Chapter 30 – The Right to Decide

Viktor did not stay by the car. Henry closed the rear door, and the two of them walked forward between the warehouses without an escort. The men who had filled the passages and rooftops only minutes earlier remained where they were. Viktor carried a small megaphone in his right hand. German watched them through a gap between the containers. Fifty yards. Then forty-five. Henry walked slightly to Viktor’s right and half a step behind, as usual. His hands were free. No weapon visible. It meant nothing. Logic was already mapping the space, slower now, but still accurately: open ground between them, two passages to the right, one to the left, the warehouse roof behind Viktor, the car farther back, the opposing men still in their previous positions. No one else was closing the distance.

German looked at Two. Farther right. Behind the container. Two moved at once. Three, upper passage. Five, left sector. Four was already watching him. German pointed toward a low concrete barrier closer to Gobby. You stay there. And you? Here. Gobby remained at the edge of the container row. The transformation had not receded. Broad shoulders, altered arms, dark skin. German looked at him. Don’t come near me. Gobby turned his head. Why? If this starts, you need a clear path. Gobby looked toward Viktor and Henry. To them? Yes. He asked nothing else and backed away several more steps. Two looked out from behind the container. You’re going to talk to him? Yes. Then why all this? German kept watching Henry. Because Henry knows we’re going to talk, too. By then Viktor had stopped about thirty yards away. Henry stopped with him, but not beside him. He stood a little apart, leaving several yards of empty space between them. German noticed immediately. Not protection. Room to move.

Viktor raised the megaphone. I think that’s enough. His voice carried evenly between the warehouses, without a shout. No one answered. You lasted longer than I expected. But your people are tired now. Gobby is tired. And you’re tired, German. German did not move. Viktor continued in the same calm voice. I don’t have that problem. Neither will the people who come in next. I can rotate teams until morning. If I have to, I’ll continue tomorrow. Then another day. You can’t. Gobby shifted slightly. German caught the movement in his peripheral vision. Stay, he said quietly. Gobby remained where he was. So enough games, Viktor continued. I’m offering to talk. German checked the space between them again. Henry. Viktor. The car behind them. Rooftops. Passages. Men who were not moving. Logic ran through the options. None required him to step into the middle of the open ground. German moved one step forward and stopped at the edge of the container. Talk.

Viktor watched him for several seconds. Come closer. No. Viktor held the pause, then lowered the megaphone slightly. Fine. He stayed where he was. German barely looked at him. Since the conversation began, Henry had not looked at Gobby once. Only at German.

Viktor did not mention Gobby right away. You kept your people together well, he said through the megaphone. Even after we split command. German said nothing. At first I thought you were finding weak points in our patterns. Then I realized you don’t need the whole pattern. You only need what’s happening around you. That’s why you stopped operating as one group. Yes. Didn’t help. Not right away. Viktor lowered the megaphone a little farther. Henry had not changed position. But I don’t have to outplay you, German. I only have to wait. German watched him in silence. Viktor continued, You’ve had the same people for hours. They’re injured. They’re tired. So are you. And we’re still here. For now. There was no threat in his voice. At first, you made decisions immediately. Now there’s a delay. Sometimes a second. Sometimes more. German felt Two looking at him but did not take his eyes off Viktor. How much longer? Enough that it matters now.

Logic replayed the last few incidents one after another. The gallery. The far passage. The vehicle that had almost sealed the sector. The answers had still been correct. They had simply arrived later. German drew a slow breath. That’s why you came in person. That’s why I decided it was time to end this. Viktor looked toward Gobby. I need him. The rest of you can go. No. You didn’t even ask where. Doesn’t matter. Everything usually matters to you. Not this. Viktor watched him for several seconds. Then ask him. No need. Why? Because he’s already chosen. Gobby did not move. Viktor looked at him, then back at German. You’re deciding for him? No. That’s why I’m not handing him over to you. The answer came immediately. No delay this time. Viktor gave the slightest nod. All right. One last time. Gobby comes with me. The rest of you walk away. No. Final answer? Yes.

Viktor lowered the megaphone. German was already watching Henry. Henry took one step forward, and Logic responded at once: distance, speed, direction. Two on the right. Three above. Five on the left. The answer appeared. Correct. German drew breath to give the order, but the order never came. He knew exactly what he needed to say, where Two needed to move, what Three needed to block, where Henry would be one second from now. His hand did not rise. His voice never came. Even the step backward that should already have begun never happened. German looked at Viktor. The megaphone was no longer at his mouth. He was simply watching him. Until now, Viktor had been waiting for Logic to slow down. Now he only needed one second. Henry was already closing the distance.

Henry kept walking. Two was the first to realize that German’s command had never come. He turned toward Henry, but his weapon stayed down. Three shifted position above but could not move into the line of fire. Five stepped left and stopped when he tried to bring Henry into his sights. They could move. They could reposition. But an action directed against Viktor or Henry simply would not begin. German was already recalculating. Not attack. Leave. Logic found a route along the container, and German stepped back once, then again. Henry did not accelerate. He simply kept closing the distance. German turned into the passage. The calculation was correct, but it had arrived later than it should have. By the time German changed direction, Henry was already there. A hand caught his shoulder, a hard pull turned his body, and Henry’s forearm locked across his chest. German shifted his weight to slip out of the hold, but the next movement never started. Cold metal touched his temple. Don’t, Henry said quietly.

German went still. Two held his weapon but could not bring the muzzle onto the target. Three remained above. Four had already turned toward the open ground. Five controlled the left sector. Henry tightened his hold and looked at Gobby. Don’t move. Gobby stared at the gun against German’s head. German met his eyes. The space between Gobby and Viktor was still clear.

Gobby burst forward.

Henry pulled German tighter against him, pressing the gun harder into his temple. Stop! Gobby did not even turn his head. He was not going for Henry. Viktor understood before anyone else and raised one hand. Stop. Nothing happened. Gobby crossed the open ground almost in a straight line. Viktor managed one step back. There was no second step. Gobby caught him by the throat with one hand and lifted him off the ground. The megaphone struck the concrete. Viktor grabbed Gobby’s wrist with both hands, his feet hanging above the ground. Dark, swamp-green eyes stared at him without expression. Henry pressed the barrel harder against German’s temple. Let him go. Gobby did not react. Gobby, German said. Nothing.

No one moved. Henry had German. Gobby had Viktor. The others held their positions. Any action could end everything in a second. Viktor did not try to order Gobby to release him. For several seconds he stared into the dark eyes in front of him, then slowly removed one hand from Gobby’s wrist and reached for the radio. German saw the movement. Gobby. Viktor pressed the button. A brief burst of static came through the speaker, then a woman’s voice. Gobby? The fingers around Viktor’s throat went still. The voice came again. Gobby? It’s Mom. Can you hear me? The dark eyes did not change, but the grip stopped tightening. Viktor drew a breath, still hanging above the ground, and did not struggle. Henry remained still, the gun against German’s temple. For several seconds, everything in the yard seemed to hang on that one voice coming from the small speaker. Gobby turned his head slightly toward the radio. Listen to her, German said quietly. There was no answer.

A black car stopped at the steps of the Presidential Palace. Mark shut off the engine, got out alone, and headed straight for the entrance. His phone was already in his hand. As he climbed the steps, he called Number One. Yes. Get to Viktor. Put me on speaker. Understood. Mark did not slow down.

Back at the warehouses, Number One emerged from a passage between the containers and walked straight toward Viktor. Henry saw him first but did not move the gun away from German’s head. Number One stopped beside Viktor, switched the phone to speaker, and held it up. Mark’s voice came through immediately. Viktor. I’m on my way to the President. Until he makes a decision, nobody does anything. Not you. Not Henry. Not a single unit on site. Do you hear me? As much as Gobby’s grip allowed, Viktor turned his face toward the phone. I hear you, he rasped. And I’m making this clear: no one acts on their own. Mark, the situation is already… I said wait. The call ended. Number One lowered the phone. Henry remained where he was, the gun still against German’s temple, but made no further move. Two, Three, Four, and Five held their positions. Gobby still held Viktor off the ground. His mother’s voice came through the radio again. Gobby. I’m here. The fingers around Viktor’s throat loosened slightly, enough for him to breathe more freely, but Gobby did not let him go. No one else moved either. Now they were all waiting.

Mark reached the last step and ended the call. Without stopping, he selected another number. By the time the doors of the Presidential Palace opened in front of him, the phone was already ringing. Giselle answered while he crossed the lobby. Yes. Are you with Elias? Yes. Stay on the line. Mark lowered the phone without ending the call and headed toward the inner security post. Two members of presidential security were already walking toward him. One raised a hand. Stop. The President isn’t expecting you. Mark kept walking. The guard repeated the order and stepped into his path. Then the air began to heat.

At first, the change was almost imperceptible. Then the man’s face flushed, his eyes narrowed, and his breaths grew shorter. He held his ground for several more seconds before stepping back. The second guard tried to take his place, but the temperature kept rising. The air burned against his face and throat. His eyes began to water. Mark did not speed up and did not look at either of them. By the time he reached the post, both men were standing aside. He walked between them, and the temperature began to fall behind him.

The warning reached the presidential wing before Mark did. They were already waiting for him. Two men blocked the corridor while the others stayed farther back near the doors. One spoke into a radio. Another rested a hand on his weapon. You can’t go any farther. Mark did not stop. A few steps later, the air around him began to shimmer with heat. The man with the radio backed away first. The second held his position longer, but soon turned his face aside and stepped out of the way. His hand remained on the weapon. He never took a step toward Mark. Mark continued down the corridor. The heat moved with him, leaving gradually cooling air behind. Now people stepped aside before he could get close. The last two guards remained at the doors to the President’s office, and they moved aside too.

Mark opened the door and walked in. Adrian looked up from his desk, then slowly stood. Voices carried from the corridor behind Mark, but no one followed him inside. The heat had stayed outside. The temperature in the office was normal. For several seconds, they looked at each other. Mark walked to the desk, placed the phone in front of the President, then turned and left without saying a word.

Adrian remained standing. The call was still active on the screen. Several seconds passed before Giselle’s voice came through the speaker. Good afternoon, Mr. President. Adrian looked down at the phone. There is one question you should have asked before you decided to gamble with a teenager’s life for the sake of the person you love. She paused. Would Elias himself have agreed to live longer at that price? Adrian did not move. You made that decision for him.

Mark was already walking down the stairs. Security remained in the corridors, but no one tried to stop him now. The heat was gone. He crossed the lobby, stepped outside, and headed toward the car. Now you don’t have to guess, Giselle continued through the phone on Adrian’s desk. Ask him yourself. There was movement on the other end as she handed over the phone. Mark got behind the wheel and started the engine. He did not wait for the answer.

For several seconds, the President’s office was silent.

Then Elias’s voice came through the phone.

Adrian?