by Sarah Makela
I wiped the blade clean on the hem of his shirt, then rummaged through his pockets to find a key with a number tag on it. Gotcha! This was working out nicely. I rearranged the trash bags to conceal his body. He wouldn't be found for hours to come.
After taking a few moments to be sure there were no other guards around, I finally began my approach. The numbers on the key guided me toward the correct flat. A couple of stairs later, I stood beside a heavy metal door in a hallway with no windows and a narrow walkway. The out of service lift was stuck on my current floor with its doors repeatedly trying to open and close behind me. I stayed quiet, doing my best to listen to my surroundings and piece together what was taking place. Everyday sounds of talking or television came from several of the flats. Something felt off about all of this.
Shite.
I headed down to the second floor and called Croft to inform him of the situation. This was exactly like what happened in Berlin. The terrorist tried to kill as many people as he could with his bombs. There were several tenement buildings here with a school nearby. A serious amount of explosives could be in the lift stuck between floors where the terrorists could freely access it in middle of the night. Croft told me that there were at least five people in the flat where my target was. Any one of them could have the trigger, and the lift itself could be trapped.
"Of course. On a bloody Monday," I grumbled under my breath after hanging up.
The process was clear. Evacuate the building, disarm the explosive, and get rid of the threat. The last two sometimes took care of themselves, but more often than not, it was better to deal with the explosive before taking out hostiles.
The close proximity to the school and the threat being just a few doors down from the lift made my skin crawl. To hell with the procedure. If they caught wind that something was wrong, who knew what they'd do. Locating a maintenance door to the lift shaft took only a few moments. At least the maintenance man had left a spare hoistway key nearby that I put into my pocket.
The lift itself rested on the cables several feet down from where I was. The ladder would give me access to the elevator, but I didn’t trust it. What if it was booby-trapped? I grabbed the cables and slowly slid down to the lift’s roof.
With sore hands, I opened the hatch on top and took a cursory glance. Inside the darkness, I could faintly make out the shape of pressure containers, gas bottles resting against tins, and closed containers littering the floor. A few red lights here and there made it evident that some of the makeshift bombs were powered, making them dangerous to disarm. I wasn’t exactly a trained bomb tech, but I knew enough. Using my flashlight to scan the packages, I couldn’t discern any pattern, organization, or other reason for the materials to be spread around inside the lift as they were. Extensive sets of wires ran to and from a small box beneath what seemed to be an acetylene gas container.
I tucked my feet beneath the support bar holding the cables and lowered my head and torso inside the lift, being careful not to touch anything. With the flashlight in my mouth, I did my best not to grimace as I hunted for the section of explosive that mattered the most, the remote detonator. With the reinforced metal of the lift acting like a Faraday cage, it wasn’t hard to find. Thick wires were running out of the lift’s main body and outside of it. It had even been wired to some of the control panels inside the main cage to ensure the device’s batteries were fully charged.
All in a day’s work.
I reached for a smaller utility knife on my belt making sure all of my movements were slow and careful. I peeled off the protective layer on the antenna cable making sure not to touch the conductive wiring inside. First, I’d have to check if this thing was protected by an active signal. With no voltmeter, I touched the wire to the tip of my tongue and waited. Nothing happened. No jolts of any kind. Satisfied, I followed the wire around the lift’s walls with a flashlight. A small copper wire betrayed the locations where the cable was taped to the roof nearby and was easy enough to access. With the explosives effectively deafened, I took my time and snipped the cable while focusing my eyes on the red LED lights that glowed around me.
To my immediate relief, none of them flashed as I cut the wire. That was one less thing to worry about. As I returned for my target, I spotted a man outside of one flat’s door with a bag of groceries in his arm. He wasn’t my primary target, but as I spotted the keys in his hand, I knew he’d still be helpful. He barely registered my presence as he balanced the heavy bag with one arm while trying to get the key into the lock.
With the tactical knife in hand and a clear path to my objective, I let my instincts take over. One arm supported his weight while I stabbed him in the neck, pointing the blade upward into his skull. The poor bastard only managed a soft whimper before he dropped dead against me. Dragging him and the bag of groceries without a sound took some effort, but in the end, I would be able to complete my mission with one less person in the way. I hid his body hastily and leveraged the grocery bag for visual cover as I opened the door.
“Amir, you are late. Did you get everything?” A male voice came from an adjoining room as soon as I stepped inside the flat. The low voice carried a Turkish accent, which matched my target’s nationality.
The hallway’s shaggy carpet was full of stains, but the rest of the entry wasn’t in much better shape. It wasn’t any wonder that I saw two large roaches scurrying along the walls as if looking for a place to hide. The chances of them using this as an ongoing hideout were slim. Plain walls and empty built-in bookshelves reinforced the fact these men were here to cause terror soon and move on.
I dodged into the kitchen to avoid being seen. The bag might work for a moment, but it wouldn’t be useful for long. I left the groceries on the counter and turned in time to see a man walk into the room. Thinking on my feet, I threw my knife, catching him in the throat. I glanced into the hallway to see a man’s shadow ducking out of the view.
There went the element of surprise.
I rolled to the small bedroom on the other side of the hall, wiped the blade on the dirty carpet before putting it away. The knife wouldn’t help me now. I drew my gun from its shoulder holster. Two hushed whispers came from the end of the hallway where I’d seen the shadow right as gunfire opened up on the kitchen’s wall. Shots were fired in short controlled bursts as bullets pierced the wall in search of their target.
I glanced into the hall and squeezed off two shots into one attacker’s chest. It might not kill him, but I hoped it would do enough to keep him out of my way. If Croft’s intel was right, with two targets down, three were still in the flat.
The bedroom had a door within it that presumably led to a bathroom. I’d seen this type of floor plan before, and if I was right, the bathroom would connect to the second bedroom. The soft creak of the hinges on the bathroom’s door put me on edge. As I’d hoped, a second door stood before me, and I crept closer to the other bedroom. Whispers came from the other side, but this time I could listen in better. None of them spoke English, but there were at least three targets.
I turned the handle ever so slightly to gauge the stiffness, then sprang into action. A quick twist of the knob and four steps took me into the thick of things. By then, I had my knife at the ready and my gun aimed.
I shot the man closest to me who was starting to aim at my chest, then threw my knife into the guy’s chest who was farthest away. The last man standing, my main target, moved to the left to swing his rifle around. His finger was locked around the trigger. Rookie mistake. With his stiff tracking stance, he lacked mobility. I slid toward him on the false hardwood floor, letting my momentum carry me closer. He tried to keep me in his sights, but the rifle’s size was too much for such close quarters. There was no way he’d be able to reliably hit me, and once he took a shot, he’d have to manually reload the gun before being able to try again. That made him hesitate.
I fired my gun into his right knee sending the bomber’s shot wide. Another bullet ripped into his left arm and made him drop his
rifle. My weapon remained trained on him as I rose to my feet. “We’ve finally caught you, you bloody bastard,” I said aloud and scanned the room to make sure no one else was hostile.
The one I’d shot twice in the chest stared up at the ceiling with his unblinking eyes wide open. The rest of them moaned in pain, but they didn’t move around much. For a brief moment, I let my guard down. The tables in the room had various pots and pans, two scales, and a few boxes of nails beside empty cylinders that betrayed their intent well enough. Among the items were zip ties. Useful. I used them to tie the arms and legs of my target and his friends. It might take time for support to arrive, but this way they wouldn’t get themselves into much trouble while we waited. I still needed to secure the building and get any civilians out of here.
Satisfied the situation was under control, I walked into the hall and pulled the fire alarm. Anyone here would get the hint to leave the building until help came.
I pulled my phone out to ring Croft as I walked back inside the terrorists’ flat. The alarm blared and nervous residents filed out of their flats in a hurry. “Job’s done. The residents are fleeing the building now. Send some support to get these guys into custody.”
“Good work. Police will be there shortly since someone called them due to the fire alarm. Stand by.” Croft sounded quite pleased, and all was right with the world again. Maybe I could finish watching the football match soon. I already knew who won, but that didn’t matter.
A polite knock came from the flat’s front door that made me turn around cautiously as I put my phone away. The brief outline of my attacker came into view as a fire extinguisher struck me. My body felt weightless as I collapsed to the ground. Our intel had been wrong. Another bomber lived here too.
“Fucking MI6.” I heard as I blacked out.
Chapter Three
Brigit
As we arrived at Lord Flemming’s stronghold, I remained quiet and didn’t pay much attention to the usual pomp and circumstance of court. It was hard enough dealing with the aching loss in my chest and the knowledge that my beloved parents were dead.
My gaze rose to see my cousin standing in the courtyard, apparently waiting for me. His eyes were slightly puffy and bloodshot. Apparently, the news had been hard on him too. If it weren’t for my parents, Lord Flemming wouldn’t be where he was today. They’d treated him almost like a son when his own parents abandoned and betrayed him.
Sir Alan and Tabitha supported me with their presence through the usual court ceremony I was expected to participate in while I held back my tears as best I could. Royalty had no public outlet for these kinds of emotions. Outrage, fury, and hatred were all seen in the royal court at times, but sorrow and loss were private affairs. In its own way, the frivolous façade forced me to focus my mind on the here and now, not on what just happened. My plate would be overflowing with tasks to handle over the next few days. The list of requirements for the Kingdom of Freehaven to remain stable was long.
I needed to make speeches and attend ceremonies…and go through the coronation to be crowned the new queen. The normal expectations for an heir to gain the throne were magnified, specifically now that my family’s direct lineage dangled by my life’s thread. Soon I’d need to marry and provide the kingdom an heir.
Nausea roiled my stomach, and I pushed those thoughts aside. The princess’s headdress was heavy enough. Was I actually ready to become my kingdom’s monarch?
Eventually the greetings and exchanges of pleasantries ended, and my cousin and I were able to escape to a private meeting chamber with a selection of other nobles from the area. As we departed the opulent great hall, I felt like I could take a deep breath for the first time since I’d arrived.
The heavy oak doors closed behind me and separated us from the rest of the court. Without all the pageantry, my thoughts started back toward my parents. The sting of tears burned my eyes, but I held them back. Now wasn’t the time to cry. I’d do that later when I reached my suite of rooms.
Sir Alan nodded toward the end of the long table. He hadn’t left my side since we’d learned of the news. Part of it was the threat to the kingdom’s stability if I died too, but he’d been my teacher as a child and a friend to my parents. His warm nature made me feel like I wasn’t alone.
My cousin sat at the opposite end of the table from me, and I looked at the solemn men gathered in the room. They were locked in debate on what military strategies we should use and when we should march to the capital and secure the throne for me.
Sir Alan had bread and wine fetched for me. We hadn’t eaten for several hours. The journey here had taken precedence, and it would be awkward if my stomach began growling now.
The noblemen argued over the most minute details, everything from how strong the force should be to who we could really trust and when we would leave.
I spoke up where I could, but the majority of their bickering went right over my head. My father had taken me to similar discussions before, but they’d never interested me. There was never a reason to pay attention because I knew he would take care of the kingdom and lead us into victory.
The nobles kept rehashing the same strategies and details over and over again without anyone coming to an agreement. When they talked about the latrine details for the third time, I’d finally had enough. There was more to moving an army than I’d realized. However, if we stood any chance of making this work, we should be unifying and coming together, not fighting amongst ourselves like this.
“I think a smaller force might be optimal. It would allow that force to avoid unwanted attention and scout the capital. Perhaps we wouldn’t need to utilize our armies,” I said. No one appeared to pay me any attention. They kept shouting each other down. Sir Alan slammed his fist on the heavy oak table to my right, nearly making me jump out of my skin, but it drew everyone’s attention. The noblemen all quieted down and stared at him with widened eyes. The moment passed by too quickly. As soon as the silence came, all of the men started up again with vigor.
Objections and outrage rained down from all sides of the room at once. Several of the nobles were adamant about having their colors flown to show those in the kingdom that they supported the crown. Others agreed that secrecy and stealth were paramount.
My head began to ache from all the arguing around me. The only two people in the room whose opinions mattered to me were Sir Alan’s and my cousin’s, both of whom now knew how I felt about the matter.
“Silence, you fools! My cousin is the princess of Freehaven, and soon she’ll be your queen! I demand you show her some respect.” Lord Flemming never was one to mince his words.
I gave him a soft smile. I’d been wrong to not want to visit him. At least I was here now.
“There are benefits to her decision that you lot seem to be missing,” an elder voice said from the far corner of the table. The older man wore the sigil of the tutors who advised the royalty in all manners of old knowledge, warfare, and politics. “We received news that her parents didn’t just die. They were assassinated. They were known by all to have bodyguards wherever they went.” He rose to his feet from where he’d been seated and scratched his chin. “It’d be logical to assume that whoever killed them would not hesitate to go after our lovely princess under similar circumstances. She is wise to want to move around quietly. The people of Freehaven will take the news of their king and queen’s murder harshly as we’ve already seen at this stronghold. The last thing they need is the death of their princess. I’d be inclined to agree with Her Highness. A small company of knights and a few servants will do better than raising all of our banners and making a long march to the capital.”
The elder spoke with an even tone as if he knew his opinion mattered to the men in the room. The tutor exchanged a look with my cousin, and it was evident his loyalties were more for Lord Flemming than me. That mattered little right now. Let them play politics amongst themselves. I just wanted this done and over with so I could return home where I was needed most.
Sir Alan leaned in close to whisper into my ear. “You need to declare your will. The stronger you make yourself look now, the more the men around this table will respect you. The army’s details can be discussed in private since I’m sure you’re overwhelmed, but you need to take the reins on this discussion before it gets more out of control.” His patient voice reminded me of times past when he’d taught me how to wield a sword.
He was right. I needed to step up. I couldn’t let this group of men rule me. This was my destiny and my birthright. I rose to my feet, and the room quieted again.
“I appreciate your guidance through this tough time. Each of you may know what you think is best. However, I believe in my heart that a smaller group will traverse the road quicker and draw less attention from possible assassins. We cannot afford to show fear to whoever has committed the horrible act that ended my parents’ lives. We are not scared nor are we vulnerable. The best use of our soldiers will be using our armies to wipe out the forces of the person who orchestrated their deaths. Sir Alan will discuss the specifics with you and make arrangements for my departure home. The throne needs to be secured.” My knees trembled a little as all of their eyes fixed on me. I held my chin up and tried to portray the strength I didn’t feel right then. My gaze remained on my cousin who gave me the barest hint of a smile to encourage me on. “Thank you for your cooperation and assistance, my lords.”
As silence permeated the room again, I expected the noblemen around the table to begin arguing again. Instead, they bowed their heads to me and murmured their approval to one another.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I walked out of the private meeting chamber. Perhaps I could find something else to eat before I retired for the evening. Sir Alan would likely want us to depart at first light. I glanced back into the room and caught my cousin’s eye. I still hoped to speak with him alone before I left.
