TERRA EMPIRE: ON THE EVE OF WORLD WAR

Episode 10: KIDNAPPING IN A CITY PARK

The man ran over and looked at his watch several times…

The sun is already in a high enough position in the sky that people who jog are no longer as much as when he just started his activity an hour ago. There were only a handful of people left in the park, and they were probably just like the man who had started his day activities today. Although it was too late he was still able to get his last round, the fifth round, surrounding the city park.

He finished his exercise and walked to his parked car not far from the park. For a moment his expression showed the temptation to cover the hotdog stall next to the garden gate to taste a small cup of freshly cooked hotdogs. He forgot to bring his wallet. The man finally continued his steps with slight annoyance. Several times he had looked at the hotdog kiosk because there was still a desire to smear the tongue in the delicious freshly fried ham meat.

“Shameful,” he chuckles to himself. “New also finished sports and you want to hoard fat.”

The man finally took the key out of his pants pocket, set his heart on leaving the park, ignored the temptation of the hotdog that smelled still smelled by him, then got into the driver's seat. But he hadn't closed the door yet, someone pointed a gun at his temple. Spontaneous the man raised his hand.

“Please take my wallet...it is not much but there are a few dollars..or if less you can take my watch..” the man said nervously.

“Open side and back door locks,” the person who is pointing at him replied.

As soon as he did what he was told, the man found out that the bully was not alone. His masked friend sat in the front seat next to the driver, also pointing a gun at his back. The first person to meet him opened the back door and sat there before closing the door.

“What do you want?” the man said with a voice trembling in fear.

“Street!”

He had no choice but to start the car and run the vehicle eastward as the two kidnappers had ordered. The two did not talk much throughout the journey. Just give instructions on the direction to take. What he knew was, this route took him out of San Francisco. They just stopped in the forest area at the foot of Rocky Mountain.

“Out!” said the person sitting on the side.

The man was again thrown into a panic realizing what his two kidnappers might be doing in a quiet place like this. He tried to negotiate, “Listen, I don't know what you guys want but me..”.

“Shut! Out!” snarl the man behind him.

When he got out of the car, the kidnapper sitting next to him did not come out like his friend who was sitting on the back bench. The person stayed in the car and started searching all over the place; from the dashboard drawer, the sports bag containing the change of clothes and work clothes, the briefcase, even to the trunk.

“ ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ ※?”? the kidnapper who poked him outside asked in a language he did not understand.

“You Arabs?” ask the man but the question is not answered by either of them.

“ ⁇ ⁇ thratshi ⁇ ” the person in the car answered his friend while waving to let him know that something they were looking for was not found. “ ⁇ ⁇ thratshi ⁇ ”

The man who pointed it away turned to the victim, “Where do you keep your access card?”

“Oh, it turns out you can speak English too,” the man said.

The kidnapper pointed a gun at the man's forehead harder, “Where's your access card?”

“What card do you mean?”

“Access card of your workplace.”

“Oh...” the man laughs instead. “...you will not get it because in my place of work there is no such card.”

“Why?”

“Because the place uses a more sophisticated of access cards,” the man replied with a scornful attitude. “There used hand scanner. So forget about your business. Anyway why are you looking for my office access card?”

“Because we want to get into it..” said the man then the next second pulled the trigger of his gun to shoot.

The kidnapped man was stranded backwards with a hollow forehead. The kidnapper who had just shot said to his friend who had just closed the trunk of the car. The friend nodded then pulled out a machete from behind his shirt.

***

Jordan Cross is listening to Mrs. Thompson, the biology teacher, when the loudspeaker called his name, “Mr. Jordan Cross, awaited his presence in the Principal's room.”.

The call was heard once again, “Consideration to Mr. Jordan Cross's. You are awaited in the Principal's room.”

“Excuse me, Mrs. Thompson,” said Jordan who was replied with a nod by the teacher.

The teenager passed through a quiet hallway leading to the principal's room. The other children were still in their classes to study, wondering why the man had called her at such a time. Surely this is something important. He was wondering in his mind about the reason the Headmaster called out to him when Allen walked out of the room.

The child was not alone, he was accompanied by his two parents who also came out of the Headmaster's room afterwards. Allen's gray-haired father with a breezy face, his dapper clothes with a famous brand showed that he was a person, while Allen's mother was a woman with a striking makeup. Somehow Jordan had suspected that the face was the result of plastic surgery, maybe because the shape of his chin and his thick lips did not look reasonable. What is clear is that the woman's breasts do look abnormal because they are so…

As soon as I saw Jordan, the curly hair gave a face to reproach him, “Do not think you can get away, Cross!”

Allen's father looked at Jordan with a look like he was looking at a disgusting animal, presumably understanding that Jordan was the one who got his son into trouble with his summoning to the Headmaster's office that day. He held onto Allen's shoulder for the child to pass immediately,

“Our business is done here, let him be with your business. The important thing is that you escape.”

“Iya, Dad!” Allen nodded.

Jordan doesn't understand what Allen's father meant but he can smell something is wrong, and the evidence is plastered when he steps into the room of the supreme leader Lynbrook High. It turned out that Sally was already there, sitting on the chair before the Headmaster's desk with a pouting face looking at her.

“You called me, Mr Principal?” greet Jordan.

“Well, sit down Jordan,” the man said while returning the phone handle to its place. “I also called your sister, Sally, because the business we are going to talk about is not trivial.”

“Why did you do that?” Sally asked in a ready position to attack.

“Do what?” Jordan asked back in displeasure.

“As you know, I did ask you about the fight yesterday. And indeed what Tom Allen and his friends did was outrageous by doing a stabbing on you. But I'm a fair man, Mr. Coss. And I will not stop looking for the truth from both sides, especially when I know that it was you who triggered the fight.”

Jordan was shocked to hear that, “Why am I the culprit? Allen and his gang swarmed over me and Lana while we were eating at the cafeteria table, and they mocked us both.”

“Indeed, but you started a fight by hitting Allen's head with a food tray,” the Headmaster responded.

“I didn't do it. The tray is located far away from me.”

“Don't lie, Jordan! Mr. Comb has shown the CCTV video. I saw it myself,” interrupted Sally.

Jordan is upset with Sally's pretentious attitude but realizes she can't keep insistent and defensively. The tray was indeed hovering and smashing into Allen's head, the problem was that he couldn't possibly insist on saying the thing was floating itself for no reason. Because it means he has to unlock the strange ability he has, where he just does not want others to know, including Sally.

The teenager sighed with his head bowed, “That's because Allen made it because of it. He wants to hurt Lana and I have to stop him.”

“I guessed it,” the Headmaster said in a triumphant manner. “Maybe you think you're doing good, Mr. Cross, and I appreciate your efforts to protect Lana McQueen. But dealing with it by fighting is not a good answer. This school has strict rules to crack down on those involved in fights, whether the perpetrator or the victim.”

Jordan looked down at the two ends of his shoes with clinging as the Headmaster continued his sentence, “I therefore decided to give you detention in the form of an obligation to help Mr. Miller cleaned the school for a month. That's a fair punishment I think, rather than expulsion, given that you did it to defend your friend, Miss McQueen. After all, I do not like to make children who are just entering have a difficult time in the early stages, although sometimes they themselves like to make fun.”

The man looked at Jordan, “How about, Mr.Cross? Are you ready to carry out the detention I gave?”

“Whatever it is, Mr. Principal,” Jordan shrugged. How could he possibly deny or reject the punishment, let alone this person has absolute authority and power in this school.

“Alright,” the man nodded. “In addition, the reason I called your brother here, is the same as I called Mr's parents. Allen, so that Sally can help you learn more discipline and self-control at home.so that things like this do not happen again in this school.”.

“I will try my best, Mr. Comb,” chirps Sally.

“I was expecting it, Miss Cross!”

***