The teakwood door of the President's office on the second floor of City Hall was slammed shut so hard its hinges screamed."Bastard!" Vara cursed, kicking an iron chair until it flew and crashed against the wall. The assassin paced back and forth like a caged tiger, her hand never leaving the hilt of her Cosmo Rapier. "You let that scum walk out with our military tablet, El! In front of thousands of citizens! Our public opinion is in shambles down there!"Elian walked calmly to his desk. He took off his dark glasses, placing them on a pile of documents. The golden rings in his irises spun slowly, emitting a residual gravitational pressure that immediately made the air in the room feel heavy."If I had let you slice Togar's neck on that stage, City Hall would have been burned down by the mob by tomorrow morning," Elian answered coldly. He rubbed his tired face. "We're dealing with hungry people whose minds are easily twisted. Using physical violence would just pr

The tip of Major Dirga's revolver felt as cold as ice as it pressed against Vara's temple. Inside the Sector Four warehouse, illuminated by a dozen halogen floodlights, time seemed to stand still. Dirga's index finger was already tense on the trigger. A dozen renegade red beret soldiers stood in a semicircle, the muzzles of their assault rifles locked on every inch of Vara and Agus's movements. "Lower your weapon, Commander Vara. And order that giant to kneel," Dirga repeated coldly, his voice devoid of any hesitation. "You've entered a restricted area." Togar laughed loudly, his voice echoing among the piles of stolen water gallons and medicine boxes. "You're done for, you bitch! This afternoon you pointed your sword at my neck. Now, let's see how your brains splatter on my warehouse floor!" Vara gritted her teeth. Her eyes darted sharply towards Dirga. The assassin was calculating the distance. If

The law of the jungle had spoken, and the price of betrayal was paid in blood. The cleanup of the logistics warehouse in Sector Four was quick. Seeing Major Dirga's corpse lying with a hole in his forehead and Togar's leg bones crushed under Agus's foot, the remaining members of the New Native Union and the renegade soldiers immediately dropped their weapons to the concrete floor. They surrendered unconditionally, begging for mercy with their faces kissing the asphalt, which was splattered with their comrades' blood. There was no more resistance. The dirty coup had died before the sun could even set. The last of the hoarded logistics were immediately returned to Mr. Hendra's authority. Now, night had fallen over Jakarta. The streetlights and the glow from the buildings powered by the Banten Nuclear Power Plant created a breathtaking sea of light in the middle of the ruins. The city that had been dead

NGUIIIING! NGUIIIING! NGUIIIING! The Defcon 1 siren wailed, tearing through the Jakarta night sky. Red emergency floodlights spun rapidly, sweeping across a sea of dust and thick asphalt smoke that billowed from the center of the City Hall courtyard. Just a few seconds ago, this place had been a relatively calm evacuation area. Now, a three-meter-deep crater gaped wide in the very heart of the square. Colonel Badra coughed violently, waving the thick dust from in front of his face. The veteran officer's ears were still ringing loudly from the sonic boom's effect. "Form up! Surround the crater! No one retreats!" Badra roared with a hoarse voice, cocking his assault rifle. Dozens of the remaining City Guard soldiers rushed through the smoke. The barrels of their rifles trembled. The hands that usually held their weapons firmly were now slick with cold sweat. These were the men who