Revelations (The End 5)

“But you died in a car crash five years ago.”

“It was so believable, wasn’t it? I couldn’t continue with the Ray of Hope any longer. My conscience wouldn’t let me. I had to leave, so I faked my death and removed my tracker,” he said.

“But Adrik said your body was retrieved. It was burned beyond recognition,” she said.

“Come on, High Priestess. You’re smarter than that. I could have found a cadaver anywhere. You guys didn’t run a DNA sample, did you?”

“Your body was completely destroyed. There was nothing left.”

“Good,” Joel said as he chuckled. “I moved on and got a normal life at the expense of my family in Russia; however, I couldn’t imagine myself doing what you’re doing. It must have taken a lot of courage to fight back.”

Looking at the other three, he asked in English:

“You guys know she was the Chief-of-Staff, right?”

They nodded, but no one could answer. He shrugged.

Suddenly, Suzanne ran to him and hugged him.

“Brother, where have you been all this time, I needed help?” she said. The other three smiled a little. Xander was very confused about what was going on, but he decided he would ask Joel about it later. For now, he was just glad Joel was on the good side.

‘Hey, I didn’t say I wanted to help you, did I?” he asked.

Suzanne looked up at him with a little frown.

“Would you help us?” she asked.

Joel smiled a little.

“I will.”

PART TWO

The Planning

CHAPTER FOUR

She had been at the pinnacle...

2nd December 2021

5:15 am

Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.

USA.

Joel woke up and looked at the other four people asleep on the couches. Together, they had stayed up for most of the night, thinking about what to do once they arrived at their stations. He had asked for their plans and he had made some input. When they finished, they were all too tired to head for the rooms.

His heart

was heavy. From the moment the EMP happened, he had known the cause and fear had filled him because he knew the end had come. He and all the people he had loved would die. He had resigned himself to his fate.

His gaze went to Suzanne. She looked so peaceful in her sleep; he wondered what she was dreaming about. Most of all, he wondered what had propelled her to do the things she had done. He had left the Ray of Hope and forfeited his wife and son in Russia because he didn’t want to continue in all the wrongdoing; however, what had given him the most courage was that he had been quite inconsequential to the plan. The organization would hardly miss him, and he’d easily go off their radar. After that, he had settled down in Chicago and continued teaching. He had always loved to teach. He hadn’t remarried because he wanted to remain loyal to his family. All the while, he had awaited the inevitable, too afraid to do anything to stop the terrorist organization. What could he do? He was just one man. Who would believe him? He’d just make himself visible to the enemies again. Suzanne’s case was different. She had been at the pinnacle of the organization. She had been the reason why they had thrived so well in the US. America trusted her, and so, they trusted the people she introduced. She had been working with the Ray of Hope for so long.

How had her conscience been revived? What had given her the courage to step out and rebel? What was her assurance of victory?

He shook his head. Death was inevitable. The only thing he could decide was how he was going to die. He decided to stick with her team to the end- even if the end meant death.