The entire world was looking at Eldon with his penis in his hand. The Wisdom of the Crowd was there now, watching. As one, the world watched. As one, they would pass judgment.

Eldon was effectively cock blocked by Alicia’s announcement. His arousal left him, and his penis turned limp. He looked at the baton he was holding, and threw it clanking to the floor. It wouldn’t be any good now. Rising, he kicked Ethan in the side. He’d get to him later.

Eldon zipped up his pants and made his way into the war room. In the hallway, Alicia passed him. Still full of anger Eldon turned to her. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ he snarled.

Alicia stopped. She remained with her back towards Eldon, as he waited for a reply. She didn’t feel vulnerable with her back to Eldon. In fact, there was a sense, she was in complete control of the situation. Slowly she rolled her shoulders and moved her head from side to side, not unlike a panther or other big cat might stretch before leaping.

She had no fear in her eyes as she turned to look at Eldon. Anger perhaps, disdain for sure, and maybe even a degree of hatred, but there was no fear. The space in the hallway between her and Eldon began to tingle with an electric. It was coming from those dancing eyes that sparked and spit like the flames of a fire. Eldon could see it. He could feel it too. It became heavy in the air. Suddenly, all the energy exploded in a percussive wave towards him, hurling him through the hallway, the war room, and colliding into a back wall. From their monitors, the people from all over the world witnessed this, and they approved.

Alicia found Ethan semi-conscious on the floor. Blood was everywhere. A broken bone in his forearm was trying to push it’s way past his skin. The left side of his face was cratered; the eye swollen and completely closed. She helped him up and sat beside him on the bed.

‘Ethan, it’s time,’ she said, gently holding his face in the palms of her hands, like a mother.

‘It’s my time?’ he asked.

‘Yes,’

‘Help me up,’ he said.

It took Eldon a moment to regain his senses after the blast hurled him against the wall. Once he did, he was fully aware he was in a situation. ‘Did you see that?’ Eldon yelled excitedly. He jumped to his feet, surprised no-one had come to help him up.

‘Yeah,’ Johann replied. He and all his guards were all looking at Eldon; some with open mouthed confusion.

‘Well, what are you waiting for?’ Eldon cried, pointing to the hallway where Ethan’s room was. ‘Get in there. Kill the bitch’!

Johann's eyes followed the direction Eldon was pointing, and shook his head. ‘I’m not going in there,’ he said, ‘and neither are my men’.

Eldon approached Johann and his men, grabbing a pistol from one of them. ‘Then I’ll do it!’ he said with disgust.

Johann glanced at his men, and immediately every guard’s rifle was pointed at Eldon.

‘You’re not doing shit, until I figure out what’s going on,’ Johann replied. ‘They saw you, you know’?

‘Saw me?’ Eldon asked.

‘Self-flagellating yourself in there’.

Eldon looked at Johann, not comprehending.

‘You know. Beating off.

‘Who saw me?’ Eldon demanded angrily.

‘Everyone,’ Johann replied, pointing to a large overhead monitor that was live streaming their very conversation at that moment. ‘You’ve been exposed’.

Eldon paused a moment to take everything in. The girl in the room with Ethan. Johann’s men with their rifles pointed at him. The world watching meant an automatic loss of support from his allies. He had to act now.

‘We have to do this now,’ Eldon said to Johann, shifting to a conciliatory manner. ‘You know, you’re in this as deep as me. Every country in the world is going to want to hang you when this is all over. We have to act now and follow through with our plan, or we’re both dead’.

Johann looked uncertain. He knew what Eldon said was true, but he already had a feeling of defeat. Reluctantly, he gave Eldon the nod to proceed.

The guards just as reluctantly lowered their rifles, and Eldon started to make his way to the control panel of StarForce.

It was then Ethan appeared with Alicia helping him make his way into the war room. It was this sight that changed something with the guards. As one they looked at Ethan and Alicia, and as one they turned and looked at themselves streaming on the monitor. 21 of the two dozen armed guards who had just lowered their rifles, now had them trained on Eldon, Johann, and the three remaining guards.

Johann, reading the writing on the wall, turned to the camera that was projecting them to the world.

‘I am Johann Schneider, commander of Black Swatch. I and my men have apprehended Eldon Whitehead and are preparing to turn him over to authorities,’ he said with authority, just before a rifle butt crashed against the side of his head.