The Alliance (37 page)

 

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Publishers

....................................

Chapter
105

The truck driver told me she went on foot down toward the ocean. The last thing I wanted to do was run after her, but I had few other options.

—­The journal of Isaac Ryland

Andrew needed to calm his mind. His fingers were shaking; this was the most important moment of his life. He breathed in and exhaled slowly. Once he calmed down he began to type. He hit each number on the keypad with a sense of certainty. Six, eleven, thirteen, two, four, fourteen, ten, eight, fourteen.

A beeping sound came, different from the last. The door began to open and Andrew felt his heart jump into his chest. He didn't waste any time and ran into the small room.

The master server was a giant piece of electrical equipment. Andrew thought it looked a little outdated compared to Affinity's equipment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small device that held the virus, found the opening, and slammed it into the port. He watched a green light flash on the device. Soon all the lights on the server started flashing different colors. It had worked. Andrew pulled out his phone and hit “send.” He heard Zack pick up on the other end.

“It's finished,” Andrew said.

There was a click on the other line. The first part was done, but now Andrew had to make sure the servers were destroyed beyond salvation. He pulled out the small pieces of putty Zack had given him and slammed one against the base of the two towers. Next he pulled out two vials of liquid. He unscrewed each cap carefully. Once he slammed them into the putty mixture he'd have fewer than thirty seconds before they combined to physically destroy the room. Andrew closed his eyes and with each hand pressed the vials into the towers. He turned to run and at the worst possible moment fell over his shoes. He hit the ground hard but didn't take much time to recover before he sprinted back into the hall. The sound of the explosion was larger than Andrew expected. He wasn't far enough away and felt a rush of air push him forward. He hit the ground again; his back felt warm, but he forced himself up and continued down the hall.

The sound of the explosion had passed, but an alarm was sounding through the entire building. Andrew felt like he was running for his life as he made it through the maze of the Mission, certain a guard would be upon him any second. Carter was gone. Trent was gone. Andrew hoped they were on the way to the studio.

No guard came into view; they were probably too distracted by the fire the small bombs had caused. Andrew raced past the front doors and down the steps. His lungs felt like they were about to explode, but his mind was too preoccupied by happiness to notice. It was done. They were successful.

His thoughts were distracting him too much though. Andrew didn't see the outstretched arm come out of nowhere, and because of the speed he was traveling Andrew fell flat on his back. He opened his eyes to see Grant Marsden staring down at him.

“You're too late,” Andrew said.

Those were the last words he spoke before his world went black.

 

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....................................

Chapter
106

The driver had informed me my husband was moments behind. I could smell the salty ocean air. I was so close to freedom I could taste it.

—­The diary of Megan Jean

Mia sat on the couch next to Greg. He kept picking up her dress and spreading it out. They both froze when Zack answered a phone call. He hung up right away and dialed out.

“The master is destroyed,” Zack said. “It's up to you to finish the rest.”

He hung up the phone again. That was enough information for Affinity to start attacking the online databases. Corinna let out a scream and started jumping up and down with Frank and Alex. Mia watched as Zack tried to keep a straight face, but a smile kept appearing on his lips. Greg leaned over and wrapped Mia in a large hug, moving her back and forth. She let out a small laugh and did the same.

“Remember,” Greg said. “You need to hit that button on my signal.”

Corinna went to her station and kept a finger pointed over a red circle. Once she put her finger down everything would start.

“Don't be nervous,” Greg said. “I want you to give your speech, then I'll start in with questions about anything you missed. We'll end with the video of Grant.”

Greg pulled out his watch. He was waiting for the clock to strike 8:01
P.M
.
; by that point ­people would have tuned in already. Mia sat up straight and smoothed the rest of her dress down.

“Here we go,” Greg said. “Aaaaannnnnnndddd push it.

“Good evening, America,” Greg said. “I promised you a special show tonight and I am going to deliver on that promise. I want to start the program out with this young lady, who has a few words for you.”

Mia turned to face the camera. She swallowed hard, not knowing where to begin. She glanced around the room. Everyone was staring at her. Then she saw Corinna's face. Her sister was glowing and Mia maintained eye contact with her.

“My name is Mia Morrissey. I am Grant Marsden's wife. I want to take this opportunity to tell you a little about my world. I live in a place where families are kept intact, not just those created by blood, but ones made through the bonds of friendship as well. ­People agree to spend their lives together not because of money or appearances, but because they love one another. In this place individuals have rights. You can watch your sons grow old, you can be a part of your daughter's life past her wedding, you can have relationships with the generations that follow in your bloodline.

“There is open access in my world too, where not only are you aware of what your leaders are doing, but you can have a say in who they are and how they behave. Some of the leaders are actually women, who are bright and educated, who care just as much about the ­people of their home countries as they do their loved ones. I am here to tell you that my world is happening all around you, and now it can happen in America.”

Mia stopped. She turned toward Greg. He had tears forming in his eyes.

“Why don't we start from the beginning?” Greg asked.

Mia felt herself relax. She was ready to tell her story and not leave anything out.

Greg finished up his closing and Corinna pushed the red button again. The room was silent.

“What now?” Mia asked.

“We wait for their reaction,” Greg said.

“Affinity is sending a pickup for us,” Zack said. “We have to get back to Greg's safe house.”

A loud noise came from the back of the studio. Mia watched as Riley rolled through the door. Mia ran to meet her. She was out of breath. Carter and Trent came in next. Mia smiled, waiting for Andrew to come through. The three caught their breath and Mia kept still.

“Where is he?” Mia asked.

Her body started to shake with concern.

“Where is Andrew?”

“I thought he was right behind me,” Carter said.

“I didn't see him,” Trent said.

The studio went quiet. Mia heard a vibration coming from the dressing room. She ran over to her phone and saw Andrew's name appear. She picked it up right away.

“Are you all right?” Mia asked. “Where are you?”

“Hello, Amelia.”

A chill and a shiver of terror ran down Mia's spine.

 

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Chapter
107

My wife was more clever than I gave her credit for. She was smart enough to try to make it to the ocean, the only possible method of international travel left open.

—­The journal of Isaac Ryland

Grant dug through Andrew's pockets. He tossed the young man's weapons and took his phone. It was easy to find Amelia's contact information. He wasn't surprised there was no GPS function. Since he didn't know where she was, Grant decided to make Amelia come to him.

Dragging the unconscious man proved more difficult than Grant had anticipated. He pulled out his knife by the flagpole in front of the Mission and cut the rope. The flag came tumbling down and Grant worked fast to tie up Andrew. He did his hands first, securing them behind his back before attaching them to his feet and leaving enough length between them so Grant could pull his captive across the grass.

Once Grant had made it to his car and thrown Andrew in the backseat, he started off. He wasn't sure where to head at first; his home was off-­limits since a large number of guests were still there. The radio in Grant's car cut out.

“We are now delivering a special report broadcast earlier on The Greg Finnegan Show: ‘My name is Mia Morrissey. I am Grant Marsden's wife. I want to take this opportunity to tell you a little about my world. I live in a place where families are kept intact, not just those created by blood, but ones made through the bonds of friendship as well.' ”

Grant switched the radio off. He let out a scream and slammed the steering wheel. Grant hadn't made it a mile away when a looming structure came into view. The Rook. A structure that represented the past but was a symbol of moving forward. This would do fine. Grant pulled up on the front lawn and opened the door to his car. A guard came out to meet him.

“It's fine,” Grant said. “I am your new grand commander. I have permission to use whatever building I desire.”

The guard looked twitchy; no doubt he had heard or seen Amelia's speech. Grant dropped his arms to his sides in an exaggerated motion. He felt for his gun while trying to keep the guard preoccupied.

“Please tell me you're not believing what that silly little girl said on television,” Grant said.

Before the guard could respond Grant raised his weapon and shot the man twice. He fell dead. Grant went toward him and pulled out his keys. He looked inside the building and it appeared deserted. Grant went back for Andrew and dragged him out of the car and inside the cement structure. He made sure to leave the door unlocked behind him and took Andrew into the elevator. The doors opened on the top floor. It was a tourist attraction. The floor was made of glass, letting the viewer feel like they were walking on air sixty feet in the sky. It was easier to drag Andrew on this surface and Grant was grateful.

He made his way toward the door on the far side of the room. It didn't take long to find the right key and Grant stepped through to a small set of wooden stairs. He climbed them and pushed open the hatch at the top. The temperature had dropped and the wind blew across Grant's hair. He pushed Andrew up the steps and into the cold air before slamming the hatch behind him.

Grant leaned against the wall and caught his breath. Then he pulled out Andrew's phone. He went to Mia's number and hit “send.” The ring sounded twice before he heard her voice.

“I am at the Rook,” Grant said. “Come alone or I will kill him.”

There was some heavy breathing on the other end.

“How do I know he's not already dead?” Mia asked.

“You don't,” Grant said.

“What do you want?”

“To see your brains bashed in,” Grant said.

“So you'll kill me and then kill Andrew?” Mia asked.

“You must not love him that much with all these questions,” Grant said.

Mia was silent.

“I would like to have a little chat with you before you meet your demise,” Grant said. “And if you perform every act I request of you Andrew will be set free.”

“I have your word?” Mia asked.

“Yes,” Grant said. “Your first instruction is to come alone.”

Grant hung up the phone. He wanted to scream in frustration, but even if Mia and her crew had been successful in destroying the Registry, there was nothing Grant couldn't fix. He would get his revenge since he was in possession of the thing Mia valued above all else: Andrew.

 

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Chapter
108

My wife was only an hour ahead of me and her tracks were easy to follow. I couldn't wait to bring her home and give her the punishment she deserved.

—­The journal of Isaac Ryland

The blood on Andrew's face had dried, but his head was ringing with pain. He felt a cool breeze run over his body and started to lift his head.

“Oh good, you're awake,” Grant said.

Andrew started to force himself up, but he found his arms were tied to his feet, making it impossible to get up. Andrew started to struggle against his binds.

“I didn't want you to escape,” Grant said. “Don't worry, as soon as our little trade-­off happens I'll cut you loose. I think it would be a worse punishment to let you live with Amelia dead.”

“What trade-­off?” Andrew asked.

“I used your phone,” Grant said. “I hope you don't mind. I was hoping I could use it to locate Amelia, but that failed. So instead I told her to come here, alone. We're on the top of the Rook, by the way.”

“We won,” Andrew said. “You lost. Give it up.”

He forced his body sideways so he was up on his knees. His arms were still behind him, attached to his feet. He continued to try to work his way out of the rope. Grant laughed at Andrew's comment.

“Amelia and I are both still breathing,” Grant said. “That means the game isn't over.”

“It isn't a game,” Andrew said.

“All of life is a game,” Grant said.

Grant was at the edge of the building. Andrew wanted to charge him and throw himself over.

“I have a gun,” Grant said. “Come at me and I will shoot you dead. Then I will shoot Mia as soon as she walks through that door.”

“You're planning on doing that anyway,” Andrew said.

“Not quite,” Grant replied.

He was looking off into the distance.

“You won't have to wait much longer,” Grant said. “She's here.”

Andrew looked at the man in front of him. With his grin and his red velvet jacket he looked like pure evil. He pulled against his bindings. They were loosening, but not enough to break free. His will stayed strong. Mia had survived too much; there was no way Grant would take her life.