About five hundred meters from the house where Adrius had spent the night with Miranda and her daughters, beside the low wall of a villa, a man in torn clothes and his body covered in wounds, laid on the ground. At first glance, the man seemed dead in every way, but another man rushed to his side, checked his pulse, and pulled a narrow, small box from his coat pocket. He took out a thin metallic syringe from the box and, without hesitation, injected it into the wounded man's neck.
After removing the syringe, the man, still kneeling, checked his watch and waited. About thirty seconds later, he glanced at his watch again, this time with a nervous expression, until the injured man grabbed his hand.
The man in the coat exhaled in relief and said, "Eddie, your lights were almost out for good…"
Eddie, still lying down, looked at his body and finally realized how bad his condition was. Part of his side was completely eaten away, leaving a disgusting wound. There were deep claw marks on his legs, and his body was covered in various wounds, both deep and superficial.
Although his wounds began healing at an incredibly fast rate as soon as he regained consciousness, the intense itching was driving him crazy. He glanced at the small box and syringe next to him and, in a weak, hoarse voice, said to the man in the coat, "Thanks, Thomas... What's the situation in the organization?... Oh... I was with Miranda and the girls last night when everything fell apart... Damn... I don't know where they are now!!!"
Thomas lied, "Last night things got a little messy, and a quarter of the organization, turned... It was a disaster. But M quickly got everything under control. We lost some people, but the organization is running smoother than Big Ben now... Eddie, today's your day, man... You need to go under the razor…"
Eddie closed his eyes in despair and asked with choked voice, "My family, Thomas... Where are they? Did they survive... Oh god... Charlotte isn't even five yet..."
Thomas smiled and lied again, "Don't worry, we found all three of them safe in a white Toyota Corolla first thing this morning... They're in the organization's safe zone now, just like other families, so you can rest easy."
Eddie, now a bit more relieved, opened his eyes and said, "Can I see them from afar one last time? Consider it a favor for an old friend."
Thomas shook his head sadly, "Eddie, we managed to get the organization back on track, but the situation is still bad. Sir Eddington has reported that the king is planning a coup to take back control of the country... Seems like last night, when all this happened, all the dukes were in a private party."
A man in a suit stood over Eddie, easily lifting him from the ground and leading him toward the car. Thomas continued, "In short, Eddington was also invited there last night. After some of them turned into zombies... well, after they killed them all, the king sent some people outside the palace to investigate."
Thomas sat in the passenger seat, and Eddie was laid on the back seat. The car started, and Thomas went on, "After that, they decided that the state is in worser shape than anticipated the government could do nothing to stop them from the coup. On the other hand, the king is the commander-in-chief of the army, and even though the prime minister and the defense minister are in charge of army, every member of the army is sworn to the king, not the government or the people, just the king... You get what I mean, right?... The king has sent satellite messages to all the top leaders of the army to get themselves into London and its outskirts within two strike phases, no matter what... They've been quarantining the entire Kensington Palace and Hyde Park for the last three hours to build camps for the civilians... Ninety percent of the army is backing the king... Eddington and M support the king too. Only the Scotland Yard, and a few small army units are supporting the prime minister... But the people are idiots, when democracy comes up, they think they're the second Churchill..."
Eddie became despondent again and asked, "So now London's split? That makes it harder to bring me to the girls, right?"
Thomas responded, "Eddie, there's really nothing I can do. But right now, people like you are more needed for surgery than ever... We don't know what this Akashic Record is, where it came from, or what abilities it has... But after the surgery, a team of enhanced people like you can finish everything. That way, we'll take back control of the entire country before the US and Russia get their hands on it..."
Eddie took a deep breath, "Is this just happening in Britain?"
Thomas paused for a moment and answered, "I don't know, Eddie. The regular internet and telecommunications are down, and as for satellite phones... I'm not sure what to say. We've tried to contact the Union or any other country, but no response... Don't get caught up in these things. Just prepare for surgery... Don't worry about Miranda and the girls, they're safe old friend."
Eddie stared at the gray ceiling of the car, murmuring to himself, "Take care of yourselves, girls... Daddy won't see you again." A tear rolled down his cheek and splashed onto the leather seat. He whispered, "Maybe it's better this way, that's how people should think..."
*------------------*
Meanwhile, across the bridge in one of the rooms of Westminster, three elderly men, two middle-aged women, and another well-dressed middle-aged man were gathered together. One of the elderly men, wearing a gray suit and brown Chelsea boots, said with a regretful expression, "We should've turned the country into a republic a long time ago, Nick, so we wouldn't be threatened by these damn chess players…"
One of the middle-aged women, in a black skirt and round, golden glasses, asked, "Nick, do you think this is the king's decision, or is there someone else behind it?"
Another elderly man in a double-breasted brown suit replied, "I don't think this stupid coup is anything but an abuse of the situation... He thought if he managed some camps better than us, the people would abandon us."
Nicholas Fisherman, the British Prime Minister, or Nick, shook his head in disagreement, "No, Barbara. As far as I know, the king has been wanting to bring his family back to power for a long time. But the people were on our side, and he couldn't do anything about it. Now, he has the chance…"
He paused for a moment, then continued after a short silence, "You're right, Edwin, but it couldn't be done. The dukes, especially the king himself, are symbols of this country, and people respect them a lot. Unless the people want it, no one—neither me, you, the government, nor even Parliament—can do anything."
He smiled, "But that was before. Now, we can teach the people what they need to want... Or better yet, what we want them to want. Before, we had to create thousands of scenarios to get them to align with our decisions. But now, they're the ones who have to align their minds with ours. Now that the situation has unfolded this way, all we have to do is eliminate them to the last. But not through scandal or assassination like before. This time, only direct confrontation will work. Because whether we want it or not, the army and M.I.6 are backing him..."
He turned back to Barbara and asked, "How many people have you sent to level up or whatever it's called? I heard modern weapons are useless in this system, right? Barbara, if we fall behind the dukes in this, we're all dead. You know that with regular polices of Scotland Yard or even their elite agents, we can't hold out against military forces. The only good thing is that since last night, the air force and all communication and radar systems have been knocked out. Otherwise, I'm sure the old man would've bombed all of Westminster by now."
Barbara answered, "So far, I've only managed to convince thirty-eight people to fight zombies and animals without firearms to leveling up... Convincing people to do such a thing is really hard... As you said, they're all police and special agents from Scotland Yard, not trained soldiers."
Another middle-aged woman, who had been silent up until now, spoke, "We can use regular civilians... We just need to offer them a good deal in exchange... Maybe it'll be a little hard to convince them for a few days, but once they realize food and water are running out, they'll do anything to survive, for themselves or their wives and children."
Nick, surprised and asked, "Do we already have a food and water problem, Agnes?"
Agnes nodded, "Right now, while we're sitting here, the officers are collecting food and water from around the city, but in a few days, we'll announce that due to shortages, food and water will be rationed. People who start leveling up in the Akashic Record system will receive extra rations based on their level... We also need to start thinking about a suitable, counterfeit-proof replacement for currency...!" She smiled, and the others nodded in agreement.
Nick stared out the window toward Kensington Palace and silently thought, "You started this old man, but I'll finish it for you…"
*------------------*
A tall Italian man with curly black hair and a chiseled jaw sat at his desk, engaged in an important satellite phone call, speaking directly with the Pope himself. During the conversation, the expressions on the man's face changed between surprise, fear, respect, and anxiety. After the call ended, he returned the satellite phone to the safe and joined the man who had been waiting on the other side of the room.
The man, bald with a priest's garb, smiled at the Italian and said, "It's always an honor to speak with His Holiness the Pope, Ganzo, isn't it?"
Ganzo responded, "Hearing the voice of His Holiness always brings me peace… Though, I expected that after finishing the mission in London, I would have time to visit Valencia… I haven't seen my wife and son for eight years."
The priest, still smiling, replied, "I understand, Ganzo… But His Holiness' command is a command from God himself… The Church needs you, my son... We must all make sacrifices for the salvation of the people... Like our Lord, who was crucified for our sins... Although, compared to our Lord, I don't think you and I have made any major sacrifices... Have faith, Ganzo... Have faith."
Ganzo closed his eyes for a second to calm himself, then responded, "At least a phone call great bishop, to check if my wife doing okay after all this... For my peace of mind, I need to know she's safe."
For a brief moment, the priest's eyes tightened, though he quickly regained composure, but the slight, nearly imperceptible change didn't escape Ganzo's sharp eyes. With the same kind and paternal smile, the priest replied, "Of course, that's a very good idea... I'll just need to use your satellite phone for that."
Ganzo smiled, "Of course, great Bishop. Everything I took from the Wallace's is in the Church's service. Feel free to use anything you need."
The priest patted Ganzo's shoulder reassuringly and said, "Good... It's this faith and loyalty that has made you such a powerful force. you are right Everything we have belongs to the Church." Then, he stood up, and as if he had all the time in the world, slowly walked out of the room.
As the door closed, Ganzo fell into deep thought. According to the Pope's words, the Church had known about the Akashic Record from the beginning and even had their own plans to made church ready for it. However, it seemed that the Akashic Record had appeared nine years earlier than recorded document in the Vatican's ancient archives, catching the Church, off guard and They had suffered heavy losses as well as the world.
According to the Pope's directive, Ganzo's next mission was to approach the Dukedoms and assist in restoring the royal family's power. It seemed that, even in these circumstances, the Church hadn't lost its connection with its spies in Buckingham and Westminster. However, Ganzo had long grown tired of this forced mission. It was hard and nearly impossible to believe the words of someone who threatens you, with your own family's life. The of course, Church had never directly threatened his wife and son, but they had done so indirectly countless times.
Everything would become clear after the bishop's response. Years ago, he had installed a voice recorder in the satellite phone to always have evidence on important people, and this time, the recorder would be used again. Loyalty and the continuation of the mission would be determined after listening to the bishop's conversation.