CHAPTER 12

Lucy opened her eyes, she didn't need to look around to know she was in a hospital. The scent of disinfectants filled her lungs. She tried turning and felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, her body was now revealing to her every injury she had acquired the last time she was conscious. She could now feel the bandage on her head and stomach, there was a needle still injecting sugar into her left arm. She tried pulling it out when she heard someone coughing at her right, she turned and saw Harry sitting on the next bed; the white curtains that was suppose to separate them had been pushed aside.

"Finally, you're awake. I was beginning to get worried" Harry said.

"What...what happened?" Lucy asked.

"You passed out"

"I know that, I meant with the others....what happened to them?" she spoke slowly as she found it difficult to take deep breaths.

"A handful survived long enough for the enforcers to show up" Lucy couldn't believe what she just heard

"You mean your plan was to use us as bait?" she asked infuriated.

"No, Eve was the only bait...I miscalculated and forgot the fact they might have guns" Harry said, he was nursing his wounded wrist which was now bandaged along with his head.

"You miscalculated? You....miscalculated?!...." she began coughing after yelling the last word.

"Look, it was not a full proof plan, there was always bound to be other unconsidered factors. But at least now we got a lead"

Lucy was still coughing but the tempo had reduced

"What...lead?.." she asked in between coughs.

"Maybe its best we call the doctor and talk about this later on" he was about standing up

"No, I want to know now...." she demanded, the coughing had seized.

"....I want to know why I watched men and women with families died without even knowing who exactly killed them.." Harry sat back down he didn't speak then she continued

"I always thought I had seen enough dead bodies to open my own cemetery...but...I....I never saw someone die so quick before. When I looked over that van we were in, I saw a lady get shot...she was crouching by the open door of a car...she never saw it coming..." tears had began running down her eyes.

She looked at the ceiling

"She was probably dead before she hit the floor, all her killer had to do was pull a fucking trigger" Harry stared at Lucy in disbelief, he had never heard her curse before.

"Was it worth it?" she turned to stare back at him.

Harry sighed he looked up at the ceiling and back on the floor

"Phil Philip...." Harry said.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"Phil Philip....he was an agent back at district 2....his...huh...his surname and name were both Philip but everyone just called him Phil. One day, he came to the office and told us his wife had given birth, had us drink and eat from loads of junk food he bought..." Harry chuckled a bit, he slowly brushed his hair with his right arm.

"...I think I drank so much soda that day I almost puked....anyways, few hours into that day and all hell had broken loose. My partner was laying dead in my arms and I huhh...I abandoned his body...dashed off back to the precinct to get some help. When I opened the doors the first familiar face I saw was his, his throat had been cut opened....when I saw him all I could think of was how as he suffocated to death, he would have thought of his wife...and kid back at home. He would have probably regretted ever coming to work that day maybe yet ever becoming an agent but then as I passed his corpse I realized his sacrifice, as useless as it may have seemed had paved the way for a more safer society for his wife and children." Lucy laid listening as Harry continued speaking

"When we chose this job we chose to put ourselves after others, nothing else matter than the people's safety. If we die in service it is for the better of the society" Lucy began laughing

"And is it part of the job to walk around with a gun?" Lucy asked, Harry wore a grin

"That gun saved your life and beside it wasn't mine, I simply played with the card I was dealt with" he said.

"Who's was it then?" Lucy asked

"One of the bodies being taken for identification"

"And how did you get it?"

"When you took off I managed to take out one of them" Lucy looked back at the ceiling and started laughing again even though she was in pain she didn't seem to mind.

"And here I thought you were a good liar, but as it turns out you suck as much as I do...." she said.

"...there was no way on earth you would have found me if you had wasted even half a second to squash a fly....digging out the bullet doesn't help your case either" she concluded.

Harry's grin evolved in a full blown smile and he began clapping

"Bravo, bravo......" he stopped clapping.

"That leaves you with two option doesn't it?" He said.

"Which are?"she asked. Harry stood up and walked towards her. Lucy pushed back from him, unsure of what he plans to do, Harry noticed and stopped approaching her.

"You can simply yell 'nurse', then a nurse will walk in she looks after you then she calls the doctor, who you then inform to call Joshua and when he arrives you tell him your side of the story, get me arrested and solve the rest of the case with what ever resources you've got left." He said and waited for her reaction.

"What's my second option?" Lucy asked, Harry's grin came back on

"You sit back, listen to my side of the story, get out of this hospital and close down this case in the next 8 hours" he said.

"8 hours? Sounds like you've already cracked the case"

"I got a name, this time the name of the leader"

"So?" Lucy asked.

"I know where he is and how to find him"

"And what, he's going to surrender peacefully?"

"I got a plan"

"Am not going anywhere with you if I don't know what I'm up against"

"Solomon Ghandi" Harry said.

"Who told you that?"

When the van flipped over and Eve's lover pulled her out, I overheard one of the guys I killed saying Mr. Ghandi wanted to see her in person before deciding her faith."

"Why would an executive in district 5 hire killers to take off his associates from other districts?"

"When Noah came into town a reporter asked him about the conclave scheduled to hold next month, the reporter claimed Noah was the only living Organizer opposing someone named Gin in becoming the next Head"

"So you believe Solomon is helping Tony Gin secure his position as head?...Tony Gin?...do you even know who he is?"

"No" Harry replied.

"Tony Gin? As in the Gin company?"

"So, he owns a few steel companies"

"Not just a few, he owns a share in every single company that has something to do with metal construction and mining. His companies were passed on to him by his father, who got them from his grandfather and his grandfather from his fathers before. Tony Gin's family happens to be one of the founding families of the H.O.P.E"

"At least we now know how both are connected" Harry said.

"So now what?" Lucy asked

As he was about to open his mouth a nurse dropped by to check on them. She wore a blue gown and had her hair neatly covered by a polythene cap.

"How are you feeling officers?"

"Good, is the doctor in?" Harry asked.

"Yes"

"Good, go get him for us will you?" Lucy said

"Yes ma'am" the nurse said and left.

Lucy turned back at Harry, she was sitting up and had finally pulled out the needle in her arm.

"That stuff works fast doesn't it?" Harry asked.

Lucy ignored Harry comment and asked

"So your plan is to walk into the home of the most notorious executive and arrest him? You do realize that this guy can have us killed and he will make up a story that the agency is going to believe?"

"First of no one is killing anybody. Secondly, we are not arresting anyone we are going there for a discussion" Harry said.

"What exactly do you want to discuss with him?" Lucy asked.

"I think I know what he wants and I think I know a way of ending everything without anymore bloodshed" Harry replied.

The doctor walked towards them.

"Ha, you're awake!" He said addressing Lucy

"You're a lucky woman, a few more hits like that and you would have broken a few ribs. I have alerted the agency of your condition, they should send someone to check on you any moment from now" he said.

"That's the problem, Doc. We can't hang around" Harry said.

"Of course, I understand you have responsibilities but she is badly hurt and she needs time to heal" the doctor said.

"There's no time, we have to leave now" Lucy said as she tried standing up. Harry supported her as they started heading for the front door.

"Wait you can't do this. She could die" the doctor pleaded in an attempt to stop them but they didn't listen soon they were outside the hospital where they found a cab that took them to the train station.

"Here, take one every 6 hours. It will help with the pain" Harry said giving Lucy a bottle with a few white pill.

"What are these?" Lucy asked

"Just trust me, you'll need it" he said, Lucy sighed, took one of the pills and swallowed it.

Soon they were at the station; Lucy no longer need help standing, it seemed the pill was already working even though, she still felt the pain and was limping. They boarded the train and headed off for district 5; the train they were on looked like a rust bucket from the inside with all the seats having been ripped apart leaving the hard metal frame. Lucy and Harry sat by each other, a woman with two kids sat opposite them she was wearing a black hijab that made Harry care less on what else she was wearing. As the train headed out the district Harry sat facing Lucy so he could turn and lookout the window. He was lost in thoughts looking at the green grass covering kilometers of open space as they sped past them, suddenly a bulb above them began flashing red and a siren went off.

"This is not a drill....." said the voice coming from a speaker attached close to the bulb

".....we are approaching barren lands, please make use of the oxygen mask kept beneath your seat. Thank you" said the voice.

Everyone rushed for the masks, everyone but Harry. Lucy stared as the clouds began getting darker and soon they were driving through the heart of a city; there were cars littered round, houses that had either collapse or were at the verge of collapsing, sign boards that had become unreadable due to years of rust and decay. Lucy could have sworn she saw a human skull in one of the cars but they drove past before she could confirm, everyone had their curtains closed down so as not to see this part of the journey but Harry kept his curtain opened, he watched the empty city pass them and the dried up river.

"How quick has the world fallen" Harry muttered to himself, Lucy on the other hand was wondering how Harry was able to breathe the air in the city they just past. Soon the siren stopped and the bulb went back off, everyone took off their masks and the journey went on, Lucy fell asleep on Harry's shoulder and didn't know till Harry woke her up.

"What?" She asked.

"We are here" Harry said.

As they made their way off the train, two men stopped them at the station. They both wore green shirt and a dark green trouser,

"Come with us now!" Ordered one of the men.

Harry expected this since they didn't buy a ticket to come here they just showed them their badges and walked in and they were still dressed in their uniform. He followed them peacefully and told Lucy to not do anything stupid.

On leaving the station the man who ordered them pointed to a white SUV waiting by the road.

"Get in!" he said. As Harry and Lucy approached the vehicle the doors were opened and when Harry entered he noticed that there were two people behind them in addition with the two already in front, all dressed up the same as the first two they met.

When Lucy had finally sat down the driver started the car

"What are you guys, leprechauns for hire?" Harry said jokingly.

"Blind fold them" the one at the front passenger seat said and the two behind threw a dark bag over Harry and Lucy's head. Lucy was about to fight them off when she heard the sound of a gun being loaded.

"Relax Lucy, they won't harm us. Not now at least" Harry said reassuring Lucy to stay calm.

Lucy had gotten so numb that she didn't know when they stopped driving until she was pulled out the car they were led down some stairs and made to seat in a chair then the bags were taken off.

They were seating in front of a man who seemed to lack any form of self grooming. His beard covered his short neck and his hair made it difficult to see his ears unless he turned his head slightly to one side. He wore a white long robe and held a wooden rod, surrounding them were his henchmen all dressed in green

"Welcome Madam and Mister..." He said, and began laughing.

"What may your names be?" He asked.

"I am Johnson Fisher, my associate is Lucy Kayo...."

"Wait, hold on...why did you bring them here?" the man asked one of his men.

"I thought you would want to see them, sir" he replied.

"And why would I want to do that?" he asked back; he had a stare that would make one think he's either trying to scare a kid or he was mentally unstable.

"Mr. Ghandi, I believe we both share a common interest...." Harry said.

"No, no, no,....you don't get to speak to me. You are neither of royal blood or of my apostles, you get to speak with my gun.....down your throats!" He said hitting the desk in between them, he made a gesture for them to be taken away.

Harry took a deep breath in

"I thought you were offering bread to the hungry?" Harry said, Solomon looked closely at Harry and stopped his men from taking them.

"Bread, you want...bread?" He asked, Harry nodded.

"Then bread ye shall have" he said and snapped his fingers twice.

A few seconds later 5 men emerged with 5 different types of bread and placed them all before Harry.

Harry looked at all of them and picked the one that was round in shape and made without leaven.

"I have come, to be satisfied" Harry said as he broke part of the bread and gave to Lucy while he ate the rest. Lucy just held it not sure of what was going on.

"Now, you are satisfied....now tell me what is it you want?" Solomon asked after Harry was done eating.

"I came to talk about Mr. Gin and the business I think you both have" Harry said, Solomon gave a gesture with his left arm and all the trays were taken back.

"My business with Mr. Gin? I don't think I know what you mean" he replied.

"We know you ordered the killing of everyone opposing Mr. Gin's..."

"No, no, no.....you don't get to speak here, girl. You are an outsider" Solomon cut in before Lucy could finish.

"Mr. Fisher, tell you partner to mind her tongue or it will be served to her as dinner" he said.

"Sorry, she tends to get excited when she's at the end of a case" Harry replied.

"Now as to what you were saying.....I don't think I owe you an explanation...." he said chuckling.

"I mean, you won't need it where you are going" he said still chuckling.

"You mean, where we are going?" Harry asked.

Solomon burst into laughter and his henchmen joined him, he afterwards waved his arm and the laughter stopped.

"And how do you plan to take me along, hmmmm? Solomon asked.

"With the bomb I left somewhere above us" Harry said. They all burst into laughter but Solomon did the same gesture and it died out.

"Agents don't work around with bombs" Solomon said.

"Neither do they with guns, but if you check the bag your men took from me. I have a working piece kept there" Solomon turned to his right.

"Where's the bag?" He asked. One of them came forward with Harry's bag and he opened it bringing out the gun and Harry's dagger.

"OK, you've got a gun. Impressive but that doesn't mean you came here with a bomb" he said picking up the gun.

"I didn't come with it she did, if your boys remember correctly she was struggling with them when they tried blindfolding her it was her attempt of concealing the bomb underneath her suit, you dummies didn't bother handcuffing us and she also fell down thrice when being dragged here....do you boys still remember those spots?" Harry asked, they all kept quiet.

"Well in one of those 3 spots lies a bomb thrown in either directions and only she knows where exactly" Harry said.

Solomon looked at his men

"Is this true?" He asked.

"Yes...but...." the henchman never completed the sentence before he was gunned down.

"I am working with imbeciles!" He said, he took some deep breaths and stroke his beards. He looked at Harry and smiled

"Tell me Mr. Fisher, what do you know about the origin of H.O.P.E?" he asked.

"Well...I know your families were part of it" Harry replied.

"Yes, you see Mr. Fisher, the truth that history will never tell you was that after the wars all people wanted was food and shelter. With lands becoming barren, people were willing to be slaves to those who had settled on fertile ground and had claimed it for theirs. They worked and were fed and were protected....that all changed with time because as future generation came up, slaves started becoming employees, employees started becoming coworkers,....coworkers started becoming friends!" he hit his hand on the desk again.

"Are you getting picture?" He asked.

"Absolutely" Harry replied.

"And as you know when people are giving opportunity they crave opportunities, soon every black, brown, albino looking and red skins wanted the same treatment as us their masters.....soon they wanted power for themselves and at that point in time we knew, we knew that if we don't play along we would loose our inheritance...so....H.O.P.E was found. Funny though, if it was up to me I'd say kill every one of those bastards who wanted what was never theirs to begin with"

"So now, you want what's yours?" Harry asked.

"No my dear....Mr Gin has shown me plans for the future, a future where we will be restored in our past glory and all I need do is help him win"

"Makes sense, but what if I can sweeten that deal?" Harry asked.

"Then you my dear, would have worn yourself a ticket to break bread with me" Solomon said leaning forward.

"From the looks of things you only need one more kill to secure your prize, but what if I make him take back his vote. Then there wouldn't be any need to kill him" Harry asked.

"You?....make Noah take back his vote?...how?" Solomon asked.

"There's a girl always by his side, I have something against her that can make her disappear. Noah wouldn't want that, am guessing she's more important than a few millions he hopes to earn"

"What makes you guess that?" Solomon asked.

"You said so yourself, from slave to friends" Harry leaned back, he was confident he had gotten his attention.

"Your plan seems well and good but why should I agree to this and besides I don't go back on my word" Solomon replied after a brief moment of contemplation.

"You may not go back on your word but what of Mr. Gin? How well do you trust a man who goes this far to make sure the murders aren't linked to him. How sure are you that he won't send his enforcers after you the moment he gets chosen as head" Solomon got angry and pointed the gun at Harry's head who seemed not to move an inch. Lucy moved back uneasy at the way things are turning out.

"Now that you mention it, you seem like an enforcer yourself, why should I trust you? And what do you have to gain by doing this?" Solomon asked with his finger on the trigger.

"I have the most to gain....I get praised by my department and get rewarded by Noah himself...I also earn your trust and gain an ally against Mr. Gin.....my reasons are more rational than chaotic" Solomon began chuckling he gave the gun back to the henchman by his side.

"Alright we have a deal but tell me Mr. Fisher, how do I take back a bullet that has already been fired?" Solomon asked.

Harry looked at Lucy she was lost by the question.

"How long do we have?" Harry asked

"You have less than 5 hours before the first shot will make contact. My Intel says that the lady living with him is Bloody Anabelle herself....so I arranged a tactics, I can be able to stop the second but the first are far gone"

"We can make it in time to stop them" Harry said.

"Well if you are able to, tell my people that it is solely on their heads that is if you keep them alive" Harry got up as his bag was thrown back to him, Lucy made to follow him.

"Wait!...the young lady you had in custody, what do I do about her. She has cost me a great deal of good men" Solomon said stroking his beards.

"We have nothing to do with her...your good men gave up your name not her" Harry said.

"Really now? Then I guess she walks free....for now" he got up and stretch out his right arm for a handshake. Harry shook his hand and began running up the door.

"And the bomb?...." Solomon asked.

".....am guessing that was never actually real" he said. Harry grinned at him and kept walking.

"This was fun, I'd love to play again" he muttered to himself as he watched them leave.