128 (Operation Armageddon: Book 1)

Chapter Eighteen: The Exodus | Part 2

"Hey! Who are those people?" Megan whispered.

"I don't know, but we shouldn't trust them," Matthew recommended. "Let's just keep our mouths shut and stay silent for the time being."

Daniel swept his rough hair up, sighing. "So first, we found out that this safe place isn't safe, ironically. Then, we have some random, non-trustable people roaming around here, then news that we're stuck in NYC, and then the fact that Mr Palmer may not be here at all?" he fretted.

"Whoa, whoa. Who said Palmer won't be here?" Matthew stopped Daniel there.

"Well, if he left you to die at the hospital, no one said that he'll make a commitment to return here either," Megan groaned, supporting Matthew's idea.

"But this is a safe place. Well, at least we thought so. But he owns this place. Of course, he'll want to come here for refuge since it's marked," Matthew argued.

"Either way, we should find a way out of here," Megan suggested. "We can't stay here for long, can we?"

However, Matthew had a different idea, changing his mind. He had a feeling in his gut that approaching the group of strangers at the funfair would help them somehow. "I think I want to confront them," Matthew voiced out his thoughts.

"What? Are you nuts? Who knows what they will do to you?" Daniel warned.

"Uh, I think I'll go with Matthew with this one. We should try," Megan said, altering her opinion as well.

Daniel groaned. He couldn't argue against the other two since he was obviously outnumbered. As a result, he gave in and got up, following the two of them. The trio, however, found that they were no longer in their sight. Until Matthew felt a tap on his shoulder.

The detectives turned around to see a man holding a gun at them in one hand.

"Whoa, gun down, please," Daniel pleaded. The man still kept his gun out, proving to be a threat.

"Who in the world are you?" Matthew asked. It seemed to him that it might have been a mistake to make known their presence to the mysterious group.

Meanwhile, the man scoffed, not answering Matthew's question. Instead, he returned a question to him. "More importantly, who are you?" he interrogated.

"I'm Sergeant Matthew Davis from the NYPD," Matthew introduced himself to the unfriendly stranger. The stranger had an uncanny similarity to Gregory from the hospital, but he didn't want to think about that. "With me are Detectives Daniel Washington and Megan Stewart," he added on behalf of the rest.

The stranger then lowered his gun and slipped it back into his pocket before the foul look on his face went away. "Forgive my manners," he said. "It's just a precaution we like to take. So, it just happens that you three are the NYPD officers we've been looking for a while already."

Matthew shook his head, signalling that he had something to say. He then cut into the conversation, making another query. "I'm sorry, but can you please answer my question regarding you and your group's identity?" he questioned.

The stranger nodded, agreeing to reveal the group's identity. "We're the Salvation Rebellion Alliance. We formed in 2013, three years after Yael Biology marked its corrupt beginning. I'm Eliot, the leader of the organisation," the man elaborated.

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "So... you're Yael's "secret" enemy organisation?" he questioned, finally more open to them.

"You can put it that way," Eliot replied. He shuffled around the spot a little, getting a little impatient as he spoke. "I don't have much time to go through all the details on our origins and all that. What I do need to assist you with is to help you with your confrontation with Yael."