THE SUN WAS UP BUT BOTH MARLIN AND JOANA were still in bed, asleep in his bedroom. It was Friday today, the day when Roxy Gailman would return to take her little sister away back to the Aryan Sisterhood camp. They both spent the whole night talking, with lots of in-between goodbye sex.

Once Joana left, Marlin had intended to kill the two sister-boy bodyguards, and ‘plan’ route his escape — that was his finalized procrastinated strategy that he would tend to follow through soon.

Outside the window, two black sedans were approaching the front gate. Marlin was awakened by Cynthia's panicking loud shouts, which were then followed by the exploding firing of an AK47.

He jumped out off the bed naked...

He rushed out of the window and spotted Lee firing her rifle ahead. Joana jolted off from the covers, stood still calcified. “Marlin! What's going on?”

“We have been attacked, you got any weapon here?”

“No, grandma does not approve of me having one when I am here. Cynthia usually keeps my pistol.”

Marlin slipped into his jeans and he turned to Joana. “Jo! Your grandma's shotgun! Where does she keep it?” The naked girl was still in a state of panic to answer him — and she could not find her pants.

Outside at the front yard, Cynthia was killed when the Secret Service agent returned fire. Lee was shot in the leg and she hobbled to the side of the house. She rested her back to the wall and pulled out her phone. The gunshots seized, Lee was shouting into her cell phone...

“Yeah, we are being attacked. Yes, General, 2 cars are here!”

Agent Fowler came in view and Lee raised her rifle, but Fowler was faster — three shots were fired —and Lee crumbled on the dirt. The sister-boy was fatally wounded.

The bedroom door was kicked open, and Agent Kardon pointed a gun at Marlin. The agent saw the topless Joana with her hands raised.

“Get dressed, and step out now!”

***

Outside, Mrs Scott was sitting on a chair at the dining table. Agent Sian Harrison walked over to her, looking into her small black notebook and interrogating her.

“So, Edna Scott, how about Sarah and Roxanne Gailman — do they live here too?”

Mrs Scott replied calmly...

“No, just me in here — with my other granddaughter Jo, and her boyfriend.”

They all looked up at Kardon escorting Marlin and Joana at gunpoint. Kardon pushed Marlin forward to sit beside the old woman. The older Harrison smiled...

“Oh the boyfriend — hi Marlin, Dr Judy Morris sends her regards” The reply made Marlin fluster.

Agent Fowler was on her laptop...

“We are online on the secured frequency, Agent Harrison.”

“Great, bring it over.”

The laptop was placed in front of both seated Mrs Scott and Marlin — while Joana stood behind her grandmother. The screen flickered before Lucinda Gates appeared on the display...

“Hi Marlin, I am glad to see you again.”

Marlin recognized the woman who interrogated him six years ago before his incarceration to Tombscradle. He digested the present hostile situation...

‘Now they have got Dr Morris too.’

Gates diverted her gracious attention to the older woman. “So Mrs Edna Scott, can I call you, Edna? I am Lucinda Gates, the President's Confidential Assistant. I went through your records that stated that you were employed in Hahnemann University Hospital in Pennsylvania back in 2003. You then resigned abruptly the very next day after a certain teenage girl back then, by the name of Samantha Cory delivered a set of twins —am I correct?”

Joana's palm was on her grandmother’s shoulder, and Mrs Scott led the girl forward to the screen. She calmly replied back...

“Yes, I know where this is going, Ms Gates — I will cut to the chase here, yes, this is Joana Cory — the granddaughter of your President. I took her away from that hospital 18 years ago.”

“Grandma, but…” Joana was dumbfounded by the ascertained information.

“Thanks for being honest. I thought you will be going into denial, Edna.”

“No, Ms Gates — I always knew that this day will eventually happen — when Joana will be found out and will be taken away from me.”

There was now a little sense of urgency, Lucinda Gate’s voice tone picked up the pace...

“It is good that we have come to a good understanding so soon because any moment from now — your farmhouse will soon be swarmed with the FBI and the local authorities — who are investigating on the Aryan Sisterhood militia activities.

“But, I am going to help you all escape, before things get heated up over there.”

Marlin was disgruntled now — knowing that Dr Morris was in their custody. He voiced out...

“What do you mean help us escape? You put me in prison the last time!”

“Yes Marlin, that was a regrettable mistake back then — but I have no time to explain anything now. Time is not on your side, even for all of you...

“You need to escape before it gets ugly over there!” Gates mitigated abruptly.

Everyone stared at the screen especially Marlin who was still peeved. Gates spoke to him again, “Marlin and Joana, you both will be coming to Washington, and I will keep you both safe from Cory's intended obliteration path to both the God’s Army and the Aryans rebels. Once you are here, I will explain everything — and ‘your mother Dr Morris’ — is eager to see you too.”

Marlin assessed the situation — if Gates had wanted him shot dead like the two sister-boys, the agents could have already done that. Anyway, he would be transported to Washington to Dr Morris — that was where he had intended to go to in the first place, before his house-arrest in the Aryan farmhouse.

“Agent Harrison, give it to him.”

Marlin received a cell phone from the senior agent. It was the same FBI covert-kind which he misused, and had landed him in trouble in the first place — but this was of the latest model. Even after the five years sentence, his enthusiastic fingers were running the keypad functions — while Gates spoke back on the laptop screen...

“Take this phone, it is my direct contact to you in case we get separated again, Marlin. Please don't resist nor try to escape. It will be safer if you travel with these agents. They will fly you all back, to Washington in a while.”

Gates had a last word with the Secret Service supervisor...

“Agent Harrison, please escort them safely back to me.”

***

Outside in the porch, the three agents stood by the two black sedans. Joana stepped out with a medium-sized luggage bag of miscellany and Marlin followed her, empty-handed. They both turned to notice Mrs Scott shaking hands with the senior agent.

“Take good care of the kids, Agent Harrison.”

Joana dropped her luggage bag and she ran over — questioning fanatically at Mrs Scott, “Grandma, are you not coming with us?” The old woman slowly shook her head...

“This is my house and farm, dear — and there is no reason for me to go anywhere.”

“They are coming, Grandma, it is not safe to be here!” the girl’s voice trembled, and Edna Scott held both of her quivering arms...

“Yes my sweet dearest, to hunt for you and Marlin. They don't want me, Jo — it will still be safe for me to stay back,” replied her grandmother.

This made Joana to shudder more and cry...

“Why all the secrets from me, Grandma? Why did you not tell me all of these, that I am not a — Gailman?

“Now they are taking me away — I don't want to leave you, grandma!”

“Don't cry, Jo. I took you from that hospital as a baby because, at that time, I had failed as a mother to both of my daughters — and that is why I brought you here — and seeing you grow up since then, has been the proudest moment of my entire life, Jo — I love you...

“Now go and be safe.” Edna turned to Marlin who stared blankly at her — not knowing what to expect, “Marlin, she is all I got — take care of her for me.”

Marlin came forward — he understood her by his empathy that he had — the storytelling of the wretched and misfortune of her past, in chasing a lost ghost.

He hugged and kissed the old woman farewell — then separated the girl from gripping harder to her grandmother — he led the weeping Joana into the car.

Mrs Scott stood alone in the front yard — and saw the two black cars drive away.

Joana in tears waved to her from the backseat’s rear windshield...