by Orson B Wolf
He moistened his dry lips and strained himself to answer, “David.”
She smiled encouragingly. “Very good, David. I’m Megan. Do you remember how you got here?”
He tried to remember when something heavy pressed itself to his stomach. It made him cough. He looked down and saw Max’s black head. The brown eyes looked at him with concern.
“Take the dog away,” Megan said impatiently.
Gabriel walked into the circle of light and pulled Max away.
Shouts echoed in the distance, accompanied by the beeping of radios and the wailing sirens of emergency vehicles. All that noise deeply disturbed him. He wasn’t sure whether the noises were related to him or sounded because of… because of everything that had been going on!
He suddenly remembered everything—grandma’s kidnapping, his own abduction, the time he’d spent in that dark room, the plate hidden in the collar. He remembered the nuclear threat, and most importantly, he remembered what he had to do.
A sense of urgency welled in him as he realized there wasn’t another moment to lose. He needed a computer with internet access, and he needed it right now. He looked at all the people around him, along with the nurse leaning over him. He wanted to talk to her, but instead of words, a painful cough burst from his chest again.
The nurse took out a stethoscope and pressed it against David’s chest. “Let me check that cough.” She listened attentively and twisted her nose. David somehow managed to stifle his cough. The world started to spin around him again; the cough had drained his strength. He sighed heavily and looked at her attentively. He had to talk. Had to make her understand.
“Pneumonia.” She turned to the others and traced a circle in the air with her finger. “All right, let’s get out of here.” She grabbed the IV stand hanging over him, while another man supported the other end of the stretcher. Together, they rolled him toward a nearby ambulance. The wheels of the stretcher bounced over the muddy surface, and David felt every bone in his body rattling. Something banged against his left elbow and he groaned out. They reached the open ambulance doors. The legs of the stretcher folded as it was pushed into the vehicle.
Lying on the stretcher, David saw two people boarding the ambulance after him. Gabriel sat to his right and Megan to his left. Max leaped inside and placed his head on David’s legs. Gabriel grabbed Max’s collar and shouted at the driver: “Go!”
The ambulance doors slammed shut and the vehicle began moving, bumping hard. The wheels slowly waded their way in the mud toward the road. The nurse stretched a hand up to hold the ceiling, squeezing a handle and the police officer followed her example.
David opened his mouth again. Every minute was critical now. “Wait… you don’t understand,” he said hoarsely.
“Shh…” Megan gave him a soothing smile. “Just rest now.”
She drew something from one of the drawers. “Look what I have here. An energy bar.” She waved it in front of his eyes. “You got your fluids, now you need a little nourishment.”
“But…” That bothersome cough overtook him again. He wanted to scream for them to stop the vehicle. He knew what he had to do to prevent this horrible war. It was a gamble, yes, but it might just work.
Gabriel stared out the back window intently. Megan watched Max with nervous eyes. It seemed that she wasn’t too thrilled with the dog’s presence in the ambulance.
Why would they believe him if he said that he had the ability to stop the global madness?
“We’re on the way to the hospital.” Gabriel was the one talking to him now. He must have seen the urgency in David’s face and tried to calm him down. “Your parents have already been updated.” He smiled. “They’re on their way to meet you in the emergency room. I tried to tell them that they would be better off staying at the shelter, but your parents are pretty stubborn. Who would have guessed?” He added a wink, just in case the boy had not understood the subtle irony.
David turned his head, looking around quickly. Maybe there was a computer in the ambulance somewhere. His field of vision was limited, and the strap fastened against his chest prevented him from moving. He looked at the policeman. “Gabriel, listen to me.”
The policemen raised an eyebrow when he heard David calling him by name.
David slowly continued, trying not to cough, “This is important.”
Gabriel leaned toward him.
David opened his mouth when a siren pierced the air.
The undulating sound was deafening. For a moment, David thought the driver had turned on the ambulance siren, but the panicked looks exchanged by Gabriel and Megan made it clear that this wasn’t the case.
“Last time there was a siren, they said that it was nothing but a—” Megan stated.
Gabriel interjected for the rest of the sentence. “Just a reaction to the Russians turning on their own sirens.” He turned silent.
“Let’s try to be optimistic.” Megan attempted a smile. “It’s probably another false alarm, it has to be.”
David tried to sit up, but the strap pressed against his chest prevented him from doing so. “This isn’t a false alarm!” he cried hoarsely. They both turned to stare at him.
David closed his eyes, trying to think of the right words to say.
“You have to listen to me—” He tried again, but Megan interrupted him.
She shouted at the driver, “We’d better hurry up!” Then she turned to Gabriel. “They have a proper shelter in the hospital.” Gabriel nodded in agreement.
David was too tired, too weak. He had no chance of convincing them to listen to him.
He remembered the meaning of the sirens now. The people of the prophet had provided him with this information some time ago. The American satellites must have recognized the launch preparations at the Russian missile sites. Within minutes, perhaps even seconds, the worst possible outcome would happen.
Maybe they would have listened to him if only he had been a little healthier, more convincing—damn it, a little older. His eyes filled with tears as he thought of his parents who had left the safety of their shelter to meet him at the hospital. He was hoping they had already reached the emergency room and were being taken to the shelter along with everyone else.
The siren ended as abruptly as it had begun. All David could hear now was the hum of the engine and the rattling of the ambulance equipment. David tried to look out through the window, waiting to see a blinding flash of light any moment now. Gabriel’s face reflected in the window. The police officer’s eyes were closed. He was praying.
The ambulance stopped with a screech of tires.
Megan and Gabriel lifted up off the side benches as the ambulance doors were yanked opened and someone quickly hopped inside. David tried to stretch up and see what was going on, but was once again frustrated by the strap pinning him to the stretcher.
Max stood on high alert, staring at the guest as well.
A firm voice followed. “Change of plans. Get out now.” The man got closer and David recognized him. His jaw dropped open in surprise. It was Paul. He was holding a case in his hand and drew a thin laptop out of it.
“Clear the vehicle,” he said with the same firm voice. “Instructions coming from above.”
“Who are you?” Megan muttered a protest, but it was Gabriel who hushed her.
“All right.” The giant police officer placed a soothing hand on the nurse’s shoulder. “This is important. Come with me.”
“But we need to hurry to the hospital!” she protested, but Gabriel simply held her hand and led her to the door. He pulled Max’s leash with his other hand. The dog was sniffing Paul curiously.
Megan left the ambulance as the giant officer stopped beside his friend. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said quietly.
“Me? I have no idea, I’m only following instructions.” Paul shrugged and pointed at David.
“But you can be sure that he knows.”
Both men lowered their eyes to the boy lying and looking at them tensely.
Gabriel leaned toward David. “Good luck.” Then he jumped out after Megan.
Paul acted quickly. He handed the laptop to David and released the stretcher strap from his chest. He lifted the stretcher, and with a click, David sat in a more comfortable position.
“How did you know?” the boy whispered and motioned at the laptop.
“Specific instructions from the prophet.” Paul smiled and winked at David, who blinked with incomprehension. He leaned forward with genuine concern etched across his face and added quietly, “I’m happy to see you alive.”
David smiled appreciatively and tried to understand, to focus. He turned on the computer with his healthy hand.
“There’s a WIFI connection here. Everything is ready for you.”
“Thanks,” David replied. He went online and accessed the prophet software.
Paul allowed him to work privately and moved to the back of the ambulance.
David followed Paul with his eyes, then noticed Rachel.
She peeked inside, her eyes met his, and her face dropped, and disappeared from his view. “What’s she doing here?” he whispered tiredly.
“She came with me,” Paul answered. When he saw David’s angry expression, he continued with a soft voice. “Your friend’s a hero. She saved Max.”
David shook his head and took a deep breath. He didn’t understand what Paul had meant, but had no time to further delve into it. He had to focus on the mission. “You better leave now.”
Paul was ready for that. He nodded with understanding, turned around and left.
David watched the doors slam shut as the access box appeared on the laptop screen. He typed the password and moved to the next screen. A voice recognition message appeared next. Now he had to cough, which wasn’t too difficult. All he had to do was open his mouth for the painful cough to burst outside.
“Recognition failed.”
David blinked. That was unusual. He must be too sick for the software to recognize. He coughed again, this time managing to log in.
He sighed in relief.
***
Paul joined Rachel outside the ambulance.
She stood there, hugging her little dog. When he stood beside her, she raised her eyes and looked at him questioningly.
“What is he doing with the computer? Why did he ask you to leave?”
He was about to answer, but then an idea came to his head. “Come with me.”
She walked after him and they approached Gabriel. Megan was also there. She was standing beside the giant policeman, nervously biting her nail.
Paul clapped Gabriel’s shoulder and pointed at the patrol car. “You have a television screen in your car, right?”
Gabriel seemed to have read his thoughts. “That’s right, come.”
The four moved into the patrol car. Gabriel and Paul sat in the front seats, and a thin screen slid from the ceiling with a faint buzz and stopped in front of their eyes.
The sound of an emergency newscast filled the vehicle. They watched batteries of missiles pointing at the sky. The title at the bottom of the screen announced the worst possible news: “The U.S. preparing for a Russian strike.”
The image changed to show the news studio. The panel included five nervous people, one wearing a uniform. The host was pale as a ghost. “We repeat, this isn’t a drill.” He touched his earpiece and looked straight at the camera. “It looks like we are going to receive an update about a launch any moment now.”
Megan gasped loudly. “You guys are insane. We need to get to a shelter, don’t you see what’s going on?” She went to open the door and was horrified to discover that it was locked. “What’s going on? Open the door for me right now!” She was breathing hard, her eyes nervously darting in every direction. “We have to go now!”
“Pay attention—something is happening!” Gabriel’s booming voice had made them all look at the screen.
Megan drew silent and watched.
The television host touched his earpiece in bewilderment. “We have an update. The prophet is going live right now.” His associates in the studio all woke to life and looked at each other, completely surprised.
“Well, it’s about time,” grunted one of the reporters. He turned to the department of defense spokesman. “Do you know anything about this?”
The uniformed man shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Well, we can’t be sure this isn’t some hoax.” He started to answer, but the host interrupted him. “This is the real deal, he’s live right now, and not just with us. This is being broadcast all over the world right now.”
The screen was split in half: a dark screen was seen on the left-hand side, while the studio panel was seen on the right. The department of defense spokesman shook his head. “I won’t believe it until I see him with my own eyes,” he said angrily.
Max suddenly began to bark wildly. Buffy immediately echoed him and the vehicle filled with thunderous barking.
“Shh... quiet!” Gabriel and Paul tried to hush the dogs while keeping their eyes on the screen.
The prophet did not appear. The left side of the screen remained black.
The department of defense spokesman pounded the table with his fist. “He’s disappeared again, right when we need him most. This isn’t the first time the whole world is waiting to hear this man who calls himself a prophet, and when the moment of truth comes, he simply bails out!”
Rachel looked at Max. The dog continued to bark with his face turned outside. His eyes were wide open, and he looked furious. She suddenly realized where his barks were directed.
“Quickly, open the door!” Rachel exchanged glances with Paul. He seemed to have read her mind and nodded at Gabriel.
A click sounded and the door opened. Rachel jumped out of the patrol car, immediately followed by Max and Buffy. She ran to the ambulance, her feet sinking into the deep mud. When she had finally reached the ambulance, she opened its doors and jumped inside. David was lying unconscious on the stretcher. The laptop was on the floor.
“Oh my god. So it’s true,” she declared in amazement
“David, wake up!” She leaned in and spoke urgently.
David did not react. Max pushed himself forward and began to lick David’s face vigorously. David grunted and Max, in reply, began to bark furiously.
The boy finally opened his eyes and looked up, confused. His eyes met Rachel’s.
“You have to finish what you started!”
David did not reply. He was stunned, as though not understanding where he was.
She grabbed the back of his head with both her hands and whispered into his ear, “It’s time to save the world.” She picked up the laptop from the floor, placed it on David’s lap, and touched the darkened screen.
David blinked at her, then lowered his eyes to the screen. A thin bleep sounded as the computer woke to life.
David’s eyes suddenly widened with understanding. He took a deep breath.
“Thanks,” he whispered. “I have to go on. There’s no other choice.”
“Are you all right?” she asked.
He looked into her eyes and saw a genuine concern.
“I think so.” He started typing with a single hand. Rachel held her breath, with admiration in her eyes. David was obviously in pain. She carefully steadied the laptop for him.
“Just do your thing, we’re with you.” She sighed and turned to leave when she heard his hoarse voice, “Wait a minute. I need your help.”
***
Megan stood near the ambulance and wanted to get inside. The boy was clearly in distress and required medical attention, but Paul grabbed her elbow and prevented her from moving. “Wait a minute,” he said with confidence.
Gabriel’s voice sounded behind their backs. “You have to see this!” They turned back and saw him motioning for them to come quickly. They got back in his vehicle and raised their eyes at the screen.
Now, instead of the darkened half, the familiar image of the prophet could be seen: a pixelated image shrouded by a hood. The title below screamed with red letters: “Live—The Prophet Finally Speaks.”
“Can you hear me now?” the familiar, metallic voice could clearly be heard.
“Yes, we hear you now.” The host exchanged nervous glances with the other panel members.
There was a moment of silence before the voice spoke again. “Many things are happening now, and I’ll start with the most important ones.”
“We’re listening,” the host said. “The whole world is listening.”
“Well, pay attention. My absence over the course of the past few days had nothing to do with what I am about to say next.”
Paul and Gabriel exchanged nervous glances. Megan covered her mouth with both hands, muttering a silent prayer.
A silence fell as the reporters in the studio looked at the host. Paul glanced nervously at the ambulance. Had David passed out again?
The prophet resumed talking. The monotonous voice spoke as usual: slowly and confidently.
“Let me begin by addressing the most burning question. The things I will say next are not just wishful thinking, but exact facts. Here’s what will happen next.”
The department of defense spokesman nervously tapped the surface of the table with his fingers.
“The Russian army will not launch any missiles. Not today, not in the next few weeks. This is also true for the western countries. No missiles will be launched. The current tension will wind down, and from now on, we will be able to see a gradual process of reconciliation between the two sides.”
“All right.” The host let out a sigh of relief and glanced at his colleagues. Another brief pause followed before the robotic voice sounded again.
“As for the rest, including the circumstances of my absence, I will relate to those at a later time. Meanwhile, I would like to commend the professional conduct of the security forces. They have their work cut out for them today. It won’t be easy to get things back to normal.”