Consuming Fire

Chapter 73

It happened two days later.

Hunter was on her way to the communications room for an update on the outside world when the alarms sounded. Her heart skipped a beat and she froze like a deer in the headlights.

Those sirens.

They reminded her of ICE. She was about to scream when suddenly someone came up behind her and took her hand.

"Hunter, are you alright?" asked Will.

His worried face distracted her for a moment. "Y-yeah, I'm okay."

"Come on, we need to get to the communications room," said Zac as he whipped past them.

"What's going on?" asked Will.

"I dunno, but everyone's going this way."

They hurried up the stairs and joined the crowds of people filing into the communications room. Marcus sat at the computer system – he'd been working for days on a way to track down Dr. Wolfe's Chinese connections and monitor the UN. Ryo and her brother were with him to translate. Other SSS members were standing around the platform above their heads, peering down. More were seated against the back wall, at the computer hubs and the control units and standing around with coffees in their hands, a handful in army uniforms. The Captain's soldiers. Hunter hadn't ever seen all of them there at once. She guessed there were about thirty of them.

The Captain stood at the head of the room. Images of news reports flashed across the screen behind his head.

"Attention, everyone, we have breaking news," the Captain announced. "The war we've all been anticipating has apparently begun without us knowing."

Whispers and cries of shock erupted throughout the room.

The Captain continued in his booming voice. "Right now, the White House is under attack."

"What?" several people shrieked.

"Is Obama still alive?" asked Zac loudly.

"He isn't in the White House anymore, Zac," said Marcus with a sigh. "Remember? They moved him, along with all their other military shit to the secret facility."

"Right, the Area 51 in Louisiana?"

"Exactly."

"So then ... the Chinese don't know the President has been moved?" asked Zac.

"We're not sure. It happened only fifteen minutes ago. A squadron of Chinese soldiers invaded the White House, and from what it looks like-" The Captain clicked a controller operating the screen. He froze the image of a large, horribly familiar figure on the steps of the White House, explosions all around him as someone opened fire. It didn't appear to be hurting him. "Your Destructo is there as well."

Hunter put a hand over her mouth and stared at the screen.

Jack.

"Oh no," she muttered so only Will could hear her. "Dr. Wolfe got through to him. He's completely lost control."

The Captain resumed the playback and they watched Jack – Destructo – surge back down the steps toward a SWAT vehicle that had parked on the lawn. He froze – still under heavy gunfire – raised his clenched fists and then threw them down on the lawn.

All at once, the camera shook and there was a thunderous rumble that echoed through the communications room. Crowds of people screamed. The SWAT trucks were blown backwards, along with everyone around them.

Then Jack turned and ran back, disappearing into the White House foyer.

The Captain turned off the playback. "After discovering the secret location of the new bunker, we've been tracking its data usage and communications. Slater, what can you tell us?"