Landsman closed the door and stared harshly at Dylan Freeman. Landsman cautiously circled the office to his desk and stood next to his chair. "Okay," Landsman began, "what the hell is going on?"
"They're trying to ruin your life," Dylan said. "Don't worry. They won't succeed. If you join us, we can help you bring them down."
"I don't want to be a part of it at all. I only went to Snow to see the scope of this conspiracy and that's all. I am done with it. Done with it all!" Landsman shouted.
"That's what we'd all like but they need to be brought down and that's why you have been chosen," Dylan revealed.
"Why me? What can I possibly do to stop this insanity?"
"We can protect you. We need you to go to New York. From there you will help reveal Earth's secret to the world."
"Why me?"
"Because they haven't killed you yet,"
"Dust To Dust"
Landsman had sat down in his chair. Dylan continued to stand and look at Landsman. Landsman was sweating which made him uncomfortable. Landsman loosened his tie and cleared his throat. "What do we do?"
"We go to New York, the Round Earth Society operates there--in secret of course. Once we gather them, we head to Washington and reveal this secret to the world," Dylan said.
"Easier said than done," Landsman stood up. "How do we get there? Everyone will be looking for me and from what I've heard they will stop at nothing to stop this secret from coming out."
"Don't worry. We're doing everything we can to make sure they don't get you. How do you think you got here?"
Landsman raised his eyebrow to Dylan.
An ambulance raced to an old brownstone apartment near the center of Philadelphia. It, along with one police car, pulled up in front of the building and racing upstairs. The door to the apartment they were going to was open. They came inside, a man was standing in the middle of the room. Another man was lying in the middle of the floor. The paramedics rushed to the man on the floor. "What happened?" one of them shouted.
"I don't know, he just collapsed. We were about to leave for work--we carpool," the man still standing said. Crying just a little.
A paramedic tore open the shirt of the man on the floor while another felt his carotid artery. "I'm not getting a pulse," he said. "He's already gone."
"Let's just make sure. Get the paddles," the other paramedic said tearing the rest of the shirt off and seeing the wires and dynamite wrapped around the man waist. "What--?" the man looked from the bomb to the man standing who pressed a button on a remote control.
The explosion rocked downtown Philadelphia. The brownstone was nearly destroyed and several surrounding buildings were on fire. The street below was flooded with police, fire and ambulances helping people who were injured by the explosion. Panic gripped the city.
A few blocks away, Landsman and Freeman had left the courthouse and were going separate ways to New York. Within minutes, the courthouse was engulfed in flames. The courthouse was unable to be saved as it took fire crews longer to get there because of the massive apartment fire nearby.
"What the hell went on in this town today?" asked Police Chief Harrison O'Malley.
"I don't know. We have arson crew going through the remains of the courthouse and we did some searching into the apartment that exploded. It was leased in the name of Matthew Landsman," FBI Special Agent Donald Clark said.
"Matthew Landsman? He's one of the assistant District Attorneys," Chief O'Malley revealed.
"That could explain the fire at the courthouse," Agent Clark sighed.
"He's also our prime suspect in the murder of former Press Secretary Thomas Snow."
"Hmm," Clark breathed. "Sounds like a very elaborate plan to possibly leave town."
"We went to his house. No sign of him or his family."
"Lock down every road out of Philly," Clark said. "Get an A.P.B. on Landsman and have an officer--police, sheriff, whatever--do a check on every single car that comes in and out of this city. Until further notice, Philadelphia is on lockdown."
Next Week:
Landsman arrives in New York and learns where his family is.
