by Cage, Zion
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.