Back in St. Petersburg. In the Command Ops underneath the General Staff Building, the military and civilian staff were busy doing their work, especially on getting intelligence on the ground team at the capital city of the Britannia Empire.
It's been two hours since the helicopter that Alexander was riding crashed in Hyde Park and from that point, the Command Ops had never received contact from Rolan or any security detail.
This situation is making Sophie worried and anxious. From a different perspective, she can be seen crossing her arms with her eyes gazing far and a melancholic face etching her face. She looked depressed and that is bad for a woman who is carrying a developing child inside her.
As much as anyone present in the Command Ops wants to soothe or calm her, there's nothing on their hand that would turn Sophie's pensive expression.
Suddenly, the computer staff, whose work is to receive calls, notified the high-ranking officials who were gathered around a long table through the intercom.
"Sir, we are receiving encrypted messages from one of the safehouses in the Britannia Empire, London."
The eyes of the high-ranking staff lit up, beaming with hope, and immediately sprang into action.
"What's the content of the message?" Sergei asked.
"His Majesty, the Emperor of the Ruthenia Empire is in our safehouse along with his National Security Advisor as well as the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Guards."
Sophie's mood instantly lightened up. The tension finally left her body. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed out loud while holding herself tightly, feeling relief flooding through her whole body.
All of them could understand how relieved Sophie feels right now. This situation is exactly what they have been hoping for.
"I want to talk to him! Can you call the safehouse where Alexander is staying?"
Naturally, this would be her reaction, as she is desperate to know if Alexander really is safe. She'll only believe her husband's words so gave an order.
Unfortunately, that didn't work, as Sergei shook his head, followed by military staffers.
"Your Imperial Majesty. I understand that you would want to speak with His Majesty right now but should we do that, it'll jeopardize his safety. The Black Hand might tap into our communication and use it to find their location," Sergei warned.
"But how?" Sophie asked, tilting her head in confusion. "They are sending us a message, which means they are exposing themselves."
"You are technically correct, Your Imperial Majesty, but there's a difference. The safe house where His Majesty is staying right now is communicating through a specific frequency that only we and the safehouse knows. The Black Hand won't be able to tap into the signals beaming out from their location, however, it can only transmit binary messages."
Sophie sighed as her eyes drooped low. That means she can't speak with Alexander yet. It was making her a little bit sad but the fact that he is in a safe place somehow makes all of her worries disappear in an instant.
"So if we know their location, does that mean we can get him out of there safely?" Sophie asked.
"We can, Your Imperial Majesty. In fact, we are regrouping the Imperial Guards who were in London to take His Majesty into the secure ground. Of course, the order was relayed through encrypted signals. In a day or two, he'll be out of the country and return to the motherland."
"How long until the Imperial Guards are regrouped? And if I may ask, why are they not with His Majesty during the time of the attack?"
"We don't have a specific timeframe as to when they'll regroup Your Imperial Majesty as they are clustered around London scouring the streets in search of Black Hand operatives. As to why they are not with His Majesty is because it was not in the area of their responsibility. It doesn't mean that they won't protect His Majesty, it is just that they have different roles and tasks of protecting His Majesty, being near him was not just part of it," Sergei explained.
Sophie let out an understanding sound as she nodded her head. So that's how the Imperial Guards work huh? Well, this is new to her as she was not that curious as to what makes up her own security detail.
Still, why don't they know what time until the Imperial Guards regroup? Every second that passes by increases the chance of her husband falling into danger.
"Tell the Imperial Guards they only have one hour to regroup. I can tell from the crash site alone and the venue of the crown ceremony that they are not that far away from the safe house," Sophie said, looking at the screen on the wall.
"But Your Imperial Majesty, them having to go to the safehouse all at once would increase suspicion of the Black Hands operatives on the ground. They can simply follow the Imperial Guards."
"Ugh…I hate it when someone is telling me that my hands are tied!" Sophie snapped, letting out a frustrated sigh after.
The Command Ops fell into silence as they didn't expect an outburst from Sophie, who was always soft-spoken and reserved.
"You are overthinking things too much," Sophie continued. "The Emperor of the Ruthenia Empire is still out there and you're telling me that regrouping of the Imperial Guards will take time? How long? One hour? Two hours? Three hours? My husband doesn't have that luxury. The Imperial Guards are an elite force I was told. They can face whatever challenges that may come their way. It's the reason why they are in charge of protecting him in the first place. As a Queen and an acting commander-in-chief of the Ruthenia Empire, I'm giving the Imperial Guards a direct order to go to the safehouse at once and rescue my husband!"
The military staffers as well as Sergei took in the Queen's words. They exchanged meaningful glances at one another as if considering an option. They nodded and returned their eyes back to Sophie.
"Your Imperial Majesty, we have heard your command and we shall heed it. However, there will be a slight alteration. We won't be sending all the Imperial Guards to the safe house, we'll divide them into squads. The first squad to arrive at the safehouse would be the one to take His Majesty to the Port of London."
"That will do Sergei. I apologize for raising my voice earlier. That is unbefitting of me."
"You do not have to apologize, Your Imperial Majesty," Sergei smiled kindly. "We understand the emotions swirling inside of you and the stress it brings. It's only natural to act of character."
"Thank you for your understanding," Sophie said and brought her hand together.
She looked up to the ceiling and prayed.
