Nikola Zhivkov
Michael Cohen
Story #1
ENG 205a
The Hit
Delia Grier gained consciousness; the surrounding scenery was lifeless – the only
movement was that of the air. The moon’s glow revealed buildings which were either shattered
or awaiting some external force to assist them in collapsing. “This place cannot be on Earth”, she
thought. But if it was not, then where was she? Where was Lucian? How did she get here on the
first place?...
…It was time again, not that the thoughts of the work she was about to do could ruin her
evening, but lately it had been overwhelming. Meeting sunrise accordingly to her beliefs and
desired lifestyle had become a rarity. And no fancy food from the black market, nor drug, could
replace the surge of energy she felt after feeding directly from the Sun. However, changing jobs
was not an option, not for now at least. Delia Grier left her thoughts and desires inside the warm
welcoming bed, and advanced towards the first floor, where the swimming pool was located.
While walking downstairs her long black hair was swinging in synchrony with the clock’s
pendulum.
She jumped into the cold water completely naked, her skin becoming even more pale, to
start the night properly at least in terms of workout. “How many of my peers, of those still alive,
are so disciplined and progressive?”, Delia thought. Indeed, this girl, now a flourishing young
woman, had achieved more than others had, and still had a sense of impotence arise every now
and then. She spent the next thirty minutes swimming tirelessly. If humans were to be portrayed
as fish, she would definitely be a swordfish – graceful, elusive, fast and hard to catch.
“I have even lost the count”, she realized while putting on her wrapper. This realization
only strengthened her need for a glass of scotch. Scotch and raw almonds was all she needed
right now; an ambivalent combination which seemed to do the trick these days. The hour was at
hand and she advanced to the living room’s balcony for a final moment of rest. She fitted quite
well in the darkness and it felt like her natural habitat, Delia’s eyes were as dark as the night
which they monitored carefully while the scotch was running dry.
While common people would get up in the morning and go to work, Delia Grier’s shift,
indirectly speaking, always began somewhere around midnight – depending on the job at hand.
Her workplace changed very often, if that could be considered a plus. The usual task was getting
rid of some filth that disgraced mankind, but occasionally she and Lucian would ensure the
safety of some client who had become a target of the powerful and corrupt. Tonight, however,
they worked for themselves, for their beliefs and satisfaction; or mostly for her own, honestly,
but her old companion was always there anyway. He had been since their childhood, Delia’s own
little spark of hope in the end of the tunnel. Sometimes she wondered if life in the orphanage and
the years after would have been possible if he had not there for her.
An instant before her patience could be put to trial, a blunt sound broke the silence at
once. “Right on time”, she thought. The woman eagerly picked up the phone from a big, round
wooden table and readied herself for good news.
-
“Have you figured out the route of the artifact?”, asked Delia with a note of childish
excitement and impatience
-
“Ehm, evening to you too, I guess. Yes, breaking in and retrieving the information
unnoticed proved to be easier than expected. I am not sure about this whole thing though
– do you truly believe that we can handle the convoy?”, said Lucian.
-
“Of course I am, we are the best, remember?”
-
“Not the best at thievery; and the loot suggests high levels of security. Anyway, see you
at the location.”, Lucian hung off before she could reply
“Well, this is new; since when does he hang off like this?,” Delia thought. Either way, despite
the tone of anxiety there were no other options but to act. Years of research had culminated into
the discovery of this Atlantean artifact’s existence. And if there was one thing that could lure
Delia Grier into burglary, it was an item left behind from a supposedly extinct civilization which
is deemed to have supernatural properties. She was fond of stories about mankind’s predecessors
– races that walked Earth and had perished, or perhaps left, for a variety of reasons. What truly
sparked her interest, and changed her view was the discovery of living representatives in some
caves in the Himalaya mountains. “Writers should really try to avoid certain substances before
sharing their thoughts and beliefs,” she used to think back in the days whenever she ran across
yet another story about other races, men who lived for a thousand years and others. The
discovery had turned pure fiction into reality and for the last decade Delia devoured every bit of
information that could be found. She even made Lucian find more – “Top Secret” – literature to
establish the connection between books written for entertainment and true findings. This is how
they stumbled upon this item, allegedly a map to a city hidden somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
The computer genius managed to snatch information about it and it turned out to be kept right
next door – in a military base along the coastline of Portugal. The artifact was discovered in a
underwater pyramid located in the ocean bottom along with other finds. And according to the
information they managed to snatch, was going to be transported to Switzerland for examination.
Thirty minutes after the abrupt ending of their conversation she heard the roar of his
Yamaha down the hill. The night was cold and windy, nothing unusual for the region of
Chamonix, France. Her ponytail flapped like a trapped bird as a tall figure was approaching. It
was Lucian – formidable and armed to teeth – walking with a pace that showed determination
and readiness for any challenge that the night might offer. Once he got near Delia, she saw his
cold blue eyes in the pallid light – as if she was staring into the soul of an icy creature.
-
“I truly wonder sometimes, would you dress differently if your name was other, or you
really love darkness that much?”, said Lucian in a powerful voice without expecting to
receive an answer
-
“Spare me the small-talk for another time, sweetheart, if your information is spot-on we
have no more than three hours to get on the helicopter and prepare the ambush.”, she
replied
The armed man had anticipated this reply and was already advancing towards their mean of
transportation, carrying weaponry as heavy as Delia herself as if he did not feel its weight. The
young woman realized that the chitchat was on her this time and moved hastily.
The destination was Parque Natural de la Sierra y Cañones de Guara, north of Huesca,
Spain, as the terrain allowed for them to go unnoticed and have retreat. Around three o’clock the
modified X3 barely landed on a spacious meadow, well hidden at the very end of the forest. The
wind here was even stronger than in the Alps and “dark clouds cover the sky as if the world is at
its impending doom,” Delia considered. Once they jumped on the green grass the frigid breeze
pierced through them. A wolf howled in the distance as if he announced their arrival.
-
“This is going to be a long night”, Lucian remarked
The only response he received was a nod, nod full of decision and understanding. She knew that
the man was there for her, not for artifacts, trinkets, or whatever they were after.
Not more than fifty kilometers away from them Lieutenant-general Luis Vieira was
toying around with his Desert Eagle due to the overwhelming sense of boredom while the
column of Land Rovers was advancing on the road. He much preferred action – it was the lust
for combat that made him choose the battlefield back in the days instead of the ordinary life he
could have had. He was made for this: tall, sinewy, granted the eyesight of an eagle, and most
importantly mentally unyielding; the latter is what the majority lacked these days and main
reason why he had become a Lieutenant-general at what can be considered an immature age. For
the past few years he was part of the Commandos though, and escorting this ‘extremely
important object’ felt like a mockery. Little did he know about the incoming turn of events.
At the same time Delia and Lucian were almost ready to roll. The plan was simple: the
first vehicle gets blown up by the RKG-3 anti-tank grenade, and the rest is to be done the oldfashioned way. Or at least that was the original plan; things could always get more exciting. “The
better the escort, the more fun we will have,” she thought. Everything was supposed to happen in
no more than twenty minutes – disposal of the troops, capture of the artifact and the escape to the
helicopter awaiting nearby.
-
“Sergeant, how did sloppy drivers like you and the other younglings get their hands on a
driving license?”, Luis was disinterested in his weaponry and felt the need to cheer up
while staring at the dark abyss which surrounded their path – “Was the hush money a
whole lot, or did you point a gun at the one who was most unfortunate to deal with you?”
-
“Yes, sir! I mean, no, of course not, I did fail the examination twice though.”
-
“See, I knew that there is something!”, the Lieutenant-general grinned wickedly.
Silence crept in again. But before the aged commando had gotten the chance to grow bored again
something moved in between the shadows some thirty meters in the distance, and before he
could warn the others the leading bulletproof jeep took off the road for a ephemeral moment and
burst into flames.
-
“Impressive, Delia, if only you were that precise with a sniper rifle…” - giggled Lucian
in his microphone.
The two thieves had split, each was covering one side of the road in order to make sure that no
one gets away. And Grier was carrying two more grenades in case either vehicle tried to do the
same.
-
“I am glad that you are in a good mood. Now, please, spare me the witty talk and show
these peasants how a sniper rifle is used while I close the distance.”
Luis Vieira needed no more time to understand what had just happened and started giving orders
to his men – staying into the Rovers was a suicide, but he knew that their attackers’ goal was
precisely to get them out of them. So he quickly grabbed his AWM Lapua Magnum, a heavy
backpack containing the entity which they were designated to protect, and within seconds the
whole squad was advancing to the woods.
-
“This little piggy went to the market… This little piggy had roast beef… Oh, goddamn it,
I got it wrong again! Three of them are on your side, pardon me, two – this little piggy
stayed home – but I lost sight of them. The one carrying the backpack is there as well. I
am on my way.”, Lucian felt the need to share the pleasure he found in shooting at people
with somebody
-
“Roger that, I just got my hands of one of them, but cannot spot the one carrying our…”
Before Delia could finish her right shoulder erupted in searing pain. She was hit. “Here I am,
ready for sacrifice,” the Lieutenant-general murmured as he advanced towards a small dent from
where he could observe his target and spot whoever had taken down most of his men.
For a moment only the wind’s wails pierced the silence, then there was a shot, and a
second one. Luis Vieira was alone, he easily recognized the sound which the Remington sniper
rifle produced. “It is just you and me, whoever you are,” he thought. As he focused all of his
senses on acquiring information of the enemy’s whereabouts, Lucian had managed to spot the
place where Delia had fallen.“She must be hurt, I have to act, but I must go unnoticed”. In the
meanwhile, Delia Grier gained conscience. It took her an instant to figure out how her attacker
would react to any movement. She stood still and listened to the wind’s song; the trees which had
sheltered her moments ago were now hanging above her as if they were looking down upon her
with pity, awaiting her death. A flood of thoughts boiled inside her head… “this stupid artifact;
how could I be so foolish to get us into this only for a trinket which may not even exist, nor have
any use….”
The commando felt heat on his back. “What is this? It must be the object, but it is merely
a useless piece of stone...”, he was interrupted by a flash of blue light…
…
“All these questions can wait”, the rational person in her knew that getting up will only
worsen her condition, but the fearless warrior did not share this view. She braced herself, got up
and started walking to what seemed as an opening between the nearby ruins. Suddenly she heard
a shot, and another one. Her whole being was wrecked by the cold and pain – Delia was
suffocating, her life was being drained. Before darkness engulfed the young woman the only
thing she wanted was to see Lucian again, she needed to make sure that he is alright. The abyss
took her…
…And she woke up with a hangover.