And then stillness.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Xander lowered the chopper to the entrance of the Compound. He jumped out of the cockpit, fearing for what he would see next as his mind continued to race. He came to the gate of the Compound and noticed it was ajar. At this sight, he sprinted as fast as he could down into the tunnels. His mind knew what was ahead of him.
As he continued through the tunnels, leading to the Compound memories flashed before him in each footstep.
The red-haired girl with glacier blue eyes in the house next door.
The snowball fight during training.
The barbeques they had thrown as Mr. and Mrs. Templeton’s house.
The night at Inner Harbor.
The decision to have a baby.
He arrived at the bay doors to the Compound and found them opened. The Compound was covered in pitch black darkness, except for two bright spotlights shining up into an empty glass cell. Then Xander’s eyes met a crumpled body on the floor.
He slowly paced toward the body. Turned his wedding ring with his thumb and grabbed his crucifix, slowly crumbling inside as the body came into view. He stepped into the spotlights and looked down at his wife and the bullet hole in her head. Her glacier blue eyes looked up at him, from some faraway place.
Xander collapsed next to her and cradled her dead body – rocking back and forth, wailing his mourning into the echoes of the empty Compound.
Epilogue
Langley, Virginia
One Week Later
A small crowd stood before the white marble wall in the lobby of the CIA headquarters. Before them were 111 stars on the wall memorializing the fallen agents of the agency. Two more were ready to be added – Tobias Greene and Fiona Whitt.
Their bodies had already been laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, but this memorial tribute was insisted upon by the President, even though Sparta was not technically part of the CIA.
Inscribed on the walls were the words: “In Honor of Those Members of the Central Intelligence Agency Who Gave Their Lives In The Service Of Their Country”. The Spartans had all gathered to remember the agents. Tobias’s star was added to the wall first, they bowed their heads before the two wreaths and the American flag as the star was affixed to the wall. Xander lingered far behind the crowd, unable to approach the memorial.
Fiona’s star was added next. She had largely escaped the life of the spy but was being honored as one for her service during the outbreak. Xander knew she would’ve hated the pomp ceremony for her. He continued to pace in the back, well behind the crowd, battling his breaking heart in stride.
The stars were placed carefully in line with the others and then the Spartans were left to their grieving. After a few moments, Colonel Hardy stepped forward through the crowd and turned to face his recruits.
“Nothing Is As It Seems. Remember that?” he spoke slow and emotional. “These stars… they’re just stars… to me it doesn’t seem like that much. It’s just a star on a wall that politicians and tours pass every day. But in Sparta we learned to always look beyond… Look beyond the star at what this fine man and woman did for this country. Do you want to see a true memorial for these agents’ lives? Go to a park. The families you will see are safer because of these agents’ service. That is their legacy… Let us not forget that.” He paused to collect himself. “Sacrifice for your country, we tell you it’s a job requirement. But it’s not hard losing your own life in the line of duty, that part is easy. Losing your comrades in the line of duty, that’s the greatest sacrifice you can know. That’s the true sacrifice that this line of work entails. And that is our cross to bear. And we bear it for this flag…” He pointed at the American flag posted before the wall. “We bear it for freedom, we bear it for one nation under God… And with Him… they are resting now…” With a somber nod, he walked back into the crowd.
Xander sidled away after hearing Hardy’s words. He paced down the hallway of the agency, collecting his thoughts and trying to fend off his impending despair.
But then a man in a suit and tie came up to him and leaned in.
“Someone would like to see you, Mr. Whitt. Follow me.” Taken aback, Xander followed, having no impulse to do anything else. The man led him down the hall and into a large conference room. When the man opened the door Xander’s eyes met the President of the United States.
“Xander…” President Johnson sat at the far end of the conference table.
“What?” The response was short and defiant.
“I am so sorry for your loss.” Johnson kept up the politics. He nodded to his Secret Service agents and excused them from the room.
“The cure worked… final death toll, 12 people. I would consider that a victory given the situation. We have you to thank in large part for containing the outbreak. Your country owes you a tremendous debt.”
Xander did not respond.
“That second video from the Collective has really caused some trouble. People are worried about Civil War, protests are at an all-time high, people are seemingly organizing all across America, holding rallies and such.”
“Maybe they should…” Xander muttered.
“What?!” the President raised his voice.
“I said maybe they should!” Xander raised his voice even louder, pinning the President back on his heels.
“That’s what they want you to think,” the President cautioned him.
“Cut the bullshit. I know about Ivory Tower.” Xander stared down the President, holding back the urge to jump across the table and end him. Xander’s veins pulsated through his temples.
“I thought you would have... The truth is that you have to focus on the future not the past. You know that…” Xander stopped, knowing he was right but unable to surmount the hate that had been harvested in him.
“So, Ezra is gone, and Catherine Mueller was working with him, no trace of Harak Khan… what are you going to do?” the President asked him openly. There was no inkling of judgment, merely the implication that he was free to do what he pleased.
“I’m going to find them and kill them all,” Xander said with an enraged assurance that he had never spoken before.
“Well, that’s the logical next step… I authorize you to do just that …” The President tried to appeal to him.
“I wasn’t asking for authorization.” Xander remained square on the President. “I’ll serve my country but not you… You see that’s the greatest part about this country. We don’t serve you, we serve something so much greater than you. We serve the Common Good of the American people. And as far as I’m concerned… you can go to hell.”
“I’m not asking you to serve me… I’m asking you to do your job. Kill them.” The President ascended out of his chair. Xander spun toward the door ready to leave, eager to begin his hunt for Ezra.
“Don’t you think it’s odd that Ezra infected a city only to cure it in the end? I’m going to tell you something, because I feel that I owe it to you…” Xander stopped in his tracks. “Harak Khan called me and wanted something, and I gave it to him in exchange for the cure. I thought you might want to know what the price was.” Xander turned back to the President. The President beamed down at him. “They had two names off the NOC list, they wanted their locations. The operatives in question are Henry Bosco and Caroline Keener.”
The names tolled the bells in Xander’s head. He remembered Geneva and the text message with those names that he had intercepted. Gregory’s text message had said: I know where Henry Bosco and Caroline Keener are. The names had been bothering him –they were the last loose end to it all. He had wondered who they were. Maybe they were the leaders of the Collective, or the scientists developing another weapon. Xander’s curiosity grabbed a hold of him and pulled him a step closer to the President.
“Who are they?” Xander asked, seeking any form of closure.
The President opened a file and slid it across the table to Xander. It came to a halt under Xander’s eye and he met two
faces paper clipped to the file, labeled Henry Bosco and Caroline Keener.
Xander recognized them immediately, yet, he didn’t know them. He met the faces often, but only in his dream – the dream that played over and over, ending in their deaths every time.
“Xander, Henry Bosco and Caroline Keener are your parents.”
About the Author
BB Gallagher is a data analyst who lives in York, SC with his wife and two kids. He is the author of Project Sparta, the first installment of the Xander Whitt Saga, and Ark-13, a Sci-Fi Novella. He is currently editing a murder mystery as well as the conclusion of the Xander Whitt Saga, Project Olympus. He loves baseball, board games and bingeing reruns of The Office on Netflix.
For exclusive updates and offers follow him on his author pages:
Twitter: @bb_gallagher
Facebook: facebook.com/bbgallagher
Wattpad: www.wattpad.com/user/bbgallagher
Acknowledgments
This novel took three years from beginning to end and it would not have happened without some people in my life. The first thank you is to my wife, Alyssa. You are my rock that keeps me grounded when I come up with crazy ideas… like killing off a certain major character (see seven pages back). You are my best friend and your patience and encouragement play an invaluable part in my writing.
I dedicated this book to my parents. They have supported me since day one. Mom and Dad thank you, this book is for you. My mom has proofed everything I’ve written, so if there are any typos, you know who to blame. I also want to thank my brothers and sister. You have always been open and honest to any book pitch I’ve ever given you.
The Ginski, Minick, Norton and Tappe families have been not only great friends and family but they have been eager readers (that’s right, feel guilty Joby… feel guilty). By the way, Steven I still think you owe me $20 for fantasy football.
I need to thank Caroline Kiser who has been a joy to work with over the last few years. She is my cover artist and I couldn’t ask for anyone easier to work with. Check her out at www.kiserdesign.com.
Lastly, I want to thank all my advanced readers, followers and community of support across the world on Wattpad. Social media has helped me reach a broader audience with my writing and it is pretty cool to have fans from Canada to Zambia. I hope you enjoyed this book and I look forward to writing more that you will hopefully enjoy.
Project Apollo Page 32
