* * * *
General Carlson stepped into a room as the gunfire raged on further inside the White House. He knew who had come and he knew why. The Secret Service was severely outmatched, and he had no intention of stopping the attack. This was a necessary purge.
A rush of feet ran by his office door towards the Oval Office. He waited as another round of cries and gunfire sounded from down the hallway. Then the same feet retreated back up the wide hallway. He counted to 100 slowly and then opened the door. Seeing no one, he turned and went to the Oval Office. Inside, President Clayton sat slumped over his desk in a pool of expanding blood. He was dead.
Burton, his chief aid, stepped in behind him and regarded the dead president. Carlson spoke, “We need to change all the access codes.”
“The mob had our codes?”
“They did.”
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
There was a long pause. “Well, that explains how they got in here so easily. Someone gave them the codes then—that is the only explanation.”
“True.”
“Do you know who?”
“Yes.”
Burton looked long at Carlson. He cleared his throat. “I don’t want to know who, do I?”
“True.”
“So what now?”
“Contact Captain John Dale. Get him off that island. The man is a hero, but I suspect we’ll have to hide him. The entire world thinks we are responsible for this debacle, and too many people know he is an American.”
“Yes, sir.”
General Carlson sighed. Overall things had worked out according to plan. Now that President Clayton was dead, there would be new elections. Hopefully, news of his death would quell international outrage. Hopefully, they could focus on the process of rebuilding.
* * * *
It was several days later. The rain had finally cleared away, leaving a hot sun to bake the mud and dry everything up. John and Neesha stood on the edge of the sand pit where the Komodo dragon, Billy, had built her nest. The eggs had hatched and a quartet of infant dragons were milling around the pit, sliding in the sand. Billy looked on with something akin to approval. She would occasionally lift her head and hiss at the humans watching from above.
“Are they going to hunt her anymore?” Neesha asked, rubbing at her forehead again.
“Nope. We found evidence that Bangor’s son was not killed by a dragon. We suspect the Mob was actually responsible, trying to set the stage for their morbid games.”
“That’s horrible,” she whispered.
“I know.”
“What’s going to happen to me?”
“General Carlson has promised you a pardon and medical treatment. Transportation is on the way to take you to the best medical facility in the US. There is a good chance they can remove the tumor successfully. You should be able to live a normal life.”
Looking around at the jungle, she sighed. “What’s normal? I’ll forever be the face of the girl in these stupid games. Where can I go?”
John smiled. “Would you like to come back here?”
“Here?” She looked surprised and slightly pleased.
“Why not? I got the impression that despite everything, you like it here.”
Neesha was silent for a long time. When she spoke he saw the first real smile on her face he had ever seen. “I would love to come back here.” She looked into the sand pit. “I think I would like to watch after Billy and her children.”
“It’s settled then. I’ve already talked to Bangor. He will welcome you. I think he believes you are a good omen or something. He wants to adopt you as his daughter.”
“Me?”
John nodded.
“But I’m nearly 18!”
“What does that matter? These people don’t think like we do. You need a family. Bangor is offering you one.”
“A family.” Neesha smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
THE END
ACKOWLEDGMENTS
The story is dedicated to the great writer John Grisham who inspired me by his fascinating stories.
I want to thank Alyson Bailey and Kamla Fisher who have encouraged me to write the story.
I want to thank my professional editor Mr. Geoff Wolak for working the manuscript and giving the story a good touch.
THE AUTHOR
Victor Elmalih is a Canadian thriller and screenplay writer, born in Morocco. Victor Elmalih was graduated from different Universities and Institutes in France, Canada and the United States. He is a specialist on Foreign Affairs and International Relations. Victor Elmalih is one of the greatest North American authors who provide readers with fascinating thrillers combining fiction and reality. Members’ Authority is one of his greatest stories.
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends