---
Chapter Fifteen: The Chaotic World
"Did you have a good time, William?"
Merlin said that you had found a small companion, but he didn't mention that it was very small.
Arthur spoke calmly and deeply. He talked about the mission and ways William could have performed better, giving him a few kind reminders that they are secret agents.
"I think that as time passes, William will grow more with his failures and victories. Nobody is born a perfect agent, Arthur."
"I had the same in mind, Harry."
Merlin was thinking about what kind of food to prepare for little Beta to help it grow stronger.
William occasionally talked about the beautiful regions of the Arctic, but Merlin disagreed. William thought that in the Information Age, one must always stay updated and not live in a barren desert. Harry said that for a short rest and escaping the work environment, it was fine. Arthur occasionally had thoughts on his face or a small smile.
The conversation was coming to an end when Merlin quickly left the virtual channel after giving a warning. Then Arthur and Harry left.
William knew that an important news had come, but it wasn't very important to him. He had no one outside; even if a nuclear war broke out, he wouldn't be in a hurry to escape. This base was one of the nuclear bomb-proof locations.
He went to the study room and left Beta to its own devices.
He wanted to study the dagger he had found in the ancient cave, but he couldn't find anything in the base library archives. He was curious whether this dagger, with its unusual shape, had magical properties like the Time Triangle.
He left the base and went to the grand library in London. He spent nearly half a day searching through historical and ancient books for signs of historical lands. But there were no clues—from ancient Greece and the Olympian gods with Zeus' thunder and Poseidon's trident to the Asgardian gods in Scottish legends with Odin's spear and Thor's mighty hammer—there was nothing about a dagger with an hourglass-shaped handle.
He found nothing in the ancient records of Egypt, Arabia, or Russia either.
But one of the old Persian legends mentioned that the ancient god of Time and Fate, Zurvan, created a weapon and gave it to his good son, Ahura, to fight his evil brother. This weapon was dagger-shaped and extremely powerful. Its wielder could travel to the past and cause massive sandstorms.
Very fantastical.
This was William's first thought, but the illustrations of the dagger were somewhat similar to his own, though not exactly.
"Good progress, continue your search."
Before he could search further, the alarm on his watch went off, signaling that it was time to return to the base. William quickly returned the books and went back to the base.
A meeting was held with all staff and agents. After a few minutes, murmurs about news spread, but no one knew the details.
Merlin, Harry, and Arthur sat in their places. Everyone was silent, waiting for the news.
At Merlin's command, the lights were turned off, and an image was displayed on the screen.
The image showed a large white building, filled with black smoke. Gunfire and grenade explosions could be heard. The number on the screen changed, showing a young man with almond-shaped eyes and a harsh face, speaking American English with a Korean accent. Ordinary people in England would hardly understand him, but since all those present were elite agents, they got a general understanding of what he was saying.
They needed two things: the withdrawal of American troops from Korea, and access to the launch codes of the US nuclear missiles. To achieve this, they attacked the White House and took President Benjamin Asher and his cabinet hostage.
Vice President Mr. Alan Trumbull, who was Black, and Congress and the Pentagon hadn't made a decision yet. The Korean man was threatening the hostages, demanding immediate compliance.
Everyone in the meeting hall was stunned.
"Are we really in the 21st century on Earth? Are you joking with me?"
"Today isn't April 1st, is it?"
"Is this really the White House?"
"Unbelievable!"
"Everyone, listen. I know this seems strange and unacceptable, but these images were received by us about an hour ago. America, or the whole world, is in a critical moment. All major countries are on full alert. All secret organizations have prepared for war. This is not a warning; this is a full-scale military operation."
Everyone remained silent, listening to Arthur.
"If the nuclear codes fall into the hands of terrorists, God knows what they will do."
Merlin highlighted the locations of US nuclear bombs on the screen.
If this happens, several scenarios are possible, but the three most likely are:
1. They detonate one or more nuclear bombs outside the atmosphere, disarming America.
2. They explode them at the bases, destroying America and the Earth.
3. They launch bombs to various parts of the world, starting a nuclear war.
All three scenarios would harm the entire world.
"What should we do?" someone asked, and everyone looked at Arthur.
"We can only wait."
Two hours later, news arrived about the activation of American nuclear bombs, which were supposed to explode at the bases. Everyone was stressed. All British military satellites reported severe radioactive attacks in the US sky to all countries.
But a few minutes later, all warnings were cleared. Thanks to intelligence from spies and information from the US, all terrorists were either killed or captured. The hostages were freed, and control of the nuclear bombs was regained by the military at the last moment.
All countries breathed a sigh of relief, waiting for official news from the US.
---