King Acid

21- MORPHEUS' HUG (PART 2)

Seiber put his arm between Landau's hands to grab hold of his nape, while he ducked with his other hand placed against Landau's stomach. Before he could realized what happened, Landau had snap-rolled, lying again on the ground. He stood up by himself, this time rejecting Seiber's hand, and shook off the imaginary dust from his body while looking at the ground. Seiber intervened before his sentencing silence.

"It's your brother's idea. All of this. We'll make everyone think you're there, and then we'll pull you out as soon as they buy it."

"Oh, really?"

Landau suddenly plunged towards Seiber, but it wasn't enough; with his hands behind his back, Conan did nothing but move aside with one foot forward, making Landau trip and kiss the ground.

"Someone put a transmitter on the plane during the Interpol inspection. We don't know who or why, but it don't matter. Atticus decided to leave the transmitter there and send the plane to Afghanistan with you inside, and then let them follow us. Once we do everything we have to and get you back in secret, we'll play them off each other while you hole up in a safe place. Siraj and Nadim are getting on a fighter right about now to get there first and set it all up. Abel has agreed to send a coded transmission to the Kremlin to let them know about you. It's what he wanted, after all." Seiber threw the knife through the air to Landau, who caught it as he stood up. "That's why we did the walk with the bodyguards before; whoever had set up the transmitter would have already sent someone to the quarry to get to you. And even if they came here to kill you, they know attacking you now's off on the table."

"How's that?"

"Because they'll need some proof of your death to whoever ordered the hit. Since you've been under the umbrella of the U.S. government, everything related to your blood and fingerprint data has been erased and falsified on the public record. That's why they're only left with your face. And that's why they can't afford to wreck it in an accident, so we can expect a hell of a smooth ride on their part."

"OK, I get it, but what about the Russians? Why tell them too? Now the other half of the world will go after me as well."

"It was just a matter of time before they knew about it. Thing is, we believe whoever set the transmitter is a third player in the game, someone who wants to be sure to play against the fewest number of competitors possible. When Abel sent the message about your whereabouts, it's possible he decrypted it too, and the trajectory of the transmitter will prove him right."

"What do you mean by all this?"

"I mean, by disclosing to the Russians that you're in Afghanistan, we've made a move before him, knocking him off balance. Now, he'll have no other choice but to rush his best men to Afghanistan to find you, and with a bit of luck, they'll be swept away in the cross-fire."

Skyler sighed and frowned.

"That's too optimistic."

Seiber shrugged with indifferent eyes.

"Maybe, but at least we'll turn the gaze of the world to this desert of shit and dry cum while you remain out of focus, thousands of miles away."

Skyler ran his ring finger along his scar, as if he had a premonition. Suddenly, he recalled his home in California, which had belonged to his mother before him, and in which he had lived as a child with her and Atticus. Now she was dead, and the house was nothing but burnt-out rubble. He felt words come out of his mouth.

"But now I'll be in the spotlight of the whole world. I'll never be able to go back. I'll never have a normal life again."

Landau stared at Seiber, as though he was guilty for that fact. Without justifying himself for that outburst of anger, he pounced on him, trying to throw a downward cut. Conan turned and lunged backwards at him, sticking his back into Landau's chest, and he stretched his arm up, catching Landau's wrist, and pulled firmly down. For the second time, Landau snap-rolled. For the third time, Landau fell on his back to the ground. His migraines came back stronger than ever.