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:
***
