Do Or Die (Surreal Blue Rogue Agent 1) (5 page)

Xin
glanced up at the twin full moons in the sky.
Ahh,
he thought,
always
a comforting sight.
Eyes closed, he breathed in the dewy, cold night air of
the tropical jungle that surrounded him. The crackle of thunder overhead
disrupted his musings and his eyes fluttered open on a heavy sigh.

The
darkness of the jungle was no match for his natural, unimpaired night vision.
He saw all, from the dark African violets more than fifty feet away behind him
that grew in abundance round the white building that had come under Viktor’s
attack, to the colorful, very venomous red and yellow coral snake nest that lay
hidden beneath some loose rocks a mile in front of him.

Crickets’
chirping in Trinidad was different than most. It was long and hard, matching
that of a whistle being blown for hours at a time. There were many crickets in
the Aripo Mountains, their high-pitched screech competing with the warning
alarm that was triggered by Viktor’s crew blowing up the chopper.

Xin
looked back up at the two-story building that stood carved into the cliff face
on an embankment, smiling at the broken propeller of the helicopter that lay dangling
off the side of the roof. The bloody, burnt, smoking arm of a dead man hung off
one propeller, which threatened to fall off the side of the building. At the
very least Audrianna would not be ensconced at a secondary location. She was as
safe as she could be - for now.  

Xin
turned and looked ahead at the thin, disappearing path before him. The path was
crooked, with jagged rocks jutting out of the ground, slippery brown leaves en
masse to tread upon - it was not the most convenient terrain to get a
comfortable foothold.

The
second-wave security team heading up the path to support the base operations
staff could be heard two miles down the path. The sound of their feet trampling
on soft forest mesh was amplified by Xin’s were-hearing.

About
twenty-three men
, he deduced as he stepped back until his body
was squarely hidden beneath some low-hanging palm leaves. He unsheathed his
katana-gun. The moon beams’ glare travelled up the blade’s length as he brought
the sword straight up, parallel to the centre of his body.  Xin grasped the
hilt securely beneath the trigger guard. It was an uncommon attachment for a
sword to sport. He quietly waited for the approach of the first combatant to
the small clearing.

The
clearing was further hidden by overhanging leaves, which blocked the mouth of
the passage. Anyone arriving would have to remove the hanging palms from in
front of them before coming directly before Xin. Boulders that were almost
level to Xin’s waist flanked each side of the passage. He brought his sword up
and waited. His heart rate slowed and mellowed as his mind restrained his
anxiety and shoved it into a recess of his mind that he would never
acknowledge. Xin, eyes closed, braced his nerve with the will to react quickly
to the first entry into his deadly trap. He kept himself quietly poised as he
waited.

He
listened as the first armed enemy brushed aside the low-hanging palm leaf. And he
waited…and then…he heard the armed man’s track into the clearing…
Now!

Xin
brought his sword down swiftly, with such deadly force that the blade cleanly
severed the head of the first man at the top of his neck. The force of the blow
tossed the head flying into the air. The man’s body collapsed onto its knees as
another man entered the clearing. Xin stepped forward further.  Facing the next
man directly, he brought his katana sideways from left to right, effectively
slicing the other opponent’s neck. The head was sent flying, blood splattered
in the air . Blood spewed from the gaping wound at the apex of the shoulders,
gushing like a minor spring as that body collapsed upon the first.

Xin
reeled backward, his left leg a shoulder’s length in front of his right, his
sword lowered, waiting for the other combatant to make his appearance.

The
other man entered the clearing, looking down to assess the obstacle that he
nearly tripped over.  He had no time to be surprised at the bodies at his feet
before Xin brought his sword upward in a sweeping arc and the blade severed his
neck.

A whip
of lightning flashed across the black sky, illuminating the clearing in which
Xin awaited the next man. His eyes closed, Xin swung his sword downward, expecting
to feel the counter-pressure of the wall of flesh, but the blade met thin air
instead. His eyes flew up to meet the shocked wild fear in the eyes of the
fourth perpetrator, who assessed the bloody scene before reaching for his hand
gun and firing off two shots in Xin’s direction.

Xin
straightened and pivoted on his right foot, dragging his left foot to his right
side from behind. Facing away from the gunman, he pulled his katana forward above
his head. The blade against his back, Xin steadfastly blocked each shot from
entering his body – sight unseen. He then waited for a lapse in firing to
quickly turn around, wielding his sword in a 360-degree turn, counter-clockwise,
drawing the sword down heavily.

Shwoop;
the
blade slashed the flesh of the neck hard, sending the man’s head spinning
through the air. Blood splattered in an uneven spiral, and the rest of the
man’s body tumbled to the forest floor.
 

Fuckin’
shit!

Xin
cursed silently. He coolly slashed the air beside him with the katana shaking
off the blood and flesh with a
vwip
.
 

Xin
was vexed with himself for allowing the last man to get some shots at him. He had
hoped to cut down more men at this stage, but because of the early release of
gunfire it was already time for phase two. He could hear the other men speed
up, advancing towards his point. Untroubled by the bloody cadavers at his feet,
he sidestepped the slaughtered guards.

 Xin
crouched down by the side of the path beyond the boulders and felt for the
ropes he had tied into a heaving line knot and stashed beneath the dense carpet
of wet leaves. The ropes were extended across the path at particular intervals,
parallel to each other, and camouflaged by fallen leaves. Xin held the loop of
the knot and waited as the footsteps of the men to come nearer and nearer. As
feet of the front-line guards trampled on the hidden ropes, Xin stood, yanking
on the heaving knot. The ropes rose, causing the men to collapse upon each
other as they lost their balance. Xin then attacked the men where they lay.
Coming upon them he proceeded to stab them on the ground in the jugular and
heart. He gouged out their stomachs, moving quickly.  

Xin
managed to slaughter nine more men before an armed gunman at the rear spotted
him and opened fire. Xin then jumped over the boulders to his right and
disappeared into the darkness of the night forest.

“
Payne!” Viktor barked, looking down at Kelly. Kelly nearly jumped at the unspoken
threat in the violent spew of his name. He eyed Viktor warily, crouched on the
floor as he cradled the head of one of the armed gunmen in his hands. He shook
his head.

“Shit!”
Viktor expelled through clenched teeth. “Not good Kelly-not good at all. Try
one more then we move door-to-door.”

Kelly
nodded. “Aye, commander.” He saluted him, never without his sense of humor.
Viktor did not waver at the official address. He spun around and continued to
monitor the hallway beyond.

Kelly
yanked a thin gold acupuncture pin from the base of the gunman’s head, which he
had used to puncture his spine. The pins were constructed from nano-technology
and served as a transmitter between the gunmen and Kelly, who often used them
in his interrogative techniques. With an unconscious combatant, it was proving
difficult to force the information he wanted to the forefront of the enemy’s
thoughts. He had to feel himself around thoughts of vague, dreamlike elements.

Kelly
righted himself, carelessly letting go of the gunman’s head. It landed with a hard
thud on the floor. Kelly went to the next unconscious man and stabbed him at
the base of his head.

Viktor
looked out upon the dark corridor. This compound was familiar to him, but he
was not prepared to search door-to-door until he had an exact location for his
wife. On the other hand, time was slipping away and he could bet money on the SWAT
team being moments from charging onto the scene.

Viktor’s
ears perked up and he glanced at his team behind him. The girls and Darksmith
all looked at him knowingly - more men heading in this direction. “Wait here.”
Viktor stared steely-eyed into the darkness as he walked down the corridor.

The
compound structure had three levels. The first level was below ground, a main
storage area and sleeping quarters for the help. The second level was the main foyer,
which led into a dining area, study, and garage. The third level housed the
kitchen and bedrooms. That was how Viktor remembered it from the last time he
was here, five years ago; the first time he met his wife. He didn’t want to go
from room to room, guns blazing, just in case there was a protocol to kill
Audrianna as a means to instigate a cover-up.

Viktor
took a few steps into the darkness before he came across two gunmen. They fired
shots at him – one held a hand gun, the other an AK-47 at full automatic. Right
before the shots came into contact with his body, they were deflected off into
another direction, encountering a mystically-charged force field, projected by
Hell’s Embrace, which surrounded him and protected Viktor from all harm. Once
armed with Hell’s Embrace, Viktor could attack at will, all the while being
automatically covered from all direct fire in this full defensive mode.

Viktor
reached out, held each man by their necks with either hand, and squeezed.
Any
officer would only dream of being this close to an unarmed target
. The men
fired. Groups of shots hit Viktor’s chest and shoulders, as the men were raised
above his head against the wall with his bare hands.

Eventually
they managed to fire shots at his head, but it made no impact on their current
situation. Viktor, teeth gnashing, eyes coldly intense, continued to squeeze
with a viselike grip at the men’s throat until each man went dead still. He released
them, allowing their bodies to slump and crumble to the floor. He grabbed their
collars and dragged them to the opening of the room where Kelly and the others
waited.

“Anything?”
he ground out at Kelly.

Kelly
responded with a shake of his head, looking down at the knocked-out figure in
his lap with the needle in its head. Kelly, sweat-drenched and fatigued, felt
the strained muscles at the base of his neck. He reached behind his shoulder
and squeezed to alleviate the tension. He looked up at Viktor. “Nothing- yet. 
Many of these men were kept out of the loop, probably just hired thugs. At this
rate we’ll be the ones knocked out if we have to brace for more of them coming
at us.”

“Try
these.” Viktor released the men roughly before Kelly. “If you can’t get
anything from them, then we move on.”

Kelly
slapped his palm to his forehead and dragged it up to his hairline, wiping away
the sweat. Looking down at the two unconscious men thoughtfully, he reached
into his back pocket and pulled out what looked like a gold cigarette case. He
opened it to reveal more of the gold-plated needles he used to infiltrate the
minds of his prisoners. He and removed two before returning it to his pocket.
Holding the two men by the nape, he pressed them forward at the waist. They
slumped over, unconscious, the backs of their necks exposed to him. Kelly
stabbed each man with a needle, pressing them into the flesh hard.

He
gritted his teeth at the pain of the double exposure to the senses. His mind
became full of the aggregate memories of each officer. Usually, one ‘brainstorm’
was jarring enough, without losing control of the senses, but the inconsistency
of brain activity of two men in unison strained the limits of his cognitive
abilities. “Holy shit!” He ground his teeth from the pain, hugged his waist,
and doubled over. Wave after wave of each man’s memories crashed through his
mind, overpowering him like a twenty-foot tidal wave.

His
head felt the pressure as though jumping from a skyscraper. Still, he forged on
with his mind spiraling out of control, sifting through the memories of the
unconscious men as though they were his own. Then one of the men stirred,
groaning, as though he too felt the probing of his mind like a physical touch.
But Kelly knew better; only he was aware of the feelings during this
connection.

Sensing
an ideal opportunity, Kelly, straining against the tension that had built up in
him, yanked the needle out of the man who hadn’t moved. He then bent over the
man that was fighting his unresponsive state. Bracing his hands on either side
of the man’s head, he concentrated.

His
breathing erratic, Kelly finally staggered to his feet. “Oh man.” His eyes flew
open. “I think I hit something.” He paused, massaging his eyes. “And a name.
Someone they report to.”

“Do
you have her location? Did you find my wife?” Viktor grabbed his shoulder
forcefully.

“I
think so, in a room on the next level.” Kelly felt calmer now that he’d stopped
processing the men’s thoughts. He drew in deep breaths, steadying himself on
his feet. “Two doors past… the left of the stairs.” He paused as he caught his
breath. “Opposite a window.”