The Truth Revealed: A Sequel to the Truth Behind the Lens

By Paul Antonucci

Paul Mitchell and Matthew Pierce have been taken by assassins from their old agency, who have long since hunted them down and wanted them dead. Both men have accepted the notion that their mission has failed and that they would end up like everyone before them. Before they are shot dead, both men manage to break free and escape, where they meet up with Amanda Knox, who has been released from jail by her former partner, Veronica Valdez, who emerged from hiding after many years in isolation. They begin their long journey to Washington, DC, where they are placed into the witness protection program by Attorney General Stephanie Underwood in order to start their new lives. President Atlas receives their folder and befriends Congressman Douglas Kerr, whom he picks to lead the Atlas Commission, created to investigate its contents. As Kerr investigates, several attempts are made on his life. As the dominoes begin to fall, will the president and congressman succeed, or will the truth be buried forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662418822

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The Truth Revealed

A Sequel to the Truth Behind the Lens

Paul Antonucci

Copyright © 2021 Paul Antonucci

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2021

ISBN 978-1-6624-1881-5 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-1882-2 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 1

September 9, 2001 10:30 pm

The city glowed like a jewel. Every building was lit up like a Christmas tree. The lights were visible for miles. In Lower Manhattan, a much more different scene was playing out. Both towers of New York’s World Trade Center upper stories were darker than the night skies around them. Something was clearly wrong. A power failure or, perhaps, an upgrade of electrical systems was what the people thought of as they passed by.

It was the groundwork of something sinister—something nobody would believe could ever be achieved. In the south tower, an express elevator was headed to a floor on the upper levels. Inside were nearly half a dozen people on a secret mission. One of them was Amanda Knox, a twenty-two-year-old employee of the United Federation for Defense of America, a government agency with ties to the Pentagon and Department of Defense. She was dressed in a government uniform along with a hard hat with a light attached to it. Now, as she stepped off the elevator, a man in a dark suit approached her along with everyone else.

Does everyone know why they’re here tonight? the man asked.

Yes, we do, everyone replied. Amanda got hit with a wave of anxiety as she looked around at everyone alongside her.

To be clear, in just forty-eight hours from now these towers will be destroyed. Nobody will ever know a thing. Now, all of you must keep your mouths shut about this. If anyone even thinks about spilling the beans, we have every way of making you disappear where no one will ever find you, the man said angrily. Amanda knew something was off about the man questioning everyone around her. Now, he approached her with an important question.

Ma’am, did you hear what I just said? he asked, clenching his teeth together.

Yes, I did, sir, Amanda said.

Just remember one thing, we own you, and don’t you dare speak out or else, he said, whispering into her ear.

State your name, he said.

Amanda…Amanda Knox, sir, she responded.

*****

Seventeen years later, Amanda, now age thirty-eight, awoke in a police holding cell after being interrogated for hours. Paul was supposed to pick her up, but he never arrived. She knew something was up, but couldn’t figure out what happened. A few moments later, the phone on the desk of one officer in charge started to ring. Officer O’Rourke speaking, he said into the phone.

I’m here for my friend Amanda. Send her out immediately, a mysterious voice said.

Ms. Knox, you’re free to go, Officer O’Rourke said, unlocking her cell.

I don’t understand, Amanda said.

Your friend is outside waiting for you, the officer said.

It’s about time, Amanda replied. She exited the police station, only to see nobody there. Her phone got a text message, which read, I’m several cars down. Keep going until you see a gray vehicle.

Amanda walked down the sidewalk and saw the gray vehicle mentioned in the text message with the passenger window rolled down. Wait, you’re not Paul. What have you done with him? she asked angrily.

Stop asking questions, and get in the car now! the person shouted.

Who are you? Amanda asked again. The driver then took off her glasses and hat, and Amanda recognized her immediately.

Veronica! she gasped. Veronica Valdez was another former intel officer at the federation. After the attack on the towers, she disappeared without a trace. She was forty-one years old, had long brown hair and green eyes. Veronica had always kept a low profile, but something made her come out.

Now, as Amanda got in the car, she couldn’t seem to put two and two together. I know where Paul and Matt are, and we have to hurry, Veronica implied.

How do you know where they are? Amanda asked as Veronica started to pull away.

When we joined the federation, they implanted tracking chips in our mobile devices to contact us if something catastrophic happened. Paul and Matt were abducted. How do I know? My phone buzzed with a notification that they were in peril, Veronica explained.

We don’t have much time. I believe they are going to be killed, she continued. You better step on it now! Amanda screamed.

*****

As Amanda and Veronica rushed to help their friends, the trove of black vehicles carrying Paul and Matt came to a stop. They both knew this was coming, and now they felt like their time was up. They got out of the trucks while a guard pointed an assault rifle at their backs.

Move, let’s go, they said.

They headed deep into a wooded area, where a series of shallow graves awaited them. As they walked, Paul noticed his handcuffs were slightly loose, but didn’t want to draw attention to himself. Now, as they arrived at the shallow graves, Amanda and Veronica parked on top of a hill where they could see everything that was happening.

Holy shit, I can’t believe what I’m seeing, Amanda said in shock.

Veronica opened up the trunk and pulled out an M24 sniper rifle, which she proceeded to lock and load before setting it down on the grassy hilltop and adding a silencer to muffle the sound to avoid detection. Down below, Paul and Matt were placed next to each other, where the guards took out a series of pistols and held them to the back of each other’s heads.

It’s over, you two. You’ve lost. You guys were weak and pathetic just like everyone before you, the guard said.

As the guard was about to pull the trigger on his pistol, Veronica fired a round from her rifle right into the guard’s chest, killing him instantly. At that same moment, Paul broke out of his handcuffs as a series of other vehicles arrived. Paul then took the deceased guard’s pistol and proceeded to kill the remaining guards. Matt proceeded to headbutt his captor, who was then killed by another man’s bullet.

Those guys are on our side, Matt said as he exchanged gunfire. A few moments later, all the guards had been killed, and Paul and Matt took a moment to celebrate. Back on the hilltop, Veronica put her rifle away as she and Amanda ran down as fast as they could to get them.

Thank us later, a military officer said.

Yeah, you saved our lives, sir, Paul said, shaking his hand.

Well, we had some help as well, the officer said.

Really, who helped you guys? Matt asked.

The officer pointed to the hilltop from where two women approached them.

Oh my god, Amanda, I missed you so much, Paul said, hugging her. You did this for us? he asked.

It was me. I have some military connections, Veronica said.

Veronica, I haven’t seen you in, like, forever. I thought you were off the grid, Matt said. Never think I’ve been around, Veronica implied.

C’mon, let’s get the fuck out of here now, Amanda said.

Agreed, now let’s go, Paul said.

Thank you, sir, for helping us out. We’d be dead if you hadn’t shown up, Matt said.

No problem, guys, but thank Veronica for giving the call, the officer said, heading back to his vehicle. Amanda and Veronica escorted Paul and Matt to the car where they proceeded to drive away from the scene.

Where are we headed? Matt asked.

The one place where this will all come to an end…Washington, DC, I hate to say it, Veronica said.

Did the president contact you at all? Amanda asked.

No, but he does have the folder, Veronica implied. Paul gripped his forehead as a sharp pain hit him.

I have a giant headache, Paul said.

So do I, Matt said, holding his head.

Don’t worry about that. We’ll be there faster than you know it, Amanda said.

Veronica got on the highway for the long journey to DC as bad memories began to resurface. She didn’t realize the magnitude of the situation, but it was about to show its ugly face.

Chapter 2

September 11, 2001, 9:55 am

The city was in chaos. Numerous fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances converged in Lower Manhattan. New York’s tallest buildings were wounded by hijacked planes. They belched black smoke like chimneys at a power plant. In her apartment several miles away, Amanda Knox watched everything from her window while the television played in the background. She couldn’t believe what she was watching.

She paced around the room while constantly staring at her phone on her desk, which could ring at any second. A very important person was down there in the city.

C’mon, where are you? Amanda asked herself. A few moments later, the phone rang, and Amanda answered it on the first ring.

Veronica, are you there? she asked.

Yes, I am, Veronica replied.

I’m at the twenty-third floor office of the UFFD in building 7, it was rough getting in here. I had a firefighter escort me in, she added.

I’m glad you finally made it there. I was starting to worry about you. Now, I want you to head down the hallway to a room that says Records Vault on it, Amanda explained. Veronica started to walk down the long hallway as the emergency siren blared in the background. As she continued down the hallway, she couldn’t help but feel like she was in danger. Veronica finally came face-to-face with the giant double doors of the Records Vault Room near the northwest corner of the building.

All right, I finally found it, but you need a pass code to enter, Veronica explained. Amanda read out the pass code allowing her friend to enter the room. Veronica then stared at a sea of filing cabinets containing everything from financial transactions, business dealings, and even government documents related to her cause.

Where is it? Veronica asked into the phone.

There should be a cabinet with the number 5500 on it. Do you see it? Amanda asked.

Affirmative, Veronica said. She unlocked the drawer where a series of large, yellow folders came into view.

It should be the first folder in the drawer! Amanda shouted.

I’ve got it! Veronica shouted back.

Good, now get the fuck out of there now! Amanda screamed. Veronica put the folder in her bag and proceeded to head out of the records room and back down the long hallway to the elevator she rode up on. On her way out, she noticed one room in particular, which got her attention.

The coffee was still hot, and the food was still fresh. It was as if everyone picked up and left in a hurry. All the newspapers were still on the table, barely touched.

Oh my god, Veronica muttered. The emergency sirens continued to blare as Veronica finally headed out.

I’m heading out, she said to Amanda. All of a sudden, a loud ticking sound grabbed Veronica’s attention.

Hold on…what the hell is that? she asked.

Veronica, don’t hang up…answer me! Amanda shouted as the feed cut out. Back on floor 23, Veronica traced the noise to an auditorium-sized room near the back of the building. She stared at two giant transmitters with a countdown timer on each of them. They started counting down, five…four…three…two…one. On the streets below, everyone stared up at the two burning towers. The pilots in the helicopter hovering above saw something unimaginable. The top of the south tower started to pitch forward as it collapsed to the streets below, shocking everybody watching. People ran for their lives as a tornado of blackness tore through the streets. Inside building 7, Veronica saw and heard the building shake violently around her. She started to run down the hallway, only to be knocked to the floor.

She composed herself and ran out into the stairwell of the building. She knew what had just happened on the streets outside, but couldn’t see it. Now a minute later, a massive wall of smoke smashed through the lobby doors of her building, destroying everything in its path. Veronica stared at the dust plume as it rose like a tidal wave up the staircase toward her. The power to the building cut out as Veronica ran back toward the northwest corner of the building to escape the cloud. The noise was almost deafening to a point where Veronica knocked her head into a cabinet, knocking her unconscious and creating a massive gash on the side of her head. The cloud engulfed the rest of the floor as well as the lobbies of nearby structures including the lobby of tower 1.

Back in her apartment several miles away, Amanda stared out in horror as the tower collapsed, and the dust cloud got bigger by the second. She tried calling Veronica’s cell, but only got a taped message saying all circuits were busy and that her call couldn’t be completed.

Son of a bitch! Amanda screamed.

What have we done…what have we done, Amanda continued. Unable to watch anymore from her