Previously

A weaponized virus has surfaced on US soil, planned to be used against American citizens. Former federal agent Adam Black was brought back from prison to help the anti-terrorist agency ATC to locate and secure the virus from the market. This attempt was successful, and the virus ended up in the hands an unknown terrorist who is now using it as leverage against the President, who he appears to have a personal grudge with. It's been a long day with no end in sight.

First of all, I have a bit of a rant to make. I was going through some fiction posts the other day, and noticed a fair amount of comments and engagement. Some of the engagement was from bots and other forms of fake Steemit engagement, but still. This is all a work in progress for me, and I'm still learning, but in all honesty, I think my work is better than some of the stuff that was getting a very positive reception. Fiction is a hard sell on Steemit, but I'd like to know what the other writers do differently. When it comes to the story, I don't even care about the rewards that much, I just want people to read it and like it. So, ideas for improvement, etc. are welcome. I did rethink some of the story, since I noticed I was relying on the same tropes quite a lot, and I also kicked the story up a notch here to prevent it from spinning its wheels. So I am also critical of myself and try to think of ways to make the story fun. But all feedback is welcome, including negative.

November 1st, 2023. 10:02pm Los Angeles, California

ATC Headquarters, Holding Cell #1

Adam tries to remain calm, even though the thing he really wants to do is choke Kevin out for betraying everything he once was.

On the one hand, he is staring at his former best friend, but on the other, his eyes are locked on someone he doesn't even recognize.

An additional factor helping Adam maintain his composure is the fact that he knows Richard, Bruce, and Simmons are watching what's taking place through the two-way mirror on the wall.

"You and both know what I want to do to you right now. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, as someone who used to be your friend."

Kevin doesn't react in any way and just stares at the table.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Still no response, so Adam stands up and slams the table.

"Damn it I said look at me!"

Kevin does make eye contact with Adam but still refuses to say anything. He looks like hell. Kevin used to be a handsome man, but there's barely any of it left. The bags under his look like he hasn't slept in years and his unkempt goatee tells you he just doesn't care anymore.

Adam starts to circle around him.

"Fine. I'll tell you what I know. Earlier today, a weaponized virus ended up in the hands of a man called Dietrich Schneider. Schneider has showcased that he's willing and able to release the virus and kill countless of innocents unless the President agrees to his demands. You know me better than anybody, Kev, so surely you understand that I will do whatever it takes, and I mean whatever it takes, to stop this from happening. Then you show up and kill the only lead we had that would have led us to Schneider. And I wanna know why."

Kevin is still keeping his mouth shut. Adam becomes frustrated but tries a softer approach, and attempts to use their past friendship as a key.

"Come on, Kev! You and I both know how this goes. We're talking about aiding and abetting a terrorist, responsible for thousands of deaths, willing to kill hundreds of thousands more. Unless you cooperate, we're talking death penalty here! No matter what your ideologies are today, believe it or not, you used to be my friend, and I don't want that to happen to you. Just talk to me. You're not a terrorist, Kev. Why are you doing this?"

Finally, Kevin decides to speak.

"Why am I doing this? Why are you here, Adam? Huh? After everything this government has done to you, why are you still here?"

"Don't you try to play that game with me, Kev. This isn't about me; this is about you."

"Oh, but it's always about you, Adam. This is not about innocent people; this is about you. It's always about you! You're, what, holding on to some false fantasy that you stop Schneider and you'll get back with Maria? Maria would just end up exactly like everything else in your life, Adam! Dead! Why? Because you can't let go of this!"

"Shut up."

Kevin keeps pushing Adam's buttons to avoid the interrogation, and it's working.

"The reason you're here is because you have nothing else, Adam! Nothing! The government took everything away from you because that's what it does! They take everything away from us! No wonder Maria found herself a new ma-"

Adam flips over the table and kicks Kevin's chair to the floor and starts choking him out.

"You son of a bitch, you're going to tell me what you know, or so help me God you will not be alive to get the death penalty! What do you know about Schneider!"

Richard, Bruce, and Simmons enter the room to separate Adam from Kevin.

"Adam! That's enough! Enough!"

Kevin is gasping for air on the floor, and Adam is taken out of the holding cell.

Simmons is about to say something, but Bruce says he'll handle it and takes Adam aside.

"That's not the right play, Adam. He pushed your buttons, not the other way around."

"You're right, Bruce. You're right."

"What's your take?"

Adam takes a look at Kevin through the window as he is being helped back up by two agents.

"I don't know. But I have a feeling there's something more to this. When we were in Washington, he said he was after this big conspiracy. He said the entire government had been compromised. He blamed this man, Simon Silverman, for Jessica's death. He said everything he did that day was a play to get to Silverman. And Silverman did show up, or at least I think that's who he was. Kev had him at gunpoint, but I stopped him from killing him because if there was a conspiracy, the truth would have died with Silverman."

Bruce knows more about this than Adam realized.

"Yes, I know. Maria told me about Silverman."

Adam picks up on Bruce saying Silverman's name with a certain familiarity.

"Do you know something about it?"

"To be honest with you, I had a hard time believing it when Maria told me about it. And I'm not sure we're talking about the same Simon Silverman."

"Who is he?"

"He was your father's best friend. I was a rookie commander when I worked with your father on a black op in the old Soviet Union. Silverman was a spy and had been captured by the Soviets. AJ saved him, and that's how they met. Silverman played a big role in helping AJ survive that hell. They became close."

Adam goes through the memories from 18 months ago.

"Derek said Silverman killed my father."

"I don't have the facts about what happened to AJ. He branded a traitor to his country, and we lost contact when all of that went down. Derek also might have been lying."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But do you think it's true? That my father betrayed the United States?"

Bruce takes a deep breath, while about to say something he shouldn't say, but knows he can say it to Adam.

"I worked for the government for so long, I've seen a dirty thing or two, and worse. To tell you the truth, I don't know for sure. All I know for sure is your father was one of the finest, most brave men I've ever met. Just like his son."

His father has always been a weird topic for Adam. He doesn't know how to react. As a kid, he got the world of love from AJ, but then he grew up being told his father was a traitor, the worst of the worst. He usually tries not to spend any time thinking about the whole thing.

And does not want to do so now, either.

"We're wasting time. We need to find Schneider."

Alex has been working on something ever since Adam called him and he seems to have finally found what he was looking for.

"Guy, I've got something!"

Adam, Bruce, Simmons, Richard, and Paul gather around Alex's computer to see what is going on.

"I've been going through satellite frames, minute by minute, in a 20-minute radius from where Adam called me when he was with Hermann. Look at this."

Alex has a photo of Schneider on the top left corner of his screen, and the rest of the screen is taken by a satellite frame that shows someone resembling Schneider get out of his car and make his way to a building earlier that day.

"I think that's him."

Simmons is ecstatic for the first time during the entire day.

"Great job! We have to assume that's Schneider's hideout. Paul, you're going to lead a strike team to that address ASAP."

"You got it!"

---

The White House

The President receives a phone call from Simmons.

"Tell me you have good news, Mr. Simmons."

"I do, Mr. President. We have good reason to believe we have pinpointed Schneider's location. Agent Douglas is leading a strike team as we speak."

The President is relieved beyond words.

"Thank God. I do not need to press how crucial this operation is. I need to know for certain that this operation will bring Schneider in."

"We are doing the absolute best we can, sir."

"You let me know the moment you have Schneider in custody."

---

Dietrich's Hideout

Dietrich looks at the clock and feels that it's time to make a phone call of his own to the President.

"Your time is running out, Mr. President. What's it going to be? Are you ready to fulfill your next assignment?"

The President should contain himself, but he has been waiting all day to throw this at Dietrich's face.

"Mr. Schneider, I have decided not to cooperate with you further. That is my final decision. You are a terrorist and a monster, and I will aid you in your quest for revenge."

Dietrich was not expecting to hear this after the President had been so cooperative throughout the day.

"Are you sure you wouldn't want to reconsider that, Mr. President? You do realize the consequences of not cooperating?"

"I will no longer negotiate with a terrorist, Mr. Schneider."

"What a shame. You should know by now that I don't make empty threats. The deaths of more American civilians will be on your conscience. Goodbye, Mr. President."

Gwen is worried about what she heard.

"The President's not going along anymore? Damn it, Dietrich! I told you not to play around."

Dietrich, however, does not seem worried in the slightest.

"Relax, Gwen."

"They're onto us. They're onto us, Dietrich! That's why the President refused."

"Most likely."

"Well, we need to get out of here, then. It's over!"

Dietrich begins to make a phone call.

"Not just yet."

"What do you mean?"

Dietrich puts his hand in the air as a signal for Gwen to be quiet and talks on his phone.

"Is it done? Good."

---

An ATC helicopter lands nearby Dietrich's location and Paul leads a strike team towards the address. They are all highly trained and equipped with rifles and riot gear.

They don't know Dietrich is suspecting them, so Paul decides to make a covert approach and goes first. He tells his men to stand by and gather around the house.

Dietrich's hideout is a multi-storied building. Paul kicks open the front door and starts making his way through the stairs. No sign of Dietrich, he makes his way through another set of stairs.

Suddenly, he gets a phone call.

"Agent Douglas, I assume?"

"Who is this?"

"It's not so much who I am, it's what I have. Take a look at the screen of your phone; I will send you something."

Paul does as he's asked and waits for a video to be uploaded to his phone.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

The video is a live feed of Maria being held at gunpoint in her apartment by one of Dietrich's men.

"I have no interest in hurting your wife, but if you ever wish to see her again, you will do exactly as I say. She's an attractive woman, agent Douglas. Would be a shame to have something happen to such a beautiful face."

"I swear to God, I will kill you! I will rip your face off, you bastard!"

"You take one more step, and your wife dies. You do anything other than what I am ordering you to do right now, your wife dies. You say anything to anyone, your wife dies. Am I making myself clear?"

Paul is so close to Dietrich - but so far away. He can not get himself to move to his location. He's frozen in place, awaiting instructions. Dietrich continues.

"I believe I have your attention."

"What do you want?"

"We will do this in phases. Phase one: you will order your men to the back of this building, join them, and await further instructions. Once I am safely out of this building, I will tell you how you're going to get your wife back."

Paul can't risk it.

Every fiber of his being is telling him to go in there and kill Dietrich, but he can't.

Paul starts to move down the stairs. He runs outside and makes up a story to get everybody to back of the building.

"Dietrich's escaped, we have a Code 5! He must have gone through the back, everybody move to the back of the building, move!"

Everybody moves to the back to look for Dietrich, while Dietrich and Gwen get safe passage out of the building with the virus.