Page 8 of Dark Rover's Luck

Yamanu pulled a chair next to Onegus. "What's up, chief?"

"I don't know." Onegus shifted his eyes to Kian. "The boss is promising an exciting meeting today. Apparently, the future of the human race is on the line."

Yamanu frowned. "That bad, boss?"

Kian nodded. "Not yet, but if we allow it to continue on its current trajectory, we will lose the battle to the Doomers."

Once Jade, Max, and Turner were also seated around the table, Kian sat down. "Let's get started. The mission was mostly successful as far as retrieving Kyra's family was concerned, but the large Doomer presence the team encountered is worrisome, especially given their nuclear ambitions."

Onegus groaned. "Mark and his team had bought us time with that inspired virus they had contaminated the regime's nuclear program with, but with no proper follow-up from the world powers, that time was wasted on appeasement and futile negotiations. The regime has toyed with the naive Western governments, developing nuclear bombs right under their noses."

Kian snorted. "They were not naive. They've been complicit, bought and paid for, and the few who weren't for sale got their minds manipulated. We knew it was going to happen, and we haven't been proactive enough to stop it." He raked his fingers through his hair. "I have only myself to blame. I got distracted by the day-to-day business of making money for the clan, rescuing victims of trafficking, and recently, the dismantling of pedophile rings. Those are all important issues, and the human suffering is gut-wrenching, but we are not even making a dent in that, and furthermore, none of that will matter if we get overrun by the forces of darkness that the Brotherhood is mobilizing. We need to shift our focus back to the path the Clan Mother originally set us upon."

Max ran a hand over the stubble on his jaw. "That's not what I expected us to talk about this morning."

Kian nodded. "My apologies for the gloomy opening. I've gotten carried away. Let's start with the mission and your observations of the level of the Brotherhood's infiltration in Iran."

Max folded his arms over his chest. "The Doomers were waiting for us at almost every turn, or so it seemed. We changed routes multiple times, but they still showed up. They were much better organized than we'd expected, and they seemed to have information about us that was hard to explain."

"They had us pinned at multiple points," Jade added. "Someone either told them exactly where we would be, or they had another method of intercepting us." She placed her hands on the table. "It was obvious that they were working in coordination with the Revolutionary Guard."

"The Doomers showed up in places they shouldn't have known about," Max said, looking at Turner. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think your subcontractor has a breach. I don't think it was Nadim or Fatima, though, because no Doomers showed up at the safe house."

Turner nodded. "I will contact my guy and suggest an investigation. His reputation is on the line."

"It's possible that they used hackers," Yamanu suggested. "What if they hacked the navigation systems in the vehicles?"

Turner tapped his pen over his yellow pad. "Yes, that's possible, but it means a breach at wherever my guy sourced the vehicles."

Max let out a breath. "That's the only explanation that would make sense for how they found us so quickly." He glanced at Jade. "We'd come up with a route on the fly, but if the vehicles themselves were broadcasting our location, the Doomers' actions could be explained."

"I don't think that's how they did it," Jade said. "I stole a car to get Rana's sons from school, and I had to use evasive maneuvers to lose the tail. I would have suspected trackers on the kids, but we checked them all upon arrival, and they were clean."

Onegus tapped a finger on the table. "Heavy presence in a nuclear-ambitious regime raises the stakes. If the Doomers have influence over key Iranian officials, they can direct those nuclear resources. We're no longer dealing with a small terrorist cell or a single compound. This is infiltration at the highest level."

Kian nodded. "That's why I said that the future of the human race is at stake. The question is, how do we respond? Up until now, we've tried to maintain the moral high ground and not use the same tactics as the Brotherhood to gain influence, but given the urgency of the situation, I don't think we can afford to keep doing that." He pressed a palm against the table, leaning forward. "If we do nothing, the Brotherhood will destabilize the entire world. I don't think Navuh would sanction the use of nuclear weapons, but I have a feeling that his puppets might get out of hand and act independently. His hateful rhetoric might produce unintended consequences."

"They will cause complete chaos," Jade murmured. "War or famine on a global scale. Either way, millions will die."

Kian swallowed the knot in his throat. Hearing her voice his fears so starkly made the possibility of them becoming reality all the more jarring. "We've spent many centuries trying to lead humanity toward enlightenment by promoting technological progress, human rights, and democracy. We wanted it to progress at its own pace, but we're at a tipping point. If we don't do something drastic, we will lose the battle to Navuh, and then all will be lost."

Onegus frowned. "So, what are you suggesting? That we intervene on the global stage? That we plant our people among world leaders and use mind manipulation like Navuh does?"

Kian's shoulders tightened. "Yes." He steeled himself for the wave of protest he expected. "We have to thrall, compel, and do whatever is needed to ensure humanity's survival and stop politicians from selling out their people. It goes against every principle I hold dear, but we can't stand idly by while the Doomers bring down every country and usher in global tyranny, turning the world into a cesspool of depravity and decay that they can easily dominate. Hell will seem like a pleasant vacation spot in comparison."

Max nodded. "Talk about an apocalypse."

Onegus regarded Kian with somber eyes. "You know the old saying about absolute power corrupting absolutely. Once we start thralling heads of state, or their closest advisors, the line is crossed."

"I know." Kian exhaled, slumping back in his chair. "The old adage about the road to hell being paved with good intentions keeps playing in my head. It's exactly the kind of slippery slope we've tried to avoid for so long. But what is the alternative? Sit back and watch the world get destroyed by Doomers and their cult of death?" He glanced at Turner, who wore a look of resigned acceptance.

"Kian is right. I see no other choice," the strategist said. "We are out of time. They've already poisoned entire governments, and they are not slowing down. We either respond in kind or we lose, and with us, the entire human race will fall. I don't want my children and grandchildren and so on to live in a world controlled by barbaric savages who celebrate slaughter. And I especially don't want my daughters and granddaughters to live in a world where women are dehumanized and treated like possessions. I'll fight until my last breath to prevent that from happening."

As far as Kian knew, Turner had a son and a grandson, but no daughters or granddaughters. Was he speaking figuratively, or had his and Bridget's efforts to conceive been successful?

Kian prayed for the latter. The clan needed more children.

They had been blessed to welcome thirteen new young ones just from Kyra's family, so he shouldn't be greedy and ask for more, but he would be very happy if Turner confirmed that he and Bridget were expecting.

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