Soldier: parts 16-20
Chapter 16: Startling news
Linkin paced through the house as Max continued to come up empty. He had thought that Max’s computer genius was perfect. Max had always had the solution to every problem. He had been instrumental in everything they had accomplished thus far. It all felt so hopeless now. Although he had had quite a bit to drink, he didn’t feel drunk at all. His veins were still coursing with sheer adrenaline, keeping him fully aware and not the least bit intoxicated.
He had been so sure that they were close, and now Charton was dead and they had only 4 hours left to rescue Murasaki and no leads.
It was then that the phone rang. Agent answered. “Yes...” his eyes widened, “what? No, he left over an hour ago! He should be there...” He paused for a moment. “Just a minute.” He held the phone to his shoulder and turned to Linkin. “Mario never showed up to help Lord of Light.”
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Shadow peered into the shadows, trying to catch a glimpse of his bosses face as he set the box on the table. It was said that no one knew his identity. He was concentrating so intently that he jumped when the dark figure spoke in a deep, commanding voice. “You may leave now.”
“Ye- yes sir,” stammered Shadow in shock. He instantly turned to leave, Gamefan and Spritemaster on his heels.
It wasn’t until they closed the door that the figure in the back of the room reached for the box. He held it in his hand for a moment, and then twisted and poked at the box for a moment before releasing the secret bottom. He smiled to himself for a moment when he saw that the disk was in place, hidden within the box, then closed it back up and put it in his safe.
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Identity peered out the window upon an empty street. His targets were still not present. He reached down again to check his gun and insure that it was working properly. He peered down the street, sighting through the scope. He lowered the gun again, but just as he was putting it down, motion caught the corner of his eye.
He counted carefully, 5 figures, 3 male, 2 female. He recognized two of the males as his targets. The others could be allowed to live.
Identity brought his sniper rifle up to his shoulder, and squinted through the scope, centering the crosshairs on the center figure. He pulled the trigger.
Linkin paced through the house as Max continued to come up empty. He had thought that Max’s computer genius was perfect. Max had always had the solution to every problem. He had been instrumental in everything they had accomplished thus far. It all felt so hopeless now. Although he had had quite a bit to drink, he didn’t feel drunk at all. His veins were still coursing with sheer adrenaline, keeping him fully aware and not the least bit intoxicated.
He had been so sure that they were close, and now Charton was dead and they had only 4 hours left to rescue Murasaki and no leads.
It was then that the phone rang. Agent answered. “Yes...” his eyes widened, “what? No, he left over an hour ago! He should be there...” He paused for a moment. “Just a minute.” He held the phone to his shoulder and turned to Linkin. “Mario never showed up to help Lord of Light.”
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Shadow peered into the shadows, trying to catch a glimpse of his bosses face as he set the box on the table. It was said that no one knew his identity. He was concentrating so intently that he jumped when the dark figure spoke in a deep, commanding voice. “You may leave now.”
“Ye- yes sir,” stammered Shadow in shock. He instantly turned to leave, Gamefan and Spritemaster on his heels.
It wasn’t until they closed the door that the figure in the back of the room reached for the box. He held it in his hand for a moment, and then twisted and poked at the box for a moment before releasing the secret bottom. He smiled to himself for a moment when he saw that the disk was in place, hidden within the box, then closed it back up and put it in his safe.
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Identity peered out the window upon an empty street. His targets were still not present. He reached down again to check his gun and insure that it was working properly. He peered down the street, sighting through the scope. He lowered the gun again, but just as he was putting it down, motion caught the corner of his eye.
He counted carefully, 5 figures, 3 male, 2 female. He recognized two of the males as his targets. The others could be allowed to live.
Identity brought his sniper rifle up to his shoulder, and squinted through the scope, centering the crosshairs on the center figure. He pulled the trigger.
Chapter 17: One man down
Linkin, Agent, Max, Zinovia and Butter walked hurriedly down the street from the parking structure where Mario had parked towards Lord of Light’s mansion. Linkin was in front, trailed closely by Max and Agent, and then Zinovia and Butter.
It was quite a sizable distance to walk and Linkin had a pebble in his shoe that was annoying him considerably. He adjusted his foot several times, attempting to shake it into a better position, to no avail. “I wonder what could have happened to him?” wondered Agent aloud.
“Oh, I hope he’s okay,” fretted Butter. The rock was becoming increasingly more annoying to Linkin.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Zinovia put a comforting arm around Butter’s shoulder. “He’ll probably already be there when we arrive. Look, there’s his house up ahead!”
Linkin was sick of the pebble. He bent down to take off his shoe. Then everything seemed to happen so suddenly. There was a loud gunshot blast, like an explosion and he heard Zinovia scream. Linkin spun around to see Zinovia lying on the ground in a pool of blood, grasping her leg. Agent already had his gun out and was scanning the nearby buildings, looking for any sign of the shooter. Butter cradled Zinovia in her arms. Max and Linkin ran to Zinovia and Max looked over her wound. “Ooh, this looks serious. We need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible.”
Linkin whipped out his Verizon Wireless phone, “Oh, crap, I don’t get a signal here!”
“Quick! Run on to Lord of Light’s mansion and have him call an ambulance?” Butter screamed at him.
Linkin nodded and instantly took off. He was in decent shape and the short run was not difficult. As he rounded the corner into Lord of Light’s immense driveway he saw two men approaching him. The one in front was defiantly in charge form the way he carried himself; he was a rather tall man, with a very commanding presence. He held up a hand and Linkin felt compelled to stop.
He had a confidant smile on his face. “Linkin, I presume? My name is Lord of Light.”
“She- she’s been shot!” Gasped Linkin. “Zinovia’s been shot! Call 9-1-1!”
“Whoa, slow down,” replied Lord of Light, still supremely calm “what happened?”
Linkin forced himself to speak slower as he gasped out the words. “My friend – Zinovia. She was shot in the leg. Please call an ambulance.”
Lord of Light turned to the man beside him. “Legend, run inside and call an ambulance.” The other man instantly turned and jogged towards the house. “I assure you that they’ll take care of your friend. Now, why don’t you come inside with me. We have much to talk about.”
“But, Zinovia!”
“There’s nothing you can do for her now, the ambulance will be here shortly. But if it would make you feel better, I’ll walk over there with you.”
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Since they were walking back, it took Lord of Light and Linkin slightly longer to reach Zinovia than it had taken Linkin to run to Lord of Light’s house. By the time they had returned, Agent had removed his shirt and covered her wound enough to slow the flow of blood. Max knelt by Agent, ready to offer assistance if needed, while Butter whispered words of encouragement in Zinovia’s ear. They all looked up as Lord of Light and Linkin approached.
“This is Lord of Light. He called 9-1-1!” yelled Linkin as soon as they were in earshot.
Max stood up. “Hello, Lord of Light, sir.” Lord of Light nodded a greeting in response, then knelt to look at Zinovia.
“It’s not bad, she took a bullet to the leg and is losing a lot of blood, but she should be okay,” said Lord of Light.
They waited around on the street until the ambulance arrived. Zinovia was rushed away, and the rest of the group headed to Lord of Light’s house to discuss business.
Linkin, Agent, Max, Zinovia and Butter walked hurriedly down the street from the parking structure where Mario had parked towards Lord of Light’s mansion. Linkin was in front, trailed closely by Max and Agent, and then Zinovia and Butter.
It was quite a sizable distance to walk and Linkin had a pebble in his shoe that was annoying him considerably. He adjusted his foot several times, attempting to shake it into a better position, to no avail. “I wonder what could have happened to him?” wondered Agent aloud.
“Oh, I hope he’s okay,” fretted Butter. The rock was becoming increasingly more annoying to Linkin.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Zinovia put a comforting arm around Butter’s shoulder. “He’ll probably already be there when we arrive. Look, there’s his house up ahead!”
Linkin was sick of the pebble. He bent down to take off his shoe. Then everything seemed to happen so suddenly. There was a loud gunshot blast, like an explosion and he heard Zinovia scream. Linkin spun around to see Zinovia lying on the ground in a pool of blood, grasping her leg. Agent already had his gun out and was scanning the nearby buildings, looking for any sign of the shooter. Butter cradled Zinovia in her arms. Max and Linkin ran to Zinovia and Max looked over her wound. “Ooh, this looks serious. We need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible.”
Linkin whipped out his Verizon Wireless phone, “Oh, crap, I don’t get a signal here!”
“Quick! Run on to Lord of Light’s mansion and have him call an ambulance?” Butter screamed at him.
Linkin nodded and instantly took off. He was in decent shape and the short run was not difficult. As he rounded the corner into Lord of Light’s immense driveway he saw two men approaching him. The one in front was defiantly in charge form the way he carried himself; he was a rather tall man, with a very commanding presence. He held up a hand and Linkin felt compelled to stop.
He had a confidant smile on his face. “Linkin, I presume? My name is Lord of Light.”
“She- she’s been shot!” Gasped Linkin. “Zinovia’s been shot! Call 9-1-1!”
“Whoa, slow down,” replied Lord of Light, still supremely calm “what happened?”
Linkin forced himself to speak slower as he gasped out the words. “My friend – Zinovia. She was shot in the leg. Please call an ambulance.”
Lord of Light turned to the man beside him. “Legend, run inside and call an ambulance.” The other man instantly turned and jogged towards the house. “I assure you that they’ll take care of your friend. Now, why don’t you come inside with me. We have much to talk about.”
“But, Zinovia!”
“There’s nothing you can do for her now, the ambulance will be here shortly. But if it would make you feel better, I’ll walk over there with you.”
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Since they were walking back, it took Lord of Light and Linkin slightly longer to reach Zinovia than it had taken Linkin to run to Lord of Light’s house. By the time they had returned, Agent had removed his shirt and covered her wound enough to slow the flow of blood. Max knelt by Agent, ready to offer assistance if needed, while Butter whispered words of encouragement in Zinovia’s ear. They all looked up as Lord of Light and Linkin approached.
“This is Lord of Light. He called 9-1-1!” yelled Linkin as soon as they were in earshot.
Max stood up. “Hello, Lord of Light, sir.” Lord of Light nodded a greeting in response, then knelt to look at Zinovia.
“It’s not bad, she took a bullet to the leg and is losing a lot of blood, but she should be okay,” said Lord of Light.
They waited around on the street until the ambulance arrived. Zinovia was rushed away, and the rest of the group headed to Lord of Light’s house to discuss business.
Chapter 18: On the trail of Tlozoot.
It was Cloud that spied Linkin’s car out of the corner of his eye. “Was that Linkin’s car?”
“Where?” asked Ganondorf, hitting the brakes. Cloud pointed across the street to a driveway. Ganondorf came to a full stop in the street as he stared across at Linkin’s car. “It is! What’s Linkin doing in Chicago?”
Cloud had an answer. “Perhaps he is involved with the same thing we are. He came to our hideout in search of whatever this box is that’s so important, and then discovered that it had been taken to Chicago before we did, and may already have it.”
“And even if he doesn’t, he probably has some idea where it is.” Continued Ganondorf, smiling. He spun a quick U-turn and parked in Mario’s driveway behind Linkin’s car.
They got out and slammed the car doors shut behind them to head over and look at the car. “It’s Linkin’s all right,” said Ganondorf after inspecting it closely. “Let’s check the house.”
It was dark inside. “No one’s home,” remarked Cloud needlessly.
They broke a window to get inside and started to look around. At first they found nothing, then Ganondorf noticed a light from under a closed door. He motioned for Cloud to come closer, silently drawing his gun. Slowly, making every effort possible to avoid noise, he placed his hand on the doorknob, and slowly twisted it until it stopped. Then with one quick motion, he threw the door open and he and Cloud both burst into the empty room with their guns raised.
After a few seconds they both awkwardly lowered their guns when it became apparent that there was no threat. The light from under the door had been the illuminated computer screen. Cloud turned for the door, but Ganondorf grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Up on the computer screen where Max had left it was a set of directions from Mapquest.com.
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“Are you sure Mario never showed up?” asked Agent once they were inside Lord of Light’s house.
“You wouldn’t be here is he had,” was Lord of Light’s simple yet elegant reply.
Linkin frowned. “That’s so strange... I know he left for here, it’s not like he would have just not showed up... Something must have happened to him.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” said Lord of Light. “That’s why I called you here to-“
Legend walked in with a phone. “Excuse me, sir; I have a phone call here for you.”
“Can it wait?” asked Lord of Light irritably.
“Well, I thought you might want to take it now, it’s about the girl who was shot.”
“Yes, I’ll take it now,” said Lord of Light. He took the phone form Legend, who promptly turned and left the room, then listened intently, his expression growing dimmer and more concerned the more he listened.
Agent shifted in his chair nervously as he waited. He silently muttered a prayer under his breath for Zinovia. After what seemed like hours, Lord of Light said “thank you,” and put down the phone. Then he turned to the others. “It’s worse than I thought. She lost a lot of blood on the street. They aren’t sure if she’s going to make it.”
It was Cloud that spied Linkin’s car out of the corner of his eye. “Was that Linkin’s car?”
“Where?” asked Ganondorf, hitting the brakes. Cloud pointed across the street to a driveway. Ganondorf came to a full stop in the street as he stared across at Linkin’s car. “It is! What’s Linkin doing in Chicago?”
Cloud had an answer. “Perhaps he is involved with the same thing we are. He came to our hideout in search of whatever this box is that’s so important, and then discovered that it had been taken to Chicago before we did, and may already have it.”
“And even if he doesn’t, he probably has some idea where it is.” Continued Ganondorf, smiling. He spun a quick U-turn and parked in Mario’s driveway behind Linkin’s car.
They got out and slammed the car doors shut behind them to head over and look at the car. “It’s Linkin’s all right,” said Ganondorf after inspecting it closely. “Let’s check the house.”
It was dark inside. “No one’s home,” remarked Cloud needlessly.
They broke a window to get inside and started to look around. At first they found nothing, then Ganondorf noticed a light from under a closed door. He motioned for Cloud to come closer, silently drawing his gun. Slowly, making every effort possible to avoid noise, he placed his hand on the doorknob, and slowly twisted it until it stopped. Then with one quick motion, he threw the door open and he and Cloud both burst into the empty room with their guns raised.
After a few seconds they both awkwardly lowered their guns when it became apparent that there was no threat. The light from under the door had been the illuminated computer screen. Cloud turned for the door, but Ganondorf grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Up on the computer screen where Max had left it was a set of directions from Mapquest.com.
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“Are you sure Mario never showed up?” asked Agent once they were inside Lord of Light’s house.
“You wouldn’t be here is he had,” was Lord of Light’s simple yet elegant reply.
Linkin frowned. “That’s so strange... I know he left for here, it’s not like he would have just not showed up... Something must have happened to him.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” said Lord of Light. “That’s why I called you here to-“
Legend walked in with a phone. “Excuse me, sir; I have a phone call here for you.”
“Can it wait?” asked Lord of Light irritably.
“Well, I thought you might want to take it now, it’s about the girl who was shot.”
“Yes, I’ll take it now,” said Lord of Light. He took the phone form Legend, who promptly turned and left the room, then listened intently, his expression growing dimmer and more concerned the more he listened.
Agent shifted in his chair nervously as he waited. He silently muttered a prayer under his breath for Zinovia. After what seemed like hours, Lord of Light said “thank you,” and put down the phone. Then he turned to the others. “It’s worse than I thought. She lost a lot of blood on the street. They aren’t sure if she’s going to make it.”
Chapter 19: The Dark Figure
Identity left the building and crossed the street to Lord of Light’s manor. At the gate he entered the combination into the keypad, and it opened for him. He headed up the driveway to the door.
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“Come with me,” said Lord of Light to Linkin, I’ll show you what information we might have on Mario’s whereabouts. He turned and headed for the door.
Linkin and Agent both began to rise, but Agent felt a hand on his shoulder, and a voice came from behind him. “He said Linkin.”
With a helpless glance at his friends, Linkin followed Lord of Light out of the room.
They headed through many twisted hallways until Linkin became completely disoriented. As he kept walking, Linkin stared openly in awe of Lord of Light’s mansion. They passed room after room, and still there were more halls, constantly spreading to every side.
Finally, Lord of Light came to a halt before one of the door and turned toward Linkin for a moment, until Linkin caught up with him. He reached into his pocket and took out a small key. Sticking it in the doorknob, he turned it slowly and deliberately, and then opened the door in one swift movement.
In the center of the dimly lit room crouched a small, thin figure in a drab, brown cloak. Linkin’s heart leaped for a moment and then settled as he realized the impossibility of his hopes. And then he looked again, and suddenly his mind filled with joy. After all this time he had found her! Linkin raced across the room towards his beloved Murasaki.
She looked up as he approached, a defeated look in her eyes. And then as she saw him coming, her eyes brightened and she threw herself into his waiting arms. They hugged tight and long, holding each other close, squeezing as they had never squeezed before. Then rough hands pulled them away.
Lord of Light smiled at Linkin. “Yes, I have Murasaki, and I’ll let both of you go free if you just help me with one simple task. Once you’ve done that, you’re free to go.”
Linkin looked at him suspiciously, “what one task?”
Lord of Light smiled at Linkin again. It was an eerie and intimidating self-satisfied sort of smile. “Just tell me the identity of the hacker known as m6514309.”
“Why should I?” Asked Linkin defiantly.
“Because I’ll let both of you go unharmed.” Lord of Light paused for several moments and just when Linkin had decided that he was done talking, continued. “And, if you don’t cooperate, I’ll remove your fingers, one by one. Starting with hers.” He pointed at Murasaki.
Linkin hesitated, and decided that he was bluffing. “No deal.” Lord of Light motioned, and a man appeared from the corner, crossed the room and pulled Murasaki’s hand into the air. Linkin screamed and tried to run to her when he saw the flash of cold steel, bright amongst its dim surroundings, but heavy hands grabbed him from behind, holding him back.
It was over in a second. Blade sliced cleanly through flesh, Murasaki screamed in pain, and her finger fell to the floor, accompanied by a small spurt of blood. The man with the knife threw her back onto the floor and stepped back. Lord of Light looked over at Linkin expectantly.
Linkin broke; he had no loyalties as strong as to Murasaki. “Fine, I’ll tell you,” he choked out, biting back the tears from his internal pain.
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Agent, Max and Butter glanced around at each other slowly, each waiting for another to say something to break the oppressive silence that had lasted since Linkin had left with Lord of Light half an hour previous. Agent wondered to himself why the rest of them hadn’t been invited. And why were there two large men standing ominously in the room with them.
It was then that Lord of Light returned. One of the large men exploded at him the moment he entered the door. “Lordofthefarm! What has taken you so long? Do you have the information we need or not?” He paused long enough to breathe. “And where is our leader?” He spoke the word with scorn. “He said that he would show himself at this meeting! I am getting quite sick of being manipulated by a man I have not seen! Why do you continue to put your faith in him?”
Lord of Light became visibly angry. “Silence, fool! Be patient and all will be explained.” He turned to the three friends who were still seated. “Which one of you is Max?”
“I am,” replied Max calmly.
“Excellent,” replied Lord of Light. He turned back to the other two men. “Everything that was promised has been fulfilled, Silver Knux. We have the information and the person that we need to proceed. You have no grounds to complain.”
Silver Knux glared angrily back at Lord of Light, but it was the other man who voiced their unanimous complaint. “No, not all has been fulfilled. The man who put our lives at risk orchestrating these events has not revealed himself as he promised he would.”
Lord of Light paused, smiling. Then he spoke, with a smug satisfaction in his voice. “He stands before you gentlemen. Just as the alias Lordofthefarm was necessary to protect my identity as Lord of Light, the secrecy of my identity as our leader was also necessary for the completion of the plan. Now everything is in place. Our you ready to continue with me, our should I signal for Identity to kill you where you stand? Just as you keep you secret servants to do your bidding, so do I, and one is in the next room with a sniper rifle trained at one of your heads. I expect that you will want to proceed with the plan.”
Identity left the building and crossed the street to Lord of Light’s manor. At the gate he entered the combination into the keypad, and it opened for him. He headed up the driveway to the door.
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“Come with me,” said Lord of Light to Linkin, I’ll show you what information we might have on Mario’s whereabouts. He turned and headed for the door.
Linkin and Agent both began to rise, but Agent felt a hand on his shoulder, and a voice came from behind him. “He said Linkin.”
With a helpless glance at his friends, Linkin followed Lord of Light out of the room.
They headed through many twisted hallways until Linkin became completely disoriented. As he kept walking, Linkin stared openly in awe of Lord of Light’s mansion. They passed room after room, and still there were more halls, constantly spreading to every side.
Finally, Lord of Light came to a halt before one of the door and turned toward Linkin for a moment, until Linkin caught up with him. He reached into his pocket and took out a small key. Sticking it in the doorknob, he turned it slowly and deliberately, and then opened the door in one swift movement.
In the center of the dimly lit room crouched a small, thin figure in a drab, brown cloak. Linkin’s heart leaped for a moment and then settled as he realized the impossibility of his hopes. And then he looked again, and suddenly his mind filled with joy. After all this time he had found her! Linkin raced across the room towards his beloved Murasaki.
She looked up as he approached, a defeated look in her eyes. And then as she saw him coming, her eyes brightened and she threw herself into his waiting arms. They hugged tight and long, holding each other close, squeezing as they had never squeezed before. Then rough hands pulled them away.
Lord of Light smiled at Linkin. “Yes, I have Murasaki, and I’ll let both of you go free if you just help me with one simple task. Once you’ve done that, you’re free to go.”
Linkin looked at him suspiciously, “what one task?”
Lord of Light smiled at Linkin again. It was an eerie and intimidating self-satisfied sort of smile. “Just tell me the identity of the hacker known as m6514309.”
“Why should I?” Asked Linkin defiantly.
“Because I’ll let both of you go unharmed.” Lord of Light paused for several moments and just when Linkin had decided that he was done talking, continued. “And, if you don’t cooperate, I’ll remove your fingers, one by one. Starting with hers.” He pointed at Murasaki.
Linkin hesitated, and decided that he was bluffing. “No deal.” Lord of Light motioned, and a man appeared from the corner, crossed the room and pulled Murasaki’s hand into the air. Linkin screamed and tried to run to her when he saw the flash of cold steel, bright amongst its dim surroundings, but heavy hands grabbed him from behind, holding him back.
It was over in a second. Blade sliced cleanly through flesh, Murasaki screamed in pain, and her finger fell to the floor, accompanied by a small spurt of blood. The man with the knife threw her back onto the floor and stepped back. Lord of Light looked over at Linkin expectantly.
Linkin broke; he had no loyalties as strong as to Murasaki. “Fine, I’ll tell you,” he choked out, biting back the tears from his internal pain.
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Agent, Max and Butter glanced around at each other slowly, each waiting for another to say something to break the oppressive silence that had lasted since Linkin had left with Lord of Light half an hour previous. Agent wondered to himself why the rest of them hadn’t been invited. And why were there two large men standing ominously in the room with them.
It was then that Lord of Light returned. One of the large men exploded at him the moment he entered the door. “Lordofthefarm! What has taken you so long? Do you have the information we need or not?” He paused long enough to breathe. “And where is our leader?” He spoke the word with scorn. “He said that he would show himself at this meeting! I am getting quite sick of being manipulated by a man I have not seen! Why do you continue to put your faith in him?”
Lord of Light became visibly angry. “Silence, fool! Be patient and all will be explained.” He turned to the three friends who were still seated. “Which one of you is Max?”
“I am,” replied Max calmly.
“Excellent,” replied Lord of Light. He turned back to the other two men. “Everything that was promised has been fulfilled, Silver Knux. We have the information and the person that we need to proceed. You have no grounds to complain.”
Silver Knux glared angrily back at Lord of Light, but it was the other man who voiced their unanimous complaint. “No, not all has been fulfilled. The man who put our lives at risk orchestrating these events has not revealed himself as he promised he would.”
Lord of Light paused, smiling. Then he spoke, with a smug satisfaction in his voice. “He stands before you gentlemen. Just as the alias Lordofthefarm was necessary to protect my identity as Lord of Light, the secrecy of my identity as our leader was also necessary for the completion of the plan. Now everything is in place. Our you ready to continue with me, our should I signal for Identity to kill you where you stand? Just as you keep you secret servants to do your bidding, so do I, and one is in the next room with a sniper rifle trained at one of your heads. I expect that you will want to proceed with the plan.”
Chapter 20: Lord of Light’s plan
“All we want is for you to help us out,” explained Lord of Light peaceably to Max. The six of them were seated around an official looking meeting table in another room of Lord of Light’s mansion. “We have a task for you to do, and you will do it, one way or another. You can go along without resistance, or you can make this difficult. It’s your choice.”
“What’s the task?” asked Max cautiously.
Lord of Light held up a computer disk in his hand. “This disk contains information about White House security. It has maps, access codes, guard shift changes, anything one would need to infiltrate. Unfortunately, as you’ve undoubtedly discovered, the White House’s security system is all internal. There’s no way to hack it from the outside. The information on this disk will get you into the White House. Once inside, you need to get to a computer station and take control of the building. We have no idea what their security system on the computers is like, which is why we need a skilled hacker inside who can figure it all out on the fly.”
“What do you want me to do once I’ve have the system?” asked Max.
“Disable any security measures and all the lights. Take control of the nuclear weapons and aim one at New York, then wait for further instructions.”
“And if I decide not to cooperate?” asked Max.
“We know who you are. There are a lot of people out there who would pay handsomely for your head on a platter. Or there’s the government. You’ve committed enough crimes for two lifetime sentences. And if self preservation isn’t enough, we have all your friends. Money turns the authorities’ eyes the other way. We could kill them with no fear of legal repercussions. You really have no choice in the matter.”
Max’s doubt changed to defiance. He didn’t like being threatened.
“Of course we’ll pay you, and give you full protection from the authorities,” added Lord of Light.
“No way,” said Max plainly. Silver Knux leveled his gun at Butter’s head.
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Linkin and Murasaki huddled together in their cold, dark cell for what seemed like hours. Linkin had bandaged her finger with a strip of the small blanket they had been provided to stop the bleeding. A couple of times they made conversation. They caught up on what had happened to both of them while they had been separated. Linkin was relieved to hear that, although Murasaki had been treated quite harshly, she had not been molested at all, sexually.
Finally, the conversation died off. Linkin rested his back against the wall, while Murasaki curled up next to him with her head in his lap and went to sleep. It was only for a few minutes. She was shortly awakened by a commotion outside the cell.
Linkin squinted to see what was happening, but all he could see was dark shapes outside his cell. Suddenly the door opened, and a figure dashed in, looking around nervously.
“Who are you,” asked Linkin apprehensively.
“My name’s Tlozoot,” replied the man. “I was being held prisoner here, but I managed to knock out the guard and escape. I figured if I freed some other prisoners we could work together to get out.”
The name seemed familiar to Linkin, but he couldn’t quite place it. “That sounds like a good idea. But I have some friends upstairs that we need to go warn about Lord of Light before we leave. Do you have a gun?”
“Yeah,” replied Tlozoot. “I took one off my guard. I just knocked out your guard too. I assume he’s carrying one as well.”
Linkin searched the body and found a small handgun and a few clips of extra ammo. “We don’t have much ammo. We’re going to need to conserve our fire.”
“I don’t think we should use the guns at all unless we have to,” replied Tlozoot. They’ll be heard, and we’d certainly be overwhelmed.”
“Right,” agreed Linkin. “Now, do you know a way out of here?”
“All we want is for you to help us out,” explained Lord of Light peaceably to Max. The six of them were seated around an official looking meeting table in another room of Lord of Light’s mansion. “We have a task for you to do, and you will do it, one way or another. You can go along without resistance, or you can make this difficult. It’s your choice.”
“What’s the task?” asked Max cautiously.
Lord of Light held up a computer disk in his hand. “This disk contains information about White House security. It has maps, access codes, guard shift changes, anything one would need to infiltrate. Unfortunately, as you’ve undoubtedly discovered, the White House’s security system is all internal. There’s no way to hack it from the outside. The information on this disk will get you into the White House. Once inside, you need to get to a computer station and take control of the building. We have no idea what their security system on the computers is like, which is why we need a skilled hacker inside who can figure it all out on the fly.”
“What do you want me to do once I’ve have the system?” asked Max.
“Disable any security measures and all the lights. Take control of the nuclear weapons and aim one at New York, then wait for further instructions.”
“And if I decide not to cooperate?” asked Max.
“We know who you are. There are a lot of people out there who would pay handsomely for your head on a platter. Or there’s the government. You’ve committed enough crimes for two lifetime sentences. And if self preservation isn’t enough, we have all your friends. Money turns the authorities’ eyes the other way. We could kill them with no fear of legal repercussions. You really have no choice in the matter.”
Max’s doubt changed to defiance. He didn’t like being threatened.
“Of course we’ll pay you, and give you full protection from the authorities,” added Lord of Light.
“No way,” said Max plainly. Silver Knux leveled his gun at Butter’s head.
------------------------
Linkin and Murasaki huddled together in their cold, dark cell for what seemed like hours. Linkin had bandaged her finger with a strip of the small blanket they had been provided to stop the bleeding. A couple of times they made conversation. They caught up on what had happened to both of them while they had been separated. Linkin was relieved to hear that, although Murasaki had been treated quite harshly, she had not been molested at all, sexually.
Finally, the conversation died off. Linkin rested his back against the wall, while Murasaki curled up next to him with her head in his lap and went to sleep. It was only for a few minutes. She was shortly awakened by a commotion outside the cell.
Linkin squinted to see what was happening, but all he could see was dark shapes outside his cell. Suddenly the door opened, and a figure dashed in, looking around nervously.
“Who are you,” asked Linkin apprehensively.
“My name’s Tlozoot,” replied the man. “I was being held prisoner here, but I managed to knock out the guard and escape. I figured if I freed some other prisoners we could work together to get out.”
The name seemed familiar to Linkin, but he couldn’t quite place it. “That sounds like a good idea. But I have some friends upstairs that we need to go warn about Lord of Light before we leave. Do you have a gun?”
“Yeah,” replied Tlozoot. “I took one off my guard. I just knocked out your guard too. I assume he’s carrying one as well.”
Linkin searched the body and found a small handgun and a few clips of extra ammo. “We don’t have much ammo. We’re going to need to conserve our fire.”
“I don’t think we should use the guns at all unless we have to,” replied Tlozoot. They’ll be heard, and we’d certainly be overwhelmed.”
“Right,” agreed Linkin. “Now, do you know a way out of here?”
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