"Hey, NYPD, get on your knees, hands on your head and interlace your fingers." A cop said
Another cop slowly walks toward him, holsters his gun and starts to pat him. He took out a gun tucked behind his back and a knife from his pockets and bagged it. Then he cuffed the man, late 20s, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes and secured him in the back of a patrol car.
The cops took him to the station to process his arrest. As they were entering his fingerprints, a blaring sound started to sound which startled them. The rookie asked the veteran cop
"What happened? Is there some kind of attack?"
The veteran cop swiftly checked the computer for his identity and was shocked to say anything. So, the suspect, turned towards the rookie and said with a smile
"That's the alarm that goes when a high value targets is processed."
The rookie looked confused and asked me
"How do you know that?"
"Because I was a cop before I became what I am now."
Then a man entered the room with a commanding presence and said
"Why are you here, Mr. Quinn?"
"Captain Smith, nice to meet you. I would like to meet the commissioner and the Mayor." Quinn said with a smile on his face.
"And why do you think I would let a criminal come anywhere near the commissioner and the mayor." Captain said mockingly
"Because captain you won't be able handle the repercussions if you would not except my request." Quinn stared at him intently as he smiled mockingly.
"And what would that be?" Captain asked with a serious face
"Death and chaos, Captain. Countless death of civilians because you let your arrogance dictate your actions. We are losing time, captain. Tick-tock." Quinn said with a serious face while laughing at Captain mockingly.
"Boot, lock him in the interrogation room while I call them. Oh, what a headache." Captain gave the order as he clicked his tongue and rubbed his head frustration as he quickly dialed the commissioner's personal number.
INTERROGATION ROOM
Mayor, Commissioner and Captain where standing before him while Quinn was handcuffed to the table sipping water in silence. Breaking the silence, Quinn asked
"Give me a phone and except for you three, I want anyone near this room cleared out."
Captain looked at the commissioner as he nodded. Captain got a phone while asked everyone to clear out from this area.
"Here's the phone." Captain said as he put it on the table.
Quinn picked up the phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, a female's voice came from the other side
"Hello, who is this?"
"Hey, Maggie, It's me Vincent." Quinn answered
"What is always in front of you, but can't be see?" Maggie questioned
"Future.When you stop to look, you can always see me. But if you try to touch me, you can never feel me. Although you walk towards me, I remain the same distance from you. What am I?" Vincent answered and asked
"The Horizon." Maggie answered
"Okay, Maggie. I am coming out of undercover. I am now at the 22nd precinct of NYPD. I need you to reopen the case file and collect the evidence from the locker box. Also capture Rodriguez and his accomplice's before they escape US. You have one hour."
"Why one hour, Vincent? What happened?" Maggie asked worried and confused
"There are two bombs, Oklahoma size. One in New York and another on a plane to depart to Washington D.C in an hour." Vincent replied
"Shit. Fucking lunatics." Maggie said
"So, you have to speed up. The bomb has been set on timer. The commissioner and mayor is present here. Can you confirm my identity for them to this seriously?"
"Hello, Commissioner George and Mayor Robert. I am Special Agent Maggie of FBI. Vincent Quinn was deep undercover in the Nuevo Brotherhood. So, trust him and start planning accordingly.
"Okay." Commissioner said as Maggie cut the call.
The commissioner and Mayor while the captain removed Vincent's handcuff. The commissioner asked
"What is the plan, Mr. Quinn?"
"Commissioner, I don't think there is much we can do except clearing the people in the blast radius."
"Where is the bomb?" Mayor asked seriously.
"Rodriguez has teamed up with the Taliban and is planning an attack on the US. He has two bombs set up, one here in New York and another one, he is planning to attack the pentagon by air, that is, a plane is expected to leave from NY but I don't know which one. I only know in one hour, US is going to face another dark day."
"You are kidding, right? He is a white supremacist. Why would he attack the pentagon?" Commissioner asked agitated
"Well, obviously he has gone mad."
"So, where is the bomb in NY?" Mayor asked
"Well, It is at CUNY Medgar Evers College." Vincent replied solemnly
"Smith, alert every precinct and ask everyone to report back to duty in 20 minutes. Its CODE BLACK. Alert the NYFD also all hands on the deck. Spilt the NYFD and NYPD into two halves. One half patrolling the streets and other half helping with evacuation."
"What about the plane?" Mayor asked as Captain and commissioner turned back to me.
"I don't know which one or which airport. But we have to let it take off." Vincent said
"Why?" Mayor asked confused.
"I told you, Mayor, we may not be able to defuse the bomb. So, we can only let it blast but if two of them blasted in New York." I paused and gave him a look
Commissioner started to sweat and said nervously "But we can't let it fly to Washington D.C either, right?"
"So, I want you to get a person who can fly, neutralize the pilot to board the plane and put the plane above the ocean. That's the only way. And we better move fast." Vincent said
Commissioner nodded while he looked at the Captain who went to carry out the orders. Captain sprung into action as he gave orders for evacuation, gave airports to shut down and all planes were rerouted. Everyone law enforcement agencies were scrambling to save the citizens of New York both from the bomb and the mayhem that follows.
"Commissioner, If you don't mind, I want to help." Vincent offered his help.
"Okay, I will take all the help I can get." Commissioner replied
Vincent and commissioner walked out of the office. An officer gave Vincent's belongings back and they walked out of the precinct. When they reached at the door, a middle-aged woman walked towards them and introduced herself
"Maggie walker, FBI. I will be one running point on this." She said as she shakes her hand with commissioner and the Mayor.
"Well, you reached here fast, Maggie." Vincent said
"Yeah, I was here in the NY office. It's good to see you too, Vincent." Maggie said smiling at Vincent as she gave a hug.
"So, how does FBI plan to deal with this." Mayor asked urgently
"Well, our bomb squad has already been dispatched and rest of them are evacuating people in a six-block perimeter around the college. But it is a massive undertaking, I appreciate if NYPD actively cooperate with us." Maggie replied
"I have assigned as many officers we can without putting the city at jeopardy. That's all I can do. Please, save as many as you can. May lord be with us." Commissioner said as he walked away.
Maggie and Vincent also greeted the commissioner and walked towards her car. They drove towards the bomb in hope that they can save as many as they can.
40 MINUTES BEFORE THE BLAST
Vincent and Maggie parked the car at the FBI command center. The place was bustling with NYPD, FBI and NYFD evacuating the people from the building. The area was swarmed with people moving around nervous, scared and anxious. We both walked to the bomb squad.
"Did you find the bomb?" Maggie asked
"Not yet" an agent replied
"Found the bomb in the basement. Setting up the vehicle" a voice came through the radio
"Okay. Move to a safe distance after setting up." An agent Said through the radio
"Okay" the agent replied
After the equipment was set up, we got the live feed and one of the agents expertly controlled the Wheelbarrow towards the bomb. When the robot reached the position, we saw a timer counting down 35:40. The officer gave a 360-degree view of the bomb and bomb expert looked at the bomb through the video feed nervously gulping his saliva and sweating profusely.
"Can you defuse the bomb, James?" Maggie asked
"It is intrinsically connected. I need time, Maggie. Time, we don't have. I think it's better to speed up the evacuation." James said
Maggie bit her lips, cursed in a low voice and took out her phone to call the superiors. After telling the news, she dialed another number and spoke again seriously. After which, she came back to us and said
"Well, you should try hard until the last minute." Then she took out her radio and said into it
"I want full evacuation of people in a six-block radius around the school within 20 minutes."
Vincent looked at her and said
"I will go and help." Vincent walked away from the tent to help with the evacuation.
20 minutes before the blast
Vincent came back to the command center and found Maggie. He asked
"How is it going? Is there any hope in defusing?"
"No." Maggie said
"What about Rodriguez?" Vincent asked
"He was taken into custody a few minutes ago. He is being interrogated but he is not letting up. The ADA is trying to get him into a plea deal. But he is asking for a full immunity deal." Maggie replied
"What does mayor have to say about this?" Vincent asked
"He is ready to do anything." Maggie said
"So, what's the delay? It didn't stop them before." Vincent asked curiously
"Well, the problem is about the organization and its links to Taliban." Maggie said gritting her teeth
"Others are interfering to get slice of the pie. Well, I didn't except any less from them." Vincent said calmly
"Fucked up, politicians." Maggie replied
"Is Senator John interfering?" Vincent asked
"No, he is laying low but he doesn't know about the plane." Maggie said with a smile.
"That's good. It is another chip which makes him lose his friends. Be careful, Maggie he has ties and officers under him in every organization. Don't let up otherwise he will slip through the crack." Vincent said with a smile
"I know." Maggie replied
10 Minutes before the blast
"Give me status on the evacuation." Maggie said into radio
"West side cleared" A voice came through the radio
"South cleared." A voice came through the radio
"North cleared" A voice came through the radio
"Northeast cleared" A voice came through the radio
"South west cleared" A voice came through the radio
"East cleared" A voice came through the radio
"Northwest cleared." A voice came through the radio
"South east cleared." A voice came through the radio
"Good work folks. Now get ready for chaos that follows 6 minutes to the blast."
A solemn atmosphere hung over in the command center which was broken by the sound fighting and yelling outside the tent. When Vincent and Maggie went outside, they saw a middle-aged man and woman trying to get past the perimeter. Maggie and Vincent walked up to them and asked
"What happened?"
"My daughter is still in the college." The man replied
"Who was leading officer evacuating the campus and get me the person in charge of the campus."
An officer and an old man walked up to us. Maggie asked
"How did you miss a person?"
"We checked everywhere, thrice and then only retreated.?" The officer replied
Maggie confused about the situation and turned the old man and the parents and asked
"Are you sure she went to college? Didn't she hear the alarm?" Maggie asked
"I dropped her off in the morning." The father said
"Maybe she cut class, have you tried cellphone." Vincent asked
"Officer, our daughter is deaf. So, she must have not known what happened." The mother replied in a hoarse voice
"But she may have seen the students walking to exit, right?" Maggie asked
"Yes, but she is not here" The father said solemnly.
Maggie turned to the old man and asked
"Principal, what happened?"
The principal was hesitating and seeing this Vincent stepped forward trying to intimidate him but was stopped by Maggie as she said
"Principal, it is not time to keep your mouth shut, a life is at stake here."
"Well, before this there was some problem among the students. And that student must have hid somewhere or ran away." The principal replied
Maggie cursed hearing this and asked
"Matt, how much time left"
"4.50 and counting" Matt replied.
"Please let me go in and save my daughter." The father pleaded.
"I am sorry, we can't send a civilian in." Maggie refused flatly
The mother broke down in tears and Vincent felt heartbroken turned to principal and asked
"Where does she hide usually?"
"We don't know" Principal replied
"Shit, give me the map of the campus and point me all the hideout places in the campus." Vincent said
"Vincent, I can't let you go in. That's suicide." Maggie said seriously
"Well, I have seen enough death where I was helpless to save them. I didn't work my ass off to till now to let someone die at the last minute." Vincent said in a frustrated ang agitated tone.
Maggie looked at Vincent and saw he was stubborn as she sighed as she said
"You only have 4 minutes left."
"Yeah I know. Hey you, Police, give me your bike." Vincent said as he grabbed the map and got on the bike. He turned to Maggie and the parents said
"Wish me luck."
He started the bike, revved the engine and sped through the dense streets navigating skillfully.
3.10 minutes before the blast
Vincent reached the campus and drove through the hallway with the sound of the engine echoing through the halls. He broke into every bathroom stalls, all the way to the rooftop.
2.10 minutes to blast
Vincent was on the rooftop of the building searching for the girl but still couldn't find her. After exhausting all options of finding her, Vincent called her parents disheartened through the radio and asked
"Tell me, Is there any place your daughter likes the most?"
"She likes plants the most. As the matter of fact, she always wanted to be a botanist." The mother replied
"Principal, is there a place filled with plants in the campus. Like a garden or something?" Vincent asked
"Yes sir, we have garden filled with variety of plants at the northeast side of the campus." The principal said
Vincent cut the call, revved the engine and did a 360 degree turn and accelerated at full speed to northeast from the rooftop. He used a slope to jump from the rooftop to another before he reached a dome made of glass. He accelerated the bike, gained enough momentum and jumped straight through the glass dome.
The glass dome broke part due to the force as Vincent fell down along the bike into the garden. With broken glasses from the rooftop were scattered around the bike, Vincent looked up to see a girl in the garden tending to the plants with a smile on her face, oblivious to chaos happening around her.
1.40 minutes to the blast
Vincent drove the vehicle to her side and tapped on her shoulder. She turned and was bewildered and confused to see a man on a bike and broken ceiling. She became alert and wary as she stepped back. Vincent swiftly tried to calm her by saying in sign language
"Hi, I am a Police officer, Officer Vincent Quinn. You are Penelope, right?"
"Yes, how do you know my name?" Penelope asked back in sign language
"Your parents send me. There is a bomb in the campus and it will blast in a minute from now. So, I came to pick you up."
Penelope was shocked and scared as she didn't know what to believe as she took her phone to check. She saw multiple calls from parents, friends, teachers and alerts to evacuate the area. She understood what Vincent said was true as she looked at him scared. Vincent smiled at her and said in sign language
"Don't be scared. Get on the bike and hold on to me tightly. The ride back is going to bumpy and dangerous."
Penelope swiftly took her bag and hopped on the bike and tightly wrapped around Vincent's abdomen as he revved the engine and drove through the glass doors.
1 minutes to the blast
After getting out of the building, Vincent drove through campus park. As he reached the end, he leaned his body to right, slanting the bike to 45 degree as he drove through the bend in a perfect arc.
It was a race against time, Vincent, the girl and the bike against the bomb. As every second passed by, Vincent was trying to gain space between him and epicenter of the blast.
30 seconds to the blast
Vincent driving at full speed 120 miles per hour turned a hard-left driving through the alleys. As he went past many hurdles, made of cars and other objects, having gap just enough for a bike to pass. He was getting closer and closer to perimeter but he understood even if tried the bike can't get out run the blast radius.
He radioed Maggie and asked
"Maggie, I am at 11th street boulevard, what is fastest way to reach you."
"Vincent, you are alive. I was just about to order for your casket." Maggie said in irritated tone.
"Yeah, Yeah, answer my question?" Vincent said
"There is a way but its risky." Maggie replied cautiously
"I will take it. Anything is better than to get vaporized." Vincent replied
"Go straight east from there and then take the first left, Go 100 meter and then turn right. Drive straight in about a km you will reach here."
"Okay thanks." Vincent said as he cut the call and drove according to the directions.
10 seconds before the blast
A 10-meter-high wall was blocking alley in between his life and death. He didn't have enough time to go around it. the only thing he could do was jump over it using the slanted wooden plank lying over the dustbin.
He told the girl to hold him tight using the sign language and then revved up the engine.
Speed-50 mph 9 seconds remaining
Speed-80 mph 7 seconds remaining
Speed-100mph 5 seconds remaining
Speed-150mph 2 seconds remaining
Vincent climbed the wooden plank at 150 mph as he jumped up towards the wall. As he reached right above the wall, the timer ended.
BANG
The blast sent shockwaves in 55miles radius around the epicenter. Vincent blasted by the shockwaves, lost balance of the bike as he, Penelope and bike was thrusted straight towards the building. Vincent seeing them heading straight for the building, held Penelope tight in his arms. As they passed over parallel to the tent, he picked her up and kicked the bike as he jumped towards the tent with keeping Penelope above him.
They both crashed on top of the tent as they broke through it fell on the equipment's down below, Vincent first and Penelope on top him safely guarded from any injuries. Every officer or civilians was looking at them with awe feeling like watching an action movie. Maggie was first shocked and then relieved seeing both them safe. She quickly ordered the medics to check on them, who promptly ran to them.
As the medics reached, they saw Vincent was already up and was talking to the girl
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Vincent asked Penelope in sign language.
"I am fine." Penelope replied back
Vincent saw the medics coming and asked them to check on her first. Behind them, Maggie and Penelope's parents walked in. The parents went to the Penelope's side happily hugging her. Maggie walked to my side and said while she slightly patted on my shoulder
"That was hell of stunt, man."
"Ow, Be careful. Thanks." Vincent said smiling sheepishly as he playfully bickered with her. After a few laughs and medics checking, Maggie turned serious as she said
"Vincent, we got a good news and a bad news. What do you want to hear first?"
"The good news" Vincent said
"Plane took off from airport before the blast." Maggie said
"The bad news." Vincent asked
"Our man couldn't get on board to the plane." Maggie said solemnly
"Great. What's the plan now?" Vincent asked
"We are going to shoot it down over an area with less population density." Maggie said
"There is not that much place in between New York and DC." Vincent said as he went into thought before his eyes lit up and asked
"Hmm, what if I could get on the plane?"
"What's wrong with you? Why are you courting death again and again?" Maggie asked angrily at his recklessness
"Well, you are right. After this I am retiring. I Want finish what I started once and for all." Vincent said with conviction written all over his face.
"What's the plan?" Maggie asked
"Get me a glider. I will jump into the plane and bring it over the Atlantic Ocean. And for God's sake, this time can you re-route every plane and ship on the Atlantic Ocean" Vincent said in a frustrated tone due to inability of the FBI.
"Yeah, Yeah, fine." Maggie waved him off impatiently as she dialed a number.
"Then let's go." After the call, Maggie said
Vincent and Maggie went to the airport, boarded a plane and went after the target airplane. After about half an hour, we reached atop of the plane which had the bomb. I put on my glider, a sat phone, a phone and turned to Maggie
"Pray for me." I said with a smile and jumped without waiting for a reply.
I spread my wings, gliding through the air, with winds at high speeds smashing onto my face as I aimed straight for the door of the cargo hold. As I reached the cargo hold, I clicked on my phone as it opened the door. I dropped into the cargo and quickly closed the door. I spoke into my earpiece
"Entry successful."
I heard a few Yeahs from the other side as I walked towards the cockpit. Cockpit was locked so I took the land phone on the side of the door and said
"James, it's me Vincent, can you open the cockpit?"
"What are you doing here, Vincent?" James asked
"I am here to help you." Vincent said
"No, I can't let you. You know he has my family." James said nervously
"You don't have to worry, James. He is already in custody along with every high-ranking member of the brotherhood and I promise you, I will do everything to protect your family." Vincent assured him
"No, I don't trust you. Maybe he can escape and then my family will be in danger." James refused visibly scared.
"James, listen to me. What you are planning will not happen? You see those fighter jets. They are here to shoot you down, when you are far away from a dense area of civilian population. So, listen to me, this situation can go in two ways, either they shoot you down and you go down as a domestic terrorist along with Rodriguez or you help me and testify against him, we will protect your family." Vincent gave him an offer.
Vincent waited for a few moments and then continued to persuade him
"Come on man, don't do this, think about your kids." Before he could continue, the door was opened by James.
Vincent sighed with relief while James asked worriedly
"Now what do we do?"
"Now we turn the plane." Vincent said
"Maggie, I got control of plane, I am turning it, keep the skies and oceans clear." Vincent spoke into his earpiece.
"Roger that, good work, Vincent." Maggie replied
"Thanks." Vincent said
Then Vincent with the help of James turned the plane around and went straight towards the Atlantic Ocean. Ten minutes before the blast, Vincent and James set the controls on automatic flight path with full speed and went down to the cargo hold.
"Maggie, plane is set on automatic path and we are jumping. Don't forget to pick us up." Vincent spoke into his earpiece.
"Good luck, Vincent." Maggie replied
"Thanks. Let's go man." Vincent said to James.
Vincent and James jumped down the plane with a parachute. 7 minutes they hit the ocean where boats were waiting for them to be picked. They got on the boat, and soon started to put some distance between them and the plane.
After two minutes, the plane blasted, sending shockwaves through the air that could be felt on the east coast. Vincent was leaning on the railing as we watched the plane explode along with Maggie as he said
"Chaos and destruction. Its beautiful from down here but ugly up there, isn't?"
Maggie turned to look at Vincent but didn't say anything as she was thinking something. After a few moments, Vincent looked at Maggie and said
"Maggie, James will testify against Rodriguez but I promised him you will protect his family and I except you to fulfill and please don't disappoint me."
"Okay." Maggie replied
"And I don't care who takes credit or how much credit is shared between yourselves but I toiled there for five years collecting evidence, I want my due recognition at LAPD." Vincent said sternly
"Don't worry, Vincent. Nobody will take what you deserve." Maggie replied.
"Thank you. And can you do me a favor." Vincent asked
"What is it?" Maggie asked curiously
"When you raided Rodriguez bases, you must have taken in two siblings, Maya and Pietro, can you expedite their passport for me? I can vouch for them. I want to take them with me." Vincent said
"Sure." Maggie replied with a smile
"Thanks." Vincent replied with a sincere smile.
"Do you have a phone?" Vincent asked
Maggie gave me the phone, I took the phone and dialed a number and it rings for few minutes before the call was took
"Hello, John Griffith speaking. Who is this?"
"John, it's me Vincent." Vincent said
"Oh, Vincent, boss… Where are you? Are you okay? We were worried. You said only one year, but now its been five. What happened?" John asked
"Yeah, it is a long story, John. I will tell you when I meet you. But now can you send me a jet to New York." Vincent said
"Okay, boss. Should I tell your mom and sister?" John asked
"No, tomorrow is Veronica's graduation party, right?" Vincent asked
"Yes, boss. How did you know?" John asked curiously
"I still keep an eye out for my family, John. What do you think?" Vincent said
"Sorry, boss. I forgot. So should I inform them?" John asked
"Never mind. I will surprise them. Book a hotel for a three and bring dress for me,16 year old girl and 12 year old boy." Vincent said
"Boss, who…" John said before he could complete Vincent cut him and said
"Don't ask questions, John. I am tired. Send the jet to Kennedy, I will reach in an hour."
"Okay, boss." John replied
The call was cut as Vincent looked into the horizon. After an hour, Vincent, Maya and Pietro boarded the plane towards Los Angeles. After 6-and-a-half-hour flight, the jet landed at Los Angeles airport, they walked out through the VIP route. John was waiting for them at the end of the route as he kept waving his hand at them. Vincent walked up to him and gave him a hug and said
"It been a long time, man. It's good to see you."
"It's good to see you too, boss." John said happily as he looked at Maya and Pietro curiously.
"Ah, this is Maya and this is Pietro." Vincent introduced them.
Maya and Pietro greeted John with a smile and they all walked to the car.
After they got in, John started the car and drove to the hotel. The ride was okay, with John making small talks with the kids as Vincent laid down on the seat. After half an hour they reached the hotel, took the keys from the reception and went to the room.
When they entered, John said
"Boss, here's dress you wanted."
I asked john
"When does the function start tomorrow?"
"I thought you were all knowing, boss." John smirked and jabbed at me as Vincent showed an irritated look, he swiftly said
"9 am, boss" Vincent laughed at how he swiftly answered and replied back
"You need to have some guts, John. Don't get scared easily."
"Boss, I don't scary easily except for when you get grumpy." John said smiling sheepishly.
"Yeah, yeah come get us at 8. Now get out. I want sleep." Vincent said as he kicked John out of the room and closed the door.
Vincent sat on the chair and asked the siblings to sit as he asked softly
"What are your plans, now? Are you staying in US or going back to your parents? I know you think your parents died, but do you want to confirm it properly before we make a decision."
"No, brother, I saw them die in front of me that's why I said that." Maya said crying as Pietro tried to comfort her.
"Then, what do you think of me adopting you?" Vincent asked with a smile.
"Yes" Pietro said as he jumped up with stars shining in his eyes.
"Okay." Maya said after thinking for sometime and seeing how happy Pietro was.
"Then, go sleep, tomorrow you are going to meet our mother and sister." Vincent said as he ruffled their hairs.
Maya and Pietro nodded their head with a smile. They all freshened up and went to bed.
8 am, next day
Ding Ding
Maya opened the door and saw John standing there with a smile.
"Good morning Maya. Where's boss?" john asked
"He is in the bathroom." Maya said
"Maya, who is it?" Vincent asked
"It's me, Boss. I have brought breakfast." John said
"Come here, Maya, Pietro let's eat." John said as he invited them.
Pietro jumped from bed and ran to table to sit down. Maya hesitated for a few minutes before she sat down. After a few moments, Vincent came out of bathroom, all dressed and sat with them and ate breakfast.
After finishing breakfast, they all vacated the room and went to Caltech. When we reached the auditorium, it was packed students and their parents. On the stage, it was written GRADUATION CEREMONY 2004-2008 BATCH. My sister was the valedictorian, the ceremony has already as students lined up to get their certificates.
"Should we go now, boss?" John asked
"No, let her give the speech. Otherwise she may mess up in excitement." Vincent asked
"Okay." John said
Then we all sat together at the corner, watching everybody get certificates. Veronica went backstage after getting hers. Finally, after giving everyone their cerificate, the dean and principal said some words after which veronica entered to give her speech.
She gave a wonderful speech which made some students cry, some were hugging, some were laughing about their memories. As she finished giving her speech, I got up from my seat and gave a loud round of applause. When I stood, she noticed and became shell shocked as she started smiling as well crying. She jumped from stage and ran to my side and gave me hug.
"Congrats, Ver." Vincent said.
She just hugged and stood there. Mom seeing me was also shocked but soon snapped out of it as she came to our side.
"Hi, mom." Vincent said
"You are back." Mom said cautiously
"Yes, mom, I am back." Vincent replied
She pushed Ver and hugged me. Ver with an aggrieved look, jumped into the hug and embraced both of us simultaneously suffocating mom.
"Okay, Ver. Can you stop it. I can't breathe." Mom said
"That's what you get for pushing me." Ver said smirking
"This brat." Mom said as she pinched her ears.
Ow ow ow…. Ver cried in pain for a few seconds before mom released her.
I laughed at both of their antics and said
"Ah… I missed this." Vincent reminisced loudly
To which both of them smiled. That's when dean and the principal came to see what happened to their valedictorian.
Cough cough…
Ver turned back and saw dean and the principal.
"Brother, this our dean Mr. bridge and Principal Mr. Nile."
Vincent shook their hands as he introduced himself
"Nice to meet you. I am her brother, Vincent Quinn."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Quinn." They both said
"We were wondering what happened to our topper to get this much excited." Mr. Nile asked
"Well, I have been away from home for last five years." Vincent said
"Oh, Thank you for your service." Mr. Bridge said
"Welcome. Well, since this is a happy day. Let's make it little more happier." Vincent said
"Oh, do tell, Mr. Quinn." Principle asked intrigued.
"I will set up Veronica Quinn scholarship fund of 1 million per year. What do you think?" Vincent said after thinking carefully
"Oh, thank you. Mr. Quinn." Principle replied
"Here, this is John, he will contact you regarding the fund. Principal, Dean , I do hope the scholarship goes to those who needs it. At least, give it to two each year." Vincent said seriously
"Of course, Mr. Quinn. We will properly manage the fund." They both said as they smiled flatteringly.
"Okay, then we are going as I have set up small party for us." Vincent said
"Okay, bye Mr. Quinn." They said as Vincent and the rest walked away.
"Brother, can I call my best friend?" Ver asked
"Yeah, we will wait by the car." Vincent said
"Okay." Veronica as she went to call her BFF while they moved towards the car.
"Son, did you forget introduce your friends," Mom asked while holding his hands as they walked towards the car.
"Ah, I am sorry mom I forgot, Mom this is Maya and Pietro. I am adopting them. So, now you got two more children." I gave her cheeky and mischievous smile.
"Oh, what's their story? Where have you been all these years? Do you know we were worried about you?" Mom asked worriedly
"I am sorry, mom. Thinks got out of my hand and I couldn't get out. Well, we will have the talk after the party since I am not going anywhere." Vincent said giving her a reassuring and comforting smile.
Few moments later, Veronica and her friend along with her parents came. We all greeted each other and went to the restaurant we have booked. We had a sumptuous dinner while getting to know each other. After the celebration we all went our different ways.