by MacShayne
Then it began to rain. Sybren remembered a moment when his father told him about the rain. He used to say that the rain is one man’s best friend in times of need. But then again, it couldn’t rain all the time. After what felt like hours, the men were gone. Or that was what Sybren thought. He didn’t see anyone. He was shivering from the cold which made it very unlikely no one would sense him now.
Then a branch cracked, and another. Sybren’s heartbeat reached a height that possibly could result in a heart attack. How was this possible? Then he saw the hands coming closer and closer. The shadow of a man almost reached his hiding spot. The light of the moon was reflecting in the gun. He saw the mask and knew he was spot. What Sybren didn’t know, was that the other four were far away and back at his parents’ home.
One of the man’s hands reached out and grabbed one of his tiny legs.
‘You’re coming with me’, he said.
The four year old kicked him against his head and tried to climb further. Without much success.
‘Cute’, the man said before he grabbed his leg again. Eventually Sybren had to give up and was brought to the ground again.
‘Don’t you want to see your parents?’, he said while laughing. Sybren looked at his gun. Was his mother killed by him? ‘Oh, you like toys?’, the man asked him as he showed his weapon.
The man was so busy with intimidating Sybren that he didn’t even call in that he found the child. He also did not notice that they weren’t with the two of them and that someone sneaked towards him, to his back. The man was 1.79 meters long and was athletic build and in shape. His shaved head was disguised by his mask. Sybren was standing in front of the man and he was pointing his machine gun at him.
The third person didn’t make a sound, he held his breath and came closer and closer. The person was almost at the same height as the man with the weapon. He had short cut hair and he wore a black t shirt with brown shorts. So, it was only until he stood one meter behind the man with the gun that Sybren saw that he wasn’t alone. The man with the machine gun smirked as he demanded that Sybren began to walk. Sybren turned his back at him and started walking. The man followed and his machine gun was hanging on his side.
Before he could react, he felt that something itchy was entering his left side. Within a second he tried to grab the knife that was put in him. Before he even knew what was about to happen, he felt how his machine gun was slit of his shoulder. He saw that Sybren ran away before he turned around. Mitch cut the shoulder straps of his gun when he jumped at the bigger man, just after he put his knife in the man’s side as distraction.
‘Give it back punk. You get yourself killed’, the bug guy said.
Sybren took cover in a hole and saw how Mitch was pointing his gun at the man that almost killed him. He recognized his American friend immediately.
‘You’re not going to kill me’, the big guy continued.
‘Shut up’, Mitch said in a for his age deep voice.
The big guy tried to laugh until Mitch loaded the weapon and put it off safety.
‘Be quiet’, he said. ‘Get on your knees.’
The big guy didn’t follow his instructions so Mitch grabbed his second knife and threw it at him. It entered his right leg and he stumbled immediately to his knee.
‘Turn around’, he said.
The big guy followed his instructions and shook his head. It was unbelievable that he was beaten by a child. Who was this son of a b*tch!? Was what he asked himself?
Sybren saw how the American boy used the weapon to hit the man on the back of his head. The big guy fell forward and stopped moving. The American walked towards him and stopped eventually two meters away from him. ‘Come’, was what he said. Sybren understood what he meant as soon as he saw that his friend offered him a hand.
The two of them walked back towards the village. They went to an old barn at the end of the street where Mitch broke into. The two of them were surrounding in the darkness and he didn’t see anything until Mitch started a moped. He drove outside while Sybren followed him. He was instructed to sit in front of his American friend. At the same time, the other four men saw the light of the moped. Mitch drove to the street where the two of them were caught in sight by one of the other men. He yelled in Russian to his partners that he saw the boy. They entered their vehicles while Mitch and Sybren made a right and left the street. The moped had a top speed of 65km/h and it didn’t long before Sybren was able to see the headlights of the following two cars…
Miami, 19 January 2010
Sybren had left his latest life behind and travelled to south Miami. After he saw the pictures of an adult Mitch Crowne, he decided to find out what happened to the person that saved his life while he was still a child. Mitch Crowne was his name, Sybren never got to know his name until now. How could a person that saved life’s turn into a cold blooded assassin. What was the story behind this all?
That was the reason that Sybren decided to become a journalist.
He hacked into different databases and changed his background once again. His new name was Daniel Lewis, former crime journalist of the New York Times that was recovering after a burn-out. His story would be about the person that assassinated the vice-president in 2001 and presumably in the country as of now.
Sybren wore typically tourist clothes, a Hawaiian blouse and grey shorts. His hair was cut short two days ago. Miami was much warmer than Washington these days. On his sneakers, he entered a completely white painted building in the middle of downtown South Miami. It was a building owned by a billionaire that collected every piece of public information about crimes in the United States. It was also the only place that would have all the information what Sybren possibly could get about Mitch Crowne.
He walked towards the reception and was welcomed by a thin woman that was of Mexican descent. Her name was Samira, which made Sybren think of a more Arabian background. She was dressed casual but looked even then very beautiful. Sybren put on his smile as she would have expected. Sybren had to act like a common person that was just interested in her rather than the data that was stored here. The last thing he needed was triggering the interest of people. Some people in particular.
‘Hello, you must be Samira, would you like to get a drink with me?’, Sybren began.
‘Mister, how many times do you think I get that question?’
‘Once upon a time it will work, you don’t think so?’
‘Not this time. Can I help you in any other way that doesn’t involve me calling security?’
‘I called a few days ago, about the assassin that killed..’
She must have remembered him immediately because she cut him off. ‘You’re the mister from Washington. The reporter. I’m sorry. I should have known.’
‘Well, let’s call us even. I wasn’t very kind to you.’
‘I will escort you personally’, she said.
Sybren followed her lead into a giant hall that was filled with boxes. They were all tagged with names and numbers. He was at the right address, that was for sure. Who else in the world would be also this interested in old crimes?
Chapter 3: The Diary Of Crime
Posfa (Hungary), 27-7-1991
Life will run its own course, doesn’t matter if you’re born wealthy or poor, smart or not so smart. You can never expect what life has in store for you, that’s life. Sybren Sibranski was staring at the headlights that were coming closer and closer. He saw the shadows of the trees on both sides of the road, he felt something hidden deep inside him flow away, he wasn’t scared? He was if he could. But a four year old looks differently at things than adults.
He closed his eyes and thought about heaven. A place his mother taught him about. Was he going to that place and meet his parents again? Even though he was four year old, he knew the meaning of death already. His uncle died one month ago, his grandparents died when he was two and his older brother disappeared before he was born. The sound of wind was feeling like someone told him goodbye. It felt peacefully
against his skin, tender as his mother’s hands. For a moment there, he believed that he could feel them holding him close. He felt protected. He felt a real hand. Then he woke up. It was a hand, but not one of his parents’ hands.
‘Are you awake?’, the American said.
Sybren didn’t understand what he said. But he thought that it probably was the best thing to do to let him know he could hear it. ‘Yes’, Sybren said in Russia.
Mitch didn’t understand Sybren’s language. But he did know that Sybren was awake. For a moment there, he thought he’d lost the youngster. He tightened his grip. At least, that was what Sybren felt.
But at the moment where it almost felt like one of the cars touched the moped, he saw that the American was trying to show him something. That’s why he felt his grip tighten. He tried to say to Sybren to hold him tightly. Sybren put his short arms as much as he could around Mitch and grabbed the boy’s jacket.
Mitch did not hesitate for a moment. Sybren understood the message and so it was time to leave the road. Just before the first car behind him was able to hit them, Mitch made a left and drove towards the side of the road. Within seconds he and Sybren jumped into the air with the moped and over a side ditch. The first car stopped eventually and didn’t follow the boys since they wouldn’t be able to jump over the ditch.
Mitch sighed deeply, Sybren felt Mitch’s heart beating fast paced. He himself was excited by the jump. But he was relieved that they weren’t followed anymore. He asked himself where they would go. Mitch turned off the light and continued driving at around 20 kilometres/hour. After almost an hour, they stopped next to some bushes. They both stepped of the moped and he hid it. Eight minutes later, he counted. Eight minutes until a helicopter could be heard.
Sybren saw that Mitch was making himself small and took cover under the bushes. Mitch whispered to him. Sybren couldn’t hear what he said and also didn’t see what he was trying to say since he focused more on the sound of the helicopter and walked towards the direction where it came from. The American was so quiet that Sybren forgot where he was at the moment when he saw a light in a short distance. Sybren immediately knew it was a search light. Before it came too close he heard someone approaching him from his back.
Mitch saw Sybren’s shadow. Thank god it was a clear night. He was able to grab Sybren and return to his hiding spot just before the search light was able to spot them. He sensed that Sybren was about to say something and shushed him to silence. It then occurred that Sybren’s left shoe was missing…
Miami, 19 January 2010
Imagine a gym hall, that big, but forget about the rest. Replace the emptiness of such a space with a few desks divided over the corners and the centre of the space. The rest of the space divided over dozens of aisles filled with racks that easily are four meters high. Owned by a rich millionaire that has a little over average interest in the crimes of the United States.
Sybren was in a building nicknamed the diary of crime! If you wanted to write a story about true crime, this was the place in Eastern America you had to go. Sybren was sitting behind one of those desks. Besides him, there were only three more people in this building. One was the receptionist and another was the security guard. His desk was filled with papers and documents that were available for the public. Everything related to Mitch Crowne and was publicly known was on this one by two meter desk. Like Sybren got to know for the first time who his friend really was.
Reports about the assassination were unspecified and didn’t reveal much, however, there was a report about a tragedy that occurred in Moscow and London were his involvement was suspected but never proven. All this time that Sybren was working his way through the files on his desk, he forgot to pay attention to the fourth person that was in this building.
It was a tall dark man that walked by. He passed by at a close range and dropped something in Sybren’s backpack. Without noticing this act, Sybren was about to walk right into a trap. Or wasn’t he? Sybren left the building nineteen minutes later, with his backpack. The dark man that had dropped something in his backpack made a phone call.
‘He left the building.’
‘Good’, was the short and only reply the man got from the person at the other side of the line. He had a James Spader –like voice. That was also the only thing the African man knew about that person who calls himself “the client.”
Black hair, dark brown eyes and of Chinese descent the normal Western person would say. She was 1.72 meters long and he estimated her halfway her thirties. Sybren took a right and walked into an alley. It was still in broad daylight, but he knew that whoever was following him, would act now. Remote, safe and sound. Ling appeared from the other side of the alley a few minutes later while at the same time the black man from earlier that day appeared at the side of the alley where Sybren came from. Sybren was surrounded by the two and knew they were both armed. Sybren never carried weapons, he hated firepower. He used to teach his students the last few years the most dangerous weapon, is a human’s brain. And he planned each decision twelve steps ahead. If he wanted to find out the truth about Mitch Crowne, these would be the people that could probably assist him the best.
Sybren dropped his backpack and took out the wire that Dembé had dropped in it. Then he stepped on it while Dembé stopped at his left and Ling at his right. They didn’t draw their weapon, she began to speak.
‘You’ve been interested in a specific individual lately. How come?’, she asked strict but politely.
‘Would you believe if I told you I know him?’
‘You could try me. But I sincerely would doubt if I’d believe you.’
‘That’s fair enough. You know, I wasn’t that old when I met him. I didn’t even understood what he said all the time. He also didn’t understand what I said.’
‘Are you trying to buy time?’, Ling asked more strictly.
Sybren grinned and looked at Dembé. ‘The real reason you came down here, wasn’t just about my interest in Mitch Crowne. Probably, because you couldn’t find any real background of me. Which means whoever employs you is resourceful and related to Mitch Crowne. How close am I to the truth?’
‘You need to come with us’, she said.
Sybren shook his head. Then he nodded and stretched himself. ‘Thought you would never ask.’
‘Walk’, Dembé said demandingly…
Posfa (Hungary), 27-7-1991
The helicopter circled around at the same position for a while. Mitch thought that they discovered Sybren’s shoe. While he felt the sweat drip from his nose, Sybren sighed deeply behind him. Then Mitch saw that the shoe was not in the search light. It was under the moped. Mitch also sighed and the two stayed in hiding until the helicopter continued his search. After half an hour they continued their journey by foot to a city called Szombathely.
Szombathely (Hungary), 28-7-1991
The next day the two arrived in Szombathely. A city that has a population of approximately 80,000 nowadays. Harvey Crowne had told Mitch that if anything would happen to him or if he was in danger he should go to a specific address. It was the address of some kind of secret United States embassy. It was owned by the CIA and closed two years later when the Europe began to unite.
Mitch and Sybren arrived at the door and were met by a woman in a suit.
‘What is your business?’, she asked in English with an accent.
‘’Danger’, Sybren said as instructed by Mitch
Mitch had taught him to say the word before Mitch would explain the situation. Sybren only knew he had to say what sounded like a word. Mitch had taught him this word while the helicopter was circling around. Mitch had pointed at it and whispered danger a few times.
‘My little brother and I are being hunted. My father just left the country. His name is Harvey Crowne. You can check it out. Please help us.’
Mitch looked again at Sybren, hoping he would be able to take him with him to the United States.
‘Follow me’, the woman said.
&n
bsp; Edouard Russell was stationed in Germany at the time and flew over to Hungary immediately. Within eight hours he arrived at the airport nearby. He saw that Mitch was together with a four year young boy and was relieved. When the woman that took in the two said to Edouard that one Mitch Crowne appeared with his younger brother, Edouard thought that something went terribly wrong. Mitch couldn’t know he had a brother. And this was not his brother. He also saw that the two were watching television. Miami Vice.
When the episode concluded, Edouard entered the room. Mitch immediately stood up and was already impressive build. He was maybe eleven, but he looked like he was 15. His real birth year was also a question mark. Edouard introduced himself to the two and took both boys to Washington.
In Washington, Sybren and Mitch were separated from each other at the CIA headquarters in Washington. The two never saw each other again. While Edouard Russell took parenthood of Mitch, Sybren was put into a program by a company called the Centre.
