The Escape from Dendron Castle

The sound of the helicopter started again. Michael looked at his watch; 11:23 AM. Leonov was beginning to go back to consciousness.

“Leonov”, Michael said. She looked around for a moment. The room was so dark no one could see their hand, which would be a centimeter away from their face.

“Leonov”, Michael tried again. He waited for her response.

“Michael”, Leonov asked through the darkness. “Michael, that you?”

“Yes. What happened?”

“They found out I was an agent. Caught me as I tried to get into Kazvin’s secret safe.”

“How long have you been undercover here?”

“A year and a half. Why?”

“Do you know any passage ways outta here?”

“I know where some secret armories are.”

“That might come in handy…”

          The door swung open, blinding Michael. Two large, powerful hands pulled him up to his feet. One hand held his collar as a fist struck him in the nose. Pain rushed through his head as he hit the cold concrete floor. Blood began to flow out of his nose as he lay there on his side.

          The guard behind the one that punched Michael shouted orders in Czech.

“What’s he saying?” Michael groaned at Leonov.

“He’s telling him to take you to Dendron before you get beat up worse”, Leonov told him. The two hands brought Michael back to his feet, and turned him toward the light, that wasn’t as blinding as before. He was shoved out into the hallway and was struck in the back by a M4.

         

“Mr. Anderson”, Dendron said as Michael was led into a giant room. A black Grand Piano sat right in the middle of a humongous glass window with Dendron playing classical music. A round table was set with tea and pastries. The walls were covered with magnificent portraits of landscapes and people.

          “Where are Dimitri and Ivan”, Michael asked as he sat down at the table. Dendron just ignored the question, and continued playing the piano. “Where are Dimitri and Ivan?!”

          Dendron glared at Michael as he stood near the table where Michael was sitting; “This way.”

Michael got up from the chair, and the two guards escorted them out of the room and out into the driveway.

          Dendron shouted at some henchmen in Czech, and they rush down into the basement. He then turns to Michel with a sly grin. The door bursts open and two men, tortured and bleeding, are thrown on to the ground.

“There they are”, Dendron said as he turned to signal something to one of the guards. The larger built one rushed over to Dendron, and handed him his pistol. He cocked the pistol and pointed it at Dimitri.

 

BANG! BANG!

 

Dimitri fell face down onto the stone road. Ivan looked at Michael, who was stuck watching, unable to do anything. The gun was pointed at Ivan.

 

BANG! BANG!

 

“Now”, Dendron began to say to Michael as Ivan fell dead on the ground. “What am I to do with you?”

“You could give me and Leonov one last drink”, Michael answered.

Dendron smiled and nodded; “Why not?”

 

          Leonov sat next to Michael at Dendron’s bar.

 “Dimitri and Ivan are dead”, Michael said to Leonov. She just sat on the stool silent. Michael sipped his martini, little by little.

“Do you have a plan”, Leonov asked.

“Trying to work one out.”

          “Hurry up”, the henchman, that brought Leonov up from our cell, barked from the doorway.

“You could just shut it, and let us enjoy our last conversation over a drink”, Michael said to the henchman with a loud voice, almost shouting.

“Or I could kill you now.”

“Well why don’t you come over here and do it then?!”

          The henchman smiled as he walked over to Leonov and Michael. A wicked smile formed on his face as he removed his weapons. Michael swallowed the last of his vodka martini, and got off the stool.

          The henchman took some practice swings as Michael loosened up. The henchman threw his large fist at Michael, who blocked it with his palm, and punched the henchman in the nose, causing it to bleed. The henchman advanced even angrier at Michael and threw a punch left and right and then left again, which Michael blocked each blow and struck his opponent until he was on his face passed out.

          “Come on”, Michael said to Leonov as she tossed him the pistol from the henchman’s pile of weapons. “We’ll have to be quiet.”

A loud alarm, that deafened their ears, sounded as Michael finished speaking.

“So much for being quiet”, Leonov shouted over the alarm.

          They ran out of the bar, and into the corridor. When they got a few doors down the hall, shots from Dendron’s guards filled the corridor. Michael and Leonov had split into doorways opposite of each other.

He pointed his pistol at the little squad of guards and fired. Leonov began spraying the other end of the corridor with bullets, providing cover for her and Michael to move forward.

          When Michael and Leonov descended down a flight of stairs, a guard began shooting from the hall. Bang, bang, bang, bang! Michael killed the guard.

“Where’s an armory”, Michael asked Leonov. “I’ve got three bullets left.” She tossed him a Heckler and Koch G-36 from a guard she just shot; “That should last you until we get to one.”

          Leonov ran down the corridor and stopped in front of a statue in the wall. She pressed the nose and it turned around, revealing weapons from a Glock G17 to Ak-47’s. Michael grabbed an M-16, with a grenade launcher and red dot sight attachment, a few magazines, and a G17.

          Leonov led the way up to the helipad. A helicopter was still there as they busted through the roof access door. 

“Do you know how to fly one”, Michael asked Leonov as she started up the chopper.

“You should”, she remarked through the headset of the chopper as they lifted off the helipad.

          Shots from below struck the chopper, making sparks as they hit the medal. Michael took aim and launched a grenade onto the group of guards, sending them in all directions. Leonov flew away from the castle, and toward Prague.

“Michael”, Leonov said into the headset. “We’ve got company.” He looked over his shoulder and out the window of the chopper. Two of Dendron’s combat helicopters were gaining on them. An alarm started blaring with a blinking red light. Michael looked at a monitor that had a blue arrow representing him and Leonov, two large red arrows as the pursuing helicopters, and four little red arrows as missiles.

          “Launch counter measures”, Leonov commanded as she maneuvered the aircraft left. Michael pushed two red buttons and ten little rockets fell from the helicopter. Three of the missiles went into the counter measure rockets and exploded, making Michael’s helicopter shake. “There’s still one more”, Michael said.

          Leonov looked at a mountain peek and turned the helicopter toward it, leaning the nose down to gain speed. Michael stared at the red rocket on the monitor. It began to fall behind and then blew up behind them. The two pursuing helicopters were gaining. Now the mountain was not far. “Michael, get the M-16 and when I tell you, fire at the chopper”, Leonov said turning the chopper to where it was parallel to the mountain.

          Michael focused down the red dot sight of the assault rifle. The helicopter in his sight was getting closer. He set the dot on the pilot. “Fire!” Leonov shouted over the headset. Michael pulled the trigger and dozens of bullets flew from the rifle and out to the other helicopter. Blood spewed onto the windshield and it sharply turned right, losing altitude.

 

CABOOM!!!

 

A large fire cloud rose from where the chopper crashed. Many bullets hit

Michael’s chopper and it began to lose altitude. A loud siren filled their ears as Michael and Leonov held on to the chopper. Smoke from the engines left trails as the helicopter descended down to the snowy earth.

          “I can’t regain control”, Leonov shouted as she struggled with the controls. “Leave it”, Michael shouted handing her a parachute. They quickly threw the straps on them and buckled in.

          The nose of the helicopter was leading the way down, gaining speed; faster and faster. Michael and Leonov jumped out of the helicopter and deployed their white parachutes. They hit the freezing snow and watched the chopper crash a few yards away.

          The last of Dendron’s helicopters flew past them to observe the crash. Michael and Leonov took cover behind large boulders, and peeked over the rocks and saw the helicopter turn around and fly away.

“They must have thought we went down with the chopper”, Michael said, finally regaining breath. “I’ll call in a ride out of here.” Leonov looked at Michael confused; “How?” Michael pointed at his silver watch. He pressed a button on the side and a low beeping sound came from the watch. “Shouldn’t be too long now.”

Author's Note

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Picture found at http://wallpaperswa.com/thumbnails/detail/20121119/mountains%20snow%20military%20helicopters%20flying%203450x2300%20wallpaper_wallpaperswa.com_59.jpg

Reviews

[A. H. Pinley]

Dendron glared at Michael as he stopped playing; “This way.”
Michael got up from the chair, and the two guards escorted them out of the room and out into the driveway. (Who was playing piano?)
Leonov sat next to Michael at Dendron’s bar.
“Dimitri and Ivan are dead”, Michael said to Leonov. She just sat on the stool silent. Michael sipped his martini, little by little.
“Do you have a plan”, Leonov asked.
“Trying to work one out.” (Now did the guards retrieve Leonov?)
Overall I like the action and the suspense. Good work!

[J. F. Charleston]

I think I should add some specific details for those questions you had. It would make the chapter flow a bit better.

[A. H. Pinley]

Other than that I really like the piece.