Senator Ricks closes the door behind him to find an empty room. A trickle of movement out of his peripheral vision causes him to instantly turn around. However, the senator's tension doesn’t dissipate upon seeing the window left slightly ajar as the curtain flutter in the night’s breeze. Senator Ricks eyes flicker for any sign of movement or message left behind until he spots the connecting adjacent door to the adjacent room slightly open. With a great deal of caution, Senator Ricks crosses the room and slowly pulls the door open. But to his vast surprise upon opening the door, rather than leading to the adjacent room it was a cement staircase leading downstairs only.

Senator Ricks hesitates for a moment, before climbing down the cement staircase into the unknown. The staircase ends at a door, which Senator Ricks warily opens and enters a largely empty car garage with only five stationed expensive vehicles. The cameras in the garage flicker for a moment, effectively covering the senator’s entrance. Senator Ricks crisp black shoes echo as he walks out into the middle of the cool garage. From the shadows, a non-descriptive man walks out holding an armed and ready firearm with a silencer.

The gun is carefully pointed at Senator Ricks and does not waver at Senator Ricks panicked appearance. Senator Ricks raises his hands in the air and rather bewildered says, “What is the meaning of this, sir, Atlas? I have obeyed your instructions by coming here alone, and not armed nor accompanied by my security detail.”

Atlas placidly smiles and asks, “Senator Ricks, who are you working for? Is it them?”

Senator Ricks furrows his brows and replies, “Sir, I have no idea what you are talking about! I am only loyal to you, I can assure you of that.”

“I thought so. Very well, let us play this silly little game. Why did you kill Harold?” Atlas coldly asked.

Senator Ricks stiffens and says, “Sir, I had strong suspicions that Harold was planning to betray you. He was having his people follow me to undermine my position.” Seeing Atlas fail to react, Senator Ricks continues, “It was my mistake, sir; if I acted too rashly, but I thought it was in the Board’s best interests. After all, the board cannot have a rouge player on board.”

Atlas raises an eyebrow at the confident words of Senator Ricks. “You play your role, well, Senator Ricks, but a little too well. Seeing as we are on that line of track, well then, I have one more question. What happened to the asset, Alexandrina?” Atlas frostily demanded to know.

Senator Ricks stiffens, before sighing. “I am sorry, sir, but the reason I did not tell you before is that I was worried that if knowledge of the asset’s destruction got out, the board would have pulled out of the project. And I was right because that was the one item, that convinced them to stay on board,” Senator Ricks sincerely replied, raising his honest gaze to meet Atlas’s in an innocent mans heartfelt plead to be wholly trusted and believed.

Atlas studies the heartfelt expression of the Senator as Atlas’s hand tightens around his firearm betraying his anger at his response regarding the asset. mixed emotions. But regardless, part of Atlas wanted to believe the Senator, but his other half warned. Steadying himself, Atlas briskly says, “I understand your reasoning on all accounts, yet I find that I cannot ignore that small irk of warning. There is only one way to find out, isn’t there?”

Senator Ricks opens his mouth to plead for his life as Atlas pulls the trigger. Against impossible odds, Senator Ricks rolls to the side dodging the bullet. Atlas continues to fire as Senator Ricks slips into the shadows. Atlas scans the area as he reaches into his coat and pulls out another gun. Atlas holds the two guns in hand as he cautiously takes a step forward, watching and listening for any signs of attack.

From the shadows, Senator Ricks voice emerges. “Atlas, Atlas, why not join us? The inevitable end is near and we will be the ones who will rise from the ashes of destruction to lead and create a better world. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

“I refuse,” Atlas flatly answered as he fires blindly overhead. Senator Ricks leaps onto the floor dodging, before dashing into the shadows behind a vehicle nearby.

Atlas tightens his grip on his firearms and carefully takes a step around the vehicle, before glancing underneath. There is no one as he carefully straightens up. A soft laughter is heard from the shadows causing the hair on Atlas’s neck to stand on edge.

“Atlas, Atlas, when will you learn? But I guess we both already know the answer to that question. We’ve had a good run together and now it’s about time it finally came to an end,” a voice whispered into Atlases ear. Atlas moves but reacts too late as a blow sends him into the wall. Dazed, Atlas fires blindly unable to hit anything.

Suddenly, Senator Ricks foot slams into Atlas causing Atlas to falter. Another kick and blow and the firearms go spiraling a few feet away onto the concrete floor. Atlas coughs out blood as he steadies himself against the wall for support. His lungs burn, he has at least two broken ribs and possibly a pierced lung. Despite his wounds and physical state Atlas lunges for his guns as Senator Ricks easily kicks the firearms underneath a nearby vehicle.

Senator Ricks effortlessly kicks Atlas back towards to the wall causing Atlas to let out a loud grunt of pain. Senator Ricks sniffs at the dampness of the garage, before running his hand through his hair smoothing the ruffled hair back down. Finished, under the hateful gaze of Atlas, Senator Ricks smoothed the wrinkles out of his clothes, before moving to adjust his shirt collar and cuffs. “Atlas, I suppose I should thank you, really. Because without you, none of this would have been possible, so thank you Atlas,” Senator Ricks sincerely said.

Atlas spits on a glob of blood onto Senator Ricks shoe. Senator Ricks frowns, before scraping the glob onto the concrete floor. “Now, why did you have to go and do that, Atlas? Here I am trying to be gracious and kind, but you’re not letting me. But don’t worry, I’ll just have to end it upfront and personal with my own two hands. I am sure that you will appreciate the personal lengths I am going through for you,” Senator Ricks sincerely stated.

Atlas glares as he tries to breathe even as his gaze begins to go dizzy. Senator Ricks takes a step forward when suddenly an impossibly strong body blow sends Senator Ricks flying. Atlas gapes at the heroic figure of his savior in a blue janitorial jumpsuit, a hotel janitor. Before Senator Ricks can react, the janitor with the cap pulled over her face pulls out a gun with a silencer and fires two instantaneously shots one after another into each of the senator’s kneecaps. Senator Ricks lets out a scream of pain as he collapses onto his back like a turtle, letting out a slew of curses at the unknown janitor.

Atlas coughs and slides onto his knees staring at the figure before him. Smiling warily, Atlas hoarsely says, “So it’s you. I thought it would always be you, just not so soon.”

The janitor removes the cap with one hand to reveal a head full of gray hair and an unremarkable young’s woman’s face with dull blue-gray eyes. “How did you know?” #017 softly asked.

Atlas coughs bitterly spitting out another glob of blood. “The bullets. They were an identical ballistics match in the database, that of the con’s bullet and that of Mr. Skinner, in other words, you,” Atlas breathlessly replied.

#017 is still for a moment, before a beautiful smile blooms on her face. “I wasn’t certain if you would pick up on the clues, but I’m glad you did. I wanted you to know that I was coming for you,” #017 lightly said.

Atlas nods his head in reply and says, “You always were my star pupil.”

Suddenly from behind them, Senator Ricks begins to laugh maniacally. Both Atlas and #017 frown in identical fashion at being interrupted, before both turn their heads simultaneously towards the laughing figure. “Hahaha, fools! It’s too late! The End, it’s here!” Senator Ricks eerily sang as the night sky began to glow and cast glowing light into the underground garage.

Atlas and #017 share an identical annoyed look, before #017 points the gun way from Atlas and fires twice to be certain. Senator Ricks manically laugher cuts abruptly off as his dead slumped body twitches on the floor as blood pools underneath his corpse from the two gunshots wounds through the forehead. Instantly, training the gun back on her target, Atlas, #017 asks, “Any last words?”

Atlas smiles bitterly and softly said, “If there is a soul left to be redeemed at this point, I commend my soul to any god that can find it.”

Atlas voice falters for a moment before he solemnly gazes into #017’s calm eyes. “Vi-Victoria, the closer you think you are, the less you see. Remember that from now on, it’s not much of a wise guidance, but it’s all I’ve ever been able to do for you. And now, that it has come time for us to part, I am certain that you will not only survive but thrive,” Atlas tiredly said as the burden and knowledge passed onto him by his predecessors finally fell away.

#017 calmly retorts, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Perhaps, you are right, that what you did was necessary, but it would have been nice to have been asked and now it’s too late.”

Atlas closes his eyes and leans back against the wall, murmuring, “Goodbye Victoria.”

#017 lips twitch in an inaudible whisper, “Goodbye Father,” as the piercing gunshot mutes any vestige of spoken words. The corpse of Atlas slumps onto the floor as #017 tosses the weapon onto Atlases corpse. #017 strides away without even glancing back at the two corpses in the garage. From the shadows, a cute teddy tear comes out, Mr. Wilkins.

#017 glances at him and says, “Where were you?”

“I had a grudge to take care of,” Mr. Wilkins darkly said remembering what he did to the guards using glue and tape to form a permanent daisy ring.

#017 grins at the candid response and says, “It was because the guards threw you into the trash, wasn’t it?”

Mr. Wilkins sniffs indignantly and grumbles, “Those bozos aren’t worthy of my glorious fuzzy presence.”

#017 shakes her head in a teasing fashion, before picking her teddy bear up and hugging him gently to her chest. Mr. Wilkins smartly remains stiff as a proper teddy bear as the noises and panicked screams and yells grow near as they reach the garage exit onto ground level.

#017 ignores the panicked figures trampling over each other to reach safety. #017 stops just outside of the garage entrance and tilts her head back to gaze at the beautiful sky, filled with a bright array of northern lights. A beautiful sight, something she had never seen in person before.

From within her arms, Mr. Wilkins asks, “So, what do we do now?”

“We survive,” #017 casually replied before calmly walking out into the streets in search of a fast food place still open or at least a grocery to buy snacks from.

*

Urgent notices on Television and on the web, say only one thing. “Citizens are urged to seek immediate shelter!” And exactly at 11:11 p.m. everything goes dark as the cosmic energy conveys forming a large tear in space threating to pull anything within reach inside of the swirling darkness.

*

A few minutes later, a nervous anchorman sits in front of a camera. The signal weakly flickers but is still passes through the satellites replying the broadcast. “To anyone listening to this-!” The signal suddenly becomes blurry as the signal is lost.