Compromise
Kaivan occasionally peeked out from behind the window at the vast expanse of clouds as he was on an airplane. This evening, he, Hans, Dominique, and several members of the special forces who were intentionally brought along to confront Luca, set off for the man’s home country. After hours in the air and two airport transfers, they finally set foot in Catania, Italy, at night. Before commencing the battle, Kaivan needed to meet with the scattered members of the Witch Hunter group there. He had to fine-tune the entire strategy that had been devised to penetrate the defenses of Italy’s number one mafia.
“Welcome, Mr. Kaivan. We’ve been waiting for all of you,” greeted a large-bodied man who was none other than Xavier, one of the leaders of the Witch Hunter clan.
“Good to see you again, Xavier. How’s Theodore?” he asked. Kaivan remembered the founder of the Witch Hunter Clan. Thanks to him, Theodore’s life had been saved from danger in the past. And because of that event, Kaivan had been honored as a member of distinction for his contributions.
“Theodore is at his retreat home in Venice. He sends his regards and prays that your current problem can be resolved successfully.”
Kaivan smiled. Shortly after, he and the other members were led to enter the underground bunker of the Witch Hunter group. Inside, instead of resting first, Kaivan immediately began important discussions.
“So, my friends and I have already analyzed and devised a strategy to attack the hideouts of the Sicilian people.”
“Are you planning to attack Catania?” Xavier confirmed.
Kaivan nodded.
“Dominique will lead the assault there. Meanwhile, I and the others will launch an attack in Caltanissetta.”
Xavier raised an eyebrow significantly. He even double-checked what he had just heard.
“Caltanissetta? You didn’t choose the wrong place, did you?”
Kaivan shook his head, expressing his response to the question.
“Of course not. According to our research, my wife is likely located in the headquarters of the Sicilian group there.”
“The problem is, the headquarters in Caltanissetta is in a hillside area that can’t be traversed by a four-wheeled vehicle. There are only two ways to get there,” Xavier explained.
“What are the two ways you’re referring to?” Kaivan asked curiously.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
“The first is by using trail motorcycles. It takes quite a while if you choose this route because the terrain is quite steep. The second is by using a helicopter to reach there. But of course, that’s not the right option either. Instead of arriving safely, all the Sicilian people would ambush you as soon as they hear the noise of the helicopter engine.”
Kaivan let out a frustrated sigh. He hadn’t anticipated this particular issue. Meanwhile, Hans, seeing Kaivan in a difficult position, chimed in.
“Kai, we can use motorcycles to get to the location. Aren’t you skilled in riding motorcycles?”
Kaivan nodded slowly, his face showing a hint of uncertainty.
“But I’ve never ridden a motorcycle through hills, especially at night.”
“No need to worry,” Xavier added. “Many Witch Hunter members are familiar with that rugged terrain. We can ride in formation to reach there quickly.”
Xavier, who was initially seated, chose to stand up. The tall man walked over to Kaivan, who was standing by the table in the center of the room. Before long, he instructed his subordinates to fetch something.
“Romanov, please bring the map of Caltanissetta.”
The man immediately fetched a rolled-up piece of paper from a cabinet. He then laid it out on the table in the center of the room.
“This is the map of the Caltanissetta area,” Xavier pointed to a red object on the map. “And this is the location of the hilly terrain where the Sicilian headquarters is.” He then moved his finger to a green mark not far from the previous red point. “We can ambush them from the north or the back of the building. Before the motorcycles we ride enter the main area of the headquarters, we can stop and walk about a kilometer to reach the main Sicilian base. This is all an effort to avoid them hearing the loud noise of our motorcycle engines.”
Kaivan nodded, understanding and agreeing with the plan that had been laid out.
“Alright then, some of the Witch Hunter members will attack Catania led by Dominique. The rest of us will join me in ambushing Caltanissetta.”
“Correct,” Xavier affirmed. “We can begin the journey at eleven at night. Considering it takes about two hours to traverse the forest and then walk for about 30 minutes to reach the Sicilian base.”
“Alright then. While we await news from Noah, let’s take a short break. Tomorrow night, we’ll depart directly to the attack point.”
In a different location, Noah, accompanied by a few Witch Hunter personnel, finally arrived at Vauxhall Cross, which served as the MI6 Headquarters. After showing his identification, he was escorted to the commissioner’s office. There, he was greeted by the deputy head of the Agency.
“Noah, you’ve finally made it to the headquarters,” the leader greeted. “Where are the other team members? Are they safe?”
Noah shook his head. Instead of immediately answering the questions posed by the man in front of him, he retrieved a locket from his jacket pocket and handed it over.
“I’ve brought all the evidence of the serious crimes committed by the Sicilian Mafia, as well as the involvement of several parliament members in illegal activities and embezzlement of state funds.”
The man immediately summoned the officers present and instructed them to examine what Noah had just handed over. After waiting about 20 minutes to ensure the contents of the chip, Noah finally received good news.
“It matches what we’ve been hoping for all along. I’m truly grateful for your success in carrying out this mission. We will soon apprehend the parliament members who have harmed the country and then coordinate with AISE or the Italian intelligence agency to capture Luca and his followers.”
Noah nodded and responded, “But I need a team to free the head of the investigation team who was captured by the Sicilian mob. I beg you, help me save the lives of the MI6 agents who are now in danger.”
Without much hesitation, the man immediately agreed, asking Noah to recount the events briefly and prepare for a mission that involved both an assault and a rescue.
****