John's Domination

Chapter 8

John hurried into the computer room, quickly taking a seat in front of the system. Alice, closely behind him, was entranced by the intricate codes flashing on the computer screen. She observed John, who was completely engrossed in his work, typing in a series of codes that altered the patterns on the monitor until it went blank.

Once John removed his flash drive from the system, he looked at Alice and asked, "Have you tried to reach Richard?" Alice shook her head, her attention now on the blank laptop screen.

"What did you do?" Alice inquired, her curiosity getting the best of her. The laptop's emptiness revealed nothing about John's actions.

John studied her before explaining, "I shut it down after I erased their database. They had accumulated information about important figures. I'm certain they were investigating hidden transactions by these individuals. With data like that, they could blackmail or disrupt the government."

Puzzled, Alice asked, "Why would they want to do that?" 

John did not respond. He stood up and together they exited the building, maintaining their vigilance side by side, prepared for any sudden ambush. However, they encountered no threats on their return to the car.

"I'm not sure why they want to do anything. All I know is that they might have enough information to leave the device unguarded," John said once they were inside the car.

"That's not good news," Alice replied.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" John asked. The car's consoles came to life as Alice turned on the ignition.

"I trust Richard," Alice said, her words more a personal affirmation than a response to John's question. "He's not that easy to take out, but let's get to Spectre headquarters as fast as we can." 

“Headquarters?” John asked.

“That's the address in the paper Sara dropped,” 

She handed the paper to John to look at. With her hands steady on the wheel, she adjusted the gear and accelerated in the direction of Spectre headquarters.  

"That's where they took all their members," John voiced. “How many men can Richard pull together?” The imagined size of two gangs was enough to give one goosebumps. He glanced at the gun he'd barely fired and the flash drive he'd expected to be much harder to retrieve but was surprisingly easy. It raised questions. If the flash drive was no longer their top priority, what was Spectre's true aim?

“Richard would have the very best with him,” Alice responded. “The very best.”

"Did you manage to reach Richard?" John inquired, he believed for the fifth time.

"I tried calling him when we were at the computer room, but I couldn't get through," Alice replied. "However, I contacted the clean-up crew and instructed them to make a detour. We'll hit them with everything we've got."

"Draken style," John whispered, and they shared a knowing smile as the car sped forward and merged onto the freeway.

Meanwhile, Richard and thirty of his men stood in a well-maintained garden, surrounded by the Spectre gang members, all guns pointed at them. Xavier's voice echoed from their midst.

"Why don't you put down your guns, and we'll avoid unnecessary bloodshed?"

Richard's deep laughter resounded from the center of his men. He came here expecting an easy takeover of the hideout with minimal resistance, but Xavier's initial absence set off alarm bells. He'd ordered a tactical retreat, but upon reaching the garden, they found themselves completely encircled by Spectre.

The hideout was a grand mansion nestled within the forest, with the garden situated in the inner section to the left. Richard's keen eyes spotted a pillar near the garden's entrance with a small bush in front of it. He assessed the situation; they were surrounded on three sides, with the mansion behind them.

"Why don't you step forward where I can see you?" Richard replied, his voice carrying authority.

"You know I won't do that," Xavier retorted. "It's high time the old ways passed away. You might have the best men, but we outnumber you."

As Xavier spoke, Richard gave silent orders to his men to distract and shift their positions toward the garden's pillars, aiming to find cover. To Xavier, he shouted, "What's your goal? Why are you so desperate to see me dead?"

"We offered you the chance to join us, but you refused," Xavier responded. "The future belongs to us, the Spectre, governing not just this country but the world itself. No one can stop us, and all interference must be eliminated!"

"You're a fool," Richard retorted.

"Kill them!" Xavier ordered, and chaos erupted as gunfire echoed.

Just as the firefight began, John and Alice arrived at the scene. They stealthily climbed over the garden's low fence and made their way toward the mansion. Alice took cover and swiftly drew her weapon. Behind them, eleven more Draken men emerged, engaging the Spectre forces in a heavy assault.

With this much-needed support, Richard slipped behind the pillar for cover. He felt the warmth of blood seeping from his right shoulder and heard John's footsteps approaching to join them in the midst of the gunfight.

"Dad!" John exclaimed with worry etched on his face as he searched Richard's body. There were bullet wounds on his right shoulder and two on his abdomen.

"You called me 'Dad,'” Richard said, managing a bloody smile. "That sounds so good."

"Please, don't talk," John urged, his voice tense. "We'll get you to a hospital, get you the care you need."

John tore off part of his own shirt and pressed it firmly on the gunshot wounds on Richard's abdomen, trying to stem the bleeding.

"You have to hang in there, Dad," John pleaded. "We'll make sure you're alright."

The gunshots in the vicinity  gradually faded into silence, leaving an eerie calm around them. Alice knelt beside Richard and hugged him.

"You'll have to step in son, I think I'm done." Richard said and chuckled. 

"That's not funny," John retorted, his voice heavy with emotion. With great effort, they helped Richard to his feet. John and Alice each supported one of his arms. "I have every intention of keeping you with us. You'll be alright, you hear me? You have to be."

One man from the cleaning crew  named Matthew stepped forward. The newcomer carried a bald head and a cleanly shaved chin, giving him an innocent appearance. But, it was his eyes that betrayed the experienced killer he was.

"We'll take care of the cleanup. There's a vehicle just outside the garden that will take all of you to Dr. James' place," Matthew informed them, his tone somewhat teasing. "I'm sure you'll enjoy that," he added with a smirk directed at Richard.

John raised an eyebrow at the mention of Dr. James. 

"He's the family doctor. But first, we need to get out of here before I bleed to death." Richard said.

Outside the garden's gate, a car reversed into the clearing, crushing flowers and leaving tire marks in its wake. 

"John, I'm sorry. Xavier got away," Alice whispered, her tone heavy with regret. John's face hardened, but he managed to offer her a reassuring smile.

"I'll deal with him later," John assured her.

 Richard muttered under his breath, loud enough for those around him to hear. "Not the pretty flowers. Not the damned pretty flowers." Alice chuckled at his comment.

A man emerged from a BMW armored Jeep. He was dressed like a Catholic priest in a black robe with a white collar. John and Alice came to a stop, visibly surprised by the sight.

Richard, however, seemed to find it amusing. "It must be pretty serious for Anthony to show up in his priestly attire," he remarked to the man.

"May God have mercy on your soul," Anthony intoned as he opened the car door for John and Alice to enter, helping Richard as well. "You acted rather foolishly today," he added in a solemn tone before closing the door.

"Who are you?" Alice asked once they had started moving, her concern for Richard evident in her voice. "And drive fast. He's not looking good."

"I know he's not looking good, but Richard is tougher than he looks," Anthony replied, glancing at the mirror and sharing a reassuring smile with John. "You have your father's eyes, John. He'll be alright."

Anthony increased the speed of the vehicle but still focused on Alice. "I'm just a servant of the Lord who has a deep history with Richard. Nothing to be alarmed about."

"I still don't trust you," Alice said, tension evident in her voice. John raised his gun and aimed it at Anthony.

Richard, despite his condition, forced himself to speak. "It's okay. Put the gun down." John complied. "Take me to James, and we'll have to tell the kids the true story about Lisa, and our involvement in the current situation."

"Are you sure about that?" Anthony inquired. "It was in no way your fault. You couldn't have known at that point in time."

"Yeah, I'm not at fault, but I'm responsible. Now, drive, **fast**!" Richard said, his voice strained. 

"Shush," Anthony admonished the others through the rearview mirror. "I know you want to ask questions, but there'll be time for that. For now, just make sure he doesn't die in my car. I'd rather not have his ghost haunting me."

The remark even got a chuckle from Richard. The Jeep sped deeper into the night, heading towards Dr. James's quarters.