Ahe'ey - 2 Gravitational Pull
Page 3
Gabriel scanned the room, looking for any signs of danger, while his companion took a sip of her second glass of Taittinger. She touched the wall of the temple and closed her eyes for a moment.
"It's remarkable what the Egyptians were able to build thousands of years ago. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back in history and explore the great ancient civilisations of the world."
"This is actually a Roman copy of the original Egyptian temple, a model built by Emperor Augustus around 15 BC," Gabriel replied. "It is indeed a shame that so much has been lost, although …" He paused for a second, contemplating if he should continue. "I can assure you that humanity is not ready to unveil its full history."
Morgan's eyebrows jumped at the statement and she opened her mouth to ask what he meant.
"Gabriel, how are you?" interrupted a large and loud man walking in their direction.
"Sir William, it's been far too long. I'm well, thank you. How are you? Has your knee recovered fully from surgery?" Gabriel extended his hand to the older man. Sir William's white hair and soft, well-groomed beard reflected the blue hue of the lights. He placed his hand on Gabriel's shoulder and embraced him with affection.
"Fine, I'm walking, but my marathon running days are over before they even began." He had the most effusive belly laugh.
"Let me introduce you to my friend Morgan. She's visiting us from London and is the world leader when it comes to girl's empowerment." Morgan smiled and extended her hand.
"Morgan, Sir William is a dear friend of mine. He is the CEO of an innovative biofuel business. He's also my partner in a vital and groundbreaking research project that'll be completed next week. I'm forever grateful for his brilliant mind and friendship."
"We couldn't have done it without the support and scientific insights of the Ange'el Foundation, my friend. How long are you going to be in town, Morgan?"
"Just until the end of the week."
"That's a shame. Next time you visit New York, you are invited to visit our home to have dinner together with our friend here. We miss him, especially my youngest daughter, Karen."
"How is the little one?" Gabriel asked.
"She's great, but she's had little time for me since you introduced her to archery and martial arts."
Gabriel smiled and looked at Morgan. "Karen is eight years old and plans to conquer the world by the age of eleven and a half. She is the poster child for girl power. You two should meet."
"I must go and have a seat. My knee is starting to complain. It was excellent to see you both. Gabriel, please do visit us soon. We miss you, and I do need to give you an update on our shared endeavour."
As he walked away, Morgan began to move her body to the sound of the music that was playing in the background. The band was playing "Águas de Março," a song by Tom Jobim. Gabriel smiled as she mumbled some of the lyrics in Portuguese. He looked at her, held her hand, and led her to the dance floor. There they stood holding each other, her hair whispering against his chin, no words, just a deep appreciation for that moment. She hid her head between his neck and shoulder and let her body move with his.
For the first time in a very long time, Gabriel closed his eyes, smelled her hair, and became lost in the moment, a moment where he allowed himself to be just a man falling in love, a moment he would soon regret.
The Attack
New York
Morgan couldn't quite figure out what was happening. First she saw a man with a knife come straight at them. Although the attacker approached from Gabriel's back, he turned around just at the right moment. In milliseconds, Gabriel turned the knife to face the attacker. It went straight into the attacker's heart. The man fell to the floor instantly.
Four others came running towards them with knives. She saw Gabriel dance in the air. He used his right elbow to hit one of the men in the face while his left leg hit the head of another attacker. The way he moved—it was incredible. He was graceful and yet strong. Morgan soon realised that the men were trying to attack her. The only thing preventing the success of the attack was Gabriel, who seemed to be a master of some martial art.
The two security guards finally came running. Gabriel looked back and shouted, "Protect her! Stay with her!" and as he did, one of the attackers wounded his right arm with a knife. Gabriel was now fighting four men simultaneously. He kicked one of his attackers in the head, killing him instantly. The same kick disarmed another attacker; he picked up the knife and threw it at the attacker, who fell to the floor, motionless. The two other men stopped, looked at each other and ran away, disappearing amongst the crowd. Gabriel ran towards Morgan and embraced her.
"Are you all right?" asked Morgan.
Gabriel nodded. He turned to face the two guards. "Sam! Pursue the attackers and call for backup. I'll follow you as soon as Morgan is safe. Manuel, I want at least six extra security guards at the hotel by the time we get there—two inside Morgan's suite, two at the door, and two downstairs. Sir William," he spoke loudly as he walked in the direction of the older man, "I need to borrow your car. Please do not worry. You are all safe. The attackers aren't coming back."
"I'll call my driver now. He'll meet you with the car at the front entrance …"
"Thank you."
He held Morgan's hand as they both ran down the stairs as fast as they could. Morgan abandoned her shoes to try to keep up with her long-legged companion. James and Carl were running up the stairs. "What happened?" James asked.
"Five attackers—three dead, the rest on the run—armed with kitchen knives probably from the Met's kitchen. I need you both to stay here, take care of the guests, and do a postmortem." Gabriel and Morgan kept running to the main door. Sir William's driver was waiting for them at the entrance of the building.
"Mark, would you like to join us so that you can bring the car back to pick up Sir William?" The driver nodded. "Okay, but I'll drive." Gabriel opened the back door of the car to let Morgan in. The two men sat in the front of the Porsche Cayenne. Gabriel was driving very fast and seemed to be using back roads.
"Who were those men?" she asked. "Why were they trying to attack me?" Gabriel did not reply. "Gabriel, what is going on?" His silence distressed her.
The hotel was full of security guards who nodded at Gabriel as he rushed Morgan upstairs. "Morgan, I need you to stay in your suite until I'm back. Please don't worry. You're completely safe within these walls." Before she could reply, he turned around and was gone.
THE END