Ever since he saw the footage. He never left his penthouse. It shouldn’t be possible! Yet somehow, through means he couldn’t understand. Jackson survived. Brian knew what the consequences would be, and he knew Jackson would hunt him down and kill him. It was only a matter of time before the reptile would figure out where he was. He had to prepare for the storm, for Jackson would be relentless in his pursuit.

  Brian could escape, take a helicopter out of the city and hide for the remainder of his days. However, by doing that, he would leave Jackson to destroy his greatest work, to either force him out of hiding or wound his greatest prize. The Ra Engine was his work. His legacy! He promised to watch the engines turn on and power the entire state, and he intended to keep that promise.

  But as he waited, calculating what he needed to do to neutralise the reptilian threat. He continued to watch the footage, over and over again. How Jackson broke into a pharmacy, ravaging company stock like a crazed animal and only calming down when he got his hit. It was pathetic. It was clear Jackson was no longer the monster his reputation had propped him up as. Brian understood he was a threat, however, he should be killable. Which meant he needed to be cautious when dealing with an ancient secret.

  Without announcing her entrance, a middle-aged woman walked into his office. She had blond hair and brown eyes. Her dress is a standard office black suit anyone could buy at a cheap clothing store. Though her uniform was cheap, Brian could tell she carried herself with a high degree of respect and professionalism. From the crispness of her dress, he could tell it was recently bought.

  ‘Hello doctor…’

  ‘Let’s not play games.’ Brian cuts her off. ‘I wasn’t notified of your arrival. I don’t know who you are, and you’re certainly not a business woman type. Why are you here?’

  Surprised, the woman cracked a smile. ‘I see some habits haven’t died. I am Leo, I’m here to protect you during these… interesting times.’ She points to Brian’s computer, showing she knew about Jackson and Brian being in danger.

  ‘Ah. Alright, and what are you a part of?

  ‘Formerly, I was a Green Beret. Graduated top of my class, general discharged. But I don’t think you care about that.’ She reached for her pocket to retrieve a necklace. On it was a medallion with the letter M on it. The logo of MODOC. ‘My parents were former agents. I am also working to achieve the Plan. You and your project are key to our success as a species. So, to be upfront, I am already aware of the intent of the Ra Engine and other subsequent projects.’

  ‘So you do.’ Brian mumbled before he wheeled away from his desk to be in front of her. ‘Tell me, what do you know about Jackson Abernu?’

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  ‘Only that he is a threat and needs to be neutralised at all costs.’

  ‘Are you not curious about who he is?’

  ‘Why should I? He is just a threat that needs to go. Speaking of which, have you taken measures to deal with Jackson?’

  Brian grumbled, dissatisfied with her answer. ‘You don’t know him. We are not talking about some whistleblower or competitor who we can just kill with a push of a button or a bullet from a sniper. We are dealing with a highly trained and fanatical psychopath. Jackson will not just murder, he will take pleasure ripping people apart with his bare hands. A simple hired gun anyone can buy with drug money isn’t good enough. For him, we need a trained task force.’

  Leo raised a brow. ‘Which I assume from the way you describe him, you had hired the right personnel to deal with the problem at hand.’

  ‘Now you are getting it,’ Brian smirked. ‘I assume you know why we went against him? If not, then I’ll summarise. Even when he retired. Everyone who was stationed to keep an eye on him needed to go through multiple psyche evaluations. It wasn’t to see if we were mentally fit, it was to determine if we could safely operate with Jackson around without breaking. I never saw him conduct a massacre, but we had photos. Lots of photos! We even listened to hours of audio recordings of survivors and witnesses of Jackson’s brutal rampages. Out of hundreds of MODOC agents listed to be there, only 20% would be stationed in that town. I was one of them.’

  ‘You knew him personally?’

  ‘I knew him enough to not be friends.’ Brian checked his watch. ‘It is the first of August, correct?’

  ‘It is, Doctor.’

  Brian gestured for Leo to push his wheelchair. ‘Then let’s not waste time. I invited a guest to deal with Jackson.’

  ‘May I ask who they are?’

  ‘Territorial Ground. Their leader will meet us in the basement of this building. Someone I believe who can deal with our problem.’