All Chapters of The Exile's reckoning : Chapter 111
- Chapter 120
173 chapters
The Submarine
Sixty seconds before the yacht went under completely.CIA agents fast-roping onto the tilting deck. Water rushing over rails. Fire spreading. Chaos in every direction."Everyone into lifeboats!" Kai shouted. "Now!"The team scrambled. Derek and Nadia carrying Julie between them. Reeves supporting Torres. Lila already at the first lifeboat, releasing the mechanism.Theodore stood at the yacht's stern. Calm. Always impossibly calm."My submarine is here," he said to Kai. "Come with me. Last chance.""I'm not joining you.""Then you're a fool." Theodore's expression didn't change. "You could've changed the world.""Maybe." Kai met his eyes. "But I'd lose myself doing it."Theodore nodded. Once. Understanding. Then turned toward the stern where an underwater exit hatch was concealed beneath the deck.CIA agents closing in. Twenty seconds until they reached the team. Maybe less.Kai made a split-second decision.Raised his weapon. Aimed at the yacht's fuel tank.Fired an incendiary round.
The Interrogations
The aircraft carrier had interrogation rooms scattered across multiple decks. The team separated. Isolated. Each facing their own inquisitor.---Julie - Interrogation Room 3, Medical DeckShe sat in a wheelchair, still too weak to stand for long. IV drip attached to her arm. But her eyes were clear. Defiant.CIA Agent Morrison sat across from her. Mid-forties. Kind face. The type who probably had daughters Julie's age."Is your brother planning to join Theodore Blackwell?"Julie's laugh was bitter. "My brother plans to destroy the Consortium. Including Theodore.""He let Theodore escape.""He let a sinking man reach safety. That's different."Morrison leaned forward. Sympathetic but duty-bound. "Julie, I know you've been through hell. We have reports of what they did to you. A year of torture. Brainwashing. We can help you. But you need to cooperate.""I am cooperating. I'm telling you the truth.""Your truth. Or Kai's truth?"Julie met his eyes. "Same thing."Morrison sighed. Made a
International Waters
The small motorboat barely looked seaworthy. Rusted edges. Patched hull. The kind of vessel you’d abandon in a harbor, not trust with your life.Armed guards escorted the team across the carrier deck at gunpoint. To the boat. No ceremony. No explanation.Hawthorne stood at the rail. Watching.“You’re being released in international waters,” he said. “No charges. No protection.”Kai stared at him. “You’re abandoning us at sea?”“I’m releasing you beyond US jurisdiction. What happens after is not my concern.”The team was loaded into the boat. Kai. Julie, barely conscious. Lila. Nadia. Derek. Torres, still favoring his wounded side. Reeves. Three FBI agents.Ten people in a boat meant for six.The supplies were minimal. Three days of food. Two days of water. Basic medical kit. No weapons. GPS showing two hundred miles to the nearest land.The carrier’s engines roared to life. Moving. Full speed. Away from them.Hawthorne’s voice crackled over a handheld radio thrown into the boat.“By t
The Submarine
The submarine’s interior defied everything Kai expected. Not military sterile. Not cramped and claustrophobic. Luxury. Actual luxury.Wood paneling lined the corridors. Comfortable quarters with real beds. Full amenities. A common area with leather seating and ambient lighting. The kind of vessel that cost half a billion dollars or more.Theodore stood in the common area, waiting as the team was brought down the ladder.“Welcome. Make yourselves comfortable.”Julie was rushed immediately to the medical bay. Dr. Sato—Japanese, fifties, credentials visible on the wall that would impress any hospital board—began treatment without delay. IV lines. Antibiotics. Professional. Efficient.The rest of the team was shown to individual cabins. Actual privacy. Comfortable beds. The first real comfort in weeks.Theodore addressed them in the corridor. “You’re free to move about the ship. Only three areas are restricted: engine room, armory, and my personal quarters. For safety, not secrecy.”Kai s
The Purge
The team assembled in Theodore’s command center. Groggy. Confused. But present.Theodore pulled up the intelligence on the main screen. A list. Names. Locations. Two hundred plus.“The Consortium is issuing kill orders on every journalist who published the leaked files,” Theodore said. “They’re erasing everyone who knows their secrets. Witnesses, reporters, editors.”Lila stepped closer to the screen. Scanned the list. Stopped.Her name. Number three.“They’re going to kill all of us?” one of the FBI agents asked.“Not all. Just the journalists. The people who made the information public. You’re not high priority. Yet.” Theodore zoomed in. “Major targets first. CNN, BBC, New York Times headquarters. Not individual assassinations. Mass casualty events. Disguised as terror attacks.”Kai processed. “How many casualties?”“Thousands. If they succeed at all five major sites.” Theodore pulled up building schematics. “They’re not subtle. They want a message sent. Attack the press, silence di
The Broadcast
The countdown hit zero.Theodore’s satellite network hijacked major channels. Illegal. But effective. For four minutes, Kai Cross would reach two billion people.Red light. Live.Kai faced the camera. Exhausted. Determined. The weight of thousands of lives in his words.“My name is Kai Cross. Three weeks ago, I leaked the Consortium files. Exposed twelve people controlling global chaos. Governments. Wars. Economic collapses. All orchestrated.”He paused. Let that sink in.“The Consortium is now targeting everyone who published those files. Journalists. Editors. Anyone who knew their secrets.”The screen split. Kai on one side. Surveillance footage on the other.“Attacks are happening now. CNN evacuated. BBC burning. Al Jazeera bombed. This is not coincidence. This is retaliation.”The footage showed men in maintenance uniforms. New York Times building basement. Planting C4 charges. Professional. Methodical. Time stamp: three hours ago.“These are the next targets.”Kai listed them. Cl
The Hunt
Six destroyers converged on their position. Unprecedented. Historic. Enemies working together.USS John McCain. American power projection.HMS Defender. British naval pride.Liaoning. Chinese carrier group.Admiral Gorshkov. Russian firepower.Charles de Gaulle. French nuclear capability.Giuseppe Garibaldi. Italian coordination.Theodore monitored the radar with something close to fascination. “Never seen this before. Six nations coordinating to sink one submarine. We should feel honored.”The submarine’s crew was preparing for combat. Loading torpedoes. Battle stations. Professional but tense. They’d never faced odds like this.“Can we fight them?” Kai asked.Theodore calculated. “Two torpedoes per destroyer. We’d maybe sink three before being destroyed. Unacceptable losses on both sides.”“Then we run,” Nadia said.“Better.” Theodore moved to a different console. “We disappear.”He activated a system Kai hadn’t seen before. Six panels lighting up. Mechanical sounds from the submari
The Vatican
The submarine surfaced five miles off the Italian coast. Nighttime. Dark water. No moon.An unmarked boat approached. Medical team aboard. Professional. Discrete. Vatican personnel in civilian clothes.Julie was transferred first. Still unconscious. Fever-ridden. But stable for now. Dr. Sato coordinated with the Vatican medical team. Rapid Italian. Torres stayed with her, refusing to be separated from his patient.The rest of the team disembarked. Kai. Lila. Nadia. Derek. Reeves. Theodore.The boat moved swiftly toward shore. No lights. No radio chatter. Ghost ship carrying ghosts.They docked at a private pier. Hidden. Not on any map. Armed security waited. Not Italian police. Not military. Vatican Swiss Guard in tactical gear.“This way,” one said. American accent. Former military bearing.They were escorted through a door in the pier structure. Down stairs. Into tunnels.“Secret entrance,” Theodore explained quietly. “Built during World War Two. One of twelve access points the Vati
The First Strike
Rossetti spread the briefing materials across the conference table. Photos. Schematics. Guard rotations.“Senator Vance is alive. Faked his death after the estate explosion. Requested Vatican asylum six weeks ago. Paid twenty million dollars for protection.”Kai looked up. “You granted it?”“We granted it to monitor him. Track his communications. Learn about the other Consortium members.” Rossetti smiled thinly. “And now we’re offering him to you.”The villa was in Rome’s suburbs. Modest by billionaire standards. Six bodyguards. Moderate security. Vance thought Vatican protection made him untouchable.He was wrong.“Kai, Nadia, Derek take the mission,” Rossetti said. “Lila stays with Julie. Others rest. You’ll need them for the next targets.”Theodore activated his tablet. “I’ll provide real-time surveillance from the submarine. Satellite feed. Thermal imaging. Guard positions.”Two AM. The villa was quiet.-----They approached in darkness. Silent. Professional.Derek moved like his
Act I Finale - The Escape
The news hit like a physical blow.All ten remaining Consortium members had fled. Every location compromised. Geneva. Zurich. Dubai. Singapore. Moscow. All empty.Theodore pulled up the surveillance feeds. Abandoned safe houses. Private jets departing. Bank accounts being transferred. The Consortium’s emergency protocols in full effect.“We lost them,” Theodore said flatly. “They’ll go underground for years. New identities. New networks. Deep cover.”Kai stood in the Vatican conference room. Staring at the empty locations on the map. Feeling the weight of his choice crushing him.“I tried to do the right thing,” he said quietly. “I lost us the war.”Rossetti approached. Placed a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “You chose mercy over murder. That’s never wrong.”“It cost us everything—”“It cost us time. Not everything.” Rossetti gestured to the holding cell where Vance waited. “Vance will testify. Public trial. International tribunal. His testimony will expose the Consortium’s operations. Thei