Authors: Madlen Namro
* * * *
The ferry travelled at excruciatingly slow speed barely forcing its way through the waves. Standing by a window, Victor watched Tenerife slowly shrinking in the distance while the next island of the archipelago gradually closed in on the right. It would take the ferry another hour to reach Fuerteventura.
As soon as the platform opened, Victor rode onto the pier. He took a deep breath and sped towards the town. Entering Betanucria he discovered that it was hardly as modernised at it seemed at first glance. The streets were crowded with dozens of coffee shops packed with people, yet there was no buzz of conversation you’d normally expect in this kind of place. The town felt unbelievably peaceful, almost boring.
Victor stopped several locals and tried to discretely question them about Jo, showing her picture to the more talkative ones. No one seemed to have a clue who she was. As he was checking through hotels and lodgings, darkness gradually fell on the island. He began to realise that even if Jo really was here, she’d somehow managed to make herself invisible. He rode to the town’s outskirts and continued searching. Still nothing. After a while he parked his motorcycle and sat heavily on a bench. He had not felt such a strong urge to smoke for days. If she was not in the town he would have to comb the rest of the island in the morning. He got back to his bike and rode back to the centre to get a room for the night. After checking in, he was about to go upstairs, when a thought struck him. It seemed he would have to take a risk and ask the receptionist for help, not the best of ideas if someone wished not to attract unnecessary attention, but he was fast running out of options. He walked up to the deskbound man and pulled out the commando’s picture.
“I’m looking for this woman. Have you seen her?” he asked, possibly a little too anxiously.
The man looked up reluctantly and briefly glanced at the photograph. Apparently Victor had interrupted an interesting computer game.
“I’m afraid not,” the receptionist growled under his breath.
“Take another look, please,” Victor insisted. “Notice the features rather than her hair. That could easily have been changed.”
“Maybe she does look a bit familiar.” Something in the man’s voice raised the trackers hopes a bit.
A plump woman entered the hall with a little girl at her side. The child ran up to the receptionist and jumped into his arms. He lifted her off the ground provoking her to grab at his moustache and turn it up as apparently she usually did when held by her father. Victor was about to put the photograph away but the girl was evidently curious about it.
“Dad, is this man looking for someone?”
“Yes, honey.” He kissed her on the cheek.
“The lady with the cool car?”
Victor froze, trying to decipher the childish accent of the girl’s Spanish.
“Show the picture to my daughter,” the man suggested, and Victor took it out again and held it out for the girl to see.
“That’s the lady who gave me and Mum a lift.”
“Oh, yes…” The receptionist handed the photograph to his wife. “Didn’t she keep her car in our parking lot for a couple of days, Eli?”
The woman carefully studied the picture.
“Yes, I remember her. She had the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen. She never laughed. Has something happened to her?” The woman’s warm-heartedness moved Victor.
“She’s a good friend of mine. I need to find her.” He took the picture back and sighed with relief. His hunch was right. She was on this island.
“When did you meet her?” Victor asked the family.
“Some months ago. Haven’t seen her since then.”
“And do you remember what car it was?” the tracker asked, turning to the girl.
“A big one, black.”
“An off-road car,” the child’s mother added. “No one else on the island has a car like that, so it’s easy to remember. Brand new, computers, screens and the like.”
“Super cool!” the girl exclaimed as her father lifted her to sit on the counter.
“Thank you all very much. I think that will do.” He smiled and winked at the girl who merrily grinned back. Feeling greatly relieved, Victor ran up to his room and took a quick shower before contacting the other commandos. He told them of his discoveries and the trail he’d just picked up. Then he lay down and tried to fall asleep, wishing for the night to pass faster. First thing in the morning he was going to circle the island again, this time not looking for Jo but for her car.
Meanwhile David, on Victor’s request, had started scanning local databases for big, black vehicles on the other islands. Alec checked the ports for any traces of similar cars travelling onboard the ferries. None of them got much sleep that night.
* * * *
In the morning David compiled a list of all off-road cars on the islands and Alec checked whether anyone on Fuerteventura had a similar car. Finally they established that a car matching the description had been delivered to the island to a
cassa
Mendez. All the data was ready for Victor before he even got out of bed, so he could immediately resume his search. He had no doubt that the name they found was fake and the car belonged to Jo. That was unless she’d already sold it. Either way, he would soon get to the bottom of this.
Before noon, the commodore asked his two commandos to join him and, without waiting for Jo, briefed them on his plan of getting to Kaminsky. After they’d all gathered in the hotel room, the commodore asked for their undivided attention.
“I’ve repeatedly changed my mind whether I should or shouldn’t tell you about Victor’s past, but in the end I believe knowing his background will allow you to understand my plan of getting to the caliph.” The two men looked at their commander questioningly. “Several years ago, I came across a file in one of the Defence Council’s archives. The file detailed Victor’s close relations with Kaminsky.” The commandos straightened in their chairs, puzzled. Levi began anxiously pacing around the room. “I found out that Kaminsky was remarried to Victor’s mother and at a certain point in his life Victor was raised by the man. Once I had confirmation of that, I decided it would be best to meet him face to face and try to get some first-hand details. I tracked him down to a prison. Some months after our first meeting, I managed to secure his release. I then already knew it had been his stepfather who’d framed him for the terrorist attack. After that Victor decided to work for us.”
“I’ve always known there was something wrong with him,” Alec burst out with his fist angrily in the air. “He’s connected to terrorists. We ought to arrest him, not follow his orders!”
“Will you shut up for once!” David exclaimed, irritated. “Stop it, both of you!” Levi shouted. “We’re all expected to work together and there are certain facts you will have to come to terms with.”
“What facts?” they asked in unison.
“Victor was born in former Germany. His father was a pilot, his mother a Russian intern at one of the hospitals. She was a talented geneticist for what I’ve been told. After her husband died in a terrorist attack, she decided to return to Russia and was hired by one of the most renowned genetics clinics there. During a symposium on gene therapies, she met a distinguished scientist – her future husband. Yes, that’s right, Kaminsky. First, they were inseparable at work, later pretty much everywhere. Kaminsky divorced his first wife and moved in with his new lover in a large apartment on the outskirts of Moscow. He also took his son, Alexander, with him.”
“Getting better and better.” Alec could no longer conceal his astonishment.
“The couple began working together and soon created a team of scientists studying alternative methods of cloning.”
“I’ve read about that.” David nodded.
“After the United Nations refused to further finance his study, Kaminsky decided to move to the Middle East. He left the country alone. Soon his lawyer presented his wife with divorce papers, leaving her with two adolescent boys to take care of. Victor and Alexander were really close, inseparable as real brothers should be. They both took it hard when Victor was sent to Japan. His mother wanted to honour his dead father’s wish to educate him there.”
“Not just educate,” Alec muttered, overwhelmed by all he’d just found out.
“You know anything about that?” David looked at him dubiously.
“I met him at a samurai school. He was pretty good,” Alec finished quietly.
“I bet he was. What were
you
doing there, though?” David burst out laughing.
“Quiet!” Levi silenced them. “That’s true. He did study martial arts. In fact, he was taught by some of the best Japanese warriors. Meanwhile, Kaminsky remembered he had a son and returned to collect Alexander, not just as a father, but now also the caliph. His son found out about his new position, but refused to leave his new family behind. He could not forgive his father for abandoning him. He often contacted Victor and they talked for many hours; Alexander often asking for his stepbrother’s advice. This is when Kaminsky begun to see Victor as a potential threat to his reunion with his son. So, he decided to get rid of him. I must admit the way he framed his stepson with those terrorist attacks was incredibly precise. You remember the hit on the Imperial Palace in Japan? That was the attack he was framed for. Victor was deported to Russia and placed in a maximum security prison. He’d spent eight years in there, when I came to get him out.” Levi smiled at the thought. He still felt proud to have been able to help a man out of that nightmare. He breathed heavily and cleared his throat. He stood up to get water form the kitchen, the two commandos following.
“And you made him look like a hero,” Alec snarled while they were all sipping active water, a sort of energy drink.
“Please understand,” Levi said patiently, “the man is a hero. The president quickly noticed his unique skills and made him his personal tracker. He’s one of the president’s closest and most trusted men.”
“But he grew up with our greatest enemy!”
“Kaminsky was not a bad father for Victor, possibly because they barely saw each other. The best men are those who don’t stay at home. Ever heard that saying?”
“I’ve heard,” David added, “that a good husband is a dead husband.”
They all laughed at the corny feminist joke. A moment later, the commodore Victor’s mother well. engrossed in their work. I think Alexander and Victor spent most of their childhood being the only company for each other.”
“Now I get it.” David nodded.
continued, “Kaminsky treated They were both completely “Get what?” Alec looked at him suspiciously.
“We’re going to use this to get closer to Kaminsky.” David seemed to approve of the idea.
“Yes.” Levi stepped back into the room and sat heavily on the sofa. “There’s no other way. We need to track down Alexander and kill him.”
“What?” Alec could not follow the plan. Weren’t they supposed to kill Kaminsky?
“Victor is skilled in assuming different identities. He can get into Alexander’s shoes and arrange a meeting with the caliph and then, instead of his son, Kaminsky will see us.”
“This might actually work.” David smiled at the thought. “It’s a good plan. What does Victor think about it?”
“I haven’t told him yet. The president once promised him he would not have to be the one to kill his stepfather. Apparently now he’s changed him mind. But when we tell him we also have to get rid of Alexander…”
“He won’t agree.” David sighed.
“I don’t know,” Levi answered. “Either way, this will not be easy for him.”
“Nothing’s ever easy,” David said. “But world peace is more important than the lives of two such scumbags.”
“That’s why Jo’s role is so important, provided she’s emotionally stable.”
“What role is that?” Alec asked worryingly.
“She’d not only a pilot, she’s also a talented psychologist… and she knows Kaminsky well. She’ll be able to convince Victor how important it is to get rid of the man.”
“Absolutely not!” Alec hissed. “I will not allow her to have any contact with that gangster!”
“You moron!” David could barely control his temper. “A gangster? Do you even know what you’re talking about?”
“What did you just call me?” Alec was about to jump at David, but Levi managed to hold him back.
“Commando Scar.” Levi glanced at David angrily. “You will apologise to Commando Ross.”
“Like hell I will!” David spat on the floor ostentatiously. “He’s jealous! That’s what this is all about.”
The men were slowly beginning to settle down.
“Commando Ross,” Levi turned to Alec with strictness and anger still in his voice, “I’d like to remind you we are now on a mission.”
“Yes, Commodore.”
“And I’d like to remind you you’re married,” David added.
“Unless you settle down right now, one of you is going to leave this island before the day is over.”
They grew quiet. The commandos knew Levi only used surnames when really furious. He was dead serious about kicking one of them off the team and neither wished to be excluded.
* * * *
Victor left the motel and hurried to continue his search. He sped around the outskirts of the island, stopping at the various small towns and villages to ask around. He kept wondering what she would say once they finally met. What he was going to feel once he’d looked into her eyes again. Would she be happy to see him? As time passed, he was getting increasingly apprehensive. He was about to leave one of the last few remaining villages there were on the island, when he spotted a small house hidden among the trees in the distance. He rode towards it, trying not to make much noise. Victor got off his bike and walked around the fence. It was the first house he’d seen on the island with such technologically advanced appliances. It had electronic surveillance and modern security measures. Two angry German shepherds were circling around in the yard, growling and barking in his direction. Victor crouched and fixed his eyes coldly on the animals. Moments later the dogs stopped behaving aggressively and obediently lay down on the lawn, clearly intimidated. Yes, he was a wizard when it came to animals and plants. Sensitive and stern at the same time, Victor had an unbelievable way of dealing with animals. He decided to climb the fence and, a moment later, jumped down to the other side. The dogs trotted towards him and started fawning. He gave each one a pat on the head. He didn’t want to encourage the dogs to play as there was no time for that. He took a discrete look through one of the windows. He knew the cameras would register his every move, but he did not care. As he walked around the house he spotted the garage and the car he’d been looking for safely parked inside. So it was Jo’s house after all. He decided not to go inside. The security system really looked top notch and he was convinced there was no one there. So, where was she? For a moment he considered his options. He could hide around here somewhere and wait for her, or go back to the village and meet her half way somewhere. The car was still here which meant she had not gone far. He would meet her soon. He could feel it. Victor jumped the fence again and walked to his bike. He had to put on his sunglasses when he walked out of the tree’s shadow. This was the hottest month on the islands and the sunshine was blinding. He rode towards the village hoping to meet her there.