Burak drew his gun. "Don't speak ill of our leader like that. I will admit that there are some methods the leader imposes that are flawed, such as you being made an Omega target. If it were up to me, I'd shoot you in the head right now." He got an idea. "On second thought..." he pulled the hammer. "...that sounds like a good idea."
Cassie stared at Burak in the eyes to show that she felt no fear towards him, staring at him like a lion protecting its pride. She bared her teeth at him as he began squeezing at the trigger.
"W-wait," the stuttering Hasan spoke, "d-don't do i-it, Bura-k."
Burak ignored him and the trigger was pulled halfway back before the sound of a gun being cocked right next to his ear.
"Drake is an O-omega... can't... hu-rt... h-her."
Burak turned to look at Hasan to find himself staring into the face of a gun barrel.
The stuttering Hasan had a sweaty, nervous expression on his face that was quickly replaced with a face of confidence and seriousness.
"I'm ordering you not to shoot Drake," Hasan spoke smoothly and clearly.
"You're aiming your gun at the wrong person!" Burak yelled and nearly pulled the trigger.
"Did I stutter?!" Hasan yelled in his face. "Put the gun down or I'll put you down."
The Overlord soldiers pointed their guns at Burak.
"Sir," a soldier began, "we are going to have to insist you put the gun away. Drake is an Omega and therefore, has been granted immunity from death."
Burak refused to put the gun down. "She is responsible for so many deaths and because she is an Omega target, she gets a free pass? It's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair," Hasan chuckled. "But Drake is going to help us make it fair for us, one way or another, as the Leader declared her an Omega target."
Burak turned his gaze back at Cassie. "After everything she's done... you really can't-"
Leyla grabbed her husband's hand with the gun. "Burak, please put the gun down," she begged. She grabbed him by the collar. "Put. The gun. Down."
Burak looked at his wife with a hint of betrayal in his eyes, not expecting his wife to 'turn' on him. "You actually want Drake to live?"
She shook her head. "As much as I hate her, we need her alive. The rules are we keep Drake alive as she is invaluable. If you disobey orders, you are disrespecting everything that Overlord stands for. You are disrespecting the future that we are trying to build for our son." She grabbed the gun with her other hand. "Put the gun down."
While they were distracted, Derek looked over to the bridge to see that the edge had been fenced off. He didn't know how high they were but as long as they landed feet-first into the water, they should be fine. Derek looked at Cassie, discreetly tapping her shoulder with his finger, and gestured with his eyes over to the bridge.
She nodded her eyeballs up and down.
Then Derek remembered something. I hope there are no rocks for us to fall down below.
"Alright." Burak put down the gun and looked back at the treasure hunters. "I won't kill you but I won't let any of you-"
A gunshot rang off and a bullet whistled past Burak's head. He instinctively turned and shot at the person and hit them in the shoulder. It was dark out but there was enough moonlight to illuminate the face of the man clutching his wounded shoulder.
Tariq.
"Well, well, well," Burak laughed, "Tariq the bartender. Hey, have you managed to get any discounts for us on beers?"
Tariq picked up his fallen gun and aimed it at the soldiers.
They drew their guns.
"You betrayed me," Tariq said. "Your boys shot at my boys at the warehouse. You killed almost all of them!"
Burak shrugged. "Religious fanatics like you don't have a place in this world."
"Nor do people who favor ambition over human life," the bartender countered. "I will kill you all."
Cassie waved. "Tariq, good thing you are here! These people aiming guns at us are terrorists. God sent you to save us from these terrorists so if you can shoot them-"
"Shut up," Tariq cut off. "Shut up!"
"You're outnumbered," Leyla warned. "Give up. Ten to one."
"Ten to two," Tariq corrected, nodding to a man who suddenly materialized behind him. "Right, Arda?"
The man called Arda shook his head.
"Arda?" Tariq looked around to see a gun pointed at his face.
"I'm sorry," Arda whispered with guilt. "I truly am."
Tariq's eyes went wide, forgetting the pain of the bullet in his shoulder. "No."
"I never wanted this to happen," Arda promised, "you really were like a brother to me, more of a brother than my real brother was."
Hasan grunted in annoyance.
Tariq wanted to lash out at him to claw out his eyeballs with his fingernails but his hands felt numb and he could only follow his instinct to ask the one question on his mind.
"How long?"
Arda didn't ask for any clarifications because he knew what Tariq was asking. "8 years."
Tariq nodded, accepting the truth rather than denying it. "Drafted or..."
"Overlord does not draft," Hasan spoke.
"Hasan," Arda spoke softly, "let me talk."
Hasan nodded.
"You started your cause to fight in what you believe in, I joined a cause to fight in what I believe in."
Tariq nodded with a blank expression. "I can't get mad at you right there. I guess..."
"This is poetic justice."
Tariq turned to the source of the voice: The Priest.
The Priest lifted his head up and looked at Tariq, feeling the strength in his legs come back as he faced his opponent. "You have been killing people for the most ludicrous of reasons. God gave us free will and if you're killing us to stop us from expressing free will then this is the perfect karma."
Tariq looked at the Priest with a look on his face that said, you-don't-know-anything.
"You committed acts of terrorism, you kidnapped my niece-"
Tariq furrowed his brows into a V. "I didn't kidnap your niece."
The Priest went silent. "What?"
"I would never do something like that to a child. What gave you the idea that I kidnapped your niece?"
The Priest stuttered to get the words out. "You know my identity and about Bethany and if Overlord didn't kidnap Bethany then the only logical conclusion is you did. You kidnapped Bethany to force us to stop looking for Noah's Ark."
Tariq shook his head. "Since you guys are looking for Noah's Ark, I would never let you guys walk away scot-free."
Cassie blinked rapidly as she tried to comprehend the situation happening around her. If Overlord didn't kidnap Bethany and Sunny IsDumb didn't, then who did? A third party or someone working under these guys who went rogue?
She mentally shook her head.
It doesn't matter. We need to jump off this bridge and swim as far away as possible.
Arda looked over at Tariq. "Commander Uzun, as my superior, I am making a request that you spare Tariq. He does not deserve to die."
Burak kept his eyes focused on Cassie so Leyla answered for him. "Can you assure us that he will pose no threat to us?"
Arda nodded. Tariq nodded with visible hesitation.
"Tariq shall be spared from-" Her eyes went wide. "WHO THE HELL IS THAT?!"
Cassie, Derek, Bethany, and The Priest looked in Leyla's direction.
A pair of headlights came straight for them, a horn's roar echoing in the as the headlights got closer and closer. It didn't take a genius to know that it was a 6x6 truck and that it was coming straight for the torn SUV Cassie and co. use to escape.
"WATCH OUT!" a soldier yelled.
The truck plowed through the soldiers, crushing them under the wheels.
Arda grabbed Tariq and pulled him out the way while Leyla and Burak jumped out the way in time. Hasan dropped to the ground and barely touched flatly on the ground with the truck driving over him.
Derek yanked the Priest forward while Cassie grabbed Bethany by the wrist and hauled her away.
The driver and passenger jumped out the passenger's side just as the truck plowed into the totaled SUV with a high crash.
Tyler and Alec rolled across the ground before coming to a stop a few feet away from the SUV. Tyler looked at his watch and quickly picked himself up. "RUN!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Cassie, Derek, Bethany, Tyler, Alec, and The Priest (with all strength returned), sprinted for the gate at the edge of the bridge, climbed up and-
In the back of the 6x6 truck, a fuse on fire reached a box of dynamite and ignited the truck into a big game, setting the air around it on fire and sending black smoke into the air.
In slow motion, Burak pulled Leyla to the ground and climbed on top of her to protect her.
Hasan and Arda covered their faces with their forearms and stumbled back from the explosion.
Tariq attempted to run for it but the explosion made him jump before falling flat on his knees and landing on his stomach.
Cassie, Derek, Bethany, Tyler, Alec, and The Priest leaped off the bridge and plunged fifty feet into the ocean.
Cassie didn't realize she left two very important items behind.
After twenty minutes of swimming in the ocean, Cassie, Derek, Bethany, The Priest, Tyler, and Alec made it to shore, drenched head to toe in soaking wet water and drained of stamina.
Cassie stumbles onto the sandy beach and the minute she felt her feet touch solid ground, she collapsed to her knees before falling face-first into the sand. Derek nearly tripped and lost his balance but caught himself with his elbows. The Priest fell on his back with Bethany falling on his stomach and using it as a pillow.
Tyler and Alec stood their ground and stayed standing but their exhaustion was evident by their chests rising up and down like a teeter-totter.
"Navy SEALs!" Tyler cheered and patted Alec on the pat.
"NAVY SEALSs!" Alec cheered back.
"Thank you," Derek panted, barely getting the words out over his gasps. "How did you escape?"
"One of the soldiers who was unconscious in the warehouse decided to stay behind and hold off the soldiers," Alec answered, "after boosting us up and out the window. The trucks blew up with a stick of dynamite in the back. All we had to do was time the crash and escape."
Cassie pushed herself up with her knees and stared out into the sea, the ocean stretching as far as the eye can see.
That's a pretty view, she thought. The open ocean, the night sky, the moon, the birds chirping in the distance, everything. Sometimes, you forget to stop to smell the roses... or in this case... the salty sea.
She planted her backside in the side and wrapped her arms around her knees.
I never realized how soft this sand feels against my butt.
Her eyes widened.
Wait a second!
She quickly climbs to her feet as slowly, albeit in a drunk fashion, as possible, and reached into her back pocket to pull out... a handful of air.
Where's my journal?
She checked her other back pocket.
Where is my journal?
She checked her front pockets.
WHERE IS MY JOURNAL?!
"Oh crap!" she shouted. "I lost my notebook."
Derek sat up and looked at her. "What notebook?" Her eyes went wide. "Oh, that notebook."
If I remember correctly, Cassie put a map to the entrance to Noah's Ark inside the book. Last time I saw her use it was in the SUV before the warehouse shootout. Did she leave it in the car or...
"I must've lost it at sea or..." Cassie began pacing back and forth nervously, her fingers getting twitchy as she went back and forth on the beach.
"What's so special about that journal?" Tyler asked.
"That notebook had a map to Noah's Ark inside it," Cassie spoke in one breath. "If Overlord got their hands on it then they'll know where Noah's Ark is. If I lost it at sea, I can't use the clues I gathered to figure out how to survive inside the ark."
Once the Priest's comprehensive ability came back, he blindly asked in a slurred voice, "What are you talking about?"
"I wrote the clues of how to survive Noah's Ark in my journal and if Overlord got their hands on it then I'm dead."
"How could they have gotten their hands on it?" Derek asked. Only one thought came to his mind. "The car crash perhaps?"
"We have to get to Noah's Ark before they do." Cassie stopped pacing for a second before pacing again. "Crap, crap, crap. We can't afford to waste any time; we have to get to Mount Ararat ASAP."
The Priest sat up after gently pushing Bethany off his abdomen. "What's got you so worked up over Noah's Ark? How can that global terrorist group take over the world with Noah's Ark?"
"I agree with St. Father here," Tyler said, "a global terrorist group interested in Noah's Ark does not seem plausible."
Cassie shook her head. "No, it's not about Noah's Ark, it's about what's in Noah's Ark."
"What are you talking about?" the Priest asked.
Cassie regretted opening her mouth because she had dug herself a hole. She blurted the words out before she could premeditate what she was about to say and now everyone, even the thirteen-year-old, was looking at her oddly. She turned to her friend to see Derek looking at her suspiciously.
I'm tired, Cassie though. I'm so tired and exhausted from lying. It's not like I can walk away if I want to.
You have to find Noah's Ark. Your job, your destiny, your duty, you must complete-
Yeah, yeah, shut up inner monologue.
"I was hypnotized."
She figured if she was going to tell the truth, she might as well just get it out the way. "I don't expect any of you to believe me but that treasure box, ever since I touched that stick of wood inside, I've been getting visions. I'm on a boat, swimming in the ocean, rappeling down churches, climbing mountains, and jumping from rock to rock, and it is all leading up to something: Finding Noah's Ark." She paused when she realized her fingers subconsciously wrapped around her belt loops. "I keep hearing voices in my head, telling me to look for Noah's Ark and the more I resist, the stronger my urges become." She remembered how each vision nearly ended with Derek almost kissing her and she felt herself blush for the tiniest fraction of a second before she looked down. "These visions... they're guiding me in my search to looking for Noah's Ark. These visions told me that there were two broken off pieces of the ark hidden in the world and showed me their exact location, along with the exact location to Noah's Ark and the trials that await inside."
She paused to wait for a reaction; they let her continue talking.
"I-" she choked on her next word, "I have to find Noah's Ark." She licked her lips and nervously rubbed the fluids on her forehead and she was hoping it was ocean water and not sweat. "Even now, I'm hearing the voices in my head right now." She looks up at the Priest. "I came here to Istanbul for the sole purpose of looking for Noah's Ark, nothing more." She turned to Derek. "I didn't mean for you to get involved." She looked at Tyler and Alec. "Or your mother's old teammates." She looked at Bethany. "And especially Little B over there."
Now that she said everything on her mind, now was the time for her to face the music. No more hiding from the truth. She didn't expect any of them to believe them with the exception of Derek but she wanted them to know that they can walk away. She told herself she can finish this adventure on her. She'll find Noah's Ark, complete the trials inside, then hide it from the world. She didn't need a map because she got the exact location memorized in her head.
I never should've written it down on the map. Best case scenario, it was lost at sea but I can't risk it. I-
Tyler and Alec laughed with all the energy in their bellies.
"You really expect us to believe something like that?!" Tyler broke out in laughter. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard."
No surprise coming from an atheist, she thought.
"It all makes sense."
Cassie snapped her head at Derek, looking at him with wide eyes.
He stared at the ground as he continued, "There was something off with you going on this adventure. I thought that I was making it up in my head but I could tell by the look in your eye that you saw something that I couldn't see." He thought back to the church. "How you automatically knew the location of Noah's Ark and your insistence on risking your life looking for something so mundane, you would never expect people to shoot at you. The fact that the box belonged to Alexander Goldman, who died three years ago, last seen in Turkey if my information is up to date, supports your claim." He thought back to their previous adventures. "And not to mention the fact that we've encountered the supernatural before. There may have been a scientific explanation for the stuff we saw in the past but still... I'm more than willing to believe in genuine magic when it comes to figures to the bible."
"I don't expect you to believe me," Cassie cut off, "I wanted to explain my motives to you. I've dragged all of you deep down into this rabbit hole and I must finish this adventure myself."
"No," Derek rebutted fiercely, "you will not go on this adventure yourself." He looked her in the eyes. "I will go with you on this adventure. I will go to Mount Ararat with you and have you complete this hypnotism of finding Noah's Ark and be done with it."
"How can you accept everything I just told you at face value?"
"It's the only logical thing I can think of. We have explored some of the most uncharted places in this world and we've encountered some gnarly shit. Mummies, god-creating machines, snakes that turn you to gold with a glance, and a stone that can make one immortal? It is not a stretch when you think about it. If you're being hypnotized then the only way to break the hypnotism is to find Noah's Ark. You may know the coordinates but you said there will be trials and life has taught us to never go alone. I'm going with you."
Tyler rolled his eyes and groaned. "Damn it. If Derek is going then Alec and I are going."
"No. Tyler, I-"
"Our orders are to protect you."
"Those are orders you gave yourselves."
"Even so, a soldier never leaves a man behind, or that woman's son behind." He looked at Alec. "You're with me, right?"
Alec nodded, without an eye roll or groan. "Yes."
Cassie could tell they weren't going to change their minds so she decided not to argue with them.
"I'm not going."
The Priest climbed to his feet and grabbed Bethany by the wrist. "I've been your friend for a long time, Cassie, but if this is a normal day for you as a treasure hunter, then I'm out. I have my niece to take care of." He looked at his niece. "We're going home."
"No," Bethany shouted. "I don't want to go home."
"I don't care what you want right now, Belinay, I say we're going home."
Bethany yanked at his hand, attempting to get her wrist back. "You're my uncle, not my father."
"I almost lost you, Belinay," the Priest spoke in a calm voice. "I've been busting my ass to keep you safe and going with these people to Mount Ararat is like painting a bullseye on the back of your head for the world's greatest sniper. I will not put you in danger."
"Uncle, what happened to me was not your fault. I chose not to fight back. When I saw you blow up that truck, you told me that God would understand, which is why I hit that guy with that metal tire thingy."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Cass is in trouble and God said that a shepherd has to protect its flock. Cassie-Blanca is in trouble and we must help her. If you're not going to protect your flock then I shall do it."
The Priest grabbed her wrist. "She can take care of yourself. We're going home."
"How stupid can you be?"
The Priest glared at her. "What did you just say to me?"
"Those guys who kidnapped me knew what school I go to and when I get there. I was thinking about this when I was tied up; if they knew me well enough to know what school I went to then they could possibly know where we live. And we made Tariq made so he might kill us." When the word 'kill' left her mouth, her heart pounded in her chest like a ticking time bomb and her confidence shattered. "I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THAT ROOM!" She grabbed her uncle's waist. "We're safer with Cassie and Derek and these two jarheads."
"SEALs" Alec corrected.
"PLEASE, UNCLE, I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THAT ROOM! IF WE GO BACK HOME, WE COULD GET SNATCHED AND CASSIE MIGHT NOT SAVE US! PLEASE!"
The Priest couldn't believe what he was hearing. The news he got from Tyler about his niece being kidnapped was the worst feeling he ever felt. His heart shattered at the thought of reliving that pain but it hurt ten times worse at the thought of Bethany going back to that room with a burlap sack over her head. If what his smart niece said was true, then it wouldn't be a stretch to assume the kidnapped might go for round two and if Cassie and the others were on Mount Ararat, then they stood no chance.
Protecting his niece was his number one priority and against a group of religious fanatics and a global terrorist group, he stood no chance. The only reason they managed to put up a fight at the warehouse was because of Tyler and Alec's military comrades but all but Tyler and Alec perished in the battle.
Please, God, the Priest begged in his head. Please, protect my niece.
A single tear fell from his cheek and he wiped it away.
"We'll protect her," Alec said suddenly and insistently. "I promise to protect her Father Uncle." He crossed his heart. "I swear on my heart."
A lump grew in his throat, forcing him to answer them with his head movement.
A nod.
Cassie shook her head. "No, none of you guys have to come with me," she practically begged. "I can take on Overlord and those Sunni Idiot guys all by myself. I'll make it back."
"Cassie," Derek called, "I am going with you because you need someone to watch your back. Tyler and Alec are going because they will watch my back. The Priest is going with us to watch his niece's back and Bethany is coming with us to watch your back. I think the vote is unanimous."
Cassie buried her face in the palm of her hands and wiped the ocean water out of her face and sighed.
Looks like it's going to be a full house.
Accepting that everyone was going with her and there was no talking them out of it, she nodded and looked at Derek.
"I hear that Mount Ararat is lovely this time of year."
Derek chuckled. "If you like the cold."
She narrowed her eyes. You still owe me a conversation as promised in the church.