“No!” Skye screamed with anguish. He ran past the officers and, using what energy he had left, knocked the weapons from their hands with his mind.
A second later, he arrived at the already open side door of the moving van. Echo was waiting for him. “Give me Juliet!” the tall man ordered.
Skye didn't hesitate in taking the girl from his shoulders and roughly handing her to his friend. He took a precarious backwards glance and saw the helicopter rapidly closing the distance. With a final courageous leap, he threw himself into the van and collapsed to the floor. “Get us out of here! Now!” he screamed.
Tango pressed his foot down even harder. “Where's Sierra?” he asked, turning his head.
“Go!” Skye roared again, not having any time to consider Sierra's welfare.
Skye anxiously peered out of the open door. The officers were back in their vehicles, giving chase, and the black military helicopter pressed onwards with no sign of slowing down.
Twenty-two
Tahlia paced nervously around the suite. She could sense that Sierra was nearby, rapidly moving around the business and government districts, eagerly searching for her target.
White Shadow was moving away from her, along with Juliet. Tahlia was uncertain how Nikolai would feel about their escape. On one hand, he may not care at all. But on the other, he may be infuriated. He was an odd individual, often showing no sign of consistency when it came to his temperament.
Tahlia stood by the window, feeling the hasty movements of Sierra as she meandered about. It came as a relief though that Sierra was unaware of their whereabouts. Skye and Ren had made no more attempts at finding them since the death of Foxtrot three months earlier, instead shifting their focus to finding Archibald.
Nikolai barged through the suite doors, a perplexed and angered look on his face. “Given up already, have we?” he asked, staring in the direction of the three Tianzu. They glared back at him, not willing to comply.
“We never left,” Kai admitted smugly.
“Is that a fact? Well, that makes no sense to me whatsoever, since you were pestering me last night to grant you permission to execute White Shadow. Yet here you are, contradicting yourselves, when you could be putting your skills to use and assisting Tahlia in taking out Jacinta.”
“No,” Hana said. “The authorities are taking care of it. We're not going to intervene and risk the lives of civilians.”
Nikolai cocked his head as his blood began to boil. The Tianzu he had recruited had proven to be nothing short of useless, and they had been far from cooperative. Their company over the past three months had been painfully unwelcome for Nikolai. He had not managed to retrieve much, if any, information from them regarding the remainder of the Tianzu. Nevertheless, he kept his temper at bay and turned his attention to the woman in black. “And you, Tahlia? Surely you're more than qualified to kill the girl, are you not?”
“Marion was there,” she defended. “I had to return to base.”
Nikolai shook his head upon hearing the excuse. “My dear, you can't live in fear of this woman. You can either accept the fact that a painful death is inevitable, or you can do something about it.” He walked across the room and stood by the window that stretched from floor to ceiling, gazing across the deep blue ocean. He had spent so much time in that spot that he was beginning to leave an imprint on the soft carpet.
“No matter,” he continued, his mood lightening, “it's probably for the best that Jacinta go on living. After all, it only prolongs the game. We need only ensure that she doesn't locate this villa before dawn tomorrow.”
“Is the president safe?” Tahlia asked, changing the subject to avoid any further complaints.
“Of course. He's quite happy in his bunker.” Nikolai usually imprisoned Archibald in the bunker when Sabina and Aurelius were relieved from guard duty. It was the only place where Archibald could be alone without raising the alarm about Black Dawn's involvement in his campaign.
He slowly turned around and scowled at the three idle Tianzu warriors, his mood instantly fading at the sight of them. None of them seemed interested in hearing his rant. “I do believe that I'm beginning to lament recruiting the three of you. In all honesty, you've offered Black Dawn nothing.”
None of them uttered a word, which only further fuelled Nikolai's anger. He knew that the wisest course of action would be to bide his time, but he did not trust any of them in the slightest. He could sense no intention of a mutiny, but something in his mind indicated that they posed a huge threat to the operation.
A subtle chime interrupted his paranoid thoughts. Nikolai looked down to see his wrist comm glowing. He smirked when he recognised the name of the caller. Seldom did he receive calls, as he usually opted for a face-to-face commune. “This should be interesting,” he laughed to himself as he answered the call. “Skye, my brother!” he exclaimed, beaming at the opportunity to hear from his old friend.
“Nikolai! This has to stop!” Skye roared through the headset with unmistakable panic and desperation.
Nikolai laughed. “And whatever might the problem be?” he curiously asked. “Don't tell me they've arrested you.”
“They're trying to kill me!”
Nikolai paused and contemplated the odd statement. “Nonsense,” he dismissed. “No one's trying to kill you. I've given no such order.”
“Nikolai, the military's here, and they're shooting at us! Call this attack off, now!”
He frowned and gazed around the room. Tahlia looked at him, wondering what was being said. “Impossible,” he muttered, although now partly doubtful himself. “Bear with me a moment, if you will.” He turned and dashed out of the suite, and sprinted down the hallway hurriedly. He was uncertain whether Skye's words had any truth to them, or whether it was an eleventh-hour ploy to put a stop to Juliet's execution. Nikolai had been clear with his orders to Li Xu, but knew deep down it wasn't unbelievable for the president's staff to transgress his wishes.
“Nikolai, hurry!” Skye screamed, furious.
He bounded down another hallway and arrived at the mezzanine of the villa's grand foyer. The room was larger than most Athenian households, and comprised of dozens of government staff on the ground level, all frantically rushing about and tending to their business. The inauguration was less than twenty hours away, and there was still much work to be done.
Nikolai spotted Li Xu down below near the entrance; she was issuing commands to Guard One and the remainder of his contingent. For a brief moment, he'd feared that she may have returned to Government House. He tapped the side of his comm, muting the call with Skye. “What order have you given!” his voice thundered, echoing throughout the foyer. Everyone immediately stopped and stared up at the enraged figure.
“Excuse me?” the minister of defence asked, shooting him a menacing glance.
“I believe President Denning's order was to have the girl eliminated, and that was all,” he called back, his voice tearing through the silence. “So, why are your soldiers attempting to kill the male bogey too? You were supposed to merely apprehend him.”
She stared up at Nikolai blankly and ignored his question.
“Why are they even in the city? Surely this is only a police matter. Military involvement is hardly necessary,” he said.
“That information is classified,” she called, then turned her attention back to the Presidential Guard.
The statement infuriated him beyond imagination. The balcony rail splintered as Nikolai began to crush the wood in his grasp. He hurled himself over the edge, landing gently on the ground floor. A second later, he was towering over Li Xu. “What's classified? I'm the chief counsel!” he bellowed, and grabbed her by the collar.
Guard One raised his gun and placed it between Nikolai's eyes, the cool metal pressing into his skin. The remainder of the Guard followed suit, all raising their weapons high. The numerous personnel in the room scattered upon seeing the altercation.
Nikolai stared at the scene about him. More than a d
ozen automatic weapons were pointed in his direction. He could sense the intentions of every one of the hostiles, and knew it was a situation he had best remove himself from immediately—all of them were willing to kill. He slowly released Li Xu's collar and raised his hands to indicate that he meant no further harm. While he was confident he could transport himself away from the gunfire in the blink of an eye, he decided to not further antagonise the minister or the Guard, lest he cause any further irreparable damage to Archibald's political party. More planning had gone into this operation than he cared to admit, and it could all be undone with a single rash decision.
“Don't place your hands on me again,” Xu warned as she glared at the tall man. She was a seasoned fighter, having spent several years herself in Xiaguo's military and seeing the many horrors of combat—Nikolai's threats were empty and ineffective.
“Why are your soldiers in the city?” he asked again, eagerly trying to pry the information from her.
“If you lay another hand on either myself or any other minister, you'll be arrested for treason, Mr Sweeney,” she warned, ignoring his question.
“Dr Sweeney,” he barked back at her, his fists clenched. “What do you mean the information is classified?” The Guard lowered their weapons.
“The military is governed by the Union, and you aren't a representative. You have no authority over them.”
Nikolai clenched his teeth. Once again, the confusing political hierarchy of Athenia was becoming an unwanted nuisance. “I have no authority, you say?” He backed away from the contingent. “Very well. But I know someone who does.” He turned and ran out of the room, racing to a safe part of the villa where he could transport himself without being seen.
Twenty-three
“Nikolai, hurry!” Skye screamed again, only to hear silence on the other end.
The White Shadow van flew south. It was clear of the business district, but several helicopters and police cars still pursued. The most dangerous of all was the military chopper that had been ordered to nullify the threat to the island nation.
The rear window exploded inward as another bullet hit them. Glass shards landed on Juliet, who was lying on the floor in a terrified heap.
“Skye, we can't outrun them!” Tango warned from the front. “We'll all be killed at this rate.”
“Enough!” Skye shouted, bewildered by his pessimism. He swiped his comm and returned to Ren. “Have you found anything yet? Can you stop them?” A loud bang echoed from the back of the van as another bullet ripped its way through.
“I'm trying,” she called back, desperate to put a stop to the attack.
“No!” Tango roared as he spotted a police cruiser coming at them from head-on. He pulled hard on the wheel and turned down a smaller street, sending Skye soaring into the side wall of the vehicle. The cruiser followed, along with several others. “This is ridiculous,” he complained. The unyielding onslaught was exhausting.
“Watch it, Tango,” Skye called as he picked himself up from the floor.
“I'm doing the best I can here,” he spat back. “I'm trying not to get us killed.”
Skye turned and looked out of the shattered rear window. “The helicopters aren't behind us. The street's too narrow.”
Tango skilfully weaved in and out of traffic, avoiding the slower vehicles. Innocent bystanders on the sides of the road watched the scene with curiosity.
“Skye, it's over!” Ren called excitedly. “The pursuit has been called off. The order looks like it might have come from the president.”
“Really?” he asked, surprised by the news, but grateful to hear that Nikolai may have actually proven useful for once. He continued to watch the police cruisers behind him. Several seconds passed before they began to slow down. “They're leaving,” he sighed with relief.
Tango glanced in the side mirror of the van and saw the flashing lights gradually fade into the distance.
Skye slumped to the floor, a wave of exhaustion striking him suddenly.
“Come back to base,” Ren ordered. “We need to think of our next move.”
Skye offered no response. His mind was still reeling from the morning's events. As he sat in the back, he paused and wondered how it had spiralled out of control so quickly.
Twenty-four
Archibald Denning stood by the window in the suite, pleased to have a view of the ocean once again. He hated nothing more than being confined to Nikolai's bunker, and was grateful for the reprieve.
“Please don't question my orders, minister,” he said to Li Xu through his comm. He turned his head and saw that Nikolai was staring at him with a hateful gaze. Archie looked away and returned to face the window, confused as to why he was being held responsible for what had just occurred in the city.
The door to the suite opened, and Sabina and Aurelius trudged in.
“Why didn't you send Tahlia to collect us?” Sabina asked, somewhat annoyed with Nikolai.
Nikolai held his hand up and silenced her. He kept his gaze focussed on the president.
“That's irrelevant,” Archie said, still engaged in conversation with the minister of defence. “It wasn't a credible enough threat. Innocent civilians could've been caught in the crossfire.”
“The woman attacked us,” Sabina complained. “Marion. Or Sierra. Or whatever you call her.”
“Not now,” Nikolai hissed.
Kai stood up at the mention of the name. “You see? She's a threat and needs to be disposed of.”
Nikolai punched a hole in the wall in rage, sending a deafening crunch through the room. “I said not now!” he screamed.
“Very well,” Archie growled. “That's your prerogative, minister. But I would advise you to maintain caution. I will not have any of my staff undermine me ... Yes, I know that, but you still work for me, and the other presidents in the Union.”
He terminated the call, then turned to face the room. Every set of eyes was trained on his. He felt his heart begin to race.
Nikolai stepped forward and looked down at the elderly man. “Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you now.”
“Nikolai ...” he began, but was interrupted by the powerful man's hand wrapping around his throat. He felt himself lift from the ground as Nikolai held him pinned against the glass window behind him.
“Yes?” Nikolai asked. “What is it? Speak!”
Archibald couldn't breath. He reached his hands up and tried to free himself from Nikolai's grasp, but he felt his life begin to slip away with every passing second.
“Nikolai, stop!” Tahlia called. “You need him alive.”
Nikolai dropped the old man, then walked back to the wall, punching another giant hole through it. “Yes, thank you for reminding me,” he said sarcastically.
Archibald sucked in the air around him and pressed his hand to his throat, inspecting his windpipe.
“Why would you order Skye's execution!” Nikolai thundered, demanding answers.
The president held his hands up innocently. “I didn't,” he defended. He took a moment to pick himself up from the ground. “I did as you asked—I called the police commissioner and ordered the girl's execution and Skye's arrest, and then I told my media liaison that the girl had killed a soldier.”
Nikolai groaned, dubious. “Is that so? Then why were soldiers trying to kill them?”
“That wasn't my doing,” he responded, shaking his head. “Obviously Li Xu saw both of them as a threat and placed the order. She already had soldiers stationed in Zhengfu to be on standby for the inauguration.”
“And she has the power to do that? She doesn't need authority from her leader? She can simply order one's execution autonomously?”
Archibald nodded, once again frustrated by Nikolai's lack of political knowledge. “I'm not her leader—she works directly for the Union. Remember, the Union shares a military, unlike your home country, Alexa.”
The tall man scoffed. “Well then I suppose it explains how Athenia is so renowned for being such a strict and s
ecure nation. Perhaps, if anything, it will only aid my cause once I impose a public curfew. What did she say to you just now?”
“We're wasting time here,” Kai said. “If we don't kill that woman, Sierra, you won't have a group anymore.”
“What did the minister of defence say?” Nikolai asked again, ignoring the Tianzu's plea.
“She wasn't impressed that I overturned her order,” the president said. “She's reporting me to the Union, as she believes that I endangered Athenia by not allowing the threat to be nullified.”
“I see,” Nikolai said as he took his place by the window. “And what will become of this report? Is it anything that I need be concerned about?”
“No, most likely not. However, you need to be cautious, Nikolai. If the Union believes I'm not fit for duty, I can be removed as Athenia's leader.”
“What's our next move?” Sabina asked, eager to resume finding Sierra after the recent attack.
“Our next move is to launch a full assault on the White Shadow base,” Kai suggested.
“Enough,” Nikolai said, exhausted by the tiresome debate. “Let us take a recess. It was an interesting morning, and I need you all to be on guard today. Especially you, Tahlia.” He turned and faced the woman in black. “If Skye comes anywhere near this villa, inform me first. I can't have you running off like that again.”
Tahlia nodded enthusiastically, grateful to be given a second chance.
“Nikolai, can I please stay in the suite?” Archibald begged, although also annoyed that the leader of a nation had to actually ask for such permission. “If I have to stay in the bunker again, I won't feel rested enough by morning.”
“As you wish,” Nikolai allowed. The president almost gasped in surprise. “I'm going for a leisurely stroll so that I can have some time to think. You're all to stay here. That includes you three,” he said, pointing to the Tianzu. Kai and Hana scowled back at him. “Denning, call your media liaison again. Tell them that Jacinta attempted to assassinate you.”
Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets) Page 28