All Chapters of Dark Weapon Book One: Time of Bombing: Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
24 chapters
Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE The afternoon sun blazed down on Danima, transforming the city's streets into a sweltering oven. Residents sought refuge however they could—some wielding newspapers as makeshift parasols, others clutching battery-operated fans, their gentle hum offering meager respite from the oppressive heat. In one of the cramped houses, a heated argument between Dana and her mother reached a boiling point. Dana stormed out, the door slamming shut behind her like a gunshot. The neighbors, well-versed in her tempestuous nature, parted like the Red Sea, allowing her to pass with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. Her mother hesitated at the threshold, eyes scanning the gathering crowd. The neighbors' faces reflected excitement and expectation, phones ready to capture the impending drama. With a muttered curse, she retreated inside, her anger redirected at her husband—the supposed architect of their miserable fate in this 'gossip-themed Estate'. Emilie burst into the living room, crump
Last Updated : 2022-08-08
Chapter 2
Rose and Emilie paced outside their house, their footsteps echoing off the walls as they anxiously awaited Dana. Their minds conjured worst-case scenarios—an ambulance arriving with Dana's lifeless body. The memory of her suicide threat, uttered to manipulate them into buying her a bicycle, now haunted them. Rose's fear had solidified into conviction: something terrible had happened. She grasped Emilie's arm, grip tight with urgency. Emilie's fingers were raw from nervous biting. 'Call your father!' Rose demanded, voice low and desperate. 'Dana only listens to him. If he calls her, maybe she'll come home—if she's not already dead.' Emilie hesitated, protesting. 'Mom, he's in another city. What can he do?' But Rose's desperation overrode reason. Just then, Dana appeared, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to her mother's frantic worry. 'No need for that. And I'm not dead,' she said flatly. Rose's anger erupted. 'Where the hell were you?' Dana's response was icy: 'I think that would
Last Updated : 2022-08-08
Chapter 3
After several months of anticipation, the day of departure finally arrived. Families of Defense Academy students gathered at the airport to bid farewell. 'If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me, okay?' Nate said, his voice filled with sadness and pride. Dana replied with a peace sign. 'Sure thing, Dad.' Rose's voice was laced with exaggeration. 'Don't dare come home with bruises, cuts, an amputated leg or hand, or even a broken neck, okay?' Dana rolled her eyes. 'Yes, ma'am.' Emilie embraced her tightly. 'Take care, and call me when you arrive. Don't forget to call if you need anything, okay?' Dana joked. 'Only if you promise to get married and have lots of kids before I return.' Martine's voice was filled with longing. 'Take care of my sister, please.' As they prepared to part, Martine's eyes welled with tears. 'Oh God, I'm going to miss you all so much.' She looked at Cathy, Dana, and Chelsea. 'I'll take the exam again next time, I promise. I'll prepare harder so I ca
Last Updated : 2022-08-08
Chapter 4
The huge bell in the training center rang at 6:50 am. The girls had assumed it was for church services, but it was meant for waking those who liked to sleep in. An announcement about the punishment for arriving last sent the dormitory into frenzy. To save time, Dana and the girls shared the bathroom simultaneously. 'Has anyone seen my lotion?' Cathy asked, searching frantically. 'Yeah,' Chelsea answered. 'Really, where?' Cathy asked. 'In my nostrils,' Chelsea said, laughing hard. Cathy stared at her, wondering if the announcement hadn't even registered. 'Here it is,' Jasmine said, holding it up. 'Thanks. You're useful for something,' Cathy said. They hurried to the field with other girls. Their uniforms displayed their names, country, and state on the back. There were fewer girls than expected. Some people weren't cut out for the job. As they walked together, they became the center of attention. 'We're the center of attraction,' Cathy sang happily. She loved being in the sp
Last Updated : 2022-08-08
Chapter 5
Examination day arrived. The trainees were confident about the practical test but terrified of the theoretical portion. Some had smuggled cheat sheets into the exam hall, hoping to slip answers to their peers when the instructors weren't watching. 'Write as many answers as possible. No cheating. Good luck,' Swart said, turning to the chalkboard. The trainees barely waited for him to finish before questions started flying. 'Hey Dana, what's the name of that explosive that makes a loud noise when it detonates?' Cathy asked. 'There are several explosives like that,' Dana replied, keeping her eyes on her paper. 'No, the one from yesterday's lesson,' Cathy insisted. 'C4?' 'Yes, thanks.' When results posted, no trainees had failed. Their contraband strategy had worked. But the exam was only half the battle. Next came the personal test—no partners, no shortcuts. 'Personal test begins now! Who's first?' No one moved. Dana decided to get it over with and stepped forward, but Daniel
Last Updated : 2022-08-09
Chapter 6
Three Years Later Swart had ascended to Minister of Defense. He'd kept his friendship with Phillips despite everything—despite the lie they'd both told, despite the massacre they'd allowed to happen. At his promotion ceremony, Phillips approached with a handshake. 'Congratulations, my friend.' 'Thank you,' Swart said, but there was no warmth in it. 'The President summoned me. I should go,' Phillips said. 'Of course.' General George appeared, older now but still pulling strings. 'Worth it, wasn't it? What we did three years ago?' Swart said nothing. George smiled. 'The thing about being a General, Swart, is that you get used to decisions like that. You'll see.' Life moved on in Horki. But not for the families of the dead. Rose opened her eyes in a dark bedroom. No Dana. Would never be Dana again. She'd held a memorial service three years ago. No body to bury. They'd given her nothing—no uniform, no identification, just a name on a plaque. 'Mom, are you coming to the church?'
Last Updated : 2022-08-09
Chapter 7
Phillips, unaware that his entire family had just been murdered, burst into the State CIA office and began pouring out everything he knew about the incident. He was directed to the Captain of the CIA agents, who happened to be George’s son — an upright agent who dealt only in facts and truth, and who was more than ready to help his father’s friend. “Here — this is Elisa’s number. But someone calling herself Nada rang me with it and said some things I didn’t understand,” Phillips said. “What kind of things didn’t you understand?” Adan asked. “Something about three years ago, but that’s not important right now. I need you to save my wife — this Nada said they’ve already killed Thelma,” Phillips said, his voice quivering. “I know what to do with this,” Adan said, taking the phone from him. “Get the agents ready, and bring SWAT along too!” he ordered, striding into his office with Phillips’ phone still in hand. Adan dialed Elisa’s number. It was answered on the second ring. “Adan Ro
Last Updated : 2022-08-09
Chapter 8
“Captain, these are the files you requested,” Stephany said, walking into Adan’s office. “Thanks,” Adan said. “What are you working on, sir?” Stephany asked, glancing at his laptop. “Just something I’m digging into,” Adan replied, not looking up. “Wait — why are you going through the gas explosion from three years ago, in Danima?” Stephany asked. “You know about that?” Adan asked, surprised. He’d assumed only a handful of people knew about the incident, especially given how thoroughly Swart and Phillips had buried it. No one ever talked about it, and he himself hadn’t heard a word about it until recently — even though he’d been a CIA trainee at the time it happened. It was almost as if the whole country had spoken of it for one day, then forgotten it existed. “Yeah. I lost my cousin Daniel in it. Remember?” Stephany said. “Right, right. Was he there too?” “He was. It always struck me as suspicious — 355 people wiped out at once, without a trace,” Stephany said. “I’ve got a fe
Last Updated : 2022-08-09
Chapter 9
Nada walked into the apartment and dropped onto the sofa. The living room was spacious and well-furnished, lined with monitors feeding live footage from the police department, the State CIA, and the hospital where Hannah was staying. Mini stepped out of a room with her gun raised, eyeing Nada suspiciously before finally lowering it. “Thought I was an intruder? A thief, maybe?” Nada asked. “How do you walk in without making a single sound?” Mini demanded. “Forget the noise. I got it,” Nada said. “Got what?” Fae asked, emerging from another room. “Everything we need on Swart. Even planted one of Fae’s little toys on her cell phone.” “Really? Your acting’s better than I gave you credit for,” Mini said. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” “So are you going to tell us what you found, or do we have to beg?” Blesse asked. “Beg,” Nada said, closing her eyes. “Seriously?” the other four said in unison. “Fine. She’s got two kids — Macleod and Daisy. The boy runs some company but still
Last Updated : 2022-08-09
Chapter 10
Nebula danced like she’d lost her mind, shoving the other girls aside and screaming along to the music at the top of her lungs. The drink had fully taken hold of her now, and Blesse kept shooting Nada dirty looks for insisting they come out at all. Nada was the leader, though Blesse was the eldest of them — a fact Blesse didn’t dispute, since Nada was the better fighter and sharper when it came to running an operation. Where Blesse took issue was everything else: the reckless, common-sense-free way Nada ran her life. Nada and the others lived like they had nothing to lose, because in a sense, they didn’t — not after what the bombing had taken from them. They had no real hope of ever going home. Blesse still did. When Katherine had taken them all in and molded them into killers, Blesse had gone along with it only because she was new to Horki and needed a way to survive. The others had embraced it fully. Nada most of all. Blesse rolled her eyes and headed to the bar for another drink
Last Updated : 2022-08-09