CHAPTER 2
D A Y B E F O R E
Robert Moor, a fairly tall, handsome man in his early forties, clean-shaven, dark-haired and crew cut, in good shape, elegantly dressed was just going to get out of his newly purchased SUV in the parking garage in front of the Empire State Building when a young man gently knocked on the left side window of his brightly glittering vehicle.
- Mr. Robert Moor? -asked he respectfully a man in the car.
-I am. What I can do for you, young man? - Robert responded unwillingly impatiently looking at his expensive golden watch. Moor had to be in the office as always in due time. Nevertheless he looked at the stranger very attentively as though trying to remember him for some unknown reason. Firstly, he was younger, much younger than Robert himself, good-looking, dressed in a black tail coat, white shirt with a dark bow-tie, a top hat, wearing dark glasses. The man` s dress-code obviously corresponded to his job.
- A gentleman on the back seat of my limo needs to talk to you, now! - says the man meaningfully turning his eyes to the left, in the direction of the long black limousine.
- I do not understand what you` re talking about, young man. You should know that I never schedule my meeting on a parking lot. Besides, I` m getting late and I do not like it at all. -Moor answers instantly opening the front door and quickly leaving the car.
- Please, sir! Do not go! He won` t waste your time! He promised! - says the young man pleadingly.
- O.K. Just one minute! -Robert replies more peacefully closing gently the automobile.
- Yes, sir! Here you are! - murmurs the man and courtiesly opens the backside door of his prestigious
vehicle slightly bowing his head and graciously touching the brim of his hat with the fingers.
- I thought people do not use these gestures anymore. I was mistaken. - whispers Robert to himself nearing the limo.
- Hello, Mr. Moor! Delighted to meet you, after all. You` re real computer genius from what I` ve heard.
Bernard Mc. Grizal, a retired general the man pretends to get up and stretches forward his mighty hand for a friendly shake.
- Hello, Mr. Mc. Grizal!Good to see you! - replies Robert automatically shaking his hand. He` s still standing in front of the opened door.
- What can we actually talk about questions the stunned man looking inside.
- Won` t you get in, Mr. Moor, and have a seat just for a moment! - offers politely the hardly visible man from the back bench. Robert follows his suggestion lowers down his head before sitting on the soft leather sofa of the luxury car.
- Well, let` get down business now. So, this is a case for you with top secret files inside. Please take it with you and look through the files thoroughly. I` ll be waiting for your reply till tomorrow morning, 8:00am, to be exact.
- Why should I? I do not understand! -replies the young man in deep frustration.
It` s very strange. Who` s the man? What` re his intentions? Why does he address particularly him, Robert? He` just crazy thinking that Moor will read all this stuff and being involved into some wrongdoing affair. Never!
- Good bye, Mr. Moor! Have a nice day and take care of yourself and your loved ones! - the retired general sums up the intriguing tete-a-tete.
- Thank you, George! Now we can go! - says the man
out of the car.
- Yes, sir! - answers the young man readily and gently closes the door. In a minute the vehicle drives away in an unknown direction.
Robert stands motionless for a while in front of his car thinking over the weird meeting before he takes the ill-stared case which he would rather throw away than take with him. Never mind! Life goes on. Sooner or later he` ll get the answers to all his questions.
CHAPTER 3
K I D N A P P I N G
At 12:00 p. m. a long, black & white, chauffeur- driven limousine graciously drives up to the entrance of the Empire State Building. The back side door of the vehicle opens up from the inside letting go a group of strongmen, elegantly dressed in dark suits, white shirts and black ties, wearing black loafers. They rush into the doorway pulling on balaclavas on the way and taking out automatic firearms from under their stylish jackets. Soon after the luxurious car sluggishly drives away and in a little while vanishes out of sight beyond the nearest corner. The road in front of the imposing edifice remains closed owing to the reconstruction roadworks underway and is immensely overcrowded with the workforce regiment, wearing bright striking uniform, clearly working to a very tight deadline, heavy machinery is in full operation causing terrible noise in the neighborhood, arising thick clouds of dust, smoke and fumes into the air. Therefore hardly anyone will perceive the abrupt invasion on that hot summer day.
Inside the enormous lobby the unwelcome intruders disable the stunned security within seconds professionally using the electric shocker and a series of weighty hooks. The men firmly block the front side entrance, then the elevators, apart from the one that takes the main group immediately up to the thirty-seventh floor of the skyscraper.
When the lifting machine brings the men to the necessary level they dash to the office of the DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND COMMUNICATIONS. At the sight of the erupted strangers with the hidden faces, stretching out their deadly weapons the company employees are astounded first they hear a chilling, downright voice:
-Listen up! Everybody on the floor! Move it! - the men furiously occupy the huge office like the greased lightening. They are walking around brutally pushing and kicking the people lying downwards. The violent actions of the dangerous strangers leave little choice to the poor hostages. They have to follow the cross commands and patiently wait with a glimmer of hope that sooner or later this terrible mess will be over.
-Face down! Hey, do not you hear what I`ve told you? - one of the bandits shouts aiming his gun at the woman on the floor.
- Now! Hands on your heads and freeze! - cries the other man tempestuously.
- What do you want? - a male voice breaks the frozen silence.
- Do not talk! You` d better do what we say! - the other guy screams at the door.
- Stay silent and no one will be hurt! - says the boss more peacefully. He is recognized by a more reasonable, tolerant voice, at least for the time being.
- Do it! - sounds a deep woman` s voice.
- We need one of you! - says the boss straightforwardly.
- Robert Moor! Who` s Robert Moor! - proceeds he toughly.
- I repeat it for the last time! Who of you is Mr. Robert Moor ? - the leader yells losing his temper.
- Get up to your feet! Now! Do what I say or I` ll start shooting! - says the man rudely.
Dead silence.
- One! Two - counts the bully impatiently.
- O.K. Here I am! - utters the young, tall man rising up sluggishly.
- I` m Robert Moor. What do you want? - speaks the man firmly and confidently without the slightest sense of fear.
- You` ll go with us! - says the boss categorically in a loud voice.
- Where to? - asks Robert Moor looking into the eyes of a strongman, whose face is safely hidden by the black mask.
- No questions! Let` s go! Take him away! Now! - answers the leader, heading hastily to the exit.
It looks as though the men have completed their mission and are eager to leave. They have gathered at the doorway waiting for the final command.
- You do not have the right! What` s going on? I` m not going anywhere! - shouts Robert trying to show who` s the boss here, but at the same time realizing quite clearly that in fact he does not control the situation in his office any more.
- You` d better do what I tell you, Mister! Move it! - proceeds the crazy one.
- Game` s over, guys! Let` s get out of here! - orders the chief and a fierce gang of bandits hurriedly leaves the office. Nevertheless, right in a minute, one of them returns back.
- Stay where you are cries the man to those, who are already getting up to their feet. Next he quickly puts on the gas mask, pulls out a pin and then drops a hand grenade on the floor. Within seconds the ill-stared office is filled with thick, gray, acrid smoke and tear gas.
The gang is in a hurry. The mission takes too much time and any moment someone can try to enter the building. For the first time Robert is going down into the lobby against his will, accompanied by the unknown attackers. He still does not understand what is going on. Who are these people? Why are they taking him away? Where to? What can be possibly done in the following situation? How should he treat all these men trained not only to beat, but obviously to kill people? Fight them? Impossible!
In front of the huge exit the men pull off the masks and throw them into one bag laying on the floor. Then they put on dark glasses and go out of the building.
- No tricks, Mr. Moor! Follow our instructions and your beautiful wife Joanna, not to mention the lovely daughter Roxana will be safe and sound!
After these words they rapidly approach the coming up white van with the shadowed windows. The door wide opens and the kidnappers push crossly Robert first and then the rest of them hurriedly get inside. In a minute the door closes and Moor realizes quite seriously that since this very moment his life will shift immensely from casual to an unpredictable one and hardly he can expect to see his loved ones in the foreseeable future. All of a sudden Robert recollects the early morning time at home from a different perspective and the reason of his emotional outburst appears to be more evident. He ought to have stayed at home today, but would that stop the bad guys. Doubtfully! In case of urgent necessity they would have found him even from under the ground. He has to accept the inevitable, at least, for the time being. The vehicle starts rapidly off.
The road in front of the Empire State Building is busy as earlier and it seems that nobody notices the escape of the tough gang of bandits.
CHAPTER 4
E Y E W I T N E S S
None, aside from the single, elderly, homeless man dressed in ugly dirty rags, moving slowly, dragging, as usual, his humble trolley on the wheels overloaded with his junk stuff, looking for some bloody spot good and safe enough to have his lunch. At the sight of the weird command getting inside the well-known building, hiding their faces under the masks, well- armed and obviously with quite evident, criminal, intentions in their minds, the man` s first thought was to call immediately 911,or, the local police department, but then, in a moment he radically changes his mind.
- Why on earth should I do it? Help those damn cops who are teasing me day and night? Noway! Not this time! I` m not so stupid! Maybe there` s another, better way to profit on his own behalf. He has to think it over! There` s no need to rush! The poor man stays motionless for a while. Then he looks suspiciously around. He does not see anyone beside. So it seems that he` s the only bystander. Cool! Hopefully he appears to be at the right time at the right place. He` s a lucky man! Great! But he has to be very cautious and keep in mind that bad guys of this kind are never kidding. However if he really wants to get rid of his goddamned business, meaning to collect all this dirty stuff, live, eat, sleep like a damn rat he` s got to act now. He` s fed up! Absolutely! Well, he has to run a risk and earn some cash. Why not? Maybe this is his last chance. He already heard the crunch of bloody notes, felt their scent.
- Come on guys! Go ahead! Do your bloody business! I won` t disturb you, but later on you` ll have to pay me some cash for keeping my mouth shut. I know how to make arrangements of this kind.
The man, let` s call him Bobby, is so excited that he could not help drinking a gulp of his first beer for today. Just one tiny gulp! The matter is pretty serious! Too much is at stake and he does not have the right to screw it up, as it happens oftentimes with him!
-This time I` ll be smarter, much smarter! - whispers the old man with a delightful smile on his wrinkled face.
- O. K. Let` s do it body! I know you can! - urges himself the poor man once more expecting to use his best endeavor in front of the risky undertaking. First and foremost he has to find the best position possible to be on the watch of the forthcoming events. On the other hand, he has to do his utmost not to attract someone` s attention and pretend that he` s just a dirty beggar who has stopped to eat a pizza slice, drink some beer and smoke a cigarette, that` s all. He finally finds the corner where to stop and start his observation. He first notices the white van parked nearby.
- There you are guys! Come to daddy! You are tough! O. K. Let` s see who` ll be tougher at the end of the day! Simply give me some time and I` ll prove that I am not just a bloody beggar, a miserable homeless and a damned pickpocket as nearly everyone in the neighborhood considers me to be! I` ll show it to all of you who I really am! Cross my heart! Well done, boy! Keep on!
So, there` s one boy, Bob, who actually witnesses everything, at least, what was going on inside the building.
As soon as the strongmen vanish from the building and get into the white van it starts immediately. Next Bob, all of a sudden, overturns the so called trolly and gets from under it a new glittering, powerful motorcycle. Then he pulls off his rags throwing them down. After comes off the mask of an elderly man and quite an opposite image appears a young man in his early thirties dressed in black tight leather from head to toe, including the pair of up-to-date cowboy boots, wearing dark long hair. He pulls on a black crash helmet, jumps on his metal horse and starts the engine.
Soon after he leaves the place pursuing the car ahead at high speed, trying not to be observed. At the nearest intersection the young man catches up with the needed vehicle, drives closely enough to stick up easily a chip with a GPS signal. When the lights shift to green he starts first speeding up and soon vanishes behind the next crossing.
- It` s really cool! Reminds the best American action movies. And he, Bobby, looks like star Mickey Rurk on his Harley Davidson. Never mind. It` s too early to celebrate the victory. There` s still a lot of work to be done and currently both the big money and his bloody life are at stake. He does not have the right to forget it.
Now the young man can track down the bad guys from the distance.
Later on, after the next traffic lights, the van turns leftwards heading, according to Bobby` s predictions to a small airport, where the young man arrives well-ahead of the group and gets ready to the next stage of his mission.
It did not take much time for the kidnappers to get to the necessary place of destination and so eventually they arrive. Their car drives them up to a small military airport where a jet aircraft is already awaiting for them with the working engines. The heavy escape hatch of the plane slowly opens pulling out bright metal stairs accurately covered up with rubber and soft carpet with handrails on both sides of them.
The right side door of the van opens and the men start getting out of it and at this particular moment Bob witnesses something that makes him really get scared for the first time since he gets involved into the risky venture. Two strongmen are dragging a tall young man firmly holding him by the hands. The latter is well dressed and looking quite different than the others. Obviously the man is being taken to the plane against his will. No matter how serious is the danger still Bob decides not to step down. He has nothing to lose apart from his chains. Though he makes his mind to change his plans a little bit. The idea of appearing in front of the gang with the words :
- Here I am guys! Pay cash or I` ll go to the police! - does not sound so wise now. Maybe it` s much better to find out who` s the man kidnapped in the midday in the heart of the New York city. He might be some rich smart body with a rich family ready to pay whatever it takes for a detailed information from a reliable source.
Moreover, the unwelcome intruders did everything so perfectly-well that hardly the police will track them down so quickly and easily without the necessary information that most likely is only on his own disposal.
Bobby waits some time until the plane takes off and afterwords returns back to the Empire State Building to find out who` s the victim and his possible close relatives. With a bit of luck he can arrange the necessary meeting even today. Unfortunately when he arrives things turn out differently than he expects.
No relatives, no police inspector whatsoever. The young man still makes himself calm down and think over the current situation once more. Later on he gets on his motorcycle and drives to the police department. He has to wait awhile until the young woman leaves the building.
