“Where are they going with those documents?” Nathan asked.
“I don’t know the exact location, but they will be flying to St. Petersburg to deliver the documents, and your scientists. I don’t know the names of the people in Russia, and I don’t know the names of the people he is to meet with at the museum, and that is the truth.” Sebastian, who had not loosened his grip on the man, now let go, and Khalhemah collapsed, holding his head in his hands.
Sebastian knew he had all that he needed now. The man was telling the truth, and he didn’t know anything more. Before they left, Nathan used another of their immortal gifts to make sure that Kahlhemah would remember nothing about them or their conversation, by erasing his memory of recent events.
They returned to the hotel around 3:00 in the morning, satisfied with the progress they had made, and went to bed.
Early the next morning, Sebastian’s phone rang. It was Officer Westbrook, wanting to know if Sebastian and Nathan would like to have breakfast. Sebastian politely declined and asked if they could meet in a couple of hours, in the lobby. Then he called Nathan to give him the meeting time and headed to the shower. He took his time dressing and then called Arielle. Her phone rang several times and then went to voice message. “Miss me!!” he whispered and hung up.
He met Nathan outside his room and they walked down to the lobby. There the officers where waiting for them.
“Good morning, officers,” Sebastian said, reaching out his hand.
“You can call me Mark,” Officer Salvador said. “And me Tony,” Officer Westbrook added.
“Very well, Mark and Tony,” Sebastian said. “We received information this morning from a company informant who advised us that there will be a meeting of the people we are after in Abuja, Nigeria at 2:00 in the afternoon on Monday.” He refrained from telling them about the other meeting, because he and Nathan were planning to handle that meeting themselves.
“I’ve already arranged for us to fly to Nigeria, arriving Sunday afternoon,” he said. “We can spend some time getting familiar with the museum, the rooms where the exits and entrances are, and so on, in case there is an unexpected turn of events. I think this will give us the upper hand on Monday.”
“Now, now, Sebastian,” Mark said, smiling. “I appreciate you coming along and helping, but you need to let us do our job.”
“Of course, that is our intention,” Sebastian agreed. “The only thing we’re here for is to get our documents and our scientists. You can handle everything else; we promise we won’t be in the way,” Sebastian said, casting Nathan a meaningful look.
Next they went to their rooms to pack and get ready for their flight. As he packed, Sebastian’s thoughts turned to the kinds of problems they would face if those documents ever fell into the wrong hands. The new owners of the documents would be able to locate ample Polonium, a very rare radioactive metallic element that Sebastian’s company used to make various products—some significant, and some more common.
Sebastian and Nathan were very familiar with Russia’s thirst for power and its corrupt government. They knew that Russian spies were less interested in ideological fights for geographic spheres of influence, and more interested in prying for secrets hidden in boardrooms and laboratories. These were Russian spies who most likely had spent their whole careers in the old KGB and were now in the FSB. They had been instructed to abduct the scientists and steal or photograph important documents—documents that could provide the information they needed to create dangerous nuclear weapons that would help them maintain political control.
So the task before them was pretty daunting. Simply put, Nathan and Sebastian had to return the stolen documents and the abducted scientists to their rightful places—and quickly, too.
Sebastian was very sure that there must be more than one spy who had infiltrated his company. But that was a problem that would have to be resolved when they returned from Nigeria.
The flight was long and tiring. When they arrived in Nigeria late Sunday afternoon they went directly to the museum, where they walked around, slowly making themselves familiar with all the rooms in the building. They located all the entrances and exits, and then returned to the hotel to get some sleep. They agreed to meet Mark and Tony the next morning in the hotel lobby, and went to their rooms.
Once again Nathan and Sebastian met later that night. This time they flagged a taxi outside the hotel and headed over to the restaurant where the meeting would be held. Arriving about 9:30, they took a poorly lit corner table where they would be less conspicuous, and that would give them a better view of the central open area of the restaurant. They knew exactly what Alexie looked like from the picture in Khalhemah’s mind, so they ordered some drinks, waited and watched.
Several groups of customers were dining throughout the restaurant. Sebastian focused on the tables with more than two people and set his mind to work, reading people’s thoughts. It was not long before he stopped at a table with five men and two women. They were sitting very close to each other, and seemed to be involved in an intense conversation. They didn’t look Nigerian, they looked European, and their voices were very soft to most listeners. However, Nathan and Sebastian were able to clearly understand what they were saying, and their minds were completely open to Sebastian.
They were too absorbed in their conversation to worry about possible eavesdroppers. Now that the job had been completed according to schedule, they believed that nothing could conceivably go wrong. Or so they thought.
“This assignment was a piece of cake,” the first man said, and they all shared a good chuckle.
“Surely you can see that the guys we had inside did an excellent job,” the second man said, smiling wide. His gaze flitted from face to face around the table and he saw all of them nodding in agreement.
The man who seemed to be the leader of the group took a sip of his drink. Leaning forward, he said, “Jonathan, we only succeeded because their security team was so pathetic,” the corners of his mouth lifting arrogantly. Jonathan blinked at the man’s comment. He knew that what the man had said wasn’t exactly a lie, but nevertheless he didn’t like what he heard. “Scott, what is it that you are suggesting?” he asked, obviously offended. When there was no response to his question, he continued, an irritable tone in his voice. “Are you saying we only succeeded because they were weak?”
“Calm down, Jonathan,” Scott replied calmly. “That’s not what I said. But the fact that they were weak made it a lot easier for us.” Jonathan opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, feeling Scott’s sharp gaze on him.
“Now that we have all the documents here and the two scientists in a secure place, all we have to do is hand all of it to Alexie, and we’re done,” Scott stated firmly. They all nodded quietly in agreement, but somewhat tentatively. They all knew that they weren’t in the clear until all the documents were out of their hands.
Sebastian and Nathan were wondering if the two women in the group were among the assailants, or if they had some other role. The next statement convinced them that they were in fact co-conspirators.
“This will be one of the nicest paydays we’ve ever had,” both women said simultaneously, clearly delighted. There was a short pause and the next piece of conversation sparked Sebastian and Nathan’s interest.
The fourth guy in the group had been quiet throughout the exchange between the thugs. He seemed to be looking over his shoulder most of the time, impatiently. Finally he looked like he was ready to say something, but he was interrupted by one of the women.
“Scotty, where did they take the two scientists?” she asked.
“I’m sure they took them to the same place we are staying tonight. We have security, to make sure they remain in our custody until Alexie picks them up in the morning.” Scotty replied. “Then Alexie will deliver the two scientists, along with the documents, to his contacts from St. Petersburg sometime tomorrow morning.”
“What is it, Miles?” Scotty asked, staring poin
tedly at the fourth man, who seemed to be still quite nervous. “What’s wrong? You seemed jumpy.”
Miles took a deep breath and, looking around one more time, he leaned close and whispered, “I have this strange feeling that we’re being watched.” Immediately they all tensed up, and took a good look around. Everyone in the place seemed to be engaged in private conversations and nothing seemed to be out of place. Sebastian and Nathan were sitting quite far from their table, so they didn’t even notice them. After a long, careful surveying of the restaurant’s patrons, reassured that everything was okay, they turned to face each other.
“You’ve just got the jitters, old man, nothing to worry about,” Scott said, confidently. Miles smiled with relief, but he still didn’t seem completely convinced.
Sebastian and Nathan now knew that they had to follow the assailants after the meeting and get the scientists freed. The next day they would be at the museum along with the Interpol agents for Alexie’s meeting with the Russians. A low cough from Nathan snapped Sebastian out of his thoughts, and he returned to listening again.
“Fortunately we didn’t get interrupted during the invasion. This was a quick and clean job,” noted a fifth man, who seemed to be just as quiet as Miles.
“I’m sure that Alexie will be extremely pleased with the outcome,” Scott said.
Soon after, their conversation shifted to other topics. Then, just before 10:00, a stocky man with slick blond hair walked into the restaurant. His face was stern, his lips were pressed together anxiously, and he was carrying a briefcase. He stopped for a short moment at the entrance while his eyes intently scanned the room, stopping at the table with the group of assailants. He crossed the room with a few large strides. There were handshakes, soft smiles, and low talk, but none of it escaped Sebastian and Nathan’s notice. Envelopes, which Sebastian was sure contained the stolen documents and files, were handed to the man, and he placed them in his briefcase.
“Your guests are secure,” the man called Scotty assured him with an obnoxious smile, adding, “They’re all ready for their trip to St. Petersburg.”
As soon as they began discussing the prisoners, Sebastian could see clearly in their minds the details about the abduction of the two scientists, and their flights to Nigeria. He could see in their minds that on arrival in Nigeria, the scientists had been turned over to a group of armed men who had put them into a large white van and moved them to a large building. They now knew it was the same location where the assailants would be staying tonight.
Alexie nodded, looking pleased. After a brief discussion he stood up, took a few small envelopes from his coat pocket and handed them to each of the five men and the two women. Then he walked out of the room, taking all the documentation with him. Sebastian and Nathan let him go. They knew that he would be meeting his contacts at the museum the next day and handing the stolen documents over to them. Their priority for now was to free the scientists.
The assailants ordered several more rounds of drinks, celebrating their success. Around midnight they stood up and walked out the door noisily, clearly quite drunk. Sebastian and Nathan followed them out to the parking lot and watched them get into a van, which they followed from a distance using their immortal gift of speed.
A few kilometers away they arrived at an old two-story building with an armed guard at the entrance. They watched the assailants stagger to the entrance and stop to make senseless conversation with the guard. He laughed at their jokes as he opened the door and followed them inside. He was gone but for a short minute, but it was long enough for Sebastian and Nathan to take their places on either side of the entrance and wait for him. As soon as he stepped outside, they disarmed him, knocked him out, tied him up, and pulled his body out of sight. Then they went inside.
The first room they came to was full of guards drinking and joking. Sebastian and Nathan moved faster than the human eye could follow and before long they had disarmed all the guards, bound them, and locked them in the room, making it impossible for them to contact anyone outside the building.
All of the other rooms on the first floor were abandoned and destroyed, in a state of complete ruin. Sebastian and Nathan hurried through the long hallway and proceeded to the second floor. They were using their immortal speed and strength to make sure that the job was done both quickly and efficiently. Moving like a hurricane they had no problem disabling, binding, and locking up the five drunken assailants, along with the two women and the last four guards, who were occupying rooms upstairs. Then they pushed the last door open, where they were delighted to find Dr. Swanson and Dr. Walker alive, bound to the wall with chains.
The scientists looked exhausted. Their eyes were red, puffy, full of fear and distress, but, joyful brilliant smiles broke out the minute they saw Sebastian and Nathan enter the room. Their relief was evident and their eyes welled up with tears of pure elation.
“We are so glad to see you!” Dr. Walker said softly, his voice fragile but very happy. Sebastian and Nathan removed the chains and helped the scientists walk outside the building. Then Nathan called the British embassy at Abuja and requested to speak to the chief of intelligence, while the scientists massaged their wrists, getting the feeling back into their hands. Nathan waited for the chief to come on the line. Then, in a few words he explained the situation and requested assistance in moving the guards and the assailants to a secret location so that they wouldn’t be able to notify their contacts and compromise the rendezvous planned for the next day.
“Interpol is helping us,” he said. “We’re working with Mark Salvador and Tony Westbrook.”
Within twenty minutes several British police cars had surrounded the location, and the guards and the assailants were taken away. As they were being cuffed and put into the cars, the head of British intelligence in Abuja, strode over to Nathan and Sebastian and held out his hand.
“I really can’t thank you enough,” he said. “We’ve been after the members of this group for a very long time. I’m extremely pleased to have at least these seven in custody. I’d love to be involved in the meeting tomorrow, “ he added. “I’ll contact Mark for the details. Can I give you and your friends a lift back to the hotel?” he asked.
“Yes, that would be most welcome,” Sebastian said, glad that it hadn’t occurred to the head of intelligence to wonder how he and Nathan had gotten to that location, and specifically to that building.
Back in the hotel, Sebastian secured two rooms near his room for the scientists, handed each of them a room key, and said with a smile, “Nathan and I have one more thing we need to handle tomorrow with Interpol, and then we will be on our way back home. Sleep well, relax, and try to regain some of your strength. Our meeting is tomorrow afternoon. If you need anything, call Nathan or me and we will be happy to assist you in any way we can. Call your families and let them know that you are safe, and that you will be home on Tuesday evening.”
The scientists both thanked Sebastian and Nathan profusely, then headed to their rooms. Sebastian, pleased with the outcome of the first part of the plan, thanked Nathan for his help and went to bed, but not before trying to call Arielle one more time. This time a man’s voice answered her phone.
“Hello!”
“Can I speak to Arielle, please?”
“Is this Sebastian?”
“Yes, who is this?”
“Hi Sebastian, this is Paul. We all went to see a film the other night and she must have dropped her phone in my car. I just found it.”
“Hello, Paul, could you please let her know that I’ve been trying to call?”
“Certainly,” Paul replied. “Talk to you later,”
“Later,” Sebastian echoed. He thanked Paul and hung up with a frown on his face. Why was Arielle spending so much time with Paul? He couldn’t either understand or explain the strange feeling that made him ache, needing to hear her voice. She was his life, and he couldn’t stand the idea of another man spending any time with her. His face was stressed; he wanted to see her
, to talk to her, to make sure she still loved him. He tried to close his eyes and conjure the image of her face but that only made him ache worse. He had never experienced this feeling before. It was new to him, and he didn’t like it.
He exhaled deeply and tried to pull himself together. He knew he couldn’t afford to have these feelings when he was dealing with a matter of life and death. He tried to use his immortal powers to suppress his personal feelings, only to find out that he didn’t possess the power to do that. He was stunned to realize that the feeling that had taken over him was jealousy. He couldn’t stand the idea of Arielle being away from him, and with someone else. He got into bed and lay there with his eyes wide open. He could see the image of her face in front of his eyes, and it made the ache even stronger.
If he could cry he would, but instead he pinched the tip of his nose and clenched his fists into two hard balls. If he had touched anything at that moment it would have been crushed, so intense was his frustration. For a long time he remained like that, tense and wide awake, filled with emotional pain. Finally he felt into an uneasy, un-restful state of sleep.
The next morning, Mark called asked for Sebastian and Nathan to meet him in the lobby. “I need to talk to you before this afternoon’s meeting,” he explained.
Sebastian called Nathan. “Mark sounds eager to meet with us this morning,” he said. They arrived at the lobby at 10:30, where they found Mark pacing back and forth, looking anxious. Tony was standing nearby, staring out the lobby door.
“Good morning,” they both said simultaneously as Sebastian and Nathan approached. Mark could hardly wait to speak and he went right to the point.
“I received a strange call early this morning from my boss Dylan Jamison. Ryan Mansfield the head of British intelligence here in Abuja, contacted him to discuss some excitement that took place last night on the south side of town. Dylan called me early this morning and told me that the two of you were involved,” Mark said. He stopped and gave them a quizzical look.
Arielle: Immortal Awakening Page 28