They increased their speed when the sedan exploded. When soon afterwards the second explosion became visible they had almost reached the places where they intended to park their vehicles. Another fifty yards and they stopped. Through his earphones Tony could hear Sarah’s voice, “We’re in position.” He replied, “Same here.”
Half a minute later they dashed towards the building: Tony from one side, Cristina and Sarah from the opposite side. Up to this point they had followed the plan they had worked out together. The plan was a good plan and was well executed, but from now on there would be no plan; there would be an objective – to free their friends – and each one of them, as they progressed, had to make their own decisions about what to do towards meeting this objective.
There was no entry into the house from Tony’s side. He ran towards the rear of the building. He could hear a dog barking in the area he was heading towards. The dog was attached to a chain and the chain was attached to a wire so that the dog could run along almost the entire width of the rear of the house. Tony could see something running towards him. It was dark and he had no idea what kind of dog it was. When the dog jumped towards him, he swung his machine gun like a baseball bat towards the approaching shadow. He was lucky. The machine gun hit the dog at the side of its head. A second hit ensured that the dog stayed unconscious or dead on the ground. For a fraction of a moment Tony felt sorry for the animal. The dog was just an innocent participant.
Tony focused on his surroundings. He was surprised that no lights had come on at the rear of the house. He noticed a rear entry. As he rushed towards the entry two persons raced around the corner from the side of the house where Christina and Sarah had approached the building. A second earlier he had heard Sarah’s voice in his earphones, “We are heading towards the rear.” He replied, “Meet you there.”
They met in front of one of the two doors at the rear of the building. Tony pointed to the second door. Christina and Sarah kept going and a few seconds later he could hear Christina saying, “Door locked.” He said, “This is open.” Christina and Sarah raced back to him and a few seconds later they entered the house. So far they had managed to be quiet and had every reason to believe that their arrival had not been noticed.
Inside the house it was pitch dark and they switched on the torches that were attached to their machine guns. They found themselves in a corridor that seemed to lead approximately half way towards the front of the house before it came to an end. At its end it probably turned to the left or right or to both sides, but they couldn’t see this from where they were standing. There were doors on both sides of the corridor. Christina whispered that she would check the doors on one side and Tony on the other side whilst Sarah would go to the end of the corridor. The doors were all unlocked and the rooms behind the doors were empty. Four rooms turned out to be bedrooms. In each of these rooms the light was on and it was obvious that their inhabitants had left the rooms in a hurry and most likely found themselves now in front of the building trying to work out what the explosions were all about. Two rooms turned out to be storerooms. Sarah reported from the end of the corridor that the corridor continued on the right. On the left there was a staircase to the upper floor of the building. When Christina and Tony arrived at the end of the corridor they agreed that they would stay together and start exploring the upper floor.
Through their communication system they could hear Nancy saying, “I am at the Landcruiser and am now moving towards the house. I have two SMAWs and one machine gun with me. Any suggestions?”
“Suggest you stay at the side of the house in the dark and keep an eye on what’s going on at the front of the house and the driveway,” Christina replied.
“As far as I am aware there should be five or six men somewhere in the front and in the driveway area. I could see them when I was dashing towards the Landcruiser. At the moment I can’t see any of them. They have all moved into the dark areas beside the driveway. I guess they are checking out the two explosions.”
“Okay. Let us know if anybody returns to the house or if there is any new development,” Christina answered. A second later Tony added, “We are going upstairs. If people return to the house be ready to blow up the front entrance area. But only after we have located our friends and give you the all clear.”
“Okay. Be careful. There could still be enemies inside the house.”
At the top of the stairs a corridor led to the back of the house. As on the ground floor, there were doors on either side of the corridor and there was a door at the very end of the corridor. Probably a door to a balcony, Tony thought.
“Something’s wrong,” Christina said. “Too quiet.”
“Just thought the same,” Tony replied.
“What is it?” they could hear Nancy’s voice.
“Just a gut feeling,” Tony answered. “We are on the upper level and are going to check out the rooms, moving towards the rear of the building.”
“Let’s check out each room together,” Christina suggested.
“Okay,” Tony agreed. “One of us opens the door, but stays beside the door. One of us points the gun inside the room from a low position, ready to fire it. One of us monitors the corridors and the other doors.”
Tony positioned himself in front of the first door. He had one knee on the floor and formed as small a target as possible. The torch attached to his machine gun was switched on ready to throw light inside the room the moment the door was ripped open. Tony’s right index finger was on the trigger of the gun, ready to let bullets follow the light of the torch.
Sarah positioned herself beside the door with her hand on the door handle. Christina stood at the opposite wall of the corridor, perhaps two yards away from Tony. Her head turned to the right and left scanning the corridor.
Tony nodded. Sarah ripped open the door. There was no need for the light from Tony’s torch. There was light inside the room and Tony almost immediately lowered his gun. On the wall opposite the door he saw Mike’s mother sitting on a chair. To her right and her left were two men. They were dressed in bomb disposal gear and each of them held an explosive device in one hand and the hand rested on the shoulder of the elderly woman. At a second glance Mike saw that the devices were attached with a string to the woman’s neck. The men’s hands were covered with massive protective gloves. Tony realized within the flash of a second that there was nothing he could to. If he shot at the men it was doubtful that his bullets would kill them. Their protective gear was designed to protect them from bombs and shrapnel; it would also withstand his bullets. But ultimately, this didn’t matter. Even if he killed them, they would let go of the explosive devices and although the devices didn’t look very powerful, they were likely to explode within a second or two and powerful enough to kill Mike’s mother instantly. Tony realized he had walked into an amazingly simple but effective trap. The two men could let go of their devices any moment, step back an yard or two and would not even be harmed by the explosives attached to the body of the elderly woman.
Tony glanced to the right and left and could see the other hostages. They all, including Mike’s mother, were gagged. “The game is over,” he said. “Christina, Sarah, drop your guns. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Both women dropped their guns.
The door at the end of the corridor opened. It was, as Tony had thought, a door that led to a balcony. Alberto, with a pistol in his hand, entered the corridor. He approached them slowly. He walks like a leopard, Christina thought. Then she realized, this man is not Alberto.
“Finally we meet,” the man said.
“What happened to your other self?” Christina asked.
“Alberto doesn’t like all that shooting and explosions and killings. He decided to hand things over to an expert.”
“And the expert is Gabriele?”
“Very good. I am Gabriele and I am the expert.”
“I was hoping to meet Alberto,” Christina continued.
“I thought you would, but Alberto has l
eft the building.”
“He will return.”
“Yes, he will return, but when he returns you won’t be around anymore.”
“I have an important message for him.”
“You can leave the message with me.”
“It is a confidential message for Alberto only.”
“Too bad. If you don’t leave the message with me, he will never get it.”
“You should not interfere with Alberto’s life. You know, he does not interfere with your life.”
“That’s the difference between him and me. He is the good guy, I am the bad guy, and in a few minutes, before my men and I depart, you and your friends will be dead.”
54
A massive explosion rocked the building. It came from the front and Tony realized that the woman with whom he wanted to share the rest of his life had decided to obliterate the front entry area. Good attempt, he thought, but I don’t think this will make a big difference now. Then again, who knows!
Gabriele looked towards Tony and said, “Better tell the remaining member of your club to join us.”
“Did you hear what Gabriele said?” Tony spoke into his microphone. A second or two later he continued, “Yes, he is in total control. He has explosives attached to Mike’s mother. We are all on the upper floor somewhere in the middle area of the building. There is a staircase if you enter from the rear.”
“You’ve said enough. Remove your communication stuff and throw it on the floor.” Gabriele pointed towards the end of the floor where the balcony was located.
A few seconds later there was another explosion. This time from the rear of the building. “Shit!” Gabriele yelled. “Didn’t you tell that woman that the game is over? One more stupidity and I’ll tell my men to step back.”
“Sorry,” a voice coming from the staircase said. “I dropped one of my hand grenades. An honest mistake. Nearly killed myself.”
“Stop bullshitting me!”
“Okay. I blew up the outside of the rear entry area to slow your men down. Two of them are following me.”
“It won’t make any difference what you do. Are you coming up the staircase now or not?”
“I am not coming up.”
“What do you mean you are not coming up? If you are not here in three seconds the first person up here will die.”
“You know nothing about death,” Nancy replied.
There was a pause before Gabriele replied, “What the fuck does that mean?”
“As I said, you know nothing about death. You seek eternal life, but you can’t find eternal life unless you know the meaning of death.”
“What do you know?”
“I’ll tell you what I know, but first tell your men to stay outside. If I see one more sneaking around the rear entrance, you shouldn’t be surprised if there is another explosion.”
Gabriele yelled, “Stay outside the building!”
“Who you talking to?” a voice yelled back.
“Who the hell do you think? I am talking to you and everybody else outside!”
“Why can’t we come in? What’s the problem?”
“Because one of the women here is frightened of you, you idiot!”
“Thank you,” Nancy said.
“You coming upstairs now, where I can see you, or do I have to kill someone first? I can start with your boyfriend,” Gabriele replied.
He knows more about us than he is meant to know, Tony thought.
“I won’t come upstairs, but if you kill only one person, I’ll promise that I will kill you.”
“How the heck do you think you can kill me without getting killed yourself?” Gabriele asked. “Can’t you see the game is over? You people lost and I won.”
“This is not about winning or losing; this is about understanding the greatest conspiracy in the universe: the conspiracy between death and eternal life,” Nancy replied. “Tell me, did you understand the recipe?”
“Nobody understands it. I showed it to experts. It is in a coded language.”
“Just like death. Death is like a code.”
“Don’t talk bullshit,” Gabriele replied.
Tony could see that the man had enough of the conversation. He probably wanted to get away from the house. Any moment the police or fire brigade could arrive. It was likely that someone in the nearby village had heard the explosions. Tony also could see that Mike’s mother was in distress. Either she couldn’t breathe or wanted to say something.
“Take the gag off the lady’s mouth,” Tony said.
Gabriel pointed his pistol at Tony. “You shut up. One more word from you and you will be the first one to go.”
“If you kill him you kill automatically yourself,” Nancy voice from the staircase said. “Remember, I have hand grenades.”
“If you throw a hand grenade you have no idea who else you are going to kill.”
“I will kill you. That’s all that matters. “You will die without knowing the conspiracy between death and eternal life.”
“Listen Gabriele,” Tony interrupted. “You changed from Alberto into Gabriele earlier today. That’s right, isn’t it? You are not yet fully your old self. Don’t make hasty decisions which you can’t reverse later.”
Gabriele’s pistol went off and a bullet hit Tony’s shoulder. A second later Nancy appeared. Half of her body was still below floor level. Her machine gun pointed at Gabriele. Gabriele’s pistol pointed at Nancy. For ten long seconds nobody said a word.
Gabriele was the first to talk. “What do you know about death and eternal life that I don’t know? Tell me now. Don’t waste any more time. Otherwise for you and me death may be only seconds away.”
“Okay,” Nancy replied. “If we weren’t pointing guns at each other I would ask you to close your eyes and tell me what you see. That would make it easier for me to explain things to you. But I guess I can’t expect you to close your eyes. Not now, not in the current situation.”
“I am warning you, don’t waste time.”
Nancy didn’t allow herself to be interrupted. “But what I can expect you to do and what I am asking you to do is this. Ask yourself, if you closed your eyes right now, and assuming nobody here would exploit this opportunity and kill you, what do you think you would see?”
“Is this a serious question?”
“It’s a very serious question.”
Again Tony interrupted. By now he was convinced that Mike’s mother wasn’t in distress. She wanted to say something. The movement of her head and eyes indicated that she wanted to talk to Gabriele. He stood outside the room in the corridor and couldn’t see her and she couldn’t see him. It must be something important, Tony thought. She is a sensible woman. She has explosives attached to her neck and two men are standing at her left and right and they are holding the explosives in their hand. The moment one of them lifts his thumb, she’ll be dead. She knows it. The most sensible thing for her would be to not move and to be quiet. But she does the opposite.
“Listen Gabriele,” Tony tried once more. But that was all he managed to say.
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Gabriele yelled. He was good. He did not even look at Tony and his pistol remained unwaveringly focused on Nancy.
“At this very moment, if I closed my eyes, I would still see you,” Gabriele continued his conversation with Nancy.
“Okay,” Nancy replied. “This was the answer I was hoping for. Now to the next question, a much more difficult one. Take your time. Here the question: What is the difference between the picture of me that you see now and the picture of me that you would see if you closed your eyes?”
Gabriele did not reply. Nancy had asked this question of other people before. They all, without exception, always provided an answer without hesitation. To them the answer was simple. For many the question did not even make sense. Gabriele was different. Ten seconds, twenty seconds passed and he still had not said one word. Nothing had changed. His pistol pointed at Nancy. He appeared totally focused. Equally Nancy; he
r machine gun pointed at Gabriele and she was ready to pull the trigger the very moment she felt that Gabriele moved his index finger.
A minuted passed, two minutes passed. “Nobody move,” Gabriele said. “Nobody move. I am thinking.”
Another minute passed. A voice from the outside yelled, “What’s going on boss? Are you all right?”
“Shut up!” Gabriele yelled with a gigantic voice that made everybody twitch.
There were no further questions from the outside.
Another minute passed. “What’s the time?” Gabriele asked. His voice sounded different, kind of tortured. But his attention and focus hadn’t changed.
“Someone tell him the time,” Nancy said.
“It’s twenty minutes to three,” Sarah replied.
“Thank you,” Nancy said.
“Thank you,” Gabriele repeated.
What’s wrong with him? Tony and Christina wondered. They were both waiting for an opportunity to overwhelm him, but the man was careful. He was too far away for them to reach him with one leap. The machine guns which Tony, Christina and Sarah had dropped earlier they had immediately pushed with their feet towards the other side of the corridor at his demand. Besides, Tony felt a throbbing pain in his shoulder where the bullet had hit him. Part of his attention was still diverted towards Mike’s mothers. The woman had given up trying to shake the gag out of her mouth. She must have realized that this wouldn’t work. It only exhausted her. But she still kept pointing with her head and eyes towards that spot in the corridor where she expected Gabriele to stand.
“Gabriele, are you all right?” Christina asked.
She didn’t receive an answer. Another minute went by.
“What is the difference between the picture of you that I see now and the picture of you that I would see if I closed my eyes?” Gabriele said. “That was the question, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Why is this important?”
“Don’t you remember?” Nancy asked.
“I do remember. You talked about death, eternal life and conspiracy.”
An Almighty Conspiracy – A novel, a thriller, four people doing the unexpected Page 21