The Set Up...

A Chapter by J. F. Charleston

Michael stared up at the ceiling of the cabin still in his tux shirt and pants. His P99 sat on the end table by the lamp with the silencer and laser attached. He had a depressed expression on his face. Nothing seemed that important at the time.

The sound of a knock came from the door. Michael began to reach for the pistol. “Michael, this came for you”, Dimitri said through the door. Michael got off the bed and walked over to the door, and answered it. Dimitri held a brown envelope in his hand. Michael took it and closed the door.

Michael opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of papers. One was a list of weapons that the NSA wants Michael to purchase, and another was details and objectives.

Rrrrriiiinnngggg! The phone in Michael’s room rang. “Hello”, he asked answering it.

“Michael”, Leonov said on the other end of the line. “Dendron wants a meeting at his castle tomorrow. Dimitri and Ivan will take you there.”

“Ok, I’ll see you there.”

“You got it.”

The line went dead and Michael replaced the phone on the hook.

Dimitri drove down a stone road. Michael wore the black sunglasses from the care package and a black suit and tie. As Dimitri kept driving, Dendron’s castle came into view. There was a tall and long stone wall surrounding the old structure. There was a large tower on the far end and a light green dome roof was visible over the wall.

When Dimitri pulled up to the gate, a security booth with a guard faced the driver side. The guard and Dimitri exchanged some words in Czech. The guard looked at Michael and back at Dimitri and nodded. The gate came open, and Dimitri parked off to the side.

The front of the castle had a large staircase that led up to a pair doors. Michael looked around as he got out. Armed guards walked the wall with M-4’s and AK-47’s.

A man wearing a similar attire as Michael walked out of the castle and down the steps to greet him.

“Mr. Anderson”, the man greeted holding out his hand. “Mr. Dendron is waiting for you in the court yard.”

Michael followed him through the main hall of the castle which had plenty of antique armor and weapons. The floor was marble and painted-glass windows brought sunlight that flooded the hall. Many paintings of Dendron’s ancestors hung on the walls in various sizes.

Michael followed the man up some stairs and through large, window doors. They walked out on to the veranda. Dendron sat in a chair at a table drinking a glass of tea. He stood up and put his glass of tea back on its saucer.

“Mr. Anderson”, Dendron said walking over to Michael. “Welcome. Please this way.” Dendron led the way down a flight stairs from the veranda and down into the courtyard. He continued down into the basement of the castle.

The halls were wet and made of brick. The halls twisted and turned; up and down. Finally Dendron stopped in front of what looked like a safe door; giant and steel. Michael heard the locks inside click open and the door began to swing out.

They walked out onto a catwalk that over looked a giant room. Crates of all sizes littered the floor below. “Mr. Anderson”, Dendron began to speak as Michael stared down at the cases. “I’m sure these will satisfy your employer.” Dendron so elegantly swung his arm out to present the packages of the most advanced weapons.

Michael walked down to the floor of the basement, and walked through a row of crates. As he passed them, he read what they were. All the weapons he saw really could take out the U.S. Military, U.N., and NATO.

“Well?” Dendron asked as Michael looked around pretending to be satisfied about the weapons laid out.

“How much?” Michael asked leaning on a green, metal crate with black writing on it. Michael slipped a little device into the crate that was opened.

“Please, this way.” Dendron said walking back up onto the catwalk, and back through the tunnels. When Michael stepped out of the tunnels, a squad of guards pointed their assault rifles at him.

“You must have thought I was an idiot, Mr. Anderson.”

A guard lowered his rifle, and walked over to Michael. He found Michael’s gun, lighter, and glasses. Dendron turned from Michael to a guard that looked like the leader, and gave him orders in Czech. The head guard nodded and ordered the men in Czech.

They escorted Michael up into the walls of the castle. As he was walking through them and up the stairs to the upper wall, he could hear a helicopter in the distance. A M4 was shoved into his back and he turned toward a wood door in the wall. He opened it and Agent Leonov sat inside tied to a chair with blood running from her nose.

The guards backed out of the doorway and closed the door. When Michael started walking over to Agent Leonov, who was nearly unconscious, the door locked. Her head was lowered, her hair was wild, and blood flowed like rivers down her face.

Michael lifted her head up with his finger and she looked at him. Her eyes were shiny and foggy, her lip was split open, and bruises began to show color. Her hair was a mess and her dress was blood stained and torn. Her make-up, that used to be perfect, was smeared; black eyeliner and mascara ran from her eyes.

“Leonov?” He asked. She just moaned and let her head lower again.

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© 2013 J. F. Charleston

Author's Note

Reviews are welcome and most appreciated.
Pic by www.flickr.com

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Alyssa Carlstrom

I hardly know anything about guns and what they look like, so it was hard for me to picture some scenes in my head. Overall your idea for the story was great, but I personally think poetry is your best bet. I know, I've said that before. The fact that you take the time to try and write short stories is cool, usually writers only stick to one type. But I guess that's how you find out what you're good and not good at. Anyway, this piece was interesting. Your ending was not what I was expecting.