All Along the Coastline (Part 3)

Determined to comply strictly with the order not to leave traces behind, the security guards dragged the two prisoners out of the building and into the white van. At gunpoint, the two soldiers had no way of trying to escape on that occasion.

***

The strange little man sat facing the other, not so dissimilar from him, in the large room on the second floor of the modern building, whose façade differed greatly from the well-arranged garden, built at the back of the estate. His expressionless eyes and extremely pale skin, denounced the visitor's origins, who, in spite of everything else, did not seem to be uncomfortable in that place. The other man, a little more agitated and with a frown visibly wrinkled, showed how suspicious he was, of the offer that had just been placed on the table. He could not see the reasons behind the reasons that brought that strange man to that place. The visitor then took the lead.

- You got the sample yet?

- Yeah. We have it. We have already started analysing...

- The sample without the dossier is worth nothing... or better... very little. It will be a waste of time to analyse it without due care and without the necessary information on what to do and how... It is a unique sample and should be processed with extreme caution. The codes are pretty complex and advanced... for obvious reasons.

- Of course. It was not going to be so easy, otherwise it would not stop here like this. But it's a strange business... and expensive... in my view...

- Yes. It's a very peculiar offer, but it's virtually beyond question. The risks are minimal, and the return of capital fully assured, in a very short time. But we must keep our society as a very well-kept secret and follow the plan in its due time. We cannot speed things up too much and raise unnecessary suspicions.

- It sounds too good to be true.

- I do not believe that you still have doubts about the authenticity of the origin...

- Of course I have not, but leave me with doubts about the true intention...

- The intention is to guarantee a future for this civilization... and...

- Who cares about the future of this decaying generation, which thinks only of owning more and more useless things, of making intrigues and carelessly destroying the planet?

The little man laughed.

- That's the intention. One can still hope for the future. Only those who have information like this, can appreciate the results... the earnings and the profits... Do we have a business or not?

- We do. N.M.E. will expand its area of ​​operation and include the production of medical drugs and chemicals, in this way, with a very specific purpose. No one will suspect anything.

- As long as this business stays between us, only. My contribution cannot be brought to light of this...

- Time... is money... We have so much to do, yet. I will transfer the money to the designated account. Please confirm the receipt as soon as you have it and have someone bring the sample and the data to start the process as soon as possible.

- I cannot send anyone else to bring information of this importance along here. I work alone. I'll come myself...

- You need to trust humanity more... especially...

The irony was not welcomed by the little man, who replied,

- I have many reasons not to trust anyone... more specifically from here.

- Very well. It's fair... for now. After all, business is business.

***

The rented car was parked at the edge of the ravine. A man in a black suit was leaning against the vehicle, staring out at the sea and smoking an unfiltered cigarette. He glanced at his watch and looked out at the road. The white van was coming up the highway.

- It's about time!

The man threw away what was left of the still lit cigarette and waited. The car pulled up close to him. The driver, also dressed in a dark suit and wearing sunglasses, got out of the vehicle and came toward the man waiting for him. The passenger, sitting in the front seat, also got out of the van and joined the others.

- Let's get this over with.

A crash in the back of the vehicle caught the three of them by surprise. Two young men came out, one from each side, running at full speed, dressed only in their underwear, and each one turning their pants in their right hands and coming straight to the attack on the three other men, who were not expecting such kind of attack. Two men were hit in their heads by something solid and they fell to the ground. The third man pulled a pistol off his jacket and fired, just as he felt something very hard hitting his hand as fell down to the ground too, his senses failed. He had been hit in the head by the other man.

- Fast. Let's tie these three up, before they react again.

The two of them hastened to tie up the three security guards after stripping them of their dark suits, leaving them only with their underclothes on the edge of the cliff, but not in view of the passers-by. To make it difficult, they threw the van down the cliff, before they got into the rented car and left. They would have to get rid of their car on the first occasion, so they went down the coast to the big industrial city, still up north. There it would be easier to change cars and go unnoticed. The intention was to disappear for a while.

***

- It's going to take a few days, until we sort all this out and we can finally get out of here.

- It’s not that bad. They’ll give us provisional cards. We must avoid being seen around however.

- We must report these people! They will continue to chase us and do...

- We do not even know what they're up to. What we know is very little. What would we say and to whom? And who would believe us, anyway?

- Damn it!

- We have to know more about this company and the shenanigans they are involved in before doing anything.

- Are you crazy?!? No way. Let's go back to our lives, before anyone finds out we're in such a mess.

- We cannot leave things like this. It is not right. There is something big going on here and we have to find out what it is, otherwise we cannot do anything to change this situation.

- But we do not have to change anything. It's none of our business.

- Yes, we do. It's up to us now. Or do you think being beaten and treated like animals is part of a normal life? Our holidays are spoilt anyway. We're hiding here, and we still need to have our documents reissued before we get back to our lives and to our holidays. That's not fair. Besides, we still have more than a whole week to go...

- Let's get out of here as soon as possible.

The young man wearing glasses looked at his friend but knew that his battle was over. The other man was not going to rest until he'd settled the case or put an end to his anguish.

- Well, I'm hungry.

-Let's go out, then. We have little money left from the amount we took out of the security guards. We must be reasonable until we can settle the case with the bank.

The two men left the rented room in the small B & B on the outskirts of the city, where they could go unnoticed and have just a few expenses, with the little money they had left. The car was tucked away in one of the nearby streets, but not the same as the B&B, so they would not be discovered if someone came looking for them. Nobody knew them, and they did not ask for anything, either. They were strangers living incognito... for a while...

***

The Cafe was practically empty when they left, after a quick meal. The night was cool, even for the hot day it had been. They walked side by side, not talking much. Each one was very busy with his own thoughts. The street, where their accommodation was located, was almost deserted. The two of them walked lightly while a few cars passed by them, and when they did, they avoided being exposed to the headlights, lowering their heads, so as not to be recognized. 

The man wearing glasses stopped, mute, looking ahead and very seriously. His partner looked at him and followed the direction of his gaze. Coming out of the street where their car was parked, they saw the white van. The big red letters painted on the side of it did not hide the origin of the vehicle, nor the purpose of being there. The two of them jumped over a wall and crossed a vacant property to the other street and hurried up the steps to the room where they were staying.

- We got to get out of here. How did they find this place?

- I do not know, but now it's too dangerous to stay here now. They must have contacts everywhere...

A noise downstairs, followed by muffled voices and doors slamming, left them on alert. A woman shouted out loud. The last thing they heard, before jumping down from the balcony into the dark street, was the sound of a man's voice calling out,

- Where are they?

The young man wearing glasses only had time to hear his friend whisper and pull him by the arm, though an opening on the broken wall:

- Quick! This way! 

***