Emily's excited voice broke William's train of thought, dispelling what little guilt he had left. Justifying it to himself, he thought, he wasn't entirely heartless or without compassion. The little one clinging to his back was proof enough. After all, if he were going to help someone, it had to be someone who wasn't a threat to him. With that in mind, William's mood improved. He cheerfully kissed the little girl's head and said, "That's right, we're almost safe. There's only one more part to go. So Emily, you'll need to cover yourself with the coat, alright? The next bit isn't for children."
"No problem, Mr. Devonshire. I'm very smart," she replied, quickly tucking her head under the bulletproof coat and grabbing the collar tightly. "I'm all hidden!"
"Good, maybe you'll get a nice surprise soon," William said with a smile, typing a message to his AI assistant, Sunday, on his phone. "Just to confirm, Emily's earpiece didn't pick up what you said earlier, right?"
"No, sir," Sunday replied.
"Good," William muttered, replaying what he had said earlier in his mind. The only potentially suspicious phrases he could recall were "anti-air missiles," "Air Force One," and "the people on Air Force One." But all that could be explained as something he said after learning about the attack on Air Force One.
Looking at his watch, he saw it was 10:21 and deliberately said, "It's 10:31. We'll try to get out of here before noon so Emily doesn't get too hungry. If you want a big meal, you'll need to stay quiet whenever I tell you not to speak. Got it?"
"Yes, Mr. Devonshire," Emily replied in a whisper from under the coat, quickly apologizing, "Sorry, Mr. Devonshire, I'll stop talking now."
"Good girl," William said. "Now cover your ears."
When he felt a small pat on his back, William smiled, raised his gun, and cautiously headed down into the bunker.
"Sir, I think you should see this," Sunday said, and a virtual projection appeared on William's smart glasses. It displayed a live broadcast from CNN and an audio message: "I am Amir Bakawi. If you haven't heard of me, don't worry—you soon will. I am officially announcing to the world that the Desert Vengeance Organization has taken control of the White Palace. If you want your President Benjamin Arthur safe and sound, withdraw all troops from the desert region by 6 p.m. New York time today. You have seven and a half hours to decide. God bless America."
"Well, isn't this interesting," William chuckled, quickly understanding that someone was using the already-dead Bakawi as a cover to stir up trouble.
Now that they were safely inside the bunker with the doors locked, and the spider robots had entered to secure the area, William finally had a chance to think about how familiar these events seemed.
Thinking back, he recalled scenes from his memories—the dome of the Capitol blowing up, Air Force One taken down by their own forces. As these clues clicked into place, William recognized the plot unfolding.
It wasn't immediately obvious, maybe because White House Down wasn't as well-known as Olympus Has Fallen.
Now that he'd identified the scenario, William no longer hesitated and continued quietly down into the bunker. With the images transmitted by the spider robots and the scans from his psychic powers, William didn't even need to expose himself. From around corners and shadows, he could extend his arm, aim his gun, and pick off the unsuspecting terrorists.
In no time, silenced gunfire echoed throughout the bunker, and seven or eight armed terrorists fell. Those who did notice were soon taken down by spider robots that dropped from the ceiling and shocked them into paralysis.
Without even emptying his 12-round USP pistol, the bunker was clear of terrorists, except for a hacker chewing on a lollipop, wearing glasses, and gaping at him in shock.
William greeted the dumbfounded President Benjamin Arthur with a grin. "Good morning, Benjamin. Didn't expect we'd meet again so soon."
"Fk you, William, you damn lunatic," Benjamin muttered, wiping blood from his face, the metallic smell making him gag.
He quickly took out a handkerchief, wiped his face, and slapped his forehead in frustration. "You nearly shot me in the head!"
William smirked, pointed his gun at the hacker, and shot, precisely knocking the lollipop stick out of his mouth.
"Relax. Within forty meters, I don't miss," William said. Then he looked down at the hacker, who was now trembling in a panic. "Care to tell me what you know, sir?"
"I-I-I…" the hacker stammered.
Bang!
"Ahhhhh!" The hacker screamed, clutching his leg in pain. The scream made little Emily shiver on William's back.
William sighed. The silenced gunshots hadn't frightened her, but now, hearing such a painful scream, she was scared.
Walking over to one of the dead terrorists, he nudged a knife from the body with his foot and flicked it at the hacker, silencing him instantly.
Turning to Emily, he spoke gently, "Don't be scared, don't be scared. Just a few more minutes, and you'll be able to come out."
Benjamin finally noticed that what William was carrying wasn't a backpack but a child. Surprised, he asked, "Who's that kid you're carrying? Must be someone pretty special."
William paused, shrugged after a moment's thought, and said, "Guess it's my conscience."
Ignoring Benjamin's astonishment, he quickly moved all the bodies into a side room and blocked it with a table. Unwrapping the fabric tied around his chest, he placed Emily, still bundled in the bulletproof coat, on a table in front of him, patting her head. "Alright, little one, you can come out. We're safe now."
Emily obediently poked her head out, looked at William, and then glanced around, covering her mouth in awe when she spotted Benjamin. "Oh my gosh, Mr. Devonshire, I see the President!"
"Yeah, yeah," William rolled his eyes, "What's so great about him? Didn't you hear how rudely he was talking to me just now? Let's ignore him."
"But…but I really like Mr. Benjamin. Every morning at five, I get up and wait to see his helicopter fly over my house," Emily said softly.
"Well then, maybe next time the President himself can take you aboard Marine One. Right, Benjamin?" William looked at Benjamin with a grin.
Benjamin smiled warmly at Emily. "Of course, I'll take you up on Marine One as soon as we're out of here. We're partners now, after all."
Emily's face lit up, but then she looked up at William, asking softly, "Can I?"
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]