Lightning Cloud

Frozen Steel

Thiago/Luka was absolutely still, every ouce of his attention focused on the pistol pointing at Michelle, who had similarly frozen. His body, despite the summer heat, was cold all of a sudden. How did this man know that name?

The driver, still smiling, hand not flinching an inch from its position, spoke to Thiago/Luka,"Don't worry, I am not going to kill you. However, if you make any sudden moves, the girl dies."

Thiago's mind, unlike his body, was on overdrive, like a computer, processing ideas to get out of this situation with the minimum of damage to himself and Michelle. However, each idea was rejected, thrown away by the cold despair of the situation: they were both caught in the web of a very, very clever spider who had his fangs bared at the slightly hyperventilating girl seated next to him. He was incredibly aware of his own pistol, concealed within his jeans, pressing against his waist. It was pointless; they would both be dead before his hand had moved an inch. Only one fact kept him from giving up completely: they would not be moving from the spot, the driver would not be taking them anywhere. The moment he reached for the steering wheel, he would have three bullets in his head.

He decided to wait. He had learnt throughout his career that every cloud, no matter how dark and stormy, always has a silver lining, if you learn to look closely enough. Sure, the situation was utterly hopeless right now, but he knew the future was full of surprises. If he waited, he would find an opening. And he would pounce the moment such an opportunity rose.

He then said,"You managed to get out of a similar situation once. I will assure it does not happen again."

Long ago, when Thiago was still a novice, he had been involved in an operation that had him inflitrate a Chinese black ops base and assassinate a senior commander. Using the alias of Luka Erceg, a  general in the Croatian army who had recently disappeared, he had come in on the pretence of checking their weapons for black market purchases. After having a few drinks with the commander in his secluded office, he had grabbed the paper knife on the desk, stabbed him in the neck while keeping a hand on his mouth to stifle any sound, then attempted to escape through the ventilation shafts. Unfortunately, one of the shafts was very old, and gave away under his weight right into the mess hall. The man with the scar running down his left cheek, pointing the gun at him had been his interrogator. Through sheer luck, luck being an agent from another organisation had also infiltrated the base in order to gather intel, he was sneaked out of the base right under their noses, What he would have given to have that man get him out of this situation too.

He raised the gun higher, aiming at Thiago's face, and said,"You are very lucky I am under strict orders not to kill you. Your fate will be decided soon enough though, and it will not be a pleasant fate." He smiled, a sadistic grin that made Thiago shudder inwardly, and told him,"You will be picked up soon. Better for me, not so good for you."

Thiago remarked,"What, will someone else I hace faced before come to get me?"

He smiled and said,"It seems you have managed to piss off a lot of people over the course of your career."

Anger then suddenly took control of his features and twisted them into a mask of pure hatred. Venom dripping from his voice, he growled,"Because of your escape, I was thoroughly punished and demoted. I was treated like shit by the Chinese army, so much that I eventually quit and joined my current organisation..." He hesitated, then said,"You know, I don't think that you are required alive. Hmmm... you tried to escape, I tried shooting you to subdue you and accidentally killed you. How does that sound to you?"

Thiago's brain, already on overdrive, kicked it up a notch. It was hopeless. The man was sitting at point black range. At that distance, even a child could have killed him.

Then, , his head jerked forward, a spray of blood filling the car, a huge hole in the side of his head. Surprise was still frozen on his face as his body slumped forward. He was dead.

Thiago jerked around, trying to find where the bullet came from. Then, from behind him, he felt the familiar feel of frozen steel on his back.

"Come out of the car, slowly. You and I are about to have a little chat."

He slowly looked around into the cold grey eyes of Dr. Mark Adams.