The Assassins Curse Chap 11

[Urashima Keitaro]

So close yet so far

The stronghold was a secret place. It looked unassuming, and to the untrained eye it was just a ravine, hiding nothing, showing nothing. A quick look by capable people would show them CCTV mounts, and if their eyes followed the camouflaged cables there would be power pylons that wouldn’t really belong here.

However, a quick but indiscreet look would get the person removed from the realm of the living like a fly from a soup. A quick shot from one of the gun nests would see to that, if the person wasn’t quick enough, or inconspicuous enough.

Gustav moved himself back to the car, waiting for the go ahead from Vektar. Grudgingly, Gustav knew he’d need all the help he could get to be able to keep his trigger hot and his body alive.

Vektar went around the back of the ravine, to a point where he could safely follow the power cable, and followed it, tracking it to where the power generator was hidden. This was going to be tougher then he thought, he’d brought no explosives, he’d only brought a pistol. Which was still in the car. Just my luck, nothing hi-tech to take out the power supply, and not enough time or materials to make c4 explosives.

Vektar rushed back and gave the hand signal to wait, knowing they were skirting danger. “Give me your weapon!!”

“What? Are you crazy? Do you think I can trust you enough not to shoot me?”

“You think I’d work on the side of those who have my brother held hostage?! Besides, damnit man, I’m your God-father, or doesn’t that mean jack to you?”

“Until I know I can trust you, I won’t give you anything.”

“Ok, got a pen-knife, or a dagger?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Going to cut through the fuel supply. That way there won’t be anything to supply the generator. Ironic isn’t it, supposed to supply clean electricity, yet it requires fossil fuels to do it. Perfect nuclear fission will be the only way to ensure optimal efficiency.”

“Couldn’t you just rip it up with your hands?”

“They aren’t that weak, if paranoia gives you anything it’s an ability to see where there are possible security problems, and plug them as tight as possible. Thus the material used is tougher then the usual fuel pumps.”

“So they are stronger then normal industrial grade?”

“Yes, much stronger. Now, can I please borrow your dagger? If I try anything untoward you have the permission to shoot me, you arrogant, stubborn German git.”

“Call me that again and your head rolls.”


Vektar sighed, this German brick head would get them all killed. And there would be nothing that Vektar could do to protect his brother, or his own life. “I hate stubborn bastards, and you’re like a mule. Now follow me please, or are you just going to hinder me when I’m doing all the work?”

“I’ll follow, and I’ll stay alert, and I’ll stay out of the way, but if you try to do something I don’t condole I will kill you, got that? God-father or not.”

Vektar sighed, his mind in overdrive, “What, so you’ll trust Luciano but not me? Your father trusted me, trusted me to help his son, why can’t you trust me? Or is it because you’re prejudiced?”

“What?” Gustav muttered, “What does that mean? Prejudiced? Do you even think I’d give you this chance if I was a prejudiced scum?”

“If you gave it to me without the gun, I’d say yes, but as you intend to shoot me if I make a mistake, I can’t truly say anything about you being prejudiced or not. I can say something about me making an accidental screw-up and you shooting me for it. That’s not really giving me a chance, that’s supervising and aiding my fall.

“You may not realise it but saying that if I make a mistake you will kill me is you being prejudiced towards me. It’s called not even being willing to give me a chance, and no matter how you try and justify it to yourself its true.”

“Alright, you’ve made your point,” Gustav sighed, putting his gun in his trouser pocket. “Happy now?”

“It’s a start right? It shows you’re willing to trust me beyond what you were, and that feels pretty good from where I stand.”

Again, Gustav sighed, “For someone without a weapon you seem to be able to drive hard bargains.”

“I was a trader, a merchant, making hard bargains, and making the people stick to them was a way of life. I wasn’t willing to quit, and even when they seemed to have the upper hand, I stole it off them, and if necessary, whacked them over the head with it. Making deals became a way of life. In my band I was the person who sorted out sponsorship, quite fun, and we managed to get decent stuff.”

“So? If I give you the knife what will you do?”

“For someone who is supposed to be in the assassination and espionage business you really lack something. Possibly intuition, possibly intellect, probably a brain. What do you think I will do? I’m going to compromise their power supply, and wrap the coils around their necks.”

“Only compromise?”

“This is the auxiliary power supply, which means there’s most definitely another one. Chances are this is just for the exterior security and such.”

“Meaning?”

“You really aren’t with it today are you? Your love is almost blinding you. Meaning that there will still be reserve power inside even if there is no exterior power. So, hand me the knife, blind them a bit.”

“If there’s another power source what good will only destroying one do?”

“For crying out loud Gustav!! Them trying to get the other one online will give us an access window, which could give us an advantage. Could get us up to 40 minutes. Perfect to get in, then out, with all objectives achieved.”

“Including her?” Gustav managed a rasping cough. His throat felt like it was going to constrict in any moment.

Vektar slapped him hard on the back. “You want her back right? We’ll get them back, or we’ll die in the attempt, and to me, there is no difference. They’ve had my brother for far too long for my liking.”

Vektar made his move, and, motioning to Gustav to follow, made his way back to the power supply. He touched the wiring a few times, and Gustav noticed that it wasn’t usual industrial strength. “It’s stronger,” Vektar motioned, “You’d need more then your hands to rip it up.”

Gustav handed Vektar the knife sceptically. He was feeling slightly paranoid, and didn’t like the idea of anyone oiling his knives. “How easy do you think it’ll be?”

“I don’t know, getting into the complex should be fine; the cameras would be useless, and the gunners would be blind. Getting to the command chamber, and getting my brother and your ‘friend’ freed would be a little tougher, would require absolute patience, no mistakes, and no alcohol fuelled heroics.”

“Look, I left the vodka up in the helicopter, I haven’t even got weak beer.”

“Good.” Vektar cut through the hose, and saw the fuel splatter aimlessly into the dirt. “Using fuel to power up an electricity generator, I thought these were supposed to cut down on fossil fuel usage.” Vektar grinned slightly, within a few minutes, there would be a hostile invasion, and nothing extreme paranoia could do to stop it.



They made their way back to the ravine, and stealthily ran up, covering the CCTV cameras as they went. Nothing is more intelligent then misleading the opposition about the problem, and paranoid people, even though they pride themselves on rational thought, are easier to mislead then most.

At first glance there were no people operating the gun-mounts, neither was there at second glance. But both Gustav and Vektar had worked out that they were probably underground, using some ultrasound or IR emitters. If it was ultrasound then it would be ‘outside’ the complex and they’d be safe, IR would be more touch and go, but if anything, these guys knew the value of using ‘temperature masking.’

“Well, should we risk it? Should we make our move?”
“Time is of the essence. They’re blind, we won’t have another chance at this, if we get caught and this thing fails, we’ll be little more then bait for them.”

Even so, they moved as carefully as somebody under siege, even though they were the invaders. They used every bit of camouflage, and slowly moved themselves to the entrance of the fortress. Cryptically Vektar muttered, “Always outnumbered, never outgunned.”

“Lock and load, commander, lock and load,” Gustav whispered enthusiastically.

Vektar nodded and counted to three, “Three!” They both ran at the door, and knocked it open, already shooting weapons at the opposition before they hit the ground. “Damnit, we’ve got to get to the command complex so we can find which cells they are in.”

“Cells?” Gustav’s voice quavered slightly.

“No, my mistake, torture chambers; shackles included in the price, whips optional.”

Gustav paled. This was never mentioned in the job contract.

“I’m going back to the car Gustav, for the weapons.”

“I’ve got a gun, and knives, if you actually need anything.”

“I feel better protected with my own weapons. Pistols don’t do it for me. They aren’t really made for sieges. Neither are daggers, you don’t want to have to pick your weapons out of the body of a dead man with all his friends and allies watching and waiting to gut your hide.”

“You’re leaving me alone here to die?”

“You really are looking for any reason to shoot me aren’t you? I’m sure you’ll manage to cope for a few minutes on your own, besides we actually need heavy guns to break this place.” Vektar ran off for a bit, picked some assault rifles, a few CETME model Cs, 7 20 bullet clips, and a few H&K 36s.

Vektar strapped them all to his back, and chucked one of the model Cs to Gustav, with two clips. “Should we need more, then you can have the other one, and the remaining 5 clips. Be careful with her, she’s one of the remaining few of a dying Spanish breed.”

Unhooking his H&K Vektar loaded the clip and unlatched the safety. He edged himself to the wall, and looked around briefly. “Does your map tell us anywhere we ought to go?”

“Not yet. However, it’s scanning everything in our LOS, and everything behind it too. If there is any way, it should find it.”

“Hopefully before we end up disintegrated. Can it scan through walls?”
“Yes, but, currently there’s nothing this thing can see that isn’t granite, and other such rocks. Well, what else do you expect when its inside a mountain?”

“Upper and lower levels, more compact then a standard layout. The question is, which way do we go?”

“The true question is,” Gustav interjected, “Where are they being held, under what conditions, and, now we’re inside, where’s the damn security off switch?!”

Vektar motioned to Gustav to shut his mouth, and silently moved along the wall, his eyes briefly taking in details before he moved himself back. “The enemy is good, no doubts there.” He edged himself to a corner, and peeked around, before coming back to Gustav. “Two on the left, two on the right.”

Gustav walked closer, and let his helicopter mapping equipment show them where to go next, “Through the corridor there is a fork, one to go straight on, and one to go left. Now, if my skills at working out where the enemy has his command are good, it’ll be to the left, and probably down a lift. Auxiliary equipment directly forward.”

Gustav and Vektar nodded at each other and emerged at the corridor entrance, and started shooting. Quite soon there was no resistance. Gustav and Vektar edged up to the door, and checked the wounds of the guards. One had received a fatal shot to the neck, two others in the chest and stomach area. The final one received a few headshots. Seventeen bullets, just to kill four men.

They went through the doorway, and briefly looked around, and kicked the door straight in front of them open. They both whistled, it was a storeroom alright, the best Spanish and Portuguese weaponry money could’ve bought. There was a H&K MP7 sitting on the desk, and Gustav pocketed it, along with three clips, “This is German, so it stays with me.”

“Fine, I’m taking the Spanish CETMEs, considered by some, by many in fact, to be the best assault rifle in the business. Take all the clips, and stick the rifles in my backpack. We’re going to siege, should one break, we still have four others. Take all the MP-7 clips too. The less these people have to fall on to, the better.”

“Best to make sure they can’t get it.”

They headed back through the door and headed towards the lift. “How many people Gustav?”

“It’s scanning, currently it spots three people guarding the lift here, no wait, five people guarding the upper floor lift. As for the lower floor, it’s doing all it can. It’s a bit trickier but it spots two life signs. It’s a bit tricky as it’s on the maximum range it can scan, but we at least know of two.”

Slowly, they edged forward, their guns primed, still twenty three bullets combined, and then plenty more clips of twenty between them. Pretty soon, they saw the five guards. All were oblivious to their fates, the people on the lower floor might not be so lucky. Gustav and Vektar edged along the walls. They waited until they were five metres away from the enemy. Once there they both shot, constantly moving to make themselves tough targets.

Gustav still got shot in the thigh; and Vektar in the arm. Soon, however, the enemy was laying dead on the floor, five enemies, they still had five bullets left. One more shot went into each enemies’ head, and then Gustav and Vektar reloaded, Vektar with greater difficulty.

Gustav took one of the model Cs, and, with fabric torn off the arm of one of the guards, tied it around his leg to lessen the limping. Vektar helped Gustav with it. Then he ripped fabric of his own arm and wrapped it around his arm. “Down the lift we go, Gustav. You still capable to go on with this?”

Gustav’s eyes flashed with silent malice, and he got on the lift, and reloaded his gun. As soon as the lift had landed Gustav shot through every enemy, wasting an entire clip on three enemies. “Yikes, Gustav,” Vektar whistled, “you really get angry easily.”

“I don’t take kindly to being injured in a place I’ve just healed in, again.”

Gustav reloaded the MP-7. “The showdown begins in there, through the doors. Time to storm the command centre to free our friends. We fight to succeed, or die, no other way through.”



“Sir, the upper levels have been breached. We’re checking the comms of all the guards, but we’re getting no response. All we get on all of their receiving frequencies is static.”

“How come the cameras and the ultrasound sensors didn’t stop the invasion before it happened?”

“Power is out. Only interior back up power is working. The cameras aren’t functioning, neither are the ultrasound sensors. They both required the power output from the power generator which has been compromised. We would check out the cause, but our survival is more important then seeing how our security was breached.

“They’re now on this level, they want to free their friends, and are both beyond reason. Both beyond reason.”

“What do you suggest we do sir?”

“We leave a token defence in here, let those fools think we have a real small defence, and then we leave the mass by the torture chamber. That way, we have them cornered.”

“A cornered rat is more dangerous then the lion when it comes to sheer viciousness and audacity. We leave a few of ours in the chambers, say they are ‘new comers’, and tell them the real reason. A two pronged attack, the enemy will be able to do nothing.”

“No, they’re too unpredictable for that sort of attack.”

“No enemy has ever been able to stand up to a two front war. We provide them with a two fronter, and we have them right where we want them. They’ll be like drowned rats, doomed.”

“You disagreeing with me?”

“Yes. Most emphatically.”

“Fine, you’ll be the only one I’m willing to use for the second claw.”

“You must be insane!! It will require a third of remaining forces at least to do a successful claw.” A look of hatred burnt in his eyes as he realised what was happening, what his punishment would be, “You expect me to die for the ‘insolence’ of doing what a military advisor is meant to. Fine, so be it, I shall die, but the mistake will be yours, and before the year is through,” the advisors eyes glinted manically, “your head will be stuck on the nearest flagpole, Roberto.”

“You will die. Before this day is through, as for me, I shall be richer beyond my wildest dreams.”

The advisor left, and placed himself in the cell, and waited for the ‘enemy’ to pass. Nineteen of his ‘allies’ passed to the end of the corridor. Roberto Tomicielli wasn’t one of them. “No Roberto, I shall live long enough for you to be ensnared in your own trap.”



The command centre was sparsely guarded, five guards positioned in a defensive sphere. Five guards positioned to weaken Gustav and Vektar, but to let them through. Gustav was just to be imprisoned and ‘turned’ to the side of the UN, or he would lose his girlfriend. That was his one weakness, and would secure total fealty.

Gustav and Vektar entered, and were immediately shot at, the shots hitting the walls around their heads. Quickly they moved, and soon they were shooting again, playing the deadly game of cat and mouse, a game in which only the toughest and fastest survived.

They ducked to avoid the next incoming volley, and proceeded to shoot two guards in the head while they were reloading. The guards edged towards the door, and Gustav and Vektar proceeded to shoot the remaining three in the head and chest.

Vektar checked their pulses, nodded, and opened the door through to the prison complex. Promptly he threw a grenade through there, and hid by the doorframe. They both heard the screams as a few enemies fell, and the curses of those left alive. Vektar loaded clips into two CETMEs and clenched their butts in his armpits. The field would soon be theirs. Or they’d die for their friends.

Gustav scowled at Vektar, looked slightly, and shrugged. “Well, we’ve definitely announced our presence here. Grenades made ourselves known pretty well.

“Come on, we’ve got to find the controls and free the prisoners, right. Surely the cell doors are controlled somewhere in here.”

He started randomly pushing buttons, and uncountable things happened, one being the cell doors were opened. Vektar stared, slightly annoyed, “Oh, so now we’ve announced our presence it’s alright to act stupid?”

“If you have to act annoying, go ahead. I’ll enjoy punching your face in.”

“Maybe my helping you was a mistake. Looks like I’ll need to do more then save your life to gain any sort of trust.”

“You were defending yourself as much as you were defending me. Stop trying to act like a goody-two-shoes.”

“Is that it? Listen you half crazed fool, I didn’t have to do this, I could’ve brought down the law on you the moment you arrived, after all, assassins aren’t welcome anywhere in Spain, except possibly here. I didn’t have to let you have a go at me for my choice of music, I could’ve created a crater with your face, but I held back.

“Now, I’m trying to save our necks, protect my brother, and the one you love, no pay, obviously, all from my own supplies. And now you’re having a go at me. For what may I ask? So you, in your failure will feel good? Take a hike Gustav, I’ve had it. My guns… from now on are my own. I’m sorry to have inconvenienced you.”

“Fine.” Gustav stuck his hand out, “I apologise. I’m just…”

“Tired? Stressed? Annoyed about being knocked out and your girl kidnapped?”

“I forgive you, friend, just don’t forget about what I’m sacrificing, risking my neck. If I was bloodsucking, money-grubbing scum I wouldn’t have offered anything, regardless of brotherhood, or of honour. Please think about what you say before you say it. It won’t be so painful that way, for either of us.”

With purpose they stalked through the corridor. Six lay dead on the floor, the thirteen remaining in differing levels of consciousness and were wounded in various different ways. Nine were still capable of fighting.

Vektar and Gustav used the cell doors as cover, everyone was trying to shoot each other, the scene was turmoil. Nine against two, still, Gustav and Vektar have more chance then they had beforehand.

Gustav grabbed three daggers, and threw them into the throats of three fight-capable adversaries. Vektar pulled the trigger of both of his guns, and another two assailants were dead.

One lucky shot managed to nick Vektar in the appendix. He fell, unable to get up, nausea slowly ripping its way through. He was wounded but it would not be fatal.

Gustav got took in the scalp. He would survive, but at that moment consciousness was slipping away. The final four fight capable guards sneered and reloaded, their malevolent intentions maliciously clear.

Out of one of the cells came the advisor who grabbed his HK-36 and shot the remaining four assailants in the chest before they could do a thing. “You guys are alright now, my boss betrayed me, wanted me to die for using my brain instead of accepting his advice. I’ll get you out, no worries.”

At that moment Roberto Tomicielli came out of the cell he was hiding in, and sneaked up on his ‘advisor’, who he knocked properly unconscious. He threw Gustav, Vektar and his unconscious ‘advisor’ into different cells, cells with their respecting ‘friends’.

He locked the doors, and mirthlessly laughed, “Oh, Gustav, our fates are shared, but you will bow to me and call me master, or your girlfriend, and all your other friends die.”





This is the best chapter I've done yet, at least in my opinion.

Be prepared for an unmerciful rollercoaster ride before I reach the end. This is just the beginning...