Chapter 22: Emergency
Presidential Palace
Tagal City near Tagal River, Metro Tondo
Lusong Region, Republic of Easting
February 13, 2023 C.Y.
1000 Hours
The rain stopped later in the morning, the gloomy sky makes way for the light of the sun that shines around the area in the metro. The weather may have changed for the better but not the situation in the city. As the news of unauthorized troop movement was received. The Presidential Palace was alerted and the president was the last to be informed about the matter.
"Mr. President, we have confirmed of several unauthorized troop movements inside the city." An intelligence officer approached and whispered the matter to the president.
The President became furious of the matter and stood up. He adjourned the meeting, went to his office and calls for an emergency meeting. When all of the concerned personnel and officials from the secretary of defense to the military chief has arrived the doors of his office was closed.
"What is the meaning of this?" The president asked. "Is there a dissent towards me or my administration?"
The people inside the office turned silent and turned their heads away from him.
"We apologize sir, for our lapses in the intelligence. We only received the report only early this morning and..."
The president interrupted the official who spoke to him and said, "I do not give you the permission to talk. For the sake of the urgency of this situation, I do not want someone blabbering useless things at this point!"
"Sir, permission to speak!" The Military Chief said and was allowed by the president.
"We have already alerted all nearby troops and heightened security in the city. We have fortified the defenses of the palace as a Standard Operating Procedure. We would like to ask for your permission to place the city under level 1 alert and level 1 security status is recommended. We only need your clearance sir."
"You have my permission." The president said and shifts his gaze to the rest of people in the room.
"I wish to vent off my disappointments towards all of you for your incompetence. But I guess complaining would not help us in this situation. I adjourn this meeting and all of you should head to your respective responsibilities. The Military Chief and the Chief of Intelligence shall remain here."
After the meeting was adjourned most of the officers and officials exited the office. Only the mentioned people remained in the office to update the president and give him counsel about the matters that transpired.
The area around the Presidential palace was fortified and security was strict. Some two kilometers away checkpoints and makeshift fortifications were made. AFVs, tanks and heavy weapons were brought it in reinforce the defenses.
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Meanwhile at Roxas city in Metro Tondo, members of Hydra have gathered after informed of the incident. Two of their rogue agents are involved in the recent coup that is planning to oust the current administration. The organization can no longer tolerate Enrique's actions and thus planning to do something about it.
One of the richest man of the country, Esteban Tan arrives at the Mandarin International Hotel. With him are two ladies who escorted him from his estate from his nearby property. Despite his age he looks young and healthy. He is wearing his black suit and tie with his grey hair brushed up.
During his arrival he was met by Jose Montecarlo who is currently an intern in the hotel. He will graduate that coming June and is a three months away from finishing his internship. He smiled at the old man and opened the doors of the hotel for him. He greeted him politely and guided him to the lobby of the hotel.
"This way sir!" He said with a smile.
The old man Esteban noticed the young man. He smiled back at him and greeted in return asking about the young man, "Good afternoon young man. Are you new here?"
Jose replied with a smile and replied, "Yes sir, I am an intern at Florencia City College. I have been here for almost two months already."
"Is that so?" Esteban places two one thousand bills inside the pocket of the intern.
"That is for you, do not share it with anyone!" He added after giving Jose the tip and proceeded inside with the two ladies beside him.
While walking towards the elevator, a sudden ring from his phone breaks his mood, "What's up with this rude people calling me at this time?" He grumbled and takes the phone from the pocket of his suit.
"This is Esteban Tan, I don't have the leisure of talking to..."
"I apologize for my intrusion sir but may I ask where are you?" The voice of a young man asked him on the phone.
"Who is this and can you get any more polite? Also, who do you think you are talking to punk!?" The old man angrily replied.
"I am sorry sir, this is Romero Tagud. I am one of the member of the Organization. I am here to talk about the recent incident sir. Also, members of the organization are called to a special meeting." Romero identified himself to the old man.
The old man who rarely gets contacted by the Organization, Hydra, changed his mood. He became concerned and asked for the details.
"I believe it is codname: Enrique and Cobra sir. I think they are stirring up trouble in the capital. They have support coming from the Military." Romero explained the situation to him.
"How are you sure about the matter young man?" The old man replied suspicious about him.
"From our intelligence network sir. The council is calling for an emergency meeting. You are asked to come." Romero said to him.
"Very well, I shall go!" The old man Esteban Tan decides to cancel his meetings that day and head to the emergency meeting.
The meeting is held in a nearby Hotel which is used exclusive for the Organization. Esteban rushed to the said meeting leaving the two women with him in the hotel where he was staying. The venue was a small hotel that looks too ordinary that no one would suspect that an international organization uses it for their meetings.
"Welcome to Heian hotel sir!" The receptionists bows at Esteban who recognizes him as a member of the Organization.
A bellboy guided him to the venue of the meeting. "This way sir!" The bellboy said who guided Esteban to the Royal suites the largest function room in the hotel.
Inside are the top members of the organization waiting for him and for the others to come. Since it is already late the Senior member of the organization decided to start the meeting. He calls for everyone's silence and moments later he began to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a situation at hand. It seems like these rogue agents are out of control. We need of your unilateral decision towards the matter. I believe there is not much to discuss about. With the actions of Enrique, Cobra and his cohorts the name of the Organization will be brought into bad light. We must do something about his or we will face doom!"
An old member of the organization stands up and speaks to the large man who spoke in front and said, "I think it is too late now, only if we have done this sooner. We could have prevented them from doing such dangerous acts."
Arguments arises after the old man's statement. The room was filled with noise with the people inside divided by their views. Seeing the disorderly fashion of the people in the room. The large man who spoke earlier slams his palm in his table ordering the people to shut up.
"We have no time to quarrel among ourselves. We have to decide now what to do or things may get worse for all of us!" He said.
"I vote for the excommunication of the two and their cohorts. We also wish them to be removed as well!" A young man in his suit said standing behind his table.
"Anyone else who share the same opinion?" The large man asked.
The people in the room looked at each other in silence. No one responded for a while until a middle aged man agreed and said.
"Aye, we have enough troublemakers in our organization. They must be dealt with accordingly!"
Another person agreed and said, "Aye!"
The others followed and a unanimous decision was made by the council that day. Due to the adventurous and dangerous activities that is done by Enrique and his cohorts. They were excommunicated from the organization. "Exterminatum" was also decided and placed bounty in their heads with Enrique having the bounty of at least twenty million Atlantican Dollars and Cobra for five million.
With this decision, Hydra: Republic of Easting branch hopes to eradicate all trace of misconduct in their Organization. With the disablement of their membership they are now considered as genuine Rogue agents.
While the members of the Organization were talking. A man who was disguised as a hotel staff exited the room above the floor. He greets another staff who he happens to pass by. He listened through the bugs that was placed in the room and relayed all the information to Cobra who was with Enrique five hundred meters from the building.
"What shall we do now sir?" The disguised hotel staff who was El-Rashid asked looking outside of the window near the lobby on the first floor asked Cobra.
"Are the timers set?" Cobra asked him.
"Yes sir!" El-Rashid replied.
"Do it!" Cobra ordered to detonate the bomb that was planted in the strategic places of the hotel.
El-Rashid complied with Cobra's orders and explosion rocked the hotel room on the seventh floor. The blast killed and injured many of the members of the Organization.
"No fool wages war with us!" Cobra said to El-Rashid who exited the hotel premises.
"Enrique, the pen has been neutralized." Cobra reported to Enrique.
"Are everyone dead?" Enrique asked.
"No, the attack was planned to main, injure and trap those pigs in their pen." Cobra replied.
"Good, it is time the world to know of the filth those bastards represent!" Enrique said and ended his call.
A huge smile etched on Enrique's face knowing that he is finally free from the clutches of the Organization. The first step of his plan has now been fulfilled, now, he proceeds to the next stag. To build a safe haven for himself and his group from international persecution that the world may give him, in retaliation to what he did. He wishes to turn the country into a crime haven for syndicates with a puppet government that is subservient to his whims.