by Madlen Namro
“Not just educate,” Alec muttered, overwhelmed by all he’d just found out.
“You know anything about that?” David looked at him dubiously.
“I met him at a samurai school. He was pretty good,” Alec finished quietly.
“I bet he was. What were you doing there, though?” David burst out laughing.
“Quiet!” Levi silenced them. “That’s true. He did study martial arts. In fact, he was taught by some of the best Japanese warriors. Meanwhile, Kaminsky remembered he had a son and returned to collect Alexander, not just as a father, but now also the caliph. His son found out about his new position, but refused to leave his new family behind. He could not forgive his father for abandoning him. He often contacted Victor and they talked for many hours; Alexander often asking for his stepbrother’s advice. This is when Kaminsky begun to see Victor as a potential threat to his reunion with his son. So, he decided to get rid of him. I must admit the way he framed his stepson with those terrorist attacks was incredibly precise. You remember the hit on the Imperial Palace in Japan? That was the attack he was framed for. Victor was deported to Russia and placed in a maximum security prison. He’d spent eight years in there, when I came to get him out.” Levi smiled at the thought. He still felt proud to have been able to help a man out of that nightmare. He breathed heavily and cleared his throat. He stood up to get water form the kitchen, the two commandos following.
“And you made him look like a hero,” Alec snarled while they were all sipping active water, a sort of energy drink.
“Please understand,” Levi said patiently, “the man is a hero. The president quickly noticed his unique skills and made him his personal tracker. He’s one of the president’s closest and most trusted men.”
“But he grew up with our greatest enemy!”
“Kaminsky was not a bad father for Victor, possibly because they barely saw each other. The best men are those who don’t stay at home. Ever heard that saying?”
“I’ve heard,” David added, “that a good husband is a dead husband.”
They all laughed at the corny feminist joke. A moment later, the commodore Victor’s mother well. engrossed in their work. I think Alexander and Victor spent most of their childhood being the only company for each other.”
“Now I get it.” David nodded.
continued, “Kaminsky treated They were both completely “Get what?” Alec looked at him suspiciously.
“We’re going to use this to get closer to Kaminsky.” David seemed to approve of the idea.
“Yes.” Levi stepped back into the room and sat heavily on the sofa. “There’s no other way. We need to track down Alexander and kill him.”
“What?” Alec could not follow the plan. Weren’t they supposed to kill Kaminsky?
“Victor is skilled in assuming different identities. He can get into Alexander’s shoes and arrange a meeting with the caliph and then, instead of his son, Kaminsky will see us.”
“This might actually work.” David smiled at the thought. “It’s a good plan. What does Victor think about it?”
“I haven’t told him yet. The president once promised him he would not have to be the one to kill his stepfather. Apparently now he’s changed him mind. But when we tell him we also have to get rid of Alexander…”
“He won’t agree.” David sighed.
“I don’t know,” Levi answered. “Either way, this will not be easy for him.”
“Nothing’s ever easy,” David said. “But world peace is more important than the lives of two such scumbags.”
“That’s why Jo’s role is so important, provided she’s emotionally stable.”
“What role is that?” Alec asked worryingly.
“She’d not only a pilot, she’s also a talented psychologist… and she knows Kaminsky well. She’ll be able to convince Victor how important it is to get rid of the man.”
“Absolutely not!” Alec hissed. “I will not allow her to have any contact with that gangster!”
“You moron!” David could barely control his temper. “A gangster? Do you even know what you’re talking about?”
“What did you just call me?” Alec was about to jump at David, but Levi managed to hold him back.
“Commando Scar.” Levi glanced at David angrily. “You will apologise to Commando Ross.”
“Like hell I will!” David spat on the floor ostentatiously. “He’s jealous! That’s what this is all about.”
The men were slowly beginning to settle down.
“Commando Ross,” Levi turned to Alec with strictness and anger still in his voice, “I’d like to remind you we are now on a mission.”
“Yes, Commodore.”
“And I’d like to remind you you’re married,” David added.
“Unless you settle down right now, one of you is going to leave this island before the day is over.”
They grew quiet. The commandos knew Levi only used surnames when really furious. He was dead serious about kicking one of them off the team and neither wished to be excluded.
* * * *
Victor left the motel and hurried to continue his search. He sped around the outskirts of the island, stopping at the various small towns and villages to ask around. He kept wondering what she would say once they finally met. What he was going to feel once he’d looked into her eyes again. Would she be happy to see him? As time passed, he was getting increasingly apprehensive. He was about to leave one of the last few remaining villages there were on the island, when he spotted a small house hidden among the trees in the distance. He rode towards it, trying not to make much noise. Victor got off his bike and walked around the fence. It was the first house he’d seen on the island with such technologically advanced appliances. It had electronic surveillance and modern security measures. Two angry German shepherds were circling around in the yard, growling and barking in his direction. Victor crouched and fixed his eyes coldly on the animals. Moments later the dogs stopped behaving aggressively and obediently lay down on the lawn, clearly intimidated. Yes, he was a wizard when it came to animals and plants. Sensitive and stern at the same time, Victor had an unbelievable way of dealing with animals. He decided to climb the fence and, a moment later, jumped down to the other side. The dogs trotted towards him and started fawning. He gave each one a pat on the head. He didn’t want to encourage the dogs to play as there was no time for that. He took a discrete look through one of the windows. He knew the cameras would register his every move, but he did not care. As he walked around the house he spotted the garage and the car he’d been looking for safely parked inside. So it was Jo’s house after all. He decided not to go inside. The security system really looked top notch and he was convinced there was no one there. So, where was she? For a moment he considered his options. He could hide around here somewhere and wait for her, or go back to the village and meet her half way somewhere. The car was still here which meant she had not gone far. He would meet her soon. He could feel it. Victor jumped the fence again and walked to his bike. He had to put on his sunglasses when he walked out of the tree’s shadow. This was the hottest month on the islands and the sunshine was blinding. He rode towards the village hoping to meet her there.
The town turned out to be more of a fishing village, now mostly deserted for what he could see. He stopped by a beach bar and decided to go in for a drink. The customers seated inside suddenly went silent as he entered. He was a stranger and strangers were not liked here. Victor looked around and noticed several pairs of eyes studying him closely. He took off his glasses, wiped sweat off his forehead and found a free table. Apparently the fishermen did not enjoy being oblivious as they quickly surrounded him with questioning expressions on their faces. The barman approached the table and asked if Victor was thirsty. They figured he’d come from somewhere far as they’d never seen him before.
Victor asked for a glass of water and reached into his pocket to take out a photograph of Jo.
“Since you know everyone on the island, yo
u’ll probably know her too, right?” The men grew silent as they passed the picture to each other.
“What’s it to you?” one of them growled under his breath.
“I need to find her.”
“And who’s asking?” The speaker, an old man, moved away from the wall he was leaning against. The cane in his hand looked heavy. He slowly walked up to Victor’s table watching him take back the photo and stash it back in his pocket.
“Her best friend.”
The men surrounding the table swallowed audibly and looked at the old man who waved them away. They obediently got up and returned to their unfinished drinks while the whitebeard settled himself down opposite Victor.
“You’re looking for Jo,” he commented provocatively.
“Yes, I am.” Victor maintained eye contact studying his interlocutor.
“She matters a great deal to us. I trust you have a good reason to disturb her.”
Victor looked around the room. All the men were again preoccupied with each other, leaving the task of talking to the village elder as tradition demanded.
“I really am her friend. Possibly the only one left,” he said, trying to strike a warmer tone.
“Jo has no friends,” the old men insisted.
“I hope I’m one, even if she sees it differently. I’ve come for her and it’s really important.”
The old man glanced at him severely, but he intuitively believed Victor to be an honest man. He may have been telling the truth. He thought for a moment before answering.
“Jo is like a granddaughter to me. I will not let anyone hurt her. She’s one of us now.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Victor was beginning to see it would not be easy getting anything out of this conversation. People in places like this tended to be extremely stubborn at times.
“So, young man, you’ve got some business with her, is that right?”
“Yes, but I have to tell her about if face to face.”
“You commandos have a surprising talent for charging blindly against a problem, yet you don’t always come out victorious.”
So – Victor’s mind was analysing at full capacity now – Jo is in trouble. Possibly her memory had returned and she had had another nervous breakdown. The feeling that there was no time to lose grew even stronger.
“I don’t have a minute to spare. I’m the only one who can help her.” He bet on a hunch, surprising even himself.
“She’s not just another colleague for you, is she?”
“She isn’t.”
The old man studied the tracker for a moment more before saying, “Young man, when you leave this bar turn left, towards the dunes. You’ll find her there and hurry, it gets dark quickly in these parts.”
Victor jumped to his feet and hurried outside. The old man was right. The sun was already beginning to set and the cool breeze from the sea already smelt of the night. He got on his bike and decided to approach the dunes from the sea rather than land. He slowly rode down the stairs leading to the beach and followed the coast, carefully watching the sandy hills at his side.
* * * *
Straightened up in a lotus pose on the sand, Jo tried to focus her mind, to control the fear that had tormented her thoughts for days. She desperately tried to wind down. She’d sacrificed so much just to get rid of her memories of Kaminsky. Why did she have to go on that unfortunate identity hunt now! The constant pangs of regret thwarted her attempts to concentrate. Now that she’d finally discovered who she was, she suddenly felt helpless, lonely, used by the Defence Council, used by Alec. She needed to fight these feelings somehow. She would get over it, at her own pace and in her own way. She could trust no one.
She sat among the sands, motionless. Chilly air would sometimes make her tremble slightly, but she ignored it, listening instead to the sounds of the sea. She dove into the dark memories, saw the island as it had been a few years back, saw the terrorists’ faces and saw Kaminsky.
As she let the memories sharpen, she recalled one of Kaminsky’s monologues that he’d harangued her with while they were already the only ones left alive on the island.
That’s right, Joanna, our consciousness is a tree with many branches. Each branch is a book that has to be read, discovered. If you seek to discover your true self you must visit each of them, read through the whole tree. And once you finally reach the top you will see its beauty. But be careful not to fall off. Remaining at the peak of selfawareness is the most difficult of tasks.
But, my dear, it is also the ideal place to command others from.
His every word made her tremble with terror. He was mad but also so powerful, so fearless, fuelled by his ideals.
When you kill you must do it in cold blood. Never waste time thinking of consequences. A noble cause justifies everything, even murder. If one wants to shape a world of perfection, he must not allow it to be ruled by fools who build their empires on other people’s misery. I shall build mine on an illusion of happiness. I’ll crush all the world’s capitalists, quietly and without fuss. I’m the messenger, child.
But Kaminsky had not kept his word. He’d killed with a lot of fuss and turmoil, unless… he had a plan no one was aware of, one that needed a diversion.
Jo wanted to shake off those memories, but thinking about them made her slowly come to terms with the ordeal, to analyse it in the cold light of logic and to find her lost strength in the fact that against all odds she had survived. Suddenly, she began to feel the chill of the night. She decided she’d had enough meditation for one day. It was time to go home. She pulled on a sweater and shoes and, as she descended the dune, she did not see the man moving closer in the distance. When she finally spotted him, her instincts told her to run and hide from the stranger. But then again, she had spent too much time meditating to let fear ruin it all now. She stopped and decided to confront him. Maybe he was not after her at all, maybe he hadn’t seen her. She straightened up and breathed in deeply to give herself courage.
Victor had spotted Jo a while ago. Riding towards her, he felt a growing wave of heat surging through his body, stirring his blood, pumping adrenaline into his veins. He’d missed her terribly. Seeing her now only made him realise how much. For the last year, he had done everything to keep himself busy, to stop himself from thinking about her, but he could not keep up the pretence any longer. He cared for Jo and wanted to tell her. The sooner the better. As he came closer, Jo was beginning to recognise Victor. At first she thought she was just seeing things, but after a moment there could be no more doubt. She smiled. All this time she had hoped he would find her and take her away. She’d fantasised about the moment they would meet, Victor taking her in his arms and whispering that he’d looked for her all this time, had searched across the world.
He pulled up in front of her. For a long moment, they just looked into each other’s eyes, suddenly lost for words, even though they had so much to say. Each hesitated to take the first step, to do what they had been dreaming of. Eventually, without getting off the motorcycle, Victor reached out to her and pulled her gently towards him. Jo sat behind the tracker and threw her arms around his waist. The heat of his body filled her with new hope. The moment would last all the way to Jo’s house along the beach. They rode slowly, chasing the sun about to rise and just before the first speckle of red in the east, they reached her house, still intoxicated by one another’s company.
* * * *
“Much of Victor’s childhood was spent in a strictly Islamic home,” Levi started, hoping to get the conversation back on track. “Kaminsky converted very early in his life. For him Islam is not just about obedience to Allah, but also a sort of military service. Like it or not, Victor was forced to study the Koran.”
“ Ashadu an la ilaha illallahu wa ashadu anna Muhammad an Abduhu wa Rasooluhu,” David quoted, which meant, ‘I declare there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet’.
“I see Victor is not the only one reading the Koran,” Alec commented maliciously.
> “The alleged relation between Islam and terrorism was refuted over fifty years ago, I’m surprised you’d still even refer to it,” Levi cut in. “Terrorists follow their own faith. I believe Kaminsky studied Islam mainly to better understand his future brothers.”
“The famous five?” David remembered. “I’ve heard talk of it in Cairo. He’s used this idea to great effect.”
“What’s the famous five?” Alec did not seem to like the fact David’s knowledge was so in-depth.
“The five things which sanctity mustn’t be violated,” Levi explained. “Religion, life, possession, honour and family. Anyone who stands against a Muslim will therefore deserve punishment.”
“Yeah, but since we all agree terrorism and Islam are not related, why do we even waste our breath talking about it?”
“Don’t like being the one who knows squat, eh?” David laughed.
“I agree with Alec,” Levi admitted. “I only referred to Islam to better describe Kaminsky’s personality. We must learn everything he’s learnt, touch what he has touched. We have to hack into his mind so we can recognise his methods and predict his moves.” Now Levi had the two men’s undivided attention.
“Nearly 150 years ago, when the attacks on New York and the Pentagon hit the headlines and were later followed by numerous strikes at European cities, entire nations turned against Muslims, but the truth was that terrorists originated from small Muslim sects, following a greatly distorted version of Islam. To understand the genesis of global terrorism, Kaminsky began studying the Koran so he was later able to twist those ideas to his own advantage. The principles of Islam, as I’m sure you know, are in no way sinister or devilish. A religious Muslim must pilgrimage to Mecca once in his life, pray five times a day, fast from dawn till dusk in the Ramadan, give alms to the poor and of course worship the one true God.”