Okay, here it is. I'll say a few things. For new readers: this is a continuation of a larger story, the third part. So, if you feel lost but are interested, do ask. These will be up on Mondays. And yes: it will include Muslim bad guys, like I said in an earlier post. But before you crucify me for racism, either read the whole thing to get the entire picture, or if you don't, refrain from judging based on one chapter of a larger story you didn't even read. Some of the stuff is controversial and touchy, but it's my story. The intent is to tell a story, not to paint any one group in any one way. No artwork yet as my artist has been busy with other stuff, but I wanted to start now anyway. I really enjoyed doing this in 5000 words, it gave me space to set things up and flesh out things. I hope it's not too much work to get through. Enjoy.
Monday, May 13th, 2024. 06:00 AM
A Passenger Plane Above France
Mere minutes after the sunrise that begins a new week above France, a passenger plane is making its way to Paris. Most of the passengers are in deep sleep as they've been flying all night.
Not all, though.
One of the passengers has barely closed his eyes after the plane left the airport in Washington, DC. He is most certainly important-looking, wearing an expensive suit, coupled with a more expensive watch. Late 40s, perhaps early 50s. The most peculiar thing, however, has nothing to do with his clothing or choice of watch - it's the suitcase handcuffed to his right wrist.
One that he's holding on tight like his life depends on it.
The man is in his thoughts, looking slightly nervous, as someone unexpectedly sits down on the empty seat next to his.
"Hey, mind if I sit here?"
The man turns his head to see an attractive dark-haired young woman. Probably the most attractive thing he's seen in - maybe years. And that's including his wife. Before the man has time to respond, she continues. She has a decidedly flirting demeanor about her, and she's definitely being overtly friendly.
"The man next to me was snoring, hah. And I really need some quiet. I was told I could sit here, is it okay?"
"Uhh, yeah. Sure."
The man is reserved, though the woman seems harmless enough.
"Ah, thanks tons. I mean it."
There's prolonged silence, during which the woman eyes the man instead of trying to sleep as she said. After a while, she tries to break the ice for some small talk.
"Say. What's with the suitcase?"
Clearly, the man has no interest in discussing the matter with her, so he tries to evade the subject.
"It really is none of your business."
"Just askin'."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just that this is very important, and very private."
"I gotcha, I gotcha."
She leans a little closer to him.
"I'm sure it's something important, you look like an important man."
The man attempts to stay reserved, but his flesh is weaker than his mind, so he gives in a little.
"Heh, well. I don't know about me, but yes, this is important, like I said. It's important I deliver this to the right people."
The woman then extends her hand.
"I'm Mia. What's your name, mister?"
Accepting the offer, the man shakes her hand in response and gives her a smile.
"Gregory."
"Gregory. I like that. Can I call you Greg?"
"Hah, sure."
"Business trip?"
"Yeah. Something like that."
"What do you do for a living, Greg?"
"Uh, I'm an engineer."
"Ooh, an engineer. I bet you're, like, super smart. What kind of an engineer?"
"I majored in computer science."
"There's probably so much you know about everything."
"Hah. I guess it's my job to know."
During the small talk, Mia slowly runs her fingers across Gregory's thigh. Gregory gets awkward and lifts her hand off.
"I'm married, miss."
Gregory shows Mia his ring, but Mia isn't phased by this at all, though, and simply removes the ring from his finger, and places her hand back on his thigh, and even further.
"Well, does your wife do this?"
Gregory knows he should feel insulted, but his weakness as a man forces him to admit that it's been a long time since he's been stimulated in any way, so he simply gives in and the two embrace in a kiss.
Realistically, he should be more cautious, but he simply forgets to be.
Mia then grabs him by the hand and suggests they go somewhere more private.
"Let's find a place that's more intimate. A tad too many eyeballs here, dontcha think? Or are you one of those guys who like to do it in public?"
Mia then drags him by the hand to the bathroom, sneaking by the flight attendants. They lock the door and proceed to get close. Gregory doesn't even question it, he just surrenders to his sheer lust.
Mia then lifts her foot and reaches to it with her hand.
As Gregory begins to strip her, Mia places her hand in front of his mouth and takes a knife from between her sock and her shoe, and stabs him in the neck.
Gregory falls to the ground, lifeless.
Mia's whole body language changes from the bubbly airhead to that of a professional as she proceeds to cut off Gregory's thumb to remove the briefcase that his hand was handcuffed to.
The suitcase has a lock system that's opened with a fingerprint, so Mia presses Gregory's thumb into the scanner, opening the case.
She examines what looks to be a circuit board. After having a look, it seems to be what she was looking for. Mia shuts the case and exits the bathroom, quickly changing back into her other persona to not look suspicious. Not that a lot of people are even paying attention as most are fast asleep.
Mia goes to her seat and takes her bag from the bag holder above the seat, before moving to the doors of the plane.
The bag contains parachuting equipment, and Mia puts the gear on while making sure no one is looking. Once finished, she places something on the door, and then another one on the floor, moves away to the opposite wall, and then actives something with her phone.
A timer appears on the object on the door, counting down from 15 seconds. She places a larger one on the floor, with 20 seconds on the counter.
Once first timers hits 0, the door blows open, and the velocity pulls Mia out of the plane.
Soon, the entire plane blows up in a massive explosion, as Mia parachutes to the ground.
Mia has a calm, nonchalant manner about her as her feet hit the ground. It's like blowing up an entire plane was just a day's work.
Before wasting any time, she makes a call.
"It's me. You'll never guess what I found."
The person on the other end is a middle eastern man. A tall, built, and intimidating figure. Despite his background, his English is posh, almost robust.
"Do you have the circuit board?"
"You betcha. I told you I'm good."
"Good work. You'll be rewarded once you get here."
"I need some wheels, Daivari."
"Your transportation should be on site in 15 minutes."
"Sure thing, I'll let you know when I'm in Paris. À bientôt!"
"Thank you, Mia."
Paris, France
Away from the center of the city, a bare, cheap apartment is what Adam Black has been calling "home" for the past six months or so.
After the events that occurred six months ago, Adam wanted to get away. It's been a long time since he's had a life. One could say two years, almost to the day, but even the five years prior weren't a lot to celebrate.
Is he happy? By some definition, sure. His life isn't much, but it's the closest he's gotten in seven years.
Seven years. That stops Adam in his tracks. It happens every time. There's a sense of bitterness, sure. But Adam's not the type to dwell on things too much. He's accepted his fate and everything that's come with it. That's just his nature - sometimes to his detriment, to be fair.
He's always been an early bird. He wakes up around five or six, no alarm clock, to do his morning exercise. He just finishes with his push-ups.
It's not too noticeable, but it sure has gotten a bit more difficult with age. Nothing major, but it's that small reminder that he's indeed closing in on 40 instead of 20.
Most 20-year-olds would still kill to be in the shape Adam's in. It's not for vanity, though. It's just a hardwired lifestyle choice to keep himself in shape.
Adam sits on the floor for a while after the workout, reaches for the remote to turn on the morning news.
And the first channel he finds has a breaking news update, which Adam catches mid-sentence.
"...taking out an entire 747, its crew, and passengers. It's unknown at this point whether or not it was a malfunction in the plane, or if this was possibly the work of a hijacker. The authorities have not made an official announcement yet."
This, like any news of this nature, catches Adam off guard.
He's left that life behind him, but of course, the insinuation of a potential plane hijacking catches his interest.
He shuts it out quickly enough.
That's not his life anymore. It's what he left the United States to escape from. He doesn't need to save the world. Not anymore.
Still, he keeps newscast on while getting dressed, listening to it more closely than he'd like to admit.
Adam grabs a cup of coffee, opens the window and indulges in the one bad habit he hasn't been able to break by lighting a cigarette. Funnily enough, it's the one thing linking him to his past life.
While the newscast is going on, Adam feels thankful that he has such a hectic, and for once, regular job that keeps his mind occupied so that he can escape thoughts like the one he's having right now.
About getting involved.
And those thoughts are so stupid. The world is filled with agencies whose job it is to handle things like these. It's ridiculous to think that the world needs him.
No, today is about his rare day off.
He even has a date. They've gotten close over the past month or so. Is it love? Probably not, but Adam is the closest he's been to happy in a long while.
One more reason not to screw this up.
Yes, coming to Paris was somewhat dictated by the information he and Kevin found on the SYON system six months ago, with one of the names linked to the conspiracy being that of France's Prime Minister. But his death soon after the events made sure that whatever information he had died with him.
And then Adam decided that it doesn't concern him. The world can keep spinning well enough without him.
Adam's phone rings, which is unexpected. Almost as unexpected as the fact that it's Clara calling. She's usually not an early bird, unlike Adam. She must be calling just before going to work.
There's a surprising sound of warmth and joy in Adam's voice as he answers the call. Somewhat uncharacteristic to the Adam of the past seven or so years. But things are different.
"Hey? What are you doing calling me so early? Not that I mind."
Clara is still sleepy, her French accent and something of a struggle to speak English is something Adam finds cute and attractive. She's a sweet woman. Not someone Adam really could have seen himself with years prior, but they've grown close recently. Clara's still lying in bed, stretching and yawning.
"Heeey. I'm off to work, but I just- I just wanted to call you before I go."
What took place lays some stress on her as she works as a reporter, and today is a big day as it is; Clara's work requires her to cover a historical meeting between the French President and the President of Khamistan regarding both countries' nuclear weapons program. For the first time ever, the country of Khamistan has a leader willing to sit at the negotiating table to discuss peace. Ever since the Post War era started in 2017, Khamistan has been a country hesitant to take part due to the West's treatment of the Middle East, as well as their loyalty to Israel.
"Everything alright, I hope?"
"Perfect. Today is going to be, how you say, stressful, to be sure, but looking forward to seeing you tonight. But my God, did you hear about that plane, I was just watching the news."
Adam is hesitant to really get into it.
"Yeah. I just saw it, too. Fucking awful. But let's not let that ruin our day, okay?"
"Oh, let's not. I just hope that if it was a terrorist attack, the people responsible are caught."
"Yeah. Well, there are agencies for that. Good men and women."
Clara doesn't know about Adam's past life, and she hasn't asked questions, either. She does notice Adam trying to avoid the subject, though.
"And thank God for that. I'm not racist, but- some of the things that happen make me scared."
"Trust me, it's gonna be okay. We don't even know if it had anything to do with terrorism."
"You always make me feel safe, Adam, you know that? Anyway, uhh, I have to go. To work. So, uhh. I'll see you tonight."
"Don't worry, you will. I wouldn't miss it for a thing, trust me. See you soon. Bye."
"Bye!"
Surprisingly content. That's how Adam is feeling.
No way he's going to let anything happen to take that away.
Unknown Location in Outside of Paris
A dark room of a darker building in an even darker corner outside of Paris houses a group of Middle Eastern men.
One of them, the largest one, being Ali Daivari, is clearly positioned as the leader. Though the other members of the group are not far behind in intimidation.
Daivari has a bald head and a thick beard covering his overtly masculine facial features. He wears all black, and the tight clothing really shows his built up physique.
One of the other others approaches him.
"Is everything in place?"
"Yes, the plan is in motion. The circuit board is on its way here."
"Are you sure we can trust the American woman?"
"I am. She's loyal to money and nothing else. Typical American."
"Hmph. Americans. They'll do anything for a dollar."
"In this case, it's a benefit to us. And for us, this day is not about money. After today is over, Europe - and the West - will never be the same. We have suffered far too much for far too long."
Daivari's words fill the other man with utter confidence and pride.
"We are changing the future, Ali. It is an honor to do this with you."
"Yes, we are. Allahu Akbar."
"Allahu Akbar."
Adam's Place
Adam leaves his apartment to run to his nearby store. He comes across a scene on the street where two locals are having an argument with a Middle Eastern man. Adam's French isn't the best, but it clearly has to do with the plane explosion.
"We've had it with you sand people! When is enough going to be enough, huh? Why can't you just leave us alone?"
One of the men goes to grab the Middle Eastern man, as Adam instinctively intervenes by shoving him away.
"Drop it."
The locals are disgusted by another white person taking sides with an Arab.
"Oh, you're one of them, huh? You're taking his side? Tell me: what happened with that plane, huh? What do you think happened? It's these fucking sand niggers blowing everything up!"
"I'm not taking anybody's side, I'm telling you to back off."
"You don't know these people. You haven't dealt with that terrorism, I'm telling you. My brother in law works in antiterrorism. The things he's told me, man."
"Maybe I know more than you think."
"Well, apparently not because here you are siding with him. You know what, I've had it with this shit."
The man goes to throw a punch, but in split second, Adam grabs his arm and twists it behind the man's back, causing immeasurable pain.
"I'm gonna give you five seconds to back off, starting now. One."
The man yells in pain, and the other one is too scared to do anything.
"Let go, let go!"
Adam lets go and shoves him away, and both men leave. But not without flipping the bird at Adam.
Adam checks on the Middle Eastern man.
"Thank you, sir."
"You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Every time. Every time something like this happens-"
"Yeah. I know. We don't even have all the facts about what happened."
"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that me and my family are Muslims."
Adam feels saddened. He's never considered himself a "conservative" or a "liberal". He's always kept himself way off the political spectrum. He simply operates on instinct. He's gone against Muslims before. He's killed a bunch of them. But they were ones that did deserve it, in his mind. However, he does realize the unfair treatment that people with the same background do get because of the actions of a few.
"Well, it's not right."
"Thank you again for your kindness, sir. I will never forget. I'm late for work."
"Have a good day at work, sir."
"Have a great day, too, sir. God bless."
"I will, thank you."
All that Adam hopes for is that the world weren't the way it is. But it's not his job to change it anymore. He feels he's done his part. How much of it even mattered in the end, he doesn't really know.
But apple juice. That's what's on his mind right now as he enters the store.
DGSI Headquarters (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure)
The General Directorate for Internal Security of France is hard at work trying to get to the bottom of the plane explosion.
The director Isaac Bernard is directing traffic. He's a younger guy, new to the position. But he's very qualified. Mostly by the book, but very loyal to his country, and if necessary, willing to do what's necessary. Well-liked among the employees, tough but fair.
"Where are we on that passenger list check?"
One of the employees behind a laptop responds.
"Going through and cross-checking the names, nothing has come up yet."
"Well, keep working on it. And let me know if there's anything even mildly suspicious. Don't leave anything out. We must approach this as a terrorist attack."
A female employee then approaches him.
"Isaac, I think there's something you should know, come see."
She leads Isaac to her laptop and shows a picture of a middle eastern man. The man in the photo is who Ali Daivari was talking to in his hideout.
"This is Amal Hassan. Spotted a little over an hour ago in Paris. He's been on the CIA watch list for years. Involvement in several terrorist activities in the last decade. I went through the records, this is the first sighting in eight years. He was last seen in America. After that, he disappeared as he escaped the local authorities."
"And he shows up here today of all days. We can't leave anything out. I need men working on locating this guy."
"I'm on it. I'll start going through traffic cams."
Daivari's Hideout
A younger recruit joins Ali and Amal as they are discussing the day's events. The younger man is clearly nervous, but ready to do what's asked of him.
Daivari makes sure of it.
"Are you ready to do God's work?"
"I am."
"Good. Amal will be your handler. Today is of utmost importance. Nothing can go wrong, you understand this?"
"I do."
Amal hands him an explosive vest. The boy's hands are shaking, but he is honored to have been chosen to do this. The vest is wrapped around his body, and then covered with a jacket.
Daivari places his hand on the boy's cheek and smiles.
"I'm proud of you."
The boy smiles back, Amal nods, and leaves with the boy.
Daivari then tells the rest of the crew to get to work.
"Everybody, get to work. There's no time for us to rest today."
Charles de Gaulle Airport
The President of Khamistan, Bashar Abbas, and his family have arrived in Paris, on their way to the meeting with the President of France.
The news of what took place earlier have put a damper on their day, as they know the hostility that a potential terror attack will create.
Bashar's wife Shaheena is especially worried.
"I support you in this quest for peace, you know that. But I'm worried about the political ramifications of this. You entering the negotiating table with the West will create powerful enemies, perhaps even within your administration."
Bashar is a calm and collected man. Above all, he is a man of honor and determination. He has his reasons for entering the table, and he has worked hard for it. He won't allow his enemies to sway him from what he feels is right.
"You are right. But if we turn away now, we are letting our enemies win. This hostility has gone on long enough, and what has it earned us? It's time for a change, and I am the man to bring it, even if it is the last thing I do, Shaheena."
Shaheena is proud of her husband. Their marriage hasn't been all roses all the time, but the quest for peace has brought them closer to each other again.
"You are a man of conviction, Bashar."
"And I am doing this with you, my love. With you by my side. Never forget that."
Bashar kisses Shaheena's hand, but the romantic scene is interrupted by Zafeer, one of Bashaar's closest and most trusted men who, unlike Shaheena, has grown a little distant from Bashar recently due to political disagreements over the peace negotiations.
"I think you're taking her words too lightly, Bashar. There's still time to turn back."
"Zafeer, you have made your voice heard. But I am adamant. This peace will happen."
"People in your own country are talking about you selling out to the West."
Shaheena is disgusted by such accusations.
"Zafeer!"
Bashar calms her down, though.
"It's quite alright. Zafeer, I understand how you feel. And we will deal with such matters later. After all this is done, I'm sure everyone will understand that this benefits all."
Despite Bashar's diplomacy, Shaheena and Zafeer exchange looks.
Adam's Apartment
Adam is busy making breakfast, as he gets another phone call. Clara's off to work, so it's not her. Adam can't be thinking of anyone else calling him so early in the morning. There's no caller ID, either.
Adam has a habit of not picking up when it's an unknown number, so he lets it ring.
The Other Side of the Town
"Come on, Adam, pick up the phone!"
Louis is a petty small-time criminal who makes his living off of knowing things he's not supposed to know and selling his information.
A lanky guy with a weasely body language. Can talk, but not much else.
Usually, he can talk his way out of any situation, but this time he's nervous and covered in cold sweat.
He met up with Adam as Adam arrived in Paris to investigate the former Prime Minister's connection to the Order conspiracy, but that went nowhere due to the Prime Minister's mysterious heart attack.
After that, Adam has distanced himself from Louis and from that life altogether.
Adam doesn't answer.
"Damn it! Now what am I gonna do."
He contemplates sending a message, but feels he needs to say what he has to say in person.
Opposite his apartment, two middle eastern men are keeping an eye on him, one of them doing so through a sniper scope. They are waiting for him to get in position for them to take a shot.
He finally shows up through the window, and the sniper is about to take a shot, but the other man stops him.
"Wait! Look, he's holding a phone."
They see Louis leave his apartment.
"He's going somewhere. He must have talked to someone. We must find out who he talked to and kill whoever it was. As Daivari said, we can't take any chances today."
"You're right. Let's follow him."
Louis walks to his car and hopes Adam still lives in the same place. It's not that far away.
The two men tail him without Louis noticing.
Adam's Apartment
Most of the news shows talk about the plane incident, but there's also talk about the meeting between the two Presidents.
Adam is happy to see progress being made for further peace. He devoted so much of his life to fighting terrorism that it does feel a little bit personal for him to see something like this.
He's happy he's left the job behind, and perhaps progress like this will make his old job unnecessary in the future. Realistically, he's not that optimistic, but there's no harm in hoping.
However, he does catch himself flipping the channel to shows that covers the plane explosion.
Apparently, it's looking more probable that it was a hijacking, and there's speculation that it may have something to do with peace negotiations that are supposed to take place.
Following this sort of thing is a hard habit for him to break. For so many years, that life was all he knew.
But nothing could drag him back into it.
Until there's a knock on his door.
Adam is cautious. The knocking is aggressive. Then he hears a familiar voice.
"Adam! It's Louis! You gotta help me, man!"
Louis? What business could he possibly have?
Before opening the door, Adam opens his drawer and grabs his gun. Again, old habits die hard. Just in case.
Adam slowly moves towards the door, quickly pulls it open and has his weapon ready.
"What the hell are you doing here, Louis?"
Clearly, Louis is not a threat. He's a nervous wreck, sweaty and looks like someone in serious heroin withdrawal - but it's all nervousness.
"Jesus, Adam! You don't have to do that!"
Adam pulls Louis inside and shuts the door.
"Start talking."
"I-I-I need your help! There are people after me, they're gonna kill me!"
"Go to the cops."
"Y-you don't understand, I know too much. There's some big stuff going down today, real big. You're gonna have to get me to DGSI, or something, you're the only person I can trust."
"This doesn't concern me."
"Adam, please! I'm not doing this for money, I swear. I just need to get on those witness program things, or something. Please, they're gonna kill me."
Louis seems sincere. Adam is not at all interested in whatever mess he's in, though.
"This really isn't my job."
"No, but I'm telling you! People are gonna die, there's some serious stuff happening today! It has to do with that plane exploding."
"So it was a hijacking? Talk to me. How good is your intel?"
"Get me to DGSI, that's the deal. I need to know you're gonna help me."
Adam can't believe this. He can't let himself be dragged into this game. Not now, not this time.
A shot is fired through Adam's window, barely missing him. Adam jumps to the ground, dragging Louis down with him.
"Son of a bitch!"
"I told you!"
"Damn it, Louis! There's a chance we're not gonna make it, tell me what you know and we'll notify the authorities! You said there are lives at stake for God's sake!"
"Take me to them, Adam! If I die, I don't care what happens. I care about not dying!"
Adam is appalled, but realizes he doesn't really have a choice.
"You son of a bitch, you really are a fucking rat. Come on!"
Adam and Louis crawl out of the apartment, away from the sniper's field of fire. Once they get out, they get up and Adam somewhat violently shoves Louis to get in front of him. He wanted to take a little bit of frustration out on him.
"Stay behind me."
Adam has his gun in position as he leads the way through the corridor.
They make their way to the back of the building to the parking lot. There's a man waiting for them with a weapon, but Adam takes him out before he can get off a shot. Louis is terrified.
"How many men?"
"I don't know!"
"Well, estimate! More than one?"
"I'm pretty sure, yeah!"
Adam makes sure the coast is clear before proceeding to his car. He unlocks the doors with his remote.
"Get in!"
Two more armed men enter the parking lot and open fire, but Adam takes cover behind the car.
"I fucking hate this shit."
Adam takes the two men out as well, and gets in the car, but notices that Louis was shot.
"Louis!"
He's in too much pain to form words, but still alive.
"Louis! Tell me what you know! You don't want to die like this, come on!"
Louis barely musters out a sentence.
"Just drive!"
"You son of a bitch."
Adam starts the car and begins driving to the DGSI Headquarters.
He's still can't believe that this is even happening.
Daivari's Hideout
Daivari receives a phone call.
"What is it?"
"It's me. There was a problem."
This is the last thing Daivari wanted to hear. If he was scary before, he gets even scarier upon hearing news like this. Especially on this day. But he doesn't yell, which actually makes him even scarier.
"What kind of problem?"
"The snitch we were following. He talked to someone. And that someone took out three of our men."
"One man? Was he a police officer?"
"I don't know, but he was good. I'm following them right now."
"Well, you make sure you kill both of them. You are aware of the repercussions of failure on your part."
"Yes, Daivari."
"Nothing will interfere with this day. Nothing."
"I agree. I will take care of it."
"Let me know when it's done."
As Daivari hangs up the phone, one of his men asks what it was about.
"What's the problem?"
"It's being taken care of. Everything we've worked for has been for this day. The day the blood of millions will be spilled. Nothing will stop what is destined to happen. Whoever tries, will join the long list of victims."
Daivari speaks such words with a terrifying calmness. There's not a hint of hesitation in his words.
The next episode will be up in a week. See ya then.