Right before we exited the hotel room, our door burst open. A man in an all-black suit forced his way in, pointing a gun in front of him. Mars and I backed up against the far wall, as far away as possible.
Despite all of our training, my heart was racing. Panicked, I looked to Mars. His face was a mask of steely determination as he stepped protectively in front of me. "Put down the gun," he said calmly.
The man smirked, not moving his weapon. "You are going to come with me voluntarily, no questions asked."
"Who sent you?" Mars asked angrily.
The man cocked the gun. "I thought I said 'no questions.'"
"Yes, you're right. Sorry." Without looking at me and without changing his calm tone, he switched languages, speaking in Czech. "Na počet tří zablikejte hodinkami a běžte." Loosely translated, meaning, "On the count of three, flash your watch and run."
The transfer of tongue was unexpected, which I think was his aim. The man obviously did not speak Czech, and so he took a moment to understand what was happening.
That moment was long enough.
"Three!" Mars finished in Czech, and I tapped my watch, squeezing my eyes shut and aiming it at the man. Even closing my eyes, I noticed the bright flash of light that would surely blind the man for at least thirty seconds. I grabbed my bags, and the two of us shoved past him, racing down the hallway. A thud from behind us told me that the man had tried to follow, but bumped into the doorframe.
Once we were safely in the airport and off the man's trail, we had a moment to breathe. "Probably a government agent," I theorized. "They always seem to be wearing black suits."
"You're right. But how did he find us? And how did he know we were enemies?"
I shrugged. "No clue. No matter what though, we have to be more careful."
Mars agreed.
"Good job back there, by the way," I told him. "I completely froze up."
Mars laughed. "Just instincts. Must be that extra year of training."
I punched him in the arm, and he scowled.
Despite my size, I have a very strong punch.
YOU ARE READING
Ordo Noctis
RomanceAuthor's note: This recording appeared on my doorstep six months ago with a note instructing me to translate and publish it. I was not able to discern some words, but I tried to make sense of everything. Nevertheless, this story couldn't possibly be...
