Before the Battle

Reckoning 7/20

--Mika Marat--

"It was a piece of cake," Raskov grinned, "like taking candy from a baby."

I honestly didn't expect Satoshi's plan to work and Imara to walk right into our trap. Even though I knew what an idiot he was, I didn't think he would do something so stupid.

The rocking of the ship wasn't doing my stomach any good, but I was getting used to it. Fortunately, the sea was calm tonight, and the fresh air here on deck was much more pleasant than the stench of fish down in the cabins.

We found ourselves on one of Raskov's five ships, and although it was now in a rather dilapidated state, it might have been a fine fishing craft in the distant past.

"Did you search him thoroughly?" Satoshi asked, leaning against the railing and gazing out to the horizon, where there was nothing but the vast sea and the fading glow of the sun. "Doesn't he have a tracking device on him?"

"He didn't have anything but a gun. He was alone, no one was following him... Like I said, a piece of cake," Raskov chimed in.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Locked down in the cabin."

The men who controlled the ship were running around the vast deck, their voices mingling with the hum of the engines. But through all the noise, I could hear a loud cry coming from somewhere in the lower cabins.

"Is that a cry for help?" I asked, unable to make out the words.

"No, he wants to know what we did with the other one. He still thinks we've got him," the mercenary sneered, a nasty gash swelling on his cheek. A reminder of his encounter with the cutthroat.

"He's a complete idiot anyway. He must love him or something to walk into such an obvious trap."

"Just like you said," I replied in disgust. "They're lovers."

Raskov rolled his eyes at me and then chuckled loudly, "Are you serious? Those two are..." He finished the sentence with a very vulgar gesture.

"Does it matter?" Satoshi interjected.

Raskov ran his hand over a few days old gash on his cheek. "His sweetheart owes me one, I could take it out on him," he pulled out a huge dagger and made several movements with it in the air.

"No such thing," Isao stopped him immediately. "You know what happened last time. A bullet in the head. Nothing more." He handed me the gun.

"You want to do it yourself?"

I wished to see the son of a bitch dead, and now the moment had come. But I hadn't counted on taking him out myself.

"If you don't like the sight of blood, I'll shoot him myself," Raskov grinned excitedly when he saw my hesitation.

"No, I'll do it," I finally decided.

"Come on, let's not drag this out," Satoshi urged me.

"What about the Imara's killer?" I interrupted. "You said it was necessary to get rid of him first."

"Unfortunately. Change of plans. We can be happy that we have Imara after all."

"But what happens then?"

"We'll disappear far away, and if he finds us, we'll hope Raskov can handle him."

"Can he?" I asked.

Our brute of a friend grinned and brandished his favourite knife, which he had apparently also slept with. "If he comes, we'll get rid of him easily. I've got reinforcements on the other side of the island, once we're together there's no stopping us."