The Antecedent

Just an hour after dawn did an incident occure.

This was the type of incident that caused thick dark smoke to rise to the clouds and also filled the atmosphere which caused nearbys to cough and gasp for air.

Despite the thick dark smoke, those people were able to overpower the fire that led to the smoke, causing it to subside and thereby causing more smoke to rise at the moment.

After sometime, when the atmosphere became better for humans to breath in, people clustered around and gazing at the scene where the incident took place with their eyes filled with shock, I bet, the incident was so unusual to them that no one could guess what might have resulted to that.

In that same scene were two beings, one older, the other younger, and yes, they are all males.

One of them who was older layed flat on the ground and the younger one knelt beside him by his Left closer to his head and facing directly to him. Of course, they are human beings.

He that was kneeling was in tears and his eyes red as scarlet as he moved his body up and down from his waist upward, and he that was layed on the ground neither made any sound nor movement, no did he respond, which brings us to a conclusion that he is dead, and that the other weeping was actually weeping for him.

Now look what the younger male continuously said to the other lying on the floor even as they tried to separate them, "Father! Father!!

Please don't go, don't leave me, please.

Dad, you promised that you'll always be here with me, you said that you'll play soccer with me, we still have one more to play, please, don't leave me....."

It sounds more like a tragedy, what has befallen these people?

Now I know at least sevem questions in your mind, you'll be asking;

What happened?

Why and how did it happen?

Who this to them?

Who are those guys?

And how are they connected?

And what did they do?

Infact, there are several questions to be answered, so I'll start at the very first point.....

*** **** ***

Let's go to the question, but starting from "who are those guy???"

Now long time ago, a man named Philip Claw was an army general.

He joined the army at the age of 15 with continues training and hardwork, he served in the army for 29 years before when became the general.

He was a good description of "strong" and "though."

Philip Claw was a highly disciplined man that follows order, rules and regulations wether he makes the rules or not.

He was the type that you'll say never respects anyman, in that he gives everyone what he/she deserves wether bad or good.

The relentless desert sun beat down on General Philip Claw's weathered face. At 45, the man who had spent his life etched in the rigid lines of military discipline now wore a mask of hunted anxiety. Each wrinkle around his eyes, each furrow on his brow, spoke of a truth so horrifying it had shattered his world.

Joining the army at the tender age of 15 wasn't easy on him at all, but Philip had dedicated 29 years to his country. He had risen through the ranks with unwavering loyalty, the battlefield his second home.

Now, a bitter irony gnawed at him. The very government he'd sworn to protect harbored a darkness so profound it threatened the nation's very soul.

He'd stumbled upon their plans, "a clandestine operation shrouded in secrecy," its implications chilling enough to curdle his blood.

He'd tried the chain of command, reported it to his superiors, but faced only dismissal laced with veiled threats. Branded a traitor, a liability, he was now a fugitive in his own land. His loyalty, he realized, belonged not to a corrupt system, but to the innocent civilians it now endangered.

Days bled into one another as Philip navigated the desolate landscape. He meticulously planned his next move. Going public was a suicide mission. He needed leverage, concrete proof to counter the government's propaganda machine, the plan to wipe cities and town to build what the call, "city of the great."

A plan that never seemed reasonable to Philip, not even reasonable to hurt a dog, and now they talk of cities, containing large numbers of civilians with the machine they describe of "weapon of death."

His destination: a secluded cabin owned by John Brus, a former colleague disillusioned by the military's increasing militarization.

John possessed a data cache, a digital key that could unlock the government's underbelly.

A flicker in the rearview mirror jolted Philip back to reality. A dark sedan, anonymous and menacing, followed at a constant distance. It wasn't the first attempt.

Over the past week, there had been close calls, a staged car accident, a malfunctioning brake line, all thwarted by Philip's honed instincts and military training. Still, the relentless pursuit gnawed at him.

John's cabin materialized in the distance, a beacon of hope amidst the desolate landscape. As Philip pulled in, gravel crunching under his tires, the pursuing vehicle swerved off the road, disappearing out of sight. Relief washed over him, a fleeting sensation.

The cabin door creaked open, revealing John's weathered face creased with concern. A warm hug exchanged unspoken worries.

Inside, the crackling fire cast flickering shadows on the walls. John listened intently as Philip recounted the past days, his voice grim as he described the government's sinister plans.

"They won't stop, Claw, " John said, his voice grave.

"I bet, they wouldn't," Philip replied, with confidence.

"You've become a liability. They'll eliminate you before you expose them."

"How would we know wether or not they will strike me down before I expose them if I don't give it a try?" Philip asked with confidence like he had a plan that was sure going to be successful.

John turned to him and said as he walked slowly toward Philip, "No, you don't wanna do this, you gotta let go, make a deal with them to keep this a secret."

But Philip replied without hesitation, "and you think I can trust them, you think they can keep the promise of keeping me alive with their secret? It's not possible, I ain't doing that shit. There's only one thing I have fought for, and that I'll die for, it's justice, it's justice that made me join the army at 15, it's justice that made me fight my way through till I was made the general, it's justice that kept me till today, and let it be as I am satisfied that I shall die do justice, it's good enough for m....."

"But friend, you can....." John interrupted, but Philip wouldn't want to hear any word of discouragement so he added

"No, there's nothing you would say, that will make me change my mind, it's settled."

As Philip turned to leave, John said to him, "it's not yet my time to die, but I'll do all I can to help, but also to stay away from trouble, that's all I can say, wish I could do better.

All those that that John said, Philip knew, but he has chosen a path. The fear, a constant companion, was a cold presence in his gut. Yet, he couldn't back down. He had a responsibility to the nation, to the innocent civilians oblivious to the storm brewing behind the curtains of power.

Suddenly, the sound of a roaring engine pierced the night. They rushed to the window, witnessing a horror unfolding. A driverless truck, modified for maximum speed, surged down the deserted road, a monstrous metal beast hurtling towards the cabin.

"It's not for us," Philip said, his voice betraying a tremor of fear. "It's for me."

John reacted instinctively, grabbing his rifle. But the truck was too fast, a projectile hurtling towards their location. Philip knew what he had to do, yet, he didn't want to get someone else involved.

"John, the data cache! You have to get it out!"

He didn't wait for a reply, sprinting towards his car. The truck's headlights sliced through the darkness, pinning him like a deer in headlights. Panic surged through him as he slammed the car door shut, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

The roar intensified. In the rearview mirror, the monstrous truck loomed large, closing the distance with horrifying speed. His mind raced.

There was nowhere to run. He gripped the steering wheel, a surge of defiance replacing fear. This wouldn't be a passive surrender.

He slammed on the accelerator, his vehicle leaping forward. His plan was a desperate gamble, force a collision on his terms, hoping to steer the truck off course and buy John some time with the data cache.

As he accelerated, the truck adjusted its trajectory, mirroring his path. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to turn, to swerve. But the cabin, John, and the data cache that held the key to exposing the truth anchored him to his course.

The impact was a deafening symphony of screeching metal and shattering glass. The world tilted, his car twisting in a chaotic ballet before grinding to a halt. Smoke filled the air, acrid and choking.

Philip's vision blurred. He coughed, trying to free himself from the wreckage. Pain, a searing wave, ripped.

That's it, Philip died after his vehicle was hit, it tumbled severally and crashed. What a death too painful to be forgotten.

John, o John, what would he do?

He has already been identified, he was so unwilling to die for what he never he just knew about.

He thought to himself, "surely I'm going to join my friend Philip, and if so, shouldn't I complete what he started? Shouldn't I try as hard to be sure to expose this secret to the world? If I must die, then in vain I mustn't die."

John picked courage to do as Philip did, but things are different, he was not a government official anymore, so it was easy to get rid of him.

Though John was killed too by assassination, he died happily, being so fulfiled, he departed from this was happily.

Now, someone would say that all Philip's effort were in vain, yeah, I would say so, but not all.

Philip's information were classified, it could only be accessed by the government, and with that, he hid the identity of his family, like he knew that bad days would come.

And with that, he doesn't have family even to the government, only his wife knew him, and I bet, she barely knows him because he hardly come to visit.