The story repeats itself. Just like ten years ago. But this time, not just oneâtwo people are being held captive. I feel both frustrated and resentful about this situation. Someone I care about always seems to get involved in order to defeat me.
My breathing grows heavy. My emotions surge. I must stay calm at all costs. One wrong move, and the two women in my life could meet a gruesome fate.
"Gabriel, please let them go," I say in a controlled tone.
"Darwin, he's not like you said. Turns out, he can still stay calm," Gabriel speaks to someone whose name sounds all too familiar.
Wait. Darwin?
"Hello, Wisnu. Long time no see. You haven't forgotten about me, have you?" The camera swivels around to show the person holding it. And sure enough, it's him.
"Darwin." Slicked-back hair, a black suit over a white shirt, a piercing on his nose, and a Grim Reaper sickle tattoo decorating the right side of his face.
"You really are a terrible boyfriend, Wisnu. I mean, Rachel ended up as a hostage again. Tsk tsk tsk..."
I just huff in annoyance at his petty remarks.
"Okay. My boss wants to talk again. See you soon, Wisnu." The camera shifts back to the 'main stage.'
"Surprise, huh? Darwin is one of my top men for 'dirty work.' When he found out I was dealing with you, he was very eager to get involved."
"What do you want, Gabriel?"
"Patience, young man. I'll release your two lovers. Even though one of them is my daughter-in-law, she's of no use to me anymore. Worse, she betrayed me. So, I have to give her some 'compensation.'"
I can hardly believe it. Gabriel's demeanor now is a complete 180-degree turn from when I first spoke to him. He has two faces. And this... this is his true face.
"Here's the deal. I'll let them go. But you and your Interpol friends must follow my orders."
I glance at Pavlo. He nods.
"Drop all your weapons," Gabriel commands.
We comply.
Then, a squad of armed men in black uniforms appears out of nowhere, rounding up all our team members into the living room. Even Roman and Petit are here. Their weapons have already been confiscated. It seems these men weren't detected by Andrei and Mario's satellites. Their numbers are twice ours.
And the one leading them...
"Hello, Wisnu." He greets me politely, his eyes locking onto Murdani with a cold stareâone of recognition and shock, as if they've known each other for a long time.
I don't know his name. But he is the old man from the elevator when Talia and I had that small argument. I am certain he's the one who kidnapped Talia and Rachel, because they're still wearing the same clothes as when I last saw them in the apartment.
"Mateusz," Gabriel calls out.
"Yes, Sir."
"Search them again. Cuff their hands. Then, bring Pavlo, Wisnu, Murdani, and two others here."
"Understood, Mr. William."
With a slight nod, Mateusz orders his men to search every pocket of our uniforms. They strip us of any hidden weapons, making sure we are completely disarmed.
Then, the man in the Nazi-style coat presses a button on a remote he pulls from his pocket. The TV screen turns off, slides aside, and reveals the hidden passageway my team and I had been searching for.
"Are you the one who kidnapped Talia and Rachel?" I ask, accusingly.
"Very clever. Your guess is correct. I brought them here."
***
Mateusz leads five of usâour hands cuffedâinto a three-by-three-meter elevator, flanked by six of his men. The rest of our team is forced to sit in the living room like hostages, ready for execution if they try anything.
One of the guards presses the button to go down.
"How have you been, Angin?" Mateusz addresses Murdani.
"Terrible," Murdani replies.
"I never expected this. I thought you were truly dead. But it turns out, you faked your death. Lowering yourself to become a lackey for a billionaire."
"..."
"Was it because that man helped you save your wife and child?"
"Who is he?" I ask, curious.
"QUIET!"
THUD!
The butt of a shotgun slams into my neck.
"Mr. Wisnu!" Murdani, seeing me collapse to my knees, immediately leaps up and dropkicks the man who hit me, pinning him against the elevator wall, wrestling his gun away to prevent him from firing.
Sensing the shift, Pavlo jumps into action, attacking the men beside him. Ethan and Earl follow suit, knocking down weapons despite having their hands cuffed behind them. Incredible. Pavlo and his men are truly trained professionals.
However, before we can fully turn the tideâ
BANG!
A .500 S&W Magnum bullet fires into the ceiling of the elevator. The loud blast draws everyone's attention, halting all fights. Next, the revolver's barrel is aimed directly at my head.
"Stop, Angin. You don't want your master's brains splattered all over, do you?" Mateusz threatens.
Murdani releases his hold. Pavlo and the others follow suit.
Without hesitation, Mateusz's men quickly retrieve their dropped weapons, strengthening their positions, pointing their barrels at us.
"You really are a loyal dog, Angin."
"..."
"I'm sure your young master doesn't know much about you. Fine, let me tell him a little."
"..."
"A long time ago, I almost killed your butler, Wisnu. I took his wife and child hostage to lure him out. And my sniper bullet was about to pierce his skullâuntil your father interfered."
What? Father? I always thought he simply paid BIN to recruit Murdani. Seeing how skilled and loyal Murdani is, I figured it wouldn't be easy to make him leave BIN. But now, I realize there was a debt of gratitude involved.
"Angin and his family survived. My mission failed. That was the first time I had ever failed as a hitman. But now, it looks like I have a second chance to end your life, Angin."
***
Without realizing it, after three minutes descending underground, the elevator doors opened. The muzzles of guns prodded us forward, guiding us through a corridor into a large roomâexactly like the one in the live video earlier.
"Wisnu!"
Talia and Rachel called my name simultaneously as soon as I stepped out of the corridor and into their sight.
"Talia. Rachel."
I walked past Mateusz, following the narrow pathway, and stopped at the center of the pool.
"Wisnu... Save us."
Talia pleaded, crying in fear. Rachel, too, showed the same terrified expression inside the hanging metal cages with transparent thick glass floors. They were positioned three meters above me.
"Stay calm. I will save you."
I scanned my surroundings. Two six-meter-long great white sharks circled the pool, lurking for their prey. The circular pool was eight meters deep and a hundred meters in diameter. The cages hung six meters above the water's surface. There must be a mechanism to slide the cages to safety. Two pathways surrounded the pool, ten meters apart.
"You won't be able to save them, Wisnu. Because everything here is under my control." That bastard laughed deviously.
Darwin. His voice echoed throughout the room through the speakers. He was speaking from a transparent box-level room, aligned with the hanging cages.
"Step back, Wisnu. The big boss wants to talk," Darwin said.
I glared up at my old enemy.
One of Mateusz's men approached me, forcing me to stand in line with Pavlo and the others.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome the greatest man in the worldâMr. Gabriel William!"
Darwin theatrically introduced his boss like an amateur MC.
Our primary target finally showed his face. He was in the same room as Darwin, appearing alongside a womanâAngelina Carroll.
"Welcome, Wisnu. I hope you're enjoying the warm reception of my humble home," Gabriel said.
I had been wonderingâthis should have been an easy capture operation. But why had the tables turned so drastically?
"You must be wondering, young man, why the situation has turned out like this. How did that old man know everything?"
"..."
"I'll be generous enough to explain, so you won't be left in the dark."
"I had a feeling you survived the rocket attack. I had a feeling you were still alive, even though the reports said you were dead."
"Suddenly, your name appeared in domestic and international flight records. CCTV at every airport showed your face. A perfect match."
"That's when I realizedâthis young man needed a lesson. He needed to understand who he was dealing with."
"I deliberately lured you here, Wisnu. I intentionally revealed my location. I sacrificed fifty of my men to make you feel victorious at the start. And just when you thought you were on topâI delivered the knockout punch."
"Then, I finalized my planâcapturing your two lovers, forcing you to do as I say. If you refuse, both of them will become a delicious meal for my two sharks. And they haven't eaten anything in three months. Can you imagine how hungry those two are now?"
"What do you want?" I cut in.
"Ah, such impatience. Very well. To make sure you don't hesitate, Wisnu, I'll demonstrate something."
"..."
"Bring those two extra men to the center of the pool. And Wisnu as well," Gabriel ordered.
Earl, Ethan, and I were forcibly dragged to the middle of the pool.
I didn't like the idea of what Gabriel was about to do.
"Hey, hey! What are you doing?" Pavlo asked in panic.
"STOP! YOU BASTARD!" Pavlo shouted angrily.
THUD!
The butt of a rifle slammed into the back of Pavlo's head, knocking him unconscious.
"Gabriel, stop. You don't have to do this. Come on, we can talk this through," I tried to persuade him calmly.
"No, no, no. This is necessary, Wisnu."
"Come on. Please!" I begged, desperate.
"Shoot their legs and throw them into the pool. And Wisnuâwatch closely how my sharks devour their prey. Don't blink. If you blink, Talia and Rachel will follow immediately."
"Gabriel..."
BANG! BANG!
"GABRIEL!!!"
Ethan and Earl were kicked into the pool. I had no choice but to witness the horrifying scene underwater. I can't even describe itâit was too brutal. My heart screamed in agony.
Above the pool, both women shrieked in terror, imagining what would happen if they were next.
"Now, there should be no more doubts in your heart, Wisnu."
I was forced back into line.
"I want you to call your friend and tell him to remove the security lock on the stock exchange."
They unlocked my handcuffs, and Mateusz handed me an old-fashioned cell phone.
At this point, we had no choice but to die. That included Talia and Rachel. It was a no-loose-ends situation. Whatever we did, Gabriel would kill us all to erase any trace of his involvement. He truly was the devil himself.
I dialed Carl's number. The call connected.
"Carl."
"Wisnu? This is an encrypted number. Have you captured Gabriel?"
"The situation is different, Carl."
"Huh? Did he escape? I'll try to trackâ"
"Carl, listen to me."
"Wisnu."
"Release the security lock on the stock exchange. Drop Tara Enterprises' value to rock bottom."
"Hmm... Your situation must be really bad. Are you sure?"
"Yes! Just do it, Carl."
"Okay. Okay. Hold on."
"..."
"It's done."
I nodded toward Gabriel. Behind the glass, the old man instructed his hacker to get to work.
In less than sixty seconds, the seventy-year-old villain smiled triumphantly.
"Carl, run and disappear."
"Wisnâ"
The call was cut off.
I was completely hopeless. There was no way out. I had no idea what to do except surrender.
The last words I told Carlâwere a message about how terrifying Gabriel truly was. He would do anything to get what he wanted.
I drifted into thought. Slowly, my mind disconnected from reality. Memories of the past flashed through my head.
Gabriel's final monologue barely registered in my ears.
Sinta... Forgive me. I failed to be a good brother.
Mother... Forgive me. I failed to be a good son.
Father... Forgive me. The mission has failed.
"A parting gift for you, Wisnu. You will die with your two lovers."
***
BOOM!
The sound of an explosion from behind. From the elevator. What was that? Who?
The atmosphere went silent. Everyone wondered.
"Mateusz, is everything upstairs secure?" Gabriel asked in confusion.
"Upper team, check," Mateusz confirmed through his radio.
No response. A moment later, three smoke grenades rolled into the middle of the room.
"Mr. Wisnu, focus. Don't take your eyes off Miss Talia and Miss Rachel."
"What's going on, Sir?"
"Reinforcements have arrived."
I followed Murdani's instructions. I quickly moved away from the thick smoke and the chaos of gunfire, rushing toward Talia and Rachel.
"Say goodbye to your lovers, Wisnu."
Darwin smirked wickedly from the control room and pressed a buttonâthe button that opened the cage platforms.
Talia and Rachel fell.
"AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" they screamed.
Oh no. I couldn't let them die a gruesome death.
Without thinking, I ran as fast as I could, jumped, and...
Caught them both in my arms.
We landed on the walkway on the opposite side.
Wow. I had just leaped ten meters. That was impossible.
"Are you two okay?"
They nodded but didn't say a word. Their faces were paleâshock from the incident.
I looked at the glass box. They were gone. But I heard the sound of a door closing beneath the control room. They were escaping.
Suddenly, someone landed beside Talia from a leap.
"What are you waiting for, Wisnu? Get up. Let's go after them."
Father?!
Father was dressed just like me, standing strong with a Maverick M4A1 carbine in his hands.
"Wisnu, capture Gabriel. I'll stay here and watch over them (Talia and Rachel)," Pavlo shouted from across the room. Behind him, the smoke had started to clear, revealing Mateusz in handcuffs and six of his men lying unconscious.
I nodded. Then I got up and chased after Father.
***
Father and I ran through a corridor about two and a half meters wide. Up ahead, a vertical staircase led to the surface, and Darwin stood in front of it, waiting.
Father and I came to a stop. He aimed his weapon at the unarmed man.
"Where is Gabriel?" Father asked.
"Go ahead. But not Wisnu," Darwin replied.
"Father, go ahead," I said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Let me handle this. I'll catch up later."
"Alright."
As Father climbed the stairs, I heard the faint sound of helicopter blades whirring above.
"I'm not the same as I was ten years ago, Wisnu."
Darwin took off his suit jacket.
"..."
"I hope your punches have improved too. I want to feel truly satisfied when I defeat and kill you here."
He took his stance.
Looking at Darwin's physique, he was nothing like before. Back then, he was thinner, though we were the same height. Now, we were equally built. But I wasn't going to lose.
"Get ready to be defeated, Darwin."
I took my stance.
***
The fight began.
There were no exchanges of punchesâonly grappling. Every time he tried to lock me, I countered with my own hold. And vice versa. Every time I tried to lock him, he did the same. Both of us struggled to land a decisive blow.
We created distance. The atmosphere was tense.
"Krav Maga?" I asked.
Darwin nodded.
"Jeet Kune Do?" Darwin asked.
I nodded.
Darwin had indeed improved. He used to be a reckless street fighter. Now, he had mastered martial arts.
The next moveâI had to be faster. If he was fast, I had to be even faster. I didn't have much time. I had to catch up with Father.
We grappled again. Our arms locked against each other.
Then, with a swift motion, I kicked his right knee from the side. It hit. He winced in pain, struggling to balance himself.
Next, I kicked his left knee. He groaned louder, dropping onto one knee as his hold weakened. This was my chance. I twisted my position, reversing his grip. Then, I landed three powerful knee strikes to his solar plexus before throwing him against the corridor wall.
He choked and vomited.
"Wait here, Darwin. Someone will come to 'pick you up' soon."
I left Darwin and rushed up the stairs.
***
Emerging from the staircase.
I saw Father communicating over the radio, calling for reinforcements. Gabriel and his hacker were already handcuffed, sitting cross-legged in the middle of a vast snowy field, their faces pale. Not far from them, a helicopter sat motionlessâoriginally meant for their escape.
I approached Father. My mind was flooded with questions.
"Father."
"Well done, Wisnu. You've done your best."
He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and patted my back.
Huh? It was rare for me to receive praise from him.
"Ehhh..."
"So, which one is your girl?"
"Huh?"
"The one in thebrown blazer? Or the one in the silver cardigan?"