In the shadows :the path of lucas

Chapter one Lucas jumped off the seat as the plane shook violently entering an incoming storm,"ladies and gentlemen ", the pilots voice came over the sound systems mounted in the airplane cabin, please fasten your seatbelts,a pretty air hostess walked up to him, please sir, fasten your seatbelt, we land in ten minutes, reluctantly, he let her fasten it for him, the fragrance on her hair captivated his mind and kept hid nostrils hostage for what seemed an eternity, There, she said raising her head after what must have been just a minute, all strapped in, enjoy your stay in egypt, she smiled and walked off as the wheels of the heavy Boeing 404 trailblazer passenger jet hit the runway and raced to the tarmac, his mind kept going around in circles, echoing the same words "You are the only one I can trust lucas, don't trust anyone except me, " But if so, then why did he feel like he was walking into unchartered waters, something he had never been trained against, something that will test his resilience and determination, everything he had ever worked and dreamed for, he closed his eyes a little, he was back in Mali, he was the sniper, dagger was his spotter, Ferdinand, Desmond, Natasha, Emilia and Francisca riding in the back of the truck, ghost bello was seated at the back, they had raided a bokoharam safehouse a hundred kilometers to the border of Mali, no witnesses, they had captured a bokoharam lieutenant, but half way to the execution grounds, ghost bello had started acting funny, sir, sir...... Sir, a gentle tap came this time, please deboard and report to the checking area,have a good day He looked around, the airplane cabin was empty and the air hostess was standing right in front of him, Are you alright sir?? She asked Uh, yeah, just a little hangover Hmm, that must be quite a lot, you need to rest Yeah, I'll do that, he said, as he picked up his bag and headed down the ramp, she pressed a business card into his palm, am De fonsesca, if you need anything while in egypt, just give me a call, okay, she walked away before he even had time to think Somewhere in abuja, a CPU whined to life and the monitor beeped *Cairo International Airport (CAI)*. - *IATA code*: CAI - *Location*: Heliopolis district, Cairo - *Distance to city center*:21 km northeast of city centre -* E. T. A*:0400HOURS GMT Asset Contained- - ——In transit A. Lucas. O A big black man was waiting for him in the security checkpoint, with deep blue eyes that could pierce into your soul, one look into his eyes would enough to convince you that you we're up against an opponent who wasn't easy to check off the chess board. He made a broad grin as he approached lucas, you must be the new guy, said the man, extending his hand for a hand shake, Yeah, am lucas by name, he said receiving the handshake,"captain lucas", and you are?? yusuf, replied the man, NIA Subterranean strike force, here in egypt, Yusuf flashed raised his left hand towards the CCTV in a curve like manner and two other men joined them Do you have any other luggage, Mr lucas? Asked Yusuf Nope, just this, he said pointing to the suitcase in left hand, Very well then, let's be on our way, Instead on walking straight through the arrival hall, lucas saw lucas take a left, and headed towards the security unit, he followed, giving himself enough space between them so he could retaliate if the need aroused, he had a ceramic jack knife hiddenn in his belt, a customized reinforced emp bracelet on his wrist, and a gold ring on his left wrist which had a bulge on its tip, something shaped like a lion, an improvised mechanism for metal knuckles, a cold stainless against his back gave him his last assurance, Faraday coils reshaped to encase a. 45 makarov pistol, totally undetectable to metal detactors and infrared ray scanners. Yusuf got to the end of the staircase and entered a little space with a glass door, in side was a plain steel wall, reinforced perharps, Thank you gentle men, said Yusuf in the same cold tone he had heard him speak a couple of minutes ago, "we shall take it from here, " Yusuf turned to the wall after making sure the door was locked, engage private mood, he said, a watch like dial appeared in the center of the room, he pressed a bio pad on his bracelet and a door which wasn't there at first opened to reveal an elevator, they stepped in as he entered the passkey on the bracelet and elevator began to descend. The parking lot was empty except for a handful of landcruisers that looked identically the same, no plate numbers and all tinted dark,yusuf and lucas got into the lead car and rolled out, he took a left and entered a dimly lit tunnel. Why are we going underground please? , lucas asked Are we been followed?? Standard procedure, Yusuf replied, he turned around and smiled, we need to make sure you weren't followed or traced, this tunnel leads to a hundred clicks off the main express route to the outskirts of Cairo, Lucas just replied with a brief nod of the head, and an approval in his throat, he already had his gun in hand under his jacket and the blade in his sleeve, watching every move Trust me, Yusuf continued, you won't have need for those, he said motioning to the jacket, not with me at least, you are making the boys nervous Lucas slowly placed the gun back into its holster, he knew sincerity when he heard it, and this man, was one of it. Somewhere in the heart of Cairo, a middle aged man was seated at the roof of his dwelling when an errand boy ran in, "salam aleikum," he called out twice, standing at the entrance The man didn't turn but rather motioned to him to step forward, the boy drew closer and whispered, "Suleman said to tell you the cargo has arrived, " Are you sure?? The man asked Usman at the airport said he saw the cargo offload at the terminal, said the boy, reassurringly Where is it now? the man asked They went underground, we shall find them as soon as they emerge, Tell walid and usman to prepare to welcome our guests, said the man, we move tomorrow. The land cruiser rammed its way out of the tunnel opening at what seemed like a mountaineous terrain and Yusuf levelled it unto the desert road, dust filled the air and lucas swore he felt his skin cooking under the desert heat, he looked behind at the trail of dust which tailed them behind, the air conditioning was trying to cool down the interior temperature to no avail Lucas finally spoke up, "is this the sort of heat you usually experience here?? I feel like am been cooked alive, I'll get you some sun screen when we arrive at the cabin, that should help, Yusuf told him how do you know your way through the sand, asked lucas Yusuf didn't talk but rather showed him a display on his bracelet, It was a map with a blinking red dot, we've got all egypt mapped out, their military lended a helping hand, Yusuf said finally So you just detect your safehouses, impressive, lucas said, Yusuf kept silent as he gunned the motor south west, the silence went on for another fifteen minutes before Yusuf finally spoke of his own accord for the first time We've arrived, he said, Lucas looked ahead, I don't see anything, just sand, he screamed, over the roar of the car Yusuf handed over some binoculars, lucas screwed them in and looked again, slowly, he made out the image of a cabin in the desert I don't see an entrance, he said to Yusuf You need a passkey to get in, Yusuf explained as he pressed his thumb on the bracelet he was carrying on his wrist, an invisible garage opened and closed the instant they we're in, the garage was more spacious than he imagined, and there was a sand coloured cruiser that matched the dust and golden sands, the desert cruiser Yusuf got out and headed to a shield hanging on the wall with a ruby stone in it, he raised his bracelet and the shield 🛡 turned around, lucas heard the sound of wheels grinding somewhere underneath as the walls began to part, lucas followed him into something that appeared to be a kitchen Yusuf poured them both a drink, some brandy and whiskey, come now lucas, said Yusuf, I'll show you the team, we leave at daybreak tomorrow. they were six men seated in the living room four men to be precise and two ladies meet major vicenzzo, said Yusuf, his voice echoing across the small room as he motioned his hand towards the big man in the corner who said nothing but raise an arm while giving him a wide grin expression that clearly said “you don't wanna mess with me” Am sure you've met Emilia Our chief analyst, Yusuf continued, from the plane, she recently returned from a trip somewhere in the south African diamond mines , our two snipers demian and Catherine , lucas turned to watch them sitting on the couch sipping something that looked like champagne, Lorenzo our tech guy and bishop, he gets things done, said Yusuf as he rounded up the speech, then faced lucas, You can get to know each other better when I show you your room, Lucas never did, he slept through out that afternoon and way into the evening except when Emilia woke him up for dinner, seafood with some vodka to choke it down, after which they took the desert cruiser for a little spin So tell me, said vicenzzo, same icy tone as ever, what brings you to egypt?? Am here to see some old friends, why do you ask? Lucas retorted Some old friends wouldn't possibly place a bounty for your head, would they?? Asked Lorenzo, the tech guy, cause I see a round figure rolling into a million dollars, and a special order that sounds like kill on sight, Wait, said lucas with an edge to his voice, let me see that Just then the car shot into the garage and Lorenzo leaped out like he had seen a viper Forget we ever said anything, Emilia whispered in his ear, as Yusuf materialized at the corner of the door, Play time is over, Yusuf said, we've got eleven kilometers to cover tomorrow, let's just hope nothing goes wrong.