by M. W. Duncan
Affixed above the door and to the left was a newly installed security camera watching approaches from the right.
“That’s new,” said Gibbons, his hand on the back of Fisayo’s neck, keeping his head down and out of view. So far, Fisayo had been nothing but compliant.
“It makes getting in there more difficult. They’ll spot us before we even reach the door,” said Roy. He abandoned his sniper rifle. It would be of no use for what lay ahead.
“The wire from the camera unit is exposed. Maybe it’s not hooked up yet. To the left is a blind spot. We can cut the wire from that approach.”
Roy’s face was damp with sweat. “If they don’t spot us from some other angle. We could be dead in seconds.”
“We cut the wire, and go in hard. I’ll take the lead. I need Toth alive.”
Roy blew out his cheeks, then pulled a combat knife from his belt. “I’ll take the wire, just be ready to move when I give the signal.” He nudged Ash Gibbons. “Ash, you’re with me. The camera looks too high for me to reach.”
The two men took off across the street, their light, quick steps kicking up small clouds of dust from the road, the gravel crunching underfoot. They gave the perceived arc of surveillance a wide berth, and reached the building’s wall, throwing themselves heavily against it.
Gibbons linked his fingers and in a fluid motion provided a step up for Roy. It must have been eight feet from the ground, yet Gibbons heaved Roy up like he weighed little. Roy grasped the wire, tugged at it once then slipped a blade beneath the black cord. He sawed, short fast motions, and severed the wire. They retreated, breathing heavily as they slumped down next to Brutus.
“Good job.”
“If they’ve realised something is wrong they’ll be preparing for an attack,” offered Roy.
“Or they’ll send someone out to fix the feed.”
“If they do nothing we can’t just blow the door and walk in, guns blazing. We create too much commotion and we’ll have the Egyptian Army here, closing us down. They can wait us out,” said Ash Gibbons.
Brutus watched, waited for any sign that something was in motion. Nothing. Could they have been that lucky? Brutus was not a man to believe in luck. He made his own way in life, fate moved aside for him.
“Arm yourselves.” Brutus got to his feet.
“Where are you going?” asked Roy.
“To get us an invite. Form up on the door. Remember Toth is to be kept alive. Fisayo, you’re up.”
Brutus led Fisayo around the side of the rusted car. They crossed the street, to all appearances two friends making their way home.
“This is what is going to happen. You’ll approach that door, they know you, and they’re expecting you to return. They’ll open the viewing slot and you’ll tell them to let you in so you can make your report. Once the door is unlocked, you crouch down and keep out of the way. Understand?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Do you have family, Fisayo?”
“One sister back home.”
Brutus smiled, nothing generous. “You’ll see her again soon if you do this for us.”
They reached the safe house. Brutus grasped his handgun, but kept it within the recess of his shirt. He pushed himself to the wall of the building, directly under the camera. The cut wire dangled above his head.
Past Fisayo and to the right, Freddo McLeod moved forward, shotgun held ready. He would be second in, wielding his weapon in the close-quartered environment.
Freddo nodded, ten feet away from Fisayo. They all crouched, waiting for the signal to move.
Fisayo licked his lips and knocked on the door, three loud raps. He stepped back, Brutus expected him to run but he held fast. The bolt of the latch clicked open and the viewing visor opened.
‘Fisayo?” came a voice through the door. “Where is everyone else?”
“Parking. They’ve sent me along first to make sure everything is in order.”
“Hold on.”
Brutus waved a hand. Fisayo turned his attention only for a second.
“Is it Toth?” mouthed Brutus.
Fisayo gave a tiny shake of his head. Good, thought Brutus. He did not think that Toth would be the one to open the door. He was not the type to get his hands dirty. Bastard.
The lock of the door disengaged, the heavy bolt pulled back. Brutus was moving before the sound fully registered, before Fisayo had time to duck. Brutus kicked Fisayo out of the way, no time to be gentle. Freddo was up. Brutus pushed the barrel of his handgun through the viewing slot, and fired three quick rounds. The heavy metal of the door muffled the shots. Brutus kicked open the door. A man on the other side lay dead on the floor. Brutus stepped over the corpse pressing onward toward the rear room. Freddo entered behind, kicking the Glock from the dead man’s hands.
The door between the front room and the rear opened. A soldier, packing an AR-15 stepped through. Brutus threw himself forward, grabbed hold of the barrel and forced it upward. The unprepared soldier grunted his surprise. Brutus unloaded the remainder of the clip into his chest.
Brutus dropped the empty handgun, flipped the assault rifle round and made ready. Gunfire from the back room splintered the door and frame. Brutus ducked out of the line of fire. Freddo, moved forward, blasting shot after shot into the room, then darted to the side as more fire burst from the room and reloaded. Brutus motioned his intention to breach the room. Freddo gave a thumbs up, then pumped his weapon ready. Brutus unloaded into the open doorway, suppressing enemy fire. Freddo dashed to the door, shotgun raised. Brutus moved also, right behind Freddo.
Toth cowered in the corner of the room, as far away from the gunfight as he could physical squeeze. A third mercenary, the only one putting up resistance, clung to flimsy cover behind an overturned table. He knew the situation was hopeless, threw his assault rifle down and raised his hands. Freddo secured him, keeping him covered.
Brutus walked slowly to Andor Toth, enjoying each step as Toth’s eyes burned a hole into his middle. He held the rifle casually, reached into his shirt pocket and removed a cigar.
“Surprised to see me, Andor?” Brutus placed the cigar in his mouth. “You didn’t think you’d be seeing me again, right?”
Toth said nothing. Brutus crouched down, close to him. Whatever Toth was, he was not a fighter, others would fight for him. Brutus was in no danger.
“I know you expected me to be rotting in the desert. You made me lose good men out there. That isn’t something I’ll forget. You know the screwed up part of it all? I actually understand why you did it, why you’d have me killed. I’m a liability, I’ve done enough and know enough, and you feared if I talked I’d cause,” Brutus lit the cigar, “problems. That’s the thing about me, I’ve a nasty habit of surviving when I shouldn’t.”
“You’ve no idea who you’re dealing with, Brutus. You’re a dead man for this.”
Brutus surveyed the scene. His men had done their job. The place was secured.
“Perhaps. Then again, perhaps not. That’s your problem, see, you assume that all your plans will be completed flawlessly. Foolish really. Now, listen to me, Toth. You’re going to tell me who you work for, what your plans are with the virus and with any other assets you have here in Egypt.”
Toth laughed, a forced laughter betrayed by the fear narrowing his eyes.
Brutus lashed out with the speed of a cobra. He grabbed Toth by the neck and squeezed. Toth’s pulse, fast, travelled up Brutus’s fingers. All it would take was a little more pressure and he would break Toth’s neck. He puffed on the cigar, then spat it to the ground. With his face inches from his victim, he exhaled.
Toth coughed roughly.
“You mean nothing to me. Killing you means nothing to me. Killing you slowly will mean a great deal to you. Tell me what I want to know or—”
Toth spat into Brutus’s face.
He thrust him backward, smashing his back and head into the wall with enough force to crack the plaster behind. Toth slumped down, unconscious. Brutus wiped the
spittle from his face with the back of his hand, and stood.
Niall stood behind him. “What do we do now?”
“Set a watch to the front, make sure we’ve not been discovered. I want you and Freddo to stay here with me and him,” he said indicating Toth. “Everyone else is to stand down and return to the hotel. Bring the infected girl here, too.”
“What about the mercenary and Fisayo?”
“Secure them here. They might be a problem that we have to deal with soon enough.”
“What about him?” asked Niall with a nod of his head to Toth.
“All through this, Andor Toth has been in the centre of things. It was always him that I met with. Always him who provided missions and payments. Mr. Toth has a lot of beans to spill. He’s tight-lipped right now. I need to know what’s coming next.”
***
Brutus threw a cup of water into Toth’s face.
Realisation dawned. Toth struggled against the restraints, holding his hands tight to the rear two legs of the chair he sat on. His legs likewise were lashed to the legs of the chair. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
“Where are my men?”
“Your men? They’re dead, Andor.”
Brutus stepped aside to give Toth an unrestricted view of the room. Splatters of blood, marred the floor and walls. Bullet holes scarred the walls.
“So now what, Brutus? What do you do now? I know you, know your type. Men like you don’t think, they do. They follow orders. Yes sir, no sir. That’s what you’re good at.”
That was probably a fair assessment. But things, like the world, change.
“I can make you a very wealthy man, Brutus. Very wealthy. All you need to do is let me walk out of here and you’ll never hear from me again. We won’t look for you. We’ve got more important things to focus on, trust me.”
“I’ve already got money.”
“I can get you ten times what we paid you previously, let you disappear and live like a king. I don’t matter to you. Think about it.”
Brutus stepped forward. “You see, that’s where you’re wrong, Andor. You do matter to me.” Brutus dragged a chair over and sat down right in front of Toth. “You made me care what happens to you the moment you ordered my team and me be taken out. It was that moment that I decided I needed to take an express interest in you.”
Toth’s eyes darted about. “Brutus, you have to understand, I didn’t decide anything. Orders came down. I was just following orders. Like you. It was nothing personal.”
“You know that interests me a great deal. Orders to you. For a while I assumed you were the one giving the orders, but then I realised someone giving orders wouldn’t be doing so much of the leg work, or placing themselves in such danger. For a while I thought you were The Owls of Athena, or at least part of them. I’m curious, tell me about them.”
Toth’s face slunk to an expression of panic. “I can’t, Brutus.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“I can’t.”
Brutus mocked a gameshow buzzer. “Wrong answer, Andor. Wrong answer.”
Brutus stood, and knocked the seat aside. He grabbed Toth by his already bruised neck. “You see, Andor, I’m guessing that Aberdeen and that business in the Sinai aren’t the end of all this. If you’re eliminating assets who know too much, it sounds like you’re tidying up loose ends, moving onto a new phase.”
“Think of the money, Brutus, please.”
“I’m thinking of survival. The Carrion Virus, what we unleashed, it’ll never go away. If The Owls are planning more intentional outbreaks then that changes things. All I wanted was to be filthy, stinking rich, to surround myself with beautiful women and drink whiskey on the beach, good whiskey. Now, all I’m seeing is the possibility of that not happening and I want to be prepared.”
Brutus pushed at Toth’s head. The frightened man tipped back in his chair.
“So you see, Toth, you’ll tell me everything about The Owls of Athena and their plans. And you might just live at the end of it all.”
“I can’t, Richard, please, you have to believe me.”
Brutus grinned at the use of his real name. “I’m a violent man, Andor, you know this, that’s why I was hired. I’m not afraid to get the job done no matter the consequences.”
“You’ll torture me?”
“Yes. But not your body. Behind that snivelling act you project I sense some resolve. I could break your body so many ways, cripple you for life and you might not tell me a goddamned thing. That’s why what I’ve got planned for you is much, much worse.”
“So that’s your grand plan, Brutus? You tie me up and threaten me with what? Scare stories? You don’t think that we’ve got people in this city, people who won’t come looking for me if I don’t call in? You think we’re stupid, Brutus? We plan for these types of events all the time. You are a dead man, Brutus. Untie me, walk out of here and disappear. You need never hear from us again.”
Brutus took a step back. He proved more resilient to threats than Brutus credited. Toth was the locked door to the information contained behind. He needed to access it and was prepared to smash down the barrier if required.
“Let me go, Brutus. It’s your only option.”
“I disagree, Andor. You think I would’ve gone to all this trouble to get you here, just to let you walk out the door? Nope. I told you. I want information and you’ll give it to me.”
Brutus left the back room, moving to the front room. Niall sat on the edge of the table, his assault rifle resting on his lap. The two prisoners sat on the floor, their hands tied together. Freddo stood over the wriggling hessian sack, shotgun pointed down.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Brutus moved his shotgun aside. “I’m borrowing this.” He picked up the edge of the sack and began dragging it back toward Toth. “You’ll hear screams. Don’t come running.”
“What are you doing with it?”
Brutus waved away the question. “Unless it’s my screams.”
He pulled the sack through the door, kicking it closed behind him. The infected inside rolled and growled. The infected had not eaten since it was bagged. Whatever food Brutus and his men tried to feed her, she rejected. They threw a cup of water in its face several times a day not knowing if it needed any form of hydration. Brutus reckoned he knew what it would eat, but so far resisted pushing raw meat at it.
“What the hell is that, Brutus? Answer me.”
Brutus ignored Toth, ripped open the ends of the bag and dragged the infected out by the ankles. “You know, it occurred to me that I don’t suppose you’ve ever come face to face with what you’ve unleashed. Sure, you’ve probably seen these monsters in a cage, but in your face? I doubt it.”
He pulled the infected to its feet, its roars muffled by the gag at its mouth. Brutus kept his back to Toth, ignoring his cries of fear. “It’s quite something to look into the face of someone riddled with this virus and know all they ever were is gone and replaced with hatred and fury and an unending need to kill. Would you like to see what The Owls and yourself have wrought, Mr. Toth?”
Brutus turned, swinging the infected around like a dance partner. He adjusted his grip, taking hold of its neck from behind, his other hand holding the restraints at its wrists. Toth screamed, pulling himself away the scant inches he could. Brutus whipped off the mouth guard and threw it aside.
“Tell me what I want to know!”
Brutus allowed the snapping jaws to almost touch Toth’s face. It wasn’t easy going, the thing was a cyclone of strength. Toth begged Brutus through tears and curses to let him go. He screamed from a fear he undoubtedly did not know could exist.
Brutus screamed, too. Over and over. “Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!”
Toth cried, threw his head back, his mouth growing wider and wider. The infected’s legs touched Toth’s and only Brutus’s strength kept it from falling on top of him and sinking teeth into his flesh.
“Okay! Alright! Brutus, p
lease. I’ll talk.”
“I can’t hear you over the noise,” Brutus lied.
“I’ll talk! I’ll talk.”
Brutus threw the infected to the left, a giant ragdoll cast aside, then sprang after it, planting a knee into its back and securing the mouth guard again.
“You tell me what I want to know now. There won’t be a second chance, Andor. You delay or try to fob me off, I’ll let the bitch chew you up. Whatever happens next is up to you.”
Toth regained a measure of composure, and rubbed his snotty nose on his shoulder.
“Everything. Tell me now, Andor.”
“What happened in Aberdeen? What you helped to create, Brutus, was the first step. That was our testing, to see how effective the Carrion Virus would be to our purpose. The events are being observed, and our agents have infiltrated the city, and CAF forces alter situations to extend the outbreak. So far, it has exceeded our expectations.”
“In the Sinai?”
“We needed to see how a small infected population would behave in their natural environment. Your combat data and that from our drone shed a great deal of light. A population of one-hundred, not terribly dangerous to a fully equipped military team, but against an unprepared force or civilians, quite deadly I imagine.”
“Tell me about The Owls.”
“Brutus, if I tell you, if I betray them, we’re both dead. Their reach is long, and they won’t stop until we’re both dead.”
He crossed his arms. “We’re all dead, Andor, it just depends on when we draw that final breath. Tell me.”
“The Owls’ sole purpose in creation was to impose an intervention in world events when they felt it necessary to avert some kind of cataclysmic misadventure. Something happened, and I’m not sure what it was that caused them to act. The result is the Carrion Virus outbreak.”
“Who are they?”
“I don’t know. Only those in the top echelons know the names of others. You could be one for all I know.”
“So what do they want?”
“Want?” asked Toth with a humourless laugh. “They don’t want anything. They have everything. Money. Influence. A deadly weapon. They don’t want anything. Their agenda is something quite different. They’re going to seek to alter the course of human history. You’re seeing the early stages of the destabilisation of a nation with a deliberate infection. Imagine this happening in every major city in the world and you have an idea of the scare we’re looking at.”
