Unedited
Henry kept his eyes on the scene in confusion, resisting the urge to go closer to have a better look. All the men in both vehicles had stepped out and had surrendered. The FOX men were checking them out.
More cars were beginning to stop behind them and other road users were gathering to see what was happening. The police officers had to introduce lines to keep them away.
Henryās phone rang, not too long after. He answered without knowing who the phone call was from.
āCarl,ā Markās voice sounded from the other end. āThose men arenāt terrorists, theyāre wedding guests.ā
Henryās eyes widened in shock as he turned to look in the direction of the men again. He felt like a big fool.
āMaybe you didnāt get the right information?ā Mark added.
āThere must have been some mix-up somewhere, Iāll get back to you,ā Henry replied quickly and ended the call. He dialed Sheila immediately. āHey, it looks like we went after the wrong people.ā
āYeah, Iāve seen that already,ā Sheila replied. āThe original vehicles paused at a blind spot.ā
āBlindspot?ā Henry frowned, wondering where that could be on the road.
āYeah, the tunnel ā Attan Underway,ā Sheila replied. āItās twenty minutes drive from your current location. You took a different route to join them.ā
Henry heaved a sigh. āWhat about these men, are they a part of the terrorists?ā
āYes, they were contracted to cause the confusion. They were waiting in the tunnel with the same types of vehicles we were trailing. They drove out immediately after the two vehicles drove into the tunnel, making me mistake them for the ones I was trailing.ā
Henry sighed again. āBut the FOX also joined you to trail them. How the heck did they miss that?ā
āThe vehicles didnāt drive out of the tunnel immediately. They waited for eight minutes before driving out. Thatās after we followed the two wrong vehicles. But Iām following the right ones now; theyāre on the way out of El Deols through the Elianz road.ā
āThe Elianz road?ā Henry exclaimed. āWhere could they be going?ā
āI have no idea but Iāll keep following them,ā she replied.
āOkay, Iāll get back to you,ā he said and ended the call.
He was about to dial Mark when a call from the same number came in.
āI was about calling you, Markā¦ā
āWeāre keeping those men, they arenāt wedding guests. Theyāre a part of the terrorists,ā Mark interrupted him.
āOh!ā Henry exclaimed. āWhy?ā He guessed that the FOX must have discovered what happened in the tunnel too.
āWe were deceived, Carl. The real vehicles are still on the run. We donāt know where theyāre headed for, but Iāve just asked my men to continue the chase.ā
āI got the information from my plug too,ā Henry replied. āIāll be joining the chase now.ā
His eyes were on the scene as he walked back to the car. He could see the men in black suits being arrested by the police while other FOX vehicles were leaving the place.
āKahn and his convoy seemed to have changed direction, theyāre currently on Elianz road,ā Henry said to Jennifer as he entered the car. āWe are going after them.ā
āā-
The FOX Corporation, EPA Hill,
Bexford, Bethanna.
ā Situation Room
āGood morning, sir,ā Agent Maria walked into the situation room after finishing the work she had at her office. She stopped in front of the Chairman to salute him.
āThank God youāre here, Agent Maria,ā Agent Mark got up to his feet immediately and led Maria to the main computer. āI need you to take charge of this operation and give us quick results.ā
The man sitting in front of the computer stood up to give way for Maria.
āSir,ā Maria turned to the man. āIām not so sure I understand everything thatās going on yet.ā
āYou will understand, just get seated and start working with them. Weāre trying to locate two escaping vehicles in Anthanna. The feeds are being sent to us from the FOX office in Anthanna,ā Mark explained and walked away.
Maria took her seat reluctantly and discussed briefly with the man who got up before she continued her work. Two minutes later, the Chairman was back with an open cloth bag in front of Maria.
āSir?ā She picked up her phone from the table and stared at his face. She could see the numerous phones and mobile devices in the bag and knew he was asking her to drop her phone in it. āI need to be in touch with my mom, sirā¦ā
āIāll let them know and you will be notified immediately she calls,ā the Chairman insisted.
āI may be the one who needs to reach out to her,ā Maria stuttered, trying all she could to keep her phone with her.
The Agent squinted at her with suspicion in his eyes. On second thought, he felt that there was no need to be suspicious of Maria. Her involvement in the case has mostly been neutral, unlike Evelyn and maybe Steve, so there was no need for suspicions.
āYou still canāt use your phone here,ā Mark insisted. āIf you need to reach your mom, Iāll give you permission to use it briefly.ā
Maria no longer had an excuse. She heaved a sigh and dropped her phone into the bag. She watched the man walk away with the bag and hand it over to a junior agent who walked out of the situation room with her.
The Agent walked back to her seat after handing the bag to the junior agent.
āThe vehicles youāre trailing is occupied by suspected Red Wolves agents,ā he began to explain. āAgent Steve is in Anthanna and is leading the chase.ā
āWhen did Steve leave for Anthanna? Why wasnāt I involved with the team? There seems to be a lot of things I donāt know about,ā Maria questioned, with her eyes still focused on the screen and her fingers busy on the keyboard.
āHe left for Anthanna around 2 AM, the same time Evelyn left for South Africa. Weāre working with a source that provides us with urgent information now which gives us little time for the necessary documentation. Thatās why it looks like the whole team is not being carried along.ā
āSo, the team doesnāt even know about this official source?ā
āItās not an official source?ā She paused and turned to look at the manās face.
āNot official,ā Mark answered briefly.
Maria widened her eyes to show her surprise. āAināt we working out of line sir? Weāre doing the same thing Evelyn has been doing, and itās a jailable offense.ā
āIām the Chairman now, Maria. I decide what is out of line. And Iām only telling you all these because I think you deserve some explanation based on your rank,ā the man slammed at her. āNow get back to your goddamn work and find their asses for me.ā
Maria had no choice but to turn and continue with the job. Agent Mark stood right behind her, watching her activities until another agent called his attention.
āChairman, sir. We have a call from Pretoria.ā
Mark turned immediately and walked back to his seat. He picked the headset and fixed it on before signaling for the agent to answer the call.
āHello, Steve.ā
āSir, weāre at the police office in Pretoria, rounding off with the reports there. In a couple of minutes, we will be on her way to the Bexford office with the arrested suspects,ā Steve said from the other end. āI need to know if the command remains the same or we need to do something else.ā
āSend the suspects down here, Steve. I need you to join Evelyn in El Deols. It seems more complicated over there,ā Mark ordered.
āUnderstood, sir.ā
The call ended and Mark dropped the headset quickly.
āWhat the heck is happening here?ā He yelled as he got up from his feet. āHavenāt we found those m*th*rf**kers yet?ā
āI located them at Elianz road, sir. But theyāre heading towards a blind area,ā Maria announced and quickly typed some commands on her keyboard before tapping enter. Her screen was immediately projected to the large screen.
The large screen was divided into four sections, all showing the two vehicles from different camera angles. Each section changed frequently or went off as the vehicles left the area where the cameras could cover.
āPut number 2 up and let me see the map ahead,ā Mark instructed in a loud voice.
His request was granted five seconds later and it took him a few seconds to see what he wanted.
āIsnāt that a rural area theyāre driving into?ā Mark questioned.
āYes, it is,ā Maria answered. āThereās no CCTV coverage once they get in.ā
Mark heaved a sigh of frustration and then turned to Maria.
āYou need to leave there and let him handle that,ā he said, instructing the man previously in charge of Mariaās position to return. Maria got up immediately, wondering what next he wanted her to do. āI need you to get all the satellites maps of the area. Locate any building or possible major roads connected to that area as fast as possible.ā
Maria headed straight to the computer in charge of the satellite photos and the lady on it got up before she got there.
Mark walked back to his seat hurriedly. āConnect me to the Anthanna FOX office,ā he ordered an agent.
He was connected in less than ten seconds.
āHello, Agent. The terrorists have gotten into a rural area just after Elianz road. I need you to reach all forces around that area. Put up roadblocks and search every damn vehicle that tries to get out through any of the routes.ā
_____
** Somewhere in Anthanna **
āWe just got into the blind area,ā Kahn said into his phone. Hutton was at the other end of the connection.
āGreat, but we need to make it in time. Itās possible that Carl still finds where youāre headed for,ā Hutton replied.
āI know, but the goal is to leave before he discovers. We have just one hour to get to the train. It leaves in sixty-five minutes.ā
āIāll be waiting for you.ā
____
Elianz Road, Anthanna
Henryās phone began to ring and he answered it almost immediately. āTalk to me, Sheila.ā
āTheyāre now in a place without CCTV coverage, I can no longer follow them.ā
Henry sighed. āWe need directions, Sheila. Is there anything we can do about that?ā
āIāve been looking through the satellite images and Iāve yet to locate any building where they could be headed for. Itās not easy here because Iām doing all the jobs alone.ā
āI understand, Sheila. I appreciate what youāre doing for us,ā Henry replied. āBut I donāt think heās gonna be heading for a location in that place.ā
āIt will be difficult to follow him now that theyāve gotten into that place. They could change vehicles before moving into another road with CCTV coverage.ā
āIām gonna pass this information to the FOX now and theyāre going to set up stop and search operations across all routesā¦ā Henry stopped for a second to think. āThe problem now is that they may know weāre following them already. If they do, they would have plans to go past the stop and search operations. If they do, thereāll be no other way to stop them.ā
āWhy donāt we just assume they donāt know weāre following or is there another way?ā
āWe canāt make such assumptions, Hutton Ryker doesnāt leave any box unticked,ā Henry answered, still thinking of what to do. He got an idea a few seconds later. āIf theyāre going to escape the roadblocks, they must be heading for a route which will lead them out of Anthanna. Does that area lead to a major road?ā
āNo major road, it links to a town and some other rural communities.ā
Henry heaved a sigh of frustration. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers into his hair as he pondered on what to do.
āIāll get back to you, Sheila. Give me some seconds to think,ā Henry requested and ended the call.
He dialed Agent Markās number immediately but it rang for several seconds without being answered. Before he could redial, a call from the number came in.
āHey, Carl,ā Markās voice sounded from the other end.
āMark, the vehicles have entered an area without CCTV coverage.ā
āYes, we know, Carl. And Iāve ordered roadblocks on all exit routes. They canāt get out of there with those cars.ā
āThatās great, but maybe they may try to get out without the cars. What if they switched vehicles?ā
āI thought about that too and ordered for a critical search,ā Mark replied. āBut Iām not so sure how effective that would be if they disguised properly. What do you think we should do?ā
āI donāt know, thatās why Iām calling to ask you.ā
āOur team is currently checking through the satellite images. Iām sure we will find something.ā
āBut it has to be fast, we canāt let them get away.ā
āWeāre working on it, Carl. Iāll let you know as soon as we get something.ā
_______
**20 Minutes Later **
āWhy is there traffic on this route today?ā
āItās strange, there must be something wrong.ā
āI hope it isnāt an accident.ā
Different people in the public transport bus gave their opinion about the traffic on the road. They were on a long queue of vehicles which was moving slowly, a strange occurrence for those who ply the road regularly.
Kahn and three of his men were sitting quietly on the bus. They had changed into casual clothes which made them look not too different from the other passengers.
Unlike the other passengers, they knew what the cause of the traffic was. They had anticipated it, which was why they made sure they looked like the other passengers. The other Wolves men with them had followed other buses.
The vehicles kept moving slowly and they finally got to the roadblock after eight minutes. There were six uniformed policemen and three others without uniforms. Kahn guessed that they were FOX agents.
Two of the men without uniforms and two uniformed men moved closer to inspect their bus. They looked in from the windows, scrutinizing each passengerās face and dressing.
āWhere are you coming from?ā One of the non-uniformed men asked the man sitting next to Kahn.
āFrom the village, went to see my grandmother,ā he replied confidently.
āAnd where are you heading to?ā
āThe train station, going back to Eltin where I came from.ā
The agent scrutinized the man for a few more seconds before moving his attention to Hutton. He peered at his face for a while and then moved on.
āWhat do you have in your boot, driver?ā One of the policemen asked. Two other men were looking into the boot from the back of the car.
āJust some luggage for the passengers,ā the driver answered.
After a few more seconds, the officers let the bus drive on and continued the process with the next one.
_____
After driving for about five minutes in the rural area, they got to a T-junction and Jennifer had to slow down as she wasnāt sure which route to follow. Henry took out his phone and dialed Sheila again.
āHey, Sheila. Have you got anything yet?ā
āIām sorry, Henry. I canāt find any major road or major building they may be hiding in.ā
Henry heaved a sigh of frustration. āOkay, thank youā¦ā He was about to end the call when Sheila interrupted him.
āBut thereās a train station not too far from thereā¦ā
āWhat the heck! That must be the damn theyāre headed for,ā Henry gasped. āHow far is the train station from here?ā
āHold on a minute,ā Sheila asked and went silent for almost forty seconds. āItās twenty minutes drive from your location. But with the roadblocks set up, it might take much longer and you may not be able to catch the train. It leaves in thirty-five minutes.ā
āSend us the exact position of the train station and the fastest route to the place, Iāll contact the FOX to clear the route.ā
āWill get it done,ā Sheila replied before ending the call.
Henry dialed Agent Mark immediately. Just like the other time, he did not pick instantly. Henry dialed the second time and he answered almost immediately.
āWhat have you got for us, man?ā
_____
The FOX Corporation,
Bexford, Bethanna
āSir, youāve got a call from the same number,ā one of the FOX agents in charge of the submitted phones returned with Markās device into the situation room.
Mark let out a breath. He was tired of stepping out each time to receive the calls. He was sure it was already looking suspicious to the other agents in the room.
āLet me have it, thank you,ā he said to the officer and got the phone.
The call ended before he could answer but began to ring before he dialed it back.
āWhat have you got for us, man?ā
āI have reasons to believe that the Red Wolves men are heading for the nearby train station,ā Carl replied from the other end.
āHold on,ā Mark took the phone away from his ear to instruct his agents. āCheck for the nearest train station in the locality,ā he said and put the phone back closer to his ear. āAre you sure about this?ā
āWe canāt be sure, but I believe thatās the most possible place they can head to.ā
āWeāre checking it already.ā
āOur agents found some men with weapons during the search operations. But theyāre still questioning to know if theyāre the Red Wolves weāre looking for. The men in charge of the team seem so sure that they are the Red Wolves soldiers.ā
āHe might be right, but it could also be a distraction technique.ā
āYou think they let us catch them?ā
āYeah, just to distract us and give the real guys enough time to leave.ā
Mark heaved a sigh.
āWe found the train station, sir,ā Maria announced loudly.
Mark glanced at her and saw her typing hurriedly on her keyboard. He looked forward two seconds later to find the information displayed on the screen.
āWe found the train station, it looks like there are cameras installed,ā Mark said into the phone and then turned to Maria briefly. āCan we tap into the cameras?ā
āThe train station CCTV is controlled separately from the general road camera system. And itās not in our jurisdiction. We might need more permissions to tap,ā Maria answered.
āWe canāt tap into the cameras there, but I can get our agents and police officers to search passengers at all stops.ā
āCan we stop or delay the train journey?ā Henry requested.
āCome on, man. Itās in a different country. I donāt have such powers. Besides, it will be difficult even if it were here in Bethanna,ā Mark replied. āThe only option we have is to put our men at all exit points.ā
āWhat if they exit before the regular points?ā Henry suggested.
āThatās unusual, but itās true that Hutton Ryker could try something like that.ā
āI need to be on that train, Mark.ā
āHow long do you have before the train moves?ā
āLess than thirty minutes.ā
āThe roadblocks,ā Mark gasped. āAināt theyāre going to be a problem for you?ā
āThey will, I need you to get them off.ā
āI will,ā Mark replied before the call ended.
He dropped his phone and got up from his seat.
āWhich of the routes lead to the town where the train station is?ā
āItās Ute road, sir,ā an agent replied.
āPut me on a call to the agent there, they need to free up the road.ā
Mark faced forward and was waiting for the call when Maria stepped forward.
āSir, I need to check up on my mother now,ā she requested.
āYou can go, but you have only two minutes.ā
āYes, thank you,ā Maria gasped and walked out hurriedly. Two minutes was enough for her to text Michael and the other person she needed to send a message to.
_____
20 Minutes Later
**The Train Station**
Kahn heaved a sigh of relief as he walked towards the train with his ticket in his hand, his men following behind him. He looked back for a second as if to check if anyone was coming after them but there was none.
His phone rang and he took it out of his pocket.
āWeāre there now, the train leaves in ten minutes,ā he said to Hutton.
āSee you soon,ā Hutton replied briefly and the call ended.
_____
āDrive faster!ā Henry huffed after checking the time again.
āIām already as fast as I can,ā Jennifer replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the road.
It was her first time driving with such unusual speed along a residential area. They had gone past the point where the roadblock was and were heading to the train station.
Henryās phone began to ring and he picked it up to check the screen. He squinted on seeing the number. It was an unsaved Anthannan number.
He answered the call and placed it close to his ear without saying anything.
āHey, itās Foden,ā the caller introduced himself.
āFoden?ā Henry asked in surprise.
āYes, it is Foden. Iām in El Deols now and I need to see you urgently.ā
āSorry, we canāt see, Iāll let you know as soon as we can see.ā
āItās about your friend and itās urgent, we need to see.ā
āWhatās it about, can you tell me here?ā Henry gasped.
āWe needā¦ā
Henry took his phone off his ear for a moment as he heard a beeping sound, signaling that another call was coming in. It was from Sheila.
āIām sorry, Foden. Iāll call you later. Thereās a call I need to pick,ā Henry said and ended the call to answer Sheila.
āHenry, I got a message from Maxwell. He has something from your FOX source.ā
To be continued