"Do something!" Alex exclaimed, lifting the gun to Albert's head. "You have ten-seconds!"
Albert sat in the chair closest to the black briefcase. He hurried to open it, hands moving fast but steady.
By the time Alex counted to four, the orb from inside the case lifted up and locked into place. Not long after that, tiny lights illuminated and spiraled up the sides.
"What the fuck is that?"
Albert’s face contorted. "It's your help.”
"How’s a weird phallus shaped thing gonna help my friends? I don't know what the fuck you're getting at, but your dick is about to have two holes in it!"
"Just watch the monitor!" Albert shouted. He closed his eyes and grabbed hold of the orb.
Anxiety in overdrive, Alex’s eyes bounced back and forth from Albert to the screen.
Bullets sprayed against the generator Staff Sergeant Fikejs and his remaining men hid behind.
Fikejs pressed a hand against a bullet wound on Ryan’s shoulder, while simultaneously returning fire with his free hand. But after the slide on his handgun locked back, Fikejs frowned defeated and tossed the empty weapon aside.
In another camera, Alex observed the New Zealanders.
Becca had taken two rounds; one to the shoulder and another to the arm. Tom Jones pulled her behind cover, then returned fire, sporadically and only enough to let the Guardsmen know he still had ammunition.
“This isn’t going to last another minute,” Alex mumbled, as he watched the Guardsmen prepare to flank the remaining members of Team Two.
Then, as his eyes scanned the dozens of video feeds, Alex finally spotted his cousin.
Steve, Travis, Charlie, and Mason were on their knees, awaiting execution.
“Damnit, do something! They’re gonna die!” Alex shouted, eyes wide with fear. Even the gun shook as he pointed it haphazardly at Albert’s temple. "You have three-seconds before I kill you! Three, two, one!"
***
“Ah what’s this you got?” Kurt Brennamen said, yanking the chain from Steve’s neck. He held Sarah’s ring in better lighting and admired the white gold band and pea-sized diamond cased on top. “Should make a nice souvenir. Thanks, kid. Alright boys, let’s have some fun shall we?”
The pompous Guardsmen reeled back. Each one took aim at their respective targets.
“On my count,” Brennamen said, pointing his barrel at Steve’s heart. “One, two-”
But something changed. The inevitable execution never came to fruition. Fate became unsealed.
It started with Kurt’s face.
The muscles holding his smile released. Then a subtle tremor surged through his body. And in that moment, Kurt’s eyes narrowed and trepidation overcame the South African mercenary.
Following the full body tremor, Kurt looked confusedly at the veins and arteries exposed on his body and that of his men.
“What’s going on, boss?”
“What’s wrong with us?”
“Why are we glowing?”
Kurt opened his mouth to reply, but in that instant, he and his men grabbed their heads, then fell backwards. By the time their bodies hit the ground, their hearts had stopped and faint trails of blood drained from their eyes and nose.
For a long moment, Steve and the others remained motionless, awestruck; none able to process how and why they came to be saved. They stared at their deceased executioners, particularly at the dissipating deep blue glow radiating from their bodies.
Finally, Steve broke free from his disbelief and scrambled first for Sarah’s ring. He kissed the band and shoved it securely into his pocket.
“Are they dead?” asked Charlie.
Travis picked up a rifle and nudged the previous owner’s body. “Ya, looks like it,” he replied, firing a round into each Guard’s head for good measure.
“How? I don’t get it?”
“I’m not waiting for an explanation,” Steve said, arming himself. He pulled out, inspected and reinserted the purloined M16’s magazine. He yanked back the charging handle and one round ejected, but the second out of thirty took its place. Then he snatched Kurt’s pistol off the ground and tucked it into the small of his back.
Mason whispered a Scottish prayer, then closed the eyes of his cousin. “What are we going to do?”
“We split up. You heard what they said about the others. Charlie, take Mason and go help out Fikejs and Team Two.”
“Where are you going to go?”
“Travis and I will go find Liz and get that briefcase. Let’s move!”
***
"There, it's done!" Albert shouted, holding up both hands.
"What the fuck are you talking about? What's done? My friends are getting killed! You-"
“Are they?” Albert asked, leaning back, exhausted.
Alex looked back at the monitor and to his complete surprise, each one of the security personnel shook violently then dropped to the ground.
"What the fuck just happened? Are they dead? Why are they glowing? What’s going on?"
"It's a kill code I wrote for Ambrosia. As you can see, upon activation, it does exactly what the name indicates."
Alex took another look at the strange orb in the briefcase, then at the monitor, then at the man who saved his friends. “I still don’t understand.”
Albert removed his belt and wrapped it around his foot. "Now what?"
It took a moment for Alex to process the information. "Now we take this death dick of yours and go get my friends."
"I don't think so," said a woman behind him.
Surprised, Alex spun around, but the side of his head was jolted from the contact of a hard object. The gun dropped from Alex’s grasp, and he fell to the ground, mind swimming.
Despite being rescued, Albert’s voice was laden with bitter disgust. "Mother.”
"Son,” Liz Baron replied equally as hateful. “You look hideous.”
Albert raised a hand to the scar covering his face. “Oh, that. Well, thanks to you. What did you expect when you threw me to the wolves?”
“I thought you were dead.”
Albert limped toward the briefcase. “Again, a position you could have aiding in avoiding. Fortunately, what has been done to me, can be undone. Let’s start with the foot, shall I?” Albert said, placing a hand over the orb.
He closed his eyes, and shortly after, the bullet wound slowly healed and sealed, leaving behind a hole in his shoe as though nothing happened.
“MIA, get Lizzy online.”
“Of course, Ms. Baron.”
“Now, Albert, would you mind explaining what is going on here?"
“Now for the face,” Albert said, and after activating the orb, fresh skin began to replace the hook-like scar on his face. But before the process could be completed and before Albert had a chance to explain, bullets sprayed through the entry door, shattering the glass.
***
Steve and Travis rushed through the opening, guns sweeping the command room.
Liz ducked behind Alex and used him as a living shield.
Half the scar cleared, Albert abandoned the remaining healing process in order to arm himself with Alex’s pistol.
“Weapon!” Travis called out, but Steve had already reacted.
From over fifty feet out, Steve shot the handgun from Albert’s grasp.
“Ye-ow!” Albert shrieked, shaking his limp, numb hand.
"Who are you and what the hell is going on here?" Liz asked. If she was nervous, the anxiety was well-masked.
Steve crept forward whispering, "I got her, Trav. You take Captain Hook-eye."
“Ten-four.”
"You...you're her. You're Liz Baron, aren’t you?" Steve asked, ignoring her question.
Alex noted a change in Steve. From the way he talked to the way he moved. There was a dominant command presence about him; a newly demonstrated confidence and attitude indicative of Tom Brason.
Liz wrapped her free arm wrapped around Alex's throat while keeping her gun pressed agai
nst his ear. "Yes, I am. Now who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my facility?"
"My name's Steve, but that's not important. My friends and I are here for one thing only."
"Oh, and what might that be?" she answered, pointing the gun at Steve to deter further progression.
"To destroy you and your company."
"It's true,” growled Albert, while being forced into an arrest-position. “They have explosives set in the power room. They intend to flood the facility."
“Irrelevant. Kurt and his team are-”
“Dead. Kill sequence,” Albert interrupted bluntly.
"Let me guess, field testing in Las Vegas? I had a suspicion you were up to something. Looks like we both kept our full agenda hidden.”
“It would appear so, Mother.”
Liz snorted then said, “Let me ask you something,Steve. Do you really think that blowing up this facility will stop anything? Do you know how many like this I own? Do you know how many people, governments, lives that I control?”
“Don’t know, don’t care.”
“You should care!I own everything. Life is my business. I can give it and I can take it..."
Liz flexed her biceps, cinching the hold over Alex’s throat.
"Alex!" Steve yelled instinctively.
"Oh do you two know each other?"
"They are cousins, Mother," divulged Albert.
"Family? How precious,” Liz said acidly and with a fake smile.
Steve took a soft step forward and to the right, attempting to gain a better angle. “We know your end game. We know all about Ambrosia and what it really is…”
Liz scowled at Albert, and he responded by rolling his eyes.
“I don’t believe it’s truly about money. So what I don’t understand is why? Why go through all of this? The virus, killing billions, everything just to turn around and offer a vaccine?”
“The answer to your question is inherently simple. Look to the past. All the world’s great rulers desired the same thing.”
“Power?”
Liz chuckled. “Power? No. Power is easy. With the right amount of money, extortion, or threat, I have already achieved immense power and influence. But in power lies the problem. There will always be the exception, the patriot, and the proud. You see man is flawed, plagued by free will, and unlike my predecessors, I have succeeded where they failed. I have achieved a means of complete control-”
“Complete control?”
“So you just wanna turn people into mindless drones?” followed Travis.
“While Ambrosia can be used to instill suggestions into the brain, it is unable to turn people intomindless drones as you put it.”
“So what then? You just wanna get off being the first dictator of the world?”
“Dictator? No. History shows us what happens to dictators. Not only do they fail, but their legacy is forever stained with infamy. What I seek is much greater. Let me ask you something, what do you think men like Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed have in common?”
“Enlighten me.”
“They were the greatest con-men in the history of the world. Their lies succeeded in capturing the souls of their followers until the end of time and beyond. Give the people what they want, rather what they think they want, and they will immortalize you. And over time, with Ambrosia as my instrument, I will be their savior. I will be their God-”
“Well like your predecessors,” Steve interrupted, “you have failed. We stopped you. Soon, you and your company and everyone who was involved will be exposed.”
“You can say adios to your quest for immortality.”
Recognizing the reality of her rapidly deteriorating plan for complete global control, Liz adjusted her hold over Alex and said, “Tell me, Steve, how much doeshe mean to you? What would you do for the life of your cousin? Would you allow me walk out of this room? Or would you condemn him to death for your pride?”
"Don't do it, Steve-O. Don't let her walk out of here," Alex barely managed to say.
Liz flexed her biceps harder, tightening the choke. Alex clawed at her arm, hoping to pull it down enough to fill his lungs, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
"I let you go, you kill more people.”
“Maybe, maybe not. But what is certain is your cousin would be alive.”
“Not gonna happen.”
"Idealist,” she snorted. “Fine, let’s try a different method. You look like the type to make a deal, so this is what I propose. You let me walk out of here, and I will give you anything you want.”
“I believe she forgot to include me in this release,” declared Albert, wiping his bloody lip on his shoulder.
“I didn’t forget,” Liz said, scowl going from Albert to Steve. “Money, an island, women, anything you desire. When I rebuild the world, you and yours will have everything you could possibly want. You would never have to work again, and your family would be secured and protected for centuries. All you have to do is lower your weapons and come to terms. This is a one-time offer and it goes for both of you."
"You want me to make a deal, when you and your virus have taken everything from me?"
"Oh, so you have lost someone. Parents? Siblings? A wife?"
"We've all lost someone,” replied Travis.
"Well how about I sweeten the deal.After you let me go, and on top of all the wealth you will have, I will give you back what you lost.”
“What do you mean? What are you saying?” inquired Travis.
“What would you say if I told you I could give back your deceased loved ones?"
"I’d say that's impossible."
"Nothing's impossible! Just ask him,” Liz said, nodding at Albert. “All I need is a sample of their DNA, and you will have whoever you want back in your lives as though they never left. And healthier than ever. You and them can live for as long as you want."
“Steve, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted. I mean, if she’s telling the truth that means...Tyler, mi mama...they’d be back.”
Despite the hold, Alex lipped the name, “Bill.”
As Steve strongly considered the world of possibilities, he could feel the lump Sarah’s ring made in his pocket.
Sarah’s dead, no DNA, you burned her body back in Providence, remember? Wait! Sarah’s hair brush is in Sweetie! You could get her back. Mom, Dad, Mike, Cully, Bill too, everyone! It’s exactly what you want; a complete reset...
The thought caused his gun hand to dip ever so slightly.
But everything you’ve lost, Steve-O, all the pain endured, it all stemmed from the selfish, evil ambitions of Liz Baron and her company, Steve thought, then said, "Let me ask you something.”
“But of course,” Liz said with a tone of rudeness that negated the polite words.
"Whose orders are you following?"
"Whose orders do I follow? You really have no idea who I am, do you? I don't answer to anyone."
"Lizzy located and online," interrupted MIA.
Behind Liz, the dozens of security cameras vanished, and the face of Lizzy Baron took over the entire screen. “Hello Mother-”
Lizzy’s crooked smile dropped when she realized the dramatic scene inside the command room.
"It stops with me,” Liz continued, “I'm the top, the one who makes the decisions. As I said before, I decide who lives and who dies. I am God…”
Alex raised his hand and attempted to say something, but Liz’s lock tightened, cutting him off.
“So what’s it going to be?”
A bead of saltwater infused sweat dripped over Steve’s eyebrow, causing him to blink. But when the eyelid opened, time slowed down.
The situation cued the memory of every moment in his life where he failed; a year ago with his father, in Fort Kennedy with Mike, at the cabin with Sarah. Every pivotal moment of his life was dictated by this lethal paralysis.
But this time, a serene clarity manifested.
This time, he would no longer allow himself to be a victim of fate.
"You know you’re wrong about something,” Steve started to say.
Liz's head was hidden almost entirely behind Alex's. All that was exposed was the tiniest corner of her right eye. “And what would that be?”
“You're not God. You’re just a psychotic bitch."
And in that moment, choices were made.
It started with Jenna Morgan, the woman whose presence had been forgotten about. She had snuck up and raised an ice pick behind Steve’s back.
Alex had tried to warn him of the impending attack, but Liz had done well stalling and keeping the focus on her.
Steve turned to defend himself, but it was too late for him to react.
Fortunately, Travis had the angle and opportunity. From across the room, the second lieutenant shot twice. His bullet tagged Jenna in the rib cage, blowing her body against the handrail.
Sensing that the imminent danger was not over, Steve spun around and watched the barrel of Liz’s pistol drift toward his own chest.
And without thinking, Steve lifted his gun hand.
Then came the sound of two gunshots.
Chapter 15
“The Beginning”
Headquarters of the LIFE Corporation
December 14, 2009
0919 hours
After the echoing rang out, a long silence ensued. The small cloud of gunpowder dissipated, and a faint trail of smoke rose from the barrel of Steve’s handgun.
The flight path of his bullet followed across the room scraping over Alex's right cheek, before finally implanting itself into Liz's retinal cavity. The bullet mushroomed inside her cranium and forced brain matter out a gaping hole in the back of her head.
Liz Baron, the owner of the world's most powerful corporation, the woman behind the global outbreak, stumbled, then collapsed dead on the floor of her own command room.
Mortified, Lizzy watched on the monitor, but all speech evaded her.
Steve, though, looked from Liz’s body to the screen and said, "I am coming for you next."
The Longest Road (Book 3): The Other Side Page 75