UNEDITED
“Over there, that’s the place,” Foden exclaimed immediately he saw the gate.
“Where is this place? I’ve never been here before,” the driver glanced back with a frown.
“Just go on,” Foden replied.
The driver continued without making any more comments. They turned towards the gate and the driver slowed down as they saw the lifeless man on the floor.
“Where is this place? I can’t go any further,” the driver argued. This time, the determination could be heard in his tone.
“You don’t have a choice man, move!” Henry commanded him, taking out his gun.
The driver swallowed a breath on seeing the gun at his back. He shook his head and wondered what mess he had gotten himself into. He continued into the aerodrome through the already opened gate.
“That way,” Foden spotted the cars parked on the way to the runway and pointed in the direction.
The driver followed immediately. His heart began to beat fast as he spotted the dead men afar off. He had to swerve off the roadway temporarily because of Rex’s car which was abandoned there.
Foden also took out his gun as the car got closer to the runaway where the airplane was.
The car finally came to a halt and Henry jumped out from the backseat. He took a quick look around to see if there was anyone around before proceeding toward the airplane.
“Hey, we may still need you to get out of here,” Foden said to the driver. It sounded more like a command.
The man shook his head frantically. “I’ll wait,” he voiced out, without any intention to keep his words.
Foden sensed his intentions and then made a cheeky smile. He reached for the car keys and turned off the engine before taking it out.
“You may leave since you want to,” he said, nodding towards the gate.
The driver was hesitant to go without his car.
“Go now,” Foden barked at him.
“I will,” his eyes widened in shock and he quickly opened the door and stepped out.
Foden stepped out with him, keeping his gun pointed at him. “Run now.”
The man glanced once again at Foden and shook his head before taking to his heels.
__
Two minutes earlier
“Come here, Kellar,” Sarah ran back into the aircraft.
“What’s happening, Mummy?” the confused and scared boy questioned.
“Just follow me,” she grabbed the boy and dragged him to hide behind a chair at the back of the aircraft. “Shhh…” she signaled to the boy with a finger across her lips.
A few seconds after, Rex stepped into the airplane. He looked around and there was no one in sight. He had seen Sarah run in and was certain that she was inside the plane.
“Come out, Sarah. I know you’re in here,” he said in a patronizing voice.
There was no response. He looked left and right, wondering which way to go for a second. He looked left again and noticed parts of a toy on the floor in the sitting area. It was at the centre and not close to any seats. The second part of the toy was towards the back area. He fixed his eyes on the back left seat and proceeded towards the place slowly, looking back and forth to ensure he wasn’t caught by anyone off-guard.
“Hey, Sarah. Why not step out and stop these hide and seek games? You know you can’t escape this,” he sang in the same tone as he proceeded to the back.
Sarah’s heart began to beat faster as she heard him coming in their direction. She looked at the kid’s face and it was full of fear. She pulled him into a warm embrace and shut her eyes, expecting the worse to take place.
“Why not step out now, Sarah?” Rex continued in the same tone as he closed in. He stopped for a minute, trying to confirm what sound he was hearing. Then he proceeded quickly to the back and found Sarah hiding there with Kellar.
“Get up, you b**ch!” he cursed and pulled her up by the hand. He pushed her to the front as she let out a scream. “Hey, little boy,” he made an evil smile at the boy and then grabbed him too.
He dragged both of them close to the window to have a look. Unfortunately for him, the car had been driven past the angle at which he could see and he didn’t have the time to move into the next one. He pushed Sarah to the centre angrily and made her kneel with the child. He took out his second pistol from his pocket in readiness for whoever was coming in through the door.
“Where are you headed for?” Rex turned to Sarah. “And where’s the woman that got you out of the convent?”
Sarah shook her head frantically.
“Answer me,” he barked at her.
“I don’t know,” Sarah screamed back at him.
“What’s her name?”
“She didn’t tell me.”
“Don’t take me for a fool, Sarah. I know you won’t follow a woman whose name you didn’t know. Besides, I heard she’s been in the convent since yesterday. Now, I’m gonna ask you again. Where’s the damn woman and what’s her name?”
“I don’t know where she’s gone and she didn’t tell me her name,” Sarah insisted. She knew that the information he was requiring from her was the main reason he was yet to sh00t. Once he got it, he would put a bullet into her head.
Rex was running out of patience but he wanted to be sure of what was next for him before killing Sarah. The place was silent and he could hear the footsteps of someone coming up the airplane. He calculated the number of steps in his mind and pointed his gun in readiness. He pulled the trigger at the estimated time for the intruder to step into the plane.
Surprisingly, the person seemed to have paused just before taking the step in. That surprised Rex and got his mind distracted a bit. Then he knew whoever was coming up was more than just a henchman for the Red Wolves. He decided to finish off Sarah nonetheless, before facing whoever was coming. But before he could pull the trigger, he heard his name called in a familiar voice.
“Rex, if you’ve yet to do anything stupid, can we talk about this?”
Rex’s heart skipped a beat and he squinted towards the door, hoping it wasn’t who it sounded like. He glanced at Sarah and saw that her face had lit up somehow, meaning she also recognized the voice too.
“My friend, let’s talk about this,” the voice came again.
Then a leg was placed into the plane and quickly removed again. Rex knew he was trying to test if he would fire the gun.
Three seconds later, Henry stepped into the plane to see Rex still pointing the gun in his direction. His eyes drifted to Sarah and Kellar and he felt his mind melt at their sight.
Sarah got up from her knees hurriedly in excitement as she sighted him but Rex barked at her before she could move anywhere. “Get the f*** on your knees!”
She dropped back to her knees and all the excitement on her face disappeared, knowing that she was still in danger.
“Daddy,” Kellar finally recognized his father and tried to make a move towards him but Rex shouted at him too. Sarah drew him close.
“Don’t come close,” Rex warned Henry who was already walking toward him.
Henry also had a gun in his hand but wasn’t pointing it. He ignored Rex’s warning to stop approaching.
“Stop!” Rex yelled at him and Henry stopped this time.
“Lower your gun, my friend. Let’s talk this out,” Henry pleaded.
His eyes drifted again towards Sarah and he could see her making a signal to him. He widened his eyes and shook his head to warn her to discard the thought on her mind. Years ago, he had thought her how to snatch a pointed pistol from a distracted person. But this was Rex and not just anyone. He knew how alert Rex could be and how he could easily manage such distraction. Sarah wouldn’t survive if she tried to snatch the gun, even though that would mean he would get a clear shot at Rex.
“You’re not supposed to be here, Carl,” Rex gasped.
“Just lower your gun and let’s talk this out,” Henry again pleaded.
“How did you know how to find me or find them?” Rex was still in shock to see Henry.
“We can talk about that later if you put down your gun,” Henry insisted.
Rex looked at Sarah’s face for some seconds and heaved a sigh. Henry’s words seemed to be working on him as he began to lower the gun slowly.
Unfortunately, Foden stepped into the airplane at that time.
“What the f***!” Rex lost his mind instantly on seeing Foden. “Why the heck did you tell Carl when I told you not to?”
Without allowing Foden to reply, Rex fired a bullet into his head immediately.
Henry on seeing that Rex had lost his cool quickly raised his pistol and fired twice into his belly. Rex’s eyes shone widely as his hands fell and he dropped to his knees. He took a final glance at Sarah before falling on his face.
Sarah quickly ran up with Kellar to Henry and embraced him. The hug lasted for almost a minute.
Henry heaved a sigh of relief and stared deeply at Sarah’s face, finding it hard to believe that it was really her. His eyes met with a necklace around her neck and he smiled. He reached for the pendant and fondled it with his fingers for a moment. Four years ago, he had given her that necklace on her birthday. She always wore it whenever he was gone for long, stating that it made her feel he was closer to her heart in his absence.
He then realized that someone was holding him by the leg and remembered that his son was there. He bent slightly to pick up his son in his arms and embraced him tightly. A sigh escaped his lips. He had always thought it was impossible to see them again. But there they were, alive and hearty.
After a while, he dropped the child and walked up to Foden whose body had fallen against the door. The bullet had gone straight into his head. He heaved a sigh and then closed Foden’s opened eyes with his hands. He noticed the car keys in Foden’s hand and took them.
He then walked over to where Rex lay. He turned the body up to see the wound. Rex was bleeding badly in his belly but seemed to still be alive. Sarah moved closer to Henry.
“I don’t know why he wanted us dead,” she muttered.
“He’s still alive,” Henry whispered and looked up.
Sarah frowned at him. She knew what he was suggesting with the look in his eyes. Carl loved his friend so much and felt too weak to watch him die.
“We have to go, Carl. He tried to ki*ll us. We don’t know who else he’s got with him,” she warned.
Henry heaved a sigh and got up. He agreed with Sarah that they needed to leave. Because of the gunshots, there was a likelihood that police officers were on their way to the place.
____
Lusaka, Zambia
Kahn and Hutton stayed silently in the room, with their eyes glued to the television screen. The TV was set to a news station which they had been tuned in to all day.
Kahn was sitting with his back slanted on the gurney as both halves formed a 30-degree at the meeting point. Hutton was sitting on a sofa just beside him.
They were yet to say anything to each other when Hutton’s face rang. He took it out and checked the screen. Then he looked at Kahn and held up his brows for a moment. “It’s Florence Brown.”
“Let’s see what she’s got,” Kahn remarked.
“Hello, Florence,” Hutton answered the call.
“I just watched Carl Winston drive away with his wife and son,” the voice came from the other end.
“That’s good,” Hutton remarked. “What happened to Rex and Foden, the man Carl came with.”
“Foden is dead, I think Rex shot him,” Florence replied. “Rex is still alive but he’s gonna be dead soon.”
“Is there anything you can do to keep him alive?”
“Huh?” Florence seemed surprised about the question.
“You heard me right, Florence.”
“He could leave if he gets some first aid,” she replied and went silent for a moment.
“You’re still there?” Hutton questioned.
“Yeah, trying to check the wound,” she replied. Hutton stayed silent to give her time. She eventually spoke after almost a minute. “I don’t think the bullets hit him in any vital organ. We first need to stop the bleeding, then he’ll need a doctor.”
“Can you do that?”
“Uhmm… Yes, but we don’t have much time. The police will be here soon, we have to fly.”
“How many men do you have left with you?” Hutton questioned.
“Just one.”
“Let him fly the plane while you help Rex stop the bleeding,” Hutton ordered.
“What? We should bring Rex along?”
“Yes, bring him to me.”
“Why the f*** are you changing the plans? Rex and Carl were supposed to die today. I had a good chance to take Carl down but I didn’t because you called me at the last moment and changed it.”
“Stop the f***ing questions and obey me,” Hutton yelled at her.
“Ain’t one of your f***ing henchmen that follows your orders blindly, Hutton. If you want me to do this, you gotta give me an explanation,” she fired back at him.
Hutton got even angrier by Florence’s reply but he managed to calm himself. He couldn’t get Florence to submit by threats or extreme control like he did with the others.
“We executed the explosions successfully today but we’ve yet to confirm whether the President is dead or not,” Hutton replied. “That’s why we need a backup strategy in case the real plan is messed up. You’re still gonna get the honour of killing Carl Winston as long as you did everything I asked you to do.”
“Yes, I did. The chip is in the necklace pendant. She never takes it off.”
“Then you should trust me. You’re gonna get your chance to take down Carl Winston.”
“I hope you keep to your word.”
“I always do keep to my words. All you have to do is make sure you follow my instructions and reduce the questions or you’ll force me to come after you personally.”
“I understand that, Hutton,” Florence replied.
“Good, I’ll let you know what next we have to do and when,” Hutton added before ending the call.
“F***! We’re always using backup plans,” Kahn cursed after the call. “Our biggest mistake was not finishing Carl Winston off ourselves. We should have done it that night. All we do now is to fall to a backup plan because we failed with the main one.”
“If the President isn’t dead, we’ll take out Michael and Maria.”
“That wouldn’t solve our problems,” Kahn remarked.
“Yeah, but it will take two useless people off the earth.”
“And what happens to our mission?”
“It’ll be done,” Hutton remarked confidently. “The Vice President will get us enough time to find out if the President is dead yet. And our woman understands her assignment perfectly.”
______
The FOX Corporation,
Bexford, Bethanna
06:00 PM
Chairman Mark walked into the large hall where over 30 FOX officers were waiting for him. Evelyn, Steve, Maria, and Michael were also there. The chairman had called for a meeting with all the FOX agents who played a part in the Red Wolves case.
“Gentlemen and ladies,” Mark got to their front. “I just got out of a meeting with the Vice President. We all know how critical the situation of the country is now. Businesses are being suspended and foreign investors are pulling out because we failed to save the President. We have been given an ultimatum of 24 hours to make reasonable arrests. The ANF and other international security forces might step in. That would mean we have all failed in our duties.”
“Is the death of the President confirmed yet?” a voice asked.
At first, Mark did not see who the question was from and got angry that a junior officer was questioning him. But Michael stepped out from behind the officers.
Mark drew in a breath. He had forgotten that Michael would also be a part of the meeting.
“I hate to admit this to you, Agent Michael. But the president died on our watch. The best of the FOX guards died with him at the safe house,” Mark finally replied.
“If the safehouse he was taken to was reported correctly, how the f*** did the wolves find out where he was? That’s the safest place for anyone to go,” Michael remarked.
Mark squinted thoughtfully for a moment, then his eyes landed on Evelyn’s face. He took some steps closer to her.
“Agent Evelyn,” he called as he stopped in front of him. She saluted in response. “You, Agent Steve, and I were the only three who knew the location except for the men there. Agent Steve never left my sight after we got back here, but you did twice. Should I suspect something?”
A shocked look appeared on Evelyn’s face. “But sir…You know I’ve dedicated myself to this case like none other. There’s no way I could have given out the location.”
“What were you doing when you left us? Twice?”
“I went to hiss myself the first time, sir. The second time, I got a false alarm from the IT department that some information had been gotten on one of my previous cases.”
“False alarm?” Mark gathered his brows.
“Yes, the case had been transferred to someone else but Agent Maria thought it was still for me.”
“What?” Maria stepped out and frowned at Evelyn. “I didn’t have any conversation with you yesterday.”
Evelyn squinted at her. “You called me, Agent Maria.”
“I didn’t,” Maria insisted.
“Please, let’s stop this,” Steve joined in. “Agent Evelyn has been working tirelessly on the case. She even connected us with external sources that got us far.”
“Anybody can be compromised, Steve,” Mark corrected him. “Maybe she changed sides along the way, or maybe the source she connected us to has never been genuine.”
Evelyn stared in disbelief at the Chairman’s face. “You know that’s not true sir.”
He stepped closer to her and said in low tones. “No one else knew where we took the President to, except for me, Steve, and you. Steve and I were together after we got back. You were the one who stepped out twice.”
Evelyn looked confused. She quickly turned to Maria again. “Please tell them the truth, Maria. Please, tell them you called me.”
“I didn’t, Evelyn. Stop lying,” Maria denied again.
“We have cameras around here right?” Steve put in again. “Why don’t we check if you two met as Evelyn claimed?”
Evelyn heaved a sigh of relief.
“Yes, we should check,” Maria agreed and stepped back. A confident look appeared on her face, knowing that they can’t find anything. Her eyes met with Michael’s briefly and she could see the satisfied look on her face. As they’d both discussed, Evelyn would be seen as the mole and it would never look like Maria leaked the information.
TBC
