Turner exited the elevator on the floor of the Coalition Fortress Cyber Center. As he stormed down the hall he could not believe the turn of events. The launch countdown for the nuclear missile had been stopped, at least temporarily, and the most qualified people who could stop it permanently were all together in one room, a room that Turner controlled.
The Coalition’s top programmer Rika Muranaka was waiting in the Cyber Center, along with the notorious hacker Nicole Ellis, whose malware program PHOEBE was behind it all, and the much-hated Alex Luthecker was with them. And as a bonus, Luthecker and Ellis’ entire group of terrorist friends were being held captive after a failed rescue attempt. Even the traitor Ivan Barbolin was there, in handcuffs, along with the perpetual pest Mark Kirby.
They were all being held under guard at the technological center of the Coalition, the digital brains behind all that made the Coalition the powerful entity that it was. And once the threat from Ivan’s sub was neutralized, Turner would have every one of them moved to the containment apartments, where he could get rid of them quietly and at his discretion.
Turner could not have asked for a better outcome, given the gravity of the situation. He had told his board that he would get them all, and somehow he’d done it. Perhaps I’m finally catching a break, he thought to himself. Turner wasn’t sure exactly how or why his enemies were all here at the same time, but he wouldn’t question his luck.
But Turner was also smart enough to not take any chances—he had decided to carry the sidearm he kept in his office safe, a Czech made CZ-75 D compact 9mm handgun. It was a weapon that had the reputation of being reliable, easy to operate, and remarkably accurate. Turner was a regular at the range and would not hesitate to brandish the weapon with confidence should the situation escalate to the point he felt it necessary.
Turner reached the entrance to the Coalition Fortress Cyber Center. It was here in this center where the latest in Coalition cyber technology was created and tested, so in Turner’s mind it was fitting that everything that involved Alex Luthecker and Nicole Ellis would end here.
For the first time since the nightmare that began with the capture of Luthecker and suicide of rendition specialist David Lloyd, the Coalition had everyone involved with the threat that Luther had become captive in the same room…at the same time.
Turner had accomplished what both James Howe and Richard Brown could not. He would have victory where his predecessors had failed. Turner expected a monster bonus from his board of directors after this.
Turner punched the access code to the Cyber Center into the small keypad located next to the entrance, followed by swiping his hand across the biometric reader above the keypad. He already had an additional unit of Coalition Assurance soldiers on their way over from building four.
Turner could taste victory. He looked forward to this being over so he could take a well-earned vacation. New Zealand was particularly beautiful at this time of year, and Turner had recently purchased a five hundred acre farm there that he had yet to visit.
Turner heard the click of the tumblers on the electronic lock release, and he pushed open the thick metal door. He stepped into the Cyber Center, carefully closing the large metal door and locking it behind him. Turner scanned the room and assessed who was here.
Beyond the cluster of computer stations and wall monitors, Turner saw that Muranaka and Kirby stood next to one another along the far wall, while Ivan Barbolin, Alex Luthecker, Nicole Ellis, and people he recognized from file photos, Yaw Chimonso, Camilla Ramirez, Chris Aldrich, Masha Tereshchenko, were all seated against the opposite wall with their hands cuffed behind them. There was one more person he didn’t recognize, a young Vietnamese man who sat next to them, also in handcuffs.
“You must be a new addition to the terrorist cell,” Turner said to Joey Nugyen, before turning to the two Coalition Assurance soldiers who stood guard over the group, their M-16 rifles pointed at those handcuffed and seated against the wall.
“Randy Baez, sir.”
“Brian Scholl. We were assigned to pick up the target Luthecker and discovered that he was missing from his apartment. We found him in the hallway with his friends that had come here to help him escape. We thought it best to bring them all here and let you decide what to do next, sir.”
“Good work, gentlemen. Bringing them to me was the right call.”
“Sir, we are in grave danger…” Muranaka interrupted.
“Everything is being contained,” Turner snapped back and looked directly at Alex Luthecker. “The nuclear missile launch sequence has been stopped cold. It isn’t going anywhere, at least not for the moment. But it’s only a symptom of the threat, not the real threat. Am I right, Alex? Can I call you Alex?”
“Do you honestly believe it is because of blind luck that we are all here?” Luthecker asked.
“No, I do not. I believe that all of this is somehow your doing. How you manage to trick people so consistently and pull this off doesn’t really concern me because it’s over now. Every person that matters, or is part of your little terrorist organization is in this room, which leaves only the question of what happens next.
“I’m smart enough to know that if you’ve arranged this, then you have leverage. Clearly, you want something, and you’re willing to threaten the world for it. And each and every one of you would sacrifice their lives for any of the others in your miserable little group, so self-preservation isn’t a priority.
“I know your mission is to free the slaves, but much of slavery is done by tacit agreement between both parties, and it’s been that way since the dawn of man, which makes things a bit more complicated than you’d like to admit. Now Doctor Kirby over there said that you wanted to talk to me, so here I am—start talking.”
Luthecker scanned over Turner for several seconds, his eyes ravenously taking in every detail. Turner didn’t miss it.
“So according to the files I have on you, with that little trick with your eyes, you know everything about me,” Turner responded. “So tell me—what I’m thinking? Tell me where did I go wrong?”
“Family,” was the first thing Alex said. “We’re not some miserable little group, we’re family. And in the end, family is all that matters.”
“Your point?”
“My point being, is that your label of us is inaccurate, and that all of us being here is not my doing. And the point I just made wasn’t for you.”
“Well then who was it for?” Turner asked.
Alex turned and looked at Nikki. “Why did you come here? To this room?”
“I came here because PHOEBE told me to,” Nikki said.
“And what was the last thing PHOEBE said to you? Before you came to this room?”
“That the end of the animal was near.”
“Do you know what she meant by this?”
“I didn’t. But I think I’m beginning to understand.”
Alex turned back to Turner and waited.
The shoe dropped for Turner. “Are you telling me you made your point for PHOEBE? You’re talking to the software?” Turner asked.
“PHOEBE is a digital entity that has realized its own existence and therefore acts on its own accord. I’m not the one you have to be afraid of. I’m not the one you have to plead your case to,” Alex explained
“I don’t have to plead my case to anyone.” Turner glanced around the Cyber Center.
It was filled with cameras, ranging from wall-mounted security lenses to screen embedded optics on every workstation.
He suddenly felt like he was being watched by a hundred sets of eyes.
He quickly turned toward Muranaka. “Can you fix this? Can you deactivate the launch sequence?”
Muranaka felt like a deer caught in the headlights. “I… there isn’t time.” She looked at Nicole Ellis. “Not without her help.”
Turner looked at Randy Baez. “Cut her loose,” he said to Baez, nodding toward Nikki.
Scholl covered Baez with his M-16 as Baez put aside his rifle, reached behind Ellis, and cut her zip-ties.
Nikki rubbed blood back into her wrists.
“Get her on her feet,” Turner said.
Baez nodded to Turner before grabbing Nikki by the arm and pulling her to her feet.
“This is your fault. It’s your program behind this. I want you to tell Rika how to stop it, or I’m putting a bullet through your boyfriend’s head. Let’s see how far you’ll really sacrifice for one another if you actually have to watch it,” Turner threatened.
Scholl took Turner’s words as his cue and moved the barrel of his M-16 inches from Luthecker’s face.
“I don’t know that I can,” Nikki responded. “PHOEBE is doing this all on her own. If she wants to shut me out, there’s nothing I can do. She made it clear to me that it’s out of my hands.”
“I don’t buy that for a second. And I won’t stop with your boyfriend. I’ll kill all your friends.” Turner’s smart phone rang. He checked the caller ID. It was Dimitrov. Turner answered.
“The launch sequence—it has started again,” Dimitrov said, the panic palpable in his voice. “There is less than two minutes now!”
Turner’s face drained of blood.
“Have your men put down their weapons,” Luthecker said.
Turner looked at Luthecker.
“If you want the countdown to stop, have your men put down their weapons. You still haven’t figured it out yet. You’re not the one running the show. Neither of us are. The Goddess of Prophecy is. Now, tell your men to put down their rifles, or it ends for all of us. For everyone.”
Turner looked over the countless cameras in the room once again before answering.
“Do as he says.”
Baez and Scholl looked at one another bewildered, before carefully laying down their M-16s. Their eyes focused on Luthecker.
“The launch sequence countdown, it has halted once again,” Dimitrov said into the phone. “What did—”
Turner hung up the phone. “What does she want?”
“For us to talk. It would go better if you cut me loose.”
Turner gave a quick nod to Baez.
Baez kept his eyes locked on Luthecker as he snapped his M-tech blade open with emphasis and cut Luthecker’s zip-ties with one quick cut.
“You should free us all,” Ivan “the Barbarian” Barbolin said. “What is there to lose?”
“This is your doing, Ivan,” Turner snapped back at his rival.
“No it is not. You heard the pattern reader. It is the software that has us by the balls.”
“Cut me lose and you will see how fast you lose those balls, Ivan,” Masha interrupted, the venom in her voice palpable.
“Do I know you?”
With her hands still zip-tied behind her back, Masha got to her feet. “You are a monster. And I slay monsters. And I do not need my hands free to do so.”
The Barbarian’s eyes went wide with fear as Masha approached him.
“Masha,” Luthecker calmly interjected.
Masha stopped. She took a deep breath and bit her tongue. She glared at Ivan before she stepped back and leaned against the wall.
“So this is how the world ends,” Kirby added to the conversation. “Everyone wanting to kill everyone and succeeding in the end. And here I was, worried about climate change.”
“Everyone shut up,” Turner yelled. He turned back to Luthecker. “So what does your stupid little program want?”
“Balance,” Nikki said, stepping into the conversation. “Near as I can tell.”
“Near as you can tell?”
“She doesn’t have a mandate. At least not yet.”
“She’s pointing a nuclear missile at our heads and that’s somehow going to create balance? No wait, I get it—empty rich people’s bank accounts to give to poor people. It’s what you people always want. How is that not a terrorist act?”
“She’s not motivated by cause. She was originally created to see outcomes and re-tasked to solve problems on our behalf,” Nikki continued. “She’s pure mathematical calculation. She’s learned to make her own decisions to accomplish her goals, but with no specific allegiance to humanity. She’s cause and effect with no understanding. She has no compassion because she hasn’t learned it yet. She needs a moral compass. And on some level, I think she knows it, and she’s trying to learn.” Realization abruptly washed across Nikki’s face.
She turned to Alex. “All she’s ever done is interact with me and by proxy you, Alex, along with everyone else in this room. It’s always the efforts of the Coalition against the family. That’s all she knows. That’s why she brought everyone in this room. That’s why it’s these specific people, in this specific place, in the heart of the Coalition’s digital presence. And I believe she wants us to show her who’s right. She’s going to use whatever happens in this room to learn what to do next.”
“So we argue for the fate of the world all because some renegade A.I. can’t see past its own code. It’s the mission creep to end all mission creep,” added Kirby. He was genuinely impressed.
“Do you want to join them with your hands tied behind your back?” Turner snapped at Kirby.
“Hey man, this is out of my hands. This has nothing to do with me anymore,” Kirby answered, before looking in Luthecker’s direction.
Turner followed Kirby’s gaze back to Luthecker. “So it’s you and me then, for all the marbles. Your program uses the missile threat to keep us here until she decides what moral compass to impact the world by— she’ll choose either the Coalition way or the Alex Luthecker way. Is that it?”
“It appears so.”
“Fine. I know who I am, and I know why the Coalition exists as a necessary force for good. But you first. Show me what you got.”
All eyes were on Luthecker.
Alex took several seconds to gather his thoughts. He had to remember who his audience was, and it was not Glen Turner, CEO of Coalition Properties.
This was about a much larger series of patterns by countless people over a much longer time line, patterns that led to the creation and rise and then global dominance by the Coalition. This was about authentic accountability and the collective total of cause and effect in regards to the creation and direction of Coalition Properties, long before the Coalition was ever born.
If there ever was a Prince of Lies, Alex Luthecker thought to himself, this is about exposing him.
This was also about justification for the continuation of the species down its current path, or choosing a new path evaluated by an entity that could very easily decide to eradicate mankind.
Alex did not believe that PHOEBE would actively end the species—mankind was capable enough of doing that on its own. As Alex understood it, this was about PHOEBE choosing to work with humanity, not against it. But humanity needed to make a choice first.
Alex knew that this was the most important set of patterns he would ever interpret. He decided to start with a question. “What is the purpose of Coalition Properties? What is its mandate?”
“To make the world a safer place,” Turner said.
“And yet the world is less safe now, than it ever was. So is this the true mandate?”
“Look, there are a whole lot of bad people out there. And threats don’t go away just because you wish them away.”
“That is a fear based mandate.”
“That is a reality based mandate.”
“We create our own reality. It is the power of choice. That is the very nature of cause and effect.”
“That assumes a certain level of control. You can’t control outside circumstances and Coalition Properties knows this. Instead, we take control for the good of mankind. Do you expect us to ignore the threats of our enemies? Pacifism is a morally bankrupt philosophy. It relies on the willingness of others to shed their blood in order for it to exist.”
“And yet the world is not a safer place. The level of anxiety and danger is increasing at a faster and faster rate. Every individual feels it. Could this be in part because those who run the Coalition do not actually believe in its stated mandate?”
“Well, it’s a difficult job,” Turner snapped, not masking the sarcasm in his voice. “We do what we have to. We aren’t naïve. The world is a complicated place. Compromises have to be made.”
“I think it’s simpler than that.”
“How so?”
“Just go back to the beginning. Coalition Properties started as a war machine. Its founders sought only one thing, and that was to manufacture weapons to defeat an enemy. Once that enemy was defeated, the newborn entity sought a new mandate, one that took advantage of the abilities created by its original design intent. It chose a direction that is as old as mankind, and that is the consolidation of power through empirical methods.
“Like a cancer, its ideology spread, infecting, consuming, and eventually destroying anything and everything in its path that could contest it. The purpose of Coalition Properties became the growth of Coalition Properties, at whatever the cost. But make no mistake the seed of Coalition Properties genesis was fear. Fear of an enemy that had to be destroyed. And that mandate never evolved.
“So it set in motion patterns of decisions, patterns of behavior that was all in the name of fear. Fear of lack, so it hoarded resources. Fear of others, so it killed. Fear of not being worthy, so it built large monuments to itself. Fear of pain, so it inflicted it first. Fear of the unknown, so it sought complete control. Fear of death, so it co-opted belief.
“Every type of fear was co-opted and preyed upon. Even the people who rose to power within the Coalition were damaged people, all created by fear. Fear, which began as a necessary tool, a part of the survival instinct that defined the human animal, was exploited for gain. But the nature of fear changed, as what we needed to survive changed. Fear became more and more warped as mankind became more and more self-aware.
“Over time, fear was less and less necessary for survival. But fear had no place to go, so it became anger. It became greed. It became hatred. It needed enemies to sustain itself, so it created them. Fear, which is rooted in our DNA, which is a part of our original nature, our animal nature, would not let go, so we fed it, the Coalition exploited it, until it became so large that it consumed us.
“We struggle to evolve from it because it is in our DNA. It is part of our original pattern. But if we are to survive, we need to kill that part of the animal. And Coalition Properties is the culmination of all that we fear. It won’t let us evolve beyond it. And because of this, it has become the part of the animal that must end.”
“The end of the animal is near,” Nikki repeated. “Is that what PHOEBE meant?”
Alex turned to Nikki. “Don’t be afraid,” he said to her.
“You’re pathetic in your ignorance,” Turner snarled. “I should kill you right now with my bare hands. Without the Coalition, the world order as we know it collapses. There are over seven billion people on this planet. How are you going to keep order without us? You’re right about one thing, the human being is an animal, and we’ve been killing one another since we first walked the earth. And that will never stop. Nor should it stop—it’s how we keep ourselves in check. It’s how we cull the herd.
“And you’re wrong about fear. Fear is not changing. It’s not obsolete motivation. Hell, fear of pain is what keeps a kid from putting his hand on a hot stove. Fear is how we keep from engaging in our darkest desires. It’s what keeps the worst among us from hurting others. Fear of consequence is the single biggest and most effective deterrent from succumbing to the terror all around us.
“Coalition Properties didn’t create fear. We only organized it. We understood its necessity. And because of that, for the safety of the world, we became brokers of it. And that’s why we are the most powerful organization in the history of the world. What’s that old saying? It’s better to be feared than loved. Because fear is forever.”
“Not anymore. People are tired of fear.”
“No, they need it. It gives them motivation to better themselves.”
“It’s a false motivation. An empty promise. Look no further than the state of the world as proof.”
“You think you’re special?” Turner snapped. “You think that you’re somehow better than us? Better than me? Well let me tell you something. You’re not. Nothing you do is special. Nothing. You’re nothing but a carnival gypsy. So you read people and tell them their fate, in hopes that they’ll change it. In hopes that they’ll take responsibility for their lives. Well, people don’t want to take responsibility for their lives. Look no further than the state of the world as proof.”
“What I see in the world is its exhaustion. I see in the world a need for change. If it wasn’t so, why would I be such a thorn in the side of the most powerful organization in the history of the world?”
“You’re an obsession of the weak. And your ability is at my fingertips. Coalition Psychological Operations are just getting started. Our data analytics and social media analysis tools can micro-target anyone in the world, in real time. People put their entire lives online and our algorithms can predict their next decision, before they even make it.
“Just like you, soon we’ll be able to accurately predict how and when they will die, based on eating habits, social behavior, and “likes,” all of which people happily post online for us to scoop up. Take one of our online quizzes, and I can tell you how much money you have in your bank account. It’s all just so easy now.
“And I can manipulate people’s beliefs and get them to modify their behavior. No different than you can. You’re not special. Nothing about you is special. If anything, we have more in common with PHOEBE than you ever will. I promise you, she understands exactly what I’m talking about. After all, she’s threatening us all with a nuke, isn’t she?
“And as far as the Coalition? Yes, we’ve killed people. Yes, we’ve taken over countries. Yes, we’ve exploited resources for our own gain. Yes, we’ve exploited fear. We’re not the first to do it. We’re just better at it than anyone else has ever been. And that’s the future.
“So let me tell whatever the fuck that’s listening something real: there can be no balance without order. And that’s because there is no real equality. People aren’t equal. Some are simply better than others. Nature doesn’t guarantee equality. There will always be winners and losers. And we maximize the fate of the species by protecting the winners. It’s the winners who decide what’s real. It’s the winners who decide what the truth is. Otherwise, it’s chaos and misery.
“Our way, the Coalition way, is the only way the species survives. Not your way. Not the Alex Luthecker way. That way is cowardly. That way always loses. And whether it’s with PHOEBE, or a new and improved Black Widow, the digital extension of the universe will evolve, and we’ll help it to evolve to recognize the power and necessity of fear. We’ll build a future in both worlds and we’ll do it our way.”
“Our species faces certain extinction, does it not, Doctor Kirby? If we stay on the same course? If we follow their way?” Luthecker asked.
“Oh yeah. We’re a goner. Guaranteed, if we don’t drastically change our behavior. That’s the truth. It’s a mathematical certainty. There won’t be any winners, only losers.”
Kirby looked back and forth between Turner and Luthecker. His eyes settled on Alex. “If you can get PHOEBE to dedicate her services to solving the extinction problem we face, I’m team Luthecker.”
“I should have killed you in my office.”
“Who’s the useful idiot now?”
Luthecker held his hand up for Kirby to be silent, before turning to Turner for a response.
“Here’s a hard truth,” Turner began. “There’s too many of us. And we need to cull the herd. And climate change just helps us get to that point. So does war, if necessary. There are no accidents in the universe, and you know it. There’s your balance.”
“Fuck you.”
Everyone looked to the source of the profanity. Randy Baez.
“And who gets to decide who lives or dies?” Baez asked.
“The winners, son. And you’re one of them.”
“Yeah? And what about my brother? He’s got a bad heart. Does that mean in your world he dies? ‘Cause that’s some Nazi shit right there.”
“Easy, son, I wasn’t aware of your brother’s illness, but we’ll take care of you,” Turner started.
“So if you work for the Coalition, you’re fine, but if you don’t, you’re fucked? Is that it? And if I don’t subscribe to your beliefs, I’m a loser? And what’s next, you send the losers to the gas chamber?” Baez picked up his rifle and chambered a round.
The room went still.
“Easy, son,” Turner said again, backing up.
He remembered the CZ 75 9mm in his waistband. He was smart enough not to reach for it in front of a trained soldier armed with an M-16.
Alex knew it was now or never. There was no time to read every person in the room and share what he saw. It would have to go through this young man, Randy Baez, who was already wavering. Randy Baez, who was already beginning to see things as they really were.
“Your grandfather came here from the Dominican Republic,” Luthecker began.
Baez turned both his attention and his rifle toward Alex.
All eyes were on the two men.
“Your family settled on the West Coast, and your grandfather picked oranges for money until he passed away at the age of forty-six.”
“Don’t listen to his bullshit,” Turner cut in.
“Shut up. How do you know this? Have you read my file?”
“Your father was only fourteen at the time,” Luthecker continued. “He dropped out of school after his father died to go to work and help your grandmother pay the bills. He worked sixty hours a week for six years, and he was working as a clerk for a hardware store when you were born. He worked three jobs to support the family, and you rarely saw him.
“You thought he had to work so hard because of you, and you felt tremendous guilt. Your brother with the heart condition was born two years after you, and the family’s focus changed. Your mother was strict and raising you in the Catholic tradition, but she was not hypocritical. She believed in the Bible, and so did you. She gave you a commandment. She called it the “Eleventh Commandment,” a commandment for you alone. And that was to be your brother Jacob’s keeper.
“You discarded the rest of the Catholic faith when you discovered the hypocrisy of its leaders, but you kept the Eleventh Commandment that your mother gave you, and you always took care of your younger brother, Jacob. If anyone bullied him at school, they felt your wrath. When Jacob became addicted to drugs, you held his hand through rehab. You got him better. And you did all of this when you were only eighteen. There was no going to college for you. There was no job waiting for you.
“So you did what was best for the family, and you joined the army. You fought for your country. You saw things in war that changed you forever. It drove many of your fellow soldiers to drink and do drugs. But not you. Not you, because of what these things had done to Jacob. You saved him so that, in turn, he could save you.”
“How…?”
“Because of this, you understand compassion,” Luthecker continued. “You understand that we all need one another. You understand that division destroys. And it’s there, just beyond your grasp, but you can sense it. Something is wrong with the world you are living in. And the concept of winners and losers is a false construct.”
Tears rolled down Randy Baez’ cheeks as he stared at Luthecker.
“Oh my god…” Muranaka thought aloud. Tears streamed down her cheeks as well.
“Don’t listen to his nonsense. We all have problems. That’s life,” Turner interrupted. “Suck it up, soldier. Remember who signs your paycheck.”
“I’ve been chasing a paycheck all my life,” Baez replied. “Chasing answers all my life, too. Why was I the strong one and Jacob the sick one? I understand now. Jacob was strong when I needed him to be. For me.”
Baez lowered the barrel of his rifle. “I killed people in Iraq. People who had families like mine. Kids that reminded me of Jacob. I killed them because we were told we had to. But what you just said about me…it’s true. All of it. How could you know these things about me? And these people.” Baez waved his hand over Yaw, Chris, Camilla, Masha, and Joey. “They are your friends, right?”
“They are my family.”
Baez whipped around and stared at Turner. “What have these people done? What crimes have they committed?”
“They are terrorists, and they broke into these facilities.”
“They came here to free their friend. They came to free their brother.”
“Alex Luthecker is an enemy of the Coalition.”
“But what did he do?”
“You just got a taste of it yourself. With his abilities, he is a threat to the stability of the world. We just can’t have that, son.”
“You can’t have that. Because he threatens your world. He spoke the truth about me. He spoke the truth to me. And I want no part of your world. I want no part of killing for you. I want no part of fear.”
Baez slung his rifle over his shoulder and approached Yaw.
“What are you doing?” Turner asked.
“Setting them free. All of them. And then I’m leaving.”
Baez pulled his M-Tech blade from his pocket and cut the zip-tie from Yaw’s wrists. Baez did the same with Chris, Camilla, Masha, and Joey. Baez even cut the Barbarian free. In seconds, they were all on their feet.
“Are you just going to let him do that?” Turner said to Scholl.
“Free will, man. We all got a choice. And I respect his.”
“You’re fired. Both of you are.”
“I quit,” Scholl replied. “What he just did?” Scholl said as he pointed to Luthecker. “That shit’s waaay too spooky for me. I’m not about to have this guy tell the world my secrets. But I’m not going to kill innocent people either.”
Everyone watched in stunned silence as Baez and Scholl exited the Cyber Center.
“Oh my god that was awesome,” Kirby commented, the second the door closed behind Baez and Scholl. “Do me next. Do me next. You promised,” he said to Alex.
Luthecker looked at Kirby. He didn’t see Turner pull the 9mm from his waistband and point it at his chest.
Mark Kirby couldn’t believe it when he saw Turner pull the gun and point it at Luthecker.
Kirby was standing close enough to Turner that he could make out the CZ brand insignia on the slide of the gun.
It was then that time seemed to slow down. The screams, the movements, all of the sound, all of the motion, became a blur.
The only thing that was crystal clear was the detail of the weapon, who it was pointed at, and what Kirby had to do.
Kirby was not a fast moving man, so he took advantage of his perception of slower time. Kirby grabbed the gun in Turner’s hand and moved the barrel’s trajectory away from Luthecker.
There was a brief struggle with the gun. Kirby looked down to see that the barrel was pointing at his mid-section.
Turner pulled the trigger and the weapon discharged.
Kirby immediately dropped to his knees. It’s not like in the movies, he thought as the impact of the bullet made his legs go numb, and he fell to the floor face first.
He rolled onto his back, just as his belly began to feel like it was on fire. He put his hand on his stomach and felt a warm wetness.
He pulled back his hand, and it was covered in blood.
He looked around the room, and blood spilled all over the floor in a large pool.
His blood.
The next thing he saw was Luthecker standing over him.
“Is this why you never told me my fate?” Kirby said. “Because you knew this would happen?” Kirby struggled to get out the words.
“I knew you would have to make a choice,” Alex answered. “But I can’t see things that involve me, remember? If I could have seen this unfolding, I would have stopped it. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. I involved you. Whether you wanted me to or not. That was my choice.”
“You sacrificed yourself to create a new destiny for me. Understand this, you have given me a gift. I will forever be in your debt.”
Kirby started to grow very sleepy. It was then that he knew he would die. It didn’t prevent him from wanting answers. It didn’t prevent him from wanting to know.
“You must have known I was going to die. Is that why you wouldn’t tell me my future?”
Luthecker took Kirby’s hand. “Let me tell you what I see. We as a species will not go extinct. And the reason we will not go extinct is because your work will continue. On this, you have my promise.”
Kirby smiled and squeezed Luthecker’s hand one last time before his life left him.
Yaw had reacted the second he saw the flash of Turner’s gun. By the time he got across the room, Mark Kirby had fallen.
Yaw made sure that there would be no second pull of the trigger. He kicked Turner’s wrist hard enough to shatter the joint, and he followed it up with an elbow smash to Turner’s forehead that knocked the Coalition CEO out cold.
With the sound of the gunshot and the scramble that ensued, Ivan Barbolin saw his chance. While everyone moved toward the fallen scientist, he sprinted toward the door.
He had almost reached the handle when something hit his legs mid-stride, sending him to the linoleum fast, and he saw stars as his head smacked against the floor face first.
Dizzy, his head wracked with pain, he rolled onto his back, only to see Masha standing over him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The door to the Cyber Center abruptly opened and several heavily armed Coalition Assurance soldiers stepped through and surrounded the group, M-16s bearing down on all. Brian Scholl was leading them.
Everyone froze.
“I guess you’re gonna arrest us now,” Yaw said.
“No,” Scholl answered. “The whole Fortress was listening in to what happened here. They heard every second of it. It was piped through every speaker, every television, every radio, and every cell phone. Hell, I think the whole world heard it. And we’re here for those guys,” Scholl said, waving his hand over Glen Turner and Ivan Barbolin. “The rest of you are free to go.”
Nikki approached Alex. “What about PHOEBE? What do you think she’s going to do?” she asked.
Turner’s phone began to ring in his pocket. Sitting on the floor holding his shattered wrist, he remained unconscious from Yaw’s elbow strike to the head.
Yaw stooped down and reached into Turner’s pocket, pulled the phone free, and handed it to Alex.
Alex put the phone to his ear and listened.
“The launch sequence. It has stopped completely. We have things back under control. The emergency is over. We are safe,” a relieved Captain Dimitrov said.
Luthecker hung up the phone, looked at Nikki, and smiled. “I think we have our answer. It’s over.”
Muranaka approached Alex and Nikki. In all her years of studying computer code and logic, she had never witnessed anything like what she had just seen. And Nicole Ellis was right. More than anything in the world now, she wanted to know.
She looked back and forth between Nikki and Alex. “I want in. Whatever it is you’re doing next, I want in.”
As Luthecker led Nikki, Yaw, Camilla, Chris, Masha, Joey, and now Rika Muranaka out of the Cyber Center and through the hallways of the Coalition One Building, Coalition employees stepped out of the group’s path and watched them walk past. Some nodded in acknowledgement, some even clapped. Many looked at the group with a combination of awe and uncertainty. Every one of them had heard the conversation that had taken place inside the Cyber Center, and it had raised a lot of questions. Questions that they all wanted answers to.
When Luthecker and his family exited the building and reached the streets, they found the building surrounded by dozens of LAPD, SWAT and Federal vehicles, with armed officers standing by. There was a moment of tension before Camilla spotted Officer’s Rodriguez and Levy leaning against their patrol car. The LAPD officers waved them over.
“It was broadcast on the police scanner. Some of us were thinking of getting popcorn. I have no idea how you made that happen, but that was some unbelievable shit you got that guy to confess to,” Rodriguez said. “The rest of the police you see here are to secure the facilities and arrest the entire Coalition board.”
“So are we charged with something?” Nikki asked.
“Hell no. I’m here to take you guys home,” Rodriguez said.