Chapter 3: Entrance

My dearest colleague and friend,

Tell my sons I am deeply sorry for leaving them in America while I travel to England. Tell them that now, in the midst of a breaking country I realize that they are all that matter to me. I know they worry about me because of the violence but I have to ensure that I can secure the safe passage of my associates out of the country before they are killed in the fighting. Tell the little ones that their daddy will return. Hug them as you tell them daddy will return to them. Remember, they are still upset from when their mother died almost a year ago today.

I invested much in this country, and now I have lost my own brother trying to capitalize on the potential weapons trade. Though I have lost most of my assets and my own kin, I want you to know that I have no regrets. We knew the risks, we tried and we failed. There was no question that this was a possibility. That being said, I am done with business. When I return to America, I’m retiring to spend more time with my children.

To think, he gun factory that the Anarchists are surely using to produce weapons was built by our company. They are using our machines, our building, our land to fight their wars. This is the kind of crisis that happens in Africa, not in the west.

But let me tell you what I saw. We landed in Manchester, the new capital of the Monarchist government where I saw a skirmish. Armed terrorists shot out of an office building at the surroundings with rockets and threw Molotov Cocktails onto the streets below. Unable to storm the building, the Royalists sought to destroy it in an airstrike. I wondered as I heard the cries of dying men why the government did not simply use their air force against the rebels in London. Better destroy the London than allow the Anarchist movement to spread.

With oil rationing, I had to bribe several officials for right to use my car. I thank you now for your tip to bring gold with me because the officials refused currency on the grounds of instability. Tomorrow, I will be forced to meet with a member of the royal family. I will need decree from the king himself to be able to obtain a special forces unit on helicopter to free my associates who are hiding outside of London at a location that for security reasons I cannot tell you.

If anything happens to me, take care of my children. Raise them as you do your own. In this past year, your wife has become as a mother to them. I heard little George referring to her as “mommy” before I left and it brought me hope that he has found comfort in your family. If you do not hear from me again, please be my children’s’ father in my absence. I know you will take care of them.

Sincerely yours,

Your colleague friend

Andrew Kirk