Bucky and three other soldiers crouched low behind a dumpster, some distance from the hotel. The hotel looked quiet. No one was around. Apparently, they had all moved closer to Staten Island.

They watched the hotel. They were two soldiers before the doors.

“How do we take them out?” Bucky asked.

Stephen thought about it for a while. Then, he looked at Tanner. The dog wore a small bullet-proof jacket.

“Boy, sneak attack,” he said, pointing to the soldiers by the door.

The dog bowed his head before leaving. He maneuvered between buildings and cars. Stephen motioned for the other soldier to follow him as he followed behind the dog. The unsuspecting soldiers were surprised as the dog ran up the stairs and jumped on one of them. He sunk his teeth into the man’s arm.

The other soldier raised his gun to shoot the dog.

Before he could pull the trigger, another bullet came from behind him and lodged itself in his neck. Stephen and the other soldier ran up the stairs. As Bucky passed by the soldier that was struggling with Tanner, he said,

“Privetstvovat’ Solntse.”

The soldier’s eyes widened in surprise before Bucky shot him finally. Bucky followed the other soldiers into the hotel. Their guns had silencers so as not to draw attention.

Raymond, one of the soldiers, looked carefully at the cameras. There were small indicator bulbs on them. The bulbs were dark.

“The cameras are down,” he said, and everyone sighed in relief.

Stephen said to the soldiers.

“Okay, guys, remember what we discussed. We move in a diamond formation. Everyone be your brother’s keeper. We don’t know this place. All we know is that we’re keeping our eyes open for Billy Munroe, and we’re killing everyone around him. Do we understand?”

They all nodded and took formation.

They went up the stairs. Tanner went ahead of them to scout.

Suddenly, they heard sounds from downstairs. Five soldiers jogged in, shouting in Russian. From the loft above, two soldiers aimed at them. Tanner was gone.

That was when Stephen realized some other soldiers must have been placed around to secure the environment.

They were surrounded.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021
10:10 am
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.

USA.

Khristina stood behind the men in the security room.

“Empress, we just received intel from Manhattan. There’s some disturbance there. It seems the president is under attack,” Mikolas said.

She raised a brow.

“Oh, really? Do we have any military units over there?” she asked.

“No. Just the few that were to protect the president and his central committee. A couple of our agents are with him too,” Philip, the other man said.

“And how large is this attack force?” she asked.

“We don’t know yet. Our soldiers just spotted a few going in. there are probably more around,” Philip said.

“Where’s the closest unit to that hotel?” she asked.

“Fort Drum. But it would take them hours on foot to get there,” Mikolas said.

“Damn it,” she said, “What about the strange man that showed up here? Any news?” she asked.

“Not yet. Mandy and Cole aren’t back, but I’m sure they will return any time soon,” Mikolas said. He was going to call them, but he was sure they were probably hiding to smoke weed somewhere.

“Let me know what they find when they return,” she said. Suspicious activities had been going on for a while. A lot of their agents had died mysteriously. The previous day, their agent in charge of a military base in Brooklyn had been killed. Some agents who had been there had reported that some external soldiers had assassinated him. When they tried to reach the agents to confirm who the enemies were, their devices had been turned off.  Till today, there was no response. Two names stood out in her mind. Vivien Dmitri. Stephen Wallace. It was only a guess, but she knew she wasn’t far from the truth.

“Connect me to the men in the Special Forces unit,” she said.

Mikolas and Philip pushed several buttons; then, they motioned for her to speak.

“All members of the Special Forces are to head to Manhattan now with the helicopter. Alexei Igor is under attack. Be on the lookout for Stephen Wallace, former Airforce Captain at AFB Ohio. His pictures will be sent to your devices right now. If you find him, bring him here alive,” she said.

Facing the men before the computer, she said, “Find Stephen’s picture from the Wanted Folder. Send it to the Special Forces. Also, forward it to the soldiers in Manhattan. They are to affirm immediately if Stephen is among them.”

She walked out of the room and took the route leading to the Luxury quarters. The council members’ rooms were all located there. The two guards were placed at the entrance to the quarters hailed her. She didn’t bother replying to them. She passed by her door. She had no intention of sleeping. Soon, she arrived at the door she was looking for. She pressed the doorbell.

Seconds later, the door opened to reveal Adrik. He was in a bathrobe. He’d probably just taken a shower.

“Hello, darling,” she said, tilting her head and eyeing him. “I guess you’re probably hungry,” she said.

Adrik’s eyes ran over her body.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” he said. “Nikolas will not be happy. He considers you his property.”

“Just like you considered Vivien yours, right? Girls just have to run rogue sometimes. Relax. Nikolas is probably reading some boring book in his house in Russia now, while we are here doing all the hard work,” she said with emphasis on the last two words.

Adrik stared at her for a while. The mention of Vivien caused hurt to rise inside him. he fought the feeling. He had always told himself that he didn’t want to be attached to her. He just needed her to be on the same path as him. Her intelligence was indispensable. However, after her betrayal, he realized that his feelings for her had gone deeper than he wanted. He had even fancied marrying her.

He needed to drown those feelings.

“Come in,” he said as he turned away from the door.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021.
10:16 pm.
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

Suzanne heard rotating blades. Just before then, the ground had trembled as the sound of a gate opening filled everywhere.

“Special forces,” she said. They had been released from the secret basement exit.

“Follow me,” she said as she led the way to the kitchen. She pulled out Cole’s finger and put it on the keyhole of a door marked, ‘Authorized Personnel Only’. There was a clicking sound as the door unlocked. She led Xander in. She put Cole’s finger on the fingerprint-scanning button behind a stack of supplies and the back wall separated to reveal an elevator. He silently followed her into it.

Xander sweated profusely as he descended in the elevator. Suzanne was by his side with two guns. She held a gun out to him without saying anything.  He had never used one before. He doubted he’d be able to use it now. She shot him a glare, and he took the gun.

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

She walked to the one she had shot in 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. If you’re done, and I’m not back, 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 old scores,” she said.

CHAPTER TEN

So this is how this is going to end...

3rd December 2021.
10:15 am.
North Star Hotel, 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York,

USA.

You’re surrounded. Drop your weapons. Hands in the air now,” the leader of the Russian soldiers said from below. He was a blonde man with piercing eyes.

Stephen and his men slowly dropped their weapons on the stairs, as they watched the Russians.

“Who are you?” the leader asked.

“We’re soldiers. Just like you are,” Stephen said. “Only we don’t speak Russian,”

Bucky shot him a glare.

The Russian man smiled.

“You know a lot, don’t you?” he asked.

Suddenly, his tab beeped, and he looked at the notification.

“Shit! He does know a lot,” he said as he looked at the face and description that appeared on his screen.

Screams came from above. Tanner had jumped on one of the soldiers and was biting him. The dog had returned when he noticed his master was missing. The confusion it had caused made the Russians below point their guns at Stephen and his crew.

Just as they fired, Raymond pulled the pin out of a grenade he held at his waist and threw it towards the Russians below. The rest of the team bent down to avoid the bullets coming from there.

Above them, the second Russian aimed his gun at Tanner. Stephen picked up his gun from the step and shot at him twice. The Russian fell over dead.

The grenade exploded at the same time, stunning everyone. The Russians on the ground floor were all dead. Bucky ran up and killed the soldier that was still struggling with Tanner.

Stephen and his team stood up. That was when they realized that a bullet had hit Raymond on the abdomen. He had fallen onto the stairs and was breathing heavily.

“Oh, man, no!” Stephen said as he bent again over his comrade.

“Let’s take him to where he will be safe. There’s no time to waste,” Bucky said from above. Stephen nodded. He stood up and, with the help of Eric, another soldier; they lifted Raymond and hid him in a room.

The men saluted him before leaving the room.

“We’ve been spotted. From here on, everyone be sharp. Expect enemies at every turn,” Stephen said as the soldiers took formation again.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021.
10:26 am.
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

Suzanne walked through the hall, looking around her carefully. As she passed by the kitchen, a waitress came out with a tray of food. Because of the uniform she wore, the waitress didn’t know who she was immediately.

“Hey, where’s that going?” Suzanne asked in Russian.

“To Tsar Adrik’s room,” the lady said.

That was when the waitress remembered the voice. Before she could react, Suzanne said.

“I’ll be taking that, then.”

Immediately, she took the tray and used the end of her gun to hit the lady’s head. The lady fainted. Suzanne shot her once in the chest.

She hung her gun back on her belt. The killing had become too much, but she couldn’t stop until she finished the job. Luckily, she had an advantage. She headed for the luxury quarters. That was where she had been given a room when she came here. She knew she would find Adrik there.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021.
10:30 am.
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

Xander connected his mini tab to the small laptop in front of the grand CPU.

Ok, here we go! Where do I start, though? He thought.

He navigated through the computer. From the keyboard to the names of the programs on the computer, everything was in Russian; it took him a while to find what he was looking for- the browser. He opened it.

He groaned when he saw the home page. As expected, everything was in Russian. Fortunately, he was ready for it. He opened the vault Suzanne had created for him and read through the instructions on setting the language to English. When he was done, he smiled. Now, for the next step.

He put in the domain name Suzanne had given to him. The contact page of the United Nations appeared. He uploaded the information Suzanne had asked him to send. When he clicked send, the prompt came up.

Please Authenticate.

Two squares, representing the spaces for two fingerprints, appeared.

“Whatever,” he said as he opened a tab on the computer and ran his program.

It was taking a long time to be installed. He decided to lean against the wall and wait.

Suddenly, sounds came from outside the room.

“There’s no response from the security room. Something is wrong. We’re going to check it out,” the person said as he passed by the door.

The footsteps he heard belonged to more than one man.

Suzanne was in trouble.

He looked at the computer. It was still at five percent.

He knew it was stupid… it would be wiser to remain at his duty post…

But he had to help. He went towards the door.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021
10:35 am
North Star Hotel, 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York,
USA.

Stephen and the team ran through the hallway on the fifth floor. They used their guns to shoot the doors open as they checked the rooms. When they reached the last room, a Russian came out with a gun and surprised them. Together, the four of them shot him dead. Tanner barked as though in approval.

Bucky looked up the stairs. There were still so many floors.

“Are we going to keep searching this way?” Milo, one of the soldiers on their team, asked. “There are over ten floors to go. And each floor has at least twenty rooms. He can be in any of them.”

“Well, we don’t have a choice, do we?” Eric asked.

“We’re going to have to split up. Bucky, you, and Milo take the next floor. Eric and I will take the next two. We’ll work that way,” Stephen said.

“But we’ll be more exposed,” Bucky said.

“That’s hardly a consideration. If we get the job done, that’s okay. We don’t have the whole day. We have to be back before nightfall,” Stephen said, and Bucky laughed at the inside joke.

"Everyone, go! Go! Go!” he said, and they went to their stations.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021
10:40 am
New York Harbor, Staten Island, New York,
USA.

Aaliyah stood at 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 first 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.

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 a loud horn. She looked up to see a ship rising on 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
10:40 am
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

Suzanne paused at the turn leading to the Luxury quarters. She peered over the edge and saw two men standing by the doors. They would recognize her. She put down the tray quietly and pulled out her two guns.

Do this quickly, Suzanne. You don’t want them to raise an alarm. They’ve been tactically trained for special purposes like this, she thought.

“Be quiet. Think sharp,” she said as she emerged from beyond the wall.

The men were too stunned to say a word. She dropped two bullets in both.

Bending over one, she searched him for the key card to the quarters.

Just as she found it, a voice came from behind her.

“Stop. Drop your weapons.”

She paused. Raising her head slowly, she saw the three men standing with guns drawn and pointed at her. They were too far. She couldn’t fight them. She couldn’t shoot.  She dropped her guns and raised her hand.

So, this is how this is going to end.

She knew that the moment they saw her face, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill her.

“Who are you?” one of them asked. She didn’t answer.

“Clearly, you do not know us. We will kill you without a second thought. We’re just giving you the opportunity to say your last prayers,” a man said.

She raised her head, ready to die.

“Actually, I know you,” she said.

The men gasped.

A bullet whizzed through the air and hit the Russian at the left.

The other two turned to see who it was that had shot at them. Suzanne used the opportunity to move. She slid across the ground and raked another man down before he could shoot at the new intruder. The last one was too confused to do anything. She kicked him between his legs from where she lay on the ground, and he buckled his knees in pain. The new intruder finished him off with a bullet.

Suzanne used her elbow to hit the man beneath her in the throat, destroying that area.

She stood up, too stunned to speak. She looked at her savior- Xander.

“How is the upload?” she asked.

“It’s begun, but I don’t know when it will end. It’s taking forever,” Xander said.

“Then, why are you here? You should be in the computer room!” she said.

Xander raised a brow at her. Pointing to the dead people on the floor, he said, “Really?”

She smiled.

“Thank you,” she said, and Xander nodded.

“This is the second time I’ve saved your life. You owe me big time,” he said. “I just can’t believe I used a gun again.”

“Return to the computer room. Once you’re done, get out of this place. I don’t want you to get hurt,” she said.

Xander nodded and turned away.

Suzanne went back to the place she had kept her tray and picked it.

One more step, Suzanne. You’re almost there.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021
10:45 am.
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

Adrik heard a faint thud from outside, as though people were fighting.

“Security Room, what’s going on in the Luxury Quarter?” he asked, holding down a button on the telecom. He waited for a response. There was none.

“Watch Room, do you read me?” Adrik said into the Telecom again. There was still 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 stood up and put Adrik’s robe on. She took her gun from his dressing table.

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

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Of course, they will love to...

3rd December 2021.
10:55 am.
New York Harbor, Staten Island, New York,

USA.

Aaliyah bent her head as stones flew over her. The crowd had begun to protest. She looked around for Joel. He came up from behind and held her hand.

“Wow! Isn’t it amazing how fast our story spread?” he asked, smiling.

“I know, right!” she said.

Currently, there were three factions: those who knew what was going on and were trying to stop it, those who didn’t know what was happening and were trying to run from danger, and finally, those who didn’t know but enjoyed being a part of the chaos.

“We’re not going anywhere. America is our motherland!” someone screamed from on top of a car as he used a stick to break the glass on the car’s window.

Aaliyah and Joel wore big, drab coats to conceal their weapons and make them seem harmless.

“You’re ready?” Joel asked her, and she nodded.

Together, they ran towards the ship.

Most of the soldiers who had come with the ship were trying to assuage the mob. Some other soldiers had arrived from Fort Drum and pretended to appease the crowd, but they encouraged it. Joel and Aaliyah met Troy.

“Hey, we need to get on that ship now,” Joel said.”

“Sure,” the soldier said as he led the way.

By the time they arrived at the dock, Troy shouted to the soldiers on the ship.

“Hey, let down the ramp. We want to come up,” he said.

“Why? You guys want come up and protest here too?” a soldier asked.

“No?” Troy said. “These people are ready to go.”

Aaliyah and Joel raised their hands.

The soldier above nodded, and, with the help of another soldier, they let down the ramp.

Aaliyah and Joel went on aboard the ship and looked around. There was a six-deck cabin. On the ground, there was a manhole.

“More ships are coming, huh?” Aaliyah asked.

“Yes, Pretty. We’re hoping to have at least thirty ships moving over the next couple of days. But this first batch is for smart people like you,” the soldier said, looking her over.

Aaliyah and Joel looked around.

There weren’t many soldiers on the weather deck.

Joel punched the soldier.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021
11:00 am
North Star Hotel, 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York,
USA.

Stephen and his crew had almost given up searching. They had gone through eight floors. He stood and looked out of the glass panes that overlooked the city. The search was tiring. Tanner stood on the stairs, sniffing as though something intrigued him.

Suddenly, he heard rotating blades. A helicopter came from the side of the building and hovered beside the floor above them.

At the same time, four Russian agents came out of a room on the floor above him. With them was the president. Three of them focused their firepower on Bucky and Milo, while the last one concentrated his bullets on the glass. Milo and Bucky took cover behind pillars. The Russians kept engaging them with bullets. There was no freedom to aim at Billy.

Stephen heard the glass above break and watched as the agents on the helicopter tried to help the president get on. Billy Munroe was more agile than he appeared.

Eric raised his gun to shoot, but Stephen held him.

“No. We’ll just draw too much attention to ourselves. They will have weapons too. We might end up getting killed instead of the president. I have a better idea,” he said, taking out his grenade. Tanner had come to stand beside his master.

Accuracy…

He remembered his training. He was going to need them now.

“Guys, are you seeing this?” Bucky shouted from above. He was still engrossed in a crossfire.

Soon, the president was on the helicopter, and the helicopter began to move.

“Shoot the glass down now,” Stephen said as the helicopter moved further away slowly.

Eric obeyed.

The moment the glass shattered, Stephen pulled out the pin of his grenade and hurled it.

The men inside the helicopter began to shoot in their direction. Stephen and Milo ran for cover.

The grenade landed in the helicopter before the Russians realized what was happening.

The next second, there was an explosion, and the helicopter began a descent to the ground.

“No!” one of the Russians on the loft above shouted, looking at the burning helicopter.

That was all the clearance Bucky needed. He gunned the lady down.

The last one, realizing there was no hope for him, killed himself.

The four men sat on the ground in exhaustion as the sound of an explosion came from the outside. They couldn’t believe it was over.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021
10:45 am.
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

“Hello, Khristy. Missed me?” Suzanne asked as she watched Khristina step out of a room.

Khristina was shocked as she watched Suzanne walk towards her with a tray in one hand and a gun in the other.

“Bitch! What are you doing here? Who let you in? Security!” she called.

Suzanne laughed.

“Not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you? Please, I need to deliver breakfast to Adrik. The darling has been waiting, and he hates late breakfasts. Could you direct me to his room?”

“You have a lot of nerve coming back here, sis,” Khristina said as she raised her gun.

Suzanne raised hers.

“Let’s see; you’re open without any coverage; I have a tray to shield me. That leaves you at a disadvantage, doesn’t it?” Suzanne asked as she tilted the tray and allowed its contents to fall.

Khristina watched her for a second.

“Then, let’s do it the old-fashioned way, shall we?” Khristina asked, dropping her gun, and posed for a fight.

Suzanne dropped her gun and tray and posed too.

“OK. I love old fashion,” she said.

Khristina ran towards her, ready to land some blows. Suzanne allowed her to come. As always, Khristina’s impulse would be her undoing.

Suzanne dodged Khristina’s blow and moved behind her. Turning, she pulled the other gun from her waist and shot Khristina on the head. Khristina fell dead to the ground.

“Sorry, sis. I just don’t have the time for old fashion,” Suzanne said as she hung her guns and picked up her tray.

A million thanks to the inventors of silencers…

She turned to the door Khristina had just come out from. It looked grander than the other doors around. She pressed the doorbell.

Hello, Adrik.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021.
10:55 am.
New York Harbor, Staten Island, New York,

USA.

Aaliyah kicked a soldier in the groin and shot the one behind him. By her side, Joel twisted the ankle of a man and drew him closer, using him as a shield against the enemies’ bullets. Aaliyah ran behind Joel. Together, both ran with their human shield, shooting every Russian in their way.

“I didn’t know you were such a badass,” Joel said once they had wiped out their adversaries. He threw the dead shield to the ground and found the manhole to the engine room. It was locked with a large padlock. He began to think of how to get in.

“And I thought you were too old to be badass,” Aaliyah said as she dangled her set of pick locks. “No one knows everything.”

PART FOUR

THE END

CHAPTER TWELVE

"Enjoy your sleep..."

3rd December 2021.
11:00 am.
New York Harbor, Staten Island, New York,

USA.

Aaliyah worked carefully on the lock. She enjoyed the challenge of picking them. Their complexity gave her more satisfaction when she succeeded.

“Hurry up, Aaliyah. We don’t have forever, you know,” Joel said, looking around. In the meantime, no one had come out of the cabins; however, he knew that there were Russians there.

” Voila! Done,” she said as she took the padlock off the lock. She threw the manhole open.

“Ready to go in?” she asked.

As if on cue, bullets began to fly out from the cabin area. Aaliyah and Joel fell to the ground for cover.

Just as two soldiers began to come out of the cabin, Joel unpinned his grenade and tossed it at them. The grenade blew up before landing and killed the men. Aaliyah stood up. Her arm had taken one of the bullets, and she was in pain.

As Joel stood up, he saw the wound.
“You were shot,” he said. He began to think. The worst-case scenario was that both went into the engine room, finished the mission, and came out to meet an enemy firing squad waiting for them. He didn’t want her to die. She was too young.

Well, there are two ways to ground a ship: destroy the engine or destroy the manpower…

“Aaliyah, go down there and get the job done. I’ll ensure you aren’t disturbed. Don’t forget to get out of there and leave the ship once you’re done. You’re about to cause a major explosion,” he said.

Aaliyah smirked.

“I’d say the same thing to you. Don’t go to sleep in the cabins, okay?” she said.

Joel smiled. He loved her quirkiness.

“Go, girl,” he said as he bent and picked up a dead body as cover. Aaliyah went down into the engine room and Joel went into the cabin section.

Once Joel was inside, he shut the door. To his right, there was a circuit breaker.

He turned it over.

Lights out.

Aaliyah hadn’t gone too far when a man in coveralls came towards her with a gun. He shot at her and missed. His aim was poor, and he looked afraid.

There was no time to keep climbing. She was sure there were more vengeful engineers down there. She let go of the ladder and allowed herself to fall through the remaining four feet. Then, she ran out of the reach of the man’s bullets.

“They are here!” the man shouted as he followed her.

Aaliyah flattened herself against a large tank and a group of pipes waiting for the man. She could hear more than one footstep coming in her direction, and so, she braced herself.

“I don’t know who you think you are, but you can’t fight five hefty men by yourself. Your minutes are numbered,” one man said as all of them peered around for her.

She smiled.

Five eh?

From the pipes behind her, she could sense someone. She waited for the person to come close enough, then she moved, grabbing the hand of the man that held onto the gun. She raised it so that he shot at the ceiling; then, she kicked the arm, causing him to let go of the gun in pain.

His scream attracted the other men. However, before they arrived, she twisted his arm so that he was in front of her. One of his colleagues came from around the corner, shooting randomly. He killed his teammate, and she killed him.

She realized her gun was empty. The others were running towards her. She ran towards a larger pipe and climbed up on it. An unsuspecting man passed by, looking around. She jumped off, landing on his shoulder with her legs curled around his neck. Twisting her body, she took him down to the floor. The other two engineers were right in front of her. She picked the fallen man’s gun up and shot the two of them with perfect aims.

She stood up and listened. There were no more movements. She then ran to a set of tanks and looked inside. They were full of an oily substance- fuel. She took a deep breath, ready to run.

Unpinning a grenade, she dropped it into the tank and ran to the entry ladder. Climbing up with all her strength, she left the manhole, and she covered it.

She could hear gunshots from the cabin area. Joel was still inside.

“Joel!” she screamed. But it was too late. The first explosion happened, almost making her trip. She knew it didn’t stop there. She ran through the weather deck to the Starboard side of the ship just as another explosion caused the manhole cover to fly off. She dived into the water, swimming away with energy as the explosions continued. The concussions rippled through the water, pushing her away. As she began to lose consciousness, one word was on her mind.

Joel…

The protests on the harbor had ceased, and everyone watched the fireworks show.

◆◆◆

3rd December 2021
11:00 am.
Ray of Hope HQ, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York.
USA.

Adrik held a gun in front of him as he opened the door of his room. He peered out cautiously. There was no one. He frowned. Something wasn’t right.

That was when he noticed Khristina’s body on the ground.

“Too slow, Adrik,” Suzanne said as she emerged from a corner, flinging the tray at him. The tray hit the hand that held the gun and sent the gun flying.

Adrik looked at her in shock. She pulled her two guns from the belt and held them pointed at him.

“Do you always kill the waiters that come to serve you breakfast?” she asked, smiling.

Adrik didn’t return the smile.

“Vivien,” he growled. “You had the nerve”

“Oh, spare me. You should have seen me coming,” she said.

“Why are you doing this? Why have you betrayed our people?” he asked.

“I’ve not betrayed my people. I’ve done what is right. This madness ends now,” she said.

“Madness? You call this madness? This madness is what has fed you for over twenty years. It is what has made you the woman you are now. This madness is how Russia will be great again.”

Suzanne watched him speak, wondering how she hadn’t seen the madness in Adrik before. He looked like a monster when he spoke.

Had he been the one she had taken advice from for years?

“No, Adrik. This madness is what has killed millions of innocent people and will turn so many innocent girls to sex slaves if nothing is done,” she said calmly.

Adrik watched her resolve. He had lost control over her. She no longer held unto his words. He tried harder.

“Then, what about us, Suzanne? What about what we had? Would you really throw it all away like that?”

“I’ll blow your brains out if you bring that up again, Adrik,” she said, feeling her emotions rise.

“Well, then, go ahead. Do it,” he said, spreading his arms out. When she hesitated, he asked.

“What’s stopping you, Vivien? You were never one to hesitate.”

She paused before speaking.

“I want answers, Adrik. I want to know if what we had was real. I want to know if I wasn’t just some puppet for you to control.”

“What difference will it make? You’ll still kill me, wouldn’t you?”

She didn’t respond; she just kept looking at him. he could see she was close to tears.

“I did love you, Vivien. From the moment I saw you at home with my brother during your tutorials, my heart belonged to you. I meant every word I said,” he said.

“You’ve always been a bad liar, Adrik,” she said.

“Why do you say so?” he asked.

“Because, when you lie, your voice becomes full of passion,” she said as she curled her finger around the trigger.

Adrik stepped on the edge of the tray and caught the tray as it rose to the air, just in time to block the bullets that Suzanne shot at him. He flung the tray at her, bending down to dodge the incoming bullets.

The tray hit Suzanne’s outstretched arms, causing her to lose her grasp of her guns. Adrik rushed at her and took her to the ground, punching her hard on the face. He undid her utility belt and continued to punch her.

He was bigger than her. All her struggles to get free were in vain. However, Morgan had been bigger than her too.

Remembering what she had done last time, she punched him on the shoulder with her knuckles. He growled in pain, and she pushed him off her.

“You’re going to die, hellcat,” he said as he jerked his arm back. There was the sound of cracking. His shoulder was free again. He lunged for her.

She dodged his punches and landed a kick and a punch. She was strong, but he was stronger. Before she knew it, he was all over her again, beating her.

He used the back of his hand to slap her finally, and she fell to the ground in exhaustion. She couldn’t see clearly anymore. He stood over her.

“You were foolish to leave, Vivien. You gave up every privilege to help people who would hate you if they heard what you did. You killed them, Vivien. You infiltrated them. You made them a laughingstock. No amount of heroism would change that,” he said.

He went to where his gun had fallen and picked it up. He returned to stand over her.

“I’m going to give you the privilege of seeing my face before you die. While you rot in hell, remember me,” he said as he held the gun over her.

Suzanne held her breath in preparation.

The next second, she swung her legs, raking him to the floor. She rolled over him and pulled out the tranquilizer dart from her hair. She stabbed it into his thigh and pushed it in so that he cried in pain before falling off to sleeping.

Suzanne stood up and picked the gun back up.

“Live by the sword, die by the sword, Adrik. Enjoy your sleep,” she said as she pulled the trigger.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

What next…

3rd December 2021
1:30 pm
Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.
USA.

Aaliyah stood up from the couch as she heard a motorcycle downstairs. Her arm still hurt where she had been shot, but Ted had helped her bandage it. He had been watching for her all the time she was on the ship. The moment he had seen her jump into the water, he had followed her and had saved her from drowning.

She went to the gate and opened it as Xander and Suzanne came up. Xander had to support the lady.

“You made it,” Aaliyah said as she took Suzanne from Xander and led her to a seat.

“Yes, we did- barely, though,” Xander said. “What of Stephen and Bucky?”

“Not here yet,” Aaliyah said.

“And Joel?” Xander asked, looking around.” He was with you, right?”

Aaliyah bowed her head in her palms.

“Tell me nothing happened to him,” he said.

“I’m sorry, Xander. He went into the cabin. By the time the ship exploded…” she took a deep breath. “He was still in the ship,”

“No!” Stephen cried. Tears ran down Suzanne’s face though she said nothing.

They waited a couple more hours for Stephen and Bucky. By some minutes past six pm, the soldiers arrived and told how they had annihilated the president. The others relayed their stories too. However, there was an unasked question hanging in the air.

What next?

What would happen to the Americans whose last hope had just been destroyed? What would happen to them? None of them would remain the same after this.

They slept early that day.

Like a dream, Aaliyah heard someone knocking on the gate. She woke up slowly. The knocking continued. It wasn’t a dream. She wondered who it was. The others had woken up too.

Aaliyah frowned as she lit a candle and went to check it out. The others waited for her.

The moment she went beyond the door, she screamed.

“Guys, it’s Joel!”

Joel stood beyond the gate with a bandage around his head, smiling at her. Troy was with him. The others ran out to see them. Aaliyah opened the door and let him in.

“How in the world?” she said.

“And you said I was too old to be bad ass. The first explosion gave me clearance, so I jumped from the gallery on the fifth floor into the water. I was hit on the head, though but Troy saw me and saved me,” he said as they all went in.

“Thank you, Troy,” Xander said.

“It was the least I could do for the Russian who saved my country,” Troy said. Turning to Suzanne, he said, “I can’t thank you enough for this. To think that all these people would have died today if you didn’t step in. I know you may not have a home anymore back in Russia, but this place can become a new home for you. We owe you everything,” he said.

Suzanne was quiet for a while.

“Thank you,” she said finally. She looked at Joel. After staring for some seconds, she ran to him and hugged him.

“Thank you, Joel. I’m so happy you’re alive,” she said before pulling away.

“Well, you are the last one,” Aaliyah said to Joel. “Ready to be a badass donkey?”

“Nah. I’m too old for that. I’ll pass,” he said, and everyone laughed.

◆◆◆

4th December 2021
7:30 am

They had bread and chocolate tea that morning. Once they were done, Suzanne packed a bag and hung it over her shoulders.

“You’re going somewhere?” Joel asked.

“Yes. I’m leaving to find my way. I know you all have to return to your families now. I wish you all a happy life from henceforth. Goodbye,” she said as she turned from the door.

“What are you saying?” Xander asked. “The whole America needs to know you saved them. I need to introduce you to my family and let them know you’re the reason they’re still alive.”

“In fact, I think you should be the next president,” Aaliyah added.

“I second that,” Joel said, and Suzanne laughed.

“Americans always had a thing about black women leading them,” she said. “However, no. I don’t want anyone to know about me, and I’ll really appreciate it if you kept my identity secret. This has to be it for us.”

“But I want to marry you,” Troy said, and the soldiers laughed.

Suzanne wasn’t smiling, and they get her point. They stopped laughing.

“Anyway, I have a surprise for you guys. It should arrive in a few days. Till then, please remain in New York.”

“Are we safe?” Xander asked, and Suzanne laughed.

“Yes. Believe me; it’s a rather pleasant surprise. See it as a reward for being heroes. In the meantime, feel free to share whatever is in this house among each other,” she said.

“But I don’t want you to leave,” Aaliyah said.

Suzanne smiled at her.

“I wish I didn’t have to. But this is for the best. I have to do one more thing to tip the scales back into balance,” she said.

“But will we see you again?” Aaliyah asked.

“We’ll communicate with the tablets,” Suzanne replied.

Joel stood up.

“You’re not living without a hug. Bring it in,” he said as he held his arms open for her. She went into his embrace. Everyone took turns to hug her. Then she left.

As they prepared themselves to leave for wherever they called home, the question kept ringing in their heads.

What next?

◆◆◆

10th December 2021
4:24 pm
Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.
USA.

Xander woke up from sleep to see Grayson watching him. he frowned.

“What?” he asked.

She raised his tablet.

“I still can’t believe you saved America. I used to think you were a wimp,” she said.

Xander groaned and threw a pillow at her. She dodged it and ran to hug him.

“I’m so proud of you, bro,” she said. “By the way, you have a text message. I wonder how you read messages from Russian phones,” she said as she dropped the phone and walked away.

Xander rolled his eyes. His sister knew how to bug him. He opened the tablet and checked the notification. He beamed when he saw it was from Suzanne. He hadn’t heard from her for a week.

Hey, it’s been a week since your heroic feat. I feel so privileged to have worked with you. For once in twenty years, I knew what it felt like to have a family. I will never forget you until I die.

The United Nations received our email. They have empowered the military by giving them the necessary tracking tools. Over the past week, they have been tracking down the remaining Russians. The delivery points across all the states have been destroyed, and the captives have been set free. I hope those kids find their families soon. The Russian agents are being held in a maximum-security prison here in New Jersey. The Jury will decide what happens to them.

By the way, in the email, I told them about you and the rest. Get ready to be applauded by the world. I wonder how they would reward you. I wish I could still be alive to see it.

Unfortunately, I must pay for my sins. I gave them my location, and they will come to pick me up anytime soon. I wonder what punishment they would mete out.

Take care of yourself and your family. No matter what happens, I will always love you. You are my family.

-Vivien Romanov Dmitri (AKA. Suzanne.)

Xander jumped down from the bed. He had to find the others.

EPILOGUE

13th December 2021.
10:55 am.
East Jersey State Prison, Rahway, New Jersey,

USA.

Suzanne closed her eyes as the needle pierced through the skin on her arm. Suddenly, her mind began to feel detached from her body.

She barely felt her head loll over to the side.

She had done it.

Since she was a murderer, just like the rest of the Ray of Hope, she had decided to die with them. Over the past days, she had seen them get captured one after the other and imprisoned. The look of hate she received from them filled her with regret.

It wasn’t about them. They had killed countless others; they deserved to die too.

From far away, she heard people rushing into a room.

Was it a dream? She didn’t know.

Since her left eyelid was still open, she watched the visions of some people shouting her name.

Save her! She was our leader!

Suzanne thought she recognized Stephen’s and Xander’s voice. Aaliyah sounded as though she were crying.

Her team. They had come for her.

She felt sad. She wished she had spent more time with them. She wished she had been normal.

Death was coming in rapidly. Those things were not called lethal injections for nothing.

As she lost consciousness, she began to feel afraid for the hereafter.

Hey God, I’ve been a bad, bad girl; but maybe you can take a girl like me…

She didn’t even get to complete the thought.

She died.

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Check out the books from the End Series:

The End: Genesis

The End: Fight For survival

The End: Captives

The End: Warzone

The End: Rogue

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.

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