It was almost midnight, the black foam rain had already started, but not to the point that people would stop their lives to even pay attention to that. Inside the VIP area of 41 airport gate the 91 people still waiting to leave Brazil didn't have any idea what was happening outside.
Mr. Johnson was in his office watching the tv, where some white lady was talking about the rain and asking people to not leave their houses driving their own cars. Now the government had some small buses to take people from their addresses when they had to go to the airport, bus station or any way they were trying to leave Rio.
Mr. Johnson assistant was also paying attention to the tv when he said:
- If it was in New York or even LA shit wouldn't end well.
-The rich people here tried to protest against it, but what they could after the realization that this is war, Jacob.
- I don't know... maybe resist communism.
Mr. Johnson stood silent for some seconds until he burst out laughing at what he had just heard. Jacob seemed to be offended and confused by his boss' reaction.
- What side are you on Mr. Johnson?- the young man said with a confused look on his face.
That made his boss stop laughing almost immediately and as he inclined his chest on the table he said:
- Kid, if I am something, it's an American citizen.
- I didn't mean...
- You never mean anything, Jake- Johnson interrupted him- Now get your white ass in the VIP and see what is going on with these two young women.
Jacob got up and started walking his way out, passing his hand on his hair like it would make him understand Mr. Jackson's concerns about these two women.
- You never meant anything, Jake Johnson said. Now get your white ass in the VIP and see what is going on with these young women.
- I am Jewish, so technically, my ass is not white, Johnson.
Mr. Jhonson sighed, and only with a look showed Jacob the direction of the VIP room.
- You are pale, Jacob, he said. And things are different in Brazil, he stated while the man looked at him confused.
As soon as Jacob left the room, Mr. Johnson's second phone rang. He took it out of his pocket as he rolled his eyes, knowing that if a call came from that device, he was about to hear something distasteful.
Some words in Portuguese were spoken on the other end of the line in an authoritative tone. The informer wanted to know what was written on the papers that the girls had burned the night before, but Mr. Johnson, accustomed to trusting his instincts, had the impression that the girls didn't know anything at all.
In Portuguese, Jhonson said:
- Vou interrogá-las pessoalmente agora mesmo.
He left his room thinking that Amany and Julia could be tired so late at night or even sleeping, but maybe if it would be better to catch them in a vulnerable moment. But when he got to the VIP room he thought his eyes were tricking him, because the room was much more empty than hours ago and the young women were nowhere to be found.
Angrily, he took his radio out of his belt and yelled the name of the only person that could be responsible for the disappearance of Júlia and Amany.
-Jacob, over! He yelled in one breath.
-I am in the bathroom. Over, a frightened Jake answers.
-Where are the girls, Jake? a more calm Jhonson asks.
-They were just there when I left. Over.
"So I will have to look for them myself", Mr. Johnson thought.
Meanwhile, in the women's restroom, Julia watched as Amany tried to straighten her beautiful curly hair. She couldn't help but be fascinated by the boss's daughter's concern for her own appearance during such a difficult moment. Julia had already taken a shower and just wanted to brush her teeth while waiting for Amany to finish her beauty ritual.
- Why do you keep watching me?" Amany said.
- Do you want help?" Julia replied, her mouth still full of toothpaste.
- No. I'm definitely fine.
"Of course. Totally fine, straightening your hair during the Third World War," Julia thought, but she didn't have the courage to say it out loud. She continued brushing her teeth, wondering if she would still have a job after all of this.
- Can you go faster?" Amany asked, noticing Julia's lack of diligence in brushing her teeth. She wanted to get out of that cold bathroom, with its extremely bright light and the smell of excessive use of cleaning products. She couldn't realize that she was the one slowing things down.
Julia just pointed to her own mouth full of toothpaste, when suddenly Johnson barged into the bathroom, accompanied by a very thin and pale man. The two women looked surprised as he entered and immediately began questioning them. He demanded to know what they were doing, where they had been, and why they had disappeared from his sight.
Amany and Julia were scared and confused, not understanding what they had done wrong. Had they missed the flight? Wasn't the plan to wait for twenty hours until the next flight? Amany wondered as the officer fired question after question.
- I didn't know we couldn't take a shower, sir, Amany said in her usual tone, that of those who always demand better treatment.
- What she's trying to say is... Julia tried to intervene.
- Why so many questions?- Amany asked Mr. Johnson, still panting and looking worried.
- We just care about your well-being, he replied after thinking for a moment.
-Thank yo— Julia tried to say before being interrupted by Amany.
-We need a bit of privacy here, the American said.
Amany and Julia stared at each other in silence, completely confused about what that intervention had been. Julia leaned over the sink and began rinsing her mouth, still with some toothpaste in it, and then said:
- This was a police investigation.
- But he's not exactly a police officer, Amany added.
- Something's not right here, Julia replied with seriousness.
- What could be wrong, aside from not being put on that flight with my father?
- I don't want to be rude, and I understand your father has his reasons, but...-
Júlia was trying to be diplomatic, but at this point, something was clear to her, Markus had fled the country and left Amany behind, and there had to be some shady reason for it. In response, she simply said:
- We need to get out of here as quickly as possible, she finished, not wanting to open up too much about her concerns to the boss's daughter.
Amany didn't have much to argue, and in a way, she felt there was truth in Julia's words. This was her country, and if Julia was sensing that something bad, beyond what they knew, was happening, there had to be a reason. Amany held a degree in Law and knew that the fact she had burned papers from the German Embassy on her father's orders meant something more sinister.
As they gathered their belongings, they quickly noticed there was a window and decided to see if it would lead them to another room. Amany and Julia climbed onto a bench against the wall and stood in front of the narrow window that provided access to the cleaning supplies storage.
Without exchanging a word, Amany understood Julia's intentions.
- Are you sure you can fit through there, Julia? Is this really necessary?- Amany said.
Júlia was starting to grow a bit tired of her 'bossy' boss's interrogative tone, and by now, she was convincing herself that nothing would be the same again and perhaps she no longer had a job to protect. That made her placed her hands on her hips, roll her eyes, and in a mocking tone said:
- Please, I'm not that big. Years of experience as the honorary tomboy in my family can help us get through this window.
- I don't know, my height might be an advantage here. I'll go in, get into the room, and open it from the inside for you to pass. Look, the key is in the door.
Julia shook her head and said:
- No way. My body was made for situations like this. I'll go first, and if I can open the door, you won't have any trouble.
- Alright, alright. But if you get stuck, don't blame me, Amany answered.
Amany smiled for the first time, which brought a bit of cheer to Júlia that couldn't stand dealing with her companion's bad mood for hours anymore. The bathroom truly was a place that brought out the best in women, the secretary thought with a smile on her face, then said:
- I won't get stuck. Fuck the skinny bitches.
- Fuck the skinny bitches in the club- Amany said smiling- But if I have to catch you, you might hit the ground.
-Good. Now, let's get out of here before Mr. Johnson finds us again.
The two began to laugh, and that was the first moment some kind of connection emerged between these women. But after that spark of friendship passed, Amany insisted:
-Do we really need to do this?"
- It's not a necessity, but we need to get out of here before Mr. Johnson finds us again and we have to find a place without cameras.
Júlia pondered for a few seconds and ended up agreeing with Amany. She hated tensions and wanted to hold onto that good moment as she was exhausted. Moreover, she might have been overreacting.
They decided to stay low-key and find a place where they wouldn't attract too much attention to eat and spend the night. The silence they shared as they gathered their belongings to search for this place was a testament to just how tired they truly were.
After finding a discreet spot to eat in the Airport Food Aisle, they realized that the restaurants weren't able to handle so many people and decided to eat whatever they had in their bags. While they ate an apple, a few cookies, and drank from juice boxes, as that was all they had, they noticed a group of airport staff looking at them suspiciously.
Once again, the two women decided to find a place to hide and call Markus's influential Brazilian friends before they were interrogated by Johnson. They entered a small storeroom, which they found open. However, as Amany cautiously opened the door, she saw the staff members walking down the hallway, scanning the area. She quickly retreated and said to Julia:
- We need to figure out what's going on here.
Julia nodded, her face grim.
- I agree. We can't allow them to interrogate us before we talk to someone we trust.
On the other side of the airport complex, Johnson paced back and forth in his small office, his heart racing with anxiety. He had just received a call from his contact, demanding to know the whereabouts of Amany and Julia. As he spoke, he tried to choose his words carefully, avoiding any indication that the two girls were missing. He didn't want to raise suspicions or draw attention to himself.
- Well, they are... um... Jacob is taking care of some routine tasks for me, he said, trying to sound nonchalant. -He doesn't know anything. Nothing to worry about. Don't worry, my friend.
He hoped his voice sounded convincing enough, but his contact seemed to sense that something was amiss and questioned him:
- Routine tasks?- the voice on the other end of the line said with skepticism- You sound tense, Johnson. Is everything okay?-
- Well, they are... um... Jacob is taking care of some tasks for me," he said, trying to sound nonchalant- He doesn't know anything. Nothing to worry about. Don't worry, my friend.
He hoped his voice sounded convincing enough, but his contact seemed to sense that something was amiss and questioned him:
- Routine tasks?- the voice on the other end of the line said with skepticism- You sound tense, Johnson. Is everything okay?
Johnson tightened his grip on the phone. He knew he couldn't afford to say or do anything that would make them doubt his loyalty.
- Yes, yes, everything's fine," he replied, trying to sound calmer. Just a bit busy with work, you know how it is. Everything will be okay. We're fine.
But as he spoke, he knew he needed to find Amany and Julia as soon as possible. If any slip-up was discovered, it could have serious consequences for both his role as a double agent for the American government and for the Organization Chapter in Brazil. He needed to locate the girls before anyone else did.
"I'll handle this", he said abruptly to his contact, ending the call. With a determined look in his eyes, he grabbed his coat. Many hours had passed since they arrived at the airport, and the weather was changing abruptly, causing the black foam rain to become denser.
Jhonson left his room at the same time that teenager son of a diplomat bursted into the VIP room just as Mr. Johnson is trying to leave the place. The kid was perplexed and rushed towards his mother, a high-ranking diplomat from Germany, and urgently whispered in her ear. She frowned and turned to look out of the window. There, she saw it too - a heavy downpour of black foam raining down from the sky, coating the streets and buildings with its sinister darkness.
As word spread among the privileged passengers in the VIP room, panic set in and they all went full Karen mode. The 71 people left still waiting for their flights out of Brazil grew increasingly agitated. Mr. Jhonson, tried to leave the room to search for Amany and Julia, but was stopped by the anxious crowd. They demanded answers and voiced wild conspiracy theories about a potential nuclear bomb or chemical attack.
Mr. Jhonson quickly called for security guards to help calm the situation, but the tension in the room remained palpable. The once-comfortable VIP room now felt suffocating, with the black foam rain outside heightening their sense of impending doom. Many of them wanted to leave Brazil immediately.
The scene in the VIP room was chaotic, with people talking over each other, trying to make sense of the situation. As Mr. Jhonson struggled to reassure the distraught passengers and maintain order, he could only think about finding Amany and Julia and unravel the mystery before it was too late.
"What the officer didn't know was that they had already been found and detained. This time, Jacob believed he had done a great job and was proud of himself as he taunted Amany and Julia, now behind the thin bars of the airport detention cell.
In just 30 minutes, Johnson had received the information about what had happened to the girls. He entered the detention cell area at the front counter with a calm expression on his face, now having to admit that Jake had executed his task flawlessly. He patted Jacob on the back and whispered:
-Good job, kid.
-They broke into the storage room, Jacob said proudly of himself and smiled, showing all his extremely white and crooked teeth, while pointing towards the girls.
Inside the cell where Amany and Julia could be seen tired and defeated. They were sitting on a thin mattress in the cramped cell, looking exhausted. The ambassador's daughter had disheveled hair and smeared mascara due to the tears she had shed, which only irritated Julia with the drama.
Johnson approached the bars and looked at Amany and Julia with seriousness. He had no sympathy for them; he had treated them well earlier solely because he needed information about Markus. Disguising the indifference, he put on a paternal expression of displeasure and frustration.
- Did you mistake the room where we store documents for a hotel room?- he said, trying to sound funny.
Amany raised her gaze, a defiant look in her eyes.
- The truth is, we had a right to have a room to sleep in, if it were a different time, she said, wiping her tears and looking at him firmly.
- But this is a different time, he said
Julia, already tired from spending the entire day serving Amany and running around the crowded airport, decided to join the conversation:
- We're just trying to understand what's happening here and why we're being treated like criminals.
Johnson sighed, seeming tired of the whole situation.
- You wouldn't understand even if I explained. Now, stay here and behave. We have bigger things to deal with than you two, he said, stepping away from the bars, thinking that now he really needed to interrogate them directly.
The two women exchanged glances, as if conversing telepathically, while Johnson ran his hand over his gleaming bald head. They knew they had to uncover the truth behind all this confusion and find a way to escape. As the black foam rain continued to fall outside, they were determined to face the challenges that lay ahead and discover the real reason they were behind bars.
What Amany and Julia didn't know was that this was just the tip of the iceberg of a great mystery involving dark secrets, betrayals, and a conspiracy that could shake the Brazilian government. And as circumstances pushed them into an unknown journey, they were about to discover that their lives were more intertwined with the war than they could ever imagine.
Mr. Johnson opened the cell door after staying silent for a few minutes and sat down next to Amany and Julia, who looked at him with defiance.
- Girls, I know it was a rather radical move by Jake to put you in a cell. But you're grown women, and you know this is an airport, and we're on the brink of a war.
- If we're on the brink of a war, why is it so important to arrest two people for accidentally entering a storage room?- Amany said.
- Did you accidentally enter your father's office and burn documents from the German Embassy as well?
Amany looked at Júlia, who shook her head negatively, as if signaling her not to say anything. Before Mr. Johnson could respond, an unknown man in the adjacent cell called out Jake, who was observing the scene from the jail front desk.
Johnson quickly stepped away from the girls' cell and went to check who it was. Seeing Jonathan pressed against the cell bars, he inquired:
- Who are you, and why are you here?- he said
Impatiently, the man responded:
- My name is Jonathan. I'm here because I was trying to find my wife and daughter. They were on a flight from Minas Gerais to Rio, but they never arrived in Rio. I tried to get answers from the guards, but they arrested me for shouting at them.
Frowning, Johnson addressed the desperate man:
- I understand. I will look into this. But right now, we have bigger problems.
- What do you mean?
- He hit a guard, Johnson, Jake promptly replied.
However, as they talked, the sound of explosions echoed through the air, and the building began to shake forcefully. Everyone fell silent for a few seconds. Mr. Johnson's face displayed a mix of shock and concern; his previously authoritative posture now seemed uncertain.
Jonathan looked alarmed, his eyes wide with fear, as he tried to comprehend what was happening. Jacob exchanged worried glances with Mr. Johnson. Amany and Julia quickly got up, and the ambassador's daughter said:
- What is that?
And before Amany could finish the sentence, dust started falling from the walls as the sounds of explosions resumed.
Their earlier animosity was forgotten in the face of the sudden possibility of collapse, and Mr. Johnson told Jacob:
- Summon the guards; we're getting out of here.
- And what about the prisoners?" Jacob asked.
- All of us are getting out of here, Jake- As soon as Mr. Johnson said that, more ominous noises could be heard.
The tension in everyone was palpable, and a sense of urgency hung in the air as everyone prepared for what could happen next. Jacob hurriedly left the detention cell area, calling for reinforcements on his radio. It was clear that the situation had escalated beyond his control, and he needed to request more guards to transfer the prisoners. But because Mr. Johnson opened Jonathan's cell and everyone runned away after him.
In the VIP room, the restlessness heightened as everyone realized how serious the situation was. When Jacob arrived in that area, the scenario was completely different from what he had left behind just hours ago. Broken glass was scattered everywhere, and some of the 71 Americans and Germans who were unable to flee were injured. People were running in panic, and the guards were busy trying to assist the children. Jacob immediately volunteered to help, stepping in without hesitation.
On the other side of the room, Mr. Johnson received a message on his secret cell phone, which simply stated to immediately remove the girls from the airport and take them to a secure meeting point in Petropolis, where they would be interrogated about the burned papers at the German embassy. Without delay, he began to ask them to come with him to the parking lot, while the girls seemed confused about what was happening. He replied:
- We need to leave the airport urgently.
Amany asked if it was an airstrike, to which he answered without much thought that it was, adding that it would be better not to provide explanations at that moment. As the girls and Mr. Johnson hurried toward the exit, Jonathan's voice sounded amidst the chaos:-
- Am I free?- He said.
As the girls and Mr. Johnson rushed towards the exit, Jonathan's voice echoed in the chaotic room:
- What about me?
Mr. Johnson paused halfway, torn between the urgency of the situation and thinking about the future need of having another strong man on this journey with him. The two women were utterly perplexed, but in a quick conversation, they decided to seize the opportunity to get out of that war-like setting.
The officer grabbed a still-handcuffed Jonathan and said:
- Help me take them to a safe spot, he said, unlocking the handcuffs.
In the midst of the commotion, Mr. Johnson glanced towards the windows, only to see them covered in a thick, black foam that obscured the outside view. It was impossible to discern what lay beyond, adding to the sense of impending danger. The army had moved in, and the situation had escalated to a level none of them could have imagined. With adrenaline coursing through their veins, they pressed on, navigating through the turmoil, determined to find a way to safety amid the chaos and uncertainty.
As the group hurried through the chaotic airport, they stumbled upon Jacob already in another area of the airport, the guard, in the midst of the dining area. He was desperately searching for a lost child's mother, looking like a child himself, not knowing what to do.
Mr. Johnson received another mysterious message on his phone, causing him to grab Jacob and the young boy by their arms. He spoke urgently, urging them to follow him to where he had parked his car. Though confused, Jacob trusted Mr. Johnson complied, realizing the urgency of the situation.
Without much thought, Jonathan decided to join them. He knew he couldn't leave his family behind, but at this point, he believed it was just a trip to the parking lot.
As they moved away from the VIP area, they encountered a scene of total pandemonium. Mr. Johnson, Jonathan, Amany, and Júlia ran with the rest of the group through the airport corridors, the sound of their footsteps muffled by the chaos around them, blending them into the frantic crowd. This prompted Júlia and Amany to hold hands so as not to lose each other. They could hear panicked screams from other people awaiting their flights, even in makeshift camps, and desperate guards trying to maintain order.
The group stumbled upon a small bus in the partially demolished parking lot, covered by a canvas. Jacob asked:
- What car is that, Mr. Jhonson? Why do you have the keys to a car like that- Jacob saw the similarities between the small bus and the ones that now are used for public transportation by the Brazilian government.
Mr. Jhonson: avoiding the question just said:
- We need to keep going. Get in.
As they all were getting into the vehicle, Jonathan hesitated.
- I'm not leaving the airport without my family.
Mr. Jhonson almost losing his temper said:
- It's better for your family to find you safe after the confusion has settled.
- I won't be a 'cigarette man- Jonathan insisted.
Amany intervening in the conversation and losing her patience said:
- What does that even mean?
Mr. Jhonson answered the question while fastening his seat belt.
- It's men who go out to buy cigarettes and then just leave.
- You know those- Julia said in a lower voice followed by a look of disapproval of Amany already sitting on a back seat in the bus.
- Well, I won't do that. I'm staying put- Jonathan said.
- We don't have time for explanations now. Trust me, it's safer if we leave- Mr. Jhonson confidently said.
- But what about-
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by a loud roar and a massive plume of smoke in the distance. They all turned to look, their expressions a mix of shock and disbelief, as they saw a large plane plummeting from the sky, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
They watched in silence, their eyes fixed on the wreckage, as the reality of the situation sunk in. The chaos at the airport had escalated to a whole new level, and the danger seemed to be spreading.
All the images used to ilustrate this text were generated by different AI platforms and doesn't belong to this text author.