Chapter 424 - Danger and Trouble (18)

11 May, JL International Mall, City F

As he sat down in the temporary command tent, with a cup of coffee in his hand, Matthew paused and thought about all his emotions over the last couple of days. He just hoped that the last time he spoke to Lexi face to face was not the bitterness that Thursday was. It made him ponder how he needed to proceed going forward. Yes, he was furious about having missed so much of Dominic's life but the though of not having Lexi…

"General, Sir…" came a voice ahead of him. "General Li and Colonels Wang and Dang have just entered the restricted area. I thought you needed to know."

Shaking himself out of his thoughts Matthew looked at his watch and realised that just over thirty minutes had gone since Joseph contacted Legend about the situation and it was less than two hours since the explosion and the feeling that his life may have changed dramatically. Waiting at the entrance to the command tent, Matthew saw Head Honcho, Ben and David getting out of a jeep driven by Warrant Officer Wang.

"Gentleman…" said Matthew.

Shaking his head, Head Honcho signalled to them to move into an open area where they quietly talk. When he felt comfortable, he said "What do we know?"

"Not a huge amount. As you know I had previously proposed cooperation with high risk civilian tasks to have remote monitoring of CCTV footage in emergencies. We all know it is feasible, what needed testing was accessing the system without interrupting normal operations. I asked and obtained Phillip's permission to use the Mall here because of the movie promotional event here. Large numbers of people over and above normal in the mall. We were able to easily get into the system, without detection, so that is something I will be telling Phillip, and were just watching the footage. An explosion occurred just after 11am which was when the movie people had taken to the stage."

"The shockwave knocked out the CCTV cameras, which has not been restored. Joseph is back inside, but we both entered for a short time. It appears no real structural damage inside, but lots of people injured by the ball bearings and shrapnel in the IED, raising concerns about whether they were coated with a few options that would make the situation more serious. Medics, both civilian and military are on site and a triage station has been established. The senior military medic, is a reservist Lieutenant Colonel Zhang, and they are recommending the most serious cases are treated here in City F, and the balance are evacuated elsewhere."

Taking a breath Matthew quietly said "Joseph and I before the CCTV went out are almost absolutely certain that Lexi was in the mall. Apparently, her Retail Director who was to travel from City Y after dealing with an issue there with Lexi had to stay so Lexi came because LY were providing clothes to the senior female actresses. Last message exchange I had with Lexi's Retail Director indicated she has had no contact."

Matthew saw Ben and David's faces go pale. Head Honcho turned and said "You two inside, one to find Aramis and the other liaising with the police investigators. You choose who does what. But I need to speak to Athos."

Taking the hint, Ben and David quickly disappeared, and Head Honcho turned saying quietly "You idiot. You knew the situation and you let your wife…"

"Not my choice. She was meant to be in City Y…"

"Not an excuse. I know the two of you had an argument on Thursday night…"

"How?"

"You friend, that daughter stealing idiot that you brought into my princess' life. But it does not matter. What is going on, and why did you not say anything yesterday."

Matthew closed his eyes and said "So what, every married couple has ups and downs. We will work through the issues so no need to get worried. However, you and I know this is more important with what you did yesterday."

"True, and your preliminary assessment?"

"It was correct, it fits what the Devil would do, but before we can do anything, we need independent intelligence. But…"

"Something does not sit right?"

"Correct, this is a complete change of tactic. There always is some motive that we can figure out. This has no motive, unless he is using isolated ISX members who accept his tale that the military took out everyone else to be suicide bombers for him to make a wider play in the future. What that might be is the unknown."

"Recommendations?"

"As you are the senior officer, take charge of the scene until people arrive from the capital. I need to go in to look at the stage area and go a level or two up to see if there is anything else."

Head Honcho pondered for a few seconds, before saying "Normal times I would get you the hell away from here, but this is not the situation to do so. It is only you and I on site that has all the information and therefore one of us must make an in-person examination of the area, as we know what we need to look for. Rank means I must stay, but if you damn well start looking for your wife, not only will you be out of there before you can say anything your career will be over. Got it?"

Looking down briefly before raising his eyes, feeling like a little child being told off by his parents Matthew responded "I understand, but if Lexi is in there and injured, I will come out and be with her. Plus, I need to hand over JL International responsibilities when someone else gets here from the board of directors. The police wanted to play games and refuse our involvement because it is private land…"

"Any with your brother's permission you threw your weight around, plus used your position as a non-voting non-executive director to ensure we were involved." Head Honcho paused and said "Your adjunct has secure communications equipment for you. Put it on and keep in touch. If I hear anything, I will let you know."

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