The Last of the First
2033 Words
The cabin felt empty without Margaret.
Marcus sat on the porch, watching the sunrise. The roses were blooming. Sophie was playing in the garden. Claire was inside making breakfast. Damian was checking the perimeter. Life looked normal. But Marcus knew better.
His phone buzzed. Nikolai.
“The network has identified the next target. Not a facility. A person. The last of the original consortium leaders. A man named Viktor Krasny. He’s in hiding in the Caribbean. He has the master list of every sleeper agent ever created.”
Marcus typed back: “Where in the Caribbean?”
“A private island. Heavily guarded. He’s been there for years, waiting.”
“For what?”
“For the right moment to activate every sleeper at once. Thousands of people. Worldwide.”
Marcus looked at Claire through the window. She waved.
“We need to go.”
---
The flight to the Caribbean took six hours.
The island was green and small, surrounded by turquoise water. A single villa stood at the center, surrounded by palm trees and security fences.
Nikolai had arranged for a boat. Marcus, Claire, and Damian approached from the east side, where the cliffs were steepest.
“No beach,” Damian said. “We’ll have to climb.”
Marcus looked up. “Then we climb.”
---
The cliff was limestone, sharp and crumbly.
Marcus went first. Handholds. Footholds. The waves crashed below.
Claire followed. Then Damian.
They reached the top. A hedge. A camera.
Nikolai’s voice in the earpiece. “Camera disabled. Move.”
They slipped through the hedge.
The villa was white, colonial style. Guards patrolled the grounds. Armed. Professional.
“How many?” Marcus whispered.
“A dozen,” Nikolai said. “Maybe more. Krasny is in the main house. Top floor.”
“We need to get to him before he activates the sleepers.”
“The master list is on a server in his office. If you can copy it, Elena can deactivate every sleeper at once.”
Marcus looked at Claire. “Same plan. Copy the list. Neutralize Krasny.”
---
They moved through the shadows.
The first guard never saw them. The second guard didn’t have time to react.
They reached the main house. A door. Unlocked.
Inside, the villa was cool, air-conditioned. Marble floors. Chandeliers.
The stairs were at the end of the hall.
Marcus climbed. Second floor. Third floor.
A door. Oak. Brass plate: Private.
Marcus kicked it open.
Viktor Krasny was sitting at a desk, facing a wall of screens. He was old—eighties—with white hair and a face like cracked leather. He didn’t turn.
“Marcus Cole. I was wondering when you’d come.”
“You knew?”
“I’ve been watching you for years. You’re predictable.”
Marcus raised his Sig. “Shut down the sleeper network.”
“It’s already active. The activation is scheduled for midnight.”
“Then you’re going to cancel it.”
Krasny turned. His eyes were pale blue, cold.
“The sleepers are my legacy. My life’s work. I won’t let you destroy it.”
“Your legacy is slavery.”
“My legacy is control. Order. Peace.”
---
Marcus stepped closer. “Where’s the master list?”
“On that server.” Krasny pointed. “But you can’t access it without my biometrics.”
“Then you’re going to give them to me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life in a box. No windows. No visitors. No hope.”
Krasny smiled. “You’re not a killer.”
“I’m not. But I know people who are.”
Damian stepped into the room, rifle raised.
Krasny’s smile faded. “You think I’m afraid of death?”
“I think you’re afraid of irrelevance.”
Krasny looked at the screens. At the sleepers. At the life’s work.
“The activation is scheduled. I can’t stop it.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not. The system is automated. Once set, it can’t be undone.”
Marcus grabbed him. “Then you’re going to help us destroy the server.”
“The server is shielded. Even if you destroy it, the activation will continue.”
---
Claire moved to the server. “Elena, what do we do?”
Elena’s voice came through the earpiece. “The server is the key. Destroy it, and the activation signal can’t go out.”
“But Krasny said it’s shielded.”
“It is. But I can send a pulse through the network. It will overload the server. You need to get me access.”
Marcus looked at Krasny. “Give me your hand.”
“No.”
Damian grabbed Krasny’s hand. Pressed it to a biometric scanner on the server.
The screen lit up.
“I’m in,” Elena said. “Sending the pulse now.”
The server sparked. Smoked. Died.
“The activation is canceled,” Elena said. “The sleepers are safe.”
Krasny stared at the ruins. “You’ve destroyed everything.”
“You built it on bones.”
---
The guards burst in.
Damian fired. Claire fired.
Marcus grabbed Krasny. “Tell them to stand down.”
“No.”
“Then you’re coming with us.”
They ran. The stairs. The door. The hedge.
The cliff. The boat.
Behind them, the villa erupted in chaos.
---
The FBI met them at the airport.
Viktor Krasny was taken into custody.
Marcus stood on the tarmac, watching the sun set.
Claire was beside him. “Another one down.”
“The last of the original consortium leaders.”
“How many names left on the list?”
“Thirty. But they’re not leaders. They’re followers. People who believed in the code.”
“Easier targets?”
“Harder. They’re scattered. Hidden. They know we’re coming.”
---
They flew back to the cabin.
Sophie was waiting on the porch. She ran to Marcus.
“Did you catch the bad man?”
“We caught him.”
“Will he hurt anyone?”
“Never again.”
Sophie hugged him.
Marcus looked at the garden. The roses were blooming. The world was still dangerous. But for this moment, it was peaceful.
---
That night, Marcus sat on the porch.
The stars were bright. The woods were quiet.
Claire brought him coffee.
“You’re thinking about Krasny.”
“I’m thinking about how many people believed in him. How many followed him.”
“They were wrong.”
“They were. But they thought they were right.”
She sat beside him. “That’s what makes them dangerous.”
“That’s what makes them human.”
---
His phone buzzed.
A message from Nikolai.
“The network has identified the next target. A woman named Dr. Lena Volkov. No relation to Elena. She’s been hiding in South America, developing a new kind of code. One that can be transmitted through dreams.”
Marcus typed back: “Through dreams?”
“She calls it the ‘Dream Eater.’ It targets people while they sleep. They wake up with no memories. No sense of self. No way to fight back.”
“Where in South America?”
“The sss. A research station. Hidden.”
“When?”
“She’s planning a test in five days. You need to stop her before then.”
Marcus put the phone away.
Claire looked at him. “South America again?”
“The sss. A new kind of code.”
“There’s always a new kind.”
---
They left the next morning.
Private plane. Marcus, Claire, Damian, and Nikolai.
The sss was green and wet.
The research station was on a river, accessible only by boat.
Nikolai had arranged for a local guide. A woman named Teresa who knew the jungle.
They approached the station at dusk.
---
The station was a collection of prefab buildings on stilts. Guards at the perimeter. Cameras.
Marcus watched through binoculars. “How many guards?”
“A dozen,” Teresa said. “Maybe more.”
“We go in quiet.”
They moved through the trees.
The first guard never saw them. The second guard didn’t have time to scream.
Marcus reached the main building. A door. Unlocked.
Inside, rows of beds. People sleeping. Wires attached to their heads.
“The test subjects,” Claire whispered.
“Where’s Dr. Volkov?”
A woman stepped out of the shadows. Dark hair. Lab coat.
“Marcus Cole. I was wondering when you’d come.”
“Dr. Volkov.”
“You can call me Lena. We’re going to be close.”
Marcus raised his Sig. “Shut down the Dream Eater.”
“It’s already active. These people are dreaming as we speak. When they wake up, they won’t remember anything.”
“Then you’re going to stop it.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life in a prison where no one speaks your language. No family. No friends. No contact.”
Lena smiled. “You’re not a killer.”
“I’m not. But I’m not afraid to let you rot.”
---
Damian moved to the console. “The server?”
“It’s shielded,” Lena said. “You can’t destroy it without killing the test subjects.”
Marcus looked at the sleeping people. “Then we wake them up.”
“They won’t wake up. The Dream Eater keeps them under until the cycle is complete.”
Claire stepped forward. “There’s always a way.”
“Not this time.”
Marcus called Elena. “The Dream Eater. Can you disable it remotely?”
“I can try. But I need access to the network.”
“The server is shielded.”
“Then you need to get me physical access. Plug my device directly into the server.”
Marcus looked at the server. At the guards. At Lena.
“We’ll do it.”
---
Damian created a distraction.
An explosion at the edge of the camp. Guards ran.
Marcus moved to the server. Claire covered him.
He opened the panel. Plugged in Elena’s device.
“I’m in,” Elena said. “Disabling the Dream Eater now.”
The sleeping people stirred. One opened his eyes.
“Where am I?”
“You’re safe.”
Lena stared. “No.”
“Yes.”
---
The police arrived an hour later.
Dr. Lena Volkov was taken into custody. The test subjects were treated.
Marcus stood outside, watching the sunrise.
Claire was beside him. “Another one down.”
“Twenty-nine to go.”
“We’ll get there.”
---
They flew back to the cabin.
Sophie was waiting on the porch.
“Did you catch the dream lady?”
“We caught her.”
“Will she hurt anyone?”
“Never again.”
Sophie hugged him.
Marcus looked at the garden. The roses were blooming. The world was still dangerous. But he was still fighting.
---
That night, Marcus sat on the porch.
The stars were bright. The woods were quiet.
Claire brought him coffee.
“You’re thinking about Lena.”
“I’m thinking about how many people are willing to experiment on others. To use them as test subjects.”
“They see them as tools.”
“They see them as less than human.”
She sat beside him. “But you see them as people.”
“That’s the only way to win.”
---
His phone buzzed.
A message from Nikolai.
“The network has identified the next target. A man named Dr. Ivan Petrov. He’s in Eastern Europe, building a code that can be transmitted through medical implants. Pacemakers. Insulin pumps. Anything connected to the body.”
Marcus typed back: “Where in Eastern Europe?”
“Ukraine. A hospital that’s a front for the consortium.”
“When?”
“They’re planning to activate the code in one week. You need to stop them before then.”
Marcus put the phone away.
Claire looked at him. “Ukraine?”
“Ukraine.”
- Writer
