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Washington was alive with the sound of sirens and emergency vehicles along Massachusetts Avenue as crews worked into the night to put out the fires at the British Embassy and search for survivors. The rescue effort was greatly impeded without the use of cellular services as all communications were down for most of the eastern seaboard extending in some areas inland as far as 200 miles. The Homeland Security offices were in a state of confused panic as they did not anticipate an attack of this magnitude and their intelligence network had not uncovered a single shred of evidence leading up to the bombing. It was painfully evident that all U.S. intelligence agencies were ignorant and caught unaware by the attack. While it was true the Homeland Security Advisory System was currently set to Orange, it was mostly just a precaution due to the disappearance of the Senate Speaker of the House a week ago.

  Public resentment over the inability of the government to keep its shore’s safe had been rising over the past several years in the U.S. despite new government programs, agencies, policies and loss of freedoms. There would certainly be demonstrations on the National Mall following the day’s events even though such demonstrations were made illegal many years ago. All government offices and agencies were a blur of activity and at the White House, the President’s public relations staff was already working on the political slant for public consumption.

  Shay and Jess were waiting for Ted in their reserved room in the Library of Congress. Since Gus had directed them to not use their phones for the business of the Committee, they agreed to meet in the Capitol Rotunda at the close of every day to determine if they needed a private meeting. They had also decided that if a crisis developed, they would all go directly to the Library.

  Shay arrived first and Jess followed by only a few minutes. They had both been waiting now for almost an hour for Ted and they began to wonder if they should be worried for his safety. Shay walked over to the door and looked down the hallway to see if he was coming.

  “I’m sure he is just detained either at his office or in traffic,” said Jess.

  Shay shut the door and returned to his chair, “I’m sure you are right.” He looked across the table and tried to ascertain Jess’s emotions, “What do you make of all this?”

  “Toprak—no doubt in my mind, from the moment I heard the news it was my first thought and I doubt I could be convinced otherwise,” replied Jess confidently.

  “How can you be so sure? Terrorist attacks are nothing new to the U.S.” Shay seemed irritated but Jess concluded it was probably just fatigue.

  “This one is different. I don’t know if you are aware but the Department of Homeland Security had no warning, zero intelligence on the attack, not even a whisper. In my Armed Services Committee briefing this evening they suggested that whoever was behind this did not use any digital communication and probably not even written communication. There is only one organization that I know of that doesn’t need technology to communicate over long distances.”

  “I was not aware of that fact. I agree, it does point to only one organization and we know for a certainty they have hostile intent toward the United States.”

  Jess took a long drink from a water bottle, “The United States, yes—but this attack was directed at the United Kingdom,” he stopped to think. “Or at least it was meant to look that way?”

  Just then Ted came through the door and apologized for his tardiness, “What have I missed?”

  “Nothing, we’ve only been discussing the possibility of Toprak involvement. Jess is completely convinced it was Toprak–while I tend to agree, we have no proof,” said Shay.

  Ted was still catching his breath from running up the stairs, “Toprak gets my vote, because of the lack of proof. This has been perhaps the only attack on the United States where there was not an advanced warning dating all the way back to Paul Revere. That isn’t to say the advanced warnings have always been heeded such as the New York attacks or Pearl Harbor, but we had the intelligence. Today, we had zero warning and zero intel.”

  The bombing took place at 1:15 p.m. that afternoon and by 6:30 p.m. the forensics team was already digging through the rubble and ashes trying to determine the method and placement of the explosives; hoping they could then infer both intent and responsibility. By 10:00 p.m. they had uncovered nothing, not even a hint of how the building exploded; it appeared that the building's foundation just randomly exploded for no apparent reason. There was no trace evidence of any foreign chemicals found at the scene, at least nothing that was out of the ordinary or nothing that was typically found in bomb construction and there was no clear detonation location. An explosion of this magnitude would have required at least a half ton of C4, evenly placed throughout the foundation, but even then, blast locations would be easily identifiable. The foundation of the building was almost completely missing, something the forensics team had never encountered.

  “Do they know anything about the bomb itself? What it was made of, where it was placed, how it was placed?” asked Jess as he threw Ted a water bottle.

  Ted caught the bottle and sat it down on the table. “No,” and said nothing else.

  Confused by Ted’s lack of commentary Jess replied, “Just no?” replied Jess, “have they recovered anything yet?”

  Feeling the need to provide more information, Ted took a deep breath and continued, "No, they have nearly completed their investigation but they have nothing. The entire foundation is missing. Missing as if the foundation itself was the explosive, there is little of it left to be found. It seems absurd but they are suggesting—preliminarily and unofficially of course–that the foundation was laced with explosives at the time the building was constructed. The security footage on every level of the building revealed nothing out of the ordinary, no strange deliveries, no unauthorized personnel, nothing dating back over a month.”

  “Laced in the foundation pour in 1986? That suggests that the explosives have been dormant for 54 years that seems rather absurd and desperately over reaching,” said Shay, being critical of the investigation.

  “Indeed it does. Considering that is their only plausible hypothesis at this point illustrates just how far behind Toprak Esir we really are. The fact that they can destroy an entire building in the heart of Washington, the most secure city in the United States, kill over one 100 people without a shred of evidence—scares the hell out of me,” said Ted after taking a long drink.

  Shay was feeling more confused by the minute instead of finding answers, “If this was Toprak–and I think we all agree that it is–and they are capable of this kind of an attack, then are they just playing with us? I mean, why not just blow-up the White House and the entire city and be done with it?”

  The room grew quiet as they all contemplated Toprak’s strategy and plan. Jess rubbed his forehead at the thought of the number of human casualties, “So the human toll is over one 100 is it? Why the British embassy, and why innocent people? It is obvious a blanket attack as if to send a message verses an individual assassination or a calculated target.”

  “I’m certain it was calculated verses random, but–the British embassy? I agree the intent is lost on me as well,” said Ted as he finally took a seat rubbing his hands over his face, mentally clearing his mind in preparation for an intense session of deductive reasoning.

  Jess and Shay both took the non-verbal cue from Ted and they sat up at the table ready to dig into the great and terrible unknown world of Toprak Esir. Just then Ted’s phone vibrated as a text message from the department investigating the incident, “Hmm,” said Ted as he read it.

  “Do share, my son” said Jess in a playful, priestly tone.

  “Well, besides the cellular network being back up, the Department of Homeland Security has reviewed airport security records for all international airports and seaports in the northeast and has found nothing.” Ted thought for a minute then continued, “Nor would they. Toprak is already here among us just like Abdul was–for years. Toprak has been planning and infiltrating us for at least 10 years, and probab
ly longer than that. National security is going about this all wrong. They are assuming this was just another terrorist ad hoc attack, where an intelligence trail is there for the reading. They have never dealt with the likes of Toprak, no one on the planet has. They are incredibly patient and calculated and worst of all, they know something about the world few others do, certainly more than the Feds.”

  Following Ted’s line of reasoning, Jess added, “How do you even start investigating an organization like that when their plans are already over 10 years old and chances are their pawns and bishops are already trusted among us?”

  Shay confidently suggested, “We start first by trusting no one. Then since we don’t know where the beginning was, we start with the end. Right now, that end is the British embassy. Traditional forensics have revealed nothing, so therefore, whoever detonated the bomb was an insider at the embassy and was well known since they didn’t get flagged on any security footage. How they blew it up, now that is a question.”

  Following Shay’s lead Ted added to his reasoning, “It was obviously a bomb made of materials we are not aware of and therefore forensics missed the chemical traces at the scene, but–you would think in 2040 we would know all of the explosive compounds and combinations in the world.”

  Jess, having an epiphany waved his hand as if to clear the direction of the reasoning, “Ted, you said we were going about this all wrong, and we still are. We are assuming the world is unchanged and that things are as they were two weeks ago, or ten years ago for that matter. Things are not the same; clearly, I think we need to approach everything as a lab experiment.”

  Confused, Shay responded, “Lab experiment?”

  “Yes, I agree,” said Ted, “I’ve been trying to gather as much information about the effect of sunlight on the planet and it goes far beyond just providing light and warmth. Just the change in the amount of solar radiation hitting the earth can alone have a great effect on many other things, if not everything.”

  Jess’s phone rang and he quickly looked to see who it was, “It’s Gus!” he said, being very surprised as were Ted and Shay.

  “Gus,” he said enthusiastically answering his phone, “are you guys OK? Have you heard what we’re dealing with over here?” Listening to Gus, Jess only made small comments, “Hum—yes—I see.” Anxious and frustrated, Ted and Shay motioned to place Gus on speaker.

  “Just a minute Gus, I’ve got Ted and Shay here. We are at the Library; let me put you on speaker.”

  Placing his phone on the table, Jess said, “OK Gus, can you hear us?”

  Gus responded clearly, “Yes, I hear you fine. Listen everyone, my time is extremely limited I am on my way to dinner with the King but I needed to speak with you about,”

  Shay interrupted, “Wow, the King huh, are you the main course? I wouldn’t have thought Americans would be very popular over there just now.” He paused and reconsidered, “Unless you’ve not heard what happened over here this evening.”

  “Oh, we heard alright. Two emissaries of the Crown came to my hotel room and I have four armed guards stationed at the hotel. We are not allowed to leave the country at the moment nor probably even the hotel without an escort.”

  “What?” said Ted, Shay and Jess at varying intervals.

  “It’s a very long story, and one we can discuss when we have better connections.” The cellular network was starting to show signs of breaking up again and Gus determined he had better quickly communicate the reason for his call–apart from making sure they were all well. “We heard the news probably minutes after the event. The British ambassador called the King directly after the incident…”

  Jess interrupted, “So the ambassador is alive?”

  “Yes, apparently he was away from the embassy–thankfully. The news the ambassador also sent the King was that the United States had also taken responsibility for it.”

  Confused looks darted around the table then Ted responded, “What, we did this?”

  “That is what all of England and the world understands at this moment, it is all over the Transnet.”

  Shay scoffed, “Oh the Transnet, we shouldn’t be too surprised at that. The U.S. isn’t very popular in the world at the moment. I’m sure there are a lot of people that would want to paint us as the villains here.”

  “As true as that may be the problem is, people believe it. I’m surprised you have not heard it.”

  Shay just then turned on the Transnet in the room while Ted responded to Gus, “We’ve been in the senate de-briefing and our committee meetings before coming to the library, but we were not told of the Transnet rumors. We have just turned it on now.”

  Shay navigated to the PubEx channel and it was alive with reports and rumors of the United States taking responsibility for the bombing just as Gus said. They all sat watching for a few minutes while Gus continued, “I assured His Majesty that the United States was not responsible and I understand at least from his emissaries that he concurs but obviously is being very careful at the moment. He has invited us to the palace mostly to ensure our safety–and to discuss diplomatic issues of course.”

  The PubEx channel broke from their current programming and broadcasted the images captured from the traffic cams on Massachusetts Avenue. Ted, Shay and Jess all stood up, staring in unbelief at the Transnet display. Jess was the only one to convey what they were seeing and express what they were all thinking, “Heaven have mercy us.”

  Gus was confused and started asking, “What’s happening, are you still there? Somebody tell me what is going on.”

  “Gus, you won’t believe what is,” Ted stopped talking to Gus and yelled, “OH!” responding again to the Transnet broadcast. At that point, he stopped speaking all together and just looked on in complete disbelief. The room was silent, except for Gus on the phone.

  “Hello? Are you still there? For hell sake someone tell me what is going on,” said Gus getting more anxious and irritated by the second.

  Jess slowly began to speak, “Gus, Embassy Row has been blown to pieces. It’s impossible to tell from the angle we have on Transnet but the street security cameras appear to be showing the Danish, Ireland, Portuguese, and” Jess stopped, realizing a pattern and concluded, “It appears every European Embassy has been blown to kingdom come.”

  Gus was silent as he considered what it meant, still confident that the United States was not responsible but the longer he thought, the less confident he was. The entire United States and the free world for that matter were completely vulnerable to whoever was behind the attacks. It was as if there was a global sniper able to take whatever shot they wanted at any time while the most powerful country in the world could do nothing about it or even know who was doing the shooting. The whole country was as ignorant and exposed as a fish in a barrel.

  Jess looked down at his phone and saw that the connection with Gus had been lost; the cellular networks having been knock-out again. They all sat down and looked at one another in disbelief and shock. Ted broke the silence as he resumed trying to place a puzzle piece of reasoning, “With all the European embassies burning I think we can safely say we have our first glimmer of intent. I think it is obvious that it has to do with the current crisis between Europe and the Middle East and the lack of U.S. commitment.”

  Following Ted’s reasoning Jess added, “I don’t think it makes any sense that this was the work of a Middle Eastern country. One would think that the last thing the Middle East wants is U.S. involvement, so why pick a fight with the U.S. even if you are attacking European interests? Surely the attackers know the U.S. will retaliate.” Ted then thought of another hypothesis, “Or it could be a European country retaliating against our indecision to throw our hat in the ring with their war or…”

  Shay cut off Ted, “Or, it was the United States giving Europe the finger.”

  Ted and Jess looked at Shay incredulously and then turned to the Transnet display when they realized he was referring to something he was watching. The PubEx channel was airi
ng a live interview with the Vice President.

  “While we regret the terrible incidents of today and the unthinkable toll on human life, after great debate and deliberation, the United States of America has carefully chosen to remain completely neutral in both the investigation and punishment of the responsible party or parties. It is the new intent and policy of this Nation to remain neutral in world politics and world conflict.”

  Jess exploded, “WHAT! On whose authority is he speaking and why isn’t this coming from the President? Where the hell is the President?”

  Just then all of their phones rang with the same text message, “Emergency session has been called. All senators report at the Capitol immediately!”

  Arriving at the Capitol, the entire building was alive and frantic with security, senatorial staffs and admins running in every direction. Ted, Jess and Shay made their way into the Senate Chamber and since the Speaker had resigned, the Vice President was trying to call the room to order but with little success. Most of the Senators were speaking with each other or their staffs but some were pointing fingers at the Vice President and accusing him of treason. Ted, Jess and Shay took their seats and quietly watched, waiting for the Senate to come to order. Suddenly the room went silent; a company of one 100 marines had just entered the room, fully armed with the unmistakable intention to intimidate and show force.

  “Thank you Master Sergeant, everyone please be seated and we can begin,” said the Vice President. The room was as quiet has it had been 30 minutes before when it was empty. It was no secret the Vice President had always been extremely power hungry and was a shameless opportunist, but seeing him on the Transnet and now taking control of the Senate with a unit of marines was surreal. He was also openly supportive of the Middle Eastern agenda, which was largely ignored or assumed as unimportant by most Americans. Every eye in the room was on the Vice President and it was obvious everyone had seen his latest unauthorized press release and they all sat wondering what else he could possibly do to make matters worse than he already had.

  The Vice President was whispering something to a White House Staff member and then turned to face the body of the Senate, “Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate. The President has just been confirmed dead,” he then added almost as an afterthought, “I regret to inform you. He and his entire escort were killed while driving down Massachusetts Avenue on his way to visit the British Embassy site—something he insisted on doing as a show of British support,” as an afterthought he added, “a lot of good that has done him.”

  Whispers and sounds of surprise swirled around the room as the Vice President continued, “I have also just been briefed of the situation and due to the lack of evidence of any kind that might suggest responsibility I felt it best to remain completely neutral lest we offend Europe or the Middle East.”

  The majority of the senators from the western states were livid and began shouting at the Vice President some calling for his resignation and others for his head. Jess, representing Texas felt he had to join in and stood on his chair, “Mr. Vice President, you have just put us at war with all of Europe. Those embassies are their property, quite literally their country has been bombed on our watch, under our care and you ignorantly think we can claim neutrality.” Jess motioned to the marine Master Sergeant, “Sergeant, arrest that baklava-eating bugger!”

  The Vice President nodded at the sergeant and he returned a nod in confirmation of his order. The sergeant with two marines walked toward Jess. The room was once again deathly quiet as Jess got down off his chair and watched the three soldiers walk toward him. Jess took his seat thinking they were on their way over to seat him physically. To his surprise and everyone else in the room, the marines pulled Jess from his chair. While one marine held his arms behind his back, the other placed him in handcuffs. Shay rose to his feet in protest but Ted, with a clearer head pulled him back down. The two marines escorted Jess out of the room as all eyes watched in unbelief.

  “Does anyone have anything else to add to senator Erdem’s remarks?” asked the Vice President. The room was stunned into silence, “I thought that might be the case. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, we are navigating through very foreign waters without a pilot and we must be very careful whom we support and whom we alienate. As the acting President I felt it better to alienate no one for now until we uncover who is behind all this, and then we can make the best decision that will offend the least number. I apologize for my last public announcement without consulting this body or the President’s Cabinet. I felt the announcement couldn’t wait since there is a dangerous rumor on the Transnet stating that the United States had taken responsibility I felt that fire needed to be put out.”

  There were now cautious whispers in the room commenting that anyone in any position of government would not take such Transnet rumors seriously, except maybe the Middle East who seemed to be always looking for a reason to fight, except this time the rumor benefited them. Most senators believed the Vice President had always been suspect and it was obvious that the he was not acting in the best interest of the country or its allies, but to contradict him now was futile. Ted and Shay like the majority of the senators who disagreed with the Vice President resolved to fold and live to fight another day—that is, until the Vice President continued, “Now out of legal precedent, the official position of the neutrality of the United States must be put to vote by this body—those who say yeah?”

  Shay looked at Ted who was more senior than himself as to what they should do. Ted was equally at a loss. How could they agree to such a position and divide the free world, and on a personal level, what would happen to them if they went against the Vice President? The entire Senate Chamber sat in a quiet confusion as each senator struggled with the weight of the decision. Just then the senator from Virginia spoke, “Mr. Vice President, should we not debate such an important decision before taking a vote?”

  Annoyed but maintaining his composure, the Vice President responded, “Thank you senator for stating standard policy and in any other circumstance I would agree. Regrettably we are not operating under standard procedures. The United States has already given the world our position; this vote is only a formality.”

  The room was again quiet as hands in the affirmative slowly began to rise, starting with the most liberal senators and progressing to the middle. Shay looked at Ted now in a panic. There was no way he was going to vote in the affirmative but to vote otherwise could result in an escort to–where ever they took Jess, probably a jail cell. Ted leaned over to Shay and whispered, “We cannot oppose. It appears it is going to pass without our vote anyway, but I morally cannot bring myself to agree. The only option we have is to be absent. Our votes will be counted as yeah but at least it will not be by our own hand. Shay nodded in agreement.

  Ted and Shay rather than vote, got up and walked out of the Senate Chamber as did several other senators following their lead. The Sergeant looked at the Vice President for direction and orders and the Vice President motioned to just let them leave as he took notes of which senators disrespected and openly opposed him.

  Ted and Shay walked to Shay’s office since it was the furthest from the Senate Chamber where they could hopefully go unnoticed. Entering his office he saw most of his staff still there at 11:00 p.m. He told them they could all go and that they would resume in the morning. Shay and Ted walked into his office and shut the door. Shay flung himself into his desk chair and Ted did the same on the sofa as they both let out a sigh and said nothing. Shay looked at a picture of his grandfather on his desk and lamented, “For the first time I think know how my grandfather felt about living in a country he loved and feared.”

  Lying on the sofa while looking at the ceiling Ted said, “I think we now know what happened to the Speaker. Anyone who opposes the agenda goes missing. Gus was first on the list and the more I think about his assassination attempt the more I believe his survival was an accident.”

  Shay considered Ted’s analysis and agreed, “Toprak has b
een planning this for a very long time. I mean, what were you doing 10 years ago? I don’t know about you but I wasn’t planning a hostile world take over–I wasn’t even thinking about the world.”

  Despair was settling on the room like a wet blanket, paralyzing action both mental and physical. For a long time Ted and Shay said nothing and sat in the darkness of the room, with the lights of Washington infiltrating through the window. Struggling, Ted lamented, “I’ve always been able to think my way through life but now–I don’t even know what to think.”

  “You know, it’s strange. I used to hear my grandfather talk about World War II and I remember how foreign war was to me then. The United States hasn’t known war like that for a hundred years. Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm – they were nothing in comparison. I used to think that people like my grandfather were different; like they were somehow more courageous or less selfish, always acting for the greater good.”

  Outside the window, distant sirens could be heard as emergency vehicles raced to and from Massachusetts Avenue. Shay continued, “Sitting here in the dark listening to the world outside burn to ashes, I realize my grandfather was just like me; scared, powerless and alone. Except,”

  Shay didn’t finish his thought and there was a long pause in the darkness. Finally Ted said, “Except what?”

  “Except he somehow found resolve and determination, fortitude. He fought back with all his might–and against his old homeland of all things.”

  “I thought your grandfather was imprisoned or detained in Honolulu during the war?”

  “He was, but toward the end–the last year or so–they allowed certain Japanese to work and assist the war effort. My grandfather was part of a work gang for various projects and clean-up efforts. He completely disagreed with what Imperial Japan had done and he saw the work gang as his way to fight for freedom. He was such a hard worker and patriot he was awarded a medal. It was unofficial of course. The medal was hand made by a navy officer out of a Coke bottle cap and some ribbon. Officer Redding I think was his name. He also gave him a certificate that recognized him for outstanding valor and patriotism; it was awarded in the officer’s private office, completely off the record. My grandfather cherished that award all his life. He loved this country and would have laid down his life for it without a thought.”

  “That is a great story. There is an old book called The Greatest Generation that showcased war stories and examples of valor that frankly I thought were rather pompous when I read it. It was written only one generation after World War II and therefore seemed to be romantic ranting of sons for their fathers—but sitting here, being thrown into World War III, I think they were the greatest generation up to that point. Previous to that the greatest generation was their fathers who fought in World War I, previous to that, the generation of the last major crisis. Circumstances make people great–the greater the tragedy, the greater the resolve. Left to ourselves, unchallenged and un-bruised, we humans really are a filthy lot full of entitlement, unbridled lusts and mall-wondering egos. You know, I saw on the Transnet last week two women who were fighting over the last article of clothing at a store sale and one woman threw the other over a railing to her death. You know what the greatest tragedy of that incident was?”

  “What is that?”

  “No one was outraged by it, didn’t even make it to PubEx,” said Ted disgusted.

  Shay got up and looked out the window, “America is indeed a filthy place. I feel like I have awoken from a dream and even though Washington is the only city burning at the moment, I feel like the entire nation is already in ruins.”

  Shay was well read in U.S. history and he reflected on the night John Hancock stood on the outskirts of Boston during a terrible night of war. Looking out his window tonight, the scene was the same and Shay quoted John Hancock’s words out loud, “Burn Boston burn. Though it makes John Hancock a beggar—if the public good requires it.”

  Shay turned from the window to face Ted, “I’m sure you know this, but the founding fathers were not poor men. Most of them were wealthy land owners and very prosperous, they had everything to lose in the American Revolution. About half of them died during the war and the other half died nearly penniless. I’ve always admired John Hancock. He was very arrogant and brash as is evident from his large signature on the Declaration, but he was committed to freedom and the dream of America. He was also the wealthiest of all men in America at that time. The war cost him everything and he died a pauper—for me, for us, for all of us.”

  Ted and Shay sat for a little while longer in the dark neither of them speaking. They both knew their lives would forever be different and that their personal lives now mattered very little. Like many generations before them, their lot had been cast to make a difference in the fight for freedom however they could. Neither knew what lay in store–reluctantly but with moral resolve they both slowly began to accept the world of war they now lived in and they both privately pledged their lives to effect change.

  Ted sat up on the sofa and then stood. Shay looked at him and asked, “Where are you going?”

  “To find Jess and then getting the hell out of Washington–you coming?”

  Shay sighed and nodded. He then threw a few necessities from his office into a bag and they both walked out of Shay’s office. Shay noticed a light still on down the hall and wondered why any of his staff was still here. He walked down to find Enakai, his new intern busily working on something on her computer. “Well, I am very impressed Enakai but we don’t pay overtime here I’m afraid,” he said joking. Enakai told him she was catching up on a few things and was just leaving as she collected her purse and hurried out the main office door.

  Shay turned off the remaining lights and set the alarm. The outside hall was dark and the Capitol was mostly quiet. Only a few faint voices could be heard in an obscure corridor. Pulling the door shut Shay heard Ted stumble, fall and call out, “What the hell?”

  Shay wasn’t sure where the light switch was since the Capitol lights were usually always on, so rather than look for one, he cautiously walked toward Ted scooting his feet. He felt his right foot touch something and lifting his foot, feeling around it felt like—a body! “Ted, are you OK?”

  “I’m fine,” Shay heard him say noticing his voice coming from further ahead of him down the hall.

  Having the same thought, they both took out their phones and used them as a portable light source. Shining the light in between them on the floor they first noticed a very large pool of blood then a body, then another. As their eyes grew accustom to the dim light, they could tell the bodies were wearing camo and were marines. Their weapons were both still lying there on the floor and upon more observation they saw their uniforms were torn in many places and each had what looked like a large bite on the neck. Blood was still oozing from the gaping holes, exposing torn vocal cords and broken vertebrae.

  Shay, with composure that surprised even him responded to the scene of horror, “I’ve seen this kind of work before...we have another harbinger among us.”

  Ted bent down and started going through one of the marine’s pockets. “What are you doing?” asked Shay.

  “Looking for extra magazines, we’re going to need all the ammunition we can get.” Having found two extra magazines on the first marine Ted picked up an M27 rifle and a Beretta, stuck it in his pants then looked at Shay, “coming?”

  Shay did the same and they both walked out of the building quietly being careful not to be seen, especially since they were now heavily armed and being so was against the law. They made their way across Constitution Avenue and into the darkness of the city toward Ted’s townhouse in Georgetown. It was a several mile walk and once they both felt safer at least for the moment Ted began to whisper.

  “I’m guessing those marines were coming for us, but why would a harbinger protect us?”

  “I don’t think it was protecting us by any means, Abdul was like an animal and incapable of rational or strategic thought. I think they sur
prised the harbinger and it attacked in self-defense. We are just the fortunate recipients of a harbinger’s unbridled aggression.”

  “That makes more sense, but what’s curious to me is why didn’t your new intern trip on the marines like I did?”

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