Before Myra had fully exited the lab, she was whisked away by six of the largest WOGs she had ever seen. Dressed in full body armor, they surrounded her. One on each side took her by the arms while another two in the front and back created a hulking human shield.
“Stay calm and follow us,” one of them bellowed.
Myra ducked as she if she were currently under sniper fire while the WOGs escorted her down the hall. Though boasting many times that she survived sniper fire during certain New Reality business trips to unfriendly countries, she, in fact, had never encountered any true danger in her life. She believed such manufactured stories would provide her with an extra air of bravado and daring to the public, solidifying her image as a leader.
Pushing through a crowd of New Reality employees that began to scramble out of a fully packed auditorium, the President’s guards pummeled, shoved, and even trampled a few people as they pressed on down the hall.
One of the guards slammed open a door leading to a stairwell. It broke off its hinges upon impact and fell onto the floor. Taking her by the arms, two of the guards lifted her over the obstruction while they raced up the steps.
“Wait,” she ordered, while futilely attempting to place at least one foot on the ground, “you’re heading the wrong direction. I want to get out of this place, not further into it.”
The guards ignored her request while scurrying her up the stairs. Two New Reality employees unfortunately stood in their way. With little compassion, the WOGs slammed them against the wall as to not impede their progression.
Though Myra wanted to protest further, fear paralyzed her tongue. She could not even cry out to Kevin for help.
Where are they taking me?
So disoriented by the commotion, Myra barely realized that the bodyguards had lead her directly into her office. At first, she felt so out of sorts that even these surroundings looked unfamiliar to her.
One of the guards then placed his right hand on the wall next to a large New Reality emblem. Suddenly, a hidden door dematerialized in front of her.
The bunker, Myra finally realized.
As she walked through the doorway, a light turned on above her in a space no larger than a small closet. Turning to look back at the guards, the door again rematerialized.
Before Myra could place her hand on The New Reality symbol on the wall, she felt her stomach drop and her ears pop as the elevator descended automatically at a rapid pace.
Suddenly, she felt the movement stop, and a door dematerialized in front of her. Expecting to be greeted by another barrage of bodyguards, she was pleasantly surprised to see Kevin’s lone smiling face awaiting her.
Taking Myra by the arm, Kevin escorted her into The New Reality bunker. Knowing she was still dazed from all the excitement, he did not say a word, waiting for her to familiarize herself with these new surroundings.
Myra looked around the circular-shaped bunker. It was designed similarly to the grand security room but on a much lesser scale. Scenes from The New Reality headquarters and other designated places all over the world were displayed high on the walls throughout the entire perimeter of the room. In the center of the bunker, a single glass table with multiple holograms projected above it stood as the room’s focal point. Other desks, chairs, and sleeping quarters were also present.
“So this is my secure bunker,” she said, finally with a bit of gusto. Myra looked around the room to familiarize herself with it.
Kevin brought over a bottle of water to her as she sat in the chair. Taking a stool, he placed it underneath him and sat down. “We’re safe down here,” he assured while rubbing her knee.
She gave him a coy look, skeptical of Kevin’s assertion.
He smiled in return.
Myra did not press the point any further. Instead, she took a gulp of the water and placed the bottle on an adjacent end table. Without hesitation, she stood and walked over to the center of the room and looked at the holographic image above the table.
“What happened here?” she asked gesturing to the image of the stratoskimmer in the middle of the courtyard. “Is this what caused all the commotion?”
“Precisely,” Kevin responded, walking to the other side of the holograph. He then placed his hands on the image and a recorded sequence began to play. Myra watched the stratoskimmer crash through the golden glass dome and into the courtyard. Glass shattered everywhere and the Guidestones were obliterated in the process. She then saw 10 guards jettisoned backwards by the gravity pulse and watched Jules emerge from the ship and escape from sight under the podium.
“Is Alex with him,” was all that Myra could ask, “or is he alone?”
“As far as we can tell at this moment,” Kevin said, “it seems as if Jules is acting independently.”
“So where the hell is Alex Pella?”
“That,” he said, “we still don’t know.”
“Are you sure he isn’t hiding in the ship or attempting to infiltrate the headquarters by some other means?” Myra asked.
“The ship’s been searched, and I called in another five squadrons of attack planes and 10,000 WOGs from around the country to further secure our headquarters,” Kevin reassured. He then pointed to the images on the walls.
“As you can see,” he said, gesturing to the massive amount of military might now guarding their headquarters, “we have this place completely surrounded both by air and ground. No one will be able to get in.”
“Let’s not forget,” Myra interjected, raising one eyebrow, “we do have one particular intruder who managed to infiltrate this building.”
Kevin waved at the holographic image and a new one of a sickly appearing Jules Windsor sitting against a door appeared in its place.
“And that intruder,” Kevin said confidently, “is currently trapped with nowhere to go. We’ve just locked down every door within this building, and now two entire battalions of WOGs are poised to overtake him in less than a minute. Then, my dear, that will be the last we ever discuss Mr. Jules Windsor.”
Before Myra could enjoy any solace of reassurance, she noted one particular marking on the door in the hologram. Looking closer, she felt the blood drain from her face.
“Where’s Jules at this moment?” she anxiously asked.
“In front of the central computing database,” he responded.
“Get him!” Myra insisted. “Get him before he gets in there or I’m finished.” She looked up at him. “The entire New World Order is finished!”
“Our guards will be there in a minute,” he reassured her, not understanding the immediate urgency. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
Myra then touched Jules’ holograph, zooming in on the necklace he wore around his neck—from a chain hung a replica of Achilles’ shield.
Not understanding the significance of the jewelry, Kevin asked, “And this is supposed to mean?”
“Our deaths,” Myra said matter-of-factly, “if he isn’t stopped immediately.”