He checked the clock. Eight minutes.
‘I think it’s about time to discharge,’ he said to himself.
Somewhere in the distance, as if on cue, a small explosion detonated. The sound rippled off the many walls, reaching Denton as he straightened his tie. He stepped out of the ward in time to see suited men and armed soldiers rush for the explosion and doctors and nurses scatter. Only two remained calm and standing: his operatives.
‘I always wanted an explosive discharge,’ Denton said.
Epilogue
In the unlikely event the historical record of humankind breaks from tradition and reflects the truth, it would note that by the close of 2001 the Fifth Column had achieved its aim of directly manipulating governments and, indirectly, proxy governments. The organization had spent the next decade stripping basic freedoms from supreme law. To turn governments against their citizens, citizens against their governments.
The record would go on to state that terrorism — the use of violence to coerce political change — was used during the first two decades of the twenty-first century with overwhelming success by the Fifth Column and the operatives at its disposal, chiefly through deception and carefully managed campaigns. That the Fifth Column itself was, paradoxically, the terrorist. The record might also note that leaders of the Fifth Column strove to herd as many of the people of the world as possible into a fine order of control for a very precise reason — so that when it became obvious the real threats to the people’s freedoms were cataclysmic weather and cometary viruses — both inextricably linked — the chance for mass revolution would be long past and the Fifth Column would, despite widespread hysteria, maintain control for the foreseeable future. The human race had crossed the abyss from which there was no return.
But as an addendum, the record would note that a small group of former operatives prevented their rogue case officer from obtaining a dangerous virus of extra-planetary origin.
The former operatives continued their small, overlooked campaign against the Fifth Column. Their successes would not be known. Their names would not be known. But they would continue.
They would continue until the Fifth Column fell.
Or until they did.
About Nathan M Farrugia
Nathan Farrugia served in the Australian Army in infantry and reconnaissance, and studied film, television and professional writing. He has worked as a post-production video editor, colorist and copywriter, where he earned the nickname Fagoogoo because no one could pronounce Farrugia.
Nathan lives in Melbourne, Australia. In his spare time he discovers hidden places around the world with urban explorers, practices lock picking and escaping from plasticuffs and straitjackets (you never know when that will come in handy, right?) and studies Systema, a little-known martial art and closely guarded secret of Russian special forces. Nathan has trained under USMC, SEAL team and Spetsnaz instructors, the Chiricahua Apache scouts and Australian Aboriginals. He also drinks tea.