

National Exile

A 21st Century Novel about Nobility, Poverty, and Cruelty

Inspired by True Stories

By

Rusul A. Altaay

Copyrights

Copyrights © 2015 by Rusul A. Altaay

All Copy Rights Reserved

All materials in this book are copy righted to the author except the songs. They are translated versions of existing songs. All pictures presented in the book are copy righted to Moustafa Moustafa.

None of the materials presented in this book are to be copied or used in anyway without a written permission of the author or the participated parties.

Cover Design: Abrar Altaay

From the Author

100% of the profits made by this book will be donated to charity.

Parts of the story lines were based on the imagination of the author. While some characters are real, the main characters are fictional. Any reference to any names or places that do exist might just be coincidental.

This book is not a work of perfection.

Although the author did her best ensuring the quality of the work, mistakes could still be found.

If you happen to find any spelling or grammar mistake, please feel free to contact the author about it.

If you liked this book, please tell everyone by leaving a review.

Either way, we would love to hear from you

Facebook: /NationalExile

Twitter: @NationalExile

Email: NationalExile@gmail.com

# Dedication

To those who put other people's needs before their own

To those who care about the less fortunate

To those who chose to read this book

#  Hear me out

Why do you want to spend your time reading what I have to say? And most importantly, what is it that I have, that I need, to tell you? It was never about how I wanted us to live. It was about what I've witnessed living the cruelty of the human race. I saw atrocities that have haunted me for years. I saw the physically abused men and women begging for their lives. I saw mutilated faces that could've made a rock cry. I saw the brutalized humans who wanted to escape their reality. I saw the orphans who wanted nothing but to see the shadows of their lost parents. I saw the wrinkles on aging men and woman who wanted to scream from the oppression. I saw the infants of martyred parents who didn't even know why they cried. I saw the tears of those who screamed, "Give us our home back." So, for that ladies and gentlemen, please hear me out.

\-------------------------------

I slowly walked towards the main door of the conference room. I raised my shoulders, and looked at the sky through the outside windows. I could not stop my hands from shaking as I reached the doors' handles. I quickly opened the double doors, and hid my fears deep inside. I put a nice smile on and pretended that everything was going just fine. Many men and women were surrounding a long-glassy table.

"Ladies and gentlemen... Welcome to Orb." I said proudly.

"Who are you? And what's going on in here?" One of the men asked.

"Me? I'm just the messenger." I replied, "And Orb is our National Exile."

#  Table of Contents

Main Page

Copyrights

From the Author

Dedication

Hear me out

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Shattered Childhood

Chapter 2 - Every Day's a Blast

Chapter 3 - Under the Bridge

Chapter 4 - Les Miserables

Chapter 5 - The Arrest

Chapter 6 - Prison Break

Chapter 7 - Frozen Tears

Chapter 8 - The Orphanage

Chapter 9 - Images from The Past

Chapter 10 - The Hospital

Chapter 11 - Rain's a Peacekeeper

Chapter 12 - The Obvious Way Out

Chapter 13 - Gone with the Fire

Chapter 14 - Glass

Chapter 15 - A Rushing Doctor

Chapter 16 - What's wrong with us?

Chapter 17 - The Night of the Fire

Chapter 18 - Suffocation

Chapter 19 - Jenna

Chapter 20 - Radiant

Chapter 21 - A Smiley face

Chapter 22 - The Proposal

Chapter 23 - Launch a Warning

Chapter 24 - The Red Lake

Chapter 25 - Pink Gas

Chapter 26 - Robin Hood

Chapter 27 - One Wing cannot make a Bird Fly

Chapter 28 - The Bracelet

Chapter 29 - Minister of Peace

Chapter 30 - Coma

Chapter 31 - It's Your Fault

Chapter 32 - Leave and Never Look Back

Chapter 33 - Welcome to Orb

Chapter 34 - We're Mountains

Chapter 35 - I Do

Chapter 36 - Read Between the Lines

Bibliography

Chapter 1

# Shattered Childhood

Our story started in the near past. Its story lines are not really over yet. It has been happening on a land where the word is to the oppressive strong. The land is known for its big wealth and long-honorable history.

The country is considered one of the wealthiest countries on earth. It's a very rich country, but the majority lived in poverty. Billions of dollars disappear each year. No one really knows where the money goes. The country is known by Estil.

While the president of Estil and his inner circle were enjoying the country's wealth, the people were missing the basic aspects to survive. Hunger, ignorance, and crimes are what Estil is known for as of now. Everyone thought for sure that life is going to get better once the president was gone. It never did. More dictators have risen than ever before.

They had to accept the present under the fear of the future. It all began when the president of Estil declared war on a neighboring country. No one knew why. He certainly never cared to explain what he was fighting for. And his people could do nothing but obey.

Among the pain and suffering of the people, lived a boy named Zain. He lived with his family in a very poor neighborhood. When the war was declared, his father was forced to join the military just like any other young man.

Zain's father had to go leaving them nothing behind at all. After his departure to the war zone, they did not even have enough to eat.

A little by little, food ran out. There was absolutely nothing left in the house. The ill mother had to sell the old furniture and cloths that they had in order to feed her kids. It was painful going to bed every night hearing her kids cry because of how hungry they were. Nine year old Zain was the oldest sibling. He realized that he had to take things into his hands until his father return.

He left his house one day knocking from door to door. He kept asking if he could clean or do anything in exchange for small piece of bread for his mother and siblings. However, Zain's family was not the only one suffering.

The majority of the people are considered lower class. Almost no one, but for few rich people, have any money. Nearly every young man was called into the war. Zain had nowhere to go other than some people's trash.

He started collecting trash from the people and took whatever he could eat or give his family. It was not enough. His mother was getting sicker by the day. They had no money for a doctor or medicine. He had to do more. He kept searching for a job until he was finally employed by a rich man. The job was to keep the back yard cleaned. Zain was getting paid small amount of money every week that was barely enough for few days' worth of food for his family.

The rich man was very rough on little Zain. He always looked down on him despite his age. People always feared that man because he was very wealthy. This basically meant he could do what he pleased. Zain was a very cheerful boy regardless of his situation. He always thought that life would get better as soon as his father return. His father never did. Once Zain's family received the news about their father getting killed in the battle, everything was darkened in his little eyes.

"Why?" He screamed. "Why did my father have to die and everyone else live?"

Little he did know. Nearly half a million men and women were killed in active duty. Zain's mother's condition got really bad. She needed some medicine to survive.

"Don't worry mother. We lost father. We are not about to lose you too." He said. "I will take care of this."

Zain said that as he was running out of the room that night. His mother's heart was shattered when she heard those words come out of her son's mouth. She was too weak to follow him, but she did manage to get on her feet to go after him. Zain was already at his boss's house explaining the situation.

"Please, my mother is very sick. She could die. I will do anything." Zain said. "I just need some money to buy her medicine." He said with teary eyes while grabbing his boss's hand.

The rich man pushed him a way and said,

"You people always making excuses to get money from us. You are pathetic."

Zain looked at the floor and left crying. His heart was filled with hate for his boss and sorrow for himself. Later on that night, Zain returned to the rich man's house and did something he always swore he would never do.

He stole from the old man just enough to buy his mother's medicine. The rich man saw Zain steal and was very angry at him. He grabbed him from his neck, took him out to the street, and gathered the people around him. Zain's mother heard what happened and ran towards her son.

"Please, he's just a kid. He doesn't know any better." She said.

The rich man replied, "So you are the mother? Let me show you what I do to thieves."

He took his gun out and pointed it toward Zain while everyone around them just watched.

"No, please... Kill me instead." Zain's mother begged him and cried.

"I will leave him alone this time, but I better not see his face again." The old man screamed.

Zain's mother quickly took her son and walked as fast as she could. As soon as she was leaving the scene, she heard a gunshot. She looked down and saw blood all over her son's chest.

"NOOOO..." She screamed.

He shot him. He killed Zain with a cold blooded heart. He took her son away from her. As she put him to rest in peace, she wanted nothing more than to die herself and put an end to all of her pain and suffering.

Years had passed and the war had finally ended. The president claimed that they had won the war. However, it was at the price of millions of innocent people like Zain's father. The few soldiers that survived returned home, and everyone was so sure that life would go back to normal, or so they thought. It was just getting started.

Two years after the war ended, another one started. This time it was a civil war. It started after a new president dictated his way to the throne. The president Maki Lion was all about war and power at the cost of his people. They called it "The Decisive War." When the Decisive war first started, people thought it would end soon enough, and they would have the normal life they always dreamed about. No one knew how wrong they were. After years and years of bloodsheds, the war is still going on.

Lots of bad things happen in life, let a long in wars. Lots of innocents' souls just die. Millions of people suffer. But sometimes, you have to make your own destiny. You have to stop hoping for things to magically happen. You have to move. You have to lend a hand to those in need. We are a group of young men and women who decided to take matter into our own hands. I am sharing some people's side of the story. Some of the events have already happened. Some, I am writing as they happen. Let me start by introducing Sidra.

\----------------------------------

Ignoring everything around her, Sidra was walking in a very beautiful garden. She was appreciating the beauty of life. She enjoyed a nice cup of tea. She listened to the birds' songs. Short after that, she heard a sound of huge explosion that forced her to open her eyes, realizing that she was just dreaming.

Sidra slowly put on her jacket as if she just heard nothing. She got out of her room walking slowly with one eye open and another still dreaming. Her colleague Rain, a young man, screamed at her saying,

"Where on earth have you been? I was looking all over for you?"

"I was a sleep. What's with all the noise?" Sidra replied.

"Another unit was just blown up. Three of the Peacekeepers just died."

"Ok. What do you want me to do?"

"OK? That's it? Have you lost your mind? Those are actual people... They are human beings with families to care for them."

"I'm an engineer, not a doctor, Rain."

She ignored him and kept walking towards the main door of the building. She had joined the government hoping to make her country a better place. The government of Estil is referred to by the administration. Sidra never thought that her past would always hunt her down. She and many other young people were working and living in a thirty-story tower that was called "The Burj."

Rain, who is a doctor, just looked at her with a confused face. Sidra was not like that. He wondered why she changed that much.

Sometimes, the best comes out of the people we expect the least from. This girl grew up not seeing but wars, blood, explosions, and pain in her life. Sidra grew up to be this bright, beautiful young woman whose main reason for living was to help others. Despite her attitude, she was always aware of the sorrow her people lived in. She made it her sworn duty to protect the people of Estil.

As Sidra looked at the chaos where everyone was rushing to help the injured, she started thinking.

"When did I stop caring? Do I really feel nothing seeing all of this almost every day? What is happening to me? Do I want to care?"

Many thoughts popped into her head. She looked away and went back to her room. As if she had no care in the world. She started remembering how she got interested in joining the Burj which is a special unit of the administration.

The Burj is where SANA, a super computer, was first built and developed. It is considered one of the most powerful weapons known to mankind. Its real functions are classified.

After that crazy morning, Sidra decided to go out for a walk in the city. She was hoping for something different. Something she had not seen before. As she entered the city, she started looking around for anything exciting. She saw few people surrounding a dead body of what appeared to be an old man. She looked away and kept walking. Then, she saw some dogs eating what looked like a big meal.

"At least, they're happy." she said.

Moments later, she realized that was not a big meal. That was a human body, that people could not have taken a way after some random explosion. She just stood there not sure of what to do. All she did after that was to throw a small rock at the dogs and scared them a way.

She just walked away. Anyone seeing the ways Sidra acted would think she was not even a human. It is not possible for a human being to react that way.

Almost no one knew what she had been through in her life to turn out that way. As she continued her walk, she saw absolutely nothing happy. She saw the pain and sorrow in people's eyes. The entire time she was walking, she kept telling herself,

"I will change this world we're living in. I will not allow every human born in this world to live a life like this. I don't know how and when. But... I will change the world in my own way. I will see people happy and smiling no matter what the price is."

She drew a smile on her face thinking of the world she wanted to create. She told herself that she would not lose her humanity. Her ultimate goal was to see no fear at all. While she was day-dreaming, she came across few kids playing.

"They can actually play regardless of what's going on around? Interesting..." She thought.

At that moment, an image of her childhood just popped into her head. It was a day when she had to spend every waking moment looking for food.

"Do not think about that right now." She thought as she shook her head and kept walking.
Chapter 2

# Every Day's a Blast

Sidra lived her life pretending to be strong. There was a lot to do at the Burj. They were used to getting orders to devolve new lethal weapons. The military is unorganized. They kept them doing random things, and they gave them very little time to rest. They were not even getting any proper food. The administration is corrupted. Chaos is everywhere. No one cared about what was actually going on at the Burj. The workers did a lot of things thinking they were helping their country.

They lived, however, a much better life than a lot of other people. They had food and shelter. It was less than what a lot of people would kill for. People in the city, on the other hand, barley had few pieces of bread every now and then. They just had, actually have, enough to keep them alive. As hard as she thought her life was, Sidra never complained.

She always remembered the days when she went by with no food or shelter at all. There was only one thing that always moved her feelings. It was the look on children's faces on the streets. They just seemed as lost as the adults. Every time she had something to eat, she had the street kids on her mind. She saw them every day struggling to survive while she could do nothing. It seemed that those kids were the only thing she actually showed any emotion towards for a very long time.

One night, all they heard at the Burj was explosions and guns' fire. It was anything but a quit night. No one knew what was going on. As usual, the electricity was out. As a result, they did not have any internet access. No TV or even a radio to get the news about the outside world. The workers living in the Burj were not able to get but few hours of sleep. It was nothing unusual for them.

In morning, and in the main dining room where everyone ate, Sidra and her friends had a discussion.

"So, Sidra, today we are going to visit the capital. I would like for you to come with us and help out. We might be able to find out what happened last night, and why there were too many explosions." Rain explained.

"What's up with your hair? You look like you've been electrocuted. And sure I will go with you." Sidra replied with a serious voice.

"What? I just woke up. Focus on the task on hand. And leave me alone."

He tried calming his hair down with his hands.

"I'll be back in a second. Then, we can go."

Rain came back after he wore his hair normally.

"Well, look at the bright side. At least... You still have your sense of hummer." He said.

"I was stating a fact. I was not trying to be funny. So, who is coming with us, guys?"

"It is going to be me, you, Mai, Yazan, Rayan, and Waseem."

The six of them were always working together. They helped so many people both on and off the streets. They had so little and yet, they gave up so much.

They left the Burj that day and walked towards the capital. Entering the city was like entering a Zombie town. Things had gotten a lot worse since last time they visited. Almost all buildings had bullets' holes on them. It looked like a battle just happened in there. Very few people were walking around. There were no bodies on the ground at all, which was surprising and comforting for them. They tried to stop some of the people and ask what happened, but no one wanted to stop what they were doing to talk to them. They kept walking between the buildings until they all stopped all of a sudden.

"What on earth just happened here?" Yazan asked. Yazan was 32 years old. He was the director of the Burj.

"Let's go and ask. Something really bad just happened last night, and we need to know what." Mai said.

Mai was Sidra's best friend. She was 25 years old engineer. She was only couple of years older than Sidra. She had long-blonde hair that she always left freely.

"I know we're technically working for Estil's administration, but there is something they are not telling us. I feel like we're not fighting for who they say we are." Waseem added.

"This is just crazy." Rayan said.

Rayan and Waseem were half-brothers. They were 26 and 18 years old respectively. They were both working as technicians.

All of them walked to the crowd and asked one of the men about what was going on. Hundreds of people had all gathered in one place digging the wreckage of destroyed buildings. A man from the crowd finally answered them,

"After the bombing last night, a lot of the buildings collapsed. Hundreds of people died. No one could do anything last night because of the dark and the shooting never stopped. So... We gathered at the earliest in the morning to help the survivors. While we were working, we heard the sound of a baby crying. We are trying to reach to him or her... But there is way too much wreckage on top, and we don't have any equipment to lift it. Maybe you young men can help out as well."

Rain shook his head and said,

"Of course... Guys, let's start by removing everything we can to get to anyone inside. Rayan, please help the men over there to get the baby out. Sidra and Mai, look at the ladies over there, try and see who they're looking for and help out. We have to save as many lives as we can."

Sidra stood there like a statue. She said and did nothing. She was just looking at one destroyed building and watching the people as they were in panic mode.

"SIDRA..." Rain screamed. "Move it, NOW..."

"But... this is... how can... I don't understand... why... I used to...this building" Sidra mumbled.

"Wake up... We are all shocked, but we don't have time to show our emotions every day. You of all people know that." Rain said.

She finally moved. They all went to help and dig through the collapsed buildings. There were no paramedics at all. There were very few local doctors that could only help few people at a time. It was very bad. There were more dead people than what they had thought. Rayan and Waseem took the dead bodies and started putting them all in one place. Rain and Yazan kept digging through the wreckage to get to the baby. However, locating him got really hard when he or she stopped crying.

"I think he just got tired and finally went to sleep. Let's keep removing the wreckage carefully until we find him." Rain said.

They kept working and working until they finally got a sight of what seemed to be a human. They worked faster until they finally found a dead woman holding a baby. A lot of people gathered around and tried to get them out. They took the baby out of his mother's hands and tried to give him CPR. He was not breathing at all. Rain did everything he could to bring him back to life. Nothing worked. The baby did not have any injures at all. It seemed like the mother had protected him very well. Rain finally announced that the baby was dead.

"I'm really sorry. He must have died about an hour ago." He said.

Mai, who was watching the whole thing, looked at Rain and yelled,

"You called yourself a doctor at some point... Why can't you help him? He is just an innocent child. There has to be something you can do."

Rain looked far into the crowd to where Sidra was standing and kept staring at her. He felt like crying while he held the baby in his arms. She looked at him for a second then continued digging through the wreckage. She knew that the baby was found dead. She just pretended not to care.

After a very long day, about 150 people were found dead. That was all the bodies that they got out of the wreckage. They gathered them all in one place and decided to bury them together. Most of the bodies were children and women. Our friends, from the Burj, were there the whole time. They had mixed feelings about everything.

Rain and Yazen went to get some food, but there weren't any stores open. Everyone was starving. They had to walk far into the city to find a market. They bought as much bread and vegetables as they could.

"Are you sure your bank card can handle all of this, Sir?" Said the owner of the mini market they were in.

"Yes, don't worry about it." Rain replied.

They got enough food for at least a hundred people. After they got back, they asked the young folks to put the vegetables into the water and make as much soup as they could to feed most of the people. Everyone went back to work and prepared to pray for the dead. It was a very sad day. Everyone tried to stay strong and not show their tears, but it was such a hard thing to do. Some prayed for the dead, and asked God to grant them haven. Some just said what came into their minds. They buried every dead body they could find.

It was very dark that night. They made fire to worm them up, and to get some light. They finally were able to eat. The food was enough for everyone. However, as hungry as everyone was, no one had the appetite.

People started making camps and lit more fire, so they would not freeze outside. Our friends had to spend the night there as well. It was way too late and far to try and go back to the Burj. They all slept on the ground. The women and children spent the night inside one of the partially collapsed buildings while the men had to stay outside since there was not enough room for everyone.

Sidra could not sleep that night. Despite all of what happened, she did not have a signal tear. She walked outside. It was cold and dark.

"What a quiet night." she thought. "It is kind of hard to believe that only 24 hours ago this place was turned into a complete mess."

"Sidra, I'm not going to apologize for yelling at you today." Rain said from behind while he walked towards her. "However, I want you to understand that this is the life we have. It is normal for us to see this every day. We can't paralyze and get shocked every time people around us die. All we can do is to help the living as much as we can. We have very little time to mourn the dead."

"I'm fully aware of that." Sidra replied. "Why couldn't you save that baby?"

"Do not blame it on him. He barely graduated from medical school before all of this." Yazen said as he was coming out of the shadows.

"Yazan, you are not helping." Rain said.

Sidra just stood there and did not say a word after that. Rain just felt so hopeless.

"Forget how many people we lost today, and let's focus on why we lost them in the first place. We are supposed to be fighting for our county. But ever since the former president was killed, all hell broke loose. Who exactly is bombing these people?" Yazan said.

"Oh, please. Who put us in this mess in the first place? Wasn't that stupid president of ours? When he was replaced by that idiot new president 'Maki Lion', people just simply started getting killed for God knows what. We need to get to the bottom of this." Rain said.

"Are you saying that our administration is killing its own people? That does not make any sense." Yazan said.

"As much as it pains me to say...Yes. I am saying that. Did you look at the one building that used to be an orphanage? I found some bullets' shells near it, and I'm hundred percent sure that it belongs to our people. The ones our enemy uses are completely different." Rain explained.

"We are developing new weapons for our administration's army to use. We were not told of any bombing on civilians. Why weren't we given the order to kill our own people if that was the case?"

"We are not some random soldiers. We are highly educated unit. Everyone who lives in the Burj has some kind of scientific degree. We are doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, and researchers. They know we would not obey such orders if we ever get any." Sidra finally said something.

"That might be true, but it simply does not answer our question. Who are we fighting against and why?" Yazan asked.

"If you want to destroy a group of people, the best way to do so is by destroying them inside out. Maki Lion is definitely our enemy. Even though we don't know his true intentions, or why he is doing what he is doing, he and his inner circle got us fooled. They made us think that we are fighting outside powers, while the true enemy was among us." Rain said.

"There is much more to the story than we think. We need more proof that Maki Lion is the one behind the recent attacks on people. We also need to........" Sidra said before she found herself thrown to the ground by a blast.

"WHAT just happened?" Yazan Yelled very loudly. "Stay DOWN everyo...."

Few minutes passed, when they opened their eyes, all they could see was fire.

"Is everyone ok?" Yazan said while coughing. "Sidra... Rain... Are you there?"

"I'm so sure..." Sidra said while coughing. "That I saw our own flag on the aircraft that shot the rocket. It is defiantly our administration" She coughed, "behind the attacks. Rain? Oh my God... You're bleeding."

"It is nothing, just flying piece of glass." Rain said while carefully removing the fragment from his left arm.

Most of the people, who were inside the building, where they camped, got out. The rocket hit a nearby building. Almost everyone there rushed to where the rocket hit, hoping to find any survivors.

"We need to find Mai, Rayan, and Waseem." Yazan said.

"We're here..." Waseem shouted. "We're both ok. We aren't sure where Mai is though."

Sidra rushed inside to find Mai and shouted,

"MAI... MAI... Where are you? Say something if you can hear me?"

"Over here... Hurry... This old lady can't move, a fragment got into her leg, and she can't move." Mai replied.

Some people saw that and rushed to help the lady. They were able to get her and some other people out. Some people had some injures, but nothing deadly. After making sure that everyone was safe, the remaining of the people including Rain, Sidra, Mai, Yazan, Rayan, and Waseem ran to the nearby building to help the survivors. It was outrageous to find no survivors at all.

The fire was everywhere. They could smell the burning flesh inside. The people gathered and formed lines to the nearby river to get water and stop the fire. Some got buckets of sand and dirt and poured it over the fire. They did just about anything to stop it. They could hear a firing truck coming. However, only one truck was not enough. There was not much they could've done. It took hours to put out the fire. They were finally able to get inside. No one was left a live. The burned bodies were everywhere.

Our team left the place and went back to the Burj. There was nothing else for anyone to do. During the time they needed to walk back, no one said anything. They were just too tired to even think about what they had witnessed.

"Apparently, being poor and having a life like garbage, was not enough. Now, we need to be killed, get burned a life, and not ask why? Why?" Rayan commented.

No one replied to Rayan's comment. Everyone just kept silent.
Chapter 3

# Under the Bridge

Few days later, on a sunny day during the cold winter season, Sidra went outside for a walk as usual. She saw a little boy selling newspapers. He was barefoot, and had a dirty-old shirt and shorts on. He came towards her and asked if she could buy one. She looked at him and wondered,

"How poor is his family? What drove his parents to send a little kid out like that?"

She asked him about his name and where he lived. He pointed towards the old bridge in the city and said nothing. She asked if she could go with him to visit his family. She didn't know why she wanted to do that. She just felt like she wanted to have a purpose in life once again. He took her to the bridge where his family was living. It was an hour walk. They finally arrived to the bridge where the kids' family was living.

As they passed a hill right before the bridge, Sidra saw something she never thought she would ever see. She started to have mixed feelings between anger, sadness, and fear. She did not know what to say. The little boy noticed her reaction.

"I think it was not a good idea to bring you here. We should go back. I still have tons of newspapers to sell. My boss could get angry at me." Little boy said and laughed awkwardly. "He has such a short temper. Let's ..."

"Stop talking ....." Sidra told him.

The poor thing realized that she was not going anywhere. He left her and started walking down the hill and towards where his mother and father were. She ran after him and stopped at his parents'.

"This is how you want your children to grow up? Have you lost your minds... What is wrong with you people?" She yelled.

"This is the only way we have to keep our children safe. And outsiders... like you... young lady, out. Who are you? And what are you doing in such place?" The boy's father replied.

Sidra just yelled and said,

"Keep your children safe? By leaving burned bodies of the soldiers of your own country out in the open like that? What kind of example are you setting to your children exactly?"

"Look around you. Do you see all of these people? They all had families and homes at some point. Who do you think destroyed our lives? The invisible enemy that no one exactly knows who? Our dear administration is blaming our miserable lives on outside forces. In reality, our own so called 'Government' is preventing us from getting all the food and supplies that we need."

He stopped talking for a moment after he saw how mad she looked then continued talking with a calm voice,

"Young lady, we are hundreds of people living under this almost destroyed bridge, after our homes were destroyed. That is when I lost both of my legs. We almost lost our lives. So... we came here thinking we can have a safe place. We built small tents and started growing some vegetables. One day, random soldiers came and burned our tents and killed few of us. They thought that we might be involved with some anti-government activities. The same thing happened last month. They came to us and just started firing. A group of young men came out of nowhere, and helped us out. They turned the fire on some of the soldiers and left them in the way you are seeing right now. Someone covered them with officials' uniforms. It was a good idea to keep others away. This is our way of delivering a strong message."

Sidra stood there shocked as the man was talking. She looked around and saw hundreds of people living in very old, half burned tents. Some of them did not even have tents. Some children were crying, some were screaming, and some were just sitting playing with dirt. On top of all of that, seven burned human's bodies were left in the open. It seemed like such a normal thing to have. No one seemed scared or annoyed by that.

"That does not make any sense... Why would they do that? We are on the same side. Are you telling me that we have been fighting our own administration that whole time? I tried denying it, but all evidence points to them." Sidra said.

"Lady, we got used to it. We know that by doing so we can stay safe. Therefore, we don't mind anymore. We just got used to it." The little boy said.

"How could a little kid thinks that it is normal to see things like that? It is not... Who was that guy that did this in the first place? Nothing justifies such actions." Sidra asked.

"The guy who protected us does not live here anyway. We don't know who exactly he is. We just owe him our lives." The little boy said.

"Just know that we will do whatever it takes to protect the ones we love. We don't have much, but can we offer you a glass of water?" The boy's father asked.

"Yes, please. Boy, what is your name? I'm Sidra by the way." She asked looking at the kid.

"Sidra... Such a strange name around here. I'm Amal. It means 'hope'."

Sidra smiled as she extended her arms to get that glass of water. It was a chipped measuring cup. The water inside was not clear. However, she drank it all at once.

After saying a quick goodbye, she left the bridge going back to Burj. She kept thinking the whole time of why people were doing what they did.

"Who is the real enemy? Who are we fighting for? Is the real enemy among us? Do they have the right to do what they did to the soldiers? No... I refuse to justify what they did. Who is killing who? Why am I so confused?" So many questions came into her head as she was walking away.

"Rain... Rain... Where are you? I need to talk to you." Sidra yelled as soon as she entered the Burj.

"What? Why are you yelling?" Rain answered.

Sidra ran towards him and punched him right on the face with all she'd got. Rain was just stunned.

"What on earth was that for?"

"You killed those soldiers under the bridge... HOW COULD YOU... Is this what we stand for? This is how we're going to live our lives?"

Rain was just shocked and his face turned red.

"How do you know about that? And what were you doing under the bridge in the first place?"

"So, you are not even denying it?"

"It is not what you think. It was not me. I would never do something like that. I tried to stop it. I swear. But people are not what they seem anymore. The hate is consuming them."

"I saw that cup that you used to have in your small lab. It was with some people. They gave me water in it. I knew it was yours because it was chipped from when I broke it."

"And that made you think that I killed those soldiers? You are way too smart for that, Sidra. You should know better than that.... Come with me."

"To where?"

"Just shut up and walk." Rain said with an angry tone.

She followed him to the woods, to some place where a young man lived. The man was seen sitting near a window. They just looked at his small house from a safe distance.

"This guy watched his brother die. His brother was just a kid when an old man shot him because he stole some money. This guy was raised to hate everyone who works for the administration. I do believe that he is the leader of the group that burned the soldiers under the bridge. I think they got what was coming to them."

"Was that nine-year old boy named Zain by any chance?"

"How did you know that?"

"I've heard stories."

Another image from Sidra's past came down to hunt her. She remembered that day. She was there. She always thought that her entire life turned upside down after that incident.

"Stop day dreaming. We need to do something about this. Or do you still feel like you don't care about anything in life?" Rain said.

"No, I care. Believe me." She replied.

She just was not good in showing emotions. She always hid under that strong emotionless woman. Maybe it was because she had seen a lot in her life that made everything seem normal.

"Here is what I don't understand. Just the other day, we had people killed in an explosion, and you did not care at all. You see things every day and you still feel nothing. What made you so angry about what you saw at the bridge? I know it is very barbaric, but what ...."

"You know you never told me what your measuring cup was doing there?"

"Changing the subject, I see. I go there every now and then and help the people out as much as I can."

"I would like to go with you when you go next time. I made friends with a little boy named Amal. He sells newspapers around. I would like to help him and his family. We should also clean their place and bury the dead to stop the madness."

"I tried. They wouldn't let me." Rain said.

"We'll see about that."

The next day Rain, Sidra, and Yazan went to the bridge. They talked to the people and convinced them that they can protect them. It was a very long talk. The people agreed that they should not have allowed that mysterious group of men to do what they did. They could've protected themselves without the need for such behavior. They finally buried the bodies, or what was left of it.

Sidra suggested that they should go back to growing vegetables and rebuilding what was destroyed. Everyone started helping out. Rain had some money, so he used it to buy some supplies and some seeds for them to grow. Since part of the bridge was destroyed, people took the wreckage and started using it to build a wall around their camp. Everyone, including the kids, helped out. The little boy, Amal, was able to come back after selling half of his newspapers. Rain bought what was left of his newspapers and told him not to tell anyone. They both smiled and joined everyone at the camp.

Weeks had passed and things were not getting any better. The people were still dying out of cold and hunger. No one was secured enough. They started forming their own armies. Every time they got attacked, they fought back. Estil's administration did not like the fact that groups of people were getting together. It was always considered an act of terrorism. No one knew for sure who the real enemy was. No one knew why they were being attacked.
Chapter 4

# Les Miserables

Months have passed and people were being killed on daily bases. The sound of the exploding bombs and rockets seemed like the only thing being heard almost everywhere in Estil. Fear, hunger, and darkness were the only things people would talk about.

At the Burj, during lunch break, Sidra tried breaking the awkward silence at the dining hall.

"Is it just me, or soon we are going to live the real Hunger Games..." Sidra said.

"HaHa...Very funny, you have been watching too much TV." Rain replied sarcastically.

"No, I'm not. We only get the electricity few hours a day. I can barely watch half a movie."

"Soon, we're going to have to somehow get solar panels or something. We can't live like this. We need enough electricity to at least charge our cell phones." Yazan stated.

"I told you. You should get an old phone instead of a smart one. They don't need charging as much. Sidra, you're technically an engineer. Do something about the power." Waseem added.

"Yeah, and from where are we going to get the funding for that, Waseem?" Sidra asked.

"We can rob a bank."

"Don't say stupid things like that. People might actually believe you. This would be considered an act of terrorism since all banks are owned by the administration" Rain said.

"Relax. There are no banks to rob in the first place. People went crazy and destroyed all government's properties. Even schools were robed and burned. Well, can you blame them?" Sidra added.

"We are not like those people. We dedicated our lives to protecting others. Besides, all of the people you're talking about were publicly executed." Yazan added to the conversation.

"I was just joking about robing anything you guys. You are very grumpy today." Waseem said.

"Rain is kind of grumpy every day, if you ask me." Sidra stated.

"I don't remember anyone asking you." Rain got annoyed.

"Mr. Rain, there is a phone call for you." Emma, the house keeper, said after entering the dining hall.

"Thanks, Emma. I'm coming." Rain said and left the room.

However, the conversation between the others continued.

"Can we please focus on the main problem here and not argue like kids. No one ever mentioned anything about us just yet. Aren't you curious about what they're going to do with us? We technically still work for the administration. The people are killing anyone and anything Maki Lion related. We are scientists and engineers. Lion's administration hired us to make powerful weapons for them. And you are not listening..." Rayan said as he looked at everyone gazing into their food.

"We've been over this before. We have a secured facility... kind of. We don't even have electricity available all day. On top of all of that, we haven't received new orders for new development in months. Yazen, have we?" Mai asked.

"No. They have not funded us any way." He replied.

"Rayan, just what exactly do you want us to do? Sit down and curse the luck that put us here in the first place? If something were to happen, we will go Gundam style on them." Sidra said as she laughed sarcastically.

"Gundam? That does not make any sense." Waseem said.

"Gundam, like the Japanese anime 'Gundam Wings'. It was my favorite when was a kid. Never mind..." Sidra explained.

"We will just have to stop anyone who tries to harm us, civilians or otherwise. We are not going to let anyone pass through the Burj's gates." Rayan said with a serious face.

"No one is harming any one. We are going to protect ourselves one way or another." Rain said as he entered the room.

"Weren't you supposed to be on the phone?" Sidra asked.

"Well, I finished my phone call." Rain replied.

"It is a matter of surviving now. By the way, I want everyone at the main conference room at 6:00 pm as I have announced earlier. All 47 people living at the Burj will be there. I don't want any one late." Yazan told everyone.

"Another one of your announcements? What is it now?" Mai asked.

"Just be there." He replied.

Later at 6 pm, in the main conference room, Yazan gathered everyone around a large table. Once everyone was there, he started explaining what was going on.

"Listen up everyone, as you all know, the government turned its back on the people. As a result, the people have been very aggressive towards anyone who works for the administration. Since we are technically part of the military, we might be facing the danger of people's anger any time soon. As far as I know, no one knows what is really going on at the Burj. So... we should be safe. However, we are at lockdown for the next week. Under no circumstances is anyone allowed to leave at the Burj. Furthermore, SANA, our super computer, will be down for the next week. Therefore, no one is allowed to use it for any development. Have I made myself clear?"

No one really said anything or asked any questions. They just left silently. They were not surprised about the announcement at all. After everyone had been dismissed, Sidra approached Yazan and talked to him privately.

"We need the exact opposite of that. Having people here at all times will make my work that much harder. How am I supposed to work on SANA now? Why would you tell them to stay?"

"I have my reasons. Make sure you keep working with no one knowing or noticing anything."

"No one in the general public knows about us being with the administration, so we should be fine. No one should harm us."

"Regardless, I have to make sure everyone stays safe until we get to the bottom of this. Besides, SANA will be available only to you."

"As you wish, just remember, a deal is a deal. Once I'm done..."

"You have my word."

She walked out and grabbed a book. She went to a balcony in the 4th floor of the Burj.

"What was that all about? I saw you talking to Yazan earlier, is everything ok?" Rain asked.

"What are you doing here? This is the girls' dorms common area? Get out..." Sidra replied.

"Really? This is the 4th floor? Sorry... You know we can't use the elevators and I just ... Never mind. I'll leave now. But nice way of avoiding the subject."

"Please just go."

After he left she was relieved that she did not have to answer his question.

"I think I did well in dodging his question. Lucky me, we have very strict rules about the dorms. I can't believe they have their rooms in the 7th floor." She thought.

She stayed at the balcony as she kept looking far into the horizon, and started to wonder,

"When did I change? Am I doing the right thing? Even my dreams were shattered. Change the world you said."

She enjoyed the quiet night and started reading.

I dreamed a dream in the past

It wasn't impossible at all

Love with no price

And forgiveness had a thousand ways

I dreamed in the blooming youth

Where fear had no place

In it, the gates were not closed

And an oath was an enough proof

Then, the darkness of the night transpired

With black phantoms that floats

Sweeps my days like a flood

And my dream castle was destroyed

My dream might rest easily

And my bed might shake

Draws a wing to my freedom

Ignites candles that brightens my fate

"Les Miserables?" Mai heard her and asked.

"Yeah, it's just another version of that song." Sidra replied.

"It does seem like we are a proof living of what we always used to watch on TV. Don't you think, Sidra? It's funny how your life can change in one day. Who would've thought that we end up here... I just hope that God forgives the sins we have done before we say goodbye to this world."

"We weren't doing anything wrong. We thought we were protecting our country. We thought that Maki Lion was better than the presidents before him. Also, sometimes we have to make a decision and do things that we may not like. It's all for the sake of our land, or so we keep telling ourselves."

"Do you ever see yourself leading a normal life? I know I don't. I hope this nightmare ends soon. You know, you never told me, how did you end up working at the Burj, Sidra?"

"It's such a long story. I'll tell you all about it one day. I just needed to choose a path, and I did."

In that moment, another flash from Sidra's past came to her. It was the image of her father taken away and being killed in front of her own eyes.

"Oh, well, look at the bright side." Mai interrupted Sidra's thoughts.

"There is a bright side?" Sidra wondered.

"Yeah, actually there is. Even though we are part of the administration, and we were trained to hold weapons and kill, we never really killed anyone. What they do with our weapons is a different story."

"Yeah, right."

Sidra just remembered the man she had to kill when she was fifteen years old. It was a life changing point for her. The burden of taking a life haunted her for as long as she could remember.

"There is always someone who's suffering more that we do. There is always someone who is in more pain than we ever will be. People die every day and not being able to do anything about it, is killing me. People became just numbers to us. No one shows signs of grief anymore. We keep hearing some number of people died. We never think or feel sorry anymore." Sidra said.

"Can you blame us? We are just accepting reality."

"I know. We all are the same here anyway."

"You know what, Sidra. We should head up north. I hear that the north district is way safer, and they are kind of having a normal life. Either way, it is not as bad as the capital where multiple explosions occur every day."

"I don't have enough money to go anywhere."

"Wait... What? What do you do with your salaries? We get paid about the same."

"Things and stuff, I don't know. I'm broke at the moment."

Even though Mai was Sidra's best friend, she never really felt like telling her everything that went in her life. She did not want her friend to judge her or anything. She had some plans and places where she always put all of her money while getting nothing in return. Just because we are happy, does not mean that everyone else is.

"Even though it would seem that I'm trading my happiness for someone else's, I'm the happiest knowing that I'm doing the right thing." Sidra thought and said, "I have to go to bed. Have a good night."

"Yeah... you do the same."

Both Sidra and Mai went to their rooms and called it a night. Meanwhile in the director's office, Rain and Yazan had some serious talk.

"You were lying when you said you have not received any orders in a while." Rain said.

"I don't know what you are talking about. Why would I lie?" Yazan replied.

"We used to be best friends. I know when something is going on, and Sidra is involved somehow. Yazan, you know you can trust me, right?"

"I've been meaning to tell you. I was hoping that I have more time. Let me call Sidra down here, and she can explain. You know that we are a very special unit. As your unit director, I was indeed receiving orders."

"So you are starting to tell the truth. There are about 50 of us living at the Burj, how can you not tell anyone about the orders? What were they? How are we not being punished for not following them?"

"I never said that we're ignoring orders. I have people working on it."

"Working on what?"

"It's classified, Rain. You don't need to get involved."

"But, we don't even have electricity most of the day, how are you working?"

"We have generates in the highest floors. Sidra, I think you can explain things to him now."

Yazan pointed to Sidra after he saw her through the glass walls of his office. She entered the room and sat down. She looked at Rain and started talking.

"I have installed solar panels at the top of the Burj. We also have some emergency generators. They funded us few months ago."

"Wait... What? You knew about this? That whole time you were developing weapons that are being used against innocent people? I can't believe you?" Rain got mad.

"I never said I did that. Anyway, I did what I had to. That is all you need to know."

"Sidra, I need to talk to you, privately, please." Rain said.

"I'll leave you for now. Rain, just remember, we all have to do things we're not so proud of." Yazan told Rain and left the room.

"I know who you really are, and what you have done in the past." Rain calmly said.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Sidra stood up trying to leave the room.

"Sidra... I know about Zain." He said.
Chapter 5

# The Arrest

Sidra was just stunned hearing what Rain had to say. She could not believe that someone had figured out who she really was. Only had she known what the future was holding for her.

"What do they have against you? Why are you still helping them? And how is Yazan ok with it?" Rain asked.

"How did you know about him?"

"Do you really want to know? I'll forget it if you answer my questions."

"I can't. You should have asked Yazan yourself."

"I need to hear your side of the story. Are you being black mailed?"

"No, I'm working under my own free will. I had to pick a side, and I picked the winning one. I chose to stand by the administration of our country." Sidra said.

"You did NOT just say that... Have you forgotten the buildings that they destroyed? How can you be ok with this? I really thought you have changed. You are that same killer from eight years ago."

Tears just started to fall down from her eyes. Sidra left the room and walked outside. Apparently, he knew more than she thought he did. She was confused and had no one to turn to. She looked at the sky and asked God for help and guidance in her coming path. She thought that she was starting a battle on her own. She walked alone at night and stopped at a nearby river.

"Rain was right. I am a killer, and I do not deserve any body's forgiveness. Well, at least he did not throw me from the 2nd floor's window. I would've deserved it." She thought after wiping her tears with her long sleeves.

A week had passed and no one spoke about it. Rain never mentioned it. She thought that he had just giving up on her. She always thought that it was only a matter of time before someone finds out the truth. Nothing worth mentioning really happened during that week. What happened afterwards was the turning point for everyone.

On a shiny morning, Sidra walked out of the Burj. She walked towards the city. In her walk through the capital, she passed an old man who was working for a bread factory. She saw him holding a big bag of flour on his back. He was covered all over by the flour. He seemed very tried and about to fall down. She ran towards him and offered to help.

"I'm ok, young lady. I'm used to this every day." The old man said.

"Sir, please let me help you. You look tired and about to fall any seconds. You don't want your wife and kids to worry about you. Do you?" Sidra asked with a smile.

"My 19 year old son was killed in cross fire a while ago. My ten year old son is very sick, and I work day and night so I can take him to a doctor. My wife died years ago." He stopped talking for a second and said, "Ohhh... I'm glad she did not get to live. I wouldn't want her seeing the world we live in today."

"I'm really sorry to hear this. However, Sir, where is your son now? I happened to know a very skilled doctor who can help."

"It's kind of you, but my son and I live few hours walk east of here. We live under a bridge."

"Oh... Does it happen to be the same bridge that was fallen off because of the attacks about a month ago? "

"Yes... My oldest son died in that attack."

"I can't imagine how you must feel. However, let's focus on saving your other son. I need to make a quick phone call."

Sidra got her phone and called Rain. He might still be young and not very experienced, but he is a very good doctor.

"Rain, Listen, I know we have our differences, but now I need your help. There is a boy who lives under the bridge where we were a while ago. Do you remember the place?" Sidra said on the phone.

"What about the boy?" Rain replied.

"He is very sick and his father an old man and he ......."

"OH... Now, you care about little boys and their survival. Aren't you the one who is working for the administration who did that in the first place?"

"Rain... Listen to me, I'm still a human. I am not justifying my actions, but I need you to believe that I know what I'm doing. Right now, there is an innocent child that needs help. I'll meet you there in an hour."

Then, she just hung up the phone and turned to the old man.

"Sir, Let us go to your place and see your boy."

On the other side of the phone, Rain was not very happy.

"I did not even say that I was going. She knew I could not say no. I wonder why she cared about a random boy out of nowhere." He thought.

The old man was very grateful that Sidra was willing to help him.

"I don't know how to thank you. God bless you, God bless you my dear." He said.

"Please, I'm only doing what anyone should do. We live in a war zone. The least we could do is stand besides each other." Sidra replied with a smile.

On the road to the bridge, they came across a group of people that seemed like robbers. Sidra and the old man tried to avoid them, but they could not. When the robbers stood right in front of them, Sidra knew that they were not just random robbers.

"What do you want? Please, let us pass." Sidra said to one of the men.

"Sure, give us everything you have. Then, we will think about letting you go." One man from the group replied.

As that man strongly grabbed Sidra from her arm, she managed to hit him back right on the face and said,

"I swear, touch me again, and I will make you regret the day you were born..."

"Why the attitude? My beautiful brunette... Come here..."

In that moment, she found herself surrounded by three men that all tried to hurt her. The old man, that she was with, tried to help, but he was pushed away due to his weakness. He managed to get up and help Sidra fight the three men. It was a long fight. What the men did not know is that Sidra had extensive training and martial art skills.

She managed to use her self-defense skills by knocking one of them on the ground and causing damage to his head. However, someone from behind was able to get a knife and stab her in her right arm. They got the old man as well knocked down. They searched both of them. They could not find anything but Sidra's cell phone. They took it and ran a way as quickly as they could.

It was hard for the old man and Sidra to get up again, but they did. Sidra managed to cover her wound with a scarf she had. She asked the old man to keep walking to the bridge to see his sick son and get him some help. They finally arrived to the bridge about two hours late. They were very tired and barley able to walk.

Rain saw them from far and ran towards them.

"Finally, I was waiting for hours in here. I called you many times, but I guess you were not in the mood to answer. And what's up with the ...... Oh, My GOD, what happened to you? You're bleeding." Rain said.

"I'm ok. You're here to help this man's son."

"Your arm is covered by blood. Let me have a look at it."

"No, please. I can take care of myself."

"Just exactly what care is that you are taking of yourself? It's not the time to be stubborn. Let me help you."

"I'm fine. Look... I can move my arm freely. It's nothing. Now, leave my arm alone. Just go help the kid."

Rain left her and went to help the kid in the camp with his father. After a while he came back and asked Sidra,

"Hey, we are going to need a lot of supplies. I only have about $50 in my pocket, and I left my bank card home. Do you have any money on you?"

"No, not a single dollar." She replied while trying to hide her pain.

"Did those robbers you came across stole your money? I thought the man said that they only took your cell phone."

"I only had few dollars. Nothing worth stealing. I am kind of broke."

"Why would you be broke? Never mind, take this and pour it over your wound. Otherwise, it will get infected. Also, cover it up with this." Rain said as he gave her isopropyl Alcohol and some rag.

"Fine, I'll do that. How bad is that kid's condition?" She said.

"Very bad. He needed to be in a hospital weeks ago. I'll do my best to transport him to the hospital in the northern city."

"Do your best. Now, I want to sleep......" She said and walked a way to treat her wounds.

As that day ended, Sidra closed her eyes and did not open them until the next morning. She opened her eyes and found herself in a tent. It was very loud outside. People were talking and working at sun rise.

"What am I doing here? I can't seem to remember." She wondered.

Some lady entered the tent and said,

"Oh, good morning, glad to see you doing ok. Can I get you anything? Breakfast will be ready in no time."

"How did I get here? Are we still under the bridge?" Sidra asked.

"Yes, we are. You passed out due to a low blood pressure. Some guy brought you here."

"Yeah, you idiot. The old man was able to carry you inside. He said he used to carrying heavy weights. I hope that you did not break his back." Rain said talking to Sidra.

"Are you saying I'm fat? Because I don't care about your opinion."

"Haha... You two are funny. Let's just go outside and join everyone." The lady said.

"What happened to the boy and the old man?" Sidra asked Rain.

"I did what I could. Then, I called Rayan. He was able to get a car and take the boy and his father to the nearest hospital. He just called. I think they will be fine."

"Great... Thanks for helping them."

"As for you, how is your arm?"

"The lady here just told me that she cleaned my wound and wrapped it up nicely. It was not a deep wound at all. I am as good as new."

"Right, glad you're ok. I think we should get back to the Burj."

"You can go. I have something to take care of that I never got to yesterday with all that happened." Sidra said as she tried getting up.

"What's that?" Rain asked.

"Just some personal business. I'll see you later. I'm just going to thank the nice lady before I go."

Rain left the tent and walked outside. Sidra and the lady continued their talk.

"Thank you for your kind hospitality. I'm glad to see a really good nurse with the people here." Sidra told the lady.

"I'm no nurse, sweet heart. I just help around. Please do us a favor and ask your friend doctor to visit us every now and then. We could really use his help. He was very kind to us, and we just don't want him to feel pressured or anything."

"Well, ahhh, I had to yell at him on the phone to drag him here to help the kid. You saw how he talks to me. We always fight, and I'm not sure how convincing I can be."

"You will be surprised. Just remind him how much people need him. He has a kind heart."

"I may not agree with that, but I will do my best. I have to go now. Please take care, and thanks again."

"You do the same, Sidra."

They walked outside where the lady gave Sidra and Rain some food. Rain was very nervous and asked if he could talk to Sidra privately.

"Well, that was a long 'thank you'. We're going to the Burj now." Rain said.

"No, I told you I have something to take care of." Sidra replied.

"I'm sorry, but your business is going to wait. Yazan just called and said there is an emergency and we need to get back as fast as possible."

"Fine. Let's go."

They finally got back to the Burj where Yazan was waiting in the main common area.

"You're very late. We have a problem." Yazan said and continued, "I got a call from the Sargent Major of Estil's army himself asking me to put you under arrest, Sidra."
Chapter 6

# Prison Break

Everyone was just shocked. Sidra looked at Rain and said with an angry voice,

"What have you told them?"

"Nothing... I swear... I never mentioned it to a soul." Rain replied.

"They said you have killed a man few years back." Yazan added.

"My cell phone... That must be it... That means that those robbers were soldiers. They must have found the document. Of course, I could tell they were highly trained. I thought they were just very skilled." Sidra mumbled.

"They have send people here to arrest you. They should be here any minute now." Yazan told her.

Mai entered the room slowly and asked Sidra,

"You have actually killed someone?"

"I will explain everything. I promise."

In that moment, some soldiers came in and others surrounded the Burj.

"We are not going to ask you to come with us nicely. I think you know what happens to criminals like yourself." A soldier said as he pushed her hard down on the ground.

"There must a mistake. What proof do you have?" Rain questioned them.

"We have what we need. Someone found her cell phone, and it has all the evidence. However... I think you know that we do not need any proofs to put someone in jail. It's a war zone, and the law is on our side."

"What kind of law is that?" Rain yelled.

"Shut up... Or you will be joining her soon enough."

"Rain, please do as he says and just shut up. I can take care of myself." Sidra shouted.

"You thought you could just get away with killing a commander in Estil's army?"

One of the soldiers said as he pushed her and walked her out of the Burj. They put her in one of the hummers they came in. They left quickly.

Rain, Yazan, and Mai stood there watching what happened. There was nothing they could do. Any act would have put them all in jail. The administration had no tolerance at all. After few seconds of silence, Yazan started wondering.

"So, let me get this straight. Hundreds of people are getting killed on daily or weekly basis, and they just arrested her for killing someone God knows how many years ago? Something was not right in here. They must want something from her. Or she knows something that we don't know. Mai, would you please check Sidra's room for anything that might be useful?"

"Yeah, I will go now." Mai said and left them.

"What was the project that she was working on? Do you think that they wanted her because of that?" Rain asked Yazan.

"No, she erases the data every night and never leaves a trace. There is only one possibility. We need to know who the man that she killed was. He must have been some part of the inner circle."

"He was my grandfather." Rain said casually.

"I'm sorry, what? It sounded like you said, your 'grandfather'?" Yazan said with a surprised tone.

"She does not know that. Please don't tell her just yet. I think she should tell you her side of the story."

"Wow... Rain... This is crazy... What are we going to do now?"

"I knew that few years back. But I never really cared. The man had it coming. When I learned the truth about her, I did not know what to say or how to react. I never told her that I am related to him."

"You knew that few years back? But Sidra just joined us less than a year ago. And why exactly did she kill your grandfather? And if we are talking few years back, that means she must have been between 15 to 18 years of age."

"Yeah, she was almost 15 when she shot him. Like I said, she should tell you herself. Rumors were everywhere at the time. Everyone said something different. I thought I put all of that behind me. That's why I never mentioned it. Now, however, I feel that we should get her out of wherever they took her. You know that they torture prisoners regardless of age and gender." Rain said with a very concerned face. "I think I will take care of this myself. You stay here. Don't get the Burj involved. We don't want them thinking that we are opposing the administration in any way."

"I have many questions, but I agree. Do what you have to and make sure you let us know if anything is needed."

After Rain left the Burj, he asked in many places where they might have taking her. He asked everywhere. But it turned out that they moved the prisoners around a lot. There was no record or a sign of her being in any prison. He left the Burj every morning and came back at night with no use for over three days. He decided to gather his friends and have a plan.

"It's time we expanded the search and find out what our dear administration is up to." Rain told his friends at the Burj.

"This is crazy. How can we not know where they hold the prisoners?" Waseem said.

"I really hate to say it, but... is it possible that they... might have... you know... killed her? They do that to a lot of the prisoners these days. I heard that they just took this guy. Then, few days later, his family found his body in the front door because they did not pay the $30,000 they asked for." Rayan added.

"She is technically working for the federal administration. They wouldn't dare ask for money." Yazan stated.

"There is only one thing left I can do. I was hoping to avoid this, but looking at what we have, which is nothing, it is time to call my dear old father." Rain said.

"What does your father have to do with this? And if he could help, why didn't you call him in the first place?" Waseem asked.

Rain just looked down and completely avoided Waseem's question. At that point no one knew what really was going on. But everyone knew that Sidra needed to be found.

Meanwhile, Sidra was somewhere in a very dark and small prison cell. Her prison cell was no more than a meter in length and a meter in width. It was very humid and filled with fungus. There were not any windows or any source of light. However, her eyes adjusted after a while. Some guard would bring a weird looking soup and a dry piece of bread once every day. That place was everything but quiet. She was not even able to sleep. The screaming voices of the prisoners that were being tortured in the next cells were so painful to hear.

After nearly ten days in that hell of prison, Rain was able to find her. He contacted his father, who was the Sargent Major of Estil's army. Rain was finally granted access to where she was held. He was not able to get in, but he did manage to find her prison's cell. He reached the door and stood up for few seconds. He was not sure that she was there. He also did not know what to say, but somehow found the courage to speak up.

"Are you there? How are you holding up, Sidra?" Rain asked but did not hear anything back.

He repeated his question again and again until he heard a low and sickly voice.

"Sidra, my name is Sidra. I am 23 years old. I dedicated my life to saving our country. I do not know of any uprising you speak of. I only killed him because he was a murderer."

"Sidra, I'm just glad I was finally able to find you." Rain said smiling.

"Rain? Is that you? Get me out of here? Please... I beg of you... I'll be nice to you from now on. I promise... You have no idea what I have been through. They torture people. They burn them alive. They just killed the man next door after he swore that he had no information about any uprising."

"You don't have to say anything. You will be out of here in no time. I need to know if this had to do with your project or not. What were you working on?"

"Ask Mai about the song she saw me reading. It's coded. 8 flames."

"What song and what flames? Never mind. I have to go now." Rain said and walked out of the prison. He could not stop thinking of how bad things looked inside the prison.

"She probably did not want the guards to hear. I need to crack that code. And what kind of hell is this? Are the guards really humans? When did people become such animals? I really hope that she was not tortured. Most importantly, I hope my father is not involved in any of this" Rain thought.

After he left, Sidra started reading what was written on the walls. It looked like it was written using a small piece of rock. She read it almost every day. She never knew who wrote it. But it gave her so much hope in such a dark place.

It was a bright dream, just like a morning sun

I wish if it'd remained as a dream... oh time

I was going on as significant person

Just like a glorious lighthouse

Smiling at the oppression that never suffers

Where have they thrown our hopes?

And demolished the tenderness of our tears

Their injustice have haunted our melodies

Oh, my memories, bloom

Dust the lethargy off you

And shower in the supreme light

What's wrong with me?

Why ~ can't I forget a mellow-resonant tune?

(What's wrong with me?)

Why ~ can't I get out of the dark tunnel of grief?

And so, this dream will live on to end of time

In my eyes, to the end of time ♫

Rain went back and told his father about what was going on. He seemed shocked. It sounded like he had no idea about what was going on in that prison.

"What you are saying is outrageous and not acceptable. She might have killed my father, but I would never send a human to such a place. We also believe that she is working on some unauthorized projects. We found some files that led us to her in the first place. My men told me that she kept denying it." Rain's father said.

"I want her out of that hell. I could care less about what she'd done or doing. The commander had it coming." Rain said loudly.

"Boy... How could you speak ill of your grandfather? She's still a criminal. As for what's going on in that prison, I'll investigate myself. That girl will be released when I say she would." The Sargent Major said.

After realizing that it was no use talking to his father, Rain left the base and went back to the Burj. He thought about breaking her out of there, but he knew that his father would not leave her or him alone. His father could even go as far as imprisoning him and his friends. After thinking about it for a while, he decided to find out about the code Sidra had mentioned. He rushed back to the Burj where everyone was waiting. As soon as he entered the Burj, he found Yazan and Rayan in the main common area. He immediately asked for Mai.

"Mai? Where is Mai"

"I'm here... Did you find her?"

He explained all that happened and asked about the song that Sidra had mentioned. She told him that it was some version of Les miserable, and that was all she knew. She later found a copy and sent it to his tablet. He asked his group to help him make sense out of it. They kept throwing ideas here and there for a while.

"She said, '8 flames'. Does anyone have any idea what that means?"

"I'm looking at the translated version of it. The entire song does not have '8' or 'flames' in it."

"I wonder what she meant. I just wish we knew what we were looking for."

"Ok, the song says, 'Love with no price.' Maybe we are talking about some money?"

"The song also says, 'Forgiveness has a thousand ways' and 1000 is the only number in there."

"We also have some interesting choice of words like, phantoms, sweeps, ignites, and many others."

It took a while until Yazan figured something out, or so he thought.

"Rayan just said an interesting thing. Sidra loves math and numbers, and 1000 is the only number in there. We should focus on it. Also, we ... wait a second, 1000 could be a binary number, and it is the number 8."

"You are right... One, zero, zero, zero is the binary version of the decimal number 8. This cannot be a coincident." Rain added.

"Ok, so the relationship is binary. What is that even mean?"

"We will know more once we know what she meant by the word 'flames.'"

"The flames of the phantom? Sweeping flames? Igniting flames? Something flames? Anything?"

"Ok, Mai. Stop making up words. Even if we did know what it means, what are we going to do with that information?"

"I never thought about it, but why did Sidra choose this method?"

"We'll worry about her choice of methods later, Waseem. Anyhow, if we make sense out of '8 flames', we will try entering it into SANA and go from there."

Mai ignored them and kept trying putting words together.

"Flames of the candles? Blooming flames?"

"That is it... How do flames start? You ignite them... 'Ignites candles that brighten my fate.' Now, what does that mean?"

"Igniting binary?"

"No... Ignite means start. So, start binary?"

"Maybe the answer is simply <1000>."

"It's a long shot, but what do we have to lose... Let's enter it to SANA."

As soon as they entered '1000' into SANA, alarms started. The lights in the room turned red and the following message was played:

"You have entered the emergency code to the secret system of Orb. Voice activation will be terminated within 10 seconds from now. Please play the corresponding melody."

"What melody is she talking about? And who's the idiot who put <1000> as an emergency code?"

"Play the song... Now... No time... That could be it."

They quickly opened a link and were able to play the song. After the song finished playing, the system was partially unlocked and the following message was played:

"You have sent the emergency code to Orb. Tracking system has been activated. Your work is complete. Thank you."

"That is it? What just happened?"

"What on earth was Sidra working on? Yazan, I thought you knew."

"No, I only authorized the simple stuff like installing solar panels. So she could have power. She never told me what she was working on."

"We should visit Sidra again if they would let us. I'll see what I can do with my father. He might help us get in one more time."

"I think we should break her out of the prison."

"I thought we should not involve the Burj."

"Forget about that. I said that before I knew what they are doing to people in there."

After a long conversation, all five of them agreed to go. They decided to do whatever it took to get her out of there. They had to have a plan. Getting weapons and bullets was not a problem for them. After nearly 24 hours of planning and deciding who was going to do what, it was finally time for action. Or so they thought. Something totally unexpected happened. The plan was to send someone to distract the first guard on the main gate of the prison. This was Rayan's job. As soon as he got closer to the guard, he shot him with tranquilizer.

They forced their way to the prison. Luckily, they had grenades and just about enough guns to break in. I do not want to get into the details of how they got in. Simply, because they did not find her where Rain said she would be. What I though was the funny part, was when they captured one of guards and asked him about her.

"Sidra? She was released yesterday. She is one of the few people that get to leave this place a live. Now, leave before you get arrested as well. You can't get away with this." The guard said as Rain just knocked him down.

They could not believe that at all. So, Rain called his father and asked about what was going on. His father explained that someone called and demanded releasing her. Rain never really said who released her. But it was obvious that he had an idea.

"If she was released yesterday, then, where is she now? Why didn't she come back to the Burj?" Mai asked a rhetorical question.

Rain started to realize what was happening. He was afraid that this day would come. He did not tell his friends that he knew what Orb was all about. He just did not want them knowing that Sidra was involved in all of it.
Chapter 7

# Frozen Tears

Somewhere else in the city, Sidra was walking around in the cold and windy weather. It was freezing outside. She was released from the prison, but no one told her why. When she left, there was no one there to pick her up. She was so lost and confused. After all, she had not seen sunlight for over two weeks. She could not even remember or know her way back to the Burj. She walked like a confused person feeling very cold and hungry. She looked around and saw very few people who were in a similar case as her, if not worst.

Most people were out in the cold with no shelters trying to find a place between the demolished buildings. Their homes were either destroyed, or they had to leave it behind to survive. The city was cold and felt like a ghost town. Even though it was the middle of the day, it was scary and dark. Sidra could not believe that the two weeks she spent in prison felt like years. Things got way worse than they were before. Lots of buildings were destroyed. Everything around her screamed pain and sadness.

She was finally able to get a shelter between the wreckage. However, she was so sure that she would freeze to death. She sat down on the ground and put her arms around her legs. She could not feel her fingers. Her stomach would not stop growling. Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the cell that she had just left. She finally gave up and lay down on the ground. She closed her eyes to what felt like few seconds. She opened her eyes again after she felt the warmth of someone's hands poking her right cheek. She saw a little boy sitting right beside her. He smiled when he saw her open her eyes. He covered her with his old half torn jacket.

She looked up and saw a familiar face. She could not remember where, but she was so sure she knew him.

"I'm Amal. Remember me? We used to live under the bridge. You and your friend helped us clean the place and keep the bad people a way."

"Sorry kid, I have no idea what you are talking about. But thanks for the jacket. Besides, I have no friends. What about you? Aren't you cold?"

"You may not know who I am, but I know who you are. And no, I do not feel cold. What happened to you? You have bruises and wounds all over you."

"Ok, Amal, do you have anything to eat? My stomach is hurting. I did not have anything to eat for days."

"I only have one can of cat food left. I will go bring it, and we can share it."

She nodded agreeing but still could not get up.

"Cat food? We got to this point now? Where is the rest of the world? Why are we living like this? Who is responsible for this?" She thought.

Few minutes later, Amal came back with the cat food can. There was less than half of it left. He apologized and said that he had to give half to the kids he had just met. She smiled and tried to get up. They ended up sharing the half can. They were happy that they had something to eat while many others had nothing.

"Kid, where are your parents?" Sidra asked.

He replied casually saying,

"Oh, there were killed... Just like the rest of the people under the bridge. I survived with few of my other friends."

"I'm so sorry to hear this." She immediately gave him his jacket back as if she just woke up from a bad dream.

"It's ok. A lot of the other kids lost their parents as well. I'm not sad anymore because my mom always told me that I would meet her in haven one day."

She looked at him and thought,

"This is not the life those kids should live. Is this what we fought for? Is this what I gave my life for? So kids like Zain would still suffer in the streets till this day?"

"Amal? Tell me, do you know where a place called the Burj is?" She asked.

"Yeah, everyone knows that place. It is a tall tower. I think it is three hours walk that way" He answered as he pointed to the direction of the Burj.

"Thank you. I have to go now. You have no idea how much your cat food was helpful to me. I think you should come with me."

"Thanks but no thanks. I have to take care of the other kids in here. We go and find food together. I have to stay here."

"Listen to me, there is an orphanage called 'Seven Skies.' I know the people there. They can help you and your friends. I can take you there now. Go call the rest of your friends and anyone you know."

He happily and obediently said,

"Really? I'll go find them right now. We are only five. They are all here except our friend Andi. He has been a sleep for like three days. He never woke up."

Sidra ran to where Andi was and found out that he was dead. Because of the cold, his body was reserved as it was. The kids thought that he was just a sleep. They thought that the only way for a human to die was by getting killed. They did not know that cold could kill someone as well. She stood there near his body not knowing what to tell the kids.

She estimated the kid to be no older than three years old. He was covered very well. His friends covered him to worm him as they thought he was a sleep. In that moment, she felt like screaming. Her tears were almost frozen as they came out of her eyes. She cried and cried and could not hold herself together. The other kids started crying with her even though they had no idea what was upsetting her. She was not crying for the little boy only.

She was mad and pissed at the life she and everyone around her had to live. She always thought that their country would go back to normal, and no one would have to live the hard and painful childhood she had to live. That was the reason she killed that old man, who killed Zain, all those years ago. She took the gun from him and shot him with the same gun he killed Zain with. She had no idea who Zain was. She just knew that he was a little boy who wanted to help his family.

She finally told the kids that their friend had passed away, and that they should bury him. They started digging a hole in the ground after they covered him with a white piece of cloth that they found. It was more painful looking at the kids saying goodbyes to their friend, than it was burring a three year old under the snow.

Sidra was able to get the remaining four kids to the orphanage. There were a lot of kids there and not much to offer. However, the few workers at the orphanage promised her that they would take care of them. Amal begged Sidra to stay with them because she needed the help as much as they did. She told him that she would be back and that things would get better. She had no idea what was waiting for her. She hugged them and said her goodbyes.

She started her walk to the Burj. She wanted to do something about this war once and for all. It was getting really dark, so she spent the night in some old building. She decided to finish her walk as soon as the sun rises in the morning. The next morning seemed like a beautiful day. The sun was shining and even some of the snow was melting. She woke up more hungry than when she went to sleep. However, she had to keep walking. There was not a single car passing by at all. When she finally arrived to the Burj, she was very tired and could not feel but betrayed by her friends, especially Rain. They left her there and never came back for her. Or so she thought.

She opened the main door to the Burj and looked around. There was no one there. All of a sudden, she heard Mai's voice,

"Sidra? Is that you?" Mai said as she ran towards her trying to hug her.

"Stop, please. My body is killing me. I just need to rest." She replied.

Yazan and the rest heard her voice and could not believe that she had finally made it back.

"You look awful. Please let us help." Yazan said.

"You look terrible. Where have you been? We looked everywhere for you. Couldn't you have called?" Rain said as he tried to get closer to examine her.

"Stay where you are. I do not need your help." She said as she stretched her left arm trying to keep him away.

"We were sick worried about you." Rain said as he backed out.

"Oh, please... The only thing you were worried about is the project I'm working on. All you did when you visited is ask about what I was working on. Then, you just left, and I never heard from you again. I begged you to help me."

At that moment, she just could not hold her tears, "You have no idea what I went though."

"That's not true. He searched everywhere until he finally called his dad and asked for a favor." Waseem explained.

She replied while wiping her tears,

"What does his father have to do with any of this? Never mind. I do not want to argue or say anything. I'm very tired and hungry. I don't want to deal with any of you right now."

"We can talk later. I will take you to your room. You can take a shower while I make some food for you. It looks like you have not eaten in a very long time." Emma told her.

"I had cat food with a little kid. His name is Amal. He was more help to me that any of you ever were."

"Emma, please take her to rest now. She is in no condition to talk. She can barely stand. Sidra, I understand that you don't want Rain to treat your wounds. I'll call for another doctor." Yazan said.

Sidra did not say anything. She did not even allow Emma to help her. She just went upstairs and locked herself in her room.

Meanwhile, everyone stayed downstairs trying to process what happened.

"Cat food? What exactly did she go through? Do you guys think she was tortured?" Yazan asked.

"I have never seen her like this before. Her arm is bleeding. Also, she has bruises all over. I find it hard to believe that she thought we gave up on her. I did not know what to say. I could not even explain to her anything. I didn't mean to leave her rotting in there like she thinks. Knowing that she was in such a place just killed me." Rain explained.

"I think you should tell her that the man she killed was your grandfather. Even she should understand your position with your dad." Rayan said.

"Either way, she looks in a really bad shape. We still don't know why they released her. No law is being forced in this country at all. We technically live in a war zone. There will be no trial. They could have just killed her right there. Hopefully, they will leave her alone from now on." Yazan added.

Few days had passed, and Sidra never left her room. They were all worried about her. She did not say a single word ever since she walked in. She refused to see anyone. Mai brought her food and took care of her, but she ate very little and kept on refusing the help. After a while she started feeling better. She started feeling like she had gained some of her energy back. She still felt betrayed by her friends who left her and never bothered to help. She felt like she was being judged for killing an old man. She finally decided to tell them the whole story.

On a sunny morning, she got down to the main lobby where almost every one hanged out. She was wearing black sweatpants that looked few sizes larger, and a black long-sleeved turtleneck top. She did not calm her long-dark hair. She just left it freely on her shoulders. She put her hands in her pockets as she looked around. She saw Rain sitting down reading a book. He wanted to talk to her, but she tried avoiding him.

"Wait... We really need to talk." Rain said.

"Talk about what? Why I killed a man in the first place? He deserved it... He had it coming... If we go back in time, I would have done it again, happily." Sidra replied.

In that moment, Waseem and Rayan came down from their rooms and joined the conversion.

"You should not have said that. After all, you did kill a retired army commander. A commander in the administration you work for." Waseem stated.

"I think it is about time we hear your side of the story. What happened all of those years ago? Why do you think he deserved it?" Rayan asked a good question.

She just stood there with her hands still in her pockets looking at the floor. It took her few seconds to finally reply.

"Do you really want to know? Fine..."

She looked up, got her hands out of her pockets, and continued.

"During the past war, my mother was a researcher for the military. My father and I were just told that her base was blown up, and that there were no survivors. I was devastated. We had a miserable life as it is. Thinking that I lost my mother was just not fair at all. That day..."

She stopped for a second as the images from that day came all rushing like a movie. Everything was playing in her head as if it had happened yesterday and not eight years ago.

"That day, my father and I went out to get some bread. We used to live in an averaged neighborhood. We were not rich, but we were not poor either. In our walk, we went through some rich man's house. There was a lady holding her kid and begging an old man to forgive him. It sounded like the kid had stolen something. He asked them to just go away, and that he never wanted to see their faces ever again. As they were walking away, he took his gun and... shot the kid."

Sidra stooped there and looked at the floor again. They were all listening. They did not want to interrupt her. Or even asked what happened next. Her eyes just started tearing up. She looked up again and continued.

"He shot the kid. He shot him right in front of his mother. The mother started shouting in the street as she saw the blood all over her son's body... I stood there watching the whole thing. I just felt like I could not hold it inside anymore. I ran towards that man and took his gun. He was very surprised to see a teenager jumping at him like I did. I did not give him the chance to fight back. I looked at him and said, 'You were the last thing that kid ever saw. And I will be the last thing you will ever see.' I still remember the look on his old face."

At that moment, the tears from Sidra's eyes would not stop.

"I just... shot him... with a cold heart. I took a human life. I'm so sorry."

She sat on the floor crying and continued,

"There is not a day that passes by when I don't think about what I did. The burden of taken a life haunted me ever since. Because of me...I was the reason they... killed my father right in front of my own eyes"

Everyone stood there not knowing what to say as she was telling her story. No one should have gone through that at all. The pain she felt as she was explaining what happened... It was very clear to everyone. They did not know the right thing to say. So, they just kept quiet.

"That's enough for one day. We don't blame you for anything. Emma, please take her to her room. She needs to rest." Rain said.

Emma took Sidra back to her room. She was in a very bad shape. Rain and the others stayed and continued their conversations.

"Rain? Did your grandfather really do that?" Rayan asked.

"Yes, he did. But, of course, that was not the story that I have heard. This is why I wanted you guys to hear from her, not me. My grandpa was a greedy old man. Before he was killed, he had just retired from being a commander of a major unit in the army. That is why they made a big deal out of his death." Rain said.

"Sidra's release was an order that they did not like. It is possible they might come again and harm her." Rayan said.

"Let's hope not." Rain said and left the Burj for fresh air.
Chapter 8

# The Orphanage

After a while, things calmed down. The crews from the Burj were able to resume their lives as before. The bombing on the civilians did not stop. It got worse. No one from the administration came asking for Sidra. She could not regain her energy so easily. She had to convince herself that what happened in that underground prison was over. She never spoke of it. She never even wanted to talk about it.

She woke up one morning feeling a bit better. She decided to take a walk outside the Burj. She went outside and looked at the running river right beside the Burj. It was cold and windy. She wondered if there were more children like Amal and his friends out there. She thought her life was not fair. Not because of what happened, but because she had a warm place, warm food, and clean water. Not everyone was as lucky as her.

"Someone, somewhere, must be suffering and dying because of cold and hunger." She thought.

She walked over a small-wooden bridge on the running river. It's where she always used to go when she needed to be alone. She sat on the bridge and kept looking at the river. The sound of the running water always gave her joy. It was quiet. She liked that. She looked at the sky realizing that it might rain. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. A voice from behind interrupted that moment.

"Good... The fresh air is very good for you." Rain said.

She did not reply. She just looked at him for a second and turned away. He kept his distance. And he decided to break the awkward silence. He said,

"I thought I might find you here. It is cold. You should come inside. I need to speak with you for a moment."

"Can we not talk about what happened, please? I don't want to waste time talking about the problem instead of its solution." She said while looking at the running river.

"I did not know that there was a solution." Rain thought and did not comment on her statement.

"Did you ask Mai about the song she saw me reading? 8 flames? Does that ring a bell?" Sidra asked as she kept looking at the river.

"Yes, we concluded that the password is 1000." Rain said.

"You did what? And why on earth did you not think that the password was simply '8 flames'?" She said as she turned to him.

"Ahhh... I don't know... If that was the case, why did you refer to the song?" He asked her.

"Because you needed to play the song after you put the password. I hid the code inside the song. The sound waves are the.... Never mind... I wonder who received the message then. Anyhow, it is over now. I don't want to think about it. I'm out of prison. That is all I care about." Sidra said as she tried going inside.

"Wait, I want to know what that was all about. What is Orb?" Rain stopped her.

"Orb? What's that?" She pretended to be as surprised as he was.

"The computer said that a message was sent to Orb." Rain explained.

"I don't know. Maybe you got a different message because you entered 1000 instead of '8 flames' like I had told you."

"Interesting..." Rain thought.

"Anyway, there is something I have been meaning to ask you. Do you remember the people under the bridge?" Sidra asked.

"Yes, they were attacked, and a lot of them have died. I wanted to go and help out. However, we were too busy looking for you." Rain said.

"I have something to take care of. Then, I think we should go for a visit. We need to try helping who's left of them. I'm going to visit someone tomorrow morning. I think I will stop by the bridge and see what is going on." Sidra said.

"Are you visiting the Seven Skies orphanage?" He asked confidently.

"How did you know about that?" Sidra was really surprised that Rain knew about it.

"When you were arrested, I looked everywhere for you. I thought you were not even in a prison. So I hacked your bank accounts. I found out that you are indeed broke. It did not make any sense. The federal administration still pays our salaries. I was kind of surprised to find almost zero dollars in your account. So, I traced the money. I found out that most of it went back to the orphanage." Rain explained.

"You had no right... You should not have done that." Sidra said with a mad tone.

"I did what I had to do. You cannot keep hiding the real you inside. There is nothing wrong with showing how caring of a woman you are." Rain tried explaining.

"I'm not doing anything that any human would not." Sidra said as she looked away. "Besides, I don't have my salary anymore. I heard they're cutting us off completely."

"They are." Rain said.

"I have no idea how the kids are going to live. Those kids are everything I was terrified of being. They are living the childhood that I did not want to live... I HATE rich people. They have the money, and they never do anything. Look at us." She said and turned at him. "We live in one of the riches countries on earth, literally, and our people are dying out of cold and hunger... COLD... which is100% preventable." She said with a passion.

"Not all rich people are the same, you know." He replied.

"I don't care. I don't see them doing anything but making more money." Sidra added.

"Let me come with you tomorrow, and we will also go visit the people under the bridge. The weather is supposed to be worm tomorrow." Raid said.

"You don't have to go. I was going to take Emma. She said that she would love to help."

"Then, I will go with you and Emma. It's final. Do not argue. I can serve and a physician to the kids and make sure they're in a good health."

"Fine, fine... you can come." She said and asked, "By the way, when did you learn how to hack? It needed some skills to have access to my bank accounts."

"I learned few things here and there. Also, I had some help." Rain said.

"Interesting... I did not know that about you." Sidra said.

"There is a lot about me that you don't know. Perhaps even more than what I don't know about you." He said with a smile. "Now, let us go inside and tell Emma to get ready for tomorrow. You know we can't drive. They have closed most of the roads. So, we are going to walk."

"I love walking. I know this small town we can stop by." Sidra said. "Rain..."

"Yeah?" Rain replied.

"No, not you. It started to rain." She said with a smile.

It was probably the first time she smiled in a very long time. She closed her eyes for a second a said,

"You know... When I was in prison, I could not hear or see anything. I thought I was dead for a while. The only thing kept going was the sound of the rain falling. I don't know why... But the rain gave me some hope."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Rain said.

\-------------------------------

It was a rainy night. However, the next morning was sunny. In the main common area of the Burj, Emma said,

"Miss Sidra...Mr. Rain... are you sure it is ok for me to be out of the Burj for an entire day?"

"Please just drop the Miss and Mr. And yes, we are sure. I spoke to Yazan, and he assured me that it is totally fine. He said to take our time." Rain said, "They are not kids, you know. They can take care of themselves without the need for a house keeper."

"Thank you... Mr. Rain."

"I just said... never mind. Let's go."

It was a beautiful morning. Everything was so quiet. People were walking in the streets like nothing was going on. In reality, people just started adjusting their lives to the situations they lived. They just got used to it. The fact that people were getting killed daily became such a normal matter. In another word, they just got over it. Rain, Sidra and Emma walked for nearly an hour. As they walked, Rain tried to make small talks.

"Sidra? You never told me how you ended up working for the Burj?" Rain asked.

"That is a long story. Please don't ruin my mood." Sidra said, "By the way, your shirt is silly. What is up with this green? It does not suit you."

Rain just laughed at her response and said, "Yep, you are totally back to normal. I'm really glad."

"Sometimes... I feel like you two act like an old married couple." Emma said with a smile.

"Like I would ever marry him... Did I tell you that he left me in that underground prison? It was awful. He just never came back." Sidra commented.

"Can we change the subject, please? No one is good enough for Sidra anyway." Rain said as he pointed, "Hey, look... Someone is selling grilled corn. I'm really hungry. Let's get some. It is my treat." He said and started running towards the corn boy.

"He is just a boy. I wonder what happened to his parents that made him work at such a young age." Sidra wondered.

"Hello there... How much is the corn?" Rain asked.

"Five dollars each, Sir."

"Wow... Food prices are going really high. I will take six. And do not call me Sir. My name is Rain."

"Well, corn is a rare item these days. And sure, six grilled corns...coming right up." The boy said with an energetic voice.

"I know it's not that cold today, but you should still wear a jacket. You don't want to get sick." Emma said to the little kid.

"I used to have a jacket. Few days ago, it just burned. It happened when I was grilling. It's ok. The weather is nice today. Here is your corn, Sir. I mean Rain."

"And here is your $40. Thank you and stay warm." Rain said smiling.

"No, Sir. It is only $30. Let me get your change."

"Keep the change."

"No, I can't do that. Please take your $10."

"I told you... you could keep it."

"My Mom always told me to never accept charity. She says food taste so good when I make the money myself. The corn I'm selling is a gift from some man. I convinced my Mom to let me sell it. The man come every other day and bring me corn. She wants me to depend on myself." The boy said.

"Your mother sounds like an awesome person. Please give us two more pieces with Rain's change. We will have them for the road." Sidra said with a smile.

The kid was really excited. He happily replied,

"Yes, ma'am. That would be the last two pieces I have."

Since they were in the middle of the street, there was no place to sit. So they sat down on the side walk. While they were eating their corn, they saw a little girl running towards them. She quickly stole the corn right from Emma's hand. She started running away as fast as she could. Rain managed to run after her and caught her.

"I'm really sorry...Please don't hit me." The little girl said as she started crying.

"I was not going to. I would have happily given you one if you just asked." Rain said as he got down on his knees to reach her height.

"Really? You will do that?" The girl said as she sniffed.

"Sure, but first, apologize to the lady whose corn you stole." Rain said as he pointed at Emma.

"I'm really sorry lady. I was brining water from the river all day. I didn't have anything to eat. I was just so hungry."

"Do not worry little one. You can have it, and you can take this other one as well." Emma said with a kind smile.

"Thank you very much." The girl politely took the corn and started eating it.

"Where are you taking the water to?" Rain asked.

"To my father. He said we need to get as much water as we can before the summer come and the river dry." She said pointing at her water containers. "Here... Look at all the water I brought."

"That does not make any sense. This water is not drinkable. Besides, the river never dries." Rain whispered to Emma and Sidra.

"Let's help you with that. Where do you live?" Sidra asked the little girl.

"Just over there." She pointed.

The girl seemed to have many water containers. So, they each held a container and walked to the little girl's house. She had her corn while they made small talks. It was not long until they got to her house. It was a very small place made with old aluminum containers. All of the walls of the house were hand made. The girl went inside yelling,

"Daddy... I bring so much water... Also, we have people here." The girl said with such a pride.

The man got outside and looked at the guys. He seemed like a very old man. He looked more of a grandfather than a father. He could barely move. They gave him the water containers. And asked why he needed that much water from the river.

"We heard rumors that the administration will close the dam on the river up north... Which means... We will not get enough water during the summer. But I never told my grand-daughter to get anything. She must've heard us talking. I thought she was playing outside all day." The old man said.

"We thought you were her father." Rain said.

"That's what she thinks too. Her parents were killed few years ago. I have been taking care of her ever since."

"I'm really sorry to ask, but how do you make a living?" Rain had to ask.

"There is a man that comes by every once in a while and brings us food. As you can see, I can barely move let a long work myself."

"So some rich people are actually helping the poor ones. Interesting..." Sidra said.

"Right, thank you, Sir. Please accept this corn. It is all we have at the moment."

They left after leaving him and the girl with some money. It should have been enough for a while. They realized that things were getting a lot worse than before. Children on the streets were selling what they could. Many parents had left this world leaving their kids behind. An entire generation is being lost.

"By the way, Rain, where is your jacket?" Sidra asked.

"Oh, I must have left it somewhere. It doesn't matter. It's not cold today."

Sidra smiled and kept walking. She knew that he left his jacket for the corn boy. She was happy knowing that she had such carrying friends. Friends who love to help as much as she did. It was a long walk, but after a while, they finally got to the orphanage. The entire way, Sidra was worried about the kids. She needed to tell Ms. Amani, the director of the orphanage, about her money problems. At that point, Sidra could not support the orphanage financially like she used to. They walked inside and said hello to the front desk lady.

"I thought I heard your voice. Oh my God, Ms. Sidra I'm very happy to see you. I was expecting a phone call, but you being here is even better." Ms. Amani said after she came by the front desk.

"Why were you expecting a phone call?" Sidra asked.

"What do you mean? After the generous donation we received yesterday, I was sure you would call."

"But I have not sent any money for few months now."

"Oh, we received more than $20,000 just last night."

"I'm not sure what to say... This is great... Maybe rich people are finally helping out." She said.

"You look good. Last time I saw you... It was when you brought the four kids. You were in a very bad shape. I'm glad you are ok now." Ms. Amani said.

"Yeah, it is hard to believe that it has been couple of months already. Speaking of whom, where are Amal and his friends?" Sidra asked.

Ms. Amani took them to the kids' rooms. They were very happy to see her. They seemed fine and in a good shape. Amal, the boy she had rescued, ran towards her and hugged her tightly.

"Who knew that Sidra is that popular with the kids?" Rain commented.

"I know... I'm as surprised as you are." Emma said.

"I will ask Ms. Amani to get the kids ready for a checkup. Emma, do you want to help?" Rain asked.

"Of course, this is why I'm here." Emma replied.

After the kids were all lined up, Rain, Emma, and Sidra got each one in a private room for a checkup. Most kids seemed in good health. Some of them looked tried as if they were working all day.

"Ok, little one, I promise this does not hurt. I just want you to open your mouth for me." Rain asked a little girl.

"Ok, you are a very handsome doctor. Not like the scary one. He was here last time. He was very mean." The girl said.

"Oh, so you think I'm handsome? I'm very flattered my princess." Rain said with a childish voice.

"When I grow up, I want to marry someone just like you, smart and handsome."

"Rain, please do not start flirting with little girls. It is creepy." Sidra said with a smile.

Rain just laughed and asked,

"Why? Jealous much? Besides, how do you call this flirting? I'm not that kind of a guy."

Emma thought that was funny as well. She said,

"Yes, little girl, I also happened to think that Dr. Rain is handsome. If I were not his Mom's age, I probably would have asked him to marry me."

"Rain, what did you do to them?" Sidra asked rhetorically.

Rain and Emma both started laughing. Rain gave the little girl a small candy that he had. He told her to grow up and become a smart woman. He told her to do what she can to help people like he was doing. They finally finished checking all kids and making sure they were ok. It was getting dark, so they thought about spending the night at the orphanage. They planned on going back to the Burj in the morning.

Ms. Amani asked if they could sleep in the kids' rooms. They had no extra rooms for any guests. The orphanage had only few rooms. Some rooms were for the girls and few others for the boys. Something kept bothering Rain. He was very worried about the kids. He knew something was going on. He had no proof that the kids might have being mistreated. They showed no signs of bruises. Also, Ms. Amani seemed like a very nice person, and she would not hurt the kids in anyway.

Next morning, Rain, Emma, and Sidra had a very nice breakfast with the kids. As they were getting ready to leave, Amal came and asked them if they could stay longer. Sidra explained that they had to get back to the Burj, but they would be back soon enough. Rain asked Amal if there was a reason he wanted them to stay. He told him that he just liked them. The kid did not say anything after that. After saying goodbyes, they left and started their walk back.

Not long after they left,

"Kids, I gave you the afternoon as a break yesterday because we had visitors. You are going to work harder today. Have I made myself clear?" Ms. Amani's husband shouted.
Chapter 9

# Images from The Past

On their way back to the Burj, they made a stop to visit the people under the bridge. There were not a lot of people left at all. They were attacked after the administration suspected their involvement with anti-government activities. The place looked more as a graveyard than it did anything else. It was heart breaking to watch the homeless kids. They saw a kid talking to his mother's graveyard.

"When are you coming back, Mommy. Daddy left me too."

There was nothing they could do, other than watch. Emma took few of the kids back to the orphanage. Rain and Sidra had to go back to the Burj.

After getting back to the Burj, Rain had finally decided to share something with Sidra. He thought that it was about time he got her involved with what they were trying to do. All of that killing had to end. People had to have normal lives. Innocents did not have to die without even knowing why. Kids did not have to suffer like they had. They suffered without knowing for how long.

Rain texted Yazan and Sidra asking if they had time for an important chat. Later, the three of them met in a private conference room. They had a very long conversation. Rain and Yazan were on the same side. However, Rain hid lots of things from his best friend. Sidra thought she was working alone. However, Rain knew way more than he ever led on.

"Listen, you guys know the pain that our people have to go through on daily basis. Wouldn't you agree that it is about time we did something about it?" Rain said with a serious voice.

"Of course we do. Helping kids here and there is only treating the problem. We need to get rid of it. The more we help, the more I realize how much we can't save everyone. I feel like we are stuck in the middle of a non-ending circle." Sidra replied.

"Glad to know that you agree, Sidra. You know... Ever since Maki Lion became the president, things got much worse. We are seriously thinking about taking over the Burj. We want to publicly oppose the administration." Yazan said.

"Change is coming regardless of us being a part of it or not. People are not going to be quiet much longer. Not anymore... Sooner or later, they will start an uprising and put an end to this once and for all." Rain added.

"Uprising? Do I need to remind you of what happens to people who publicly oppose the administration? You saw what happened to the people under the bridge." Sidra said with a tone.

"So? Freedom is not free. What do you want us to do? Keep watching? Like we watched people getting burned a live? And did nothing about it." Rain said.

"I never said we should do nothing. I just don't want us to do anything stupid. Getting ourselves killed, would accomplish nothing." Sidra said.

It took few seconds of silence for Yazan to ask,

"What were you working on before your arrest? You're still working for the administration. Aren't you?"

"No, I am not. Trust me."

At that point, Rain was afraid that Sidra might say too much. He knew what was going on. He just did not want Yazan to know about it. He also did not want her to know about his involvement with her work.

Another moment of awkward silence passed. But Yazan was not going to let it go. He tried to keep his voice down. He asked with a gentle voice.

"Sidra? What did you get yourself involved with?"

"I am being funded privately. That's all I can say about it." Sidra said.

Yazan felt like he would get nothing out of her. He knew something was going on. She always worked secretly on different projects. Sidra received funding via the Burj's main account. Yazan was the one handling all of that. For the longest time, he assumed that they were funds from the administration.

The truth is that Sidra was going solo. However, she needed to have accesses to SANA. That is why she made sure the money went to the Burj's accounts rather than her own. She convinced Yazan that she was working based on orders from the administration. The people who funded her to do research and develop specific projects wanted no attention drawn at all. So, she used the Burj as a way of hiding her work. However, after she was imprisoned, she did not hear back from the people she worked for.

"Let us go back to the original subject. Sidra, where does that leave us now? Do you think we should not help the movement against the administration?" Rain said trying to change the subject.

"We need to start thinking about the next step. How are we going to help the people? Are we just going to step aside and pretend that nothing is happing around us? Please keep in mind that they're humans like us. They are being killed because they asked for simple rights." Yazan added.

"I still think we should somehow oppose the administration without getting the Burj involved." Rain said.

"What exactly do you have in mind? Go all ninja on the administration?" Sidra commented sarcastically.

"Why aren't you taking this seriously? You... of all people... should know what the administration is truly doing to the people." Yazan said.

"I'm just being realistic. Anything you would want to do will be suicide. What exactly happens after you go all 'Mission Impossible' on the administration?"

"Unless your secret project is going to save the world, I suggest you seriously start thinking about the next step." Yazan said.

"He has a point. We joint the new administration thinking that we're making people's lives better and easier. Instead, all we did so far... is watch more people die. Besides, we have already started collecting guns and most importantly, information. The goal is to at least protect ourselves in case something happen. At some point, we are going to start a revolution if things do not change, with or without you." Rain said.

"Do you want me to remind you that the administration is not our only enemy? What about the militias? They are everywhere declaring some areas as their own, and some people are standing with them. Also, not everyone in the public is against Lion's administration. He has his followers and the people he blinded with money. If some people don't want to change things, nothing is going to change." Sidra said after her voice started getting louder.

"Which side are you on exactly? Have they brain washed you or something? Rain, please, put some sense into her." Yazan said.

"Yazan, I thought you knew what was going on. There was that time when you ordered us to not leave the Burj for a week. It sounded like you and Sidra were hiding something." Rain said.

"No, that was a different matter. I wanted her to work on some defensive systems for the Burj. She did not want to do that. So... I kind of black mailed her." Yazan replied.

"You sure did. But that worm is long out of the can now. They already know." Sidra said.

"What are you talking about?" Rain asked.

"Do you wanna tell him? Or should I?" Yazan asked.

"My older brother... He works here at the Burj." Sidra casually said.

"I'm sorry... what now?" Rain asked with a surprised voice.

During this time, Yazan's cell phone rang. He looked at the phone's screen and seemed a bit disturbed.

"I cannot deal with this right now. I have a call from the General himself. We will finish this talk later." Yazan said and walked out of the room.

"You know what... Rain... I never finished my story about the old man I killed. There was much more it to." Sidra said.

"I know." Rain said thinking that she must've figure out that she killed his grandfather.

"No, trust me, you don't. Everyone heard about the chaos that happened for weeks afterwards and the police involvement. I was not the only one who lost it that day. After I shot that old man, people were just as mad at him as I was. When the police came, people started attacking their cars and burning them. Everyone was angry because of the poverty they lived in." Sidra said as she stood up and looked outside the windows. She continued,

"Zain's murder triggered people's true emotions... just like it did mine. My father was there. All he wanted to do was to get me out of the mess that I put myself into. He took the gun from my hand, grabbed me, and started running. Once of the policemen saw him, they thought that he was the one that killed the old man... So, they shot him. They killed my father in front of my own eyes." Sidra's eyes started getting teary as she explained what happened. Rain did not even try interrupting her."

"It's ok. You don't have to talk about it." Rain said.

"My father was not the only one who was killed that day. They killed tens of people simply because they asked for their rights. I still blame myself for what happened that day. I always felt like I started the whole thing by shooting that man. The blood of all those innocent people is on me." Sidra said as she tried hiding her tears. "Revolutions never end well. People pay the most precious thing they ever have, their lives."

Rain just looked at her and thought,

"I don't know what to tell her. How am I supposed to respond to that? How do I tell her that the man she killed was no other than my grandfather?"

"Why are you making it sound like you want things to stay the way they are? What did they do to you in that underground prison?" Rain asked.

"This has nothing to do with that hell of a prison. I just do not want more people to get hurt. That's all." She said.

"And now? Are they not being hurt? What could possibly happen that had not happened already?" Rain asked.

Sidra turned around at him and said,

"Listen, do as you please. Just know this, if you would not lose your life trying, you will lose the life of the person you are closest to. Trust me, it hurts even more."

"Is that why we did not know about your brother?" Rain asked.

"My brother insisted we work independently. He is doing everything he can to protect me."

"You know, you never told me how they found out that you are the killer after all those years, if you don't mind me asking." He asked.

At that moment, all of Sidra's painful memories came rushing. Once again, it felt like a video was playing in her head. She remembered every single detail as if it had just happened.

"After my father was killed, I went into a complete shock. I did not know what to do. I yelled. I screamed. I cried until my eyes dried. I just had no one left. My father's body was just left there, right in front of me. He was on the ground, covered by blood. I could not hold him. So, I just left him there. After midnight of the next day, I went there to try and get him. I was shocked when I found out that his body was gone." Sidra explained and turned around once again.

She gave Rain her back and kept looking outside as she continued,

"I kept looking like crazy until I noticed that one of the houses around had security cameras. The house was empty. I thought that the people must've left the area after what happened that day. So, I broke in. And I was able to grab the tape of the security cameras. I was hoping to find out where they took my dad, but I forgot that the whole thing was recorded in there. The tape did show me killing the old man. Everything else that happened afterword was all recorded. I did end up finding out that one of the locals took all the bodies to the nearby cemetery. I ran out. And I saw his last resting place. That type was the last I had of my dad... so I kept it. It was saved on the cloud on my phone. When they stole it, they saw the whole thing."

Everyone remembers that day. It was the day the real uprising against the administration started. Even though it had been eight years, people never gave up. Anyone who rose against the administration was publicly executed. When Maki Lion came to rule, he promised that everything would change. That's how Sidra, Rain and everyone else joined the new administration. They thought they would be part of the change. But as you probably know by now, the new administration was just another cover of lies.

"I'm really sorry you had to go through that by yourself. No child should have lived any of that. That being said... now and more than ever... I am more determined to put an end to all of this. How much longer should we suffer? Someone has to do something. I don't care what I will lose in the process."
Chapter 10

# The Hospital

Some changes started happening in the Burj. Yazan called an emergency meeting where he asked everyone to the main conference room.

"There have been some changes. One of which involves me as a leader of this unit. They are going to send a new person in the next few days to take my place. I will stay here. I am not going anywhere. Apparently, the administration is afraid that we might turn on them any minute. So, they are sending us a new director. I really want you to show how willing you are to cooperate and follow his new commands. We never received any orders to test or develop any new systems for the past six months. Now, under the new leadership, this will change. So, get ready to do as they ask." Yazan said.

"So, we are expected to fight our own people now. That is not what we signed up for." Rafil, an engineer-soldier said.

"He is right. When we joined, it was about fighting out-side forces. We are not just some scientists. We are highly trained, and we are more than willing and capable to get in real compact. The whole idea was to protect our people, not kill them. You know that they will force us to fight... Just like they did to every other branch." Samir, scientist-soldier added.

"Do you think I don't know that? My hands are tight...And if we make it clear that we are not going to follow any orders... We are as good as dead." Yazan said.

"This is not acceptable." Rafil said

It is important to note that Rafil was totally against fighting civilians, even though half of his face was burned when civilians attacked his unit few months before.

The meeting took about three hours. Everyone kept going back and forth about the right thing to do. There was no such thing as the 'right thing to do'. They all agreed to follow the new commander's orders as long as they don't involve the people getting hurt.

Later on that night, few of them stayed at the dining hall. They kept talking about what might happen to them. Rayan entered the dining hall looking a bit worried.

"Has anyone seen my brother, Waseem? I have been looking all over for him. He disappeared right after the meeting."

"Maybe he just stepped outside for a walk. Don't worry." Rafil said.

The night ended at that. What happened the next morning was very disturbing.

"HELP... Anybody HERE?" Some local man screamed at the entrance of the Burj.

"What's going on here? Who are you and how did you get in here? SECURITY..." Yazan yelled.

"I'm really sorry, Sir. He's saying it is an emergency. Please, hear him out." One of the security guards said.

"Your friend, I think his name is Waseem, he was shot." The local man answered.

"EMMA... Find Rain... Quickly..." Yazan said loudly.

"Sir, Rain left this morning. I did not ask where he was going." She replied.

Yazan ran outside to where Waseem was and held him back to the Burj. He was covered by blood and barely able to talk. By that time, everyone was a wake asking about all the screaming they heard. They came down stairs and saw Yazan holding Waseem whose chest was covered by blood and looked almost dead.

"Someone find a medical kit..." Yazan yelled.

Rayan, who was shocked seeing his brother in that stage, did not know what to say or do. He just sat there and repeated over and over again,

"Brother, please do not leave me. Who did this to you?"

"This is crazy. We have to take him to a hospital. His wound seems very deep and the bleeding is not stopping." Sidra said.

"Get the car, now..." Yazan said.

"Most of the roads are closed. Driving might not be a good idea, but we are running out of time. I just called Rain. He said he'll meet us there." Sidra said.

Yazan decided to drive himself since he knew the roads better than anyone. Rayan kept holding his brother's hand as the car was moving.

"Please, stay with me and don't you dare die on me." Rayan said.

Rafil gave Yazan directions as some of the roads were closed, and some places where not safe to drive by at all. It took them half an hour to get to the hospital which was long enough for Waseem to completely pass out. They finally got to the hospital and brought Waseem inside. They were stunned to what they saw in there.

"What on earth is this place? Yazan, you are sure that this is the hospital? Right?" Sidra said.

"Yes, it is indeed. Get Waseem over here...Now..." Rain replied after seeing them walk from the door.

"Where were you all day? My brother is dying and you were nowhere to be found..." Rayan screamed at him.

Rain completely ignored Rayan's question. He ordered the nurses to bring a wheel chair. They had run out of beds to put him on.

"He lost a lot of blood. We are going to need you to donate some blood for him. You must be a match since you are brothers." Rain said.

"We are half-brothers." Rayan said.

"What? It's ok. Nurse... Check him for a match. We need B+." Rain said as he thought, "This explains why Rayan is white while his brother looks Asian."

They took Waseem to the operation room. Rain assisted the doctors the entire time the operation took a place. In the waiting room, the guys could not even sit down because there was no place to sit in the first place. They just kept looking around with surprised faces.

"I'm really sorry, but are we not going to talk about what this hospital looks like? I mean how can a patient survive in such a place?" Rafil asked rhetorically.

"Excuse me, nurse? What is going on in the hospital today?" Sidra asked one of the nurses who seemed very busy.

"What do you mean? That is how the hospital always looked like. The difference is, now, we get hundreds of people every day." The nurse replied. "If you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do." She added.

"This place is just... A side from the fact that it is super busy, it is also super dirty. There is blood, napkins, and even thrown food on the floor. It looks like no one cleaned in years. And let's not forget the humans' body bags all over the place." Rafil said.

"Finally, I was looking for you guys. I came as soon as I could. I really thought I was in the wrong place. Are you guys sure that this is a hospital?" Mai said while running towards them.

"It seems that way." Sidra replied.

"I just walked by the bathrooms. I don't even know where to begin. It is disgustingly dirty. Most of them are over flown, and the sewage water is everywhere." Mai added.

"That is not what I'm worried about. It seems that they are missing some of the basic equipment and medicine. I heard one of the nurses say that they ran out of almost all kinds of bandages and gauzes. Something as basic as that... This sounds like the work of the administration. They must've stopped all kinds of medicine and necessary help from coming." Rayan said.

"Let's not discuss something like that in here. And yes, you are right. I have heard that they are not allowing any help to come to the hospitals. I just had no idea that it is as bad." Yazan said.

After nearly four hours, Rain was the first to walk out of the operation room. He looked exhausted. He came to his friends who could not wait to hear the good news. He looked at Rayan and said,

"I want you to know that this is life. We all have a day when we say goodbye to this world. I am so sorry. Today was Waseem's."

Rayan could not believe his ears. His only brother was gone.

"He was just a kid." He said as he fell on the floor crying.

In that same moment, a doctor came and said,

"I'm sorry. You need to remove the body as soon as possible. We have a lot of people waiting, and we don't have enough beds. You have five minutes if you can't take him now, we will be forced to keep him on the floor until you do."

"My brother is dead and that is all you can say... Do you have no feelings?" Rayan screamed as he tried attacking the doctor.

"I lost my son just last week due to the lack of medication. So, do not talk to me about feelings. You have four minutes." The doctor replied angrily.

The doctor said that as he freed himself from Rayan. Then, he just left. No one blamed him. He was just as human as everyone else. He was just doing his job and trying to save as many lives as possible.

"We have to move him right now. Let's take him back to the car and decide what we're going to do." Rafil said.

They just decided to go to the cemetery right away since there was no place to keep him. There were no places in a fridge available for any bodies. Rain wanted to stay in the hospital and keep helping other patients. Yazan, Rayan, Rafil, Mai and Sidra all left. They took Waseem and walked out of there. They put him in the car slowly and gently. That entire time in the car, Rayan could not believe that his brother was gone. Everything happened so fast. He did not even get a chance to say goodbye. He just looked at his brother's cold face and kept apologizing.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I brought you into this mess. It's my fault. I could not even protect you." He said. "No, these are not tears. My eyes are just watery for some reason."

"This may not be the best time to tell you this, but I think that your brother was killed by a sniper." Sidra said.

"What? So, you are saying that his death was not accidental?" Rayan asked.

"Not according to what Rain told me before we left. The bullet that rested in his chest... Does not seem... Someone wanted him dead, and we need to find out why." Sidra said.

"We will talk about this after we bury him. We finally got to the cemetery. We will be lucky if we even found an empty spot." Yazan said.

Rafil and Yazan got out of the car and went to ask for an empty spot for the body to be buried. The grave yard keeper told them that it had been full for a very long time, and they should probably just burry him in the woods. They discussed it. Rayan had no choice but to agree. Out of respect, the dead have to be buried as soon as possible. Rayan wanted his brother to just rest in peace. They drove into the woods where they found a place that had many other graveyards. They covered him with a cloth and put him down in the whole that they had to dig.

"After my mother died because of illness, my father remarried. Soon after, they had Waseem. I was so happy to finally have a brother. My stepmother was just like a real mom to me. We lived such a happy life until few years ago. Our parents went to do some shopping, and they both were killed in an explosion. I took care of Waseem. And I, later on, convinced him to join the Burj with me. I wish I did not." Rayan said that as he was putting the dirt on his brother's final resting place.

It didn't take him long to just burst in tears. He could not stop crying. The pain in each and every one of them was too much to handle. At that moment, Rain was able to find them. He wanted to be there for his friend. As the prayed for Waseem, Rayan said,

"I don't even know why I'm praying? I don't even believe in God."

It was a very long day, and all of them were really tired. As they were sitting down between the graveyards, a family came looking for a grave for their kids. It was a mother and a father looking for a place to bury their four kids. What a painful seen. Yazan and Rain walked towards them and asked if they needed any help. They politely rejected their offer. They said that they wanted to bury their kids themselves.

They could not ask what happened. The tears in the mother's eyes, and the pain on the father's face were clear indication of what they must have went through. Three kids and one infant were completely covered by blood. Their parents had covered them with cloth. They still could not look at them even when they were putting them under the ground.

"Rayan, if God does not exist as you believe, who's going to serve justice?" Sidra asked.

"I have no idea." He replied.

"So, those kids were killed and buried. They went to the ground. Their killers one day will die as well. And they will also go to the ground. Are you telling me... that's it? Everyone just dies equally? So, you do 'good' all your life, and you go to the same place as someone who did 'evil' all their lives. How is that fair again?"

"I never said it was fair." Rayan mumbled.

"Believing in God is what kept us going for the longest time... Knowing that if justice is not served on earth, it will be served by the highest power... I couldn't have possibly gone through what I have, if I did not believe in the Day of Judgment." Rain said.

"Speaking of justice on earth, Sidra? Do you still think that we should not declare war on the administration? How much longer do we have to keep seeing families like this? When does this end?" Yazan said.

"When do we start?" Sidra replied.
Chapter 11

# Rain's a Peacekeeper

Few days had passed and no one knew why Waseem was killed. They received news that the new commander was on his way to the Burj. After he finally arrived, no one was there to welcome him. Most of the crews were in the break room of the Burj.

"So, we are not going to say anything to him?" Rafil asked.

"I could care less. You can go if you want." Rayan said looking at his cup of coffee.

"I don't think I care either. Where are Sidra, Rain, and most importantly, Yazan?" Rafil asked.

"I think I saw them in the lab. They have been acting strange ever since Waseem's funeral." Mai said.

"I'm sorry. Did you just call that a funeral? We dug a hole in the middle of nowhere and put him in it." Rayan commented with an angry tone.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry." Mai said.

"Sorry about what?" A strange voice from behind asked.

They all turned around and saw this tall-scary looking man.

"And who are you again?" Rafil asked.

"I'm your new commander. Now... GET UP... And call everyone for a meeting, NOW..." He shouted.

"Yes, Sir." Rafil said with an obvious annoyed face.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was gathered in the main conference room. The new commander sat at the front of the long table. He did not say anything for minutes. He just kept looking at everyone. All 47 workers of the Burj were gathered. He finally said something.

"I'm commander Basam. Starting this moment, I am the commander of this unit. Everything comes and goes by me first. No unauthorized access to any of the labs. You will resume normal orders and instructions for your missions starting next week."

"Sir, even though we are trained soldiers, we never go out on real missions due to our work in the labs. We're mainly researchers." Yazan said.

"This is about to change. You will put your xxx on the lines just like everyone else out there. I don't care what kind of crap you are developing here..." Commander Basam said.

"If I may interrupt, the crap we develop is what this administration rely on to survive against who you call terrorists." Sidra said.

"You must be Sidra. I was warned about you. Weren't you arrested for killing a man and possibly engaging in some terrorists' activities?"

"They released me which proves that I am innocent."

"Are you now? We'll see about that. Now, who is that lady over there?" Commander Basam said pointing at Emma through the class walls of the conference room. He pointed at her with his finger asking her to enter the room. He asked again who she was.

"My name is Emma, Sir. I'm the house keeper." Emma replied.

"I'm sorry, what? A house keeper? Since when do soldiers get housekeepers?" Commander Basam said with a laugh.

"Sir, few years back, people were dying because of the diseases that superadded due to the lack of medications. That was the time that Emma lost her husband and only daughter. She was homeless, so we took her in, and we gave her a job. The former commander was ok with it." Yazan explained.

"I don't care who approved what. I want her out of here... Effective immediately." Commander Basam ordered.

"But Sir...." Sidra tried talking, but she was immediately interrupted by the commander.

"That would be all for the day. I expect all of you to be up around 5 AM. Is that clear?"

"We wake up at 6 AM every day. I guess one hour earlier would not be a problem." Rafil whispered to Rain.

"What does he want to us? This man has trouble written all over him." Rain whispered to Rafil and Sidra.

That night, Sidra and the others had to say goodbye to Emma. They failed to convince the new commander to let her stay. Rain gave her an address in some city and asked her to go there. He told her that it was an address for a mansion and its owners would hire her as a house keeper. She was very grateful for his help, but at the same time, she did not want to leave them.

"Open your hearts and never give up. I know that this country will get back on its feet because of young souls like you. Keep in mind that you will indeed change things around here." Emma said that as she was leaving the Burj.

She hugged Sidra one last time and told her to take a better care of herself.

Around 5 AM of the next morning, everyone had to be up and ready. The new commander started treating them as soldiers.

"After your morning training, I want a written report of what you worked on the past six months. Be careful what you say. At least half of you will be transferred to the military base in the capital. We need more men, and you are the perfect candidates. Those of you who will get chosen will serve as Peacekeepers in the capital."

Sidra leaned towards Mai and whispered,

"Peacekeepers? Don't you think it is a little late for that?"

"It is a great honor for those who get chosen to serve the country at the front lines." The commander added.

"Yep, just like I expected. He is a total idiot." Sidra thought.

Not long after that, the new commander released the list of people who actually had to serve as what he called "Peacekeepers." The list included 25 names, none of which were people we had talked about so far except one name, Rain. Rain was not surprised or upset at all. He knew that the new commander did not like him because of his father's position in the military. The people on the list had to leave the next day.

"How can you be calm about this? Besides, what 'peace' is he talking about? You are going to get yourself killed for sure." Sidra said.

"I'm totally with her on this. The general public hates the administration and anyone who works for it. It's totally messed up in the capital. Chances are... that most of you will end up either killed or severely injured." Yazan added.

"It's my chance to get closer to the main base and find out what they have been up to. I can take care of myself. Just worry about yourselves." Rain said.

"I can think of a lot of scenarios and, trust me, none of which include you getting out of there a live. Your plan has stupid written all over it." Sidra said with a tone.

"Yeah, I really will miss your jokes and sense of humor." Rain said with a smile.

"What jokes? I never tell jokes." Sidra said.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going. You cannot stop me." He came closer and whispered, "In the meantime, finish what you started on "SIWAAR." I will be back as soon as you do."

"I don't know what you are talking about." She replied.

"Take care everyone... We will leave first thing in the morning, so this is goodbye."

"Do as you please. If you want to die, die. Just don't ask us to go to your funeral. Have a good night, and good luck killing your own people."

She said that and left the room upset. She fully understood that it might've been the last time she would ever see him. He, obviously, knew something about what she was hiding. She just could not give it a lot of thought. She could not get why he would leave as easily as that. He did not argue or seemed upset at all. What she did not know is that he had a whole new agenda that involved keeping the peace for real. He texted her asking if she could come down stairs again. She just ignored the text and decided to call it a day.

Next morning, at the main gate, Yazan tried talking to Rain one more time.

"I still think that you're going to get yourself killed. If you survive for whatever reason, it would be because you killed someone. It's kill or be killed my friend."

"I will do everything I can to not hurt our people. Tell that stubborn girl to not do anything senseless while I'm gone."

"Yeah, like that's going to happen. Her name should be Trouble, if you ask me." Yazan said and smiled.

"Just do me a favor and make sure that she keeps working on her project. I cannot give you details, but please help her as much as you can." Rain said as he walked out.

"I'll do my friend... Peace." Yazan said as he shook Rain's hand.

"I will send emails every time I get internet access. Take care." And that was the last they heard of Rain for a while.

He looked around for one last time before he left hoping to see Sidra. He wanted to give her something that might have explained a lot to her. She was not there. He just assumed that she would not care anymore. The truth is that she did care. However, she could not forgive him for agreeing to just leave and stand against the people that they swore to protect.

Few days had passed, and every time she got a chance to sneak into the lab, she would. She never stopped working and had a lot of hope into her project. One day, she received an email from Rain that had nothing but the following:

Glory, Shine, Birds, Light, and Clouds

Amazingly beautiful

With my best wishes, Rain A.

GSBLC
Chapter 12

# The Obvious Way Out

In the main conference room, commander Basam had gathered the remaining people at the Burj.

"Today you are receiving your first assignment. We have some information about a guy named Aser. He is living about fifty miles from here. He has been gathering people at his place to conspire terrorists' attacks. Your job is to make sure that this problem is taking care of. I will send out the details." Commander Basam said.

"So, you want us to gather more info about the guy?" Samir asked.

"No, I said I wanted you to solve the problem not prove to me that... It is a problem. This man and his people have to be expired as soon as possible"

During this conversation, Sidra was looking outside the window. She had so much going on inside her head. She was listening to their conversation without saying anything.

"So, now, you want us to work as assassins?" Rafil asked.

"Finally, someone gets it. However, not all of you are going. Only half of you are on this mission. I have another mission for the other half."

"That's not what I meant." Rafil said.

Commander Basam completely ignored him. He looked at Sidra and said,

"I'm going to appoint a leader to the assassination team."

Sidra saw his reflection on the windows as he was looking at her. She immediately turned around and said,

"Don't look at me. I'm just an engineer."

"Sidra, you will be leading the team to that man's house. I want them all to be executed right there and then." Basam said.

"But... Never mind... Yes, Sir. Consider it done."

Sidra had an immediate change of heart. Maybe the look of his scary face terrified her.

"Say what? How can you be ok with this? Besides, what do you know about tactics and attacks?" Yazan said with a very shocked voice.

"You heard the commander. That man, Aser, is a threat to our national security. We are soldiers after all, and we will do what we can to keep our country clean from the likes of him."

"Yazan, you will direct the other team here at the lab, like you always have. We are working on new bioweapons, and I thought that it was about time we get the labs at the Burj involved." The commander said.

Yazan just did not know what to say other than,

"Yes, Sir."

He thought that it might've been good to see what they were planning. On top of all of that, it seemed that Sidra had switched sides all of a sudden.

"What is she thinking? That idiot..." He thought.

Later on that day and away from the commander, Yazan finally had a chance to talk privately to Sidra.

"Who the hell is Aser anyway?" Yazan asked.

"Who cares? I was just going along with whatever that idiot asked us to do." Sidra replied.

"Really? And how exactly are you planning to lead a team?"

"I'll think of something."

"For God's sake, you are killing me, Sidra. So, you are just going to kill that man and his people like he asked?"

"I got this. Trust me. Now, listen, I received an email from Rain."

"About time, I thought he is dead by now."

"I cracked half of the message, but I can't make sense out of the rest. Maybe you can?"

"Who invented that secret messaging system?"

"I did. It is a brilliant idea to encode an entire message without anyone knowing. Only the person you are sending the message to would understand it. However, if your code is not hidden in a smart way, anyone might be able to hack it if they had access to SANA, the super computer." Sidra explained.

"Show me the email." Yazan said.

"Here..." Sidra said and showed him the screen of her smart phone.

However, Yazan noticed something. He said with a concerned voice,

"You're using the 4G network? Didn't you know that they watch literally everything we do on it? You're going to get us killed."

"Why do you think he only sent few words?" Sidra said.

"Right... You can make some sense out of this?"

"It makes more sense to me than 'The ceiling can't hold us' ever will."

"What are you talking about?"

"Never mind... It is just a song. I mean since when are the ceilings responsible for holding us?"

"Again, what on earth are you talking about?" Yazan asked.

"Sorry. I will let you read Rain's email now." Sidra replied.

"Do you remember that song we grew up with? These words were played at the begging." Yazan said.

"Exactly... For a normal person, the words are totally random and make no sense at all. However, Rain left his clue in his signature, GSBLC. Watch this..."

Glory  G: Google, the largest search engine in the world

Shiny  S: I have no idea what it means

Birds  B: I have no idea what it means

Light  L: Maybe it does mean just Light

Clouds  C: icloud where we store data

"How did you know that?" Yazan asked.

"I invented this system, remember? Now, I still do not know what the S, B, L stand for other than Shiny, Birds, and Light. Do you have any ideas?"

"Let's see. The first word is Google, so what is it that he wants us to Google that has to do with Shiny Birds?"

"That is my question to you. I spent all night thinking about it."

"About it? Or about him?" Yazan asked sarcastically.

"Why would I think about him? Just focus here please."

"Ok, Shiny Birds... ha? What exactly shines other than the sun?"

"Maybe we need to Google something about the sun?"

"Or maybe we need to Google something at sun-rise when the sun is shiny."

"Great... So, now we need the sun's permission to start Googling. That sounds ridicules. Yazan, please be more realistic."

"Fine... I ran out of ideas."

"Oh my GOD... But this is not possible at this point." Sidra said as if a light bulb turned on over her head.

"What is not possible? Googling at sun-rise?" Yazan said sarcastically.

"I was working on different projects. Activating messages with sounds was just one of them. I was told that someone else was developing a more secure way to deliver messages using a similar setup. One of those ways involved different elements like light, place, and time while activating a message." Sidra explained.

"English, please..." Yazan said.

"This system is still under development. At least, that is what they told me. How did Rain know about it? I'm starting to get suspicion of what he knows and how he knew it." Sidra mumbled.

"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

"No, sorry. I was talking to myself... I think I know what he means now." Sidra said as she wrote down the following,

Glory  G: Google

Shiny  S: During a shiny day

Birds  B: Use the sounds of birds

Light  L: Activate with Light

Clouds  C: Save it to the icloud

"Am I supposed to understand what that means? Because I don't, and anyone else who sees this will think it's meaningless." Yazan said.

"Welcome to the epic world of the SANA. It isn't supposed to make any sense to the general public. That is the whole point." Sidra said.

"What exactly are you going to Google?" Yazan asked.

"Nothing... Yazan, I will explain later. Let us go and find a way to have access to SANA. Even if I get the code, I would not be able to activate the message without it. The program that converts the signals of the sound is installed only on SANA."

"Well, that commander is not going to let us anywhere near it. The super computer is in the secured facility. We might have to sneak in at night." Yazan said.

"Did you not hear me? We can't get the code if the sun is not shining. It's already pass 10 AM now. We should have enough time before sunset." Sidra said.

"I have a plan. I might be able to buy you some time. I will call in a meeting and make sure no one is securing the lab where SANA is. You will have a maximum of few minutes before they send in a security guard."

A while later Yazan was successful in buying her some time. Sidra was able sneak into the lab where she could use the super computer. She opened the program using a hidden mini SD card in her necklace. Then, she opened her Google drive where she could not find anything. She thought that Rain had sheared some documents with her, but there were none. However, it did not take her long to remember Rain's second clue, Shiny. She immediately took a small solar panel that they had in the lab and connected it via USB to the super computer. The sun light was converted to electricity which sent out signals to the computer. In that moment, a file on her Google drive just appeared.

However, that was not the only thing that showed up on her screens. Another screen that was connected to the security cameras showed a guard approaching the lab. Getting caught would've meant prison for a very long time. The new commander never took security violations lightly.

Sidra continued looking into the screen hoping that the guard will remain on the door from the outside. The file that Rain had sheared with her contained encrypted data. She used that data and mixed it with birds' sound. In general, all sounds have special waves that are like no others. The wave can be translated to data.

Sidra was easily able to mix the new waves with Rain's file. However, the new hybrid file contained nothing. She entered the new file to SANA and the following message was displayed on the screen:

< You missed a stage in activating this message. The code is <Clouds> >.

She took that file and put it in on her iCloud account. She was getting nervous between trying to make the file work and watching for the security guard. She did not know what else to do. Nothing was working.

She stared at the computer for few seconds and almost gave up. She remembered the word "Light". She finally realized what was missing. Her neckless had a photocell. She took it off and plugged it into the computer. She used her smartphone as flash light to activate the cell. Few seconds after that, SANA gave the following message:

< Now, please play the melody. >

She found an old recording of that song online and played it. The song had to be played, so the sound waves can be converted to data. Since the walls in the lab were sound proofed, she was not worried about the guard outside. Her only worry was how to get out of the lab after she was done. As the song played, she remembered when her mother gave her the neckless. That song took her back to the days before her life was turned upside down. After the song finished playing, a message from Rain appeared on the screen:

< Save a man named Aser. He is one of us. He lives in the capital. I know about Orb. Just find that man. We'll need him. >

"You have got to be kidding me." She thought. "Now, my kill mission turned into a rescue one? And how on earth did he know that we were ordered to kill him?"

< I miss you guys. Sidra, try to understand... I left under the hope of returning as soon as the plan is complete. I wish you and the rest of your friends around the world the best. We are counting on you. > Rain message ended here.

"So... he knows that I am not working solo. I need to find out how he knows what he does. I'm starting to think that I trusted the wrong guy. I hope I'm wrong about him." Sidra thought. "Now, how on earth am I going to leave this room?"

She turned everything off and made it look like no one had been there. Then, she called Yazan to ask if he could take the guard away from the door. He never answered his phone, so she knew that she was on her own. The only problem was the fact that she was on the tenth floor. Jumping out of the window was not an option at all. If they caught her, she would not be able to explain what exactly she was doing there. So, she decided to just take the easy way out. She simply opened the door.

"Oh... hi... sorry I got in here when you were gone. I hope it's ok. I was looking into some files we need for the mission. Have a nice day..."

"And that is how I got out of there? Why? What did you think I did?" Sidra said as she was explaining to Yazan how she got out.

"That's it? You did not jump out of the window, or kick him and run before he saw you? You just walked out of there?" Yazan asked.

"Of course not... I told him to have a nice day." Sidra said.

"Never mind... Good luck on that mission." He said. "She drives me crazy sometimes."
Chapter 13

# Gone with the Fire

"Listen up... We need a plan to make sure that guy Aser does not get away. There are only ten of us. So I decided to get it done quietly. I will take care of Aser myself. Mai, Rayan, and Rafil will come with me for back up. Samir, you stay outside to make sure no one leaves the place. The rest of you will be staying outside to be called when needed. We leave six hours from now." Sidra told her team about the plan.

"Mai, Rayan, and Rafil please stay after everyone leaves. We need to talk about further details."

After everyone left, Mai could not hold it any longer. She said,

"You are doing this for real? What if that man Aser was innocent?"

"He is... Which is why we are going to fake his death. I need your help. I trust you guys."

"Thanks, but how did you know that he is a good man? What if he was indeed a bad man?" Rafil asked a good question.

"I received a word from a good source that we need to save him." Sidra replied.

"A good source? Sorry, that is not good enough, not for me anyway." Rafil said.

"I trust the person how gave me the information. Besides, since when do you take commander Basam's side?" Sidra asked.

"Since never... I'm just not sure who to believe and who to stay away from. I just want us to not end up saving a man who could be a real terrorist."

"We are saving that man. But first, we need to know his real story." Sidra said as she thought, "This man better be worth saving, Rain. Otherwise, I don't wanna risk my people's lives for him. This is really funny. My plan was to warn them, and let them go before we even get there. Now, I need to serve as his body guard. Rain must really not care about what might happen to us. He just wants his man saved."

"Why are you zoomed out?" Mai asked.

"Ha, no... It's nothing... Get ready... We have a long night a head of us... Ah... wait... Mai? Why do you think that the commander asked me to lead the team and not someone else?"

"Maybe he knows about you. He must have read your file, or maybe he is testing you. Besides, who's bossier than you are around here" Mai laughed.

"Yeah, that might be it." Sidra said, smiling.

\-----------------------------------

Somewhere on the other side of the world, Rain was worried about whether his email was read or not.

"I really hope that she got my message. They better get to Aser before Lion does. Otherwise, we will lose one of the greatest minds in this operation." These were Rain's thoughts as he was walking in Time Square in New York.

Aser happened to be a computer scientist as well as a brilliant politician.

"Rain?" A voice from behind asked.

"Sidra?" He replied as he was turning around.

"No, I'm Jenna. We were supposed to meet in that restaurant over there." The lady said.

"Of course, my apologies... Your voice sounded familiar to someone I know. Shall we?" Rain said as he pointed with his hands.

"After you..."

They walked to the restaurant as they have planned. Rain thought,

"I must be going crazy. Now, I feel that she even looks like Sidra, only older."

In the restaurant, sitting at the dining table, Rain and Jenna had an interesting conversation.

"Did you bring it?" Rain asked.

"Did you take care of our little problem?" Jenna asked.

"I sent her the message."

"Good..." She said.

"How did you know that her neckless has any intelligence in it?" Rain asked.

"Your uncle made it very clear to insure that man's safety." Jenna replied.

"Do you really think that I would send someone I care about if it weren't my uncle's orders?"

"It sounds to me like you are getting unnecessarily close to one of our employees."

"Oh, please... Save the talk."

"Very well, but just out of curiosity, how did you leave Estil?"

"I walked the deserts and swam the oceans." Rain answered with an annoyed tone.

"I can see that you are being sarcastic about it. I meant... How did you get to leave the Peacekeepers without any problems?"

"Why do they always send me agents that ask a lot of questions?"

"I'll take it that your father arranged a private Jet for you. Anyhow, here is what you asked for." Jenna said as she handed him something.

"That chip holds one Terabyte worth of info?" Rain asked.

"Yes, it does. Everything you need to know about Siwaar and the names of the people who are currently working on it. If succeeded, this project can indeed save Estil and its people. Please note that this chip holds no code at all. You only have access to readable files."

If you're wondering what Siwaar is, it's what almost killed us all. They just did not know it at the time.

"I got that." Rain said.

"Well, I'm sure you know that was not the only reason your uncle sent me to you. Your job is not finished. I suggest you meet your uncle as soon as possible. Then, go back to Estil to make sure that our subject is doing her work. And please do not forget your real job. You are a doctor, and we need people like you back in Estil." Jenna said, "Are you still volunteering at the hospital?"

"Yes, I do. Do you know how many people are dying because we lack basic supplies?"

"People are dying with and without our supplies. You of all people should know that. Stopping the aid to Estil's hospitals was a decision that we all agreed on. If we want to save Estil, we are going all the way. It's a war, Rain."

"When can I see my uncle?" Rain asked.

"Go back to your hotel now. We'll send for you in the morning."

"Very well then, and just so you know, I did not leave Estil on my father's private jet. I went to the airport and took a commercial seat like normal people do. Have a good night..." He said and left.

"You do the same." Jenna said with a smile as she left the restaurant.

\------------------------------------

Back at the Burj, the plans for Aser's 'assassination' were beginning.

"It's almost time... Does anyone have any final questions?" Sidra asked her team.

"Yes, I do. All we know, as of this moment, is that they are about seven people. What happens if they were more than that?" Rafil asked.

"This is why I'm going first. We were told that we can request backup from the capital if needed. They seemed sure, that we would not need any back up." Sidra said. "Let's go now. Samir, you drive the first hummer, and Mai will drive the second one. Stay connected at all times via the intercom. I'll be disconnected for a while. I will be the one to contact you."

After all the preparations were over, Mai drove one of the hummers. On the way there, the team had a long conversation.

"Mai, I need to make sure that Aser, whoever he is, gets out of there a live. So, please be ready at all time. We never know what could go wrong." Sidra said.

"I still don't know why this guy is so important." Mai commented.

"Trust me... Neither do I. I know that we have to risk our lives to save him. But Rain wouldn't go into all that trouble to deliver a message... if he was not 100% sure about him. My original plan was to investigate more about Aser before making any decisions. And probably I would have warned him. But it turned out that there was no way of contacting him at all." Sidra said.

"I still think your master plan is not perfect, you know." Yazan said.

"I still think you shouldn't have tagged along, you know. What would commander Basam say when he finds out that you left the Burj in the middle of the night? He made you the director of the researchers at the Burj." Sidra said.

"Like I care about what he has to say. Besides, if everything goes smoothly, we can be back before sunrise." Yazan said.

"I don't know why, but I have a feeling that we are about to have a very long night. I don't think 'smoothly' is what is going to happen." Sidra replied.

"Have some faith. And Rain better be right about that Aser guy, otherwise, I will kill him myself." Rafil said.

"Or I will do the killing for you." Mai said.

"Stop it... you two. You make it sound like we would have killed Aser if Rain hadn't asked us to save him. We would have saved him anyway." Sidra said.

"No, not if we were sure that he was a terrorist." Rafil said.

"It's our administration we're talking about. Since when they're after terrorists? They're only after anyone who is open about opposing them. Either way, we will get the truth out of this Aser, and we will go from there. I just want you guys to make sure that the other team in the second hummer does not suspect anything. I'm not sure who to trust yet." Sidra said.

A sound of an explosion was heard from a nearby place. However, they kept talking like they heard nothing.

"Ignore that... we got used to those sounds. So, why are you going inside alone first? And what are you wearing?" Yazan said.

"I'm going as a civilian. I need to see the truth in my own eyes. I am starting to suspect Rain as well." Sidra said.

"It sounds like you are being paranoid. Didn't you say that you trusted your source?" Rafil commented.

"That was before I discovered where the email was sent from. I tracked the IP address of Rain's email. It was sent from somewhere outside of Estil. He didn't do a great job hiding his tracks." Sidra said.

"What are you saying? Is he not with the Peacekeepers as we thought?" Yazan asked.

"I have no idea. Anyway, as you can see, I am wearing normal cloths. Meaning, I'm not wearing a bullet proof vest. Just make sure I don't get shot." Sidra requested.

"This is getting crazier and crazier. Both... you and Rain are crazy. Good luck and do not get yourself killed." Rayan, who did not say anything all way, commented.

"Do you have anyway of contacting Rain?" Yazan asked.

"No. I tried replying back to his email, but it was sent back to me with an error. That is when I thought of tracking his IP address. Even his phone number has been disconnected." Sidra explained.

"As much as I trust Rain, now, I'm getting suspicious as well." Yazan said.

"We're almost there. Do not do anything stupid. Just wait for me." Sidra said as she got ready to leave the hummer.

"Same goes to you." Yazan said.

They stopped few blocks away from Aser's place where Sidra got out of the hummer looking like a civilian. She started walking towards Aser's house. It was around 3:00 in the morning. The streets were very quiet except from the barking wild dogs. She got there and found it to be a very nice place. It was way larger than a normal house. She was able to see through the main gate. It looked like they had a very nice garden. Some kids' toys were thrown at the grass. She rang the bell and waited for few minutes. Then, she rang the bell again.

"Who's there?" A voice from the inside asked.

"May I talk to Mr. Aser. It is important." She replied.

After few minutes of silence, a man walked outside. He did not look like he was a sleep at all. Nothing about him or his place seemed suspicious either. He just did not look like a bad man. He seemed in his early forties. Yet, his hair was all white.

"How can I help you young lady?"

"Are you Mr. Aser?" Sidra asked.

"Yes, I am. Why are you here in the middle of the night? Don't you know how dangerous it is to be in such a place in a time like this?" He replied.

"Do you know someone named Rain?" She asked.

"No, I'm afraid I do not. What is this about?"

"Well, someone is after you. I was told that someone is trying to kill you."

"Don't you think that I can take care of myself? If you haven't noticed, I am a very capable man. " Aser said. "I wonder what Rain had told her." He thought.

"I'm sorry to ask, but who exactly are you?"

"If we're done here, I would like to get back to work." Aser said as he tried closing the gate. She pushed the gate hard with her hands as said,

"No, we are not done here. When I said that there are people who are trying to kill you, I meant the administration. I was sent with a team to assassinate you and some of your people. The government has information that you are organizing an attack on Lion's administration."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I do NOT care about what they have to say. Is it true what you are trying to do?"

"I think you should go home young lady...." Aser said as he tried closing the gate once again.

Back at the hummers, the team started to get worried.

"Guys... We have a call from commander Basam." Samir said.

"Answer it, now..." Yazan said.

"When I said kill Aser and his people, I meant kill them... Why haven't I received any news yet?" Commander Basam yelled on the phone.

"Sir, Sidra has a plan. We are just waiting for her orders." Samir said.

"And now you are receiving my orders. I want Aser's place burned to the ground. I never said negotiate with him or pretend to be his friends. I'm certain that I said nothing about going under cover and pretending to be civilians." The commander said.

"But Sir..." Samir tried explaining.

"No buts... Be sure to know that all of you will be punished if you wouldn't follow my orders. You have an hour before I send a SWAT team from the capital. Goodbye..." He immediately hung up the phone.

"Would someone please explain to me how he knew about Sidra going to 'negotiate' with them? She did not tell us about the undercover thing before now." Rafil had a good point.

"Are you saying that we have a spy?" Yazan asked.

"Like I said... This is getting crazier by the minute." Rayan commented.

"Can we please focus on the main problem now? He gave us an hour to burn the place to the ground." Samir said.

"We have to warn Sidra before something happens. I will go to Aser's house and see what is taking so long anyway. It has been over an hour since she left." Mai said.

"I think it is a good idea. Just wait 15 to 20 more minutes, then go. We need to give her the time before we blow her cover up. And I just want to put this out there... This is the dumbest operation I have seen in my life. He asked her to lead the team. Then, he calls saying 'screw her plan'. 'You are listening to me now'. What a mess... Doesn't he know that he can't just do that? I'm 100% sure that there is a spy among us. I will kill him or her myself... Once I know who they are." Rafil said.

Nearly ninety minutes after Sidra left, the team thought it was time for action. Few moments later, the teams left their positions and started running towards Aser's place. They were just a block away when they saw a big sphere of light. The light was immediately followed by a very loud explosion. The bright light made the sky look like it was the middle of the day. They knew that the explosion happened at Aser's house, but for few minutes, they were temporarily blinded. They slowly put it together and ran towards Aser's house.

"Oh... My God...How did this happen?" Yazan said.

The entire place was burning. That large house looked like a giant ball of fire. Rafil could not but noticed that,

"If anyone was inside, there is no way they could've gotten out."

"Don't say that. Maybe it's not burned from the inside. Estil's houses are built with concrete, and they don't burn that easily." Mai said and started screaming, "Sidra? Sidra? Can you hear us?"

"First of all, this is not a normal fire. This was an explosion. Second, this house was not built of concrete. This place was built of wood unlike almost every house in Estil." Yazan said and continued after few seconds of silence, "You can smell the wood burning... Just look around you, there are all these pieces of burned wood." Yazan said.

On the side, Samir was making a phone call that he should not have.

"Tell Jenna that there're gone. There is no sign of her or anyone else." He said.

"Good... We'll take it from here." The person of the phone replied.

As they all stood there watching the fire, they could not help but notice homeless people gathering. They were not there to help, but they rather stood there for the warmth.

"Where on earth is Sidra?" Mai asked.

"I'm afraid to say it, but she might be... Gone with the fire." Rayan said.
Chapter 14

# Glass

Somewhere on a private island, Rain finally had the chance to meet his uncle. Let me just say that Rain's uncle is a very interesting man. No one really knows what side he's on. One thing about him though, he has one arm. The other one is a prosthetic. However, it's made out of glass.

"Mr. Shaheen, Rain is here." Jenna said as she entered the room.

When Rain entered the room, his uncle was sitting down on his desk. The outside walls of that room were all glass. You could see a beautiful waterfall from his office. The inside of the room was filled with glassy objects. Things like the tables, chairs, and even the pen he was writing with, were all made out of glass.

"You asked to see me uncle." Rain said. "I came all the way from Estil just to hear what you have to say."

"No, you are actually here for much more than just a chat." Rain's uncle replied and asked, "How are things back in Estil?"

"Much worse than they were... Before you left ten years ago... I think." Rain said.

"How was Sidra when she left the prison? We were worried about her. Actually Jenna arranged her release."

"Well, she was late. I think Sidra was tortured somehow. She never talked about it."

"We were afraid this would happen. That is why we kept her in the dark about a lot of things. She did kill your grandfather after all. That was a total surprise, however. We had no idea. Your father was devastated. He thought that I hired her on purpose."

"My father is not an ideal human himself."

"My brother and I do not agree on a lot of things, but keep in mind that we both have Estil's future in our hearts. One more thing kid, I want you to make sure that no one gets too close to any of my employees. I don't want them distracted in anyway."

"If you mean Sidra, trust me... She's anything but distracted."

"Good... Drama is the last thing we want in her life." Shaheen, Rain's uncle, said. "You will go back to Estil after you come with me for a drive. There was a reason I asked you here. And most importantly, did you bring the data I requested?"

"Yes, I did. There are hundreds of patients' files in this memory stick. But actually, first I want to know why you stopped the medical aid to Estil's hospitals. You know that the administration isn't doing anything. The people relied on those donations."

"We decided that it was too dangerous for us to be exposed because of our donations. We don't want the administration to link us back to anything... Especially... with your father's sensitive position in the army." Shaheen said. "This subject is not up for discussion. It's the administration's job to supply the hospitals, not ours."

With no further do, Shaheen took Rain in a car to an abundant facility. It seemed old and moldy.

"This looks like a place where the ghosts would hangout. Why am I here?" Rain asked.

Shaheen took him inside where a secret door led to an underground facility. They went down in an elevator where they ended up in a corridor with about 8 doors on both sides. It was totally different from what it seemed from the outside. The place was designed with the latest cutting-edge technology.

"Welcome to the Siwaar's headquarters. What you need to see is in lab seven." Shaheen said.

They got in using a special designed key. The key is spherically shaped. Once it gets placed on the door, the key has to be turned 360 degrees for the door to open. When they entered, they saw at least ten people working on different things. The lab seemed very large and much bigger than anything Rain had seen at the Burj.

"So, where is that secretive project that you wanted me to see?" Rain asked.

"I did not just want you to see it. I want you to understand it. Besides, you're looking at it." Mr. Shaheen replied.

"What am I looking at? That radiant material? Uncle, you know that I'm a doctor not a chemist."

"I am well aware of that... Few years ago, we discovered that Estil is standing on a pool of radiant gold. We call it the 'Dury'. This liquid can save the world's energy crisis. It's 50% more efficient than Uranium and has zero radiation. This will give us huge advantage against Maki Lion's weapons." Shaheen said.

"So, what Sidra and many other people are working on are ways to make Dury usable?" Rain asked.

"We didn't give her that much details about it. She's working on Siwaar, the satellite that uses Dury." Shaheen explained, "This material is very expensive and very powerful at the same time... Why do you think that Lion is doing everything in his power to ruin the country? He's willing to exile the entire nation before anyone finding out the secret of Dury."

"Except that his methods of exiling involve killing." Rain said. "What is Siwaar is all about anyway?"

"Siwaar is capable of shooting a beam of massive amount of energy. This energy is produced using Dury. Nuclear bombs will soon look nothing compared to this."

Lion and the presidents before him used many wicked ways to ruin the country. They didn't just kill and destroy everything, but they also made the people live in poverty. No other place had seen such poverty in centuries. People in Estil had been ignorant for generations which led them to much darker places. We are going to change that, and we're going big. Estil would never go back to the way it was without something big. This is how we justified creating a powerful weapon.

After a short chat, one of the Shaheen's assistants walked into the lab and said,

"I apologize for the interruption Mr. Shaheen, we just received some troubling news from Estil."

"What is it?"

"It is about Mr. Aser. His house was caught on fire. They say it was a bomb explosion."

"What are you talking about? How can this happen?"

"I was told that the entire place was burned to the ground, and that they found no survivors at all."

Shaheen turned to Rain and asked, "What exactly did you ask Sidra to do?"

"I told her to save a man named Aser. I said nothing about explosions. I know she got the message because she tracked my IP address."

"Actually, the news I received is that the Burj sent a team to assassinate Mr. Aser." The assistant said.

"We know that. That is why I asked her to do something about it." Rain said.

"Well, did you know that the team leader was Sidra?" The assistant said.

"What exactly happened down there? Rain, you have to call and ask. Use our secure lines and make sure that they think you are still in Estil." Shaheen said.

"On it." Rain immediately replied.

He called Yazan using a secured line and asked about what happened. They both knew that the line could be bugged. So, they had to be very careful about saying any unnecessary details.

"What exactly do you want me to say? Her death is on your hands. It was your stupid idea in the first place that... never mind." Yazan yelled on the phone.

"Are you saying that she was there when the building exploded?"

"Yes, she was. We don't know what happened. We just know that she was there when we heard the explosion, and there were no bodies found. But we found some traces of blood and burned flesh. That was not the plan. No one was supposed to get hurt." Yazan said.

"What about Aser?" Rain asked.

"Do I sound like I care about what might've happened to him? We were sent to kill him, and that is what happened. We believe that we have a spy. I have already said more than I need to. I'm hanging up now. Good day..." Yazan said and hung up.

"Uncle, I think I need to go back to Estil and get to the bottom of this myself. We need to know what really happened. At any rate, if something happened to Sidra, it is my fault. Also, we need Aser. He knows about our plan more than anyone."

"Go back and keep me posted. If Sidra and Aser are found, I need both of them over here. I'll be meeting with the other scientists who are also working on the Siwaar project, just in case we lost Aser and Sidra for good." Shaheen said.

"It was my fault. I knew Sidra could be reckless, but I still sent her to him. I shouldn't have done so. I don't understand... How she came up with a plan to destroy the place that quickly." Rain said.

"There is something you still need to know. Aser ordered the hit on one of your teammates form the Burj not long ago." Shaheen said.

"What are you taking about?"

"I believe you had a friend named Waseem. Well, my people found out that he was sending info to Maki Lion's information sector. Aser knew, and he ordered the hit." Shaheen said.

"I knew he was killed by one of us. I just had no idea that Aser was behind it. The bullet the doctors got out of his chest was made in our factories... He was just a kid... I buried him myself... Did you stop for a second to think about the possibility that he was forced to spy?" Rain started to lose it.

"It's a war. There are always casualties."

"Of course you think that. I bet that's how my father justified my mother's death... Casualties..."

Shaheen changed the subject and said,

"If Sidra hadn't made it out of there a live, replacing her is going to be hard. She holds the key that contains part of the main code of the system. Any of my agents are easily replaced because they all save their code on the main frame of SANA. Due to the circumstances at the Burj, she couldn't afford uploading the code. It could've easily been detected while sending that huge amount of information via Estil's networks. She invented a system of her own where she saves all data on a necklace... Just find her at all costs."

"What happens if I don't find them?"

"We will be set back for months. That code is not easily written. We needed someone with multiple skills to make it happen. That is when I found Sidra few years ago and made her one of us."

"Does she even know who you are?" Rain asked.

"No, she does not. She has never met me personally." Shaheen said.

"I need to go, now. Take care of yourself..." Rain said and left.

He left with lots of thoughts in his head. He found out that the man Sidra probably died protecting was responsible for killing one of their friends. He was not sure about his uncle's plans for Estil. People have been suffering for generations there. Something had to change, and someone had to step up. The use of technology might have been their hope, but no one knew for sure what could happen.

At that moment, all Rain could think of was Sidra. He completely forgot about what he caused Yazan. Back at the Burj, commander Basam was really mad at the team. Yazan was put in prison for few days just for having an international conversation about a mission. During time of war, such acts considered risky. This was the main reason Rain had to communicate originally with an encrypted email. He did not know that his uncle's phone was not as secured as he had hoped.

"I was informed about Sidra's little trick to warn Aser on time. It was me who ordered the hit on his house." Basam told the team, "However, the house exploded before the SWAT team got there. At this point, Aser and his people's fate are unknown. And just so you know, if Sidra is still alive, I'm going to kill her myself. I don't have a place for traitors on my base."

Change was coming to Estil. But not everyone wanted that change. It had been years and no one did anything to stop the administration. Estil is a very large country, and yet the people were never united. Lion's administration might've been responsible about lots of things, but the people turned against each other and fought for a piece of bread. Actually, it was their fault that Maki Lion got to become the president in the first place. They never stopped him or united against him.
Chapter 15

# A Rushing Doctor

After going back to Estil, Rain had no problem getting back his position as a Peacekeeper. He told them that he had left for family reasons. Due to the nature of his father's work, they could not say no. As a Peacekeeper, they were required to walk in the city and make sure that no one is causing any troubles. They were required by law to shoot anyone that they suspect having or making any problems with or without any proof. To the general public they were known as the Peacekeepers. To the administration, they were the executioners.

At that point, Rain's main concern was finding out the truth about what happened to Aser and Sidra. After few days of searching and gathering information, all the evidence that he found led to them getting killed in that explosion. He refused to believe it and used his job as a cover for his search. One morning, he was asked to leave early to cover up some areas near the capital. Due to the lack of men, they were not able to send teams. They always had to send one man to each place.

Rain left alone and walked around in the area that he was assigned. Things were even worse that he had thought. He only spent a week outside of Estil, but it sure seemed like a year had passed. It was spring time, so at least people stopped dying out of cold. However, they seemed as hungry as always. People of Estil at that point were getting divided. They started fighting among each other. They would go as far as killing their own neighbors for some money, food, or even shelter. They justified their actions as a necessity, but they never thought for a second that their own actions were what destroyed them.

Rain looked around as he saw the pain and misery in people's eyes. There were interesting slogans written on the walls all over town.

"Where have they thrown our hopes?"

"Their injustice have haunted our melodies"

He thought that it sounded so familiar. He just could not remember where he had seen the same writing before. Catching anyone who might have written anything that opposed the administration was punishable by death. In fact, it was the Peacekeepers' job to insure that such actions are taking care of. Rain just pretended that he saw nothing.

There was part of town that had many people trying to sell produce and create very small businesses. He saw a group of kids working together to clean shoes. There were three girls and a boy. Even though there were not that many shoes to clean, they still sat and waited. The kids seemed clean and well-fed. He just could not shake the feeling that he had seen them somewhere before. He looked down at his boots and saw that they were clean. He intentionally found a spot of mud and walked into it. His boots got covered by dirt. He smiled and walked towards them.

"Hello, good mourning kids. How is everyone doing today?" Rain asked.

"Fine... Thanks..." One of the kids replied.

"So, you guys clean shoes? How awesome... I'm really sorry to bother you, but I accidently walked into the mud. I will pay you guys anything if you could clean my boots for me." Rain said as he acted embarrassed about his boots.

"Yes, Sir, we would be happy to." One of the girls replied with a smile. She continued, "You look very familiar. I wonder where I saw you before."

"I was just wondering the same thing. Where do you guys live?" Rain asked as they started to clean his shoes.

"Sorry, we are not allowed to say. Our boss doesn't like it when we talk to people." Another girl replied.

"That's ok. You guys look clean and fed which means you have a very nice boss. Do you?" Rain asked with a smile.

None of the kids replied. They just kept busy cleaning the shoes. After they finished, he ask if he could take a picture of them. They agreed. So he took it with his phone and walked away.

He was so sure that he had seen them before. So he left and continued his walk around that small town. He had the intention of going back to them before sundown. There were many other kids working and selling things to gain money. Another thing that he saw was a little girl selling candy. She seemed so tired that she had to sleep while working. She put her head on the street and just slept near the tray of candy that she was selling.

Rain took as many pieces from her as he could carry. He was very careful not to wake her up. He left $5 dollar for each piece and left. He did not even want to know what her story was because he knew the answer already. She either had lost her parents, or they were too sick to work themselves. It seemed like the kids had to leave schools and fix the adults mistakes. Rain walked around and wondered how lucky he was to be born in a rich family. He never had to suffer nor go through what those kids had to go through. He might have lost some people he loved, but it was not like he ever ended up in the street.

As thoughts and memories where coming to him, he heard a sound of a very loud explosion not that far from where was standing. He ran towards the place only to see nothing but smoke, fire, and people running all over the place. He dropped everything and went to help the injured. He saw some other people who just got to the seen to find out what happened. For a moment, he stood there trying to wrap his head around all of it.

"No human would want to do that. I feel like I'm losing faith in humanity." He thought.

Few minutes later, Rain saw a man running and rushing to help people. He seemed very concerned for people's lives. Rain was just glad that they got the extra help. Injured people were everywhere. There were very few doctors and nurses to help them out. As Rain kept helping people, his head started to fill with anger towards whoever did it.

"There is no way we can save all of the injured. We need more help." A man told Rain.

After hours of working with other people, they were able to get as many people out of the fire as possible. At the end, nearly 30 people were killed in that explosion. There was nothing left but the wreckage and people screaming to find their loved ones. After everything calmed down, Rain heard a man screaming at the doctor who came late and was rushing to help the people.

"Do you have no mercy in your heart? Where were you? You are one of the few doctors we have in town and yet, you were the last one that came. My son could have been saved if you came earlier... WHY... He was just a teenage boy..." A man screamed at one of the town's doctors.

"I understand that losing someone you love can be painful, but we all did everything we could. We all have people that we care about." The doctor calmly replied.

"You say that because you don't know what it feels like to lose a son. You don't understand the pain." The man added with tears.

Rain could not help but get involved in that conversation.

"Actually, I have seen this man before. I saw him and his wife burying their own kids in the woods a while ago. I was there to burry one of my best friends. I'm sure it was you Sir there that day." Rain said looking the doctor.

"I'm so sorry... Is that true?" The man fell on his knees crying.

"It is. And I am the sorry one for not rushing here earlier. My wife is very sick. I had to make sure she was ok before I left her." The doctor replied and continued. "Get up Sir... You are going to make me cry too. We will all die one day. It's called life."

"Look around. Look at this. Who did that and why? One day, the whole world is going to see what really happened here. History will never forgive those responsible." Rain said.

And so, that day ended with all the pain and tears. Later on, it was confirmed by the media that it was a terrorist attack that no one could tie to any organization or administration. However, all media were run by Lion's administration.

Rain went back to his base that night not sure what to think of all the mess. The idea of leaving Estil behind and just moving to a better place crossed his mind a million times. He had the money and connections. The least he could do is live on that private island with his uncle. He wanted to forget everything that happened in Estil. He just could not bring himself to ignore the reality.

"Just because I'm not poor and didn't have to go through what they did, does not make it ok for me to walk away." Rain thought.

The poor needed someone who spoke for them. They needed someone who knew that they can change. Rain just hoped that one day they would put all of it behind them, and laugh at such times. He hoped they would spend more time fighting ignorance and poverty rather than each other. The people responsible for all of it would soon pay dearly. As Rain went to sleep that night, many thoughts came into his head.

"I still have to find that Sidra. If she is dead,.... Oh My God, I completely forgot about the kids I saw this morning." He thought while jumping from his bed. "I'm so sure that I've seen those kids before... Of course... It was that orphanage I went to with Sidra and Emma few months back. No wonder why they looked so familiar. I examined them myself. How can I be such an idiot and forget my own patients."

He decided to go to the orphanage and see what was going on for himself. He had donated a lot of money to the orphanage. He kept sending the same amount monthly. He thought that supporting them financially would have been enough. After thinking about it, he decided to go in the morning. However, he just could not sleep that night. His day was not what you would call a normal day. He was still very worried about Sidra's mysterious disappearance.

It was about midnight when he left the base with no permission. Since he could not sleep, he thought he would pay a visit to Aser's place. It was the place where Sidra was last seen. He was not sure what he would find there. He just wanted something to ease his mind.

Aser's place was completely burned down. There was nothing left. Anything that survived the fire was taken by the locals. They even took some of the wreckage since it was made out of wood. They took what they could to burn during the cold winter season. Rain just looked at what was left of the place and remembered how it had such a beautiful garden.

"The things we take for granted." He said and left the place with no hope of finding Sidra at all. Rain stopped at the river and washed his face. He noticed how the level of water was reduced. However, he did not want to give it much of a thought. He looked at the sky and said,

"All we wanted is to help others and make sure they live the lives they deserve. I want to believe that helping this nation is what I was born to do. Please... guide us all to the straight path. Guide us to where we need to be. Please, help me find my Sidra."
Chapter 16

# What's wrong with us?

In the morning, Rain left early and walked to the orphanage to find out what really was going on. He was welcomed by the manager of the place who told him that the kids were having their breakfast.

"May I please have breakfast with them?" Rain asked.

"But Sir..." The manager tried saying no.

"Please, I would really appreciate it. I also will pay for everyone's meal for the day."

"Well, as you can see, we don't have much to offer. The kids are having milk and a piece of bread this week."

"That will do." Rain said as he thought, "What on earth did they do with the money I sent?"

He entered the dining room and looked around. He saw the kids who worked in the town. He did not know what to say, so he just walked to them and sat at their table.

"Hello guys... Do you remember me? I was in town just yesterday." Rain said.

"We don't know what you're talking about. We were here all day yesterday. We never left." A girl replied.

"I took a picture to you guys, remember? You don't need to lie. I can protect you." Rain whispered. "Here, it's still on my phone." He said as he showed them the picture from the day before.

"Please, he is going to be very mad." One of the girls replied.

"Not on my watch." Rain replied with a tone. "Does he force you all to work?" He asked.

"Yes, but he let us stay here and give us some food. We all lost our parents, and we're grateful that he just let us stay here. Ms. Amani, his wife, she is very nice. We like her." The girl replied.

Rain left the table with an angry face. That manager had no right to do this to them. The money they received should have been enough to feed and educate the kids.

"How could you? This place was paid for by a friend of mine. She dedicated her life to seeing kids like them get off the streets. I'm not about to let a guy like you ruin the last of her dreams." Rain shouted at the manager.

"I'm not sure what you are talking about. Please calm down." The man said with a scared tone.

"I'm the one who has been sending you money every month. What do you do with it? Why do you make the kids work?" Rain yelled.

"Did they tell you that? Because they lie... They're all liars."

Rain just lost it and started shouting at the manager,

"Shut up... They cleaned my shoes just yesterday in the town. The only liar I see... is the likes of you. How could you destroy their childhood with your greed for money? I lost the only person I ever cared for, and I have no idea if I ever will see her..." Rain continued yelling at the manager. "This place was all she cared for. She gave up so much for the orphans. All she wanted is to see the kids lead a normal life. She trusted you people to handle things."

The manager of the orphanage took his gun out and pointed it towards Rain. His hands kept shaking the whole time.

"I have heard enough of your insults. I don't have to deal with those dogs you call kids. They're nothing to me. Now, leave or I will kill you right here and now." The manager shouted.

Rain quickly took his gun out as well and fired at the same moment the manager fired at him. Rain's shot ended up hitting the manager's leg. However, the manger's bullet was fired randomly and hit one of the kids who stood right behind Rain.

"Oh...my God... BAHER..." Ms. Amani shouted. "What happened here? I came after I heard all the yelling. What did you do?"

"Stay back... I think the bullet went through the surface of her shoulder." Rain said. "Hey... Stay with me... What is your name?" He talked to the girl.

"My name is Zahra. It hurts." The kid replied as she was crying.

"Baher... How could you?" Ms. Amani yelled at her husband who was on the floor due to the bullet in his leg.

"Get the medical kit... Quickly... I swear if she dies, you die with her, Baher" Rain shouted.

The girl's wound was not as bad as they thought. Rain treated her and was able to stop the bleeding in her shoulder. He decided not to take her to the hospital. He kept her at the orphanage where she can receive a better care. On the other hand, Rain was so mad that he wanted to leave Mr. Baher to bleed to death. However, Ms. Amani begged him to help. After taking his gun away, Rain was able to get the bullet out of his leg and stop the bleeding by stitching the wound up.

"Ms. Amani, why did you let your husband do what he did?" Rain asked with a tone.

"No, please do not yell at her. She is very nice." The wounded little girl said.

"It is ok, Zahra. He has the right to ask. Rain, I'm really sorry. When you came here last time with Sidra, I really wanted to tell you guys what was going on. He is very controlling. He used to hit me sometimes in front of the kids as well." Ms. Amani said.

"Shut up, woman... Or the next bullet is going into your head." Baher shouted.

"There was nothing I could have done. He usually takes all the donation money we receive and give me very little to feed and dress the kids. Then, he forces them to work and take all of what they make. All he cares about is how much money he has in his bank account." Ms. Amani said with tears in her eyes.

"It's because the likes of you, Estil is still suffering poverty and ignorance. Every time someone wants to do something or change anything to the better, the likes of you stop in the way. Everyone wants Estil to change and become a great nation, but no one ever stopped and cleaned this land from people like yourself. Now, I know why Estil will suffer for much longer. You are a shameful icon to our nation." Rain said calmly.

Rain immediately called for backup and asked his team to put Baher in jail because he fired at a Peacekeeper. After everything was over, Rain stayed behind to help clean things out in the orphanage .

"Rain, thank you, really. You saved us all." Ms. Amani said and continued. "You are wrong about one thing. This nation will not suffer much longer because of people like my husband. It will, with God's willing, become a great nation very soon because we have people like you."

"I really hope so." Rain replied.

"I have to ask. Where is Sidra? We have not seen her in months." Ms. Amani asked.

"I wish I knew. I have been looking for her. At this point, it is possible that she's dead." Rain said while looking at the ground.

"Why are you saying that? Did something happen?" Ms. Amani asked with a concerned face.

"It is a long story. I will be sending you money each month. I will make sure that it is more than enough for everything. I will stop by every once in a while. Here is my number. Please do not ever hesitate to call if you need anything. All I ask of you is that you teach the kids and feed them well. They are the ones who are going to make Estil a great nation. Please, I want Sidra's dream to live even if she couldn't make it. Take care." Rain told Ms. Amani as he left the orphanage .

Later on that day, Yazan was able to make one quick phone call to Rain.

"What's up my friend?" Yazan said with a cheerful voice. "Listen, I was hoping we could meet and catch up."

Rain immediately realized what was going on. "Sure, do you want to meet at that old restaurant in the capital?"

As soon as they agreed on the time and place, Yazan hung up. When they met as planned, the first thing that Yazan said to Rain was,

"If you find Sidra, make sure that she does not come back to the Burj. Commander Basam is after her and would not stop until she's dead."

"Ok...That's assuming she is not dead already. It's been a month." Rain said with a surprised face.

"I don't think I trust you anymore. Before Sidra left to Aser's house, she told me that your IP address was traced to somewhere outside of Estil. Do you mind telling me where you were? More importantly, I think it is about time you tell me who the heck Aser was." Yazan said.

"It's not what you think. I care for you guys." Rain said.

"That is not an answer, Rain. Have a good day..."

"No, wait... You have to promise to never tell anyone about this."

"It depends. What did you do?"

"After I was asked to work as a Peacekeeper, I got a phone call from my uncle. He asked me to go to a private island to talk to him about something. If the administration knows that I left to another country, I will be in big terrible. Anyhow, that is why I tried to block my IP address, and could not send a normal email to Sidra. I was being watched and so was she." Rain explained.

"You were on a private island while you asked her to save a man of yours? Why didn't you bring you sorry legs back here and saved Aser yourself?" Yazan asked.

"It's her unit that was ordered to kill him in the first place. When I asked her to save him, I didn't mean for her to get in harm's way. Besides, she had to meet him herself."

"What does that even mean?"

"Aser is 'or' was a good man. He and Sidra were working on the same project without knowing it. I only found all of this in my visit to my uncle's. My uncle is one of the people that funded Sidra's project."

"Great... And how is that information helping us now?" Yazan asked.

"Listen, I know that you were imprisoned because of our phone call. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am."

"I was not imprisoned because of a simple phone call. It was because the call was international. Did you really think that they wouldn't find out? What were you thinking? Stupid."

"I obviously wasn't thinking. I underestimated them. Please forgive me."

"You were lucky they didn't find out that I was talking to you, Rain. They wouldn't care who your father is. You would've been executed if they knew you left the country while working for the Peacekeepers." Yazan said. "We can talk about this later. Let's sit down and order something. Any news about Sidra?" He asked as he grabbed the menu in that very old restaurant.

"I don't know Yazan... I'm starting to give up already. I searched everywhere. I even had my father's connection helping me out. She is nowhere to be found. If she were a live, she would have contacted us by now."

"I was kind of hoping that she would contact you via her encrypted messaging system. Rain, don't even think about giving up on the search. It was you who put her in that mess in the first place. You sent her to Aser. In another word, if she is dead, none of us will ever forgive you." Yazan said.

"Like I can ever forgive myself." Rain said. "If she is a live, she just proved to me that she wouldn't give a carp about us. A month is more than enough for her to contact us. She doesn't care whether we get worried or not. If she is really dead... well, you're right. It was my fault."

After a while, their food was ready and served. As they talked, a young-man approached them. With no introductions or anything, the man immediately asked,

"I'm really hungry. Can I have your food?"

Rain and Yazan looked at him for few seconds. He was dressed well and seemed very skinny.

"Please, have my plate. I haven't touched it yet." Rain said.

"And you can have mine for the go." Yazan added.

They had the food all wrapped up for him. They just gave him the food and did not say anything else. The man left the place thanking them. Rain had to go back to his base. He said goodbye to Yazan and left as well.

Few days later, Rain received an interesting phone call. It was from one of his father's friends.

"Sir, you told me to call if I find anything about a woman named Sidra." The man said.

"Yes, anything new?" Rain replied happily.

"Well, I'm not so sure, but few months ago, there was a woman named Sidra being held here at the underground prison. Did you know that?" The man asked.

"Yes, I did. She was released after that. Thanks anyway." Rain replied feeling hopeless.

"Actually, one of my men was ordered to clean a prison cell that contained the slogan everyone is saying and writing everywhere. I just called because I saw the name Sidra written on the same wall." The man said.

"Wait, what slogan? And is it still there?" Rain asked.

"Yes, Sir. It is. They're about to erase it, however. Sorry, I couldn't be of more help" The man answered.

"No, wait. Don't erase it until I get there."

Rain instantly left what he was doing and decided to go to the underground prison. He wanted to see for himself what was written there. It seemed hopeless especially that it was written few months back and before Sidra even disappeared. He just wanted something, anything that might provide answers.

He got to the underground prison and asked to go to Sidra's old prison cell. After checking his paper work, he was finally able to get in. He remembered how last time he was there, it was to find Sidra as well.

"All this girl seems to do is disappear on me. And all I seem to do, is look for her." He thought.

He got in and looked at the wall. The moment he read what was written, he remembered the slogans he saw on the walls in the city.

"This is written with a rock. I can't tell if it is Sidra's hand writing. Either way, someone is trying to get the administration's attention by writing it all over the city." Rain thought as he took a picture of the wall and left.

On the other hand, at the Burj, things were getting really bad under commander Basam. The entire team was under the death penalty after new evidence came to light.

"My investigators showed that Sidra was spotted on one of our security cameras at the airport few weeks ago. I can't help but think that you all helped her escape. You have a week to find her or you will be publicly executed for treason. This includes all of you. Your clock is ticking. If she's not found as soon as possible, you'll wish you'd burned with the house."
Chapter 17

# The Night of the Fire

"What night? Don't you know by now that we have fire almost every night?" Yazan asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"You know what I mean you-genius. I said that I needed to know what exactly had happened the night Aser's house was blown up. And can you take that a bit seriously? You might be executed. Do you realize how messed up that is? " Rain said.

Earlier, Yazan had called Rain and asked if he could meet him. Things in almost all Estil were far from being settled. Protests were increasing and so were the bombings. More people were asking for their rights and more people were dying for it.

"I need to have access to SANA. I think I know how to find Sidra. Now, that we know she's alive." Rain said.

"Ok, that's going to be hard. But what's the plan?" Yazan asked.

"There's a lady that I know. Her name is Jenna. Anyway, she explained to me how to track Sidra's neckless. Worst case scenario, we can find out when the signal was last turned off." Rain explained.

"So, why didn't we do this earlier?" Yazan asked.

"I don't know. She just called and told me about it."

Yazan went back to the Burj and came up with a plan to have access to SANA. He used a satellite tracking system to find Sidra's neckless.

"We have a problem. Rain, I think you're not going to believe this." Yazan said on the phone. Once again, they had to meet to discuss the details.

"What? Where is she?" Rain asked.

"She's in Tokyo." Yazan said.

"Tokyo? Like in Japan?"

"How many Tokyoes do you know? Of course Tokyo like in Japan. At least that's where her neckless is."

"Give me the address. It looks like I'm going to Japan."

It did not take Rain long to find his way to Japan. Money can indeed buy you anything and take you anywhere. As soon as he arrived to Tokyo, he located Sidra's neckless using his smart bracelet. The signal was pointing to a tall blue-glass building. It was almost a hundred stories tall. The signal did not give him altitude. So, he had to somehow find the floor number. He sat down at the entrance trying to think of what to do.

"What are you doing here?" A voice from behind ask.

Rain slowly turned around and had a surprised expression on his face. It took him few seconds to process, but he finally said,

"I could ask you the same thing, Aser. I was looking to find out how Sidra's neckless ended up in Japan. You were the last person I expected to see. Wait a minute, if you are a live, does that mean...."

"Rain?" Sidra said from behind.

Before Rain could even turn around, she continued. "What on earth are you doing here? Don't you have some other people to lie to?"

"Sidra... You're alive. I have been looking all over for you. Where were you all this time? And why haven't you called to let us know you are a live?" Rain asked.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that I have to report to you." Sidra said sarcastically.

"Why are you mad?" Rain asked.

"Why? Because I learned the truth about you. Rain, please, just get out and leave me alone. I have work to do."

"No, I will not leave without answers. What happened the night of the fire?" Rain asked.

Sidra just ignored him and did not want to talk to him. Let me explain what happened that night. When commander Basam ordered the team to kill Aser, Sidra had absolutely no idea how she would save him. Since Basam wanted him dead, she just knew that she had to save him. They had a short time to come up with a good plan to get out of that situation. Luckily, Aser's house was made out of wood for that reason. He had gas pipes running throw his entire house. All he had to do was lit the gas... and boom!

The entire place exploded after they got out. They left with some of Aser's people and went to their safe house. Aser knew other people in Japan who were also part of the Siwaar project. They just joined forces with them to expedite the working process. Sidra knew that it was not a coincident that Rain sent her to help him.

"I have had enough of you. I spent the past month beating myself up for sending you to Aser's that night. I truly believed that I was the reason you were dead. Then, it turns out that you are well and alive, and that you chose not to call or communicate in anyway?" Rain said with a tone.

"Did it ever occur to you that I did not want to be found?"

"No, it did not... because you could have at least called me."

"Now why would I call the son of the man who left me in prison for two weeks under torture? ...... Yes, Rain, I know. I know that the old man I killed all of those years ago was your grandfather, and that the man who ordered my arrest was your father."

"I had nothing to do with that. I swear."

"You lied to me. All you cared about was collecting info so you could send it to your father."

"You know that I would never do anything to hurt you."

"Really? I never knew why you left me there until I found out that it was your father's doing. It all made sense." Sidra said.

"I was looking into a way to get you out of there. When we finally did go back, you were gone. We attacked the prison to free you. After we got there, we were told that you had left. No one knew where you went off to."

"Rain, listen to me...." Sidra said as she was interrupted.

"No, you listen to me. You and everyone who helped you escape might be executed. I'm sorry, but we have no time to talk about why my father did what he had to. You need to be back to Estil before the entire team at the Burj is charged with treason."

"Oh my God... I had no idea."

"You thought you could just take off with no consequences?" Rain asked.

Aser just interrupted and said, "I'm the one who asked her to leave Estil for a while. We needed to work on the project with no interruption. Here we have people who could help us. Apparently, we had less time than I had hoped for."

"I really need to go back. I'm just going to surrender myself." Sidra said.

"Wait... So, if this place can connect you to the headquarters why didn't you tell them that you are still alive?" Rain asked.

"Who said that I didn't?" Sidra replied.

"Because..." Rain was about to say something before he thought, "I can't tell her now that my uncle is one of Siwaar's leaders, and he would have told me if she had contacted them earlier."

"Rain... Why did you stop talking?" Aser asked.

"Sidra, you could have contacted me using an encrypted rhythm like you always do." Rain said.

"After I learned the truth about who your father really is, I wanted nothing to do with you. I still don't want anything to do with you."

"We have to put this behind us." Rain said.

"I'm never going to forgive you or your father."

"Sidra... Don't you think you are being a little harsh?" Aser said.

"Not at all. You have no idea what I went through."

"I care about you." Rain said.

"Oh, please... The only reason you cared about me is because you already knew about my involvement with Siwaar."

"My father has nothing to do with it."

"You two need to stop this. Sidra, I should have never told you who Rain's father is. I just thought you already knew." Aser said.

"No, thank you for tell me. Someone had to be honest."

"I would have told you eventually. I just never had a chance to do so." Rain said.

"Save it." Sidra said.

"Let's just go now. I have a plane waiting." Rain said.

"Lead the way." Aser said.

Sidra could not just ignore the fact that she was the reason her friends might get hurt. She had no plan at all. All she knew is that she had to go back. Rain had no idea how to get Sidra out of that situation either. He thought he might be able to come up with something as soon as went back to Estil. Aser, on the other hand, had to go back to Estil as well to take care of unfinished personal business. On their way back, on the plane, Rain thought that it was a good time he came clean about a lot of things.

"By the way, I knew who you were long before you even came to the Burj. I was one of your doctors when you were first recruited."

"What are you talking about? What's that even mean?"

"You were very weak and skinny. I was surprised that you were selected among other people to enter the Siwaar project. Do you remember all of the physical training you had every single day?"

"How did you know about that? And what does this have to do with anything?"

"At the time, I was an intern. We were ordered not to let our subjects know about us. All of the machines you trained on were collecting data about you. I used to watch you every day train from behind the double sided mirrors at the lab. My job was to give a full analysis about your brain and physical activities. You improved remarkably in a very short time." Rain explained.

"Why are you telling me all of this now?" Sidra asked.

"One day, someone left their cell phone in the lab. One of the guys brought it to me thinking I knew who its owner was. I had to look through it only to find out that it was yours. I couldn't help myself but notice a video file under the name 'My father'. So, I opened it. It was the video where you shot my grandfather. You were much younger and looked different, but I knew that it had to be you."

"This is crazy..." Sidra said.

"That was over six years ago. I knew who you were and what you did. If I had anything to do with your arrest, don't you think I would have spoken earlier?"

Sidra was just surprised hearing all of that. She had no idea that Rain kept all of that from her for years. She really needed some time to process.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't know you were tortured. You never said anything about that." Rain said.

"It was nothing. I don't want to talk about it. In fact, I don't want to talk about anything right now."

Rain and Sidra did not say a word to one another after that. Sidra was really mad. She thought that was tortured in prison under Rain's father commands. Then, she discovered that Rain knew her before she even joined the Burj. She had the right to be mad if you ask me. However, Rain never tried to explain his position at all. His father really had no idea about what was going on in that prison.

"Hazeem had no idea about what was going on in the prison where you were held." Aser said as he interrupted the awkward silence.

"He put me there. Didn't he?" Sidra said.

"Yes, but he ordered your release as soon as our agents contacted him. That only happened after we got your message via the song." Aser said.

"Sidra... My father really didn't know about that. I'm sorry for what they did to you in there." Rain said.

"Why did you let him arrest me? Why didn't you contact him from the beginning?"

"Because..." Rain tried saying something.

"There is something you should know. Rain's mother was killed as soon as his father accepted a position as a commander in the army. It was a failed attempt to kill Hazeem. Therefore, Rain was never in good terms with his father." Aser explained.

"I had no idea." Sidra said.

"I let my anger control me. For that, I am deeply sorry." Rain said.
Chapter 18

# Suffocation

At the time, things were getting much worst in Estil. More explosions and more attacks were happening on daily basis. The administration had their parts in all of the mess. They bombed houses and buildings and killed a lot of civilians as people started to be more open about opposing the administration.

In a matter of few days, people got angrier and angrier about what was going on. Those who survived got together for the first time and stared Estil's largest uprising in years. However, without knowing it, they made things a lot harder.

As soon as the administration found out what was going on, they started to hold food from entering the city almost completely. As poor as people were, they got even poorer. After a while, people were more concerned about finding food for their families than fighting for their rights.

The administration had prevented any medical supplies from entering the country completely, which made matter even worse. Patients were dying by the hour due to lack of the most basic supplies. There were very few doctors and nurses left to help out. Many diseases started spreading causing even more death.

Rain, Aser, and Sidra had no idea that their first day back in Estil was indeed eventful. They just could not pick a worse time to be back. As they landed in the airport, they had to pass security as fast as they could. However, this was not a problem at all. Most of the security guards were not in their positions.

Most of the guards were gathered outside the airport to prevent the risers from entering. The 'Risers' was the new term they used for anyone who participated in any uprising against the administration. The walls of the airport were filled with banners that said many different things asking the people to react. One of them had few lines from a familiar song.

"What's wrong with us?"

"Why ~ can't we get out of the dark tunnel of grief?"

They looked around and saw the real pain behind people's anger. However, it was not long until the SAWT team showed up. Hiding between the crowds, our friends did what they could to get out of there.

"Do you hear that?" Rain asked.

"Do you mean the fighter jets? Yeah, I sure do hear that." Aser replied.

Rain's phone beeped. It was a text message from unknown number that said,

"Poison gas at the airport. Do not come back. We were ordered to kill anyone if we had to. Stay in Japan."

"It's definitely Yazan. He's just too late." Rain said.

"Please tell me that they're not going to bomb us." Aser said.

"They're not. They're just going to use poison gas. They want the crowd to go away at any cost." Rain said.

They stood there trying to find a way out. The main gates were closed. It seemed that their intention was not to clear the area but rather to kill everyone at the airport.

"Why are you back?" A voice from behind asked.

"Samir? Why are you here?" Sidra said as she gave him a hug.

"Rafil and Mai are here as well. Oh, there they are." Samir said as he waved to them. "We are forced to gas the entire terminal. It's happening in a few. We're trying to come up with a plan to get the people out of here."

"Seriously Samir? How can you hug her after what she did to us? Sidra?" Rafil said with an annoyed tone looking at Sidra.

"He's my brother." Sidra said, "And hello to you to, Rafil."

"He's your...what now?" Mai asked.

"I'm sorry. But we have no time for a family reunion." Rain said.

"Right, there are underground tunnels we can use to get the people out of here. The gas is being prepared as we speak." Samir said.

They ran towards the main door of the underground tunnels, and tried to open it. However, as expected, it was locked. Luckily, Mai had a grenade. She was able to use it to open the door.

As soon as they opened the door, they ran to the crowd and started warning people. However, they were ignored. Aser was asked to stay in the tunnels. Everyone else had no idea how to convince the risers that they were about to be killed.

Few minutes later, everything got foggy. No one could see anything. They all ran back to the tunnel safely, except Samir.

"I have to go back. I have to find my brother." Sidra said.

"You can't leave. It's too late." Rain said.

"No, we were giving masks. I'm going to find him." Rafil said, "I can't let my best friend take all the credit for gassing the people." He said sarcastically.

"Rafil... DON'T." Rain shouted as he saw him leaving the tunnels to try and find Samir.

Rafil left locking the door behind. The tunnels were long and dark. They were designed to look like a maze. It was hard for Rain and the others to find their way out. So, they had to spend the night in the tunnels.

As soon as the sun rose that morning, they could see the bright light coming from a small opening. They followed the light and found their way out.

"Oh... My God. What have they done?" Mai screamed.

"No... No they did not... I think I'm living a nightmare." Sidra said.

The entire ground was covered with dead bodies. Hundreds of men and women died out of suffocation. The poison gas used that night was one of the deadliest. When someone breathes it in, it closes the airways completely. All of those people did not die because of the poison, but rather out of suffocation.

"Samir... We need to find Samir and Rafil." Rain said.

Sidra and everyone else just kept looking around. They went into a complete shock. They did not say or do anything until Rain shouted,

"MAI... Focus. Is there a way to contact them?"

It took her few seconds to response, "The intercoms were down last night. Let me try again."

She said, "Samir... Rafil... can anybody hear me? Over."

They could not hear anything but static for few minutes. Rain took the intercom from Mai and repeated. "Samir... Rafil... can anybody hear us? Please say something."

"I hear you. We're in the tunnels." Samir finally responded.

They ran to the tunnels to look for them. After hours of walking in the dark, they finally found them. There were tens of people in there as well. Samir had gotten to them on time and saved as many as he could.

"Where is Rafil? He went to look for you." Mai asked.

"I'm so sorry... It's my fault he's dead." An old man said as he was sitting on the floor.

"What do you mean he's dead? He had a mask." Rain responded.

"He was helping this brave-young man, Samir. He helped us all get it in. However, when he got it me, I was beginning to suffocate. He did not hesitate for a second... He did not even think about it... He took his mask off and gave it to me. And that's all I could remember." The old man explained.

"When I went to get more people to come inside, I found him on the ground barely breathing with Rafil's mask. So, I brought him in." Samir said, "I, however, could... not... bring Rafil's body back."

Samir could not continue talking. He tried hiding his tears, but it was harder than he thought. His best friend died protecting innocent people. Everything else that happened afterwards was just a blur to everyone. They could not bear the thought of that night at all.

After what happened, Sidra, Samir and Mai went back to the Burj. They swore to avenge what happened. They just had to be smart about it. Sidra was able to convince commander Basam that she was working as a double agent. She gave him false, yet enough, information about Aser and his work. It was just enough to get her and her friends out of facing the death penalty.

Aser had his business to take care of, so he left to a safe house. Rain went back working for the Peacekeepers. None of them could ever speak about that night, and the brutality they had witnessed.

"The souls of those lost shall not be in vain." Sidra swore.
Chapter 19

# Jenna

"I'm sorry... You want us to go where?" Sidra asked.

Earlier that day, Rain had a meeting with Sidra and Aser. He wanted both of them to go back to the private island. They needed to be at Siwaar's headquarter.

"And how do you suggest we get to the airport with the checking points all over Estil's airport." Aser said. "Do you want me to remind you of what happened last time we were there? It's only been few weeks."

"I know. We might have to go to the Peacekeepers' base first. I have a plan to get us to the airport." Rain said.

"And now I'm just supposed to trust your plan." Sidra said.

"I was asked to bring you to headquarter safely. I'm the one who gets to make the plan and chooses how." Rain said.

"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere." Sidra said.

"I'm afraid you have to. Something happened and you are needed to fix it, both of you." Rain said. "Sidra, you can argue later."

"Rain, what's going on? Why do you want us to go there?" Aser said.

"Did you hear about the civilian airplane that just disappeared from the radar few days ago?" Rain asked.

"Yeah, we did. What does it have to do with anything?" Aser said.

"No way... It never occurred to me before now, but did they..." Sidra said.

"Launch Siwaar? Yes, they did." Rain interrupted.

"What.. How can they do that? My code and Sidra's was not uploaded to the headquarters' data base. They could not have lunched it without us." Aser said.

"Why do you think a civilian airplane just disappeared then? Some idiot must have thought that they could. They never thought that things could go that wrong. There is a private jet for you waiting in Estil's private airport. I need to get you there as soon as possible." Rain said.

"You are saying that someone used the satellite and made a civilian airplane disappear?" Sidra asked.

"That's what we are afraid had happened. The project was not officially launched because it required a lot of programming and testing. That was part of the reason you were sent to work at the Burj, so you can get access to SANA, the super computer. Due to the previous events, we were not able to upload any of my new work into the headquarters' database." Aser explained.

It was about 6 PM, and it started to get dark. Rain, Sidra, and Aser could not drive all the way to Peacekeepers' base because most of the roads were closed.

Therefore, they had to walk for few hours. While they were walking, out of nowhere, an explosion happened right in front of them. Luckily, the blast did not harm them since it was far enough for the shrapnel not to reach.

Few cars were completely destroyed and many people were killed. Everything happened so fast. There was nothing anyone could have done to help.

Like always, no one knew who and why dozens of people were killed. They just had to die. Few people were injured. The majority of them died instantly.

"This complicates things. We need to get going." Rain said.

"Look... There are at least five cars driving really fast and coming towards us." Aser pointed.

"That's odd... People usually stay away, not drive towards the explosions." Rain said.

"GUYS... These are the militias... They are after someone..." Sidra yelled.

In few seconds, the militias pulled over and started shooting in the air. They just shot randomly at people. They even shot the small fire truck that just got there. Sidra, Rain, and Aser hid behind one of the cars until they were gone.

"What on earth just happened here?" Rain wondered. "What was that all about?"

"Why are we still living in this hell of a country? The killers don't know who they're killing nor they care, and the people just get killed without knowing why. WHY?" Sidra said.

"We need to get to the base. The sooner we finish up, the sooner we might get control over this jungle so called Estil." Rain said with a mad tone.

"I swear it feels that way. We are literally being ruled by animals. It's kill or be killed." Sidra commented.

"Wait a second... Rain? Aren't you supposed to be working for the Peacekeepers? Your job is to keep the peace in the city. Is it not?" Aser asked.

"Yeah... Right... Trust me... the Peacekeepers are just a front. Half of the militias are under Maki Lion's commands. The other half consists of just random terrorists. Lion let them do his dirty work. As for the Peacekeepers, our job is to make sure that no one goes anywhere near the administration's personal or facilities. That's how we keep the peace in the city." Rain said.

"Your job is terrible. Just saying." Sidra said.

"Thanks...That helps a lot. I think we're going to have to spend the night at the base." Rain said.

"Anyway, we need to get going. By the way, Rain, does your base allow any women in there?" Aser said.

"No, they only hire men. Oh... NO... I totally forgot..." Rain realized.

"You have got to be kidding me." Sidra said.

"I think there is only one way." Aser said looking at Rain.

"Yeah, I agree." Rain said.

"Agree about what? Why are you two looking at me like that?" Sidra asked. "Look, I'm just going to spend the night in the woods."

"Do you want to get yourself killed? It's totally unsafe, and that is completely besides the fact that we are few hours away from the woods. It's really dark now." Rain said.

"Do I look like I have another choice? I'm not going to men's only base. It's kind of creepy." Sidra commented.

"Yeah, you actually do. You are going to disguise yourself as a man and spend the night at the base." Aser said.

"And I can arrange for you to spend the night with the kids. Well, they are not exactly kids. Most of them are between the age of 10 and 16. They hire them young." Rain explained.

"What if someone finds out that I am a girl?" Sidra asked.

"Well, they better not. Especially given whom you really are, Sidra." Rain said.

"This better works. So, we leave first thing in the morning?" Sidra said.

"Yes, that is the plan. Now, wear my hat and keep it down. Also, take this shirt. Do not speak unless someone asks you anything. Try to use a manly voice. Also, take some mud from the ground and put it on your face and cloths. It has to look like I just found you on the street." Rain explained.

"Is this your master plan?" Sidra asked.

"Do you have a better one? I'm all ears." Rain replied.

"Fine... Gosh..." Sidra said with an obvious annoyed tone.

Sidra did what she was asked. She looked like a little scared man and just followed Rain and Aser without complaining or saying anything all the way.

After they got to the base, Rain introduced them as people he just found and needed help. He was told that he could not let them stay, but after a long talk, his commander agreed to let them spend the night.

"What is your name, kid?" The commander asked.

"Sary, Sir." Sidra replied with a somewhat manly voice.

"Couldn't she think of a different name? Sary? Really?" Rain thought.

"Well, Shani and Sary, I will let you stay the night. You can stay in the kids' room. It is the only place that might have some space for you. However, Sary, you are going to have to sleep on the floor. You are covered by mud." The commander said.

"Yes, Sir." Sidra replied.

When they were finally sent to the room, they saw approximately 20 kids. Their ages ranged from 10 to 16 like Rain had said. Most of them had scars and bruises on their faces.

It turned out that they take the kids who lost their parents and prepare them to be soldiers. Sidra did not know what to do. She was shocked and mad at the same time.

"Rain knew about this that whole time and did nothing about it. He and I need to have a serious talk." Sidra thought.

"Sary? So, why are you covered by mud?" A 16 year old asked.

"Because I have a stupid friend who told me to do so." Sidra replied.

"Haha... You sound like a girl. Take THIS..." The kid just pushed Sidra on the floor and made fun of her saying, "You even look like a girl. You're so weak."

"Yeah, kid. You have no idea how weak I am." She replied.

The kids just laughed and went to bed. Everything sounded fine until around midnight when everyone was a sleep.

"You have got to be kidding me, another one of these random explosions?" Sidra yelled.

Few seconds later, the entire base was a wake. The alarm system went off warning everyone of an attack in the civilians' areas. Rain got Aser and Sidra out of the kids' room to talk freely.

"Sary, Ashoni or whatever your names are, we need to leave and help out. At least ten of our men were in there at the time of the explosion." Rain said.

"And we care because?" Sidra asked.

"My name is Shani." Aser corrected him.

"Again, why do I care that bunch of Peacekeepers got killed?" Sidra asked.

"Look at you. They are people like me. Most of them have families. They were forced to join this base." Rain said.

"He's right. We have to help." Aser said.

"I cannot tell the good from the bad people these days." Sidra said.

"You know that you are good and that is enough. We shall always help others regardless of the surroundings." Aser added.

"I couldn't agree more." Rain said.

"It's funny how you say that. If that is how you feel, why haven't you helped these kids out?" Sidra asked.

"We can fight over this later. Right now, I need your help, both of you." Rain said.

"Let's go. How can we help?" Aser asked.

"We are going to look for the other soldiers and maybe help the civilians as well." Rain said.

"Interesting how the civilians have second priorities these days." Sidra commented.

"That is not what I meant... Just go..." Rain said.

That night ended with many dead and injured people. The soldiers that Rain looked for were never found. It was believed that they were in the middle of the explosion, and that they were the targets.

That night was not so different from any other night. People die, others get injured, others lose parents, some lose children, and many lose faith and hope in the future.

In the morning, it was time for them to leave. But before that, Sidra had to ask,

"Do I have some time? I would like to visit the orphanage. Rain, what do you think?"

"They are fine. I visited them a while ago." Rain replied.

"You did? Thank you for that. Is everything going ok with money and food?"

"Yeah, it is kind of a long story. I will tell you all about it later. For now, I made sure that they have enough money for months. Trust me, they are all fine. Besides, if you would like, I can go and visit them again as soon as I get you and Aser on the plane."

"What do you mean? Rain... Are not you coming with us?" Sidra asked.

"No, people here need me more than ever. I will ask to be transferred to the local hospital. I can be of more help over there."

"I don't understand. You are not as cold hearted as you always seem. If you care that much, why haven't you done anything about the kids at the base?" Sidra asked.

"Do what exactly? Keep them on the streets to die out of cold and hunger? There are very few orphanages that are still open. I think being at the base is not as bad as the streets." Rain said.

"I'm afraid he's right. We can't save everyone." Aser said.

"The car is here. We need to leave now." Rain pointed.

They arrived to a private and small airport. There were almost no people in there.

"This is the private Jet. This lady will take care of both of you and escort you to Siwaar's Headquarters." Rain said while introducing Jenna, the lady Rain met in NY.

"Hello mother..." Sidra casually said.

"Hello Sidra... Give me a huge... I have not seen you in such a long time." Jenna said while hugging Sidra.

"We talk on Skype at least once a week, Mom." Sidra added.

"What is going on here?" Rain asked a very good question.

"Rain, Aser, let me introduce you to my mother."

"Yeah, we got that part. You said that your Mom died years ago." Rain said.

"No, I said that we were told that she died. She found us years later. It's a long story."

"Ok, this explains why you didn't tell me about Sidra's trip to Japan earlier."

"Yeah... She really did not want to talk to you." Jenna said. "I only told you how to find her after commander Basam ordered her team to be executed if she was not found."

"I have tons of questions, but I have a meeting in less than an hour. Jenna or Sidra's Mom I trust the rest to you. My part is done." Rain said.

"I really hope that you know what you are doing, Rain. Just be careful and stay alive." Jenna said.

"I will be back as soon as possible. I will make sure that my stay does not go over a week. Regardless of how things turn out with the project, I will be back and help out." Sidra said.

"Stay as long as you need. If you don't want to come back, I would totally understand. Just be safe and do what you can from over there. And Sidra, please don't do anything stupid, or get mad at me for whatever you discover over there." Rain said.

"Take care and don't die until I get back." Sidra said.

"Will see about that." Rain said as he waved goodbye.
Chapter 20

# Radiant

At the Burj, things were not any better. The lack of food and supplies affected every one. They were as hungry and tired of the situation as anyone else. Yazan was one of the people who refused to accept what was going on. One day, he gathered his team for an emergency meeting where they were able to talk freely about a solution to what was going on.

"You are all aware that a side form having militias killing anyone they want, whenever they want... The administration is doing even worse. I think it is about time we said it out loud. We need to publicly oppose them starting with commander Basam." Yazan said.

"I'm with you. We didn't sign up for this. Our job was to protect the wellbeing of the people not to torture them like that." Samir said.

"That being said, I think we need to be more realistic about what we can do. Even with the weapons we have here at the Burj, there is not much we can do." Mai pointed.

"Yeah, but we will at least be able to send a message out to them. We can't just be quiet like that. This is not a life. I feel like I'm living a non-ending nightmare." Samir commented.

"I think it's a bad idea. We cannot just go start shooting the administration's facilities. They will kill us all. I say we keep it low until a miracle happens somehow." Rayan said.

"We've been waiting years for that miracle. You can create your own future. Do not wait for someone else to do the job for you. If not for us, we have to do it, heck we need to do it, for the innocent people who are dying almost every day." Samir said.

"I really like your energy, Samir. With spirit like that, we can do almost anything." Yazan said.

"I still think it is a bad idea. You are going to get yourselves killed." Rayan said.

"The only one who might get killed is you, Rayan." Rain said as he entered the room.

"Rain? What are you doing here?" Mai asked.

"Yazan called and told me about the meeting today. Sorry for being late." Rain replied.

"What do you mean by what you just said? Why am I the only person who might get himself killed exactly?" Rayan asked.

"Because you are the only one in this room who works as a spy for commander Basam." Rain said.

"Come again?" Samir interrupted.

"Waseem, Rayan's brother, was killed because he was a spy as well. Lucky for Rayan, he was not discovered until I met the person who ordered the hit on Waseem." Rain explained.

"You know who killed by brother?" Rayan asked as he got up from the chair.

"Rayan, is he saying the truth? Did you work for Basam when Sidra disappeared? Did you tell him about her plans?" Mai asked.

"RAIN... WHO KILLED MY BROTHER?" Rayan shouted.

"I don't know, but Aser ordered the hit. Yes, the same man you were supposed to save." Rain explained.

"All this time... You were working for the enemy? How could you?" Samir asked.

"Enemy? This is our own administration you are talking about. This is the same government you are all working for." Rayan said.

"It was never our intention to kill anyone. We had no idea that Lion would lose his mind like that and starve people to death on top of murdering people on and off the streets by the minute." Yazan said.

"You can't blame me for anything I did. I'm just protecting my government like you all should do. And Rain, I am going to kill that Aser of yours." Rayan said.

"No one is killing anyone. Rayan, you have made yourself very clear. You can leave now. You are no longer part of the Burj's team. You are not welcome here anymore. Anyone who thinks that we would help Lion's administration is encouraged to leave with you." Yazan said.

"You can't just kick me out. I work for commander Basam, remember?" Rayan said.

He just left the room and in a matter of minutes, the room was filled with soldiers, who were ready to arrest everyone for conspiring against Lion's administration.

"Rain, can your father do anything about that?" Yazan asked.

"I'm pretty sure he can't or won't. Each... take down two. NOW." Rain yelled as he started fighting one of the soldiers.

"This is insane..." Samir shouted.

The room was turned upside down. Rain, Mai, Samir, and Yazan all started a fight with the soldiers. One of the soldiers pointed the gun towards Rain and was about to shoot. Yazan attacked him and pointed the gun to the ceiling. Mai had a knife and injured a soldier in his leg. Rain put his martial art skills into some use and was able to knock down at least three of them. Few of the soldiers just left seeking back-up and the rest were taking care of by Samir.

"We have to leave now... We have few minutes before we are surrounded with the SWAT team." Yazan said.

"I still can't believe that Rayan would give us up like that. Something is not right about the whole thing. Take all the guns you can carry before we leave." Rain added.

"At any rate, we will get the Burj back. We will not let them do what they want." Samir said while hardly breathing from all the fighting.

They started running towards the main entrance of the fourteenth floor. The elevators were not an option. They used the emergency exists. The stairs seemed clear. So they walked their way down to the fifth floor where they saw few soldiers waiting for them. This time, the soldiers had the advantage. They were about seven of them with more guns than our crew. They decided to fight again when all of a sudden, one of the soldiers turned on his people and started shooting them. Our friends used the chaos to their advantage and took down the rest of them. When everything calmed down, they pointed their guns towards that last standing soldier who helped them out.

"Please do not shoot..." The guy screamed. "My name is Laith. I mean you no harm."

"You are one of the commander's men. What do you want?" Yazan asked.

"I want to join you. My family was killed because of Maki Lion's militias, so I decided to join them and destroy them from the inside. When I saw you were in trouble, I thought I should help." They guy answered.

"Why do we have to believe you?" Yazan asked.

"At this moment, I don't care who believes what. We need to leave now..." Rain screamed.

They were all able to leave the Burj and used one of the military hummers to escape.

"Oh my God, RAIN... What happened to you?" Yazan asked.

"What? You thought, with all that shooting, no one was hurt? I think the bullet went through. Don't worry. I'll live this time." Rain said while trying to stop the bleeding.

"On the bright side, Rain is not the only one who got shot." Samir added.

"You are bleeding too... You two should have said something earlier..." Mai yelled.

"The hospital is off limits. I know of a nurse who could help. I will take you there." Laith, the new guy, said. "We will need few hours of driving up north. In the meantime, keep the wounds coved and stop the bleeding at all costs."

"We don't have few hours." Mai said.

"Do you have a better idea? The hospitals can't even help the civilians. Does anyone have any suggestions?" Laith asked.

"He's right. We don't have a choice." Rain said as he slowly closed his eyes.

\---------------------------------------

When Sidra first arrived to the private island, she was yet to discover one more thing about Rain.

"So, who are we going to meet exactly?" Sidra asked.

"One of the businessmen who were sponsoring the project. His name is Shaheen." Jenna replied.

"Ok. This better be worth leaving Estil for."

Few hours later, at the Siwaar's headquarters, Sidra finally got to meet the man behind all of it.

"Welcome... We have not met before. I'm Shaheen Allam. How are you doing?" Shaheen said to both Sidra and Aser.

"I'm sorry, what? Your last name is Allam?" Sidra replied.

"Yes, I know what you think." Shaheen added.

"Why do you and Rain have the same last name? Please tell me that you are not his father." Sidra asked.

"I'm his uncle. Rain's father, Hazeem, is my youngest brother."

"Wow... Rain lied to me about a lot of things. I wonder what else he lied about."

"He never intended to lie to you. He was under restricted rules to not tell you who he really is. I asked him not to tell you for my own reasons."

"Of course you did. I believe we came here for a reason." Sidra said.

"Of course, you are here about the missing civilian's airplane. We accidentally shot it."

"What? Please tell me that you did not try it the first time on a civilian airplane." Aser said.

"We received false information about that plane. The source said that a highly ranked military officer of Estil was on board. We thought it was a great opportunity to launch the project." Shaheen explained.

"The project was not complete at all." Aser said.

"Please follow me." Shaheen said.

Siwaar is the name given to the project that someone had started few years ago. The country had been involved with war for the past century. Then, out of nowhere, it turned into a civil war. As a result, the rates of poverty and ignorance went off the charts. They tried building schools, hospitals, and orphanages, but that never worked. Things were never stable. We either got attacked by random groups or by our own administrations' militias.

We had to do something out of the ordinary. So, looking at it, we always had the disadvantage of weapons. Civilians were never able to protect themselves against Estil's administration. Giving weapons to the people was defiantly never the answer because that would've driven the civil war to a darker place. Siwaar is a highly powered satellite. The satellite can turn anything on earth to dust from outer-space. Due to our investors' connections, we were able to get our own satellites and powered them using radiant material called 'Dury'. At the time, we did not know that this 'Dury' was why so many people had to die.

"Anyhow, Siwaar cannot be activated without the consent of at least ten people. How did you do it?" Aser said.

"It worked because it was only set to low power." Shaheen said.

"Fair enough..." Aser said.

Sidra and Aser were asked to work on the final stages of Siwaar. After days of hard work, Sidra was getting worried. She did not hear from Rain or anyone is Estil for days. This was days after they escaped the Burj. As she was talking to Shaheen, she felt the vibration of her cellphone.

"Oh, my phone is ringing. It is Rain. I'll be back in a second." Sidra said.

She left the room for nearly half an hour. When she came back, Shaheen asked,

"Is everything ok in Estil? Your face is all red, Sidra."

"Yeah, it is. He is... I mean... Let's just get back to work... I don't know." Sidra mumbled.

"Ok, did you guys talk about anything work related? You know the lines you are using are not secured." Shaheen said.

"Don't worry. It was something personal. Trust me, everything is ok... I think." Sidra said as she thought, "Did Rain lose his mind? Is he for real? Or maybe it is another one of his lies. No way... He cannot just say something like that. This is crazy... Now, how am I supposed to focus on work after what he told me... He should not have said that... That idiot..."
Chapter 21

# A Smiley face

In some village in Estil, Rain and the others were able to find food and shelter.

"I knew that the people in this village are very nice. They are letting us stay as much as we need to." Laith said.

"Well, I think that we need to make a plan any way. We need to know what the next step is. Where is Rain? He said that he was going to make a phone call but never came back." Samir said.

"I just saw him finishing his phone call. I don't know who he was talking to, but he seemed all... I don't know. He did not look ok." Yazan said.

"I can hear you... And I'm fine." Rain said as he snuck behind him.

"Who were you talking to?" Yazan asked.

"I called Sidra. I wanted to know how she was doing. They are still looking into what happened with some project they were working on." Rain said.

"Oh... That project... The Siwaar thing." Samir said referring to the Siwaar project.

"And why is your face all red." Yazan asked.

"Yes, the Siwaar thing, and my face is not red." Rain said.

"He probably was arguing with Sidra over something like they always do." Mai commented.

"I'm going out for a walk. See you guys later." Rain said.

"Out? You are still wounded, remember. Besides, it is kind of cold today." Laith said.

"I'll be fine. I just need to be by myself for a while." Rain said.

"What a quiet village. All I ever wanted is to see people living in peace everywhere. Was that so much to ask?" Rain wondered as he was walking in the small streets in the village. "I wonder what Sidra is thinking about what I just told her."

As he walked and looked around, he realized that not everyone is as miserable in that village like he was expecting. He stopped by an elementary school and saw how happy the children were. He asked for permission to get inside to have a closer look. The children were very excited to see someone from the outside. They thought it was cool to see a man who was obviously wounded walking in their school. They knew that he had to be one of the good ones if he ended up there. Rain got his phone out and took few pictures. Some kids gathered around to be in the picture.

"Why are you taking pictures of us? Are you going to post them on Facebook? And why are you wounded?" A girl asked.

"You sure do ask a lot of questions. What is your name?" Rain replied.

"What's yours?" She asked.

"Rain... My name is Rain." He said.

"What a funny name. Why is your name Rain?" The girl laughed.

"My mother used to like the rain, so she named me after it." He answered.

"My mother used to the like the sun, but she never named me Sun." The girl said.

Rain laughed, "I'm sure your mother gave you an even more beautiful name."

"She sure did. See you later. Bye..." The girl said and left after Rain took a picture of her.

A little boy approached from behind with a smiley face. He was so cute, and Rain did not want to pass the opportunity.

"So little one, how is life here?" Rain asked.

"It is good. I like it. The scary soldiers don't come here. We are safe. We even have enough food and clean water." The little boy said.

"I'm glad to hear it." Rain said.

"You look like one of the good guys. Are you?" The little boy asked.

"I'm trying to be." Rain said with a smiley face. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, you can. Take a picture of me and post it on that book people talk about. They say that your pictures can be seen from all over the world." The little boy said.

"Oh... You mean Facebook? Sure... Smile for me." Rain said as he took his picture.

"I have to go now, but I'm hoping to see you all one day." Rain said to the kids.

"BYE... TAKE CARE." They yelled.

Rain left really quickly and started running towards the place where his friends were. He looked as if he was chased by something or someone. His wounds had not healed yet which made it harder to run. The moment he got back to his friends, he yelled...

"We have to go. We need to leave this place immediately."

"Come down... What happened? What did you see out there?" Yazan asked.

"Nothing... I saw nothing. I saw happy kids and normal people. Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a child smiles here in Estil?" Rain said as he was trying to catch his breath.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why do you want us to leave then?" Yazan said.

"Do you have any idea what they would do to them if they find out that this village is helping us?" Rain asked.

"He is right. They will have no problem destroying every single house until we are dead. I know them. I have worked for them. I just wanted us to stay long enough for Rain and Samir to recover, which I believe they are." Laith said.

"Ok, then. I will go tell the others. We leave in an hour." Yazan said.

"Great... And I need to sit down." Rain said.

"I will go call that nurse so she can look at your wound again." Laith said and immediately left.

"No, wait... I'm fine... He left already. Unbelievable..." Rain said

Few minutes later Laith was back with a nurse.

"Please let me have a look, and do not even try and do what you did last time. You do not have to stich yourself. I don't bite." The nurse said.

"Fine... Just hurry up please." Rain said.

"He is just shy because you are beautiful." Laith commented.

"Thanks... but I am married, and I have two kids." The nurse said.

"You look so young. So why aren't you wearing a wedding ring?" Laith said.

"I donated my wedding ring... So a lot of people can buy tents. Also, most people in Estil get married early... Why wait if you know you have met your soul mate already." The nurse said.

"It would be great if you can tell that to someone I know." Rain mumbled.

"Is someone in love here?" Laith asked.

"Drop it." Rain said.

\-----------------------------------

Back to Sidra, she finally had some time to relax. All of what was happening got her thinking about the future. It was that point in time that she decided to write a book about her life. Obviously, I was given that task.

"It's 2014. Last night, I witnessed the Oscars. I saw how the whole world toned in to watch the movie stars get awarded. One of the winning movies is known by 'Twelve Years of Slave'. I have not seen it yet, and I do not know if I want to do so. I feel like I have enough pain in my life for now. However, I am sure it did deserve to win. When I saw that people actually cared, it got me thinking. Maybe they would care about us too. One day, I am going to write about us. I am going to tell the whole world what really is happening here. I will, with God's willing, make a movie out of my story one day. Whether I make it to the Oscars like those people did or not is irrelevant. The fact that many people saw it made me realize the large number of people who actually were watching. One day, I am going to share with the people our stories. I will tell them our mistakes and teach them to avoid them. I will tell them to build their own lives the way they see fit. I will tell them to learn from what is happening to us right now. I would have to convince them to care. I will tell them to care about the ones who are dying more than the ones who are well and living. I will show them that winning a prize meant having to go through years of pain and suffering. I will be a living proof that life ends the way we want to, and not the way someone else wants. And one more thing my future self, if you do not get the freedom you always fought for, do not cry. Either way, make sure that your message reaches the world and that they care. Make sure they care enough to stop the pain." Those were the words Sidra chose to write on a piece of paper that she later scanned and saved in her cellphone.

"What are you doing sitting on the floor?" One of the engineers in Siwaar's headquarters asked.

"I was just writing something. I got tired of working last night, so I watched the Oscars. It was kind of interesting." Sidra replied.

"I'm sure it was. I haven't watched TV in a very long time. We are almost always working. I'm Ursula by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Ursula. I'm Sidra. And as far as the TV goes, we don't even have a good channel to watch in Estil in the first place." Sidra said.

"Yeah, I know that. I'm originally from Estil, born and raised." Ursula said.

"Really? When did you leave."

"Years ago, we just suffered enough. I lost family, friends, and pretty much everything I cared for. I couldn't take it anymore. So I just left." Ursula explained. "I just do believe in freedom, and that everyone deserves a shot at it. I joined Dr. Shaheen in the hopes for a better future for the poor and needy."

"I never believed in war. But by looking at our lives, it does seem to be the only option. Hit as hard as you can until something changes. The only problem is the fact that the people of Estil have started to accept reality and stopped fighting. They have accepted getting killed for no reason or simply dying out of hunger. I can't really blame them." Sidra said. "I think we should get back to work. There is a lot to do."

"Sidra... We need you in the main control room, now." Jenna called at Sidra.

"Coming... What's going on?" Sidra said and turned to Ursula, "We should continue this chat later... Lovely meeting you. And I love your hair by the way."

"Thanks... And like wise."

One thing to keep in mind about Ursula is that she has long black hair. The edges of her hair are all dyed red.

"When did you speak to Rain last time?" Shaheen asked with a concerned face.

"Few days ago. Why?" Sidra asked.

"Did he happen to mention what happened at the Burj?" Jenna asked.

"No. What happened at the Burj?" Sidra asked.

"So why did he call if he did not tell you about such an important thing?" Jenna asked.

"It was a personal conversation. What important thing?"

"They had to run away from the Burj about a week ago. It sounds like they were planning something about Maki Lion and someone found out." Shaheen explained.

"Oh... my God. Where are they now?"

"I have no idea. My brother, Rain's father, called and told me. He said that Rain was shot." Shaheen explained.

"He was what? He seemed completely fine and relaxed on the phone. Although..."

"What? I need to know what exactly he told you."

"I need to go back to Estil. I have to make sure that my brother and everyone else is ok. When can I leave?" Sidra asked.

"In two hours." Jenna said. "I'll be flying in tomorrow."

"Make it one. I'll go pack my things."

"What about the work here?" Shaheen asked.

"I trust your engineers. I will keep doing my parts and do everything in my power to help, but... Right now... I need to be there. I have to make sure that everything is ok."
Chapter 22

# The Proposal

Meanwhile in Estil, The team was getting ready to leave the village and head to Estil's borders. The nearby country allowed thousands of people to live on their soils.

"We are going to head north. There is a refugee camp over there. We just have to cross the borders. We can get the help from the locals and hopefully get the Burj back." Yazan said.

"Don't you think it is kind of hard by now. We don't just lack men. We also need weapons." Samir said.

"If you ask me. I'm tired of everything. I don't want to fight anymore. Why can't we just leave and ... Why are you looking at me like that?" Mai asked.

"Does it look like we are not tired? I'm sick of this too, but what choices do we have? Rain, what do you think?" Samir said.

"We can't afford to be like the rest of the people here. Everyone gave up. Who is going to give people the lives they should be living? How long do you think we can run exactly? Anyway, it is time to leave." Rain said.

After leaving that village, they had to walk for over three days to get to a refugee camp in the north of Estil. Thousands of people had to escape the terror and the explosions that got thrown at them on daily basis. Lots of people found refuge in a camp living in tents for God knows how long.

By the time they got to the camp, Sidra had already been back in Estil. She had tried contacting her friends, but no one picked up. For security reasons, they had already disposed of their cellphones. It seemed impossible for them to know about each other's locations in order to meet. Sidra tried emailing as well, but there was no internet at the camp for obvious reasons.

Few days later, Sidra received a phone call from her mother, Jenna, who also made her way back to Estil.

"Samir, Rain, and some other people are staying in a camp near the borders. I got the information from Rain's father." Jenna said.

"What? Since when do you have contacts with that man?" Sidra asked.

"I don't like talking on the phone. I will meet you at the camp in three days." Jenna said. "Be very careful and very smart about going to the camp. Choose your ways accurately."

"What does that even mean? Mom? ..... Mom?..." Jenna was disconnected immediately.

"She hung up. That means the line is not as secured as I thought. But I wonder what she meant by choosing my ways accurately... Oh well, I will figure that out later." Sidra thought.

One day later at the camp:

"Rain... Rain... Where have you been?" Yazan yelled.

"Would you keep it down... The entire camp heard you. What do you want?" Rain said.

"Is Sidra being back to Estil means they have finished the project?" Yazan asked.

"What are you talking about? When I talked to her few weeks ago, she said they are months away from launching. Why do you think she is back?" Rain asked.

"You didn't know, did you? That's what I thought." Yazan said.

"Know what?" Rain asked.

"My receiver got a signal. Some of the alarm systems I have installed at the Burj were just activated. Sidra is the only one who knows about them. Sidra is back in Estil. Most importantly, she is at the Burj as we speak."

"That can't be right. She is not that stupid. I need to make a phone call."

"You can use my disposable phone. I just got it. You need to leave the camp. You can have a signal if you walked 15 miles that way." Yazan said as he pointed in the right direction.

"Thanks..." Rain said.

Later, Rain made a quick phone call.

"Uncle... Please... Tell me that Sidra is there with you."

"You haven't met with her yet? She left almost a week ago. She was worried about her brother. She heard about what happened at the Burj." Shaheen replied.

"That idiot... How can you let her go? And why is she so stupid? And if she did know about the Burj, why is she back there?" Rain was getting very frustrated.

"Maybe she needed to retrieve some data."

"And you let her? God, how stupid can she be."

"You mean how dedicated she can be. She loves her country and willing to risk her life for it. Rain, do not even try and go there to help her. Stay where you are. She'll be fine."

"I can't go even if I wanted to. People need me at the camp. There was a reason I went there. I can't help her if she decided to commit suicide. If you hear from her, please ask her to contact me using the satellite connections. We only use it for emergencies."

"I'll be sure to let her know that."

\-----------------------------------

Back at the camp, Rain had a surprise waiting for him.

"Jenna..." Rain said surprisingly.

"Hello Rain. Did Sidra make it ok?" She said.

"You're asking me? She is at the Burj. There is nothing ok about that."

"She is what? Where?" Jenna asked.

"We received a signal indicating that she's at the Burj."

"No, she did not... She went there? Is my daughter really that ignorant?"

"I'm sorry. Who is the daughter of who?" Yazan asked as he jumped in the middle of the conversation.

"This is Jenna, Sidra's mother." Rain said.

"I thought her mother was dead."

"Do I look dead to you? Can we please focus on the subject? What on earth is she doing at the Burj?" Jenna said with an irritated voice.

"I'm not sure. The only thing I am sure of is that she is a total idiot. Jenna, your daughter is so... She drives me crazy some times. Now, if you would excuse me, I have some people to help. They have not seen a doctor in months." Rain said as he started walking.

"Yes, of course, please help as many of them as you can." Jenna said.

"I'll go help some people make some tomato soup. Everyone is so hungry." Yazan said and left as well.

"Why are you taking a picture? Help us instead of looking at us." A kid told Yazan.

"You're right. I'm sorry. One day, I want the whole world to know how we live, and what you guys went through. This picture will be a proof of that. Now, how can I help?" Yazan said.

"Do you have food?" The kid asked.

"No, sorry." Yazan replied.

"It's ok. We will share." The kid said.

"Thanks... But I'm not hungry." Yazan added with gratitude and started wondering, "I just ate my last energy bar. What are we going to do for food from now on?"

Somewhere else in the camp, Rain was helping out people with some medical problems. He came across a little kid who would not stop crying.

"What's wrong?" Rain asked.

"Leave him alone. He is ok. He will be fine. We all will be fine." Another kid answered as she hugged the crying boy.

"You must be his sister. May I ask why he's crying?" Rain asked.

"We lost our parents. We were out looking in the streets for something to eat few days ago, and when we came back... We found out that our house was destroyed with our parents inside. My parents were too sick to leave that day. So, we told them to stay in. After they died, someone brought us here, and my brother would not stop crying."

"I'm so sorry. Who destroyed your house?" Rain asked as he patiently listened to the girl telling her story.

"Some people did that. We were told that they were people from a nearby neighborhood. No one knows for sure. Everyone kills everyone for anything." The little girl said.

"I also lost my mother when I was about your age. Things will be better. I promise you that. Here I have these two energy bars. They are really good." Rain said and handed her something to eat.

"No... Thanks. We're good." The girl replied.

"Please, keep it for later. I have to go now." Rain put the energy bars in her pocket and left.

"This had become a daily seen. Just how much longer do we have to suffer for? It is painful to watch them suffer and not be able to help them." Rain thought as he walked towards the tent where some patients were waiting.

The majority of people at the camp were kids. Most of them did not only need physical help, but also mental help. They had witnessed things no human can live through. Losing a parent, a son, a daughter, a friend, or any loved one is the most painful thing a human can endure. It was not just a war against the administration, it was a civil war where people killed their neighbors, and who they called friends and family. It was, it is, one of the most tragic wars history had ever known.

Meanwhile at the Burj, Sidra had to meet an old friend.

"Have you lost your mind? Why did you come back? This is not what we agreed on..." Rayan shouted at Sidra.

"Yeah? And so was shooting my brother and Rain. What happened?" Sidra asked.

"They're fine. They will live another day. You can't be seen here. You are going to ruin our plan." Rayan said.

"I told you that if we wanted to win this war, we have to work with the enemy not for them. I'm here making sure that you did not switch sides after you knew who really killed your brother." Sidra said.

"If I wanted to be with the winning side, I would NOT have chosen Orb's. I have chosen the right side. The side where people do not have to live in poverty and ignorance is the one I'm choosing." Rayan said.

"Waseem, your brother, was working for the militias. He believed in Maki Lion and what he stands for." Sidra said.

"Forget about what my dead brother had believed. And focus your plans." Rayan said, "You need to leave now. Go to the refugee's camp. I have a car ready for you. You can get there in less than a day. We will be in touch."

Sidra left the Burj before anyone saw her. She had to take the risk of being held as a prisoner again just to make sure that who she trusted would not turn on her. The war had taught them not to trust but themselves. History had shown that countries fall because of its own people and not because of outside forces. If you truly want to change something, make sure you do not get betrayed by the same people you counted on.

\---------------------------------

Six hours later, Sidra finally reached the borders.

"Please officers, let me pass."

Sidra said to the security grads who were grading the main gate to the refugee's camp. A neighboring country was very sympathetic about the kids and people who had to escape the war, and offered to protect the people who sought refuge.

"I'm just friends with some of the people in here. You can ask them." She added.

"Sir, please let her in." Someone said.

"Yes, Sir." The grad replied.

"You are such an idiot... You left your important work so you can go back to the Burj?"

"Rain... It is not what you think. I just needed to do something." Sidra replied.

"Really... And what was that? Do you have any idea what it cost us to escape the Burj? I told you to not come back unless you are done. How useful do you think you can be here?" Rain yelled.

"I'm sorry." Sidra said looking at the ground.

"I have had it with you. Jenna was sick worried about you."

"My mom? What is she doing here?" Sidra said after she raised her eyes.

"I asked her to stay. She wanted to leave days ago." Rain said.

"But why?" Sidra asked.

"You two need to stop fighting out in the open like that. Get inside the tent, now." Jenna said.

"I'm really sorry, Rain. But there are some things that had to be done. I will do as much of the work that I can in here. By the end of the day, I do have Estil's future as my main goal." Sidra said as they all walked to a tent.

"I'm tired of this. I am growing tired of not knowing when... if even I will see the people I care about. Why do you think I insisted you leave Estil and go to a safe place?" Rain said.

"What do you want me to say? Anyone can die at any time." Sidra said.

"Exactly, this is why I do not want to wait any more. Jenna, would you please do me the honor of giving me your daughter's hand in marriage? I've already spoken to Samir about it."

"And I gave him my blessings." Samir said as he entered the tent.

Sidra was just shocked. That was neither the time nor the place for such a question. But he did have a good point. Living in Estil, there was no such thing as a good time for anything.

"I would be honored having you as a son-law, Rain." Jenna replied.

"Sidra? I know when we talked on the phone I said..." Rain was interrupted.

"Said nothing. I'm just going to go ahead and assume that you have a fever. You were just yelling at me for coming back." Sidra said.

"I told you about how I feel last time I spoke to you on the phone, so you should not be shocked right now. Sidra, we live in a world of uncertainty. When we eat, we don't know if it would be our last meal. When we sleep, we don't know if we would ever wake up. Right here and now, I do not know if this will be my last sentence. I don't know if we will live another day to do the things we love. I don't know if a random rocket would just fall on us and kill everyone around in an instant. Ever since I was born, I was sure of absolutely nothing in life due to the wars we always had. The only thing I was ever sure of is that I will die one day. Now, I know how sad this sounds, but it is the truth. The question was whether I die in an exploded building due to a random attack...Or die fighting for the future we always dreamed about. The only thing I want right now is to continue helping the people and build the country that we once called home. I want to change this world with you. I want my wife to stand beside me and share the dream with me. I have never met anyone who is more committed than you to helping others. The moment I found out that you spent every single dollar you made supporting an orphanage, I knew that you are the one for me. I just knew that the love people talk about was found in you. Your determination to helping others inspired me in ways I cannot even explain. I see you as my other half. Do you see me as yours?" Rain said with such emotions that made Sidra completely speechless.

"----------------"Sidra literally said and did nothing for minutes.
Chapter 23

# Launch a Warning

"After saying that, I would marry him if he were a lady." Samir said with a laugh.

"I had no right dropping this on you like that, so take as much time as you need. Think about what I said. We may not have another day to live. Once you are sure about someone, skip the drama." Rain said.

"Ah.... I do... not... know to say." Sidra mumbled.

"Just say that you do see in him what he sees in you." Samir said.

"Do you?" Rain asked.

"Do not ask a question when you already know the answer." Sidra said.

"Is that a yes?" Samir asked.

"It... is." Sidra said smiling.

"Thank you for agreeing to spend your life with someone like me." Rain said.

"You're welcome. You are a terrible person to be with anyway." Sidra said sarcastically.

"I really missed your sense of humor." Rain said, "Due to the situation we live in for the moment, please forgive me for not having a ring."

"THIS IS GREAT... FINALLY SOMETHING HAPPY..." Yazan shouted from outside the tent.

"What on earth were you doing there?" Rain asked.

"Oh... Sidra give me a huge. I'm so happy for you..." Mai said while hugging Sidra.

"Why was everyone here listening on us?" Sidra asked.

"And miss your reaction when Rain proposes? I just wished I could see your face when he asked you to marry him." Yazan said.

"Yazan... Did you tell everyone?" Rain asked.

"No, only half of the camp. The other half probably knows by now." Yazan said laughing.

"Why would you do that?" Rain said.

"Because everyone needs to hear something happy every now and then." Mai commented.

"It is so good to see you all. I missed you guys." Sidra said.

"Great... She did not even tell me that she missed me." Rain said.

"Because you were yelling at me the moment you saw me." Sidra said.

"Are we getting jealous already?" Yazan laughed, "No worries. She probably had a heart attack once she found out you were shot."

"I did not have a heart attack..." Sidra said.

"Of course not, you were just concerned for a friend who is now your fiancé. I think you two should make a public announcement and tell everyone the good news." Yazan said.

"Speaking of which, why did you not tell me that you and my brother were shot?" Sidra said looking at Rain.

"Because it's nothing." Rain said.

"Really? Let me test it myself. Take this...." She almost punched Rain on his wounds before he stopped her.

"You would not have stopped me if it was not serious." Sidra said.

"Oh my God... This is going to be such an interesting marriage." Jenna commented.

"I just love watching these two fight all the time." Samir laughed.

"At this rate, we will have many fights to come." Yazan said.

"I'm very sorry to interrupt, but I just heard that the administration is throwing exploding containers on the people in the capital." Laith said. "I'm telling you this because if they're bombing the capital, we could be next. It wouldn't matter if we are outside the borders." He continued.

"They just threw bombs on people?" Yazan asked.

"Lion has gone mad. He is willing to kill everyone who stands in his way. He'd indeed gone crazy." Laith responded.

"What are we waiting for? Let's warn everyone and leave." Samir said.

"Go where and do what?" Yazan asked.

"Go get the Burj back. It is the only place where we can have control over some things." Sidra said.

Rain and the others explained to Sidra what happened when they had to escape the Burj. They told her how Rayan betrayed them. However, it was all Sidra's planning. It was time that she explained her side of the story.

"Rayan works for us. The whole thing was staged." Sidra said.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Rain asked.

"You guys getting shot was an accident. I'm sorry about that. Rayan should have done a better job protecting you all." Sidra said.

"You are the one who exposed us? You better have a good explanation sister." Samir said.

"Well... It was not my plan to get you out of the Burj. But... It was my plan that commander Basam gets full access to the Burj. I wanted him to make it a new base for the administration rather than just a research center. The part where you had to leave was Rayan's decision. He needed a very strong reason to gain commander's Basam trust. So... He exposed you." Sidra said.

"That does not make any sense. They were in a very bad shape when I joined them." Laith said.

"I studied everyone's profile that lived at the Burj. I knew you were too smart to work for Basam. Joining Rain and the others was a great addition, and I am very thankful for your help. Rayan told me everything." Sidra said.

"So, if Laith hadn't switched sides, we would have been dead or even worse... Oh... I don't know... like captured by the commander. And all of that so you can turn the Burj into a base. Yes, that makes perfect sense." Samir said sarcastically with a tone.

"Like I said, it was Rayan's decision. I was really mad at him. That's why I went to the Burj before coming here. He said that there was a guy with Laith who was not going to hurt you guys, but one of you threw him off the stairs." Sidra explained.

"So, what is the plan now?" Rain asked.

"Rayan said that Basam had brought many new weapons to the Burj, just like we'd predicted. There are many new soldiers who joined the uprising. Rayan said that at least half of them joined only because they want revenge for their families who were killed."

As Sidra was explaining Rayan's situation, they heard the sound of the bombers aircrafts. The sound was getting closer and closer by the second. They all rushed outside to see what was going on.

"I have never seen a huge aircraft like that before. It's flying at such a low level too." Samir said.

"Launch a warning... Evacuate the camp immediately. They must have found us." Rain said.

"Wait a second... We are not the targets. The aircrafts are headed south."

"We need to know where the aircrafts are headed exactly."

"It's getting really dark right now. There is nothing we can do."

"What cites are in the direction of the plane anyway?"

"It's just a matter of time before we hear which exact place was bombed, or should I say whipped clean?"

"We need to start planning for how exactly we are going to get the Burj back, but before that... I have to visit someone in the capital." Rain said.

"Did you not hear what Laith said? The capital was bombed as well." Sidra said.

"They would not bomb their own headquarters. They must have bombed the poor neighborhoods only." Rain pointed.

"Actually, he is right. According to satellite signals, only two places were hit. The majority of people living there are civilians." Laith said.

"I really think we should go and help with what we can. We will get the Burj later." Yazan said.

"I agree. Let's get as much supplies as possible. I'm guessing there are many injured who need help. Rain, they could use a doctor." Sidra said.

"Yazan... please tell people at the camp what happened. Ask them to donate what little supplies they have, so we can help the injured." Rain said.

"On it." Yazan replied.

"Sidra... I'm sorry our happiness did not last an hour." Rain said.

"Helping people is priority one. We have the rest of our short or maybe long lives to be happy." Sidra said with a smile.

"Let's get ready to leave."

Fifteen minutes later, Yazan was able to get some needed supplies. However, the main problem was the vehicle.

"The car, I came in with, is almost running out of gas. If we can fill it up, we can get to the capital before sunrise." Sidra said.

"Well, that's a problem. We don't have gas."

"What about the cities that were just bombed? Aren't we going there as well?"

"We don't know what exactly is happening there. For now, all we know is that the people in the capital need help."

"Gas... people... we need gas... What are we going to do about that?" Sidra interrupted their discussion.

"There was an old tank, half buried, few miles from here. If it uses a normal gas and still have some, we can use it." Yazan mentioned.

"Great... Where is it?" Sidra asked.

"Ok, Samir, Laith, and I will go get the gas. The rest stay here and help Rain. There are people who still need help in the camp as well." Yazan said.

"I'm coming with you. Besides, Laith needs to stay here and look after some patients with Rain. I know nothing about playing doctor." Sidra said.

"Fine... Ms. Engineer... you go with them, but do not do anything reckless. Anything dangerous coming your way, you come back immediately." Rain said.

"Don't worry. We know how to take care of ourselves." Sidra said.

"You got it man." Yazan said taping Rain at his shoulders.

"No time to waste, let's go." Samir said.

They had to walk for miles before getting closer to where the tank was.

"Are you sure it's in this direction? All I see is empty land. Besides, it is getting really dark." Sidra complained.

"Yes, I am sure. Just keep walking." Yazan said.

"Do you think the tank might still be operational?" She asked.

"I have no idea. If it does work, that would be a great thing to have." Yazan said. "You know... we will need to have some sleep at some point."

"I could not agree more." Mai apparently agreed.

"Mai... Why did you come in the first place? You could have helped Rain." Yazan said.

"I asked her to come. So, the two of us stay and work on the tank while the two of you go back with the gas." Sidra explained.

"Making the tank work is a very long shot, don't you think?" Samir asked.

"I do, but it's worth a try." Sidra said.

"We're burning daylight. Hopefully, the flash lights will last enough." Samir said.

"Sometimes, I wonder if what we do is worth doing." Mai said as she looked at the sky while walking.

"What do you mean?" Sidra asked.

"I mean that people are fighting among each other and not just against the administration. Sometimes, I feel that they just want to fight. They don't care about the change. Most of them are all about ... me, me, and more me." Mai said.

"You do have a very good point. However, there are always innocent people who just got caught up in the middle of the civil war." Samir said.

"Just because we can escape the war, does not mean we should. Yeah, the whole thing makes zero sense to me, but what can we do? Someone has to help. We just happen to be part of few people who want to stop the madness. They will wake up one day realizing the huge mistake they have made. Turning against each other killed more people than ever." Sidra said.

"Guys... HIDE..." Yazan screamed at everyone.

"What's going on?" Sidra said after hiding behind a big rock.

"I believe those hummers belong to the Peacekeepers. They will kill us if they saw us walking here. We are way pass curfew." Samir said.

At the time, in all of Estil, people were not to walk, drive, or be on the streets after a certain hour. They thought by enforcing such laws, no uprisings would occur. They were dead wrong.

"Great... how are we going to get there now?" Mai asked.

"Let's find a good place to hide until they are gone." Yazan said.

"I don't know if you have noticed, but we are in the middle of nowhere." Sidra had a good point.

"I know that. Our best chance is to stay hidden behind that small hill of garbage. If they do find us, we will fight back." Yazan said.

After hiding in the trash, which was thrown in the middle of nowhere, they all started to smell like, you guessed it, garbage.

"Who said our beloved administration does not do good for us. They don't take the trash, so the locals have to dumb it here, so we can come and use it to hide form the Peacekeepers. See, makes perfect sense." Sidra commented sarcastically.

"Your sense of humor drives me crazy sometimes. This is serious." Yazan said.

"Please... They are more afraid of us than we are of them. Besides, it's not me who's talking. It is that garbage smell. It has a special effect on my brain." Sidra said.

"You are not the only one. I feel like I am dying here." Mai said.

"That's it. I think they are going away." Samir noticed.

"You guys know that there are no showers at the camp at all. We will have to go to the river and wash the smell a way." Mai said.

"They are gone. Let's go find that tank. Then, find the river and wash up." Yazan said.

After walking for about an hour, they were able to find the tank.

"Great... Sidra... do you think it is useful?" Yazan asked.

"It is hard to tell. There is some gas left in here. Lucky us, we can use this kind of gas. We should have enough in here for few hundred miles. We will put that in the empty containers we brought. You and Samir can go back and bring the others. Then, we will all go to the city together." Sidra said.

"You want to be here and Mai by yourselves? What if you get attacked?" Samir said.

"We will be fine. We just need you to go and come back as soon as possible. We will try and see if this thing can be of a use to us at all." Mai said.

"Guys, this container is almost full. Please leave as soon as you can." Sidra said.

"I really hope you do know what you are doing." Samir said.

"I'm hoping the same thing." Sidra said back.

Half an hour after they left, Sidra and Mai realized that the tank would not be of any help.

"This thing is useless. I don't think we can make it work at all. There are so many parts that need replacing. I was hoping we could use this piece of junk." Sidra said with an angry voice as she kicked the tank.

"People are dying as we speak because of the exploding containers that are getting thrown at them, and the most painful part... is that we can't do anything about it." Mai commented.

"Welcome to Estil, where people get killed, 'Just because'." Sidra said as she used her figures as quotation marks.

"I know." Mai said feeling hopeless. "Let's rest until they get back."
Chapter 24

# The Red Lake

Back at the camp, everyone was getting ready to leave and help in the cities where the attack happened. Almost everyone who was originally living in the camp decided not to go. They had just escaped a similar situation, and going back would be a suicide. After Yazan and Samir made it back safely, they used the gas to fill in the car and left as quickly as they could.

"You know, I could not bring myself to ask anyone from the civilians to come with us. I thought it was not fair of me to ask them... to go back to the places... they had run from." Rain said.

"I can't blame them. Besides, this is our responsibility as soldiers to protect them." Laith replied.

"I'm glad that my mother decided to stay at the camp. I didn't want her involved." Samir said.

"There are only six of us now. I'm not even sure what we are going to do. We may or may not be able to save anyone." Yazan added.

"We will check those cities out. The bombing stopped few hours ago. We will do what we can. After that, we should all get ready for the real battle." Rain said.

"Do you really think that whatever your uncle is preparing will work?" Yazan asked.

"I know that... It will work. We just need the right people to believe in the change." Rain said.

"You know... the entire world is turning against Maki Lion. As a result, the International Peace Agency, IPA, is forcing him to hold presidential elections so people can vote him out." Laith said.

"Yeah, I heard. But it sounds like B.S. to me. There is no way he is going to stand down that easily." Rain stated.

"That might be true, but it looks like he's going along with it. Maybe he is just buying time or something." Laith said.

At the tank where Sidra and Mai were waiting:

"So, you and Rain... When are you guys thinking about getting married?" Mai asked.

"I don't know. Any time before we die... I guess." Sidra replied. "It's sad how things are at the moment. We can't even enjoy the little things we have."

"I just hope and pray that we will have peaceful lives, and that our future is not the same as the present." Mai said.

"Amen to that. Oh, look... I think that's them." Sidra pointed.

"It is. Let's go."

After the car stopped, Laith looked at Sidra with disappointed eyes.

"Let me guess, the tank is not functional." Laith said.

"You are actually wrong... Because this is not a tank. It is a useless piece of junk." Sidra said.

"Right... We have wasted enough time. We need to go. Get up and let's go." Laith said, "And by the way, you guys smell like... ammm... how do I say this... yes... Garbage."

"Thanks... those are women's favorite words." Sidra said.

They started the drive towards one of the major city. Just as they were getting closer, the bombing started again. They had to stop and watch as the city was burning to the ground. It was dark and very hard to see. They could not do a single thing about it. They did not even know why the city was bombed. All they saw was fire. All they heard was the sound of explosions. Their eyes started bursting in tears as they watched the fire eating and burning everything. It was a night they never forgot. They thought that it was the most painful thing ever. Only had they known what was coming.

\-----------------------------

Few days had passed since that night. They tried to forget. There was absolutely nothing they could've done. Soldiers had surrounded the city, and there was no way in or out of there. People inside could not leave and seek medical help or even just get food. People outside were not allowed to go anywhere near the fences that surrounded the entire city. The weather started to change and became hotter and hotter by the day. The longest river in Estil started to dry a bit by bit, until it was almost completely dry. The lack of food and water was the main concern to people everywhere in Estil.

As summer approached, dehydration became the biggest problem. The locals could not even grow crops any more. The federal administration closed the dams on the rivers and made the cities suffer from drought. As a result, people started fighting over food and water rather than freedom. Some were able to steal from warehouses, others stole from neighbors, and some just died out of hunger. It was the perfect plan to shift people's attention from how much Lion's administration was actually stealing from the country's wealth. They were indeed being punished by simply being there.

The crew found another camp in the southern side of Estil where many people lived as refuges.

"It's been few days. We still cannot do anything to help anyone. I am sick of the life we live. I really feel like I do not want to be on this planet anymore." Yazan said with a mad voice.

"According to Rayan, who is still at the Burj... Three days from now, the commander is planning on taking an entire team of soldiers to the capital. We believe that will be our chance to get the Burj and its recourses back." Sidra said.

"There are only few of us. We can't take the entire place down on our own."

"When the Chinese built the Great-Wall of China, they made it invincible. They believed that they will never be attacked at all. During that period, China still had many invasions. Their enemies always went in from the front door using the help of the Chinese guards, who worked for them. They built a great wall but forgot to build great guards." Sidra said.

"I see your point. You are saying that we will get in easily with the help of Rayan, regardless of how hard it is to get in." Laith said.

"Exactly, that was the plan from the beginning. Rayan needed to gather information about what really is going on, and what their plans are for the near future." Sidra said.

"Guys... I'm sorry to interrupt, but the people here need help getting water. We should go help." Mai said as she was entering the tent that they were sitting in.

"Good, you are all here. There is a lake about 30 miles away. Who wants to go get some water?" Rain asked as he entered the tent as well.

"I'll go." Yazan replied.

"I'll join too." Sidra added.

"Good... The three of us will go. Would the rest of you be ok staying here and helping the people? They are trying to dig a well." Rain said.

"Yeah, I'm already helping out. The sooner you guys leave, the sooner you get back. Just be careful, and be sure to be back before sunset." Laith said.

"Ok... mom..." Rain replied sarcastically.

"He's just asking us to be careful. Let's get some containers and leave." Sidra said.

"Sidra... would you please bring some energy bars with you as well. We might take all day." Yazan asked.

"Sure, I only have four left. I brought them from the Burj when I was there. They should be enough for the three of us."

After half an hour, they were all ready to leave.

"We are all set. Let's go..." Rain said.

"Be careful everyone." Mai waved.

\-------------------------

"It's really hot today. I can't believe we have to walk almost 30 miles." Yazan said.

"We don't have other options. The car we have will draw attention to us. The militias will have no problem shooting us down. The lake is near a military base. We can't just drive there." Rain said.

"Yeah, I know. Oh well... No harm in some long walk." Yazan said.

"We have been walking for few hours now. At this rate, we might not make it before sun down." Sidra said.

"That is actually possible. So, we will have to be prepared to the idea of walking all night. We can't spend the night on the road." Rain said.

"Wow... Look around... This used to be one of the busiest cities in Estil. Now, it looks like a ghost town." Yazan said.

"Yeah, I remember this place. There used to be many shops around here." Rain added.

"I think it is one of the places where they had many attacks. You can see that almost everything was burned in here." Yazan said.

"That's weird." Sidra said.

"What is?" Rain asked.

"That tree." She pointed.

"Half of it is burring. What's weird about that?"

"Half is burning and the other half is green. Green trees don't burn that easily." Sidra said.

"Oh... Guys... Look over there..." Yazan pointed.

"They look like two kids looking for something on the ground." Rain said.

"Maybe they just lost a toy or something." Sidra said.

"Let's go help them find their toy then." Rain said.

"Just know that we don't have much time. What are these kids doing here anyway?" Yazan asked.

"Well, hello kids... Did you lose your toy or something?" Sidra asked.

"Toy? What's that? We are kind of busy, lady." One of the kids replied.

"Then, did you lose some money?" Rain asked.

"Money? I don't see any money." The kid answered.

"Right... So why are you still looking on the floor for something. I don't see anything around with any value." Rain said.

"How can you not see all of this around? This is the closest we have been to food in days." The kid said.

"Food? It's just some rocks and old plastic bags." Rain said.

"No, look closely. These small pieces between the rocks are dry bread. Few days ago, we heard that some people got food in this area. Some of those people threw pieces of bread on the ground. We collect it and put in water to eat it." The kid said.

"Where are your parents?" Sidra had to ask.

"Our mom left home few months ago looking for food, and she was not allowed back here because they closed the outside boarders. Our dad was killed a week ago."

"How old are you?" Rain asked.

"I'm ten and my little brother is six."

"Stop... Just stop... You do not need to look in the dirt anymore. Here, take this. It's called an energy bar. I have four. You can have them all." Sidra said.

"Are you sure, lady? This look very expensive." The kid said.

"I am sure. Please take it. Now, where do you live?" Sidra asked.

"We stay with our aunt just around the corner." The kid answered.

"Go home... This life will change one day. I promise you that." Sidra said.

As the kids walked away, Sidra looked at both Rain and Yazan not sure of what to say. She remembered the orphanage she was able to sponsor for years with any money that she had. She only did it because she knew that there is nothing worse than losing a parent. Seeing kids who looked for food on the ground like that was just too painful to watch.

"I'm really sorry, but we have to go." Rain said.

"I know..." She replied.

After walking for hours, they finally got to what was supposed to be a lake. The three of them just stood there and kept looking at the lake with open mouths. They were so shocked to what they saw. They could not believe their eyes. Since they had to walk many hours with no food or water, they just assumed that they started to hallucinate.

"You are seeing what I'm seeing...right?" Sidra asked.

"All I'm seeing is red water with things flouting on top. Maybe some factory dumped some red ink in here." Yazan said.

"This is not ink. It is blood, and those are not things, they are human bodies or what's left of them at least." Rain added.

"This is insane. Who did this and why?" Sidra said as she just fell on her knees not knowing what else to say, or how even to feel.

"No one said this world is sane. We better get used to it." Rain said.

"This means that we still don't have water or food for that matter. We need to find a solution for all the people at the camp." Yazan said.

"The fact that the river is drying out in the south only means that someone just closed the gates on the dam in the north. If that's the case, the cities in the north most be flooding." Rain said.

"We should go back to the camp. We will figure something out. The guards in the nearby base will soon notice us." Yazan said.

"Can I use someone's phone?" Sidra asked.

"Yeah, use mine. Who do you want to call?" Rain asked.

"No one. I need to use it in order to have access to the satellites. Something is going on in that base. They are moving things in and out of there, and I want to know what." Sidra explained.

"Do you think they killed all of those people and dumbed them in the lake to hide something? It could not be just because they wanted to kill people? Sidra do not try and rationalize things. This is Estil, where people just get killed for the purpose of killing. It is their logic." Rain said.

"I'm not disagreeing with you. I am just saying that there might be another reason." Sidra said.

"Guys... we should start walking. Sidra, you can hack a satellite while we are walking." Yazan said.

"No way..." Sidra said.

"What is it?" Rain asked.

"It is weapons. They are moving new kinds of weapons in. I need to get a clear image to prove that. And yes, Yazan is right. Let's start walking. We need to get back to the camp."

"How much time do you need to get a clear image? Do you think you can get it before we get to the camp area? Because there is no reception in there at all." Rain asked.

"Yeah, I can." She replied.
Chapter 25

# Pink Gas

It took few hours until Sidra discovered what was really going on. She could not believe what was happening.

"Oh no... God no... I was wrong. They are not moving new weapons in. They are getting new aircrafts. I think they got at least five fighters." Sidra said.

"If that's the case, we are all dead. We really need to get the Burj back and have more information." Rain said.

"Also, please note that we don't have anything to eat or drink." Yazan said.

"Sorry, I had to give our food to the kids, but I do believe that helping someone means someone else will help us in return." Sidra said.

"Do not apologize for helping the kids out. If we had anything else, I would have happily given it to them." Yazan said.

"He's right. It is way less painful feeling hungry than watching few kids look for food in the dirt." Rain said.

"Let's keep walking and save our energy. I can't even speak anymore. I'm really thirsty and this heat is killing us alive."

It took them hours to finally get back to the camp. They saw Mai and few other people working on digging the well.

"Sidra? Are you ok? You look kind of yellow." Mai said.

"I'm just thirsty. I don't want to ask for water since I know they don't have as much."

"Here drink this. I have enough of food and water for everyone. Some man just came in with supplies few hours ago." Mai said.

"Great... Who was he?" Sidra asked.

"We have no idea." Mai said.

"Guys... we need to sit down and start planning for how we are going to get the Burj back. Sidra, contact Rayan and tell him that we plan on getting in soon." Rain said.

"Already did it. He's expecting us."

Laith showed up and added to the conversation.

"It is going to be hard now that they plan an election. Lion wants to prove to the rest of the world that he is not a dictator by making elections. Ever since they announced it, they ordered extra security on all government's facilities, including the Burj."

Few days later, Rain, Yazan, Mai, Laith, Samir, and Sidra all got together and made a plan for how to get the Burj back with minimum damage. They knew that the risk was high. They were willing to risk their lives for the sake of saving others. They had to do whatever it took to get to that bright future they always dreamed about. Only few young people facing an army seemed like such a stupid plan, but what choice did they have? Sitting down and hoping for things to magically fix themselves would never work.

"Guys... I just want you to know that we are going to a battle that we already know... We are the losing team. However..." Sidra said before she was interrupted.

"You don't have to say it. We already know." Rain said.

"We want 'change', and change we shall get." Mai said.

"Time to go..." Yazan pointed.

It took days of walking and hours of riding a bus to reach a city near the Burj area. One of the few cites in Estil where the war did not reach the civilians.

"I am not putting a hole in that poor worm. What did the worm ever do to you?" Sidra said.

"Are you for real? It's just a stupid worm. Do it already, or I will do it myself." Rain said.

You two are acting like kids. We have to eat. So we need to fish. We're lucky we found a lake that has fish. Sidra, the worm is all we have to feed the fish, so we can feed ourselves." Yazan said.

"I can't do it. Those worms are too disgusting anyways." Sidra said.

"I can't believe that you live in Estil and think that the worms are the only disgusting thing around." Rain said.

"What I can't believe is that the two of you are technically engaged. I have a feeling that your wedding is going to be a disaster." Samir commented.

"Speaking of which, did you two set a date yet?" Yazan asked.

"We have not had a chance to even sit down and talk like normal engaged couples do." Rain said.

"We were too busy finding food, water, and new ways to survive... including putting a hole in a worm. So we can put it on a hook." Sidra added. "Never mind, I am just complaining about our beautiful life."

"Seriously, I'm surprised you guys got engaged that quickly. Sometimes, people date for years first." Laith said.

"How else am I going to prove to her how serious I am?" Rain said.

"Besides, do we look like we have the time to date anyway?" Sidra said.

"I know. I'm just really happy for you two. If everything ever calms down, you two should have a huge wedding." Yazan said.

"Weddings mean food and at the moment, that's all I can think of." Samir said.

"Only if someone agreed to let me fish instead of arguing about making a hole in a worm." Rain said.

"I just love watching the two of you fight. Your marriage is going to be something else." Yazan said and laughed.

"I think I got something. It's a very large fish. We should eat and take the next bus as soon as possible." Samir said as he saw the big fish swimming and trying to escape the trap he had for it.

"We can't leave just yet, and we are not taking the bus. We need weapons and supplies." Rain said.

"The fish... people... the fish... focus here." Samir said while he was struggling to get the fish out.

"And, Rain... Where are we getting the weapons from?" Mai asked.

As they talked, Samir was able to get the fish out of the water. He held it up high and was really happy about his great achievement.

"I have connections. We will spend the night here though. I would suggest we get ready for camping." Rain said. "After we eat Samir's fish."

"Oh... So, now you care." Samir said.

"Quit whining ... It's just a fish." Rain said as he turned to him.

"You can say that again..." Samir said as he hugged and kissed the fish.

"EWWW... Now, I'm not hungry anymore." Rain said as they all laughed.

They started a fire and camped near the lake. By camped, I mean slept on the grass. Later on, using Rain's connections, they were able to get in contact with some rogue soldiers in the military, who supplied them with the necessary equipment. They were also able to get a mini-van. The plan that they had come up with was to take the guards down as soon as they get close enough to the Burj. They gave the sniper job to Laith.

After that, Rayan would help them get in and take over the control room, where they have access to everything. From there, they would release a sleeping gas everywhere through the vents. This would've knocked off everyone in there. Then, they would easily transport them into one room where they would be held prisoners. The plan was not perfect, but they knew the risks and were willing to do it anyway. And not to spoil anything for you, but not a single part of that plan was executed.

After getting in a close range of the Burj, they decided to leave the mini-van and walk the rest of the way for security reasons.

"Laith, get in position... And please remember... Our plan depends on you. We can't move until we get your signal once we are in the Burj area." Sidra said.

"I understand. I will join you guys as soon as I can." Laith responded.

The team left Laith in position and walked into the woods to get closer to the Burj.

"So what happens if something goes wrong, and we can't go through with the plan?" Mai asked.

"We move to plan B." Sidra said confidently.

"What's plan B?" Samir had a good question.

A pinked colored smoke was just activated as they walked in a certain area. One of them unknowingly activated its sensors.

"Do you guys smell this? What's that?" Sidra shouted.

"It's a poisonous gas... Cover your faces and start running" Rain shouted.

"It must be a new way to keep people out. We have to retrieve." Yazan yelled.

"Too late..." Sidra said just right before she fainted followed by everyone else.

They were all completely out for some time. None of them could remember what exactly happened that day. All they knew is that they woke up inside a prison cell at the basement of the Burj.

"Laith... Wake up... I think we are in prison." Rain said.

"This is crazy... How can this happen? What are we going to do now?" Laith asked.

"We are going to crash a party" Sidra said as she was waking up.

"Rain... I think we have a problem here. We are in prison, and your fiancée thinks she's crashing a party. The gas might have done some damage on her." Samir said with a serious tone.

"Speak for yourself. I'm as good as I can ever be." Sidra said while trying to feel her head. Her entire body was hurting.

"Let me guess... This was your plan B?" Rain asked.

"I told you I had a backup plan." Sidra said.

"Would someone please explain?" Samir asked.

"Plan A was to get inside the Burj regardless of the method. They just made our lives easier by putting us in this disgusting cell. We just need to sit and wait. Plan B will take a place whenever we hear the fire alarm. We are going to have a very long day." Sidra explained.

"What exactly did you do?"

"Who cares... Let me have some sleep for now." Sidra said and put her head on the ground.

"I think we need to check on her. She's talking nonsense." Samir said.

"We are stuck here anyway. With no guards none the less." Rain said. "You know... I didn't even know that there are cells like these at the Burj."

Short after that, the fire alarm system went off in the entire building. Sidra woke up from her sleep immediately.

"System... ACTIVIATE..." Sidra shouted. "Gate number 809... OPEN."

In few seconds, the gate of the cell was just wide open with a shocked look on everyone's face.

"That's it? We get to walk out... Just like that?" Samir Asked.

"Just get out and be grateful, and by the way, you are all welcome." Sidra said with a smile on her face.

"What just happened? And why am I so hungry?" Laith asked as everyone was just getting out and walking towards the main armory room in the Burj.

"We need to get as many weapons as we can. Also, we need to get rid of the guards before someone realizes that the fire alarm was just a decoy." Sidra said, "Last time I was in here, I installed as many voice activated sensors as I could. I thought it would come in handy one day. The only thing that was a total surprise is that gas that knocked us out."

"That still does not explain why there were no guards at all. It also does not explain how we ended up in a cell. How did they move all of us and just put us in that place?" Laith Asked.

"I can't explain everything, but my entire body is killing me. Whatever they used to move us is sure was not comfortable." Sidra said while stretching her arms.

As they reached the main door of the basement, where they were trapped, Rain realized,

"They used a large pop-CAT to move us while we were unconscious. Look ..."

There was a pop-CAT machine, an unmanned aircraft, and two tanks just outside the building. There was no sign for any soldier or guards anywhere within their sight.

"That does not sound right... Guys... I think we have been a sleep for about two days now." Rain said while looking at his smart bracelet.

"No, it was only two hours because the fire alarm was programmed to go off at 3 PM, if a cell's gate is locked." Sidra said. "Can we look for food now? I'm getting very dizzy and so does everyone else."

"Rain is right. Look at the date and time in my watch as well." Samir confirmed.

"This would explain why we are so hungry and dizzy. Let's run towards the kitchen before one of us faint." Laith Added.

"Wait a second... We left you and walked a distance before we were knocked out. Don't tell me the gas got to you as well, Laith." Samir Asked looking at Laith.

"The last thing I remember was you leaving, then waking up with the rest of you in that cell." Laith answered.
Chapter 26

# Robin Hood

They all walked to the dining room area surprised as no one was there to stop them. They all knew that something major had happened in the past two days. Something must've forced all the guards to leave their positions. However, they were too tired to even think about it. There was limited amount of food in the fridge and in the cabinets. They each started eating quietly.

"Something had happened for sure. I'm just too scared to find out what." Rain said.

"The electricity is still on at the Burj. Maybe watching some TV can clear things up." Yazan noticed.

The backup generators at the Burj were kept on. It had enough power to work. Someone made sure that the Burj was not harmed in anyway. Few minutes later, they were able to get the large flat screen in the main lobby to turn on. It took a while to get a signal from the local channels. It was not very clear, but an image was visible. It took few seconds of listening to the news until they realized that something was not right at all. The expression on their faces at that moment is too hard for me to explain. They were neither shocked nor mad. They were neither sad nor surprised. I don't think that they themselves realized how they felt. It was that weird mix of feelings that no one wants to have. Seeing an entire city, not so far from where they were, wiped out. It was put to the grounds.

"The orphanage..." Sidra shouted.

A message from Maki Lion appeared on TV. It was his first appearance in so long.

"People of Estil, it saddens me the loss of thousands of innocent people. But it was a necessary lose for the greater good. We lost many good men in our fight for the sake of greater Estil. We had to get as many men as we needed for the fight. My soldiers assured me that the attack on the orphanage was just a mistake. They thought those risers were hiding in there. May those children rest in peace."

"Rest in peace... Is that all he has to say..." Rain yelled.

"I want to go and see for myself. I think he's lying. No human in his normal state of mind would just say those words with such cold eyes." Sidra added.

"We have much bigger problem at the moment. I hear helicopters and cars approaching. I think they are coming back." Yazan said.

"We can't just fight all of them. We need help." Samir said.

"We have to help. Sidra, please tell me you have a plan like you just did..." Yazan said as he looked at Sidra's expressions.

She did not even respond. She just kept looking at the screen hoping for some signs that shows the whole thing was not true.

"Secure the entrances and make sure we get to the weaponry. We are fighting the administration." Rain ordered.

"I'll take care of that." Samir said.

"I'm leaving..." Sidra said and started walking towards the outside.

"It's over. They're all dead. There is nothing you can do." Rain yelled.

Before Rain finished his sentence, she was heading to the main door. She started running before anyone could catch up to her.

"Rain... We really need your help in here, but she does not seem ok. We'll do what we can in here. Go after her." Samir said.

Rain had to go running after Sidra. He could not leave her alone feeling so depressed like that.

"You need to calm down. What do you think you can accomplish by getting there? This is our life now. We lose people every day." Rain said while grabbing her arms.

Setting her arms free, she replied "Shut up, Rain... I don't need to hear your opinion on the matter."

Rain had no choice but to go with her to the orphanage. Using one of the hummers left at the Burj, they got in and started driving towards the orphanage. Lands were on fire almost all the way. Towns were destroyed using containers of chemicals. Even the trees were burned using fire balls that the aircrafts through at them. The smell of burning flesh was still left in the air. Burned bodies were left under the wreckage. Few people were running here and there. Few tried to remove the wreckage screaming for their loved ones. Face to face combats occurred as well between locals and Estil's soldiers. Rain and the others were really lucky to be in a prison at the Burj when all the soldiers were called to fight.

Seeing what was left of the orphanage was one of the most painful moments in both Sidra's and Rain's lives. They could not find anyone alive. The building had collapsed on everyone who was inside. The surrounding areas were still on fire. They saw a women sitting down and looking at the sky while the fire almost caught up to her. Her foot seemed to be almost burning while she did not move an inch. Rain jumped to her rescue and got her out of the fire. His arm was hurt in the process.

"We need some water to treat this woman." Rain said. "She seems to be in shock. I don't think that she realizes her surroundings."

"I don't think you realize your surroundings either. There is not a drop of water around." Sidra commented looking pale and scared.

"She can't breathe. She seems to have inhaled a lot of mono-dioxide. Also, I think she's suffering from internal bleeding." Rain said.

There was nothing they could have done. She just left this world with no sound or anyone even knowing who she was.

"I would like to stay and find anyone who needs help, but at the moment, we really have to go back to the Burj and help our friends." Rain said.

"I'm not going back. I've seen enough." Sidra said with a serious look on her face.

"I do realize that we need to put an end to Lion. But we have to get to the Burj now. You are not thinking clearly." He told her. "I can't argue with you right now. We need to leave. Our friends need our help."

"There is nothing you can add or do for them. We need to finish what we started years ago." Sidra said.

"I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just saying that..." Rain said before Sidra interrupted him saying,

"Go back to the Burj and let me take care of things on my end. Do not even bother stopping me. I have some people to contact."

She took the car and left him before he said anything. She did not even say goodbye. She was just so mad that day than she was ever sad. The kids she thought she was helping all those years, just died before they even knew what life was all about. She could not believe the fact that they were gone after everything she did to keep them off the streets.

Rain who was just abandoned in there found himself forced to go back walking to the Burj. He did not know the right thing to do. But at that moment, he had to believe that Sidra knew what she was doing. And that it was up to him to help out his friends. It took him hours to reach the Burj area. But he finally got there. He decided to hide in the woods and watch closely. The place was surrounded with soldiers. Many tanks, helicopters, and armed forces had returned. It was obvious that his friends were all captured assuming they were still alive.

"Can I help you?" A soldier said from behind pointing a gun at Rain's head. "Turn slowly with your arms above your head."

Caught by surprise, Rain had nothing but to obey. A second later, he was able to turn the situation to his advantage. He almost took the guard's gun. However, in the process, Rain's arm started bleeding. He had just remembered that he did not take care of the burning flesh. His arm was burned while getting that woman out of the fire. The soldier hit him hard and made his arm bleed even more. Using a small razor blade, which Rain had hidden in his shoes, he wounded the soldier and took his gun. He knocked the soldier down to his knees and tried forcing him to talk.

"Where are my friends? They were still at the Burj when your people came in. What did you do to them?" Rain yelled.

The soldier did not say a single word. When Rain finally realized that torturing him was nothing but a waste of time, he gave up. He decided to use him as a human shield to get to the Burj. He was sure that they would not kill one of their own. Not after losing so many soldiers in the last attack on the city.

The pain in his arm was unbearable. But he had no choice. The feeling of the skin getting off his body was very painful. But in every second, he remembered the pain the kids at the orphanage must had felt. Weather they died in a fire or the building collapsed on them, it must've been more painful than whatever he was experiencing. He pulled himself together and was able to walk in using the soldier as a human shield.

"Open the main gate of the Burj, or I swear, I will put a bullet in his head." Rain shouted at the guards.

They did not respond for few seconds. Suddenly, they received an order to let him pass.

"Someone cares about their soldiers." Rain thought.

He walked into the main lobby and shouted, "Release my friends or he dies."

"Put the gun down, kid... Before you hurt yourself." A man told Rain while walking down the stairs inside the lobby of the Burj.

Rain raised his head thinking what a familiar voice that was. Looking at that man, Rain could not believe his eyes.

"You..." He shouted. "You have control over the Burj?"

"Like I said... Put the gun down. I see you've already hurt yourself." The man said as he stood right in front of Rain.

"Father..." Rain shouted with an angry voice.

Seconds later, Rain found himself on the floor. He was shot with a tranquillizer. Everything turned black, and he quickly lost his conciseness.

\--------------------------

At that time, the situation in the country was getting much worse. The administration was killing anyone who dared rise against them. In addition, the people were fighting among themselves. It was not clear who was the right side. Each fighting side, including the administration, claimed that they were the only ones who cared about the future of Estil. Meanwhile, in the middle of the woods, or what had left of it, Sidra was not in a much better shape. She had nothing to eat for over a day and a half. No clear water to drink and no gas for the car. She was completely on her own. She kept walking in the woods towards a place she had hoped was not intact. Before she was able to get to her destination, a man showed up, out of nowhere with a knife, asking for whatever valuable Sidra had.

"Do I look like I'm that rich? Look at me... I have not eaten in days." Sidra said.

"Give me that navigation system I just saw in your hands." The man shouted.

"Who are you? You don't look like you need some money to eat. From the looks of it, you are not even hungry. Are you with the Peacekeepers?" She questioned.

"Yes, we fight for your freedom. You people are entitled to give us whatever is needed for us to keep going. Now, give me that navigation system before I leave a scar on that cute face of yours." The man said with a scary look on his face.

"You have got to be kidding me... What did you do other than cause chaos and steal from people in the name of freedom?" Sidra shouted back.

The man did not answer but rather attacked her. As they were struggling, an arrow was shot and placed in the man's back. He fell on the ground immediately.

"What on earth? An arrow? Don't tell me that Robin Hood has joined the fight as well?" Sidra thought out loud with a straight face.

"Robin Hood? Really? Your sense of humor is just..."

"Rayan?" Sidra said as he was appearing from behind the bushes. "How did you know where to find me?"

"I could ask you the same question. What exactly are you doing here?" Rayan asked.

"When did you leave the Burj? You were supposed to help us get in." She asked back.

"Everyone at the Burj was called for the attack on the city. I had to leave and come here when a new commander took over. Now, why are you in this area?" Rayan asked again.

"What commander?" Sidra asked.

"What are you doing here? You're going to blow or cover." Rayan asked back.

"It's not what you think. I'm not after the base. I'm after the communication systems. And since you are here, I'm going to need your help."

"The coms. systems? But... why?" Rayan asked.

"They killed everyone, Rayan. The entire city was wiped out. They killed the kids in the orphanage. I can't sit back and watch anymore. It's time we do something." Sidra said with a sad-low voice.

"I know what happened, Sidra. I was there. But what do you think you can do with the communication systems?"

"I can explain later. At this moment, I just need anything to eat."

"We have a lot of food at the base. It's nothing much, but it's more than enough."

"A small head of broccoli sounds really delicious right now."

"Let's go. We're very close. They would love to have you."

"They?" Sidra asked.
Chapter 27

# One Wing cannot make a Bird Fly

Back at the Burj, Rain thought that he was living in another world.

"Rain... Rain...Wake up..." Yazan said.

Rain, who was waking up, found himself in his old room at the Burj.

"I think I just had the worst nightmare... Let me take a moment to appreciate that it was just a dream, Yazan." Rain said covering his eyes with his right arm.

"My arm... It's covered with bandages." Rain said loudly and asked Yazan, "Does that mean...?"

"I don't know what dream you are talking about, but, Rain, your father is in charge now."

"My father? ...... Oh my God. It's coming back to me... Sidra... I have to make sure she's ok."

"You don't know where Sidra is? You guys left together." Yazan said.

"I know. She left me and went... God knows where."

"We'll look for her later. Right now, we have an offer that we need your input on." Yazan said.

"Let me guess, my father promised our freedom in exchange for all the Burj's secrets."

"Even better..." Yazan said.

Laith walked to the room while they were talking. He brought a tray full of food and asked Rain to eat.

"The commander said that you need your strength. He asked me to bring all this food for you." Laith said as he put the tray on a table.

"I wonder what he's going to ask me to do this time. Whatever it is, I'm eating. Hopefully it's not poisoned." Rain said.

"HEY... I made it myself. I promise. It's clean." Laith said.

Rain took the spoon and started eating. He said,

"Do I look like I have a choice... Thank God for the food. My stomach is screaming at me right now."

"You are starting to sound like Sidra by the day" Yazan said and laughed.

"My thoughts exactly..." Laith said.

"Where did she go? I'm really worried about her. She was not in a stable state of mind when she left. But I couldn't stop her. I don't know what I was thinking." Rain said as he put down the spoon.

\-----------------------------

Somewhere else at the woods between the mountains, Sidra and Rayan found their way to a hidden base. The base is inside a mountain, huge facility, designed in the greatest wars only tens of years ago. Constructions never really stopped.

Sidra was strictly ordered not to be there unless the matter is urgent. Only few people knew the location of that place. I would keep a close attention of the details of that base if I were you. This would soon be the place that started it all.

The base is designed to withstand nuclear attacks. The entire base is constructed near a manmade lake in a valley. The lake is surrounded by long trees. The main gate is right beside the shore of the lake. The gate is entirely covered with trees and grass. A smaller door is placed also nearby to be used as an entrance for people. At the entrance, a small sensitive device is used to identify any one who gets in and out of the base.

Finger prints and eyes scans are required. Only few people are granted access to the base. Due to the high security, each person is required to be tested with brain scanners at the entrance. If the brain activity is not stable, the person would not be granted access.

This method is used to ensure that none of the people, who are allowed to get in, are forced to do anything against their will. Just in case they were hijacked. Once the person gets cleared, their image shows up on the screen, and the gates open allowing one person to get in at a time.

From the inside, the facility has been modernized. You would not think you are in a cave if you were ever inside. When you first walk in, the walls are covered with screens that display instruction of where to go and what to do inside.

After Sidra and Rayan got in, they indicated their intention to go to the communication room. A long strip of lights lighted up the ground, and they just had to follow it. The strip of lights turns off behind them. Only the remaining path stays clear and lighted up. As they walked to the coms room, a video call was placed on one of the dark-glass walls.

"Welcome to Orb."

"Aser? It's good seeing you again. What are you up to?" Sidra said.

"How have you been?" Aser replied.

"I'm good. I'm glad to see that the base is in a great shape." She said.

"What brings you here? And where are the others?" Aser asked.

"It's a long story. Where can I meet you?" She asked.

"I see you were going to the coms room. Whatever you want to do can wait. I'll reprogram the path of lights to lead you to the main command room." Aser said and the video call ended.

Sidra and Rayan followed the new path and ended up in front of a large door. Everything around was dark and looked like a maze. A message showed up on the door asking for their names and proficiency. "My name is Sidra. I am no one." She said.

"Don't say that. You are more than something." Rayan said. "Rayan... Tech."

The doors opened automatically. It led them to a very large room full with computers. A huge screen was covering the adjacent wall. Maps, news, and security cameras were displayed on it.

"It's good to see you again." Aser said.

"Good seeing you too." She replied. "Not to sound rude, but do you have anything to eat? I have not eaten in days."

Aser replied with a smiley face, "We sure do. I'll send an order to the kitchen to bring you something to eat."

"Thank you very much." She said.

Later, she was given a big ball of chicken salad. It was full of vegetable, some fruit, and pieces of chicken.

"This looks great... I really hope that the people are getting something to eat as well." Sidra told Aser.

"They're literally dying out of hunger. They started burning every living thing they could find. The food is grown in our underground green houses. Not everyone is as lucky out there. They are fighting with each other now. The risers turned into many factions. Each is fighting for themselves." Aser informed her.

"This has to change." She said as she started eating.

After she finished the entire ball of salad, she turned to Aser and said,

"Please, allow me to explain why I'm really here."

\--------------------------------------

Days had passed since Rain had awakened at the Burj. Nothing happened since then. It turned out that Rain's father had allowed the crews to stay at the Burj and work with the risers. He just would not allow anyone of them to leave the Burj.

Rain spent his time on a computer trying to get any info about Sidra's whereabouts. The GPS signal on her neckless was dead. Rain and Yazan were discussing what they need to do when Samir just entered the room with a confused face.

"Guys... Turn on the TV. Someone is hacking the main channels."

Rain: "All of them at once?"

Samir: "Yes, isn't that weird? "

"No, not if you have access to Siwaar?" Rain thought.

Samir: "They have not displayed anything yet. There is only a logo on the screen that has the word Orb."

They turned on the TV and saw the logo. It was/is an interesting design that looks like a bracelet with the word ORB inside. The word Estil is on top with drops of water falling on the bracelet. A wing appeared form the right side of the bracelet and surrounded half of the logo. Then, someone appeared on TV to give a speech.

"Sidra..." Rain shouted.

"People of Estil, residents of this great nation, civilians, soldiers, and politicians... My name is Sidra. I'm no one. At least, as far as I'm concerned... Today, I'm no one. I'm just a human being. A human who grew sick of her surroundings... I grew looking at people get sick, suffer, and die. It became a daily seen.

It became normal to us to see children and elderly die out of hunger on the streets. It is embarrassing... How can we call our nation one of the greatest if we cannot even protect our children and preserve the next generations? And do not even get me started with the killings in the name of fighting terrorism.

Today, I'm here to ask for help. The help of each and every one of you to open a new page in our deadly history... I'm here to ask the Peacekeepers to keep our cities peaceful as promised. I'm here to ask the soldiers to protect the people from any danger.

I'm here because for the past ten years, no one where doing their jobs as told. I'm here because I realized that we, the people, have failed our nation. Even the administration did not do its job."

Then, she continued,

"I am NOT here declaring the war on Maki Lion. I am here asking for the help of each and every one of you to NOT fight for what you think is yours. But rather to fight for what you think is rightfully your children's, neighbors', and loved ones.

Because the moment you stop thinking of yourself, the moment you start thinking about others, is the moment you know you have won the war. One wing cannot make a bird fly.

Some people around us are so poor. All they have is money. We, the richest poor, are wealthier than we ever had thought.

We are rich with our values, our desire to change, and our care for each other. Love, Care, and Share... Be the sparkle that ignites the fire to change it all. Otherwise, we will wake up one day and find ourselves exiled as a nation."

The same logo appeared after that. Then, the channels were back to normal.

"What just happened? What does that mean?" Yazan said with questionable voice.

"I'm not declaring the war on Maki Lion?" Samir repeated what Sidra had said. "Does she want the public to publicly hate her?" He asked.

"What a brilliant speech... You knew who to pick as a wife." Rain's father said as he entered the room.

"Commander? What did you make out of that speech?" Yazan asked.

"Keep your friends close and your enemy closer." The commander, Rain's father, said.

"If her speech meant what I think it did, she is going to find herself in a great danger. I have got to find her." Rain said as he wore his jacket and got ready to leave.

"Come back here... We are still under lock down. No one is to leave at this point. You don't have access to Orb." The commander said.

"You cannot just keep me here..." Rain said with a tone.

"I can, and I will. Starting today, all of you are resuming your old jobs at the Burj. The real fight has not begun yet." The commander said.
Chapter 28

# The Bracelet

At the base, Aser was very pleased with the results.

"That was great. It will get the message to him for sure." Aser said.

"I sure hope so." Sidra said. "This is by far the craziest step that I have taken towards putting an end to this war. If we don't hear back from him soon, I wouldn't know what to do."

"He wouldn't pass such an opportunity to restore the order in the country. Trust me... He's as desperate as we are. Just sit and wait for his speech back." Aser said with a confidant voice.

"Yeah, you're right. Where is Rayan? I needed to ask him something?" Sidra asked.

"I'm here..." Rayan replied from behind. "What did you want to ask? And that was a great speech by the way."

"Thank you. And I was going to ask about what happened at the Burj earlier. We were just so caught up with everything that I completely forgot. You said a new commander got control over the Burj?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, they said he was some big deal. His name is Hazeem. That's all I know."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah... Why?"

"He happens to be Rain's father."

"What? Aren't Rain and the others at the Burj now?" Rayan asked.

"I don't know what happened to them. But I think that they're still there. I was so mad after the destruction of the orphanage. I stopped thinking about them. I just wanted a plan to make some progress in this bloody war." Sidra said.

"They are in good hands. Hazeem would never hurt his son." Aser added to the conversation.

"I never understood that man's position in all of this." Sidra said.

"He's doing exactly what you are trying to do now. Keep your friends close and your enemy closer." Aser said.

"I bet Rain is so mad at me right now." Sidra said.

"I would if I were him. You left without a word then you just pop-up on TV like that? It's crazy." Rayan said.

"Thanks... That does not make me feel better at all."

"Don't worry... He's just going to yell at you then forgive you eventually." Rayan said.

"We'll see about that."

Nothing significant happened over the next day. The public was not sure what to make out of Sidra's speech. Some wanted her to be their representative to report their sufferings. Others wanted her dead because she seemed like she was not against Maki Lion. The majority of people at the time wanted president Lion to step down. The president had failed to provide the people with their basic day to day needs. He also started a war against anyone that opposed him. He had made it very clear that he would never step down and leave the presidency of Estil to anyone else. He had, on countless speeches, made it very clear that he would not give Estil, even if it meant burning it to the grounds. He would make fake elections every four years and ask people to vote for or against him. The results would always turn out to be for him. And any one dared voted otherwise, got killed.

It was not long until president Lion appeared on TV to give a speech in regards to what was happening in the country. The speech was so long and super boring. He made many lies about why the country was going down hell, and why the people were dying out of hunger. He also lied about why he was killing people. He kept calling everyone who did not agree with him a terrorist. The only part that I still remember about that speech was the following:

"In regards to the new face that appeared on TV, lady Sidra. We believe that hacking our main channels was a huge mistake and absolutely unacceptable. If such acts were to happen again, we will not be tolerated in regards to the ones responsible. However, we believe that lady Sidra had spoken the truth. We believe that we can and will change things to the better. In order to do so, we will need all the help we can get. We would like to ask lady Sidra to join us in the fight against the terrorism and anyone who does not want this country to move forward. We would like to invite her to the secured area of the capital, the Green Zone, to discuss further plans for the future of this great nation, Estil."

"I told you he's going to get your message." Aser said.

"Yeah, he did as predicted." Sidra replied.

"I really hope you know what you're doing. There is a good chance that this is just a trap. He might kill you the moment you get to the capital." Rayan pointed out.

"He would not destroy his image in front of the public like that. Also, I'll make sure that the media is following me each and every step of the way." Sidra said.

"There is something that I wanted the two of you to see. Please follow me to the electronics lab." Aser said.

They walked out of the room and followed the strip of light to an elevator. It took them deep down for about five levels. They walked out of the elevator into a large lab full of equipment and devices. They stopped at a small box made out of glass. Inside the box, there was a transparent looking bracelet. The bracelet turned to green as soon as Aser touched it.

"This bracelet looks exactly like the one you insisted we include in the logo." Sidra noticed.

"Exactly, from now on, you trust only those who have a similar one. I have distributed many of them to our allies. The color of the bracelet will remain transparent and unseen to the normal eye.

It will turn to green if it touches or comes within few inches of another bracelet. It will turn to red if voice activated. Once it's red, it sends an emergency signal to the nearby bracelets asking for help with the exact location. So it works as a great tracking device. It can never be detected through metal detectors since it does not contain any metal. It does work as a communication device if needed as well.

And one more thing, it can be a deadly bomb if the color turned to purple. The purple code is activated with voice command as well. Any questions?" Aser explained. "Oh, wait, I forgot one more thing, once it's on, it can never get off unless it's purple."

"Since it can't be seen without activation, how do I know who has it and who does not?" Sidra asked.

"Your job is not to look for allies. Your job is to destroy Lion's administration from the inside." He answered.

"Understood." Sidra confirmed.

Few days later, Sidra got to the capital surrounded with cameras and the media. It was the first time Estil's administration had announced any steps towards improving the situation in the country. Sidra successfully found her way to meet with President Maki Lion himself, or so she thought.

\-----------------------------

At the Burj, Rain was very worried about what Sidra got herself involved with.

"This is what I was afraid of. She's going to get involved in the capital. They're going to kill her. What was she thinking?" Rain thought.

"We received interesting signals. Rain, would you care to have a look in the control room?" Laith asked.

"What kinds of signals?" He asked.

"Actually it looks more of a song than anything else. Here, I printed it on paper." Laith said and gave Rain the paper which contained the following:

When I look back in time

Images from my past come to me

Phantom memories that became stories

Which comes then goes

I looked with my other eyes

The colors had changed

It talks to me, it teaches me

That what happened, happened

Oh time, I'll draw you with what's forgotten

Garden flowers

That bloom when it is time

Oh time, I'll write the tears and sadness

In a book with no title

I will not go back

I will not be meeting with the past

"It's Sidra's method of communication." Rain realized.

All of a sudden, a voice was heard over the speakers everywhere in the Burj. It was a woman's voice over.

"To all units, please gather in the main conference room. To all units, please gather in the main conference room, immediately."

"What does the commander wants this time?" Laith questioned.

"I don't have time for this now. Let's just go and get it over with. He wouldn't leave us alone." Rain said.

Everyone went to the conference room. They waited for about 15 minutes until the commander showed up.

"I asked you here today because I happened to think it's time we moved. It's time we restored the balance in our nation. What I'm about to say shall never leave this room. I will not be tolerated against anyone who might disregard my orders. We are going to assassinate President Maki Lion." Commander Hazeem said.

Rain: "I'm sorry. What?"

Hazeem: "What you just heard."

Rain: "This is insane. I'm sure you know how many people tried doing that before."

Hazeem: "This time it's different. We have someone in the inside. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about."

Rain: "No way? She was working for you?"

Hazeem: "No... But you do."

Their plan had one and only one goal. Kill the President of Estil. Perhaps that was one of the most dangerous plans they had ever come up with. That moment was the beginning of the end to the capital of Estil. The main problem with that war was that everyone wanted to plan as they saw fit. The lack of organization between the risers and any other fighting forces almost caused the destruction of the entire nation. It was one of the darkest periods in the history. Maybe I should not say "was" because that was not that long ago.
Chapter 29

# Minister of Peace

Putting together that plan was not hard. They prepared the weapons and all the tools needed to make sure the plan gets executed accordingly. Rain and the others were convinced that killing the president was the right call. They were finally allowed to leave the Burj and come back. Rain left that day to get some gas. Since the Burj was technically under the administration's control, they got gas as much as they needed. He left the car and walked towards the old hospital. He kept wondering how people were doing. It was not as bad as he had expected. He, however, saw what he was not expecting to see.

Drugs on the streets became the common thing around. It was a new phenomenon that people had to escape their reality. Rain saw a group of men smoking some form of drug as they laughed not aware of their surroundings.

"Where did you get that?" Rain asked the men.

"From the cool guys HA..HA. The militia... haha." A man replied laughing with a stupid look on his face.

"Great... Now they want to destroy the people like that. Wasn't it enough the lack of food and safety?" Rain thought and walked away from them.

It was few minutes after that when he heard the screaming voice of what seemed to be a young man asking for help. After he ran towards the voice, he found two men trying to rob a much younger man of his money. The poor man looked so slim. You could see his bones through his half-torn shirt. The money was a lot for a man looking like him. No wonder he was attacked by thieves.

"Please, we're all poor. And we used to be neighbors. Why do you want to take my money?" The poor-young man said.

"We live in a war, and we are hungry too. Besides, where did you get all of that money from?" One of the robbers said.

"Does it matter? Leave him alone. You have no right to steal anything no matter how bad things get." Rain said as he ran towards them. He continued, "I've seen enough. Leave this man a lone or I swear... I'll make you spent the rest of this crappy night in the hospital."

"It's none of your business." A man screamed and started attacking Rain.

Rain was able to get to his pocket knife immediately. As soon as he waved it, the men decided to step back and ran quickly. Rain was surprised that they just left him that easily.

"Oh, no. Please do not kill me. Take my money. It's yours." The poor-skinny young man said.

"Why would I do that? I just saved your life." Rain asked.

"Your knife... Only those in Special Forces have a similar one. Special Forces are known for taking everything they want. No one can say no to you, Sir." The man explained.

"Oh, is that it? That explains why my father gave me this knife then. And please don't call me Sir. I'm not one of them. I'm just glad you are ok." Rain said while giving a hand to the man to stand on his feet.

"You are going to let me go?" He asked.

"Of course. If you don't mind me asking, did you steal that money? I'm not judging you. It's just a lot of cash and ..." Rain was interrupted.

The skinny-man: "No, I would never do such thing. Please you have to believe me."

Rain: "I believe you. It's ok."

The skinny-man: "I was walking around asking people for help. My daughter is very sick and her mother was killed only few days ago. Anyway, there was that young man who just stopped by and gave me the money. He didn't say a single word. I was on my way to the hospital to ask for help. I just need someone to help my daughter. I left her in the van."

Rain: "What van?"

The skinny-man: "The van where I live. Our house was destroyed. This is how my wife was killed. I really need to go now. Thanks for helping me."

Rain: "No, wait... Take me to your daughter. I'm a doctor. I think I can help."

The skinny-man: "Are you for real?"

Rain: "Please, lead the way."

It was not a long walk. They got to a street filled with old half-ruined gara-vans. That man's van was no different.

"Just how many people live like that exactly?" Rain asked.

"More than you think. Please, come in." The man said. "Sweetie, I got the doctor. You will get better."

The girl was in a really bad shape. There was not enough room in the van in the first place. He had to get her out and put her down on the street gently. She had cuts and bruises all over her body. She was as skinny as her dad. It seemed that the family was living in hunger even before their house was destroyed.

"She has broken ribs and internal bleeding. I can't believe she stayed a live that long." Rain mumbled and said, "I'll do everything I can, Sir."

"I can't thank you enough for coming." The man said as tears came out of his eyes.

"So, I take it she was inside with her mom when your house collapsed?" Rain asked.

"Yes, I was out trying to sell some napkins. When I came home, I found my wife hugging our daughter and shielding her form the wreckage. I don't know what happened. All I know is that I found them together out-side the building. It seemed like they got out very late. I really thought that I have lost both of them." The man explained.

Rain kept working silently as he listened to the man telling his story. He was sad and angry at the same time. He just could not bring himself to say any word. Individuals can only help other individuals. There was so little they can do, and so much to be done.

"She's going to be ok. Don't let her move. I need to go now and get some medicine for her. I won't take long." Rain promised.

"I'm very grateful, brother." The man thanked him.

Rain smiled and walked as fast as he could. He went back to the Burj and immediately went to the clinic. He grabbed the medicine he needed and put it in his pocket. He, then, went to the kitchen and filled a plastic bag with whatever canned food he could find.

"Rain? What are you doing? And where were you?" Yazan asked.

"Good, you're here. Grab a bag and help me out. We are going somewhere. There are..." Rain was interrupted by the entrance of the commander to the kitchen.

"Where do you think you're going? I gave you permission to leave for the hospital only. I was told that you did not report in today." Commander Hazeem said.

"What am I, a kid? I don't need you keeping tabs on me. Anyway, I was helping a family. They live in a van and I ..." Rain was interrupted again.

"Do you know how many families out there, who are in desperate need of help? We can't leave our jobs every day and help around on the streets. We can only do so much working like that. Our job is to look at the bigger picture and help the entire country get back on its feet." The commander explained.

In the meantime, Yazan kept filling in bags in the background as they argued.

"I can't say that you're wrong because you are not. However, I promise, I will be back as soon as I'm done helping that little girl. Then, I'll be back to saving the world." Rain said and walked out of the door.

"Wait, I'm coming with you." Yazan said and followed him.

"You know... Your dad has a point. Who's to say that the life of that girl you saved is more valuable than those you could have saved in the hospital?" Yazan asked rhetorically.

"We are only humans. I was not working based on whose life is more valuable. We are just going to help whoever needs help." Rain said.

"I understand. I was just saying..." Yazan said.

"And my dad is right. I know he is. I just can't leave people in a situation like that. Sidra would have wanted me to do this."

"Let's help them out and get back to work. We leave tomorrow morning."

They gave the girl and her father the medicine and some food. They were able to distribute the food to other families as well. However, by the end of the day, there was only so much they could've done.

\-------------------------

Sitting in a fancy hotel's dining room, in the Green Zone of the capital, Sidra spent her time looking at the people around her. She had to wonder why they got to live a normal life. Those who lived in that Green Zone were the ones responsible for what was happening on the streets. She had decided that swimming with the sharks was the key to freeing the country from them. Few representatives from the president were sent to her for a private meeting. They were two men and a woman. As soon as she saw them approaching, Sidra stood up to greet them with a smile.

"Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. I believe that we can change how things are going in the nation." Sidra said.

"Thank you, ma'am... My name is Alex. This is Mr. Hani and Mrs. Sonia. It's a pleasure meeting you. May I offer you something to drink? Wine, maybe?" One of the representatives said as they all sat down.

"No, I don't drink. Water should do it." Sidra rejected politely.

"Why not? I hear the drinks here are really good." Mr. Hani said.

"Wine, to me, is just a liquid that have been turned into Alcohol using bacteria. Why would I want to drink that?" Sidra asked rhetorically.

The man just laughed and said, "Smart answer. Anyway, we are here because we wanted to discuss your new job."

"Job?" Sidra asked.

"Yes, we would like you to be Estil's new minister of peace. Your job is to basically calm the people down and keep them in line. You just have to keep them busy with anything other than fighting and killing our own soldiers. You also get to travel the world asking for advice to how to deal with the current crisis."

"Is he for real? Should I take him seriously?" Sidra thought.

Sidra tried hiding her mad expression with a fake smile as she said, "The people are only fighting and ruining our country because they want to eat. They want a safe place where no one would hurt or destroy their homes."

"See, it's these kinds of things you can take care of. Promise them what they need." Hani said with a sassy smile.

"He's a total idiot. What was I expecting any way?" Sidra thought as she replied,

"Of course... Give them what they need, and they will automagically calm down."

The man laughed once again and said, "Miss Sidra, I just love your wordings. Anyway, please think about it. We would be expecting an answer by tomorrow. I wouldn't say no if I were you. Well, we all know what happens to people who say no the president."

They said that and just left. Sidra could not believe that. That was not the meeting she had hoped for. She sat down calmly and looked at the water fountain near her.

"Wow, it seems that the country is ran by a sleepy head president and idiots who surround him. Great... That went horribly." She thought as she gazed into the cup of the tea they had ordered for her.

She did not even trust them to drink it. A waiter came by offering if she needed another one. She did not bother rising her head to look at him. As she was kindly rejecting his offer, her bracelet turned green. She immediately pushed the chair away from the table and stood up.

"Who are you?" She asked.

Without saying anything, he took a knife from the table and shot it towards the security camera right on top of them.

"It's me." He answered while taking off his beard and mustache.

"Rain? What in the name of God are you doing here?" She shockingly asked.

"You know... The usual... Assassinating president Lion." Rain casually said.

"That was not part of my plan." She replied.

"It's part of mine." He said. "What were you hoping to accomplish anyway? Become their poppet?"

"I did not give you the code so you can assassinate the president. Have we not learned from what happened in the greatest wars? Killing the president will only make the civil war worse. Can't you see that?" Sidra asked.

"We can spend all night arguing about the right call. When, in reality, there is no right call. Anyway, I'm here to get you out. Things are about to get much worse in the capital." Rain said. "Besides, is that how you say hi to the fiancé you abandon in the middle of nowhere?"

"I had to. They killed the kids and ruined an entire city." She said.

"I know. We have to leave now." He said and grabbed her arm quickly and started running.

They walked towards the main entrance of to the parking lot. Rain took his car keys out and made sure that Sidra got seated first. He drove out of there as fast as he could.

"I thought you were going to kill the president." Sidra said.

"No, it was Yazan's job. My job was to get you out of there." Rain said.

"I don't understand. What was the plan?" Sidra asked.

"After you send the exact coordinates within the song, the plan was to kill the president. As of twenty minutes before we were in position, we received an order to get our people out and leave immediately. I'm not sure what, but they are planning something big. Maybe, they have an army to send or something." Rain said and asked "What was your plan once you are inside?"

"Gathering information... And I also had to place some tracking devices in case we... Rain, I think something is wrong. Why is every single person with a bracelet leaving?" Sidra asked as she noticed her bracelet is showing a lot of activities.

"I told you. They are planning something big." Rain said.

"I have a bad feeling about this. I sure hope they do remember the fact that there are over a million civilians who also live in the capital. They better not hurt them." Sidra said with a concerned voice.

While they were driving out of the Green Zone and approaching the gates of the capital, Rain and Sidra heard, "Beep...Beep... Beep" A sound came out of Sidra's bracelet as it turned yellow.

"Code yellow? I wasn't told of such code." Rain said.

"Because there is no such code... It's an additional code I added myself. Someone is accessing Siwaar's data. I don't understand why. Do you think your uncle and his people were able to finish the program and ready to lunch the project?" Sidra asked.

"I did not hear such thing. Whatever it is that they're planning, I'm sure they will leave the civilians out of it." Rain said.

"I don't know why... but sometimes, I feel like I have to wonder... Are we fighting for the right side?" Sidra asked.

"We are helping those in need. We are doing everything we can to insure they live normal lives. We are not the face of any faction. In a war, you have to look at the side who had gained the most. We are most defiantly not that said."

"Then who is? Also, don't you think that..."

Before she finished her sentence, they saw that very bright light from behind the car as they left the city. In an instant, they felt the car rising from the ground. That was the last thing they both remembered for a while.

Waking up covered by blood inside the upside-down car was the first thing Sidra remembered. The seat belt had kept both of them stuck inside. Fire was everywhere. The sound of screaming people running everywhere is still intact in everybody's memory.

"Rain... Rain... please, wake up." She said with a low tone trying to shake him. "Rain... please, answer me."

"What happened...?" He replied.

"I have no idea. We are stuck in the car upside-down like that. Try not to move. Your head is bleeding." She said.

"Sidra... Do NOT MOVE." Rain shouted, "Aren't you feeling this?"

"Feeling what? What's wrong?" She said looking down at her abdominal area.

There was a large piece of metal right through her lower right side.

"I'll get you out of here. Do not panic." He said.

He kept trying to push the car's door out, but it would not open. He freed himself from the seatbelt and went to the back seats. However, he had the same problem. The doors were completely jammed. He was finally able to break what was left of the back window and got out of the car. Getting Sidra out was the harder task.

"Sidra... Sidra... You have to wake up... HEY... I said wake up... Do not die on me..."

"Why are you shouting? My hearing is back to normal now. I don't hear that weird noise associated with the explosion any more. Can I go to sleep now? Thank you..." Sidra said with one eye open.

"No... No... No... Wake up I said." He finally freed her seatbelt and dragged her out. He, for seconds, looked behind towards the city and could not see anything.

They both were out of the car with no one they could ask for help. Everyone was running for their lives that day.

"Where are we? Why can't I see the city?" Sidra said with one eye still open.

"Probably just the leftover dust from some every day's explosions." He replied.

Sidra went into a deep sleep after that.
Chapter 30

# Coma

"Oxygen mask? Where did Rain find that exactly? We are in the middle of nowhere outside the city." Sidra thought as she was walking up trying to remove the Oxygen mask of her face.

"Do not remove that. You still need it." A nurse said.

"Where am I?" Sidra asked.

"You are in a hospital. Someone brought you in about a week ago. He was in a bad shape himself." The nurse explained.

"A week? Has it been that long? Where is Rain? I have to see him."

"Please do not move. You just had a surgery."

"What surgery? Where's Rain? And where is this place anyway?"

"It's a private hospital at the borders of Estil. A helicopter brought you in."

"Please, listen to the nurse. Trying to move will make things worse for you. I'm afraid we have some bad news." A doctor said as he entered the private room.

"Please do not tell me that Rain is dead." She said.

"Oh, no. He will be fine. I wanted to tell you that you have lost a kidney. We did everything we could to save it. The damage was just irreversible." He explained.

"Ok, what's the bad news?" She asked.

"That was the bad news, ma'am." He said.

"You must be kidding... Is that it? A kidney is all I lost?"

"As far as I know, yes." He said.

"Wow, Thank God. I must be the luckiest girl in Estil. I know people who lost arms, legs, eyes or even more valuable organs in a much smaller explosion. If a kidney is all I have lost, that's great. Now, can I see my fiancé, please?" Sidra asked.

Surprised to her reaction, the doctor and the nurse shook their heads agreeing to let her see Rain. They took her in a wheel chair to Rain's room, where he was sleeping attached to machines.

"He's in a coma. The kind we don't know when the patient might wake up from. Other than that, he's recovering very well form the wounds. I guess, he's even luckier than you were. He did not lose any organs." The nurse said.

"Then, why is he in a coma?" She asked as she got closer to his bed.

"We don't know. He was fine when you were brought in. He was covered by blood. We took care of him, and he seemed fine. He wanted to stay by your side all the time. But we, like all other hospitals, were short-staffed. So... He helped us for days. Two days ago we found him unconscious by your bed side. The doctors still aren't sure if it was caused by exhaustion." The nurse told Sidra.

"Always thinking of others even when he can't help himself. I'm so proud of him." Sidra said. "The news... I need to watch the news... Do you have a TV?"

"I'm afraid this is not a good idea." The nurse replied.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to let me. I need to know what exactly happened." Sidra said.

Sidra still wishes that she had listened to the nurse that day and not turned on the TV. A speech by president Lion was being repeated on TV almost all day ever since the incident. She listened to only half of it before she turned the TV off.

"But... I promise you that the loss of nearly a million innocent people will not be in vain. We will fight those responsible to the day we die. It's in my deepest regrets to announce the complete destruction of the capital. As of today, Estil will remain with no capital until we avenge the dead. May this great nation get back on its feet like never before... May those who were killed rest on peace. And may their souls and kind spirits protect our nation from similar attacks."

"No capital? Spirits protecting us? Million have died? Has he gone mad? And why is he still alive if there is no capital anymore? What on earth had happened?" Sidra thought.

She looked around her and found one of the computers that are used in the hospitals. She unplugged it from all of its connections and shut it down. She, then, kept looking for her necklace. It was nowhere to be found. She asked the nurse about it.

"Oh, do you mean the neckless that was around your neck when you came in? I gave it to Mr. Rain. I'm not sure where he put it."

"Show me his stuff." Sidra said.

After giving her Rain's stuff, she found her neckless in one of his pockets. She took it and gently ran it over her bracelet. The neckless turned green. Then, she cracked open the laptop and put the neckless in a port she found on the motherboard. After that, she turned the computer back on. The computer ran normally with no special changes to the operation system. She accessed a web page where she was asked to enter a user name and a password. By doing so, the neckless started flashing with green light.

She kept working and entering codes to the computer for minutes. When she was done, she had access to one of the major satellites that were/are orbiting earth right above Estil. That satellite records everything for at least a month. Accessing footage, that had happened a week before, was not a problem. She focused on the capital moments before the big explosion happened.

A beam of massive energy was focused right on the center of the capital. In moments, the entire city was unseen because of the smoke. The explosion caused a huge cloud. It did indeed look like the bombing on Hiroshima during the Second World War. Sidra did not know that it was the doing of the Siwaar project. It was not long before the screen started getting some interference. The entire computer just shut down, and the necklace inside turned off.

"No... Don't go..." She said. "I refuse to accept this. There is no way the entire capital is gone. What is this? They want to rule a country with no people?"

"Miss Sidra... You have some visitors." A nurse told her.

"Hello... Good to see you... Sitting on the floor... with... of course... a computer in front of you." Yazan said with a smile.

"Hey... Where were you? I don't know what's going on. What happened to the capital?" She asked.

"A lot had happened." He said.

"Yeah... I gathered as much. The nurse said I had visitors. Who came with you?" She asked.

"Sidra... It is good to finally meet you." Commander Hazeem, Rain's father, said.

"You? What are you doing here? Did you come to finish what you started months ago? I'm still suffering from your men's torture." She said.

"Please, try to understand that I had nothing to do with that. In fact, I'm the one who got you and Rain out of the capital on time." Hazeem said.

"Should I be grateful or something?"

"What happened to Rain?" Hazeem asked ignoring her comment.

"They told me he went into a coma right before I woke up."

"What happened was just too much to bear. Especially, if you think you are responsible for all of the lost lives." Hazeem said

"What are you talking about?" Sidra asked.

"Sorry... I think he should tell you himself. Whatever happened... You have to convince him that it was not his fault. Get well...We will need the two of you with full energy soon enough." Hazeem said.

"What happened to the capital?" Sidra said.

"You will know everything when the time comes. For the time being focus on nursing your body back to health. I'll be back in a week." Hazeem said as he turned around.

"Wait..." Sidra said.

Commander Hazeem left without saying another word. He left leaving Sidra behind not sure what he was talking about. After few days, Rain's health was getting better. It took him a while to finally wake up.

"What is that? Did I fell asleep? And why does by back hurt?" Rain asked as he was waking up.

"Sir, you are in the hospital. You went into a coma for days." A nurse told him.

"Coma? What do you mean? I was just fine. The last thing I remember was a phone call I had with my uncle... My uncle? He... Oh... No... Sidra... Is she ok... My head hurts." He said that as he put his hands on his head and closed his eyes as if he was screaming inside.

"Sir, please try to relax. Don't think about anything. You have been through a lot. Let me call the doctor." The nurse said.

"Mr. Rain, I am glad to see you well. Please relax. Everything is fine. Don't worry. It was not a life threatening situation. We believe that the head trauma you suffered was triggered by emotions, which led to your coma. Your brain can only handle so much at a time. Try to not think about anything." The doctor explained.

"Where is Sidra? The girl I was with? Is she ok?" Rain asked.

"I'm fine. Welcome back to planet earth." Sidra said with a straight face as she entered the room.

"Hey... You are ok. I'm sorry they could not save your kidney."

"I'll live."

"What's wrong? Why the straight face? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"I am. Just focus on getting better."

"Please make sure you do not exhaust yourself Mr. Rain. Miss Sidra... a word, please?" The doctor said.

"Yes, Sir." Sidra replied and followed him outside the room.

"I'm not sure what's going on between the two of you. But whatever it is, you have to keep it behind you and not mention it. He's been through enough." The doctor quietly told Sidra.

"That's the problem. Nothing was left behind. Never mind. I will do my best to keep him comfortable." She said.

"Sidra? I think we need to talk." Rain said as he saw her finishing her talk with the doctor.

"No, we do not. Just get better, ok?" Sidra said and thought, "I'm afraid if we talk, I might end up killing him."

"Ok... Have you contacted the Burj?" Rain said while thinking, "I think she already knows."

"No, but your father was here few days ago. He did not say anything."

"Please, do me a favor and contact Yazan. I need to talk to him."

"Sorry, but you will be getting no phone calls for days."

Few days later, Yazan called Sidra asking to speak with both of them. It sounded urgent.

"Rain? Where are you? And what happened to you? We have a huge problem. We need all of your help."

"What problem? What's going on over there?"

"An uprising... They think that the Burj is responsible for the destruction of the capital. We got info that people are on their way as we speak to destroy the Burj."

"What? What is my father doing about it?"

"They are all civilians. We can't just shoot them. We need Sidra back to help reprogram the protective electric walls."

"You want her to electrically shock the civilians now? Besides, the electric wall was damaged years ago. No one has tried to reactivate it due to the lack of electricity in the entire country." Rain said.

"We fixed the walls. Sidra was working on it for months before everything went crazy. She never got it finish though. When commander Hazeem came along, I told him about it and he said not to finish fixing it. Then, the capital was destroyed.... and all of its electricity is under our control now." Yazan said.

"I never agreed to rebuild the electric system of the walls so you can shock civilians with it." Sidra said.

"So, it's true? Is that what you and Yazan were hiding?" Rain said.

"I guess we all have things to hide after all." Sidra replied.

"We are wasting time. They might be civilians, but they mean business. We can't afford for the Burj to get into the wrong hands once again. You know they will only destroy whatever they can." Yazan added.

"Rain, I think it's time we go back to the Burj and join them." Sidra said.

"I'll ask my father to send someone to get us. If we leave on our own, it will take us days to go back."

"Good. We'll be waiting. And be careful you two." Yazan said as he got off the phone.

"You know what I have done. And the look on your face shows how mad you are at me. I need to explain."

"Explain what exactly? The fact that the capital literally disappeared?" Sidra said.

"This is not fair. I had no idea that this was the plan. I was as shocked as anyone else. They told me it was just going to be a threat tool."

"And that justifies allowing one person to have control on such a tool? Oh, by the way, I don't know if you have heard. But president Lion is very much alive. He was not even in the capital that day."

"I know..." Rain said as he looked down.

"They told me that Siwaar can only burn small objects from outer space. I didn't know that they had such massive energy." Sidra said after she calmed down.

"It's called Dury. It doesn't have any of the radioactivities associated with Uranium." Rain said.

"This have gotten out of control." She said.

It only took commander Hazeem few hours to send a helicopter to take Rain and Sidra out of the hospital. They were doing ok. Not in a great shape, but ok.
Chapter 31

# It's Your Fault

Let me explain Rain's play in all of this. Hundreds of years ago, wars occurred between many countries. That led to the destruction of many nations. Millions of people were killed when one of the fighting countries decided to use weapons of mass distraction. It was one of the biggest tragedies in the human history. They named that time by the Greatest Wars.

Years after the wars ended, a group of intelligent people met and decided few things. One of which was that no one nation can ever have such power. The key for powerful weapons in any nation cannot be activated with less than ten assigned people. Using brain activates and heart rate monitors, ten people get tested first. They knew how hard it would be for ten people to agree on using such weapons at the same time. All ten people had to have similar steady heart rates and very specific brain activities. Hundreds of years had passed and no one was able to cheat that. In another word, it was impossible for anyone to launch such a weapon or to over write the code.

Rain's secret agenda was to collect as many brain waves data from his patients. The idea was to search new ways to over write the code letting one person have control over weapons of mass destruction. The only difference is the new weapon, Siwaar, uses Dury rather than Uranium. To be fair, Rain only agreed to it because he was told that it would only be used as a threatening tool. All he wanted was to get rid of the President Maki Lion.

On the helicopter, Rain and Sidra did not see eye to eye.

Rain: "How did you know that my uncle was responsible for the attack on the capital?"

Sidra: "I have access to data I should not have access to."

Rain: "So, my uncle does not know that you know..."

Sidra: "No, he does not. He knew I was in the capital that moment. If he wanted me dead, I would want to know why. Have you spoken to him?"

"Yes, I did. He said and I quote, 'We had to show them what we are capable of. They should be grateful that we did not use the nuclear heads.' He thought that you and I have gotten out on time."

"He thought? I lost a kidney and you went into a mysterious coma."

"We're almost here. I can see the Burj. It seems like hundreds of people are surrounding the building."

"Once this is over, I want to know why everything in my life always goes back to your family."

"And I want to know why I am the son of such a family."

The helicopter landed on the roof of the Burj where Yazan, Mai and the others were waiting. Everyone welcomed them back and asked how they were doing.

"We'll live." Sidra said.

"Would someone please explain why we are being attacked by civilians?" Rain asked

"When was the last time you watched TV?" Yazan asked.

"They think we are responsible for what happened to the capital." Mai said.

"What does the TV have to do with it?" Sidra asked.

"I think you need to watch this..." Yazan said.

He took his tablet out and played a speech by an anonymous source. They declared to the entire world that their organization was responsible for the attacks. And that anyone who crossed them would have the same ending. Part of the speech was:

"We are giving President Maki Lion one more week to leave Estil completely. Otherwise, more cites will have the same fate as the capital did. The Burj is our new base, and we will not allow the administration's personal to have access to it."

"When was this aired?" Rain asked.

"Few hours ago... Right before the people got angary and started attacking the Burj." Mai replied.

"What made them say that the Burj is their new base? Is commander Hazeem in on this?" Sidra asked.

"No, I am not. I have no idea who would take such measures." Commander Hazeem replied after hearing their conversation.

"The capital was destroyed entirely. We cannot blame the civilians for attacking us." Sidra said.

"This is why we needed your help in activating the electric walls." Yazan said.

"No, I changed my mind. I have no intention of becoming their poppet. They told the people that we are behind it. Let them protect the Burj their own way."

"But..."

"She's right. The electric walls can hurt a lot of people. They are angry, and they have the right to be." Rain said.

"Warning... Warning... Fighters approaching..." Voice over the speakers announced.

"Fighters? Since when do civilians have that?" Rain asked.

"They don't... It's the Peacekeepers'. They must have figured out that I turned on them. Everyone... Inside... NOW..." Hazeem shouted at everyone.

"What on earth is happening? They made the entire country turn against us."

"We still have few minutes. Commander Hazeem, I think you should take the helicopter and leave. You will be executed if you ever get caught." Rain said to his father.

"I am not running a way. We will stay underground in the basement."

"It's not safe enough."

"Everyone to the basement now... I'm not going to argue."

There were over a hundred and ten people at the Burj that day. Aircrafts were coming from above and people were gathered outside on the ground. Everyone wanted the Burj destroyed.

"This is a first and final warning... We will bomb the Burj if commander Hazeem does not surrender himself immediately." A voice came from a tank that was approaching the Burj.

Hazeem told everyone that he would surrender himself and save the others.

"You have to leave as soon as they take me away." He said.

"You can't be serious. They will kill you for sure." Rain said as he stood in his father's way.

"Out of my way, kid. It's not up for discussion." He replied pushing Rain out of his way.

"Wait... There's no proof that they would let us go. Giving up that easily does not even make any sense." Sidra told him.

"It makes perfect sense. I know these people, and I know how they think. They probably think that I know something about how they used a massive beam on the capital. What happens after they take me is still better than what will happen if they do not. Trust me... I know what I'm doing." The commander said as he left them.

He walked out, and he was captured immediately. Surprisingly, they just left. The aircrafts were seen going away. The tanks and the hummer, that they put the commander inside also left. However, they still had to deal with the angry civilians who had surrounded the Burj.

For some reason, Sidra could not keep her mouth shut that day. She just had to say it. Maybe what she said that day was the reason she became the person she is today.

"This is unbelievable... For years, the administration have been killing and stealing from us. They ruined our lives and took any joy out of it. Instead of joining forces, people turned against each other and started a civil war. Now, out of nowhere, they decided to join forces against us fully knowing how much good we did, and how many people we have helped. I'm going out and speaking to them."

"You can get shot so easily. So, sit down and do nothing... It's time you activated the electric walls." Yazan yelled at her.

"No, I'm with her this time. Let's reason with them and show them the truth. Some things can't be fixed with power." Rain said.

With no further discussion, they both left and walked out to the balcony of the first floor.

"Do not shoot... I am not your enemy." She said.

When the people saw her, they got angrier. They started yelling and throwing things at both Sidra and Rain.

"You don't even know who I am." She said.

"You're the woman who appeared on TV promising us the change. You were working for the administration." Someone yelled.

"It's true. You did. I almost forgot about that." Rain said.

"I need speakers. Please, grab them from the storage in that room. I need them to hear me." Sidra asked Rain.

He got the speakers. It took few minutes to calm the people down. They finally started listening.

"The Burj had nothing to do with the attack on the capital. We were set up. I assure you that we will do everything in our power to rebuild what was destroyed."

People did not seem to care about what she had to say. At that moment, she got more serious and said,

"The capital was turned into dust because of a failed attempt to the kill the president. But I must say that you are the ones responsible for everything that had happened. Yes, you. Each and every one of you... You destroyed your lives using your own hands.

You forgot the misery and suffering that Lion had put us through. What happened at the capital was a tragedy that will never be forgotten. Let's focus on what's left. Instead of stopping the problem from its roots, you went after each other and started killing one another for a piece of bread.

And when someone wanted to help you, take care of some of your problems, and take children off the streets, you used them. You would not even let us help you. You told your kids to be afraid of the administration and to go along with whatever they say. But you never told your kids to grow up and be the generation that is not afraid of saying the truth.

You never told them to grow up and keep an eye on the needy or help each other. You never told them to become the people that rebuilt what was destroyed. You don't get to come here blaming us for your mistakes. It was your fault. As much as it pains me to say, we all have failed as humans. What's wrong with us?"

Obviously, she just said what she was thinking. Her speech was not organized enough. She assumed that people would get angrier and would throw more things at her. But instead, she got nothing. Silence was all she got.

No one even moved an inch or said anything. She hoped for any reaction. But there was nothing. Moments of silence passed, and then, people just turned around. Without a single word, they just left. Few hundred people were there that day. No one said a word. They left and that was it.

"I think you were too harsh on them." Rain told Sidra.

"Yeah, I think so too. I did not mean to say what I was thinking. But I couldn't help but say the truth." She said.

"I think that they know that. It's probably why they just left. Or they knew that we had nothing to do with it. Even though someone told the world that we did." Rain said.

They went down and met with everyone else.

"That was very dumb what you just said and did. But thank you. Someone had to say the truth." Yazan said.

"I still don't know what just happen. I cannot believe they just left us that easily." Sidra added.

"Sir, we have a call from Mr. Aser." A man told Yazan.

"Put him on the big screen." Yazan said.

"What in the name of God did Sidra just do?" Aser screamed from the video call.

"I'm in the room. I can hear you." Sidra replied.

"Good. Come closer to the camera, so I can yell at you directly. You cannot just talk badly about the administration publicly." Aser yelled.

"Publicly? They were only about a hundred people, and they just left. How did you know what I said?" Sidra asked.

"You didn't know? Everything happened was aired to the national TV. Also, it's all over YouTube by now." Aser said.

"Say what? We had no idea."

"I can sit and yell at the two of you for an hour now. But that would be a waste of time. We're going to have to execute plan Orb now."

"What? We can't do that. We're not powerful enough." Sidra said.

"An anonymous source just told the whole world that the Burj was behind the destruction of the capital. We're going to use that to our advantage. You're lucky President Lion did not order the Burj to be bombed just yet. They must think that Hazeem has some info they can use." Aser said.

"What do you suggest we do?" Sidra asked.

"I'm not suggesting. I am telling you what to do. The Burj will declare its independence from the administration of Estil."

"We cannot just do that." Rain said.

"You don't have much of a choice. But first, I need you here at Orb." Aser said.
Chapter 32

# Leave and Never Look Back

It was a long conversation between Aser and our friends. After a long argument, they decided to go to Orb, and map out the first stages of the plan.

Rain, Sidra, and Yazan were the ones asked to Orb. Everyone else including Samir, Laith and Mai had to stay behind to protect the Burj. Leaving the Burj that day, Sidra and Rain had committed what they considered the biggest mistake of their lives. Leaving their friends behind and everything they stood for was not the right call that day.

"The electric walls are now activated. You should be fine in the time being." Sidra said.

"Take care of yourselves and be careful out there." Mai said.

"I have a bad feeling about this. I feel like I should stay." Sidra said.

"Maybe I should stay and look for my father." Rain added.

"No, we need both of you. As for your father, we can use Orb's resources to find him and get him out." Yazan said.

"Do not forget to invite us to your wedding." Samir said smiling.

"Your name will be the first on the list, my best man." Rain said as he hugged him.

They said goodbyes and left as if they would be gone forever. They all had bad feeling about that day.

\------------------------

After nearly a week of constant work in Orb, Sidra and Rain received some concerning news. The one and only hospital near the Burj area was bombed. Many buildings were completely damaged as well. Rain had to go and help. Sidra insisted to go with him.

"I'm sorry, but my friends need my help at the hospital." Rain told Aser.

He gave them permission to leave for a while, but he requested their return as soon as it became possible. They got to the hospital around 5 AM. The bombing damaged big parts of the building. Some areas were not damaged but filled with wounded people. A lot of people had died. Many infants were brought in dead as well. Way too much death was seen that day.

A father brought in his few years old girl covered by blood. Rain, who was in charge of that case, could not help but notice that she was already dead. He took her from her father's arms and lay her down on the floor. He did not know how to tell the father that she was gone.

"Sir, your face is covered by blood. Please, let me take care of you." Rain said.

"MY FACE... WHO CARES... Save my daughter, please..." The man screamed at him.

Sidra, who was too busy helping the wounded, noticed the screaming. She turned to see what was happening.

"Sir, please try and understand that this is war. And we all have lost some people. Please, remember that we will all end up in a grave one way or another." Sidra told the man.

"No, what did she ever do to anyone? She's just a kid." The man said as he cried and sat on the floor looking at his dead daughter.

"I'm really sorry. Please let us take care of your wounds while we send for someone to help in burying your daughter." Sidra said.

The man cried and took his daughter and left. Rain and Sidra just looked at him as he walked away. They could not say anything else. They both went back to what they were doing. The sound of people screaming about the loss of their loved ones still stuck in their heads. It was around 8 AM when everyone at the hospital heard a big sound of explosion not far away. Due to the number of people at the hospital who needed help, they could not even look outside to see where the explosion was. Another explosion was heard, and once again, they ignored it. They kept helping the wounded as they kept coming in. About an hour later, Rain shouted at Sidra to leave what was in her hands and go with him.

"Something is wrong... My bracelet turned red. I think the Burj was bombed." Rain told her.

"No, they would not dear..." She said not believing him.

"We can't go to the Burj and see. So, let's go to the woods where we can have a clear view of the Burj. We have to stay at a safe distance." Rain said.

"Let's just go." She said leaving everything to the few staff members left at the hospital.

They went into the woods and had a very clear view just like Rain said. They could not believe what they saw. The Burj was gone. And so was everyone in it. About ten tanks were in their way to the wreckage of the Burj. Samir was seen getting out of the Burj with few other people. Sidra and Rain witnessed Samir and the other guys get shot by the soldiers in the tanks. Sidra put her hands over her mouth not believing any of it. She just went into a complete shock.

"It is a war, and we are not going to leave this world without a fight." Rain said as he gave her a gun.

She looked at him with her teary eyes not knowing what to do. After standing there for almost ten minutes, she finally realized that this was not the way to pay them back. She threw a way the gun and said,

"I'm done. Let them rule a land with no people."

"What do you mean?" Rain asked.

"I have seen enough. We did everything we could to stop them. We helped as much as we could. I want to leave Estil once and for all. I cannot see any more blood." She said.

"Aser is calling... Do not go anywhere. Please sit down." He told her.

"Leave the area immediately." Aser ordered them and said, "Your names are on a kill list."

"Sidra... Sidra... Hey... Focus..." He shouted while shaking her. She had no response what so ever.

"We can't just leave, Aser. We might have to fight them before they approach us. We only have two guns. Also, Sidra is not responding." Rain told Aser on the phone.

"Do not get yourselves killed. Do whatever it takes to get out of their alive. It's an order." Aser said and hung up.

Rain stood there not sure how to react or what to do. He couldn't fight them. He couldn't leave without Sidra who stood on a side with wide-opened eyes.

"You want to leave? By all means... Do it... You cannot even do that now. Can you? We're few minutes away from getting killed. We will get caught if we leave this place. We're surrounded." He told her.

There was no response at all. She was completely traumatized as she saw her brother get killed. Rain sat down on the ground putting his hands over his head. He remembered his friends who were just killed right in front of him. He could not blame Sidra for going in a shock like that. He just had to be stronger.

He remembered the bracelet and the purple code. He could use his and Sidra's to cause a divergence while they escape. But once again, Sidra seemed like a dead person. There was no time. So he could not even think.

"I need you to focus with me. SIDRA!" He slapped her as he yelled. It was a strong slap that she fell on the ground.

"That did hurt." She finally said something.

"Good. That was the point." He said, "We need to use code purple. We're going to burn our way out of here."

"I don't care. I do not feel like I want to live anymore. I want to leave this country. I hate it." She said.

"You have to live. Think of the future we tried to build together." Rain said.

"I did not want to come back to Estil last time I left. I thought about running. Then, I heard that you and my brother have been shot, so I came back." She said.

"For now, we need to leave. Just know whatever happens, I'm here for you." He said and got up.

He looked at his gun and had another idea. He took the bullets out and said, "Code purple". The bracelet opened and turned purple. He threw it with the bullets away in the direction of the soldiers and the tanks. It exploded and everything around was covered by smoke. He grabbed Sidra and started running while shooting his way out with the other gun.

After they went back to Orb, Sidra had already made up her mind.

"What do you mean you want to leave?" Aser asked Sidra.

"It's not my fight anymore. What did I ever do to deserve seeing my brother and best friends get killed?" She questioned.

"I'm sorry about your friends and everything you had to go through. But you cannot leave. Not after opposing the administration the way you did." Aser explained.

"I only said what everyone was thinking." She said.

"I know. Few days from now, we will publicly announce the birth of Orb. We want you to be the speaker of the new era." Aser told her and left the room asking her to think about it.

At that point, Rain had it with her. He was feeling the pain just like she was, if not more. He just said without thinking,

"You want to leave? Leave... Leave and never look back. I don't want you here anymore."

Sidra never really expected that from him. She did not know what to say.

"You just want to escape after what you did. I hope you know that they were killed because of what you said a week ago. They bombed the Burj because of you. Maybe we should've kept our mouths shut and not opposed the government so publicly."

Sidra knew that he was right. She left running to her room. She spent the next few days in bed. She never left Orb. No one spoke of the matter after that. One day, her mother, Jenna, safely arrived to Orb.

"Mother?" Sidra said as she ran towards her mother and started crying, "They killed them. They killed them all."

"I know... I'm really sorry honey. They killed my son, your brother" Jenna said and cried.

I'm not sure about what exactly Jenna and Sidra talked about. But whatever it was, Sidra almost got back to her usual self. Not long after that, the entire world saw Sidra on TV. The message was broadcasted on both national and international TV. It was also on YouTube, where people shared it and retweeted it over and over again.
Chapter 33

# Welcome to Orb

"I do not even know where to begin. The whole idea behind all of this was to let the world know about our suffering. But what can you do if the world does not care. What can you do if we have been fighting the wrong enemy? For years, we thought that poverty, ignorance, and all of this killing were because of Lion's administration... The government that we allowed to rule us... We never stopped for a second and thought about the real enemy inside each and every one of us. We kept looking outside and never bothered to look inside. We fought and fought and wondered why our prayers have not been answered. God is never going to change people if the people refuse to change themselves. You have no one to blame for your actions but yourselves. It is because of you that we have to live this life. The moment you gave your humanity away was the day you killed us all.

Can we please for a second put our differences a side and start looking at what make us all the same? It is our humanity. It is our desires to live a better life. Why haven't we united for once and agreed to change? Change is not always good, but it is much better than living in the same black hole for years. Why are we poor? Because we did not work hard enough... Because we did not allow the kids to go to schools and instead... we see them work on the streets.

What was the first thing that Japan did after the nuclear attacks in the Second World War? They put chairs and tables on the wreckage and started teaching their kids. They taught them that war was never the answer. They told them that the only thing they had to defeat their enemies is knowledge. They did not sit down waiting to see what the government had to do for them. They were the government.

Therefore, we have decided to let them rule a land with no people. We have decided to declare our independence from Estil. We publicly declare disobedience. We shall all be exiled. As a result, we declare Orb to be our National Exile". Sidra concluded her speech.

It was the day that changed Estil forever. In fact, it was the day that we all started thinking twice about our nation. What Aser and everyone else in Orb had planned needed years to put together.

Let me explain what really happened. In fact, let me explain my part in all of it. You are probably wondering who I am in the first place. I happened to believe that you are a smart reader and can figure it out on your own.

Remember the project that Rain was involved with? The one that allowed Dr. Shaheen, Rain's uncle, to wipe out the capital entirely? Well, Rain was not the only one who did not know what was going on. I actually was there when the order of destroying the capital was given. There was nothing I could've done. Except that I did one small thing. I called Commander Hazeem, Rain's father, and told him what was going on. And that's when he ordered Rain, Sidra, and everyone else to leave the capital.

After the capital was completely destroyed, Hazeem, Aser, and I had a plan. I was in NY when everything happened. So I flew back to Estil, which was such a long story. Anyhow, I had access to Orb. As soon as I got in, an emergency meeting was requested. Everyone who was involved with the Siwaar project was called from all over the world. I was terrified. I did not know how they were going to react to what we had planned.

I slowly walked towards the main door of the conference room. I raised my shoulders, and looked at the sky through the outside windows. I could not stop my hands from shaking as I reached the doors' handles. I quickly opened the double doors, and hid my fears deep inside. I put a nice smile on and pretended that everything was going just fine. Nearly fifteen men and women were surrounding a long-glassy table.

"Ladies and gentlemen... Welcome to Orb." I said proudly.

"Who are you? And what's going on in here?" One of the men asked.

"Me? I'm just the messenger." I replied, "And Orb is our National Exile."

"This is absurd, young lady. You can't just exile an entire country?"

"I'm sorry, but which planet have you been living on?" I said with an annoyed tone. "We've been exiled for the past years. You called that a living?"

"No, but...." The man replied. "How do you think you can force them to stay away? Dr. Shaheen has full access to the satellite, Siwaar."

"Do you know what Siwaar stands for?" I asked. "SIWAAR, Super Intelligence, Wireless Accessible, Activated Remotely."

"Are you confident that you can regain full control over it?" The man asked.

"Of course, I do. I designed the thing."

\---------------------------

Let's move forward in time. Few days before Sidra's declaration of independence speech was aired, we were all called for a meeting at a secured room in the base.

"We are going to aim the beam at Estil's military bases. That way we can ensure they will not come near us." Aser said.

"Do you think that we can push the trigger if necessary?" Yazan asked.

"They better be smart enough not to push us that far. Because yes, we will do that." Aser replied.

"You are willing to kill even more people?" Sidra asked.

"We are talking about the soldiers who chose to stay and fight for Lion. What do you expect us to do?" Aser asked.

"I expect us to at least give them a chance. Give them the choice of where they want to end up. Most of them, including us, joined the administration because it was our only option." Sidra said.

"We cannot just trust these people." Rain said.

"She's right. We say that we come in peace and that's what we are going to do. The final decision will be theirs. Now, since it's your idea, Sidra, I think you should tell them yourself." Aser said.

"Who? me? Tell who? What?"

"We have decided to make you the speaker of Orb. What do you think?"

"The what? I only told the people what was on my mind few days ago. I did not mean to give a speech."

"We know that. It's your chance to make the difference you always dreamed about."

And that was when the speech was aired.

A week had passed since the big speech. Nothing significant happened. Even the local news stopped broadcasting the violence that was happening in many cities. People on the streets were just confused about what Orb was all about. No one knew what to think or make of it. On a Friday afternoon, the Orb logo appeared on all the screens in Estil. Everyone, almost everywhere, were very excited and looking at the screens hoping they hear anything good. Few minutes later, we got the speech that put everything in order. It was the starting point for the greater Orb.

"In the name of God... It's in my greatest honor to announce the birth of our new home... Orb. Starting today, we are no longer under the commands of Lion's administration. We are an independent country that just diverged out of Estil. The entire northern region is now under our control. We have placed laser nodes around the entire area that we administrate. No one is to get in without approval. Please... Let it be known that our military advanced satellites have energetic beams directed towards the regions that are still under Lion's administration. Any military movement towards our borders will not be tolerated. However, we do come in peace. As long as we are left to have the peace our hearts desired.

We are not to attack other nations. We are not to allow other nations to attack us. We are not to be engage in conflicts of other nations. We are asking for your help to achieve the goal of rebuilding what was destroyed. We are welcoming anyone who shows interest in our values. Our gates are open to anyone who seeks refuge and looking to help us rebuild our homes. May peace be upon us all, and may God lead us to the straight path... Ladies and gentlemen, it's in my greatest honor to present to you the temporary president of Orb. Dr. Aser."

"Thank you...Sidra. Thank you for sharing our thoughts with the public with such love and care. I know that you have a million questions. And I know that none of you even know who I am. I'm just one of you. For years, I was working behind the scenes to get to where we are today. As Sidra just said, I am just a temporary president. Your real president will be chosen by you..."

The speech was not very long. It was just long enough for everyone to wrap their heads around what was happening. People were just hopeful that day. They were happy but scared at the same time. We had no idea what would happen. We just knew that Maki Lion would not leave us, or the people who remind outside Orb's gates alone. Only few hours after the speech was aired, the International Peace Agency, IPA, held an emergency meeting. We were right. Lion did not leave us alone. On the other hand, a lot of presidents from all over the world released statements congratulating Orb on declaring its independency.

At the base, a meeting was held where everyone who was involved in the operation of declaring Orb was present.

Aser said, "Everyone, please listen, the IPA has ordered an emergency meeting in their headquarters. There is a high chance that they declare us terrorists. Maki Lion's friends are all working with the IPA. They're not going to leave us alone. But we knew this would happen anyway. The only question now is whether to show them what we are capable of and put the lives of thousands on the line."

"We're not doing that. We are not like them. I say that we go interrupt their meeting, professionally."

"Agreed, then and only then, we can show them what we are capable of."

It was decided that Aser, his vice president, and few other people go to the IPA meeting personally. I was asked to stay in Orb to keep an eye on things. Rain and Jenna were invited to go as well.

"I'm going too." Sidra told Rain.

"No, you are not. They need you here. There is so much work to do. You cannot just leave that. We'll be back within a week anyway." He explained.

"Something does not feel right at all. It's hard to explain, but I feel....." Sidra said as Rain interrupted saying,

"We have been through a lot. This is one of the final steps to put an end to this once and for all. Also, when I'm back, you better already have set up a date for our weeding."

She smiled and said,

"A month from now it is."

"A month? That's it? I was expecting you to say, a year or something?" Rain replied with a surprised face.

"Hey, if you don't want to get married next month, it's fine. Nobody is forcing you to." She said.

"A month it is..." He said that smiling as he left her.

He was called in for a final meeting before they had to leave. Jenna heard part of their conversation, and she found herself asking Sidra,

"A month? You are spending just a month planning a wedding?"

"Of course NOT. I only need two days. One to buy the dress and another to prepare some stuff." Sidra answered.

"You're kidding, right?" Jenna said.

Sidra continued, "We have a lot of work to do in the next coming weeks here after we declared our independency. We have to help the people find some shelters and we also need to call for help to do some clean up. We need to organize people to make sure we are as efficient as possible."

"We're not talking about the wedding anymore, are we?" Jenna asked.

"No, weren't you listening, mom? I told you. I only need two days for that." Sidra said then paused for few seconds before continuing, "If I don't keep myself busy for at least the next week, my brain might explode from how worried I am about you and Rain. Something just does not feel right and I can't wrap my head around it. I'm very worried."

"We will be fine. Have some faith and keep us in your prayers." Jenna said.

Chapter 34

# We're Mountains

The International Peace Agency had to have an emergency meeting. Many presidents were discussing the future of Estil.

"What's happening in Estil is a joke. A country cannot just be divided like that. Not at the hands of terrorists anyway."

"We still do not know how legit they are, or if they really have the satellites they said they have."

"What if they are for real? Do we want to take chances?"

"Are you saying that we should just let them do as they please?"

"Of course not, but is it worth the risk?"

"President Lion? We have not heard your voice yet."

"I will not let them take Estil from me. I am willing to burn that Orb of theirs to the ground than let them have a piece of Estil."

"It may not be up to you Mr. President. You have failed Estil. You have failed us all."

"We have a deal. You cannot just get rid of me as easily as you think. If that was the case, you would not have bothered saving me from the attack on the capital."

"Deals change... You were told to exile the entire nation. Now, your country got divided. There is no deal after Orb declared its independence."

"Do you think it's that easy? People fight back."

In that moment, a very load of sound of explosion came from outside the windows of the meeting place. Everyone panicked and started making phone calls to determine what happened. Seconds later, Aser and his crew entered the room surrounded by security guards.

"How did you get in here? Were you responsible for that explosion?"

Aser replied while pointing to his guards to surround the room.

"That was just a demonstration of what we can do. Please look out the window on your left. We made President's Lion car disappear. By disappear, I mean explode. And yes, we did this with the satellites we promised we have."

"What do you want?"

"Simple, we want you to leave us alone. Also, we are taking Maki Lion as a war criminal."

"I'm afraid things are not that simple Dr. Aser. You can't just declare independency like that and divide a country the way you did."

"I did what I had to save the people you all failed miserably in protecting. The people of Estil suffered for years. Enough is enough."

Rain, who was standing right behind Aser, could not take it anymore. He moved forward and hit the table that everyone was sitting around and said with a very serious voice,

"You all listen to me very carefully... Tens of years have passed while you all sat on these same chairs doing the exact same thing. Which is nothing... We saw people get killed. Families destroyed. Orphans with nowhere to go. We got hungry and did not have anything to eat. No homes to go back to. We kept quiet for years. So, do not dare come telling us what to do and how to live our lives. Estil is our country. Orb is our escape route until we can save more people. You will publicly declare us independent and approve of Dr. Aser as a president until the people elect someone else. AND you will give us Maki Lion as he will be treated as a prisoner in his own country. OR I SWEAR, you will regret the moment you chose to turn your eyes away from what was happening in Estil."

From the moment Aser and his people entered that room, everything was broadcasted live to millions of people around the globe. As soon as Rain finished his last word, the broadcast stopped. And no one knew what exactly happened after that.

\-------------------------------------

In Orb, Everyone, including myself, are sitting not sure what to think. It has been few day since that broadcast. I thought it was a good use of my time to finish writing about what was going on. However, I have not written anything for days because there was nothing to write. Could this be it? Sidra is actually standing just across from me. She's looking at some stuff and maps on the main screen in the command room. Someone just walked in the room.

"Everyone, we received news that a private jet just left the IPA's location. Our intel assured us that Maki Lion is on board." A commander is saying.

"Then, they have failed. I thought something was not right." Sidra just said. She is raising her head and saying, "We cannot let Lion live. Let's shoot his plane down."

The commander just agreed to her suggestion. I'm not so sure what they are thinking. The preparations to access the satellites are starting. I see people working on their computers like crazy. It's actually happening. President Maki Lion is going to die.

Everything has been finalized. The countdown is starting.

"Five, four, three, two, one and..."

"WAIT!" I shout.

"What's wrong?" The commander is asking me.

"What if you were wrong? Something does not add up in here?" I just said.

"FIRE!" Sidra ordered.

Sidra completely ignored me. On the bright side, it's finally happened. The plane is down. We could see it on the screen turning to dust. Are we really free? I cannot shake that bad feeling away. Wait, something is happening. Breaking news on TV...

The news lady has just said, "The plane of the new president of Orb, the diverged country of Estil, was just shot down... I repeat... Dr. Aser is dead..."

"What on earth are they talking about? I think they meant to say President Maki Lion is dead." The commander is commenting.

On the news, "Dr. Aser and his crew had just left the International Peace Agency's headquarters when their plane was shot down. We will give you more about the names of the people on the plane as they become available."

Someone just walked in to the room with a message. He is saying,

"It seems that Dr. Aser and the guys were given one of president Lion's private jets. Lion was never on that plane. Everyone else who left with Aser was on that plane"

"No... This is not happening... They made us kill Aser on purpose. They tricked us." The commander is saying.

"Did I just help murder my mother and fiancé? Did this really happen? Did I kill mother and Rain along with Aser and the rest?" Sidra just said.

She seems unable to stand. This was supposed to be over. But it seems like we are back to square one.

More on the news, "It was just confirmed that Dr. Aser was indeed on that plane along with Rain Allam who tried forcing the IPA to approve the declaration of Orb. We all saw him threatening global leaders few days ago, during the IPA's emergency meeting. Rain is also the son of Hazeem Allam, the former Sargent Major of Estil's army. The word on the street is that Dr. Aser and his people were killed because the IPA did not want Orb to become a country on its own."

"We failed... It's over." People around me are saying.

But all I can think of is how Sidra is feeling right now. She killed them. She just killed her mother and Rain. The man she promised that she is going to merry in less than a month. More things are going on at the moment. People on the streets outside are just going crazy. Here is more on the news:

"Reporting live from Estil. We are on a helicopter right above the capital of Estil which was just destroyed less than a month ago. As you can see, millions of people in Estil have gone out to the streets screaming. "We're mountains" is the name of the uprising. It's amazing what I'm hearing right now. We are watching history being made."

Glory, Shine, Birds, Light, and Clouds

Amazingly beautiful

We'll protect with our bodies, flesh, and bones

And the struggle banner shall rise

In the face of the oppressive and the aggressor

We are mountains

In the face of the dictator, we are mountains

And the enemies, regardless of whom they are

Shall be disrespected

No matter what they ruin

Ignite fire

Transmit destruction

We are mountains

We are mountains no matter what they destroy and demolish

We shall dispose of the rival

It's really hard for me to explain all the craziness that is happening. The upset look on Sidra's face as she is looking at the screen is almost disturbing. She just killed her loved ones. She does not seem sad or angry. I can see the shocked expression with a hint of joy. I'm not sure what to make of her looks. I could tell that she's almost smiling looking at the news. Could this have been her plan all along? Did she kill them on purpose? But why? Was she not who I thought she was? Was I wrong about her? But she's the most honest person I've known. I really hope that the death of Aser, Rain, Jenna, and the others was indeed an accident. I do not think I can forgive her if she killed them on purpose.

Few days have passed. The people on the streets are getting angrier by the hour. There are more people on the streets now than there were few days ago when the whole thing started. Everyone is so mad after they lost their final hope. They really thought that peace was coming, and that at least part of Estil will have its freedom. However, everyone on the streets wants all of Estil to join Orb. They want to unite the nation under one leader. No one heard anything from Maki Lion yet. He could be dead as well, who knows.

Something interesting is happening right now. According to the news, what's left of Estil's army is trying to join Orb. Thousands of Estil's soldiers are surrendering the area as I write. Sidra did not leave her room for the past three days, but today she was forced to leave. Her presence was required at the main gate of Orb. She's helping brining people in. Orb became the new name for the entire northern region of Estil.

Few hours later:

It seems that the word of people was stronger than anything else. Estil's old and new armies are working together, so Orb can have a complete control over Estil. We were told that Sidra, the speaker of Orb, will give a speech in the next few minutes.

It's happening... Orb's logo just appeared on TV. Sidra is on TV.

"In the name of God... People of this great nation... Your voice was heard. You have finally come together as one united nation. You have finally put a hand in hand to ask for what you want. It brings tears to my eyes seeing the millions of people on TV screaming 'FREEDOM'.

For freedom you asked and freedom you shall get. Unity you wanted, and unity you have. We are no longer asking for Orb to become an independent country. We are announcing Estil as a one united country once again. And Orb shall be the name of the capital that was once destroyed. The IPA has just announced the legitimization of Estil as one nation and Aser as the president. With no further do, let me present to you, your leader, Dr. Aser."

"Aser? What's going on? He was killed. We killed him, didn't we?" Everyone around me is saying.

I am as shocked as everyone else, but Aser has just appeared on TV.

"I know that you have many questions. As you can see, I'm not dead. People of Estil, all we ever wanted was to see you for once ask for your rights. We wanted you to fight for your freedom. I wanted to lead country to its glories years. In order to do that, I had to make sure that you were with me. Seeing millions of you in the capital asking for unity and freedom, just brought joy to my heart. Seeing people trying to clean and rebuild the capital just made me realized how much you really wanted to live. I cannot wait to see the great things we can accomplish together. To the top shall we go, and on the top shall we die. The hard work has just begun. Let's show everyone who we really are."

This is just crazy. No one was expecting this at all, and for Sidra to be a part of it? I could hear screams of joy of every one on TV. Also, they have just announced that Maki Lion is in a prison and that he will be treated as a war prisoner. Everyone is so happy. I have never seen that much joy in Estil. Aser and the rest of the group just got back to Orb. Commander Hazeem was with them as well. His connections were able to release him with the chaos that happened in the country.

"Welcome back, Rain. How have you been?" Sidra asked Rain with a smile.

"Could not be happier. Especially that I am getting married in two weeks." Rain said and hugged her.

I'm just so happy for them. They are two of the most honest, brave, and loved people. I cannot believe that I doubted Sidra for a second. That was Sidra's last minute plan. After the IPA refused to declare Orb's independency, she decided that they should free Estil entirely not just part of it. But first, they needed the help of the people. They hoped that the news of Aser's death would move the people. So, they sent a self-piloted jet and destroyed it as soon as it was airborne.

Then, they leaked to the news that Aser and everyone else were on it. Once the people realized that they had lost the man who was fighting for them, they lost it. But they also realized that freedom is indeed achievable. As soon as the army showed interest in joining Orb, there was no reason to fear Estil anymore. Now, everyone is working together. Estil's army is under the control of Aser. He had already shown interest in rebuilding the destroyed cities. Peace is indeed coming to Estil. We just need faith. We have all put our trust in God and ourselves to rebuild what was destroyed. Also, they will announce some candidates for the presidency. Mr. Aser had kept his word of having an elected president for Estil.
Chapter 35

# I Do

Today is finally the day. It's Sidra's and Rain's wedding day. Even though, there is a lot going on, they have decided to not wait any longer. The ceremony will happen at Rain's family's mansion. Rain's father just threw the bride and the groom a very simple yet large party. What's interesting is that they opened the gates to everyone who wanted to come. No invitations were required. They asked the people to join them in their happy day. It's a celebration of marriage as well as a celebration of Estil's freedom. Everything just looks so beautiful.

"Sidra... Some one here wants to see you." Rain telling Sidra.

"Emma... No way... You're here." Sidra said and hugged her.

"I have been living here ever since I left the Burj. Mr. Rain put in a good word for me. I'm so sorry about everything that happened. Anyway, I don't want to bring sad memories on such a joyful day. I was so happy when Mr. Rain asked me to help you with the wedding stuff." Emma is saying as Rain interrupting,

"Please, how many times do I have to tell you to only call me Rain. No need for 'Mr.'"

Rain and Sidra have already obtained a marriage license. The custom is that the bride and the groom enter the room together once they have that. They just entered the room, and they look so happy together. Sidra's dress is so beautiful. It's floor long with long sleeves, and a high top. It's covered with small white flowers. She's always been very modest in what she wears. And so she is today. She's also wearing a silver tiara and a long white veil. Very beautiful wife and a very loving husband are celebrating their new lives. Everyone is having a great time.

It's around midnight and almost everyone had left. Sidra's mother, Rain's father, Rayan, Yazan, few friends, and of course, Rain and Sidra are all sitting at the balcony. The beach air is just amazing. Everyone is talking and enjoying themselves. Rain's father just received a phone call that he did not seem very happy about.

"What's wrong Dad? You seem upset?" Rain is asking.

His father is telling Rain about the problem. "It seems like there was a problem at the new hospital. One of the new medical devices we just got had a problem. They became short staffed because of it. I know it's your wedding night, and I am very sorry. But they asked if you could help them out for few hours during the night shift. As you know, a lot of our doctors were killed, and we still have not found replacements."

"Sidra?" Rain is looking at her.

"I'm going with you. I might be able to have a look at that device that stopped. I need to go change first." Sidra just said and is leaving the balcony to change out of her wedding dress.

"Son, I wish you both all the happiness in the world. And may your work be rewarded for as long as you may live." Rain's father just told Rain.

"I'm so proud of the two of you. I better go help her out. You should not be late for the hospital." Jenna is telling Rain.

And so, it seems like Rain and Sidra are spending their entire night working at the hospital. After all, they are doing what they always loved to do... Helping others.

\-------------------------------

Months have passed and Estil is looking better by the day. Everyone is working really hard to rebuild hospitals, schools, and homes. The people have chosen Aser to be the president of Estil for a period of three years. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you have an entire nation working for its success.

"Everyone... we have problems with the blue prints of the new school. I thought we agreed to have more classrooms. Also, what's up with that location? It's too far from the town." Sidra is telling some of the engineers.

"We are lacking labor. We cannot spend more money on location or size." The head of engineers replied to her.

They started asking more people to join and help. Most of Estil's resources are being used and sold to other countries in exchange for labor and equipment. Thousands of acers of land are being used for farming. For the first time in generations, Estil's people are working together. Projects to clean the water have already been established. Everyone under the age of eighteen is forced to go to school. They believe that the education system will be the solution to fixing the problems for the next generations.

Few days ago, Sidra made a public announcement as the new head of internal affairs. She talked about values and ethics. She also asked for the help of people from outside of Estil. You would not believe how many people applied to be volunteers here. Doctors, engineers, workers, teachers, and even cleaners are all in to help Estil. The country has suffered poverty and ignorance for years. We do not even have the resources to pay them. However, they still came and offered their help. As far as our people go, no one, and I really mean no one, is sitting down doing nothing these days. Even the elderlies have joined the work force. The rebuild of Estil may take years, but we are all determined to make it through these rough times. After all, we have lived through much worse.

As far as the army goes, they were able to make it one of the strongest using everything that the previous administration had already spent. Everyone now knows what Estil is capable of.
Chapter 36

# Read Between the Lines

All we ever wanted is to live a life away from the sounds of explosions and the smell of blood. Was that so much to ask? We are the only ones responsible for our own frailer. No one said that succeeding in life is an easy task. If you can't change your mind, you can't change anything in your life. Getting up each morning was such a pain knowing that the same drama is going to get repeated over and over again. Someone died, someone got injured, someone lost their son, and someone lost their home. Love yourselves and live for others. You just have to believe in your ability to change.

Now, after I have told you all of this, you are probably wondering. Who am I? Why am I telling you this? My proficiency and what I do are not important at this point. I happened to be someone who cares about those who can't find themselves on this earth. I wanted my message to reach as many people as possible by simply showing you the real side of some stories that you might have seen on TV. For you to reach this point in the book is an enough indication for me that you actually want to see how it all ended for them. You care... So thank you.

"Colonized? What are you talking about?" Sidra asked.

"We are being accused of colonizing Estil to drain its resources." Rain replied.

"Yes, because that makes perfect sense. We colonized our own country. Totally logical." Sidra said with a sarcastic tone.

"Few of the strongest countries have just declared war against the administration of Orb. A new war is upon us." Rain said.

Sidra looked outside the windows appreciating the short period of quiet time that they had. She put her hands on her abdominal and said,

"May the next generation find the peace we never had..."

As they turned on the TV, they saw a man sitting on a chair. He put both his arms on a transparent table. One of his hands appeared to be made out of glass. He said one sentence before the broadcast was intercepted.

"They say silence is a great art of speaking."

The End

#  Bibliography

Rusul A. Altaay was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq. She came to the United States with her family in 2008. She graduated with a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University. She currently works as a systems' engineer in defense and aerospace while working on her master degree in Electric Power Systems Engineering.

She writes fictional and non-fictional. Her first novel, National Exile, was released on January 2015.

Twitter: @RusulAltaay

Facebook: /RusulAltaay

Email: rusul90@live.com

