Ellis strolled about the organisation, her brain desperately racking away, trying to figure out a plan to defeat MI5. When the chief would realise that the double agent was not going to return any time soon, he was going to launch an attack that was much more complex and savage than a simple reconnaissance mission. It was going to be a full assault. Lives would be lost and she had to find a way to stop it. Suddenly, one henchman at a computer turned to her.

  “Ma’am.” He addressed her. She stopped and turned to him.

  “What is it?”

  “Pulvis 4 has sent out a distress signal.”

  “What happened?”

  “They were caught in a battle between MI5 and destroyed their submarine but they were also heavily damaged and are stranded on an ocean mountain.”

  Ellis stepped over to him and looked at the computer screen, quickly scanning her eyes through the information, immediately taking every little detail in. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention.” She walked away and entered Artificis’ office. “Pulvis 4 is in trouble.” She said urgently. Artificis looked up at her from his desk, his eyebrows strangely neutral, his forehead clear of any slight furrows.

  “In trouble how?” He asked her in a curiously calm voice.

  “They are stranded at three thousand feet below sea level and were forced to deactivate the nuclear reactor for fear of a radiation leak. They have got nowhere to go.”

  Artificis shook his head gently, almost solemnly. “It’s too risky with the radiation. We cannot do anything to help them.”

  “You are just going to let them die?!” She suddenly yelled in shock, her eyebrows bent in anger with her eyes widening in disbelief.

  “As much as it pains me, Ellis, sacrifices must be made.” He told her firmly, a small sliver of anger escaping. His eyebrows bent themselves downwards the slightest bit in response. “Unfortunately, that is the harsh reality of running an illegal organisation. If they are stranded at only three thousand feet, it means that they can slip off that ocean mountain at any time. They probably have by now. That submarine is nothing but tin foil crammed with ashes. Even if they are still alive at this moment and we do send another submarine down there, the radiation will kill both crews. It's Chernobyl down there, they will melt before they'll even have time to surface. I’m sorry, but I do not want to risk more men for a suicidal rescue mission. They very well knew what they signed up for and knew the risks involved.” He paused and then tilted his head slightly. His voice suddenly softened up and his eyebrows straightened themselves out, his tiny anger quickly dissipating. “You have a question, it seems.”

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  Ellis calmly stepped over to him, pulling up the chair, and sat down opposite him. “Why did you decide to create Pulvis?”

  His eyebrows jumped up through the top of his spectacles and stayed there, his brow furrowed, his hidden eyes in deep worry. “Do you really want to know?” He asked her in a calm and careful voice, giving her the option to back out. Ellis immediately ignored it.

  “Yes. However harsh the truth is.”

  Artificis sighed and leaned back into his chair, crossed his arms. “How do I put this lightly?” He contemplated, hesitating. A couple seconds of silence followed, looking like he was changing his mind at telling her. But she was his second-in-command and dear daughter and deserved to know the truth, so he spat it out all the same. It was time that she knew. The secret was kept from her for much too long. “I was once an agent for MI5.”

  Ellis’ eyes widened, her ears not believing what they had just heard. “I’m sorry?”

  “Yes, quite a shock, I know. My main job was to carry out surveillance, but I sometimes helped out the field agents. But then they shunned me away. They fired me some weeks later and threatened to kill me if I ever told anyone about my involvement in the secret service.”

  “Why?”

  “I used unorthodox but effective methods – some of them even unethical. Torture goes a long way when you need information. They disagreed with my ways, they thought that I was some sort of a psychopath, so they put out a kill order on me. I just barely managed to survive and escape. Why do you think I hide my face? So then, I decided to create Pulvis. A secret organisation of my own. One to do what they do, but better. That was 25 years ago – and now they are finally making their move. A plan that has been a quarter of a century in the making is finally being executed.”

  “MI5 is only after you alone.” Ellis said with a slight realisation in her voice. Artificis nodded.

  “Yes. They want revenge against me for deserting them and surviving their assassination attempt. England is controlled by corruption and we use Pulvis to try and stem the chaos. Corrupt banks have gone bust because of us. We’ve even killed so many triple agents and psychopaths that crime has gone down. Believe it or not, Ellis, but we are England’s last line of defence and it is up to us to stop total civil war. I may be unethical, but my methods work. I don't want revenge. I just want to do what they are too chickenshit to do themselves. Why do you think I have been ordering you to rob bankers and kill hooligans?”

  Ellis sat there, frozen in place, having a dreadful moment of realisation.