Silhouettes of America - Book 1 of The ARMOR Series [Completed]

40: Guns Out | Avery

Current Time: Saturday, 5:00 EST
Current Location: White House, Washington DC, USA - 38.8977*N, 77.0365*W

"You know why I called you here?" Hugo asked. It was in the wee hours of the morning when my phone rang. George had asked me to come over his office in utmost secrecy.

"Tell me," I demanded.

He picked a red paper from the shelf and lifted it. "I received this letter the day after ARMOR bombed San Francisco. I appointed Adam to bring the letter to cryptologists but to our dismay, everyone failed to decipher the hidden message."

I gasped when something came to mind. "Who gave you the letter?"

"Adam didn't see him. Neither did the guards. Someone just hung it outside the gate. The military officers believed it was from ARMOR. But I don't."

If that's the case, the person who made the letter must have invented a special code for the purpose of communicating to those he only trusts.

Well...

I knew one person who created a special code. He even taught me how to crack it.

Dad. He made the Collins' Code.

"Avery, wake up!" I heard dad calling me from the dining room. He drummed the pans as hard that it made a clashing sound which is irritating to the ears.

The hell. Rude awakening.

"Dad, I'm still sleepy!" I protested, burying my face with the pillows.

"Quit making excuses! Come out now!"

"5 minutes!"

Right when I heard the plates shatter on the floor, I quickly jumped from the bed. I'm afraid he'll grab a gun and begin to shoot the wall just to get my attention.

The hell.

I walked over to the dining area and saw a couple of papers stacked on the table. I was kinda upset to find nothing more besides stationeries and books.

"You can't have your breakfast unless you get to familiarize this secret code." He looked sober.

"Affirmative sir."

"I'm gonna teach you a technique on how to make and break a hidden message. I made it myself so only you and I will know what it is."

I couldn't believe what I just heard. "Really?"

He nodded slightly. "Time will soon break us apart. Inorder for us to relay secret messages to each other, we must need a code we both knew. Something which isn't as simple as reading between the lines. I call it the Collins' Code."

"You mean, you created a form of communication for us two?" I asked, amazed. No shit. Dad is a genius. Or rather clever.

"You said it."

He grabbed a piece of paper from the stack and passed it on me. "Try to decipher the hidden message."

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at the words written on the paper. It's arranged in 2 columns. In each column, there are 3 stanzas. It appeared to be a poem, only that a hidden message lies in it. So it's more like a riddle.

I.

No matter what happens, you are you. Everyone is jealous

If they laugh on you, ignore. A winner wears a strong facade

You are a great masterpiece

II.
To conceal your deep scars, wear a mask

A thick, impenetrable mask so the people can never see your tears

Keep fighting. The war isn't over unless you quit. Trust in your potential.

I bat my eyelashes. "Dad."

"Give up?"

"Never." I knew how he hated quitters.

"Try again."

I enclosed the words in boxes. I marked x's in some. I made use of numbers. I did the arithmetic in desperation, adding all the words and dividing the sum in 6 as there are six lines. But all to no avail.

Dad, probably seeing me in a great distress, made a low chuckle. "Alright. Here it is."

I listened carefully as he explained me the technique.

"Firstly, keep in mind the rule of 7. Always."

"What's the rule of 7 sir?"

"In every line, count the words from 1-7 until there are none left. Or if the words don't meet 7, then it's the base."

I gulped. This is interesting.

"Okay. The rule of 7 is absorbed."

Dad played with the pen in his fingers. "Great. As you can see, there are 2 columns - each with 3 lines. The number of stanzas or lines determines the amount of words in the hidden message."

"Oh. There are 6 lines so there must be 6 words?"

"Precisely," dad agreed. "Lastly, to create confusion or to make things harder to decipher, the stanzas in each column corresponds to the order of words in the message."

I gasped. I'm slowly learning to crack the hidden message.

"Use the rule of 7 in each line until you exhaust it. The first word in line 1 is the answer. The second word in line 2 and the third word in line 3 will give you the key. Same applies to column 2."

I get it now.

I
1 Everyone
2 Wears
3 A

II
1 Mask
2 Never
3 Trust

"Everyone wears a mask. Never trust," I blurted out.

Dad proudly clapped. "That's my girl."

"The Collin's Code," I said after that wistful moment. "I remember it now."

Hugo Pavlova gave me the piece of paper. It was burnt to the edges, having a vintage vibe. Undeniably, it was dad's invention.

"I bet Jacob made it for you. To relay a very important message. Read it."

I stared intently at the letter. The visible message is directed to the President, but the one that is hidden is addressed to me.

What the hell.

I clenched my fists to my sides. I looked straight into Hugo's eyes as a mixed feeling of confusion, fear, hate and tension surged through my veins. "Avery. ARMOR brainwashed Russia. Russia is angry. It plans to ambush USA. You must stop the war."

What the hell.

It all began with hatred.

I hated Jacob Collins, my dad for killing people and leaving me.

That hatred grew on for years and I reckon I'm becoming him.

Until ARMOR got in my way.

I had a few things to say.

ARMOR...

Thanks for killing my mom and dad, the Sandlers and a great friend. For bombing my hometown. For being a threat to the nation I swore to protect.

Wherever you are, I'll find you.

And I'll destroy you.

Taste my revenge.

Guns out!

**

Finally, it's done guys!
With a cliffhanger :P
Watch out for the Epilogue!