by Paul Heron
‘Okay good,’ Michael said. ‘Now if Scarlett and Maria have spoken to the agents in Germany, see if they can cause some sort of disturbance.’
‘Domenico is already on it.’ Sofia smiled, grabbing an apple from the blue plastic fruit bowl in the centre of the table. ‘It’s all taken care of.’ She smirked at him. Her phone sounded. ‘It’s George.’ She looked at Michael. ‘Why does this always make me nervous when George calls? Ciao, George.’ She looked at Michael again. ‘Well, he’s here now. He was in the pool swimming. Not pulling fireballs from his ass.’ She set the phone down on the table.
‘Michael, you almost gave me a heart attack when you didn’t answer your phone.’ George forced a laugh, so it didn’t sound like he was complaining. ‘I was just about to alert Domenico Cipolla,’
‘For what? Going for a swim?’ Michael laughed, drying his head with his towel.
‘Do it again, Michael,’ Mohammad said.
‘Do what?’
The fireball thing.’
They all looked at him.
‘Yes, Michael,’ George said. ‘Walk us through what you did.’
Michael opened his hand out, his palm facing up. He looked at his hand, trying to produce something, anything. Nothing came.
‘He’s a dud.’ Mohammad joked.
They all laughed.
Michael tried again. Still nothing. ‘I don’t get it.’ He dropped his hand down to his side. ‘Why won’t it happen now?’
‘Maybe it’s only when you’re close to Mancini agents that you can do it,’ Carolina said.
‘I think it was a fluke,’ Ajit said.
‘Maybe it was because the Mancini agent made one first,’ Marcel added. ‘That sword was pretty cool though.’
‘We can speculate all day, it’s not going to get us any further,’ Sofia snapped. ‘George, have you anything for us?’
‘You’re right, Sofia. No point trying to figure it out. Okay, listen up. Guillermo, Sofia, Carolina and Marcel have all received invitations to the party at the palace this evening. Michael...’ George cleared his throat. ‘It’s up to you if you want to go. There’s a ticket for you as well. Guillermo has got six tickets from his editor.’
‘You said six, George?’ Sofia interrupted. ‘With Michael that means five. Who's the sixth?’
‘Probably better to be another lady,’ Marcel suggested. ‘Keep the numbers even.’
‘Maria said she’d go,’ George said. ‘Of course, Scarlett was eager to get in, but we agreed that it would be better if another Spaniard went in. I’ll call you all back in a while. I’ve a Skype meeting with our German scientists. They've made a discovery that they want me to look at.’ George signed off.
‘I’m going for a shower.’ Michael got up and went inside, climbing the stairs continually looking at the palm of his hand. As he entered his room, he absentmindedly paced around. The room was almost identical to his French accommodation. The only difference was this was a ground floor room, whereas the one in France was on the first. He spotted his phone on his pillow with a flashing red light indicating he had only five percent battery life left. He plugged it in to charge on his bedside cabinet. With three missed calls, one voicemail and a text message from George, he realised how highly-strung George was also becoming. He then received a video message from Mohammad – the video of Michael sitting at the edge of the pool with the seagull on his head. ‘We really would miss you if you weren’t here.’ Michael laughed, watching the clip. He suddenly felt guilty for what he'd just said. An empty feeling came over him. He didn’t know why, but he felt as if he was speaking ill of the dead.
He shrugged off the strange feeling and entered the en-suite, putting the shower on full blast. He stepped in feeling the warm water massage his tight back muscles. He just stood under the shower, water spewing down on the crown of his head.
Michael wasn’t sure how long he'd spent, but upon stepping out of the shower cubicle the room was a mass of steam. He walked to the towel rail noticing a smiley face and a message written into the steamed-up mirror.
Hope you like your suit for this evening x Scarlett.
Scarlett wasn’t just some sexy agent, she was also a lady with impeccable class and elegance. Michael was never one for looking good, especially in suits, but ever since meeting Scarlett, he’d learned to appreciate the feel of a good suit.
Stepping into the room he found a three-piece black suit, white shirt and a black bow tie with matching black shoes and belt. It was like something straight out of a James Bond movie. If James Bond suddenly became a demi-god who was the secret hope and saviour of the human race.
He jumped into his boxers, quickly following that by stepping into his perfectly pressed black trousers. He spotted two items glistening beside his phone on the beside cabinet. For a second, he thought it was two diamonds, but as he got closer, he realised it was a pair of platinum cuff links and a black leather strap watch with the Sirani logo on the face. The watch had a note below it.
Hope you enjoy your new watch, amigo! Eduardo.
He strapped the watch to his left wrist and looked at himself in the mirror. He laughed, feeling like an Irish James Bond, but remembered James Bond was a fictional character and Michael was a real-life guy battling in secret to save the world.
He lifted his bow tie, no idea how to knot it. He struggled, then looked for another tie. He couldn't find one. Grabbing his phone, he searched the internet for instructions. As he scrolled through Sirani search engine, a knock came at the door. Scarlett peeked her head in.
‘You okay? Can I come in?’
‘Can you help me with this bloody bow tie?’
She laughed, bringing him in a cup of coffee. ‘Come here,’ she tutted. ‘Elisabetta's chosen one, yet you can’t tie a bow.’ She fixed it then straightened his lapel. ‘God, you look really handsome.’ She pecked him on the cheek. ‘A proper little gentleman.’
‘Okay, then my lady.’ He put his elbow out to link arms. ‘Shall we?’
Michael and Scarlett entered the living room. Everyone was there, whistling at Michael. He met their whistles with his own. ‘Don't you all scrub up well, too,’ he said, as he sat down beside the rest on the sofa.
‘Where's Mr. Sunglasses?’ Mohammad asked, tossing peanuts into his mouth.
‘Who’s Mr. Sunglasses?’ Eduardo asked, paying more attention to his phone.
‘He means Marcel.’ Ajit laughed, taking a photo of Michael. ‘One for the collection.’
Marcel walked in, complaining about his stupid bow tie.
Michael laughed. ‘I had the same issue. Terrible things, aren't they?’
Scarlett shook her head. ‘Come here.’ She pulled Marcel around to fix him. ‘You boys, I swear – chosen to do something so big, but when it comes to something like this, you get flustered.’ She wiped some dry toothpaste off his collar. ‘I mean really, Marcel.’ She grabbed him and walked him over to Michael. ‘Right, the rest of you come over as well. Time for a group photo.’
They all jumped up.
‘Great, you all look sweet together. Right, it’s half past four now,’ Scarlett said, taking a few photos with her phone. ‘Time to get the show on the road.’
Mohammad laughed. ‘You all look ready for the ball.’ He took Sofia's hands in an attempt to waltz with her. She laughed and gave him the honour.
Michael walked to the patio doors, and upon opening them he was hit in the face with lavender being carried in the breeze. He looked across the garden wall out to sea. ‘Tonight, or tomorrow, we'll be returning the Spanish fragment to Bruce's Cave for the first time since Elisabetta met her fate.’ He walked out into the back garden to sit at the outdoor table. He sat there and watched as the sun's blinding light bounced off the sea’s surface. ‘We’ll need to have Alban waiting in the chopper close by. Guillermo will hang around the president until we're ready. When it’s time, we pull the fuse to all the lights.’
‘Scarlett said a friend of the foundation works for a local envi
ronmental agency. They got in to explore the building,’ Sofia said. ‘He said the location of the circuit breaker is on the ground floor close to the rear fire exit.’
‘And once the lights go out,’ Marcel continued. ‘We get the president out of there. In the chopper Dr Rizzo can give him the antidote and find out where the fragment is. If it’s not there also, of course.’
‘Are you sure it's safe?’ Carolina sounded concerned. ‘To take the president from his own house?’
‘Carolina's right,’ Mohammad said. ‘This isn't some local councillor. This is one of the most powerful men in the world.’
‘Yes, and he’s been compromised by the most dangerous organisation on the planet!’ Michael shouted. Feeling himself heat up, he took a breath. ‘Look, the longer we stay in Spain the harder it’s going to get. We've got to move fast, no matter where we go. Surprising Mancini Corporation is how we’ll get the upper hand.’
‘That and our kick-ass skills your girlfriend, Elisabetta, gave us.’ Mohammad called a bird down from the sky, it landed on his shoulder.
‘I have a bad feeling,’ Carolina said.
‘We'll be okay,’ Marcel said, taking her by the hand.
‘No, I feel this is bad.’ Carolina pulled her hand away and folded her arms defensively. ‘I’m telling you, this is not going to be good.’ She stood up from the table and walked closer to the grass. ‘But I’ll go along with it because what else am I going to do?’
‘You can stay behind and watch with Mohammad, Ajit and Eduardo if you want?’ Marcel said.
‘It's funny how you mention watch because we've got something.’ Ajit handed him two shiny jacket buttons.
‘Buttons? You’re worried our buttons are going to get pulled off while kicking Mancini ass?’ Marcel laughed. ‘I'm sure we’ll survive.’
‘Well, if Carolina stays with us, your job of not getting your ass kicked is going to be much harder,’ Ajit said, ‘but there's a tiny camera inside one of the buttons so we'll be watching everything you see from the comfort of our laptop. And everything will be recorded so if we see something strange or anything that can help us further down the line, we'll have something to refer back to.’
‘Well done, pal!’ Ringo shouted as he entered with Ahmad through the kitchen doors. ‘Glad you haven’t started without us.’
‘Alban's taken the chopper back to the barn. He doesn’t want to attract attention to this house. We drove here, but Ahmad thinks he seen something interesting on the news, filmed from Madrid.’
‘How interesting?’ Sofia sighed.
‘Yeah, I’m starting to hate that word,’ Eduardo said.
‘I saw my parents!’ Ahmad shouted.
Chapter Eleven
‘ARE YOU SURE?’ SOFIA asked, sounding cautious with the words she used – given how unstable Ahmad was on the subject. Losing his parents to Mancini was how he came to be a part of the group. His family had worked with the Sirani Foundation ever since Elisabetta created the sculpture, and the disappearance of his parents had created a keen, yet unstable member of the group. Sofia cleared her throat. ‘I mean it’s great news if it is them, but are you sure?’
‘I know it’s them, Sofia!’ Ahmad shouted. ‘I know what I saw.’
‘You don't know,’ Ringo shouted. ‘It wasn't close up, so you can’t be sure.’
Eduardo came closer to Ahmad. Cautiously placing his hand on Ahmad’s shoulder, as if attempting to stroke a lion. ‘Listen, amigo. If your parents are here, then we'll get them. Without question.’ He looked at Michael, then back at Ahmad. ‘Like getting Mr. O’Hagan in France, it’s the same for your family, too.’
‘And if it's them, we'll get them at the party tonight!’ Marcel said.
‘How can you be sure they’ll be there?’ Ahmad asked, his breathing slowing.
‘Because, Mancini will be all over that party, and if it is them, Mancini is the reason they're here,’ Ajit said.
‘Let me call George,’ Michael said. Thumbing a few buttons on his phone, he planted it down on the table, listening to it ring. It was never long until George answered.
‘Michael...’
‘George, Ahmad's seen something quite strange on the local news-’
‘My parents, not something strange!’ Ahmad roared, his face reddening. ‘My mother and father, not something strange.’ He clinched his fists.
‘It’s a possibility, Ahmad,’ George said calmly. ‘But for now, we can’t be sure. You need to remain calm and if it is them, we act accordingly.’
‘We get them back if it's them,’ Ahmad shouted.
‘That's right,’ Michael said, understanding exactly what was driving Ahmad crazy. Michael's father was kidnapped by Mancini agents in France and it was Michael that went in to get him, albeit against the wishes of the Sirani Foundation. He wouldn’t have had it any other way. And Ahmad’s behaviour was almost identical.
‘We won't leave Spain without them, if it's them,’ Carolina said.
‘That’s right,’ George agreed. ‘What we don’t want to do is to rush in there and mess everything up. Getting ourselves caught isn't going to help them. We have an important evening ahead of us. Speaking of which – are you all ready? It’s four thirty where you are.’
‘We're ready,’ Michael said, grinning at Marcel. ‘Ready to go get this Spanish fragment and put another foot to Mancini’s fat ass. This might even be fun – to dine with some of the Spanish elite.’ The second Michael said this, he began to feel dizzy. He looked down at the ground, suddenly feeling weak. He shook his head and closed his eyes. The feeling left. ‘Tomorrow we'll have both pieces of the fragment, which Elisabetta died for, returned to the cave.’
‘I’ve got coffee made for everyone.’ Scarlett came in with a tray of cups. The Moka pot had a capacity for about twenty espressos. ‘Now, let’s get a photo of everyone.’
‘Another photo?’ Mohammad cried. ‘Are you going to take a photo in every country?’
‘Yes, Mohammad, I am.’ Scarlett grinned at him while moving everyone towards the garden, the sea in the background. ‘The world will one day want to know who did this. You should be proud.’ Scarlett placed her Samsung on the end of a selfie stick and took a few snaps. ‘Now, before we go, Maria’s cooking us a Spanish dish. We'll have it on the beach.’
‘I'm not sure about the beach,’ Carolina said. ‘I’m sorry, I know I’m not usually so cautious, but I just have a really bad feeling. I can’t ignore it.’
‘Don't worry,’ Scarlett said, taking Carolina by the hand. ‘It's a private beach. We've dined on it many times. Come.’
They got to the beach, a table already set.
Michael looked down at himself in his tuxedo, then at the others. ‘So, I guess this is as close as we'll all get to attending our school formal.’
Mohammad grabbed Sofia. ‘Would you be my date for the evening? My beautiful Italian-’ Mohammad moved in for a kiss, but Sofia put her hand up to block his lips.
‘I don’t think so.’ She pushed him away.
Mohammad turned and looked at Carolina.
‘Don't even think about it.’ Carolina was quick to say as they all sat at the table.
‘We haven't much time to mess around,’ Marcel said. ‘We can’t be late for this party. We don’t want to attract unnecessary attention.’ He reached for a roll of bread that was in the middle of the table, as if on display on a shiny platter. Grinning as he smothered it with butter.
‘You're right, we haven't much time, but we need to eat something before we leave,’ Scarlett said, looking at them all. ‘And whatever you do, don't eat or drink anything at that palace. If you were to be spiked and caught, it's game over. For God's sake, whatever you do, don’t get caught. If something goes wrong, get the hell out of there. I don’t care if you have to claw, punch or kick your way out, just don’t get caught.’
Maria joined them with a dish that gleamed in the sunlight. ‘Enjoy! This is a Spanish dish that we would prepare often.’
E
veryone watched as she produced something that would inevitably raise a few eyebrows.
‘What the hell is that?’ Mohammad said.
Maria laughed, ‘It’s pulpo a la gallega, Octopus with potatoes and paprika oil.’
‘You sure that thing's dead?’ Eduardo looked at it, his face screwed up.
‘You’ll be fine, just eat up,’ Maria said. Marcel being the first to reach over for some.
It seemed this was the only time any of them felt normal and felt like they were spending time as a regular group of friends, normal being the furthest thing from any of their lives.
‘Times like this, normal times, us...’ Maria gestured towards herself, Scarlett and Ringo, ‘and other Sirani agents spend with you is a way to bring you all a sense of normality.’ She sat down beside Ajit. ‘You all stopped being normal last week, through no choice of your own, but this is a way for us to give you a taste of a normal life. And some great Spanish food. Now tuck in!’
Using Sirani network's own version of Skype, George called back on Ajit's laptop. ‘George, we're just about to eat,’ Ajit said, spinning the screen around so everyone could see.
‘I just thought I'd dine with you guys before you head off. I wish I could be there with you.’
‘Aw, George,’ Sofia said. ‘That's so sweet.’
‘Are we feeling lonely, George?’ Carolina teased.
‘Come to Spain, we miss you, George!’ Mohammad dramatically sang every word with a mouth full of food.
‘You're probably the reason why he can stay away,’ Ajit mumbled, also with a mouth full of food.
George laughed.
‘What’s the plan at the palace then?’ Scarlett cut in, pouring herself a glass of water.
‘I think it's best if we go in as couples,’ Michael said, looking around the table at everyone. George nodded and hummed to show his agreement. ‘Sofia, you go in with Marcel. Carolina, you go in with Guillermo. And I’ll go in with Maria.’ He took a fork full of potato and octopus, washing it down with some water. ‘If we go in as couples, we'll attract less attention.’
