The Rendering - Ch. 1

Chapter One

‘Hold it!’ the man dressed in the shady clothes with a hood over his head said.

The little boy turned around and when he saw him stood still. The shady man walked up to the little boy. ‘Do you want a candy?’ he asked. The boy shook his head profusely.

‘Then give me back my damn disc!’ he yelled. The scared child dumped the disc onto the ground and took off. The pissed off shady man with a hood over his head decided to give chase and easily caught hold of the kid.

‘Aaah! Let me go!!!’ the poor boy yelled. With an evil laugh the man threw him over the fence and into the river. The boy shrieked in shock at the freezing water and quickly waded over to the other side.

‘That will teach you!’ he yelled across to him. The little boy quickly got out and ran away crying.

‘I suppose you’re always like that with children.’ A man behind him said.

 ‘Kid got what he deserved’, he replied, turning to him and studying this stranger.

‘Well, are we going to conduct business?’ he asked the shady man.

‘I have a name, you know.’

‘Forgive me, Mr. Nidulus.’

‘It’s Naydulus you retard and don’t call me by my surname. Phoc will be fine.’

‘Very well Phoc. I think you have something that belongs to me.’

‘I didn’t get your name, either.’

The man sighed and said, ‘You’re better off not knowing.’

‘Oh really? I never knew mercenaries were so mysterious. In fact I found you off the network. How hard was that?’

‘It’s Jake.’

‘Jake…’

‘Jake.’

‘Why does that name sound so fami-’

Jake pulled out a gun and shot him in the head.

‘You were better off not knowing. Idiot.’

He wiped the pistol and put it into the late Phoc Naydulus’ hands.

‘Mr. G, you have a leak. Target knew I was after him. Out.’

Jake looked at the dead man one last time, shrugged and walked away to find dinner, whistling “Annie’s Song” and putting one hand in his pocket, the other on his hip.

 

***

‘The regular, Jake?’

He looked at the bartender, thought for awhile and shook his head.

‘I think I’ll have some warm water.’

‘Rough night, huh?’

He nodded in reply and looked at the latest news. “Man commits suicide in Ironfields”. Jake noticed the news services were losing their touch. ‘Fifteen minutes late…’ he said to himself.

‘Used to be five,’ a man said next to him.

Jake turned and looked.

‘You’re under arrest for the murder of Phoc Naydulus.’

Jake laughed and they shook hands.

‘How’s things?’ Jake asked.

‘Ah, could be better. Divorced again. Same old same old.’

‘Heh, you never change.’

‘I wish. So you got the disc?’

Jake handed him the disc the poor dead man managed to extract from the poor cold child.

‘Hmm…antique. But then again most good intel is stored like this.’

‘You telling me.’

‘Here…the warm water’s on me.’

‘Idiot.’

‘Which reminds me…’

The man took a sip and gave Jake a very serious look.

‘Are you up for a crazy job?’

‘I’m assuming it pays proportionally.’

The man nodded his head. Jake kept silent.

‘Anna Takop. Former Eastern European dictator, now in hiding.’

‘Termination?’

He shook his head.

‘No. Escort.’

‘And why me?’

‘You’re the right person. Low profile, high skill level. Deniability if this thing hits the fan.’

‘I suppose there’s a high possibility it will.’

‘No shit, Jakeass.’

‘Hmph.’

‘Three trillion. Immediately if you accept.’

‘Not bad. A decent retirement would await me.’

‘If you make it.

‘If.’

‘People will find out once she’s on the move. And a lot of them want her dead or alive.’

‘That Anna has quite the bounty on her, if I’m correct?’

‘Yes. The Ams are offering 900 bill, the Brits 500.’

‘Then I suppose there are others who would pay more.’

‘Not more than what you’re getting. You are just one man whom nobody knows. What makes you think those unofficial sources will shell out that amount for you?’

‘So why are you so willing to part with three trill?’

‘Me? Never. My superiors are.’

‘How nice. Fine, I’m in.’

‘Unfortunately for you. I’ll call you within 72 hours.’

With that he left. 

Jake sipped his water and stared at an attractive woman leaning on a corner, but then realized she wasn’t a woman.