Chapter Fourteen: Unrest
Annie blinked as the glaring light from the emergency room bathed her face. She watched as her father was attended by nurses and a doctor. She can’t bear to see her father feel so weak and useless. She felt her knees weakened, strong arms quickly supported her. Wallace never left her side. One of the nurses led her and Wallace outside the emergency room to wait.
Moments later, the doctor emerged from the room. Annie quickly got up and bombarded him with questions, “Is he going to be fine? Does he need anything? Is the wound deep?”
The doctor looked weary. “Your Father’s condition is temporarily stable. If he responds to the treatment that we are giving him, he’ll be fine but he is so weak. So far, we can see that he does respond to the treatment but it is still early to say anything. He needs a lot of rest. He lost a lot of blood and his wound got an infection. I’m afraid that he needs to stay here for a long time until we have completely treated the infection.”
Annie felt a little bit of relief but the anxiety was still there. Anything could happen, it seemed like anything, even the impossible, things could happen.
“I suggest Miss Brewster that you go home and rest. The Presidential Security Group has arrived.” Annie looked behind her and saw Guilda ran up to her. They embraced each other tightly. Mr. Seed and Mr. Eangle, her father’s most trusted political advisers followed Guilda.
“I’m so glad nothing happened to you. You need to rest. Emerson is out of danger but Peter and the driver are still in critical condition. I see that Agent Hunter can take you home,” Guilda told her. ”Here, take this mobile phone. Use this to call me if you need something. I have told the butler to take care of your needs. We’ll stay here and watch your father. Do not worry about your father, he’s a strong one, he survived those years of war, didn’t he?”
Annie nodded. She thanked her and checked on her father first before she left with Wallace. Tubes were connected to his body and the single light illuminated her father’s face. Her father looked so peaceful and weak. Annie touched his hand and pressed her cheek against her chest. Silently she said, “I’m sorry Father. I let him go. I shouldn’t have but my heart didn’t have the courage. I promise that I’ll try to find that courage to let go. Please keep on fighting.” She slowly wiped the tears that formed in her eyes.
They drove in silence. As usual they took another route because Myles intersection is still closed down. Annie looked out of the window and into the gloomy sky, it seemed to reflect her mood.
Wallace cleared his throat, “I know that you’re still going to be very uncomfortable talking about this but there is something I need to know.”
“Go on. I can talk about anything. What happened earlier already happened nothing would change it. You can ask me about it.” Annie answered.
“The guys we caught said something about Red Thorn, their leader in this operation. What’s peculiar about this is that the guys do not know him because they said he’s a top ranking officer of the Gnats. Officers wear a mask so they have no idea of their true identity unless you get into the inner circle. We saw Red Thorn’s mask and I assume you saw his face. Can you still remember what he looked like?”
Annie froze in her seat. She wasn’t expecting this question. “ No, I did not remember his face. I did not see his face.” She tried her best to sound calm and collected despite her sweating palms and the fast beat of her heart.
Wallace looked at her closely, he studied her for a minute, “ Annie, I know I should not have asked the question. If that’s a lie, I’m sure you have a valid reason for it but you can trust me. As an Agent, I was trained to read people’s reactions and I have a pretty good background in telling which person lie and which person tells the truth. I won’t use that skill on you, it would seem unfair. You’re my only friend and I need to trust you. I’ll take your word for it.”
Annie swallowed hard. She did not mean to lie to him. The truth haunted her, she’s not yet ready to tell the truth. She still does not have the strength. Annie stared out of the car window again and saw the Palace looming closer. It tormented her. It reminded her of all the pain and heartaches she had experienced ever since she started to live there. She cannot bear to be in it for a second.
“Stop!” she said. Wallace braked. She was surprised that she did not have to say anything to him. He read her mind correctly and made a U-turn. Annie felt grateful to him and at the same time guilty for lying to him. Wallace placed a hand on her shoulder for a few seconds as if to say, “Everything shall come to pass.” Annie relaxed, now she knew why sometimes word left unsaid can make a difference.
They arrived at Wallace’s unit. As usual everything was neat and orderly. Annie felt a sense of security in here.
“You can take a shower like you did before. Everything’s still in their usual place. You must be hungry, I’ll order some take-out.” Wallace said.
Annie took a shower, it calmed her. She felt so relaxed as she washed off mud and dirt from her body. He was right, everything was still where they used to be. After the shower, she joined him at the small kitchen table.
“I hoped you like pizza. I figured that I won’t have time to cook,” Wallace sliced the pizza he had ordered and gave her a big slice. She never felt so hungry before. Annie started to eat her slice as Wallace poured her a glass of soda. She ate with so much gusto that Wallace couldn’t help but tease her, “You’ve never tasted pizza before, have you?”
Annie blushed self-consciously. Wallace smiled at her before they both burst out laughing. “ I suppose that pizza are the food for secret agents. Can you tell me more about how you became a secret agent?”
“As I’ve told you before, my adopted father was an agent himself. At first, he just taught me the basics, it was our pastime. He taught me how to pick locks and self–defense. When I turned twelve, I really got interested in it. He told me if I graduated valedictorian from grade school, he’ll grant me my wish. When I did, he enlisted me for formal training. Of course, he had to pull some strings because I was too young. For four years, I juggled training as a secret agent being tutored at night so that I can earn a high school diploma. I graduated when I was sixteen and became a junior agent. My adopted father lived long enough to see me receive my diploma when I graduated from the Hoel Intelligence Academy.”
“He is sure proud of you wherever he is,” Annie remarked. She finished her pizza.
Wallace stood up and turned the television on. “Annie, come and see this!’
Annie stared at the television in awe. About a hundred military tanks were parked outside the House of Congress. A small portion of its west wing was still under construction after it was recently bombed but the congress still held their session there.
The entire Hoel army was gathered outside the building. What made Annie more surprised was when military men one by one out of the building escorted all of the congressmen and senators with their hands raised as if they were hostages.
The camera zoomed in as someone went up to the podium that was set up in the middle of the field outside the House of Congress. It was General Lange.
“Today, the President of Hoel has been attacked by the rebels and is now incapable of leading the nation. It is now time for drastic measures. We are placing Hoel under the rule of the military. Anyone who opposes this change shall answer to us…”
“He’s crazy!” Wallace said.
Annie couldn’t think of anything worst than this. A sudden stroke of terror crept into her heart. She must be at her father’s side right now.
“Wallace, I need you to take me to my father now!’ she said. Wallace nodded and they quickly went out of his unit to go back to the hospital.
Fifteen minutes later, Annie and Wallace were racing down the hospital corridor. They were too late, men in military uniforms were already there and so was General Lange.
“Ms. Brewster, I’m so glad that you are back, “ he said. “You are going to stay at the Palace where I can keep an eye on you. You shall be safe in there.”
Guilda came out of the President’s room and Annie could see that there was a scared glint in her eyes. She took Annie’s hands, “We’d better follow him. He had your father guarded and the hospital too so that no rebel can have the opportunity to attack your father while he recovers.”
“I need to see him,” Annie said. She wanted to see her father so badly that she didn’t care if her knees where shaking.
“Your father does not know about anything. He does not know what’s going on. It is for the best as he needs some rest,” General Lange said. “ You can see him later.”
Annie calmed down, at least he was not planning to kill her father. She looked into General Lange’s eyes, there was nothing in there. Instinct told her that it wasn’t in his plans to kill her father.
“Agent Hunter, please surrender your badge and gun. You have been most helpful by keeping Ms. Brewster safe but the company felt that secret agents and their services aren’t needed at this time. The Intelligence unit of the Military is enough, the head of Hoel Intelligence Center shall give his letter of resignation tomorrow. HIC is officially abolished as of this time. It would be wise if you follow the new rules.” General Lange told him, “I’m sure that under my care, Ms. Brewster wouldn’t need your service for a while.”
Wallace stood there glaring at him. He got out his gun. For a split second, Annie thought that he was going to shoot General Lange. She hastily placed a restraining hand on his arm and looked into his eyes. For the second time that day, Annie found it amazing how she could communicate with Wallace without words. She did not want him to get into trouble and they do not have any choice for now. Wallace surrendered his gun and badge and went away. General Lange ordered him to leave. Annie felt a surge of courage.
“General Lange, what makes you think that you are in the right position to lead our country when one of your own blood is dead set to destroy the government?” Annie held her head high and gazed into his cold eyes.
The General stared at her with his cold dark eyes, “It gives perfect sense that I would be the one to stop him, he cannot taint our family with his foolish endeavors. I want to make it clear that I do not intend to sit back and watch him run around with his crazy friends thinking that they got the whole of Hoel in their hands. He shall pay even if the cost is his life.”
Annie gasped. He was willing to kill his own son. The sudden surge of courage she felt earlier vanished into thin air as an image of Nie’s dead body popped in her mind. She felt numb but she told herself not to let General Lange see how scared she was. It took every ounce of dignity to follow her escorts, military men down the hospital corridor. When they turned to the hallway, She saw Wallace discretely beckon to her from the women’s comfort room. She excused herself for to go to the bathroom. The leader of her escorts was hesitant to let go and he seemed suspicious. They were quite hesitant to let her go at first but Guilda started to bicker with the leader. They had no choice but to let her. She went into the tiny comfort room where an angry Wallace was waiting for her.
“Why did you lie to me? Why did you not tell me the truth! You could have stopped this from happening. If you told me earlier, I could have called my superior and had Nie Lange’s name exposed to the media so that those stupid congressmen who agreed with General Lange did not give him the support he needed!” Wallace was shaking.
Annie buried her face in her hands, “I’m sorry.”
“You are a fool for loving him! How selfish could you be?”
The men must have heard their voices because they started knocking on the door. Wallace swiftly moved to the bathroom small window and expertly climbed out. When the men opened the door he was gone. Annie never felt so low in her entire life, she let her father down. She let her country down. She let herself down. She was alone.