by Aman Gupta
He pointed a gun at Emma, while his men pointed their guns at all three of them. Emma, Joey and Eric backed up a little.
A minute later, he said, “I am almost tempted to kill you all right at this very moment. But that will be too easy. Show’s just getting started.”
He smiled, whistled a tune, and got in his car. The cavalry drove away. Emma, Joey and Eric breathed a sigh of relief.
“Did we do the right thing?” asked Joey.
“We saved lives,” said Emma.
“Wonder what Vik will feel about it,” said Joey.
“We’ll handle him. It wasn’t his decision to make,” said Emma.
“He once told me about a puzzle, that he needs to solve. I just hope it wasn’t this,” said Eric.
“His puzzle is not worth 20,000 lives,” said Emma.
“Let’s hope so,” said Eric.
Joey and Emma looked at Eric while he stared down the road, looking at the horizon.
They went back to the town square. They collected the weapons from the citizens who were happy to put all of it behind them. Rest of the day passed clearing roads, removing debris and taking bodies to the cemetery. A mass funeral was held in the evening for the departed. The dead were buried without a coffin, sleeping next to each other in a single large grave. It took the efforts of hundreds, tears of thousands and sorrow of even more, but the deed was done.
At night, Eric released Emily who warned of consequences. Emma rubbished her claims, prompting her to smile.
“A hero isn’t the one whose actions postpones a tragedy, but the one whose presence prevents one. A day might come when you’ll experience the implication of my earlier actions. But I hope you’re not alive to see that,” chided Emily, before walking away.
Joey looked concerned. When she left, Eric invited Emma and Joey to his office for food and drinks.
“I feel like I should call Kate,” said Joey.
“It’s been a long day. Do it in the morning,” said Eric.
“Yeah, maybe tomorrow’s best,” said Joey.
They were both looking at Emma, hoping for her to say something about Vik. But she was just staring at her food.
“What are you thinking about?” asked Joey.
“Nothing. It’s just all these people died for a microchip,” said Emma.
“If only we had given it to them earlier,” said Eric.
“What do you mean?” asked Emma.
“They didn’t die because of the chip or even Vik for that matter. They died because we choose to fight a war. In the end, it’s all on me,” said Eric.
“It’s on all of us. We were there with you,” said Emma.
“That doesn’t make it better, does it?” said Joey, as he sipped his third drink.
“Or maybe they would’ve blown the whole town looking for that safe. Vik put us all in danger by keeping the safe in the town,” said Emma.
“It wasn’t his safe, though. I mean, the guy was carrying a thumb with him. Pretty sure it wasn’t Vik’s. Vik was just holding onto the safe, maybe even protecting it,” said Joey.
“Why are you taking his side?” asked Emma.
“I’m not. And since when do you two have different sides? Sure, I don’t know him for as long as the sheriff does. But he hasn’t even once personally let me down, or even you, for that matter. Hell, he didn’t kill Kate, the woman who murdered his entire family, because we didn’t want him to or he believed that Kate was a pawn. The massacre happened because we made the decision, not him. We are blaming him because it’s easier that way. Does he owes us some answers? Yes. But now so do we,” said Joey.
Emma left without eating anything. Few minutes later, Joey and Eric left too.
Joey called Kate in the morning but didn’t tell her about the turn of events. Later, he joined Eric and Emma in their efforts of rebuilding the town along with the rest of the residents. In the evening, they sat down for a talk.
“You were right, yesterday. I wasn’t thinking straight,” said Emma.
“None of us were,” said Joey.
“It’s just that I feel responsible whenever anything happens, knowing that I could’ve done something to stop it. When I felt that Vik was the reason behind all this, I was really holding myself responsible,” said Emma.
“But you aren’t. In fact, none of us are,” said Eric.
“You add a thing and the entire perspective changes. Two days ago, all we could think about was finding the missing girls. But now, here we are, hoping for peace after fighting a war,” said Joey.
“Technically, it wasn’t a war. It didn’t last much long,” joked Eric.
“Because I shot those choppers and jets with my awesome skills. Like bam, bam, bam!” laughed Joey.
All of them smiled.
The next day went by too, but the town had started resembling like its former image. People were getting out again, children had started playing and businesses opened their operations. Emma thought about calling Vik, but decided not to. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say.
The next morning, she reached the station to find Kate there. She smiled and hugged her from behind. Kate turned around and hugged her, both of them grinning. Joey and Eric smiled too.
“When did you come?” asked Emma.
“Few hours ago,” said Kate.
Kate told them about Old River and the missing girls, leaving out the part about Jericho. They were ecstatic to know about the return of both girls, including Ally Drew’s. Emma asked about Vik, to which Kate replied that he had went to his house to get some stuff. She also said that Vik and she were planning to go to Atlantis.
“We think that the missing girl and Sam are being kept there,” said Kate.
When Kate enquired, Eric told her about the events that happened in Morrow. Kate was shocked and looked at Joey for not telling her anything. He apologized but told her that it wasn’t a conversation to be had on phone.
Minutes later, Vik entered the station and ran into Adam. Vik smiled while Adam hugged him. Officers Mortan and Trent shook his hands which surprised him.
He came up to the group. He noticed Emma wasn’t making eye contact with him, while Joey and Eric were looking at her.
“We go out for a few days and you burn this place down, huh, Eric?” said Vik.
Eric smiled, and hugged Vik.
“It’s good to see you too,” said Eric.
“So what happened here?” asked Vik.
“These guys came in. They were looking for something. We tried holding them off but it looked like a losing battle. So we gave them what they wanted,” said Eric.
“Guys? What guys? What did they want here, more fruits?” smiled Vik.
Kate smiled too, which freaked out Joey.
“Wait, when did this happen?” said Joey, as he got up.
“When did what happen?” asked Vik.
“You making jokes, she smiling,” said Joey.
“Oh. That. We fell in love and even slept together in West Gate,” said Kate.
“What!” said Joey and Emma together.
Eric laughed, and said, “They’re joking.”
“No, we aren’t. There isn’t an easy way to say this, but Kate and I are together now,” said Vik.
He walked up to Kate from behind and kissed her on her right cheek.
“Oh my god,” said Eric, in shock.
Few seconds later, Kate burst into laughter, and Vik started laughing too.
“Okay, you got me. You got me,” said Eric, raising his hands a little.
Joey and Emma started snickering.
“So yeah, what guys, and what were they looking for?” asked Kate.
“Some guy named Anton,” said Joey.
Vik and Kate stopped smiling and looked at each other.
“What did he want?” asked Kate.
“A safe,” said Emma, while she looked at Vik.
Vik looked horrified.
Joey said, “We found a stash of weapons in the lab, left by Vik. T
here was a safe. These guys wanted it. Wanted the blue microchip. They brought a thumb and everything.”
“Oh no,” shuddered Vik. “They got it. What have you done! What have you done!”
Eric came forward while Vik started walking backwards. He ran out of the station. Everyone ran after him. He got in his car and drove away.
“Should we go after him?” asked Joey.
“No, leave him be,” said Kate.
She climbed the stairs and walked inside. They followed her. “Who’s Anton? Do you know this name?” asked Joey.
“We met a guy near Old River, who worked for someone named Anton, who is responsible for the kidnappings,” said Kate.
“Why did he want the microchip?” asked Emma.
“I don’t know. Jay never mentioned a chip. I mean Vik,” said Kate.
“Why is Anton kidnapping the girls?” asked Joey.
“Anton’s just a gun for hire. He’s working for someone else, probably someone at Atlantis,” said Kate.
“So he’s going to Atlantis too, then,” said Eric.
“Mostly likely. Atlantis is the thread that connects everything,” said Kate.
Eric called Vik on his phone but he didn’t pick up. Emma, Joey and Kate tried too, but he didn’t take their calls either. They waited for five hours, but didn’t hear anything from him. Joey showed Kate the crawl space. They tested Kate’s hand on the scanner but it wasn’t in her DNA either.
“I’m worried about him,” said Joey.
“He can handle himself,” said Eric.
“Are you sure?” asked Emma.
“Yes,” said Eric.
“We can’t just sit here,” said Emma.
“Let’s go to his house,” said Kate.
They drove to his house, but saw it was locked. Joey looked through the windows, but didn’t see anyone.
“There’s no one who would know about him. Should’ve put a tracker in his car when I had the chance,” said Kate.
“There might be someone,” said Emma.
She called Emily to ask about Vik. A minute later, she returned and shook her head in the negative.
“You don’t think he went after Anton to Atlantis, do you?” asked Emma.
“Some days, I don’t know how his mind works. Today’s one of those days,” said Eric.
“No, we talked about actually asking all of you to join us in infiltrating Atlantis. Going alone is suicide,” said Kate.
After looking at top places in the town, they returned to the station and saw Vik’s car was parked there.
They rushed inside and saw him sitting on Emma’s chair.
“Where were you? We were so scared,” said Emma.
“There’s something I had to do,” said Vik.
“Do what?” asked Emma.
“Get the chip back,” said Vik.
“Did you get it back?” asked Joey.
“What! No, of course not. It’s not magic. What do I do? Ask the guy nicely to hand over the chip and I leave him alone,” taunted Vik.
“We didn’t have a choice,” said Eric.
“Of course not. I understand,” said Vik.
“But we will go to Atlantis with you,” said Emma.
“No, thank you,” said Vik.
“What does that mean?” asked Emma.
“Things have changed. I don’t want you there,” said Vik.
“Well, it’s not up to you,” said Kate.
“I doubt that,” said Vik.
“What’s the real matter, Vik?” asked Eric.
“I don’t want you cowards with me,” said Vik.
“Cowards? For not fighting an unnecessary war? We saved lives,” shouted Emma.
“What do you want, a medal?” provoked Vik.
“What do you know about saving lives, huh? You couldn’t even save your own family,” remarked Emma.
She was immediately apologetic. Vik looked at Kate, got up and started walking away.
“Vik, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” said Emma. He stopped half way and said, “Till we meet again.”
“Where are you going?” asked Eric.
“Do what I know best. I’ll burn it all down. Don’t follow me,” said Vik. He exited the precinct while everyone else looked.
As he reached his home, he called the mayor.
“I gave you 2 hours. That was 4 hours ago. I need an answer,” said Vik.
“It’s not easy. I can’t just ask warden to do this,” said Pete.
“Like I told you to your face before – either get me in or I’ll tell everyone how you took blood money from Jericho to pay for your lifestyle.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do this. But you don’t tell anyone about this. Deal?” said Pete.
“Deal,” said Vik.
“And what if something goes wrong and your friends start looking,” said Pete.
“Don’t worry. Already burned that bridge,” said Vik.
Vik stayed up all night. He didn’t want anyone to show up. Saying goodbye two times will be dreadful, he thought. No one showed up.
He drove up to Stanton Road Penitentiary in the morning. He met with the warden who informed him that the plan was in progress. He gave Vik a guard uniform.
“Is she coming?” asked Vik.
“Yes, the call suggested so. She sounded worried. There’s only so much pain a sister can watch her brother endure,” said the warden.
“Great,” said Vik.
“Who’s she to you? Why are you doing this?” asked the warden.
“Just trying to ensure that she doesn’t end up here as well,” said Vik.
“Well, I hope you’re successful. Stanton Road is a terrible place for the innocent.”
“Make sure you don’t allow her bodyguards in,” said Vik.
“Yeah, we’ll drum up the good old inspection excuse,” said the warden.
As the clock hit 2 in the noon, Vik positioned himself near the visitor’s room. Olivia was told that her brother’s condition was frail, and he had requested a meeting. One part of that sentence was accurate.
She showed up. The guards asked her bodyguards to wait outside the compound. Olivia was forced to comply once the warden intervened. The only thing on her mind was her brother.
She entered the hall to go towards the visitor’s lounge. As she reached the middle, Vik pulled her inside the filing room and locked the door. Olivia regained her balance and saw him standing there.
“We need to talk,” said Vik.
“I don’t want to talk,” said Olivia.
“I know what you’re planning,” said Vik.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now let me go or I’ll scream,” said Olivia, and pushed Vik.
“Give me fifteen minutes. I’ll get your brother to safety,” said Vik.
“You did this, didn’t you? You used my brother for your gain. For what? Just a leverage?” said Olivia.
“Yes, I did. And I’m sorry. But I didn’t have any other choice,” said Vik.
She went for the door and he grabbed her. He pushed her, she hit her head on the wall and fell down. He went to her to ask if she was alright. As he bent down, she kicked him. She got up and ran, but he grabbed her ankle.
“Olivia, stop!” said Vik.
She stopped moving. He let go of the ankle. They both got up simultaneously. He could notice the pain on her face, none of it was physical. She walked to a nearby chair and sat down, wiping her face and brushing the hair back from her forehead.
Vik sat down next to her. They didn’t say anything for five minutes.
Olivia was staring at the floor, Vik was alternating between the wall and her.
“What do you want?” asked Olivia.
“I want to get you out of this mess,” said Vik.
“Just because you don’t understand something, that doesn’t mean it’s a mess,” said Olivia.
“You have kidnapped 37 girls. How’s that not a mess?” said Vik.
Olivia looked at him. She didn
’t know he knew that much.
“That’s not what we are doing at Atlantis. They are test subjects. When we’re done, we return them,” said Olivia.
“Test for what?” asked Vik.
Olivia didn’t say anything.
“What’s Anthony Arnold planning to do?” asked Vik.
“Finish the game,” said Olivia.
“Are you sure? It looks like he’s planning to restart it,” said Vik.
“I can’t help you, Jay,” said Olivia. “Now, please let me go.”
“Okay. You’re free to go.” Olivia got up and went to the door.
“I’m sorry,” said Vik.
“For what?” asked Olivia.
“Everything. Only if I could use the time machine to go back,” said Vik.
“I don’t think I can go through it again. Not even the world,” said Olivia.
“Would’ve loved to trade some lives,” said Vik.
“Maybe not everything was lost. Only if you had looked closer, you would’ve seen the bigger picture,” said Olivia.
“It didn’t feel like a mistake, at the time, you know,” said Vik.
“We all made mistakes. Unfortunately, yours was..” said Olivia, before stopping after seeing the look on Vik’s face.
“Bye, Jay,” said Olivia.
“He’s dead,” said Vik.
“Who?” asked Olivia.
“Anthony Arnold,” said Vik.
“Yes, I’m aware,” said Olivia.
She went out, while Vik stayed behind.
Few minutes later, he came out and went towards to the visitor’s room. He saw Olivia smiling and talking with her broken brother, who was happy with the surprise visit. Vik went to the warden and returned the uniform. He said no idea, when the warden asked if he was successful. He asked the warden to look after Brandon.
“He’s just a pawn,” said Vik.
The warden agreed to Vik’s request.
He saw Olivia leave through the glass window. Few minutes later, he decided to leave too. As he went to his car, he saw Kate, Eric, Emma and Joey standing there. Kate showed a small tracking device to Vik, who just smiled.
Joey walked up to Vik and said, “Sometimes, cowardice can be an act of bravery.”
“Your fly’s open,” said Vik.
Joey looked down at his pants while everyone else laughed.
“I’m not planning on coming back. I can’t guarantee the same for you,” said Vik.