All Falls Down

By: Lwam Kibrom

As Nadia is running through the woods, panting heavily, her vision begins to blur, and just as she tumbles to the ground she sees them gaining on to her. Before the dehydration knocks her out, she whispers to herself, “The worst part is almost over. The end is near.” Tyranny can force people to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.

The capital city of Ethenia was vibrant and the streets were flowing with music. The Mardi was the one night the government, also known as the Electorate, would allow the citizens of Carolina to celebrate and be free of the oppressive rule they were under. Some considered this as a blessing, while others considered it a curse. The Mardi was the Electorate’s twisted way of reminding the citizens of Carolina that their freedom was expendable, especially after the Carolinian revolution.

The Carolinian revolution was a year-long fight led by the citizens of Carolina against the tyrannical rule of the Electorate that took place 50 years ago, in the year 2200. Despite the will and determination of the revolutionaries, their failed efforts resulted in an even more ruthless and cruel government. In order to ensure that an act such as this would never happen again, the Electorate mandated that a group of 18-year-olds would be selected each year to train in the Omni Guard for five years. The Omni Guard was a secret organization run by the Electorate, conducting classified operations. Few people successfully completed their five years in the organization because a majority of them disappeared, never to be heard from again. Raised in a lower-class neighborhood, Nadia Katrova was an average Carolinian citizen, who worked day and night to support her family. A few days ago, her whole life changed after she received a letter in the mail summoning her to the capital city, Ethenia, to begin her time serving in the Omni Guard. After the shock passed through, Nadia remembered all of the horrid disappearance stories she heard, but then she thought about the money and support her family would receive and she felt comforted by that.

A few hours had passed by, and Nadia was staring out the train’s window at Ethenia. She had taken a long nap and was woken up by the sound of the train’s intercom informing the passengers of their arrival. A woman towering over Nadia addressed her saying, “Welcome to the Omni Guard Ms. Katrova. A hovercraft is waiting outside to transport you to the Omni Guard headquarters where you will begin your training shortly.” Nadia followed the woman’s instructions and found herself in front of a giant building within minutes. A man by the name of David Wilkes approached her and introduced himself as the head of Special Operations at the Omni Guard. He provided her with a tour of the building and informed her that after training she would be assisting in a secret operation named All Falls Down.

Two weeks of intense training had progressed before Nadia was deemed equipped to begin All Falls Down. The objective was to catch a globally wanted criminal nicknamed The Wizard. The Wizard had successfully stolen art pieces worth millions of dollars and auctioned them off on the black market. During her briefing, Nadia realized this mission was going to be a challenge and thought to herself, “If he eluded the authorities all these years, how could I possibly find him?” She had been notified that another Carolinian agent by the name of Cairo Laurent would be working with her and she should expect to meet with him in a few minutes. Nadia and Cairo acquainted themselves with one another and began discussing how they would approach the mission. They decided to start investigating The Wizard’s last known location in Paris and booked the next flight there.

On their way to a fancy Parisian hotel, Nadia attempted to initiate a conversation with Cairo, who seemed the least bit interested in speaking with her. Cairo responded to all of her questions with as few words as possible and it made Nadia wonder if he was either shy or hiding something. A few hours later, Nadia was just about to close her eyes when she heard a door on her floor open. She decided to follow the source of the noise and saw a figure, who bore a resemblance to Cairo, dressed in black slipping out of the hotel building doors. Curious, Nadia followed the mysterious person until they stopped at the entrance of the Louvre and she waited around for them in a hidden alley. After a few minutes, Nadia caught a glimpse of the puzzling figure’s face leaving the building with a four million dollar piece of art, and her body was trembling with shock. It was him.

The next morning, Nadia acted as if nothing had happened the previous night, yet on the inside, her emotions were scattered everywhere. The temptation to turn Cairo in as The Wizard was strong, but at the same time, she had developed a soft spot for him during their short time together as partners. A decision was made, she knew what she had to do now. Nadia called Cairo a few minutes later asking him to meet her by the pool deck at 6. Thirty minutes had passed and the two were speaking to one another in serious tones. “I know you’re The Wizard Cairo, it all makes sense now, but I won’t turn you in as long as you leave and never set foot in Carolina.” Cairo replied saying, “Deal. You don’t bother me, and I won’t come near Carolina soil.”

Within a few hours, Cairo and Nadia had devised a cover story to explain his disappearance. Later on that night, they bid one another goodbye and the next morning Nadia informed the Omni Guard that Cairo had vanished during the night. Not wanting any news of the mission’s failure to reach Carolina, the Omni Guard decided to station Nadia in different places throughout the globe, where she grew into a fierce and independent woman. As a result, she used her travels around the globe as a way to help others and rid herself of the guilt she felt for letting Cairo escape. Unfortunately, Nadia was not in the clear because the Omni Guard had found out about her knowledge regarding The Wizard, as well as her cover story. After a fellow agent tipped her off and informed her that the Omni Guard was coming for her, Nadia made her way to the woods at midnight to flee the country she was stationed in. With their advanced tracking devices, the Omni Guard was not far behind Nadia before she could hear them yelling, “Surround the forest! She’s near the area!” All of the running and dehydration caused her to fall to the ground and slip into an unconscious state.

By some miracle, Nadia managed to wake up before the Omni Guard could locate her and boarded a plane heading to Egypt and spent five years there, vowing to never set foot in Carolina. Having not been in Carolina for a long time, Nadia began to feel empty and had to break the promise she made to herself five years ago. When she returned to Carolina, the country was in a much better state than when she had last been there. To her surprise, Cairo had broken his promise too and coincidentally returned to Carolina around the same time as her. The two reunited and rekindled their relationship. Nadia understood that she had a chance to start a new life, in a new Carolina, surrounded by all of her loved ones, and would never be forced to confront her past. So she did just that, and began a new chapter back home, where she belonged.