by Madlen Namro
They started struggling.
And then, like a flash of lightning, Victor appeared behind Alec and pressed a blade to his throat. Perplexed, Alec froze, unable to move. Victor removed the knife only after the commando had calmed down. The man spat under the tracker’s feet and turned back to the door.
“This conversation is not over Jo, not over.” He turned his hateful eyes on Victor. “And you’d better watch your back from now on,” he snarled and left the room.
Victor embraced the woman with all the warmth he could give. He had fought Alec before and he knew that he was strong enough to be a threat to Jo.
“I heard screaming, I had to react.”
“Thank you,” she answered. “Alec is delusional. He thinks we can still get back together.”
“I know.” He nodded. “He’s lost the woman of his life. I’d probably behave even worse if I lost you.”
That night confirmed once more that the feelings he felt for her were like nothing he had experienced in his life so far. This was not one of those shallow loves, the short lasting fascinations he’d got used to; it was something immeasurably deeper. This was the feeling Levi had talked about that night.
* * * * Just before dawn, David could finally sit back and unwind a little. The information about Alexander being on Lanzarotte was finally confirmed. He sent memos to the commandos’ private readers and several minutes later they all showed up, already suited up for action. Armed to the teeth, they marched to the Stealth II airplane waiting for them. The new kind of paint used on it made it virtually invisible.
The plane carried them towards their destination at top speed, while they gathered around a monitor to analyse the detailed layout of the island. Several volcanic areas, as well as one of the mountains, were marked as points of the greatest interest. There was much to suggest that people lived hidden under the rocks there.
Lanzarotte was an island of volcanoes. Over one hundred volcanic cones could be found there. In the past, the whole area used to be one of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. The short description of the island informed them that it never had any ground waters, however, a thick layer of crumbled rock scattered around the fields had an amazing tendency to imbibe moisture from the air and store it in the soil, which was enough for corn and onion plantations.
They sped towards Montanas del Fugo, a broad area of flat ground of over fifty-two square metres, formed during one of the greatest volcano eruptions recorded in history. Not that long ago, the soil temperature in some places was over hundred degrees Celsius, but now all the volcanic processes have stopped.
They covered the plane up with camouflage netting and only then took a moment to look around. The moonlike view was indeed an amazing sight. They started marching towards the Fiery Mountains.
They split up into two teams and sneaked up on the guards watching the mountain approach. Levi quietly neutralised one and motioned at David to keep going. They were forced to kill several others before they managed to get inside.
Meanwhile, Victor and Alec did the same on the other side. Already inside, Jo pressed a gun to one of the guard’s head and asked about Alexander in Spanish. She was shocked when the man just looked at her and plunged a knife into his own heart. They felt a cold gust of wind coming from the inside of the mountain.
“Divine wind, eh?” Victor whispered and they moved on.
They met several other fanatics on the way, willing to take their own lives rather than betraying their master. Victor could not help remembering his days in Kyoto and the Japanese term – kamikaze. The Divine Wind, as it is translated, referred to suicidal martyrs for the cause. The name dated back to the times of the Mongolian emperor, Kublai Khan and his invading fleet destroyed by two massive typhoons just as they were about to strike at Japanese soil. The country was saved by this unexpected weather phenomenon.
Jo, on the other hand, immediately associated Victor’s words with the Divine Wind Strike Force, the outcome of one vice-admiral’s belief that the only way to deal really substantial damage was through suicide attacks.
They continued down the corridor which felt like a maze, engaging in odd shoot-outs every now and again. Each step took them closer to their goal – the laboratory. Alexander was likely to be found there, and if they were really lucky, they might even run into Kaminsky.
Leading the group, Victor was beginning to get a feeling that everything was going too smoothly. It shouldn’t have been so easy to penetrate the enemy’s quarters. His tracker’s instinct told him Kaminsky was definitely not to be found inside.
“Let’s keep going,” Levi whispered to David and turned towards a staircase leading down. They were slowly closing in on the laboratory as well. The commodore’s resolve seemed never to have been stronger. He had to find Laura, at all costs. He was convinced they would kill Kaminsky today and he could be reunited with his daughter. He grabbed another guard from behind and snapped his neck in one smooth motion and the man collapsed to the floor without making a sound. They began placing explosives, maintaining constant contact with the other team via their communicators, time coordination was crucial. They were now only several dozen metres from the caliph’s genetic lab.
Jo followed Alec and Victor to the lower level of the terrorists’ underground shelter. They killed everyone in their way, silently and efficiently moving forwards through the dark corridors.
Suddenly, Victor stopped in his tracks and turned to one of the doors. He heard laughter accompanied by several giggling female voices.
* * * *
In Central Asia, the traditional sign for an orgy to start was the so-called dousing of lamps.
Alexander adhered to this tradition. He lay on a large mattress, wearing only his trousers, his scarred chest gleaming in the faint light of the candles spread out around the room.
“How did you like my new phallic ritual?” he whispered to the women tirelessly licking and kissing his body. Several others lay just a little further off, satisfying each other in front of his eyes, for his apparent enjoyment. Alexander’s eyes were bloodshot to the point of exploding. He’d learnt long ago how to control his reactions, slowly increasing his pleasure with several, sometimes even a dozen partners in turn, holding back his climax. He let them ride him, then please him orally, but all the time he held his body in check, not allowing himself to ejaculate, prolonging the intercourse. He could keep it up almost indefinitely and was indeed planning to spend the whole night like this. The air was thick with eroticism and his need for even stronger sexual stimuli escalated. He wanted to silence his obsession with Laura, to forget her leaving, to unwind.
Tonight he would prove he was better than his father who always had sex with two women at a time. Kaminsky had a compelling theory explaining that an intercourse with two women empowered a man mentally and psychologically, particularly if the man was aggressive by nature, dominant. Moreover, the caliph was aroused by the fact that a third person was present, watching. Sex was a symbolic act for him, something purely sensual, transcendental. He always strove to prolong the ecstasy. For Alexander, two women were rarely enough. The more there were the easier it was for him to convince himself he’d found the one thing he was better at than his father.
Suddenly, the door burst open and a commando appeared, wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest, a weapon in his hand. The women jumped to their feet in panic and ran out of the room. Alexander was also already up and a gun magically appeared in his hand. The two men gazed at each other in silence. The door closed. The intruder slowly reached up to take off his helmet and glasses, showing his face to Alexander. He quietly placed his weapon on the floor and only with his briefcase in his hand, moved over to be better illuminated by the candlelight.
“Victor, I barely recognise you,” Alexander gasped, still holding up his gun.
The tracker looked around discretely, making sure they were alone. Knowing Jo and Alec were right behind the door, ready to come to his aid any moment, he decided to risk slowly moving closer towards Alex.<
br />
“Put the gun down.” Victor tried to sound as calm as possible.
“We’re not on the same side anymore. You’re my enemy; you abandoned me when I needed you most. Why was that?” There was bitterness in his voice as he went on, “Guess I offended you. So you just walked away. You’ve always been huffish, fragile like glass.”
“I’ll explain everything, but put your gun away, as I did.”
Alexander hesitated for a moment before finally tossing his weapon away and turning to the washbasin in the corner of the room to wash his face. He leant slowly, with his back to Victor, hoping to provoke the tracker to attack. He was ready for it with a vial of eye corroding toxin in his hand. But since Victor did not take the bait, he tossed it away as well and turned around again.
“So, let’s hear it,” he demanded.
“I could not help you when you were in trouble even though I promised I’d always be there for you.”
“You broke your promise.”
“That’s true, but not because I wanted to. Kaminsky put me in prison for many years.”
“My father?” Alex was genuinely surprised. “No way, he wouldn’t.”
“He would and he did. I spent eight years in prison for a crime I did not commit.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Oh, be serious.” Victor shrugged. “He’s a man in charge of a global terrorist empire, a man aiming to take over the whole world. Surely he would not hesitate to get rid of someone who was important in your life and at the same time opposed his cloning methods, his visions of a new world! Kaminsky is mad. You must understand that.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Alexander cried and reached for one of the swords decorating the wall. He moved with surprising speed. It took him just one smooth swing to douse all the candle’s illuminating his part of the room, making it even harder for Victor to see him.
“I see you’re a commando now. You serve my enemy. I ought to kill you right here.”
Victor calmly lifted his briefcase and placed it on the bed.
“There’s twenty million dollars inside. It’s yours. All you need to do is tell me where to find your father. I suspect he’s not here, is he?”
* * * *
Levi and David raced down the winding stairs quickly dealing with any guards popping up on their way. Eventually they got deep enough for the underground chill to start affecting them. They both started shivering with cold. Suddenly, Levi heard a child whimpering from below.
They soon found the crying girl and David approached her, surprised to find a child in a place like this. Meanwhile, Levi stood a little to the side, making sure no one could sneak up on them.
“Why are you crying?” David asked.
“I want…” The child could barely speak through tears.
“Mommy!”
“And where is your mommy now?”
“I don’t know.” David gently wiped tears from her
cheek. “I don’t know where Laura is…”
Levi spun around. “Laura?” He felt his heart pounding, adrenaline raging through his veins.
The commandos exchanged surprised looks.
“Where is Laura?” David pressed on gently.
“I think she left with Daddy…” the girl whispered. “They’re not here.” He looked back at Levi.
The commodore sighed and returned to placing the explosives.
“What are you doing out here, all alone?” David tried to get something useful from the child.
“My brothers and sisters are over there.” She motioned towards a dark corridor in the back. “In the lab.”
“Brothers and sisters?” Levi blinked in confusion.
“I’ll take you to mommy if you show me the lab. How’s that?” David smiled warmly at the child. Levi also smiled, glad David was with him. The commando had a great way with children.
The child got up, took David’s hand and started pulling him towards the corridor, towards thick, metal doors. Once they reached them, she had to stand on her toes to punch in a long access code. The door slid open and the commandos saw a group of twelve children who did not seem to behave like children at all. Instead of playing and chattering, they were performing some sort of experiments using advanced lab equipment. The men stepped inside and one of the boys turned around to welcome them.
“I see you’ve found the worst cry-baby in our group!”
The girl responded by bursting into tears again.
“Cry-baby! Cry-baby!” the boy mocked her while another one stepped forward from the back.
“If Father ever creates a failure like the two of you again, I’ll have to step in! Get out of here, both of you!” The scolded boy obediently grabbed the girl’s sleeve and pulled her towards the back of the room.
“We are wonder children! Well, maybe not all of us.” He took a critical look at his siblings. “Flesh and blood of our father.” He proudly grinned at the commandos. “Soon there’ll be thousands of us, mister.”
Levi looked at David. Neither of them knew what to say, but they realised the children were clones.
“Will you show me around the lab?” The commodore leant over the boy, apparently the leader of the group, who smiled again showing off his shiny teeth.
“Follow me…” The child waved invitingly and the others gathered around him. “My name is Shinobi, one that sneaks in undetected. Dad says I’m named after ninja warriors because I’m the best and one day I will be the caliph.”
Levi felt his fists clenching. Meanwhile, David started discretely placing explosives around the room. “When he’s gone, I’ll take care of everything, but Father only trusts Alexander with everything.”
Levi felt the blood boiling inside him. He was looking at a miniature Kaminsky. For a second he thought he would strangle the boy with his bare hands.
“And who are you anyway?” He looked up at the commodore curiously.
* * * *
Alexander walked to the open briefcase and touched the money.
“I can give you a new life. You can be free,” Victor went on. “All the women you ever wanted, all the money you’ll ever need.” He watched Alexander’s expression change.
“Laura,” he whispered.
Victor frowned.
“Laura?”
“Yes.” He couldn’t take his eyes off the money in front
of him.
“She’ll be yours,” Victor hurried to confirm with
confidence, “I promise.”
“So you’ll give me the money and the woman in
exchange for my father?”
“We’ll free the world once and for all. Finally we’ll
have peace.”
Victor felt his reader vibrate lightly. He looked down
and recognised Jo’s identification number. She must be
worried sick by now, he thought, and decided to press
Alexander even more, but, unexpectedly, the caliph’s son
agreed to co-operate.
“All right, but there’s one more thing I need.” He’d
snapped out of his hypnotic fascination with the money. “What’s that?” Victor asked wearily.
“I’ve never killed a commando. I want you to give me
one… I’m guessing you’re not alone in here?” He walked
up to a far wall and produced some sort of strange
prototype weapon from the safe.
Victor was lost for words and before he was able to
gather his wits and respond the door burst open behind him
and Alec stepped in with his gun pointed at Alexander. Jo
followed one step behind him.
“Don’t shoot!” Victor spun around. Things were not
going as planned. He’d clearly ordered them to stay outside
and wait for his signal.
“There we go.” Alexander laughed, amused. “I knew
you weren’t alone.” He moved towards Alec waving his
weapon around.
“How about this one then? No, no… Her maybe?” He
circled around the bemused commandos, who had no idea
what was going on. “Okay, this one.” He pointed at Alec.
“Laura, the money, and his life – got that?” he cried out to
Victor. “I want his life!”
As soon as he heard the last words, Alec jumped aside,
moved behind Jo with astonishing speed and disarmed her.
His gun was now aiming straight for her head.
“A punk like you shouldn’t play games with my life,”
he hissed at Victor. “You hear!”
Victor saw fear in Jo’s eyes and panic in Alec’s. The
situation had just gone from bad to worse. Every word he’d
uttered in this room had been a bluff. He’d never expected
Alec to think even for a moment it was all for real. How
could he forget they were all on the same side in this? “Ha! Ha!” Alexander bellowed. “I didn’t expect them
to be such cowards.”
“Neither did I,” Victor muttered, slowly moving
towards Alec and Jo.
“Stay back!” Alec yelled. “Or I’ll splatter your girl’s
brains all over the wall!”
Victor could barely control his fury. How could this
man be such an idiot!
“I’ll kill her! You’d better believe it!” He turned around
to face Alexander. “Her life will have to do.”
Alexander stood motionless, clearly amused by the
whole situation. His laughter was getting on Victor’s
nerves, putting him dangerously off balance. He took a
deep breath and looked deeply into Jo’s eyes, hoping she
would somehow understand his intention. If only she
managed to read his mind, they could still make it out of
this mess. This would be the ultimate test of their closeness.
He’d always been told mind to mind telepathy worked best
between two people in love. He kept the eye contact until
she visibly relaxed. In a blink of an eye he saw
understanding in the look she returned. His movement was
too fast to see and a knife flew towards Alec. At the same
