The Spirits And The Devastating War
Chapter-17
The Sacking of Leader London
Out of fear, Harry fled. Thousands of people who were in anger and had accumulated before the twelfth hour broke in the office. Guards restricted those people to enter but after the commencement of the 22nd day of January, the guards retained no right, as they had earlier because of The London Accords, to restrain the huge crowd. They stood aside and allowed the rebellion to break in.
Guards also supported the rebellion and there was no one in the world now who would have thought from the team's perspective. Harry had to flee and he had no choices left now. The reputation of the United Kingdom was in grave danger. It was the country that Harry was indigenous to and that remained a tension for the country and its citizenry. As for the world, it was one of the biggest intelligence failures in the country. For all, Harry duped everyone to gain useless popularity but the United Kingdom was vulnerable to criticism. It was obvious and the reason rested in the splendid failure of Roger's case, the case which marked the success story of everyone's favourite Leader London, who was now the reason for the crucial conflicts in the whole world.
Every country wanted to renew all the economy after the global crisis. The only way to achieve that was to ask the nation which was the point of the main criticism (the United Kingdom). The United Kingdom had to excuse the whole world and there seemed no way. Their reputation of giving the world a superhero had plummeted and that too exponentially. The criticism seemed no match in front of the huge amount of money, the United Kingdom was forced to pay as compensation for the world's sufferings.
On the other hand, Harry walked through two ends of the portal. No one knew what it could lead them to. But it was all based on Harry's tired mind, where the path would lead them to. Harry did not think of any place and was just as confused as a person in a maze. They landed in an unknown forest. Harry believed he came here once. The saturated images in his mind made them land in this place. Harry usually came here as a kid when the brothers were kidnapped by BPTD. It lied somewhere near the BPTD headquarters but no building was vibrantly clear that seemed to have an effect on the team's plan in the next coming days. They had triumphantly ignored the rebellion. It made all the difference. The difference between LEADER LONDON and a criminal who just bolted off fear.
Almost all, including Peter, puked excluding Charlotte and David. Harry asked in astonishment, "Most people vomit in their first time! Ohhh! Peter, he is going through a rough night.", Peter had regurgitated, "Charlotte! You don't feel bad, do you? I mean that expansion and contraction through wormholes is not quite easy."
"Yes, I feel bad", Charlotte replied, while she acted artificially and easily noticeable, "You mean, my first time, no?"
"Don't act! It's not awkward. See, all of them are puking. Rough nights! They'll be fine!", said Harry calmly and facetiously, "David, I feared you won't be able to travel through it? Oliver restricted you, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did during the bike chase in Germany", David responded, "But he is not the king actually. No one proclaimed him to be. He exercises power but not all. You know, therefore, I was able to sparkle those portals earlier but after the face-off between him and you, you divulged the rule of power to war. During a war, the king is not considered a king until he tastes victory. Therefore, his decisions as a half-king also vanished with time."
"You knew it?", said Peter after coming through a 'rough night'.
"No! Noticed it just now. My explanation is just a theory. And it follows, too."
"Okay! Then brilliant!"
"What do we do now?", asked Valencia.
"We are in the outskirts of the city. We'll see what to do next..."
"Outskirts?", Sapna broke in, "If the rebellion enters? Then?"
"Usual! We'll flee", said Harry with his depressed voice.
"For how long? This has to end! The six years given are going to end! We have all but not one! But hope, Sapna replaces that.."
"Peter, we'll flee for those days we're able to fill our appetites. Find a way, which is impossible. And if we fail again, we'll surrender!"
"In front of whom?"
"Either the world or Oliver! Well, I shouldn't say this because I should inform everyone in our team that someone's betraying us. The murderer of Ramesh! Someone between this team. The team accumulated here!"
Harry terminated the talk on a very serious note. Charlotte was startled and so was Edwin. His face represented all his feelings. Harry suspected him but had no proofs while Charlotte tried her best not to manifest emotions.
On second thoughts, the friends left the city for good! They dragged themselves through the lonely winding dark road towards the thick woods that followed their path. They needed a shelter which was away from everyone's vision.
They needed a place which could easily conceal them. The other side of the coin was now with the United Kingdom. The country which was most vulnerable to attacks had lost its protector. If Oliver attacked anywhere, there were increased chances the United Kingdom would be the first to know and especially London.
The team, after reaching a woody forest, started to amble around the forest in search of food. They lived life like nomadic people. Everyone had the norm of eating non-vegetarian food except Sapna. But she was forced to eat and break all orthodox traditions for life. She was the one whose life had drastically changed through the grave passage of time. A woman, who used to believe in all traditions and old customs of the orthodox society in India, had changed from saree to formal suits and comfortable clothes (useful in battles). She lost almost everyone she had in life. First, her husband and then someone she lived for and that was Ramesh.
The team had to collect branches of trees for bonfires. Harry with his melting iron arm used to heat the branches to their ignition temperature and then just a sparkle was enough for food for one-night sleep. Apart from the tensions, the team was unaware of what was going on in the world. They knew the United Kingdom would suffer but they didn't have any source of news that could enlighten them. They talked freely and that too keeping tensions aside.
The other face of world politics was heating up with the United Kingdom not able to retain their position in the world. Therefore, the prime minister himself decided to take the lead.
The very next day, he did what Harry did always. Live video conferencing. His face seemed to have drained out in the tension of what the country was facing. Still, as a national leader, he came bravely and started to stream his live conference on the mainstream media and shared it with countries.
He puffed, "These are dark times. Indeed very dark. I think it's the truth now. Mr. Harry Osborn once proclaimed something about Cygnus, a planet. He, then, mentioned these are dark times. The world is going to be attacked and so on... He made this world live in fear. Fear of losing loved ones, fear of genocide and fear of life. Did that not happen during the London Accords? The same did. Theories say this was done for the sole purpose of money and popularity. And I believe this. All of this was pre-planned. Pre-planned from the Rogers case. Wasn't that astonishing that a man gets a lottery, becomes a millionaire and then, is kidnapped. Internation detectives faced failure in the same. But suddenly, one day, Peter and Harry enter the field and that leaves everyone stunned. The case was solved in a month abolishing BPTD headquarters and giving Harry Osborn the name of Leader London and its post as the leader of all the armies of the United Kingdom. These are the points the world was acknowledged with. Now let me say my points. That time, Harry Osborn, considered himself to be Rupert. Didn't have his memory... How did he retrieve it back? No one knows. Edwin Hudson, at that time, was the head of the Investigation Committee. He, too, has fled. All of this was related to Rogers and BPTD. From investigations and facts, there is no birth certificate for Harry Osborn or David Paul in this world. Besides, Harry Osborn was a boy studying in London Public School in 1995 which was attacked by BPTD. Then, the name vanishes from the world until the mall attack in 2013 and then, the Rogers case. Looks like a big scam... Edwin comes here. More than 100 detectives gave a try to solve that case but Edwin gave a chance to a poor one, Peter Parker.", the prime minister was imagining a lot and he had to for his country's survival, "That man enters and solves the case in months. Weird... This was so much pre-planned that I cannot explain. Maybe when the school was attacked, those children were made terrorists and Edwin was sent as a betrayer for the country. This was done to just get into the inner and private politics in our country, so BPTD can find a weak point. They didn't... A few days ago, in a talk with Leader London, he seemed to have no decisions left. His fiction stories came to an end and before the midnight, they all fled leaving millions dead. Also, Cygnus is a star... One of the brightest stars. He took that name and christened it as a planet. Superb ideology. Some people may question me on the points about his origin... Maybe he had some tricks or technology that he hid behind his hands that made him warm. Or the same for his laser blasts. The UN meeting was experienced by everyone but no one saw the team fight. The members of the committee hid in the bathroom leaving the team in the main hall. The aero-navigating machine would have been a hologram or something else. Therefore, late Ramesh Bhatia was able to conduct that heat through his body because that heat never existed. Just think, a man who possesses this technology can mean so much harm and a threat to the world. And also I should say, we forced none to sign the Accords and I, on behalf of my country, take no responsibility for anyone's loss. Everyone signed on their own will. Leader London and The Spirits fooled the whole world and us, too. The United Kingdom officially claims that they had no intention for the world's loss and theirs too. This is not just an intelligence failure of one country, all those who signed the Accords are equally responsible. I, also, announce that the post of Leader London is abolished now and Harry Osborn has been sacked from that position. The head of the Investigation Committee will be announced later. Still, we are searching for the SPIRITS and we'll be successful. Meanwhile, anyone caught for the serious crime of aiding the SPIRITS will be considered and treated as same. They will be treated with the severity of their transgression. The United Kingdom has taken its steps and now, I leave the world to make decisions on their own will. The facts have been shown but opinions are different for individuals..."
Harry Osborn was sacked for good. The team had no idea about this. Rather, they were spending their life happily in a woody forest. None knew where they were. Even the team had no idea. The Prime Minister, to save his country, had to take this step. This affected majority of the people but some still questioned. Overall, the plummeting reputation of the country was now not in danger zone.
Meanwhile, today at night, the team was talking. About three days had passed and it was now 25 January.
Harry gasped in the middle of the chits and chats, "You remember, Peter, Oliver gave us six years in August 2013? Basically, there are six months left still. Maybe we played wrong."
"I do remember that", Peter responded, "But if he attacks, he won't give you a chance now. During the face-off you blackmailed him and that trick worked. Not necessary it will work always. Expect for the bad..."
"You're right! We are the reason of millions of people lying dead."
"We aren't Harry!"
"We are Peter. I hyped everyone to a great extent. I made the condition in such a way that there was no way out except to flee. If we would have stuck in politics, then Oliver would have used this chance to undertake us! The world will reckon it as fiction but no one will see from my perspective!"
"You did right Harry! There was no way out!"
"You know Peter I am feeling so disheartened about the world and about myself too...These nighttimes, fog and storms all play a similar role in disheartening me! I think no one's with me now. There is something sinister about this silence."
The whole team didn't interrupt between Harry and Peter talking with each other, sitting on opposite sides of the flames of the bonfire that was lightened up by Harry.
"Harry, you're someone's best thing. Someone's favourite. Someone's favourite voice. No matter how broken or messed up you feel, your life matters. And through the noise of insecurity, there will be someone who knows your flaws and defects. But will still think, you're amazingly perfect", Peter calmly spoke these lines from the core of his heart and he spoke something Harry deserved.
"Who's that someone Peter for me?", Harry gasped.
"Me and the whole team! Those who complete your Spirit! And someone in your heart too, Ramesh!"
-To Be Continued
(Abhinav Srivastava)
Wonderful!
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