by Paul Heron
Mohammad answered it, walking away from the rest.
‘Don’t put it on loudspeaker. We have people here who shouldn’t here this,’ Nicole shouted, while searching the Mancini vehicles.
Mohammad gave the phone to Michael. ‘He wants to talk to you. Go over there for some privacy.’
Michael took the phone and walked away from the group. ‘George, what’s happening?’
‘Michael. Pierre and Avril are coming for Ajit and me. The van’s hot. Then they're escorting your father to a safe location. Irish Sirani agents are on their way now to take him back to Ireland. Well done, your dad’s safe.’
‘Thanks for this, George.’ Michael never felt so grateful before. ‘Really.’
‘We’re a team, remember?’
‘Yes, sir!’
‘Now, get your asses in gear, we need to get away from here. We’re coming. We’ve got work to do tonight.’
Michael hung up and went back to re-join the group.
After a few minutes, two cars roared into the car park sending them all into a panic. They all ducked behind one of the Mancini cars for cover. Michael grabbed his father, dragging him behind the white Mercedes. The group was bundled together with Scarlett and Nicole on either side, pistols ready.
Sofia tried to peek through the car windows but couldn’t see anything through the tints. The two cars came to a skidding halt, just on the other side of the car they were behind.
‘Anymore guns,’ Eduardo whispered, his voice trembling behind his mask.
There was silence, nothing but the sound of them all breathing behind their masks.
Michael looked at his father. It was gut-wrenching how he could be so close and not tell him everything was going to okay. He could feel his dad trembling with fear. Michael, at this point, had to be strong.
The headlights went out. The sound of doors opening and closing made Michael’s adrenaline creep up even higher. The sound of guns being cocked and footsteps drawing closer to them caused them all to panic.
Marcel turned and looked at Michael. ‘Let’s go for it, amigo.’
Michael shook his head, wanting to be more cautious while his father was around. He braced himself for the possibility of giving himself up to whoever it was. Scarlett and Nicole sprung up, their weapons pointed.
‘Stop, Scarlett! it’s Pierre.’
Carolina’s head swung around to look at Michael, and then Sofia. Confused and a bit relieved, they all stood up. ‘Are you all okay? Have you got Mr O’Hagan?’
‘He’s here,’ Nicole said, lowering her weapon. ‘We’re glad to see you.’
‘No time for chit chat,’ Sofia said. ‘We need to get moving.’
They all made their way towards the cars and jumped in.
‘Can we talk for a second?’ Scarlett whispered in Michael’s ear, ‘over here, quickly.’ She pulled him away from the rest. ‘Michael, it’s too risky for your dad to know about anything we’re doing. It’s just too dangerous. He seen a lot in there.’ She put her hand on Michael’s shoulder apologetically.
‘What are you trying to say?’
‘We knock him out. We can give him something to put him to sleep. He’ll wake up in Ireland with no recollection of how he got there. This will all have seemed like a dream to him.’
Michael was pissed and a little confused, even though he knew what Scarlett was saying was probably right. His dad was his hero, now they were putting him to sleep.
Chapter Sixteen
‘DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING to put him out with?’ Michael said. He struggled with the thought. How can you see someone you looked up to all your life in such a helpless state?
‘Here, you can give it to him.’ Scarlett handed him a plastic case. He opened it, a needle looking up at him. He looked at her, scared and confused. ‘It's an anaesthetic. Sit beside him in the back of the car and jab him with it. He’ll feel a prick, and then he’ll go out. It won’t hurt him.’ She squeezed his arm softly.
Michael jammed it into his inner jacket pocket, ripping the pocket’s stitching. ‘Let’s go.’ They walked back towards the car. ‘What’ll we do about them?’ He pointed at the car Couture and her agents were in.
‘Who, the people who kidnapped your father and were going to use him, maybe torture him?’ Scarlett said sarcastically. ‘We're going to leave them there. Someone will be along to find them, I’m sure.’
They jumped into Pierre's car. Michael took the back seat, driver side next to his father – who was in the middle – and Mohammad took the other side. Sandwiching Mr O’Hagan in.
‘Enough of this cloak and dagger nonsense!’ Mr O’Hagan shouted. ‘I know all this has something to do with my son. What has he been caught up in? You there, redhead.’ He pointed at Scarlett. ‘He mentioned a lady that fits your description in a text message he sent me last week.’ His face was getting redder by the second, the vein in his neck ready to explode.
Michael was a ball of emotions. He reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out the needle, removed it from the box, ready to inject it. Mr O’Hagan caught what he was doing.
‘What’s that for?’ Mr O’Hagan’s voice jumped with an uncontrollable high to low pitch. He tried to grab it from Michael’s hand. Michael was too fast.
‘Mohammad, hold him!’ Scarlett shouted.
Mohammad grabbed Mr O’Hagan by the wrists, restraining him. Michael slowly moved in and jabbed the needle into his leg. As he did so, his father looked into his eyes through the mask as if he recognised them.
Michael looked back into his father’s eyes, wanting to say sorry. He watched as his pupils grew, dissolving almost all of the colour from them. He became drowsy.
Michael turned his head around and looked out through the window, fighting to contain his tears, his lower lip trembling. He felt his father's head fall against him. He put the needle back into his pocket.
There was a deathly silence in the car. Michael was pissed off, and nobody spoke, either out of respect or fear. Either way, the journey was silent.
They arrived at the destination to fly back to Marseille. As Michael got out of the car, Scarlett pulled him to the side. ‘Are you okay?’ She took the needle from his inner jacket pocket.
‘Let’s get to Marseille before the rest of them figure out what we’ve done.’ He took his mask off, instantly feeling refreshed by the cool air on his sweat-soaked face. He watched as Pierre and Avril disappeared down the dark country road with his father in the back.
‘Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. Trust me.’ Scarlett reassured him.
‘I do trust you,’ he said, wiping his nose with his sleeve. She put her arm around him and walked back over to the rest of the team, just as Alban arrived in the helicopter.
They all grouped together as the chopper landed with the usual thud.
Once everyone had taken their seats and the chopper was off again, George congratulated everyone in turn.
‘Let’s make sure we get this fragment,’ Michael shouted.
‘Do we have a container to put it in?’ Marcel shouted.
‘Got it here,’ George replied, tapping on a bulging gym bag. ‘Okay, so in a few hours, we get to the museum just before it opens to the public. There will be staff there thirty minutes early preparing for the day.’ George looked at Scarlett smiling. ‘Scarlett, do you want to pretend you’re Mallory, and pretend you’re there to check the fragment. Nicole, you go with her. Michael, you and Marcel will play Couture’s security.’ He laughed. ‘Mohammad, you will be with Carolina and Sofia to act as members of the public. Say you lost your phone yesterday, and it’s location is somewhere in the building. If they say it’s not open yet – which they will – you get furious and explain that you need to leave as you’re already late to be somewhere. Demand to speak to a manager. Make a real fuss. Obviously, Sofia, you will be the one doing the talking.’
‘And this is to create a distraction while they go in?’ Sofia confirmed. ‘And Ajit, Eduardo?’
‘They will be with us in the
cars. Eduardo, you’ll also have a quick chat with Dr Rizzo while we’re at the house. You'll be going through a couple of tests, both physical and psychological.’
They all looked concerned, especially Eduardo.
‘Don’t worry, it’s just a precaution. The last thing we want is you guys developing post-traumatic stress,’ Nicole said. ‘We’ve all been through it before. It’s just a few tests and a chat to see how you’re feeling.’
‘Well, we already know Mohammad’s crazy, so does he just fail then automatically?’ Marcel flicked Mohammad on the tip of his beard.
‘You’d all miss me if I wasn’t here,’ Mohammad said, arms folded, head back against the headrest.
‘Okay, we have enough time to get back to the house, shower, and change clothes. We have lovely Mancini suits for you all to get into.’ George grinned.
‘Should we cover our faces up?’ Carolina asked.
‘That’s too much of a giveaway,’ George said. ‘Eduardo and Ajit can briefly shut down the satellites in the area. If they do suspect something, they’ll have nobody to call for backup. We’re going to be in and out of there as fast as possible anyway.’
‘We should probably go into their CCTV room and take any footage with us,’ Mohammad suggested. ‘We’ll be out clean. Easy.’
‘So, Michael and Marcel just follow Scarlett and Nicole around then?’ Carolina asked.
‘Scarlett and Nicole will be the ones doing all the talking. Michael and Marcel will simply be standing in the background looking like Mancini agents.’
‘Big and dumb,’ Michael said, ‘this should be easy.’
‘Besides, Scarlett and Nicole are two extremely attractive women that have been trained in how to attract attention. It’s a time-tested method that we stand by, even Elisabetta – the lady she was – accepted the fact the appearance of “the finer sex” can be used to benefit.’
‘I think it’s disgusting,’ Sofia mumbled. ‘And what if these security guards are more drawn to men?’
‘Well, Marcel and Michael are also quite striking.’ George looked at Michael, who felt a little embarrassed. Marcel, on the other hand, was grateful for the compliment.
‘Do we fly straight to Ireland once it’s done?’ Eduardo shouted.
‘Probably best to lie low for the day.’ Nicole looked around at them all. ‘Once the fragment’s gone, they’ll be searching everywhere. The fact Charvet has been taken, guys, don’t be under any illusion this country is on lockdown right now. Including the sky.’
‘Better if we lie low until sunset. Then we can fly in the dark undetected. Our devices can hide us from other devices in the dark. But it doesn’t make us invisible in daylight,’ Ajit said.
‘George, I feel fine. I don’t need to have tests with the doctor.’ Eduardo forced a smile. ‘See – your amigo is fine.’
‘I’m sure you are,’ George said. ‘It’s just a precaution.’
Michael was beginning to feel like they were all part of some government experiment that needed to be monitored, except the Sirani Foundation – like the Mancini Corporation – was bigger than any government. These two secret giants were at war, and somehow, the Sirani Seven were caught in the middle.
Chapter Seventeen
THEY LANDED IN THE estate’s back garden, overlooking the breath-taking southern French coast. As they disembarked, the propellers’ chopping slowly died away leaving just the waves.
Michael thought how much he’d love to live in such a paradise. All the money the Sirani Foundation had at it’s disposal was impressive, but it was meant for only one thing: to support them on their quest to defeat the evil Mancini Corporation.
‘Go and get showered,’ George shouted. ‘You’ll feel fresher.’ Ringo and Ahmad were relaxing on the loungers by the pool. ‘Ringo, Ahmad, you two check that the cars are fine and fully fuelled. We don’t need any nasty surprises.’
‘Roger that,’ Ringo shouted, jumping to his feet and firing a mock salute to George. ‘You guys okay?’
‘We got Michael’s dad back,’ Nicole said. ‘Pierre and Avril are taking him to meet our Irish agents.’
‘Awesome!’ Ringo shouted. ‘Well done, mate.’
‘Thanks, Ringo.’
‘What time are we leaving?’ Ahmad asked. ‘We will need about one hour to prepare the cars. We'll give them all a quick once over.’
‘We need to be at the museum half an hour before opening so that it’s just staff there,’ Scarlett said.
‘We'll be done within the hour,’ Ringo said. ‘Well done again, mate. Now go get ready. We’ve got some work to do.’
Michael entered his room. In it was the king size four poster bed, with a black suit sprawled across it. He looked at the suit and could imagine the head of Mancini Corporation, the God of Greed’s earthly descendant, being surrounded by these suits. Slowly, Michael was beginning to have the confidence to face such a scenario. Still upset about what happened to his father, he looked at himself in the mirror and thought, if I am the guy you're after, then come and get me. I’m taking you all down.
He jumped in the shower, his body on autopilot, hoping his father was okay and safely on his way back to Ireland. He knew he’d be safe. He trusted Scarlett and George more than anyone usually would, given the short amount of time they’d all known each other. Just as he trusted Sofia, Marcel, Carolina, Eduardo, Mohammad, and Ajit. This really was his second family, and for that he was grateful. Elisabetta chose him, taking him away from his real family, but she had at least given him a second family to help carry the burden.
He brushed his teeth, paying attention to the scars his body was left with following his attack that day walking home from school. proof he wasn’t made of glass.
Putting on the black suit sent a chill down his spine. He was dressed like a Mancini agent: a tailored black suit with a white shirt and a black tie. He fixed his tie and put on his jacket, laughing when he reached into the inner jacket pocket, pulling out enormous sunglasses. Marcel will love this surprise, he thought to himself, and as if right on cue, his door flung open with Mohammad and Carolina storming in.
‘Don’t you guys ever knock?’ Michael paused for a second and looked at them. ‘What if I had been naked? and you two look like something from the Matrix.’
‘We’ve seen it all before, chief. You’re nothing special,’ Mohammad said. ‘No matter how much Sofia’s aunt Elisabetta fancies you. And yes, we look spiffing, thanks.’ He sat on the bed, constantly tugging his lapel.
‘Are you okay? after your dad and everything?’ Carolina had a softer approach towards Michael after what had happened. ‘You know we can chat if you need it.’
He just nodded and stood in front of the mirror, straightening the knot of his tie.
‘Sure he’s alright. He’s the chief, the chosen one, the golden child, the-’
‘Finished yet?’ Carolina said dropping herself down on the bed.
‘I’m okay,’ Michael said. ‘We got him back, didn’t we?’
‘As long as I’m around,’ Mohammad yelled, lying back on the bed. ‘Everything will be fine!’
‘Yes, as long as you’re around.’ Michael sat down on the armchair in the corner of the room.
‘Call me “Animal Legend” please.’
Marcel entered the room, followed by Sofia, then Ajit and Eduardo. The four newcomers all sat cross-legged on the cream rug that ran along the bottom of the bed. They all looked at each other with silly faces. All wearing Mancini style suits.
‘I’m afraid we’ve gone over to the dark side,’ Ajit said. Opening his backpack, he pulled out a bottle. ‘Iced tea anyone?’
Nobody answered.
‘So... do you realise this is the first time we’ve sat down together without thinking of what we do next?’ Marcel said, grinning behind his oversized sunglasses.
‘It’s kind of nice,’ Sofia said.
‘Not as nice as it all being a dream,’ Mohammad added. ‘But yeah, it is nice to stop running for a secon
d.’
‘Have any of you guys been seeing anything weird since we came back from the Otherworld?’ Michael asked.
‘Like what?’ Carolina asked.
‘Okay... since we came back from the Otherworld, I’ve had Irish gods appearing to me. It was as if they were guiding me, trying to point me in the right direction.’ He looked around the group.
‘I haven’t seen anything,’ Sofia said.
‘Me neither,’ Marcel said.
Ajit shrugged. ‘Other than Elisabetta and Donn making their appearance in the jungle, and the weird Fomorians disguised as humans.’
‘But no other gods,’ Eduardo said. ‘Mabey it’s just your imagination going crazy. We don’t know how this has affected us. I mean, none of us have had time to think.’
‘I’m scared guys.’ Michael was almost pleading with the group for help. Perhaps wanting an answer.
‘You’re not alone in this, Michael.’ Carolina jumped up from his bed and sat down on the arm of the chair beside him. ‘We’re in this together.’
‘She’s right,’ Marcel said. ‘We just need to keep them fragments away from the wrong people.
‘I’m kind of jealous it’s not me,’ Ajit laughed. ‘You have the gods rooting for you.’
‘Us, rooting for us,’ Sofia corrected. ‘Because, we are in this together. And we fight everyone, as a team.’
Michael looked around the room at everyone, as Carolina leaned over to him and kissed him on the top of his head.
‘So, we’ve got your father back. Now just to get the French fragment back,’ Marcel said.
‘It’s our first part of the sculpture, so we need to ensure it’s a job well done,’ Eduardo added, pulling his England football scarf from his backpack. He threw it around his neck, smiling as his head sunk into it.
Everyone laughed for a moment. Silence slowly returned. They all sat looking at each other. Nobody spoke for a minute.
‘Do we need another icebreaker?’ Mohammad joked.
‘Hell no,’ Michael said, noticing a painting on the wall next to the door. It was of a lady riding a black horse. He felt as if they were being watched.