Chapter 153: Chapter 153
Jack, who was listening over the line as Sam speaks, along with the Michaelson's IT team, was checking details as far and as deep as they could gather. They found out her story fits a female marine who was shot in the back too close to her spinal cord and became unable to stand and walk.
"Can you ask why she is being targeted to the extent of wanting her dead?" Jack guided Brianna and Lucien on what to ask.
Brianna remained silent, so Lucien punched in the question casually.
"Why would they want you dead?"
"Because I was the only one who they know saw a group of prominent people having a meeting, and I took photos which were automatically saved in a memory folder and sent to an account only I could access. They got my camera, but as I fell when I got shot, it was smashed to the ground. They took the memory card but were surprised when a picture of them still came out to the public eye. So they hunted me down," Same replied calmly.
"These people were unstoppable then, but a year more and it will be two decades already, I believe it's high time they get pulled down to the mud where they belong. I cannot stand the thought of Terrence Clayton sitting on the most powerful seat in the country. I feel sorry for the next generations. They might not see the goodness and equality every citizen is legit to receive and celebrate if a man as greedy as Clayton would rule over the country. He might not want to get down from the top and make all people bow down before him, implementing fear in order to obey him."
"The only good thing that had been kept away from his grasp is the complete access to the best weapons ever invented. I have a doubt that is one of his personal failures until now. He failed to find the best weapon scientist and win him to his side, by hook or by crook. This weapon genius had already presented his designs to a research team he was working with. The leaders in the Military, along with some government officials organizing such projects and research laboratories, were amazed at this man's ideas. But he found out that these leaders were planning and already making deals with the clients from the dark web and black market. The scientist pulled his designs out stealthily and disappeared. He had been hunted like a beast by these leaders. They wanted him dead or alive. They did not care as long as the designs were brought to their hands. The scientist won't matter anymore. But this scientist went to someone they could not easily touch no matter how they tried. This man, Matthew Reese, went to the yard of Leandro Michaelson in search of assistance and protection. I don't know how Leandro Michaelson could hide Matthew with confidentiality that even Clayton could not access. I don't know if Colonel was aware of this, but I am impressed they came up with such an idea. I cannot imagine how pissed Clayton is with such a joke that a mafia leader is more unbreakable than he is. It's still a puzzle for me until now, honestly."
Sam frowned, but amusement could be seen clearly in her mien.
It was not public knowledge that Andy Lockwood and Leandro Michaelson were friends or closer than blood brothers in connections. Leandro did not want Andy to leave his career when the soldier asked Leon to take him as his personal bodyguard. Leandro was already convinced of Andy's sincerity to express his gratitude, but for Andy to drop everything to repay his good deed of saving the young soldier's life, it was too much for Leandro to receive, so he urged Andy to continue his duty in the Military, and he promised he would ask help when he needs one someday. A simple thought that became Leandro's greatest asset. Having Andy provided him with assistance to create a private army for his personal safety. An army of well-trained private soldiers he had helped start a life renewed—an army with unbreakable loyalty for the Michaelson's.
"Matthew Reese came up in our investigation as a person of great interest. He and Colonel Peters met one time. And they realized one surprising relation binding them as family. Matthew Reese was Elizabeth Patel's first cousin from her mother's side. It was when Colonel's wife called to ask what time the husband would be home for dinner that her picture appeared on the screen, and Matthew Reese saw it. They were close when they were growing up, but as they went to college and had their careers, Liz and Mat did not have more than an exchange of messages and calls once in a while for communication. He did not make it to attend his cousin's wedding, so he did not recognize Colonel." Brianna tried to recall if the name rang a bell. But she could not remember any. She dismissed the thought and focused again as Sam continued. No one mentioned to her about the weapon scientist under Leandro and Andy's protection yet. So she was not aware of Matthew Reese, nor about him being her mom's first cousin, which would mean he is her uncle.
Jack, who was listening, smiled to realize that Brianna is indeed from a family of extraordinarily talented people, gifted with brilliant minds. "What amazing genes!" Jack silently thought.
"And it was Colonel Peters who suggested Matthew to ask for Leandro Michaelson's help or protection. Not that he was sure the Michaelson's would reach out, he just made a pure suggestion knowing Leandro Michaelson was among the philanthropists. And this fact reached to Terrence Clayton, a reason why he hated Colonel even more. But they are aware Colonel Peters is a brain they'd wish to work under their command, so they wanted him alive, as much as possible. But Colonel must have fought back when they got trapped. They were found dead later, then the old Peters couple, too. But the child was nowhere to find. I convinced myself you made it out of danger on your own. I know you were a smart child; your dad told me a lot of things you would do which marks you smarter than other toddlers of your age."
Sam paused to pour hot water on her cup. She must have realized even if it was hot this time. It won't be long before she can drink it like usual water as her words take long before she could pause for a breather.
"I have longed for someone to tell all these untold and unwritten history, so you have to bear with me," she chuckled softly.
Lucien smiled gently as his response, but Brianna kept her expression the same ever since they arrived.
"We have also heard, only heard, because we have never had the chance to dig deeper and find out everything there was to find, that Terrence Clayton, along with the other high-ranking officials, has a camp somewhere where they train abducted kids to be assassins. We could not find any of the missing kids that were reported to the local police, except for the dead ones. But they appeared to be victims of body organ harvesting. It was even more frightening. Who could be so evil as to take healthy young kids and harvest their organs, then throw them somewhere easy to find? It led all investigations in different directions. But with all the counts of missing kids, not even half of them were found. It made us suspect that those kids found without body organs, have failed the training and died, but to dispose of their bodies, they still made use of their body organs sold to the black market to earn from it. The amounts possible to earn from such transactions can fund their camps and fatten their pockets."
Brianna's thoughts flew back to the years she was training. She saw kids, older than her as she was the youngest when she came in, died from drowning, some died from bow and arrow, some from the trap set for them to escape, some from exhaustion, but no one died of hunger. They were fed. Only when under a punishment would they be denied of food. But she never knew where the bodies would be buried. They would just be taken out of the camp, and every trainee thought, even Brianna and Jack, thought those bodies were buried somewhere in the forest or in the mountains. It never came to their mind that those poor dead children were murdered again by taking their organs sold for money, but bodies were thrown like empty cans of soda along the side of the roads where people would easily see and discover.
Jack's heart trembled. He was weak and had he been forced to train. He might have died a long time ago. Maybe right within the very first day, he might have fainted and never woke up again. It would have been better to die, but realizing how those dead kids were disrespected to an unimaginable degree, he could not avoid being grateful he made it alive until today.