by S. E. Meyer
“No need to worry. It’s all part of the plan, Anna.”
The front door slammed shut, sending an echo down the long hallway. Lonewolf raised a scarred eyebrow.
“Who could that be?” Anna asked before a bumbling cocoon barged into the kitchen. It lifted the knit hat from its head and unwrapped a red scarf from around its face, producing a flustered, and disheveled, Damarion.
“How did you get in here?” Lonewolf demanded through gritted teeth.
Damarion tossed a severed thumb onto the table.
Anna winced at the gray digit.
“So you did kill Mr. Stevens,” Lonewolf said. “Your betrayal is worse than I thought. He was a good man. He had a family.”
“I didn't kill the reporter. That was Cornelius's doing,” Damarion argued. “I just ended up with his thumb.”
“You also ended up doing nothing to stop his murder.”
Damarion pressed his lips together. “Anna, can you leave us for a minute?”
Anna left the dining room and entered the kitchen. She stopped a few paces from the doorway, trying to stay within earshot.
Damarion lowered his voice. “What happened to Mr. Stevens was terrible, but he was going to ruin everything.”
“He was only doing what I asked of him,” Lonewolf said. “He was our mole in the news industry, he was going to expose Cornelius.”
“Exposing Cornelius was not what concerned me, he was going to expose Anna and you know the danger that puts all of us in.”
Lonewolf raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”
“He told me before he died. He thought the world should know.”
With a nod, Lonewolf let out a breath.
“It's time you tell her who she really is,” Damarion said.
Anna cocked her head towards the kitchen doorway, straining to hear.
Who I really am? What the hell does that mean?
“Keep your voice down. Not yet, Damarion. It's still too soon.”
“Fine, but we will have to tell her eventually,” Damarion whispered before turning towards the kitchen. “Anna can you come back in here?”
As Anna entered the dining room Damarion pulled a file from inside his jacket and slapped it onto the table in front of her.
“I thought you were filing it electronically,” Lonewolf asked.
“I will. I wanted to make sure you had enough lead time. It won't take long for someone to inform Cornelius once I file it. I thought it was prudent to deliver it in person. All the paperwork you need, including the order to send you through the gates, is all in that file.”
Lonewolf nodded. “Thank you for coming through for us, but I'm still not convinced I can trust you.”
Damarion squinted, taking a step closer to Lonewolf. “I have never given you reason to think otherwise. I've tried to tell you. I had nothing to do with Margaret's, or anyone's death.”
“Then why are you the only member of the group that's still alive?” Lonewolf asked. His jaw muscles pulsing below his ears.
“You're still alive!”
“Barely. I was lucky to have survived the fire.”
Damarion maintained eye contact with Lonewolf. “You can still trust me implicitly. I am committed to the cause and our plan.”
Lonewolf nodded. “I hope so Damarion. We need you.” He let out a breath. “I'll reinstate your ID at the door. And get rid of that thumb. It smells.”
Damarion plucked the thumb off the table and slid it into a plastic bag before dropping it back into his pocket.
Lonewolf shook his head while wrinkling nose. He turned to Anna. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Anna lifted the file from the table. “Thank you Damarion. Will you be coming with us?”
“No, I have other things to attend to. Good Luck,” he said, re-applying the scarf around his face before leaving the room.
Anna took in a long breath as the front door slammed shut with Damarion's exit. She gathered her own jacket and scarf, attempting to swallow the lump in her throat.
The wall.
To Anna's surprise, between the conversation she overhead and their impending destination, the peace she had found during her respite drained from her. A shudder ran through her body as she wrapped the scarf around her face with trembling hands. She stuffed the file into her jacket and pushed herself to trudge down the hallway behind Lonewolf.
Anna licked her lips, swallowing hard. Dragging her feet like concrete weights, she forced each foot in front of the other until she reached the door.
God, I hate the wall.
With clenched fists she filled her lungs and followed Lonewolf out into the alley.
Jax met up with Anna and Lonewolf several blocks away at the car. He was carrying a large briefcase in one hand and an antenna in the other. Jax popped the trunk and set the items inside before the trio got into the car.
“What's in the trunk?” Anna asked.
“A test,” replied Jax, smiling while rubbing the stubble on his chin. “Here,” he said, handing Anna a phone. “I transferred your contacts. It‘s safe, untraceable, and undetectable.”
Anna took the phone. “Are you sure?”
Jax smiled. “I wrote the software myself.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Anna teased.
Jax shook his head and smiled.
“Is everyone ready?” Anna asked.
“All set,” Jax replied while Lonewolf nodded.
Anna stepped on the gas, heading towards the other side of town. She dialed Jack's number from memory on the car's phone as they neared the police station.
“Hello?” came the captain's familiar voice.
“Jack, it's me.”
“Anna? I‘m worried about you. No one has heard from you and the feds have been up my ass for the last two weeks. What happened at the hospital?”
“Don't worry about that right now. I have to speak with you, in person. I'm almost to the station, can you meet me outside?”
“Your voice sounds a little shaky, are you okay?”
“Yes, I'm fine,” Anna lied, biting her lip.
“What is so important?”
“Jack, trust me here. I need you outside in two minutes.”
“Fine, I'll see you in two minutes. This better be good,” Jack finished, ending the call.
Lonewolf turned in his seat and handed Jax a pair of handcuffs. “Here, put these on my wrists. We should make it look legitimate.” He leaned forward, stretching his arms behind his back. Jax wrapped the cuffs around Lonewolf's wrists as Anna pulled up in front of the station.
So much for facial recognition cameras now, Anna thought, pulling the scarf from her face as she exited the vehicle. Anna dashed to the other side of the car. She helped Lonewolf out of the passenger side as Jack limped through the front door of the police station. Anna gave her captain a subtle wave before leading Lonewolf up the steps towards him.
“What's going on Anna? Who is this?” Jack asked as they arrived at the front door.
Anna pulled the scarf from Lonewolf's head. “This is the Lonewolf,” she whispered. “I'm bringing him in.”
Jack's eyes widened at the sight of the scarred man in front of him. He turned back to Anna. “What the- How did you- Where did-,” he stammered before throwing his arms up in the air. “What the hell Anna? I haven't heard from you in weeks. Last I knew you fled the scene at the hospital where you were being detained by the feds, and now, out of the blue, you bring me the Lonewolf?” Jack let out a whistle while shaking his head. “Nice work, Anna!” he added with a smile.
Jack hobbled closer to Lonewolf. “So. You're the one who‘s been terrorizing my city,” he said with a furled brow. He took a minute to stare Lonewolf down. “You look familiar somehow. I can't quite place it, but...” Jack trailed off, unable to recognize Atticus through the scarring. He took a breath before continuing, dismissing the thought of familiarity. “I'll be happy to see you get what's coming to you!”
> Jack slapped Anna on the back. “I don't know how you did it, but nice work, Anna, really. You'll get your badge back for this. I'll make sure of that.” Jack gave Anna another smile. “Okay, well, let's get him inside and processed so we can-”
“He has to go through the wall this morning,” Anna interrupted. “Right now. At this morning's wall ceremony.”
Jack squinted. “That's impossible. This morning's ceremony is only a few minutes away. We need a signed order, and that takes a couple days. There are protocols to follow here, Anna, you know that.”
Anna reached in her jacket and pulled out the file. She handed it to her captain and pulled her shoulders back. “I took care of that. All the paperwork, and the order to add Lonewolf to this morning's wall ceremony, it's all in there.”
Jack eyebrows shot upward as he opened the file.
Anna caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see Jax give them a thumbs up and then get into the driver's seat of the car.
“That's the signal Anna,” Lonewolf said. “The clock’s ticking.”
Jax backed out of the parking spot and drove east, away from the police station.
“Where is he going?” Anna asked.
“Doesn't matter right now. We have to get moving.”
Jack looked up from the file. “Everything seems in order, but I still need all of this filed electronically.”
“It has been. Check your tablet,” Lonewolf said.
Jack closed the file with a scowl. “I don't take orders from a terrorist.”
Anna took a deep breath. She looked her captain in the eye while pressing her lips together. “Look Jack, trust me here. Lonewolf is right, check your tablet.”
Jack pulled his table from his hip while shaking his head. “This is all strange Anna. I don't even know what to say.” He touched the screen and let out a breath. “Looks like you're right. It was just filed.” Jack looked back at Anna. “I don't understand what's going on here.”
Lonewolf tapped his foot.
“Like I said Jack, I need you to trust me. You have the Lonewolf. I have filed everything. We need to get him through the wall.”
Jack let out a grunt. “I don't like this Anna. I don't like shit getting sprung on me. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't allow it.” He let out a long breath before nodding. “But, everything seems in order. There's one more criminal going through the gates this morning, a jumper from a few days ago. They should bring him down any minute.”
“We're running out of time,” Lonewolf said.
Two officers came through the front doors with a shuffling younger man in tow. Two more officers followed behind and the group stopped next to Jack.
“We have another one going through this morning?” the officer nearest Jack asked.
Jack turned to face the officer. “Yes, he's right here,” he replied, giving Lonewolf a slight shove in the officer's direction.
The two officers bringing up the rear grabbed Lonewolf by the upper arm. “It's time,” the officer in the lead said, glancing at his timepiece.
“About time,” Lonewolf said, still tapping his foot.
As they were about to make their way down the steps to the street Jack touched Anna on the wrist. “I wanted to let you know, Charlie's been frantic trying to find you.”
Anna spun on her heel while covering her mouth.
Oh, my God. Charlie! The DNA sample.
Lonewolf looked back towards Anna as the officers escorted him down the stairs. “We don't have time for this Anna. We have to go now!”
Anna cast a glance in Lonewolf's direction. Running her hand through her hair she looked back at her captain. “Let Charlie know I'm here. I have to talk to him as soon as possible,” she said before following Lonewolf and the group of officers out into the street.
The sidewalks swelled with onlookers as they made their way toward the gates.
“Good turnout this morning,” one officer commented.
“Yeah, kind of strange, it's like we have a high-profile case here,” the officer on Lonewolf's left replied.
“Murderer!” someone yelled out from the crowd.
“Terrorist!” a man on their left shouted.
Anna noticed that the crowd spilled out into the street and a mob closed in behind them. More people screamed and hollered insults in between looking down at their phones. Several people pointed up off to Anna's left.
Anna shook her head.
What the hell is going on?
She squinted in the direction the crowd was pointing to see a large paint billboard spread out across a six-story apartment building.
Anna sucked in a breath.
The massive screen was split into two sections. One was showing a live feed of the street, while the other was displaying clips of historical footage. The crowd chanted as a video played of the explosion from a few weeks ago when Anna first met the Lonewolf. She picked up her pace to get closer to him.
“What is going on?” she asked, arriving at Lonewolf's side.
“Do you hear what the crowd is saying?”
Turning her head to one side, Anna strained to hear the words.
“Anna! Anna! Anna!” the crowd chanted.
Anna wrinkled her brow. “Why are they chanting my name?”
“Look at the screen.”
Anna noticed scrolling text on the bottom of the live feed. 'Agent Anna Wool captures the dangerous terrorist named The Lonewolf.
The chant grew louder as more people poured into the street.
“Anna! Anna! Anna!”
“I don't understand. Who is doing this?”
“You see that small message in the video screen’s corner?”
Anna studied the display as they passed by the screen. 'This is a HackerJax Production', she read.
Anna's cheeks flushed. “Jax? Jax is doing this? Why? Won‘t Cornelius find out what's going on?”
“No, he won't. Not right away. It was a test Anna. We wanted to see if Jax could hack into the system, and take control, in a particular radius of the city. This information is being broadcast to a ten block area. It's on every billboard, television, cell phone, tablet and radio. Jax is making you a hero Anna.” Lonewolf smiled. “We needed to know if Jax could accomplish this. It's an important part of our plans.” Lonewolf laughed. “He did it. Jax did it!”
Anna caught her name being shouted. It was hard to make out over the noise, but she was almost positive it was Charlie. She scanned the crowd, straining to hear her partner yelling her name over the rowdy mob.
She could see the top of Charlie’s head pop up from behind the crowd as he jumped and yelled out her name in tandem.
There you are.
“Don't worry about Charlie right now Anna. You have a task to do. Make sure I get through those gates,” Lonewolf said, nodding towards the wall that continued to grow on the horizon as they neared the end of the street.
Anna bit her lip while trying to keep an eye on Charlie's progress. As she stretched her neck, she saw Charlie made it to the middle of the crowd and was moving closer. He was holding up his badge and forcing people out of the way. After walking several more yards, Charlie burst through the crowd on Anna's right and trotted up beside her. “Damn this crowd. It's a circus out here today,” he panted. “I have to tell you something Anna.”
“Shut up, Charlie!” Lonewolf said.
The officer on Lonewolf's right jabbed him in the ribs. “You don't get to bark out orders!”
“Anna,” Charlie continued, “That man is-”
Lonewolf cut him off. “Don't do it Charlie. Not now!”
“That man is Atticus Johnson!” Charlie yelled over the noise of the crowd.
◆◆◆
The thick fog on the inside of the Cadillac's windows turned to slivers of water. Damarion watched each droplet zigzag its way down to the window seal, revealing the outline of Governor's mansion in blurry streaks. As the minutes passed his phone slipped from his sweaty palm and dropped to the seat
. The gentle thump stirred him from his thoughts. He snatched the phone off the white leather and ran his left hand through his hair.
I have to do this. It's the only way, he thought.
Damarion sifted through his contact list and stopped at 'Cornelius Cromwell'. He swallowed hard, his trembling thumb hovering over the name. It was as though the digit had a mind of its own, betraying its master and begging the question; Why are you doing this? Why would you give up the plan?
Because, I have no choice, he argued.
He took in a long breath and let it out through his nose, adding to the condensation on the glass. Damarion had to admit to himself that Cornelius would never let Isabelle go. He knew as long as she was being held captive Cornelius had the upper hand. A dangerous game to play with so much at stake.
This has gone on long enough.
“There’s no other way,” he shook his head and forced his thumb to submit.
The phone rang several times before Cornelius's familiar crackle burst into Damarion's ear. “What do you want? I'm in the middle of a very important meeting.”
“I know, but this is more important. I found the Wolf,” Damarion replied. “He's at the wall ceremony.”
“What the hell is he doing there?”
“I signed the order to send him through the gates this morning.”
Cornelius coughed. “You did what? You son of a bitch, I knew you would betray me!”
“It's not what you think. That's why I'm calling. If you clear the mansion and send all your security personnel now, you can still take him in.”
“If you already had him, why didn't you hold him for me?”
“Cornelius. I had to keep up appearances. Anna's the one who brought him in and forced my hand to do something.”
“Bullshit, You should have called me first, the minute you had him. I could have told you what to do. You'll pay for this Damarion.”
“I'm on your side here, Governor. It's not too late. The Chamber awaits. That's why I called. Clear the mansion and get all your men over there now.”
Damarion ended the call. He dropped the phone on the seat and wiped the fog from his driver's side window, waiting for Cornelius to take the bait.
It was only a matter of minutes before he watched five black sedan's race down the circle driveway towards the street. They turned, squealing passed his Cadillac and roared toward downtown.