The End Series | Book 5 | The End: Revelations

by Cage, Zion

  “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?”

  Aali
yah 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.