Nima darts across the street and runs into the Chrysler Building. Its iconic crown was sheared off during the war and never rebuilt, but its lobby is as majestic and imposing as ever. She jams the elevator door button repeatedly. "Come on, come on," she mutters.
Once on the 22nd floor, Nima hustles down the hall to Jabieko's office. She takes a deep breath, slides her badge, and slowly opens the door. Jabieko is sitting inside and conversing with three earnest-looking men. She interrupts. "Ambassador Jabieko, may I have a quick word with you?"
Jabieko, a heavyset dark-skinned Ucte, realizes that this has to be very important; Nima wouldn't dare interrupt him like this if it were not. He says a few words to the men and escorts them to the door.
"This had better be good," he says, as he shuts the door behind them.
Agitated, Nima blurts, "Sir, we have news from one of our informants that a full UN task force has been sent to Port Jervis to re-open the investigation of the fire at the community center. The official UN report says it's merely due diligence to confirm the accuracy of the final report." Nima hits the play button on her tablet and hands the device to Jabieko. "But this is a clip sent by our informant that shows the recent capture of an alleged Isarian protector by UN security forces."
"Frazid!" Jabieko cries out as he views the images.
"Yes, that's what he calls himself. You know him?"
Jabieko waves off her curiosity. "Please continue," he says, as he rubs the top of his head.
Nima waits until the video clip ends and resumes talking at her usual speedy pace. "The task force captured the Isarian about 25 miles from Port Jervis. All evidence indicates that he was headed to Port Jervis, and that this is the true reason the task force has been dispatched. Also, our informant mentions he wasn't alone — there was a girl with him, but she escaped after killing two agents with a force-blast."
Jabieko slowly eases into his chair. He has expended a vast amount of resources trying to track the last heirs of King Uphu without raising any red flags within the UN, and here is his chance to finally eliminate them. He looks up at this assistant, nodding gratefully. "Great job, Nima. Make sure we keep a line open with our insider. We need to know everything that's going on, especially where they're holding this protector."
"Yes, sir."
"Submit a request to the UN Security Council for access to all live surveillance and communication coming in and out of Port Jervis. I want to see and hear everything that's happening in that town."
Nima blinks. "Sir, what explanation do I give for such a request?"
"None. Just submit it. I'll take care of the rest."
"Of course, sir. Right away." Nima rushes out of the office.
When the door closes, Jabieko stands abruptly. "Jaziel, close the blinds and secure the room," he barks to his AI helper.
"Yes, Mr. Ambassador," Jaziel responds. "All secure."
Jabieko removes the memory chip from Nima's tablet and inserts it into one of Jaziel's ports. "Send the files on the chip to the Master."
Moments later, a ghostly digitized version of a man appears and stares sternly at Jabieko. "This is getting out of hand," he says. "If it becomes known that the heirs are alive, it will galvanize the opposition and bring more resistance fighters to the fore. We cannot under any circumstances let that happen."
"There's nothing to worry about, sir," Jabieko assures him. "We still control the media and the UN. We will find the heirs and kill them. I won't fail again. That's a promise."
"I'll hold you to that promise. I also want Frazid extracted and transported to Azha. He might be the key to locating the Queen."
Before Jabieko can respond, his Master disconnects.
❖❖❖
The White Skull squad of the Ucte Army, led by General Jabieko himself, traverses the Royal Lagoon at low tide under cover of darkness, halting at the entrance of the city sewers. Their ally inside the palace complex has made sure that no guards are stationed here or anywhere in the sewer network this night. Jabieko directs his soldiers to break the metal entrance bars into pieces. Their mission is to confirm the assassination of the royal family and rescue two Euperian nobles.
As dawn approaches, Jabieko hears the echoing sounds of battle from afar. King Zheteg must be leading his army toward the city. Jabieko orders his men to work faster. After breaking through, they hurry through the tunnels to reach the stairs leading to the surface. Once on the surface the soldiers, provincials from the Ucte slums, are astonished by the magnitude of the capital. Endless hyperloops and monorail lines and buildings of all sizes adorn the cityscape. Jabieko orders them to continue their advance. Dressed as commoners, acting like they don't know each other and aren't together, they go undetected by the crowds of Euperians, who are preparing to defend their home.
As planned, there are no guards at the rear entrance of the palace, either. If this fails, their ally will surely be found out and executed, for incompetence if not for treason. Jabieko leads his soldiers up the stairs to the Royal Hall. He halts the soldiers with a raised fist, and gives the signal to prepare for battle; there are royal guards ahead, flanking a gold-inlayed red jinowood arched entryway. Suddenly, Jabieko dashes forward and throws a punch that hurls a guard into the wall, then turns around to see his soldiers knocking down the second man. He sprints down the hall, counting the doors until he reaches the tenth. He signals his men to blow the door open and rushes in.
Elena, the youngest daughter of Matiboth, the treacherous Euperian general, sits on the floor with an empty vial in her hand. She's weeping like a motherless child, causing Jabieko to feel a stab of disgust.
Elena looks up and locks eyes with Jabieko, and her lamentations cease.
"Elena, my name
