Chapter 302: Burning.

[Edward POV]

After the agents were knocked out, Sarah took Casey and the hostile agents with her, borrowing my dad's Lexus to drive to a secure location. 

I crouched near the bloodstains on the floor, watching as they dried and seeped into the wood. Blood was also splattered on the walls, slowly flowing down, staining white wall in its path. 

My dad walked beside me, hands on his waist, and sighed. "Don't worry, Ed. You didn't do anything wrong—"

"Do you think the blood can be cleaned up completely?" I interrupted, focusing on the stains.

If he thought I regretted my actions, he couldn't be more wrong. I hadn't killed any agents. I'd given them emergency first aid to prevent blood loss before tranquilizing them to ensure they wouldn't wake up during transport. I even provided the poisoned agent with an antidote.

Startled, my dad glanced at me, then at the bloodstains. "It can be cleaned."

"I just think there's too much blood in the house," I muttered, standing up to face him. "I'm already feeling quite detached from this place."

With all the blood—Casey's, my faked blood, and the agents'—I felt mentally checked out, revolted even. My body physically rejected being in this place. Maybe it was my OCD, maybe it's because I was tired. 

"You want to move again?" My dad asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

I shrugged and replied with a blank face, "It was… fun here. We could find another place by the beach, preferably not on a cliff. It's no fun not being able to swim or surf."

My dad sighed helplessly. "Alright. We can look for another place after this. For now, it's best to hide until the situation settles."

I explained the Rubicon and my concerns about the agents. He understood the danger we were in and didn't blame my choices—in fact, he supported them.

"I know," I replied curtly. "I already called the ship crews," I added, surprising him.

Suddenly, Dwayne, Glenn, Dina, and the other veterans entered the living room one by one.

Dina, licking her knife in a bloodthirsty manner, asked, "Who do you want us to kill?" Glenn cocked his double desert eagle, and Dwayne tied a headband on his head, wearing a tank top that revealed his marine tattoo while cocking a shotgun.

"The storage boxes are in the garage," I said casually, breaking the serious atmosphere. "I need to transport some radioactive material to a lab in Pasadena to save a girl's life. I also need you guys to keep my servers until I find another home."

"Ed, you already planned to move out?" My dad asked, a hint of sadness on his face. I realized he had started to see this place as home.

"I had to," I said decisively. "Dad, can you take care of them for me? Even if the situation settles down, I need to lay low for a few days.

"Oh come on! I never get to fight properly!" Dina complained. The muscular woman pouted and pointed her finger at me, "The last time too. I only get to threaten people. Let me fight!"

"Well, I can find out if there's any underground fighting ring around here–" Dwayne tried to help, but my dad stopped him immediately, "No. Dina. Stop complaining. We need to move quickly before Agent Wainwright realizes that he had been tricked."

"Who's Agent Wainwright? Can I fight him?" Dina asked excitedly.

"If he comes back, then… sure." I replied honestly. While the others were packing up my stuff from the lab, I stood facing the ocean from the living room, and held a microphone in my hand. 

"Robin, play track 74." I muttered. "I feel like this song is appropriate for this moment."

Robin replied cheerily, "Sure Edward."

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

[Matt Maltese– As The World Caves In]

As I looked over the ocean, I began to sing softly, karaoke style, "♫♪ My feet are aching… And your back is pretty tired… And we've drunk a couple bottles, babe… And set our grief aside ♫♪"

"What the hell is he doing?" Dwayne muttered in disbelief as he helped Glenn lift the heavy, radioactive container. Glenn grumbled, "He's being melodramatic. Who wouldn't? Move! THIS IS HEAVY!"

I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of the lyrics, clenching my left hand into a fist as I swayed slightly, "♫♪ The papers say it's doomsday, The button has been pressed… We're gonna nuke each other up, boys, 'Til old Satan stands impressed… ♫♪"

"Ed. Pack up," my dad scolded, but I couldn't stop.

With a powerful voice that resonated through the empty mansion, I sang, "♫♪ And here it is, our final night alive… And as the earth burns to the ground!! ♫♪"

"♫♪ Oh, girl, it's youuuuuu that I lie with, As the aaatom bomb locks in, Oh, it's youuuuu I watch TV with, As the world, as the world caves in ♫♪"

Without me noticing, everyone around had paused, their work forgotten, as they turned to stare. I continued singing, my back to them, lost in the moment. The veterans who had participated in wars before, were all captivated by the song.

"♫♪You put your finest suit on… I paint my fingernails ♫♪" I turned back and saw they weren't working, so I furrowed my gaze and reminded them, "We don't have much time, people."

"Oh right." Everyone mumbled before they continued packing.

Without missing a beat, I continued singing while making my way to the kitchen, " ♫♪ Oh, we're going out in style, babe…And everything's on sale…♫♪" I took out some pies and cakes out of the fridge and placed them on the box carrying my servers. 

The veterans slowed their steps as they enjoyed the mesmerizing vocal,"♫♪ We creep up on extinction, I pull your arms right in… I weep and say Goodnight, love"...While my organs pack it in…♫♪"

"♫♪And here it is, our final night alive… And as the earth burns to the ground!!♫♪"

Once again, my vocals made everyone stop moving and stare. They started to remember the person precious to them, and some even had tears in their eyes. 

" ♫♪ Oh, girl, it's you that I lie with… As the atom bomb locks in… Oh, it's you I watch TV with… As the world, as the world caves—"

Dwayne wiped his eyes and mumbled, "Damn it." as he desperately try to keep his tears back.

With my open robe and shorts short, I stood in front of the ocean again as I sang the last verse, "Oh god, it's you… that I lie with…As the atom bomb locks in…Yes, it's you I welcome death with…As the world, as the world caves in…"

I ended the song with a velvety, comforting vocals,"♫♪As the world caves in♫♪"

Before anyone could react, Robin chimed in urgently. Red alarms flashed in the living room as she informed us, "Sir, two missiles have just been launched. One of them is heading here. You have 1 minute and 30 seconds to evacuate if you want to escape the blast radius."

"How large is the radius?" I asked casually.

"Enough to take the entire house down, sir," Robin replied.

"Countermeasures?" I inquired, hoping for a way to avoid destruction.

"There's the experimental rifle you're tinkering with, drone swarms, but none of it is enough to stop the missile. Evacuation is highly recommended," she urged.

I thought about it for a split second, my brain raced to search for the possibilities of stopping the missile. Then, I suddenly remembered I was going to sell the house anyway.

"Eh, save me some time. Hope my insurance is worth it," I shrugged before walking to my room.

"EDWARD! HURRY UP!" my dad shouted urgently. "Just go first! I'm taking the Dodge, and the other seat is taken."

"I'm not leaving without you!" I insisted.

"Just go!" he replied, his tone sharp. I paused, my face brightening, "Aww. That's sweet—"

"HURRY THE F UP!" He cursed, seeing me dilly-dally. I chuckled and turned back, grabbing my laptop and a guitar from my room. The guitar was a gift from Taylor so I had to take it with me. I also stopped by Maggie's room and saved her childhood teddy, leaving everything else behind.

"40 seconds left," Robin informed.

"HURRY!" my dad shouted again. I finally emerged from my room, saying, "Geez. I told you to go first. Vader! Come here, girl!" I crouched down, calling out to Vader, who was sleeping on her cushion.

Vader stretched and slowly woke up. My dad, impatient, stomped over to Vader, picked her up, and tossed her toward me.

"20 seconds," Robin chimed in again. "Robin, it's been wonderful living here, hasn't it? Now, I'm going to take you to see more beautiful things in the world," I muttered as I took her holographic core from the wall.

Robin smiled and replied, "I can't wait, Edward. Do you want me to set up a self-destruct sequence when the missile hits?"

"You read my mind. Blow everything up."

Suddenly, I spotted a black spot moving on the horizon. "Hey look, you can see the missile—" My dad grabbed my arm angrily, pulling me to get moving.

Fortunately, my house was at the end of the lot, and my neighbors were in Bora-Bora, so their houses were empty. Several cars dashed out of the driveway as we fled the blast zone.

Vader and I, both wearing sunglasses, drove casually toward the gate. Both of us were also wearing ear protection. The paparazzi captured my escape in the convertible when suddenly, the missile hit.

*BOOOM*

The ground trembled beneath us as the missile struck, a thunderous explosion ripping through the air. I glanced back just in time to see our mansion engulfed in a wall of fire and debris.

The shockwave hit us, blasting against the car and sending a huge wave of air towards us. If the mansion itself didn't act as an explosion barrier, we wouldn't even made it out of the blast. All of us has noise plug on, ensuring our ear's safety. Even Vader has headphone on. 

A plume of smoke billowed upwards, while the paparazzi yelled in panic, snapping pictures of the explosion without caring about the consequences. Some rushed past the stunned guards, getting closer to the house. In seconds, the mansion was reduced to nothing more than a fiery wreck. The beautiful seaside view was now gone.

Agent Smith, who was rushing to return to protect me after being recalled by his superior, saw the destruction in front of him as he reached the guardhouse. His face was bloody, there were nick and bruises all over. He had to fight to return there as he too was implicated by the conspiracy. 

His expression immediately became crestfallen as he assumed the worst. 

I noticed Agent Smith driving towards me and waved at him cheerily.

"Hey~ You're late~" I shouted in a singy-songy voice from afar. Then, I drove past him and entered the freeway 

Agent Smith was speechless. He tried to turn around and chase, but a crowd quickly formed around the area, blocking him from creating a u-turn. 

At the freeway, I split up from the convoy and spoke to my dad through a phone call, "I'm going to hide out at a friend's place. Guard my stuff and deliver that material to only Dr Amy Farrah Fowler, okay?"

He knew how to locate me, through Robin. Even though the house server was disconnected, Robin was still active through the company's server. 

"I'll drop it off and come to see you immediately." He vowed.

"Eh, don't come. It'll be awkward for her if you're there." I said with a slight cheekiness.

"You're going to a girl's house, at this time?" He muttered in disbelief.

"I told you, people are going to get horny. I can't miss that chance." I joked before I said, "You should get with Frankie too. It's a good chance for me to get a baby brother or sister."

"You brat– Stay Safe" My dad understood that I was only playing around and wouldn't do anything stupid. He trusted me, and I didn't intend to break that trust. 

The car moved smoothly as there wasn't any traffic. The country was all tuning into the situation at the White House, no one even noticed my house was gone. Until, a news helicopter flew by to report the situation. 

…

[General POV]

"We're now live at the scene of the missile attack." A beautiful reporter spoke to the citizens of the country as the helicopter flew by the fiery inferno. 

"Firefighters are trying to contain the raging fire, but the status of the inhabitants of the house are– I just got some information about the house owner. It belonged to Theodore Newgate, Edward Newgate's father."

As she continued reporting, she couldn't hide the shock on her face. "The status of the beloved teenage popstar is still unknown."

Edward's fans were distraught by the news, but just a few minutes later, a photo taken by the paparazzi, seconds after the missile hit, where he snapped a picture of Edward and Vader from the front of the car, became viral on social media and the news. 

CNN: "Pop Star Edward Survives Missile Attack on Mansion as Nation Questions President's Safety"

BBC News: "Edward's Escape from Fiery Inferno Raises Eyebrows as President's Status Remains Uncertain"

NBC News: "Mansion Attack: Edward Emerges Unscathed While Citizens Await News on President's Safety"

There were a lot of questions asking about Edward's involvement in the country's crisis too. People were curious to see how he was connected in everything that was going on. 

CNN: "Pop Star Edward Newgate Survives Missile Attack Amidst Terrorist Strike—How Is He Involved ?"

BBC News: "Edward Newgate Escapes Fiery Inferno as Vice President Falls Victim to Terror—Public Questions Singer's Role"

NBC News: "Mansion Attack: Edward Newgate Unscathed While Nation Mourns VP—Investigations Open on Possible Involvement"

While Edward conquered the headline, another story could've broken and shared the limelight, however, it was smothered before it could even have a chance to breathe.

Emily Cale– John Cale's daughter, recorded the bad guys inside the White House and uploaded it to her Entertain Channel where she talked about bureaucracy and history. The video would've become viral immediately, garnering her hundreds of millions of views, but Edward's protocol stopped that from happening.

Not that he was trying to destroy the girl's future career, but it would be dangerous for the girl if her identity was reported to the news. The media outlet has no regard for her safety and would've exposed her.

Edward just directed the video to his contacts. It reached Norad command center safely without needing to endanger the girl's life. Once the incident is over, then Edward would let the video be published. Emily also has no way of knowing the status of her video as her phone died, so it all worked out.

…

[Edward POV]

I received calls non-stop while I was driving. From Haley, Claire, Jay, Mitch and Cam, Enid, Jacob, and every single person that I know and drove to a little cottage house in Pasadena. 

It was a quiet neighborhood, and I parked my car casually in the house's driveway. Grabbing Vader in my arm, I slugged the sleeping cat on my shoulder, took my laptop bag and guitar before walking to the door.

I knocked on the door three times before the owner opened the door. Sage,wearing a simple white shirt and shorts, blinked twice in confusion as she saw me.

I grinned and said, "I'm kinda wanted by some bad guys, so can I lay low here for a few hours?"

Sage grumbled but let me in. "Ugh, don't make a mess."

"I wouldn't." I stepped inside, furrowing my brows at the dozens of boxes scattered around the living room. "Why did you choose my house?"

"You mean the mystical shelter that doesn't show up on satellite scans and provides no records when someone searches for it? I'm definitely choosing this place to lay low. AHH~ I can already feel my cortisol level going down." I walked to the couch, slumped onto it, and let out a relaxed sigh.

Still in my robe and shorts, I crossed my legs, revealing my bunny-eared indoor slippers. My dad had pulled me out of the house before I could even put on my shoes.

"You're hurt," Sage said, pointing to the bandage on my foot.

"Oh, that's nothing. I stepped on some broken glass… on purpose," I replied casually. "Do you have any shirts I can borrow? It's a bit chilly in just my bathrobe."

Sage rolled her eyes. "Wait here. I'll check. Do you want some tea?"

"That'd be nice. Thank you." I accepted her offer readily. She returned with a black V-cut shirt and a pot of chamomile tea, pouring it while watching an old Spanish telenovela instead of the news.

I looked at her, slightly bewildered. "Sage, do you know what's happening—"

"Shhh! Mirabel is about to find out who her true father is." She shushed me, fully engrossed in her show.

Holding back my laughter, I picked up the cup she offered. Her TV was an old CRT model, tapping into free networks with an antenna that sometimes needed fixing.

"It's been over a decade since I last saw a grainy TV picture. You really are a granny," I teased. During the commercial break, she finally turned to me. "What's happening? Explain."

"Nothing. Just another terror attack," I replied casually. She accepted the explanation as it is, as she wasn't really interested in current events. To my surprise, Sage told me to place my hurting leg on the coffee table.

"I ran out of money buying stuff from TV I don't need," she said. "I'll heal it for you for 100 bucks—"

I shook my head, making her hesitate. "50 bucks?" She offered a discount. 

"No, I meant it's too low." I reached into my laptop bag and pulled out a stack of cash. "Here, 10,000 dollars in untraceable cash. It's payment for giving me shelter."

I prepared it in case I needed to lay low in hotels or any other shelters, but since Sage took me in, it wasn't necessary anymore. Her house was untraceable. Just like Mrs Henderson's house. I only knew it because I sent them home before. 

"I'LL TAKE IT!" Sage exclaimed, grabbing the cash immediately. "I can't survive in this world on just a teacher's salary." She waved her hand over my leg, and I felt the wound heal. After I opened the bandage, it confirmed my guess. 

"You're pretty casual using your ability in your house. Won't you get in trouble for it?" I looked at her with a slight admiration, but she was already looking back to the tv. 

She waved dismissively. "It's my sanctuary. I can do whatever I want. Now be quiet. The show's back."

Vader jumped onto my lap, fully awake now. I stroked her fur as I watched the telenovela with Sage, quickly getting absorbed in the drama.

"Wait, Mirabel is Luisa's sister, but Luisa is Mariano's mother? But Mirabel is dating Mariano," I muttered, shocked and intrigued. Time flew by as I immersed myself in the unfolding plot.

Eventually, the incident that had shaken the country came to an end. Emily rushed out of the White House, waving a flag to call off the bomb strike. The President arrested the White House Speaker, revealed to be the mastermind behind everything. The Head of Secret Service, who had betrayed the President, was dead, along with the hacker responsible for the missile strike on my house.

As the country celebrated, I turned to Robin to check on our financial situation. "What's our haul?" I asked.

"We have a 150% profit in the stock exchange, but trading was stopped at 5 PM. We'll need to wait until tomorrow to calculate the profits," she replied. 

During the last economic crisis, traders in Wall Street– Micheal Burry, got a 489% profit for the investment fund he managed. 150% were still low compared to the expert traders on Wall Streets. 

"How about the currency exchange?" I inquired through my mobile. I had entrusted Robin with all the trading, providing her with a fund of $100 million and she created 1,000 accounts for it.

"I lost $50 million," she informed me.

I felt a twinge of helplessness. "That's fine. We can cover the loss through stocks…"

"But I earned $1.1 billion," she dropped the bombshell, leaving me stunned. 

During the political chaos, she took advantage of her trading speed which no human could match, exploited short-term fluctuations in currency values, taking advantage of assets that drop in value while others rise, and made tremendous profits over that.

(A/N: Ultron and Jarvis can do it. Moneys are basically just numbers for Ai on that level lol)