Black Dawn

Chapters 1-5
Chapters 6-10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15

Chapter 16

As Adam, Maria and Kevin are fighting for their lives, as well as the entire state of DC, one man is calmly surveying everything that is taking place.

The old gentleman is Simon Silverman.

His long hair, tied back in a neat braid, makes him look younger than he is, but he is indeed an older man. His movements, expressions and body language are all very controlled. He has the demeanor of a man in control of every situation.

His clothing shows he has an expensive taste, as well as the money and power to actually enjoy that expensive taste.

He sits in front of a set of monitors, which seemingly show everything that is going on in the facility where the action is taking place.

Simon is speaking on the microphone of his headphones. His choices of words, his intonations, his tone, everything is very controlled.

"No, no need to worry at all. We were aware of the potential of set backs, even prior to executing the plan. Yes, indeed. I have an ace up my sleeve. We are proceeding as planned. Tonight will be the crowning achievement of the Order. No, Adam does not know who I am. Derek knows of me, but not to worry. Adam will be eliminating his brother before he ever has the chance to put the pieces together. Like I told you, Adam is every bit the soldier his father was. Yes, there's a reason I chose him. Yes, I'll keep you posted."

Simon closes the connection, and dials someone else.

"It's me. There's been a slight complication. We're going forward with Plan B."

---

Kevin pulls Maria away from the bullets and unloads his gun at the guards approaching from all directions.

Maria has always been like a sister to Kevin; in fact, Maria was Kevin's late wife Jessica's best friend, and Adam, Maria, Kevin and Jessica were like a mini family. In a lot of ways, they were closer with each other than their other family members.

Maria is also Adam's former fiancée, and Kevin knows what it's like to lose a loved one, so he feels a special sense of responsibility for keeping Maria from harm.

Kevin manages to clear the path to where Adam was ambushed, but there's very little time to waste. Kevin knows that unlike Adam, he and Maria are considered expendable, and the guards will shoot to kill - and there are sure to be more on the way. Kevin has been in so many wars, it's easy for him to forget that a sea of bodies can be a lot for someone like Maria to take. Maria has seen dead people before during her career as a doctor, and she did serve as a medic in the military, but it was never like this.

Kevin grabs a hold of Maria to calm her down.

"Hey, come here. I know this is a lot to take, but you need to be strong, alright? For Adam. We'll get to him. You were in the main conference hall, right?"

"Yeah.. we-uh.."

Maria tries to catch her breath.

"They were waiting for us there, and Adam.. Kev, they got him, he was shot."

"What? Is he..?"

"No, he was alive. But he won't be for long, Kev. They got him next to his shoulder, if the bullet's not removed.. Kev, if Derek gets to him, he's dead!"

"He won't, he won't! We need to get to him now. Just be strong. Don't do anything stupid, let me be the hero, alright?"

"You sound just like Adam."

"Yeah, well. I've saved his ass before. And you can do this, too. You handled Adam for years, you're a strong woman."

Kevin manages to calm Maria down a little bit, as he continues.

"I know my way around this place. If he's being taken to Derek from the conference hall, I know the way. We just need to move now."

There's something that catches Maria's attention.

"How do you know your way around this facility so well?"

"I infiltrated it a while back. I worked for the Chameleon organization. That's how I learned about all this. About Adam. That he was alive. And that Derek was behind this."

Something about Kevin's reply seems somehow unconvincing to Maria. There was something about his body language that told Maria there is more to the story than he's letting on. But now is not the time to worry about that, they need to get to Adam.

"Right. Let's go!"

---

Derek is sitting in his control room, feverishly going through data on his laptop, searching for information on Simon Silverman, who Lloyd Heenan named just before dying mysteriously. Derek knows his death was no coincidence. He was not supposed to name Simon Silverman, and that was a mistake that cost him his life.

Derek knows for a fact that this Simon Silverman is the man he's been searching for for so long. The man he's after. The key to everything.

For years, he's worked for this, and tonight really feels like his insurrection against the world he feels has wronged him is finally coming to a head: he is getting revenge on his brother, he will get to Simon Silverman, and he will begin his revolution.

But Silverman has covered his tracks well. Derek hasn't been able to find anything substantial on him, after using up almost every database he could think of. This is clearly a man who hides behind layers and layers of people and organizations.

Until finally something catches Derek's attention. He stops and stares at the screen, taking a closer look at a photo.

"Well, what do you know. It's him."

Derek stares at the photo for a while longer, and contacts someone on his communicator.

"I need to talk to you. I know who Simon Silverman is. I finally know who he is."

---

Somewhere between life and death, Adam is slipping in and out of consciousness as he is being dragged by the guards through the facility.

The burning pain next to his shoulder where the bullet entered is excruciating, but not unfamiliar. Adam knows enough to know that the bullet wound requires treatment, and that if he's taken to Derek in this condition, he's as good as gone. He has no means to defend himself against his brother. But it's the mental torture that he's putting himself through over the fact that he couldn't protect Maria that he's struggling with. Saving Maria was the reason he got involved in this mess in the first place.

He also finds it unbelievable that by all accounts he is being escorted to be executed by his own brother.

Adam and Derek were not the closest brothers, but despite Derek being cold at heart, he always had a strong sense of moral righteousness. That's why it's so crazy to Adam that Derek would do this. Derek was never the kind of person to endanger the lives of thousands upon thousands of people with a nerve gas agent. Not for anything. Adam can't fathom what it's been that's sent Derek over the edge like this.

He must admit that a morbid curiosity does exist.

The fact that he's probably able to find out everything from Derek himself is the unfortunate silver lining to all this.

And find out he will, by the looks of things. Adam is completely defenseless as he is being dragged to the mercy of his homicidal twin brother.