Deep Down Under

Chapter 39

Apollo Emergency Centre, Vienna, 2:23 pm

Giggs' tongue was all tied up, giving Lucia more evidence that he wasn't trustworthy.

"As far as we know everything he said could have all been a lie!" she burst out.

"Look, now's not the time to discuss it. I promise you, I'll tell you everything I know once we momentarily get out of this mess," defended Giggs.

"What if we're walking into a trap?" Lucia wasn't willing to believe whatever Giggs was selling just yet. Her attitude was just like how a scientist's should be. You cannot believe without facts.

"What do you mean by 'momentarily'?" asked Sadowsky, jumping into the conversation.

The ex-Nine member turned to him, "You can't stay away from them forever unless they're all dead."

Lucia bought his attention back to her, "Why do you want to save us?"

That was something he could answer to, "I seek redemption."

* * *

Milan-Malpenso airport, Milan, 2:26 pm

Sophia's phone buzzed continuously; she reached into her pocket and yanked it out, the momentum caused it to slip out of her hands and onto the tiles below. "Dammit!" she cursed out loud, which caused several anonymous heads to turn her way.

She was surprised to find a man dressed in a formal pilot suit pick up her phone and hand it over.

"Thank you,"

The man smiled, "Sophia, isn't it?"

She nodded her head. The man reached out his hand for a handshake, which she gripped, "I'm the pilot Mr.Morata sent,"

She was slightly surprised, "Oh, I didn't expect you to come so...early."

The pilot chuckled, "Yes, Mr.Morata requested me to come early. He said that it was urgent."

Sophia drew a few strands of hair behind her ear, "So, how do we manage to go to Vienna?"

The pilot drew a short breath, "That was a concern we both had. Taking off wouldn't be a problem, landing is."

They were all quiet for a moment, pondering over how to sneak them to Vienna.

"Have you ever parachuted, ma'am?" asked the pilot, breaking the silence.

Sophia gulped, "No, why?"

* * *

Apollo Emergency Centre, Vienna, 2:41 pm

Everything seemed so normal, but at the same time so wrong. Jerome was the one to be left behind due to his inability to use his legs.

Patients were strolling in, doctors and nurses moving about. The beeps of the various machines around them. Heartbroken families mourning the recent loss of their loved ones.

Normal. Very normal.

He was wondering where Lucia and Sadowsky were at this time. After finally convincing Lucia without spilling the secrets, they finally left, leaving him with nothing to do.

Things are going to get ugly here.

He knew that his time had come, but he wasn't scared of death. Things were definitely going to get ugly, not just the hospital but the whole world. He had prematurely placed the pieces of the puzzle. A few hours ago he learnt that everything he knew could come to an end.

If everything that had happened so far was true, then the world would probably witness the third world war. The tension building up in the Middle East was devastating. It wouldn't be long before they would land a massive blow to the West.

If The Nine were trying to prevent this blasphemy from occurring, then they weren't doing a very good job. The way they masked themselves to look like Islamic extremists at the CERN Geneva attack could cause the governments to retaliate violently. That would cause a chain reaction until the massive blow.

So, he had been part of an event that would later shape the world.

As Giggs had warned, another attack had commenced.

Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat! Were the noises the gunshots made. He heard the sound of bodies hitting the floor and blood-curdling screams that ended, giving rise to new ones. Blood sprayed on the curtains in front of him.

Jerome was just imaging the scene outside. That was when fear struck him most. His broken leg confined him to the wheelchair. Perhaps, by luck no one would notice him.

But he was wrong. Dead wrong.

* * *

Milan-Malpenso airport, Milan, 2:47 pm

Sophia's heart raced as she stepped into the jet. She wondered why the pilot was so desperate to do something illegally and potentially land him jail. She assumed that Mr.Morata had him convinced, and that was a good thing.

The pilot used his deceptive skills to deflect the topic of the landing location while communicating with air traffic control. Sophia wondered if the pilot was some sort of ex-conman or something.

There was a security check because of the attacks but after the officials realized that it was just an old man and his daughter, they let them go.

The jet squealed as it moved faster on the runway, the whole fuselage leaned backwards as the nose tipped up. The sound of the wheels against the runway soon started fading away, and then it stopped. They were in the air.

A rush of relief hit Sophia. They had passed one test, now was another.

* * *