"Penny!!"
Charles shouted from the boat, cutting across the ocean near the explosion site. "Penny!! It’s Dad!!"
He scanned the nearby boats, all searching the expanding radius around the blast zone. The aircraft had already crashed into the sea, now slowly sinking. All that remained above water was a thick column of black smoke and scattered fire.
"Major!" One of the soldiers pulled up beside Charles’s boat.
Charles turned sharply—it was Angelo. "Angelo, did you find them? Any leads?"
Angelo shook his head. "I’ve sent a dive team to search underwater. In case there’s..." He bit his tongue before finishing the sentence, ’in case they find Penny’s remains.’
"Keep looking," Charles growled, then suddenly grabbed Angelo by the collar and pulled him close. "My daughter can’t die. Do you hear ? If she does... all my children will."
Not just Zoren. All of them. Charles couldn’t endure that.
"No remains ans good news," he muttered to himself. "That ans they’re alive. Sowhere."
Angelo nodded quietly. "We’ll keep searching, Major."
Charles let him go, watching Angelo wave to his n to continue the sweep. They had limited equipnt, but giving up was not an option.
Charles turned back to the sea. "Penny!!"
Her na echoed across the ocean as everyone joined in calling out, clinging to hope that she’d jumped before the missile struck. Even from that altitude, the fall into the ocean could’ve injured her, but if she survived, she could be drifting nearby.
Ti passed. Still, no sign of Penny.
Divers resurfaced one after another empty-handed.
Still, no Penny.
Just when hope was starting to fade, one of the boats near the island’s rough side slowed down.
"I see soone," a crewman called, stopping the engine. He flicked his flashlight toward the base of the island cliff. "There—who is that?"
Two others grabbed their rifles, aiming toward the faint movent near a bush. A pair of legs could be seen sticking out from behind a rock.
"Radio the captain," the first man said while slowly steering the boat closer. "Miss Penny? Are you there? We’re with your father, Major Charles Bennet. Miss Penny?"
When the boat reached the rocky edge, one of the n scrambled up with effort. He turned and pulled his partner up, both cautiously approaching the bush.
As they got closer, their expressions darkened. They exchanged glances... then looked down.
*****
When Charles got the call from Angelo about a sighting, he didn’t waste a second. Several boats rushed toward the jagged shore where the team had reported in. The area was too rough to dock, so the n helped Charles climb up the steep rock.
Fueled by adrenaline, Charles made it up with ease.
He arrived at the small clearing where the n were waiting.
"Where?" he barked, with Angelo close behind him.
The two scouts stepped aside, revealing three n cuffed together. Two of them were wrapped in gauze like mummies.
Charles frowned. "Who the hell are these guys?"
He marched forward, eyes scanning the injured group. Only one of them wasn’t bandaged like a mummy, but that man’s mouth was gagged and his nose clearly broken.
Charles grabbed the gagged man by the collar and ripped the cloth from his mouth. The man gasped for air, and before he could get a fourth breath, Charles pressed a pistol to his forehead.
"Where’s my daughter?" he demanded, no patience for gas. "Who are you?"
The man lifted his eyes in terror. "Please don’t kill . I—I changed sides an hour ago!" (Or rather, was forced to.)
Charles narrowed his eyes.
"Miss Penny..." the man panted, and Charles’s heart skipped. "She—she wrote sothing. She left a note. It’s in my pocket."
Everyone instinctively glanced at the pocket, but Angelo raised a hand.
"Sir, allow one of my n—"
"There’s no ti." Charles ignored him and reached into the man’s pocket himself. Several n stepped back, half-expecting a bomb or a grenade.
Instead, he pulled out a crumpled tissue, carefully unfolding it.
[To whoever finds this, I am fine. ^.^
Also, take these guys to the hospital. Two of them were dying — I don’t want to go to jail! My mom will scold .
With love,
Alias P.
It’s not Penny. I’m not Penny, so don’t go after if you’re the enemy.]
Charles read the note. Then read it again.
His knees buckled slightly. He clutched his chest, the release of tension suddenly painful.
"Ah, God..." he whispered, holding the letter like a lifeline. "It’s her."
He nodded to himself, eyes reddening as tears welled up. "She’s okay. She’s okay."
A tear slid down his cheek.
Angelo placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The others nearby exhaled deeply, relief washing over them.
No one knew what exactly had happened here. But what mattered most was that Penny had survived.
Charles sniffed and glanced at Angelo, then turned back to the man with the broken nose.
"Where is she?"
"I don’t know," the man replied honestly. "She told to say she’s fine. They left... maybe an hour ago?"
She already made it to the island, Charles thought, nodding. ’Of course, she wouldn’t wait around.’
He stood and addressed the group.
"Does anyone here know how to treat these n? Prioritize getting them to the hospital. Leave a few behind to watch them."
Then a low whump-whump-whump cut through the air.
All heads turned skyward.
A chopper roared overhead, flying toward the hill where they had originally landed.
****
Inside the helicopter, Wild, Haines, and Lester sat together. Wild looked calm, almost casual. Haines’s face was dark. Lester? Pale and trembling.
As they descended, one of Wild’s n slid the door open.
Haines stepped out first, followed by Wild. Then Lester and the rest. But as they reached the landing zone, they all froze.
"...What in the world?" Lester gasped, legs trembling.
There, on the hill, were bodies. Dozens of them. Scattered across the area.
It was the first ti Lester had seen so many corpses at once.
Then—click-click-click.
Rifles were raised in unison as a figure erged from a tent, calmly parting the flap.
Mint.
She paused at the people outside. Her arm still rested on the tent’s edge, revealing that behind her were more bodies.
"You’re here!" she said brightly. "Can I borrow your chopper? I’m kind of in a hurry."
Their expressions darkened.
Haines stepped forward. "What did you do to these people?"
"Hmm?" Mint tilted her head, casually surveying the carnage. "Oh. Moles."
She gave a nonchalant shrug.
"Killed them. They were sabotaging my operation."
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