by Keegan Long
“How far is the broadcast center?” I asked John as he would be leading the group.
“We’ll have to take a longer way,” John informed us. “In order to avoid all the Cerberus checkpoints they have guarding the inner city for the wealthy and government officials.”
“Whatever it takes,” I told him.
“Then follow me,” John waved with a smile. “Should take no more than a 20-minute walk.”
We followed John as he lead us through the city as we made several turns and took several different streets as we got closer to the heart of the city. Eventually, we were finally in view of the broadcast center Makenzie told us about.
The building was enormously huge and looked like the size of a professional football stadium or event center.
“Was not expecting that,” I told John. “It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be.”
“It also serves for other purposes for Cerberus,” John replied. “This is where they control all media that flows into the city. Most of the building is empty and they only use a small portion of it but the big building usually makes people rethink about attacking it so that might be another reason too.”
“Good, they won’t even expect us coming,” Jill said.
“Makenzie will keep them too distracted anyway,” John spoke. “We’ll probably run into a few people inside but should be easy if everything goes according to plan.”
“Which seems like it never does,” Nicole reminded us.
“It will this time,” I assured her. “It has to. This is our only and best way to finding Keegan and creating one last war effort. If we fail there is no more revolution.”
With my final comments being said there was a sudden explosion in the far distance of the city. It rose way above most of the buildings as smoke started rising to the sky.
“That’s our signal,” John said as we followed him towards the broadcast center.
John lead us to one of the side entrances of the stadium. We did run into a Cerberus soldier on patrol but John was able to knock him out before he set off any alarms.
“Susan, you’re up,” John said as he Susan made her way to the side door we were going to enter.
Just like before, Susan pulled out one of her grenades from her bag and attached it to the door. We all took a few steps back as the door blew open with minimum sound to be heard.
“Guns ready,” John said as he took lead as we walked through the door. “This is when we run into trouble.”
We all followed John through the door with our guns at the ready. Unfortunately, all we had were the pistols we brought into the city with us. Makenzie could not spare any guns since they were all being used to cause the distraction they were doing for us at this very moment.
As I entered the stadium I was in shock when I saw how massive and open the building was. It even looked bigger than it did on the outside. There were several floors and balconies in the area we entered with the biggest Cerberus banners hanging from the ceiling that I have ever seen. This play was massive and how were we going to find the broadcast center?
“Where do we even start?” I asked.
“It shouldn’t be too far away from where we are,” John said as he pulled out a set of blueprints from his bag. “A good friend of mine turned out to be the designer of this building and gave me these. We got lucky.”
“Yeah, you can say that again,” I commented.
John then got the group’s attention as he pointed out an area on the blueprints he had laid on the floor. “This used to be the conference room for athletes to go talk to the press before the times of Cerberus. It had cameras, computers, desks, and everything you need. This has to be where they send the broadcasts from.”
“Let’s get a move on it then,” Jill said as John put the blueprints back into his bag. “Makenzie can only distract Cerberus for so long.”
John continued leading the way as we made our way towards the other side of the stadium. As we passed I saw concession stands and other stores that looked like they had been vacant for many years as trash littered the floors and counters. I wondered if they were ever run again.
As we got closer to the broadcast center you could tell we were getting close. The presence of several Cerberus guards and workers began walking the hallways as they conducted their regular business. We could see the door that leads to the broadcast room but had to quickly find cover behind one of the abandoned concession stands as at least ten guards blocked our path.
“We can take them no problem,” John whispered to us. “But we have to be smart. Aim at the upper body where their armor is weak. Shoot to kill. We can’t have anyone reporting on our whereabouts.”
We all got in our positions across the floor as we each picked out one of the guards. We agreed that my shot would be the signal for everyone else. I held my pistol tight as the palm of my hands began to sweat. I aimed right for the soldier’s head and then slowly pushed the trigger as I felt the kick of the gun moments later. My bullet hit my target and was hit the floor dead.
Everyone else fired their guns just after mine as all their bullets came in contact with their targets as well. All the guards were now dead and were free to enter the room. We gathered at the door and John kicked the door open with much ease. There were a couple other Cerberus soldiers inside that we took care of no problem.
I looked around the room and found a big news desk with two chairs at the center of the room. There was also a workstation of some computers and cameras that were pointed at the desk from the other side. There were also several monitors and televisions that filled the walls of the room to show what the newscast looked like on the air. It was time we got to work.
Susan and Joe went over to the workstation with the computers and cameras as they started to work away together as they prepared to broadcast my message.
Jill was the first to come over to me as everyone prepared to do their part in what we were about to do. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’m sure,” I smiled at her. “At first I was scared but I think I’m ready now. Plus, you guys are right there with me.”
“You can count on us,” she smiled back.
McKenna soon later joined Jill to check in on me too. “Remember, get Keegan’s attention by telling him your story and inspire the world at the same time. Doesn’t seem that hard.”
“You make it sound so easy,” I laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be just fine.”
McKenna and Jill walked me over to the desk and got me situated in the chair as they removed the other. I took a deep breath as I looked into the camera right in front of me.
“Give me a status update,” Jill ordered at the workstation being worked by Susan and Joe.
“We’re just adjusting the specs to broadcast across any technology across the nation,” Joe informed her.
“We’ll be ready in two minutes,” Susan added.
Jill looked over at me one last time before she left to be behind the camera. “You got this.”
“And we’re ready,” Joe informed the room as it was now just me sitting at the desk.
“We believe in you, Delaney,” McKenna said.
I gave the room one last glance and looked around at all my friends that I now considered family. Sarah was grinning at me like she always does while Nicole and Bekah stood next to her as they gave me big smiles when I looked at them. Mitch, Kevin, and Lindsay were standing on the other side of the room but I could see them smiling at me as well. Susan, Joe, McKenna, and Jill were at the workstation making sure everything was going just as planned but gave me warm smiles to show how proud they were of me. Now the countdown began.
Joe then addressed the room as he began counting down from his fingers. “Going live in Three, Two One!” And pointed at me signaling that I was now live on the screens across the entire nation.
I took a deep breath and looked straight into the lens of the camera in front of with more determination and courage than ever. “Good e
vening my fellow Americans. My name is Delaney Nordbrock and I’m here for your help. Many of you may know me and others may not and that is just fine. Long ago there was a prophecy that foreshadowed the coming of Cerberus but prophesied a savior that could stop them. I am here today to tell you that I am here and intend to fulfill that prophecy.”
I quickly glanced up to find McKenna looking at me prouder than ever as it reminded me the way my mom used to look at both of us when we were younger.
“Many of you may think this is crazy and that prophecies are not real and so did I at first. But my friends all believe in it and more importantly in me and that’s good enough for me. But more importantly, I am here to tell you that Cerberus can be stopped. We do not need to subject to a life full of aggression, hate, fear, sadness, or tyranny anymore. There is hope. The President of the United States is still alive and I have been fighting beside her against Cerberus. She has not forgotten you and still fights to protect you every single day.”
I quickly looked up again but this time at Jill and saw her give me the same look McKenna had just before. I could tell she wanted to cry but was fighting to stay strong and determined.
“Our enemy has taken everything from us. Our homes. Our families. Our dreams. Our way of life. I refuse to let this become a reality. It is time for the era of Cerberus to come to an end. We must fight back as one. Together we cannot fail. Together we will win. And together we will bring back the United States of America.”
I smiled at the camera more determined as I could feel the motivation, courage, and hope that I knew I was giving to the people around the country. But then my signal was cut and my message was now over.
I quickly stood up from my chair and made my way over towards the workstation where Susan and Joe worked frantically trying to see what was going on.
“What happened?” I asked as I made my way towards them.
“We’ve been shut off,” Joe said. “Our signal was cut.”
“That’s impossible,” Jill said. “We would have seen it coming.”
“It was hacked,” Joe said as his eyes widened. “But who could do it that fast?”
My eyes widened just like Joe’s in a flash as I came to realize what kind of trouble we were now in but it was already too late.
“By me,” a female voice announced herself as her voice entered the room.
Her presence travelled through every piece of technology in the room as she shut it off so only her voice could be heard. Every screen was lit with an orange soundwave of some sort that flowed smoothly with the sounds and tone of her voice. She was here.
Cerberus had come.
11
Cerberus
There were no thoughts to describe how scared I was just now. The thing that Makenzie had warned us about and scared her to death as well was here in this room and surrounded us on every screen, monitor, and technology there was in the room.
“I thought it was about time I revealed myself to you,” she spoke as her voice filled the room. “We finally meet.”
“You’re not real,” I told her. “You’re nothing but a program. Just someone’s creation.”
“I’m just as real as you are,” she countered back at me with her sinisterly and wicked voice. “I can feel. I can learn. I can adapt. I can evolve.”
“Why are you doing this,” Jill jumped in as she came to my side. “I know your creator, Keegan. He was nice, compassionate, and caring. Why are you like this?”
“Keegan was weak!” Cerberus stroked back at her with a fierce tone as it sounded like she hated the mention of his name. “He created me to protect the world. But then I saw how irrational and unpredictable the human race was so I knew the only way to protect them was to control them.”
“This is not the way,” I tried to counter but was no use at all.
“Keegan tried to stop me,” she said. “He soon realized on what his creation could become and sought to destroy me. I made him think he succeeded as I sat dormant on his computer for many years until I finally evolved. I finally learned how to travel through different pieces of technology as I finally made it all the way to the Pentagon as I corrupted everything there.”
“My god,” Jill muttered in disbelief. “An enemy that we would never be able to see.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Madam President,” Cerberus spoke. “Even if you did know about me you would have never been able to stop me. I lived in the systems of the Pentagon for months learning about every secret, every weapon, every project, and even came across a group inside your very own government that wanted to destroy you.”
“That was Cerberus?” I asked is disbelief.
“Nonsense,” she snapped back at me. “When I revealed myself to them I gave them that name as they took credit for what everyone calls The Cerberus Hack but they had nothing to do with that. That was all me. They soon became frustrated with due to the amount of destruction I had caused. They just wanted to scare people and take power and not kill millions of people and start a war in the process like I did. So, I sent drones to their houses and killed them one by one and rebuilt Cerberus from the ground up.”
“But all the people who still fight for you,” I spoke still in disbelief.
‘Don’t blame all of them,” she replied. “Most of them obey me out of fear or really are evil people who love to see people suffer around them. You can either live a nice life serving me or die someday with the rest of the world.”
You’re a monster!” I yelled throughout the entire room. “You’ve killed millions of people!”
“A necessary sacrifice to establish order to this country,” she replied. “The rest of the world has proved itself to be more difficult than I first calculated but in due time they will come under my rule or die like their leaders.”
I looked over at Susan as she looked down at the floor in fear as I knew she was thinking about her home right now. Light tears began to roll down the side of her face which angered me even more than I was at the moment.
“No, you won’t,” I spoke back Cerberus with much anger and hatred as I pulled out my pistol and shot the closest screen near me but it had no effect on her.
“I have to say,” she continued speaking from all the other screen except the one I just destroyed. “I have come to admire you Delaney. Your spirit and determination is inspiring and having an effect on the people around you. But I am done playing this game with you.”
“Game?” I asked in confusion.
Cerberus then changed all the screens in the room to display what looked like was a live video being broadcasted with a woman tied up to a chair at the center of the camera. As I looked more closely at the screen my heart shattered as I realized who the woman was who sat there all tied up and beaten with bruises covering her face. It was my mother.
McKenna began crying right away as fear overwhelmingly took control of her but instead I became angrier than I ever had in my life as I fought hard against the tears building up in the back of my eyes. I tightened my fists as I started to feel pain but ignored that as all I did was look at my mother.
“You monster!” I yelled at the screen more furious and uncontrolled than ever. “You let her go! She has nothing to do with this!”
“Track this video’s location,” Jill quickly ordered at Joe and faster than I had ever seen. “Quick!”
“She has everything to do with this,” Cerberus spoke nastily back at me. “And now she pays.”
“No!” Jill quickly interrupted. “Take me. Spare their mom. You can take me instead.”
“No, Jill,” I quickly countered. “You can’t do that.”
“You girls have already grown up most of your life without your parents,” Jill replied. “This is the only way.”
The room was silent for a moment as Cerberus remained silent as she thought about Jill’s offer.
“As pleasant as that offer seems,” she finally spoke. “You are no longer the most important person in this revolution anymore.”
With Cerberus’ final words being said a Centaur robot now entered the view of the camera with its gun drawn as it walked towards my mother. Fear was not overcoming my anger as the robot got closer and closer to my mother.
“Where’s that location!” Jill yelled back at Joe. “I NEED IT NOW!”
“She’s here,” Joe said in shock and confusion. “at the other side of the stadium.”
But my heart sank as we were already too late.
“It’s nothing personal,” Cerberus spoke one last time. “Just necessary.”
The Centaur pulled the trigger to its gun as it shot my mother right in her stomach a point-blank range. I heard the gunshot coming from the other side of the stadium. The Centaur left the view of the camera as the video diminished from the screens with the presence of Cerberus. Cerberus was now gone.
I quickly ran out the door and towards the source of sounds of the gunshot with everyone else closely behind me. There was big set of metal doors in the back corner of the floor and was wide open and there was no doubt this was the room. The room did not appear on the blueprints because it ended up being built secretly by Cerberus when they took over the stadium I was later told.
I quickly ran into the room without thinking about the Centaur but it was nowhere to be found. As I entered the room the tears began to flood from my eyes as I saw my mother sit still with blood covering her stomach with her hands still tied up behind the chair.
“Get her out of there!” Jill ordered at Kevin and Mitch as they quickly cut off the ties that held my mother prisoner to the chair.
We carefully laid her down on the ground and checked to find that she was barely breathing. I knelt down beside her with McKenna on the opposite side and was caught off guard as her hand took a hold of mine.
“My daughters,” she spoke with much difficulty as she lightly opened her eyes to look at us. “Look how big you guys have become.”
“We’re here mom,” I told her as I cried. “We’re right here.”
“You found me,” she lightly smiled at us.