"Stay with me, Your Majesty," Rolan instructed as he glanced over his shoulder. Behind him was a trail of people consisting of the staff of the safe house, Alexander, and Sevastian.
They were covertly heading towards the back door where they'll exit and link up with the squad of Imperial Guards.
To ensure the emperor's safety as well as his citizens, they have to maintain radio silence from here and out to avoid getting located by Black Hand operatives.
Rolan reached for the doorknob and rotated it, causing the bolt to slide. He then slowly pushed the door open, and he peeked outside cautiously.
He didn't see anyone in sight at first. But at the other end of the alley, he saw a group of men donned in a Ruthenian Imperial Guard Uniform armed with submachine guns running towards their position.
Rolan raised an eyebrow at the feat of the Imperial Guards. They were fast, causing him to smile in satisfaction.
The Imperial Guard at the front stopped the moment he was a meter away from the door where Rolan and the rest are.
He saluted first before stating his name.
"Sir! My name is Lukas from the 2nd squad Somerset House Detachment. We are here to pick you up sir!" Lukas said dutifully.
"Good. Have you made sure that you weren't followed before getting here?" Rolan asked.
"No sir! As we are making our way towards here, we keep our heads in a swivel to spot any irregularities that will compromise the clandestineness of this operation sir!"
"This one is sure to be enthusiastic," Alexander commented as he revealed himself from behind Rolan.
Lukas gasped inwardly. Even though he had seen the emperor a lot in close contact, it still made him slightly nervous when he saw him. After all, he had just shouldered the responsibility of escorting the emperor of the Ruthenia Empire out of the Britannia Empire.
"Your Majesty, please refrain from making unnecessary actions as you did just now. I haven't cleared the alley yet," Rolan chided lightly.
"I apologize, it won't happen again," Alexander said apologetically as he had just realized he had made Rolan's job harder by doing silly and unnecessary actions. "So, are we getting out of here?"
"We are over five kilometers away from the Port of London and going there by foot is dangerous. And we have to avoid the main road as we all know, the Black Hand still controls the streets of London," Rolan said.
"Transportation is the least of your worries, Sir Rolan," Lukas said. "I ordered two of my men to take the Beast out of the Somerset House and get it here in our position. In a minute or two, it will arrive. But I don't think we will be able to accommodate a lot of staff," he said, glancing inside and seeing tens of people in a line.
"Our priority is to take His Majesty to safety, the others will have to walk," Rolan said. "I'll be coming with him since I'm the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Guards. Sevastian too, as he is the emperor's National Security Advisor. Would that be okay for you?" Rolan glanced back at Sevastian.
"Of course," Sevastian replied, massaging the side of his head as he is feeling nauseous. Probably from the helicopter crash earlier where his head might have been bumped into something.
"How about me, Sir Rolan?" Donovan asked.
"Oh, you're coming with us also. The rest of your staff will be escorted by the Imperial Guards to the Port of London. Don't worry. Once we reach the Port of London, we will send more men to guide them out."
Donovan sighed as he felt a wave of reassurance wash over him. Looks like he doesn't have to worry about the safety of his staff anymore.
One minute later, a sound of an engine revving and a tire skidding sounded from the end of the alley where the Imperial Guards came from.
There's no mistaking it, it's the Beast with armored SUVs trailing behind. Although the windshield and other parts of the windows are spiderwebbed with bullet marks, it is still strong enough to take more beating. After all, it wasn't named Beast for no reason.
The Beast's tires screeched to a halt and stopped in front of them. Two men stepped out of the vehicle and saluted Lukas and Rolan.
"Sir we have brought the Beast here!"
"Yes I can see that," Lukas said flatly before turning to Rolan. "Sir, His Majesty's transport is here, let's get him inside,"
"I agree," Rolan nodded and placed a hand on Alexander's back. "Your Majesty, we are going to take a ride, please get inside."
Alexander complied with Rolan's orders and hopped inside. Once inside, fresh memories of them getting chased by an armored vehicle flitted across his mind.
"Your Majesty, once we get through this and arrive at the Port of London, the Black Hand's game ends," Sevastian said as if trying to alleviate Alexander's worries.
"I'm fine, Sevastian. I trust the Imperial Guards to do their job remarkably."
Sevastian remained silent after that and gazed out to the window and noticed the car began moving.
Rolan scanned the surroundings around them as they passed by the alley and into the streets. The city has calmed down as the sound of gunshots petered out by a small margin. He hopes it will be the same until they arrive at the Port of London.
It will take them forty-five minutes to reach the Port of London. And when the time comes when they are only five minutes away from the port, he'll resume communications.
After forty-five minutes of silence, they finally reached the secure ground. The Port of London.
Barricades have been set up to push back Britannian citizens who are seeking refuge and trying to evacuate. Special forces from the Ruthenian battleships and destroyers as well as Imperial Guards are also on the ground wearing their full-combat gear assessing the surroundings with their keen eyes enough to spot insects among innocent crowds.
Evacuation of the crews of the Ruthenian battleship was still underway, making the River Thames filled with lifeboats moving back and forth, transporting injured crews.
The Beast entered the port and the Special Forces on the scene moved aside to let it pass.
The Beast stopped, and the Special Forces and Imperial Guards immediately surrounded the vehicle, protecting the emperor from getting sniped from a distance.
The four stepped out of the vehicle with their heads down low, escorting them to the gangway, bridging the ground to the Ruthenian destroyer, the Burnyi.
The ship was crowded with crews from the Ruthenian battleships crying and moaning in pain and anguish as they suffered injuries from the explosion that happened earlier.
It was a terrible sight that made even Alexander grimace and feel a pang of guilt.
Five minutes later, they reached the captain's quarters, a spacious and elegantly decorated room where Alexander and the others were staying at the moment.
