How Heroes are created 8

Mike had sent David to Tintin`s kitchen and told him to prepare some coffee. The man had followed the order with mixed feelings: he had no experience with interrogations, let alone torture, but he also was curious to hear what the orderly had to say. So, he had listened at the ajar door what was going on in the living room.

Here, Mike had forced Tintin at gunpoint to sit down on the couch whilst he chose the armchair. Looking around, he commented:

»Not bad having an own house at your age. How old are you, Tintin? 25?«

»26«, the young man replied, nervously looking at Mike. So far, the two men had not harmed him, but the smaller one had already mentioned that this did not have to stay like that.

»Now, my colleague and I have one thing in common: we are looking for our girlfriends. And it seems that you know more than we do. So, please, enlighten us!«

Tintin silently stared at him and Mike noticed that he was trying to hide his fear. He decided to try it the friendly way:

»As I said, we are not the Police. So, if we are pleased with your answers, you can get out of the whole affair without spending one night in jail. We are after the big fishes – and pardon me for saying so, but you are not one of them!«

It seemed that Tintin suddenly found the tops of his shoes very interesting. Mike got up and the man twitched, but he just went over to a sideboard and looked at a photography showing an old woman, most likely Grandmère Levasseur. Beside her stood a bearded man, together with what seemed to be his wife, Tintin who was perhaps ten years younger than now and also a little blonde girl.

»Your family?«

Tintin nodded, obviously insecure whether he should intervene as Mike took the picture and looked at him.

»Sorry for your loss!«

Now the orderly twitched, but then, he mumbled:

»Oh, you mean Grandmère. Thank you!«

Mike frowned and approached Tintin who tried to shy back, but was stopped by the backrest.

»Whom else should I mean?«

David entered the room, carrying three mugs and a coffee pot. For a moment, he thought that Mike had started the rough part of the interrogation, but he just stood opposite to Tintin and except for his stern expression, he didn`t even look threatening.

Tintin`s head flew around; obviously, he was guessing whether he could make it to the window. Mike had put the gun back into its holster, but he was alert and ready to block any escape attempt of the man who, as he could now see, was frightened.

He noticed that the orderly was looking over his shoulder and for a second, he thought that he was either trying to pull that old trick or that indeed someone else had entered. Without turning his head, he said towards David:

»David, Tintin seems a little distracted. Is there anything behind my right shoulder that is more handsome than me?«

»The wallpaper!«, David remarked, but he placed the coffee on the couch table and then stepped behind Tintin so he could see what the young man saw. There was indeed the wallpaper, also an old watch and another photo, showing Tintin and a young blonde woman. He said:

»There is a picture of Tintin and a girl!«

Mike stepped back, not taking his eyes from the orderly, and took the picture from the wall. The blonde showed quite a resemblance to Tintin.

»I think I can forgive you from rather looking at her than me. She`s really a beauty!«

Tintin glanced angrily and for a moment, it seemed he wanted to raise from his seat, but then, he buried his face in his hands.

»Come on, is that all you`ve got? I am complementing your sister and you are not even uttering a threat?«

He hung the photo back to its nail and said towards David:

»Can you have an eye on our friend? He may have some coffee, but if he tries something, shoot at him!«

He handed the gun to David who managed to handle it as if he knew what he was doing. Quickly, Mike rushed up the stairs, only to come back some two minutes later. David still leaned against the wall, holding the revolver as if he had been born with it. Mike sat down and poured some coffee in the mugs. Then, having sipped from his, he said:

»Now, Tintin, either you and your girlfriend are terrible snorers and therefore you have two bedrooms – or the room that has such a feminine touch is that of your sister. So, she is living here with you and – wait a minute!«

He took out his cell phone and opened the homepage of the spa.

»I knew I had seen her before! Here! Emmanuelle Levasseur, one of the student nurses! So, she is also working at the same place as you!«

Tintin buried his face even deeper in his hands and Mike now said in a more friendly tone:

»As I said, we are not after you. And, as long as she isn`t the criminal mastermind of your family, we are also not after your sister. So, is there anything you would like to share with us?«

Now, Tintin looked up at Mike, as if he was insecure whether this was just an attempt to get him talking. Mike smiled, hoping it looked friendly, and added:

»Is your sister a criminal?«

The young man shook his head, but still refused to talk. Mike approached Tintin and put his hand on his shoulder.

»So, others are the criminals and the fact that Emmanuelle isn`t here has got something to do with that. Now, there are two possibilities, Tintin: either, you remain silent. Then, David and I will get back to the sanatorium and look for our girls, no matter what the costs are.«

He paused so Tintin could realize that his sister could be a part of said »costs«. Then, he continued:

»Or, you tell us what you know and we can consider a more delicate plan that catches the criminals by surprise and avoids unnecessary losses. Your choice!«

He sat back and looked at Tintin who sat there, panting and staring at Mike. Finally, he croaked:

»They – they have her! And they threatened to kill her!«

***

Samantha and Manu had withdrawn to the wall and stared at the door. There, the nurse was standing, accompanied by Ali and two more men. The two girls quickly realized that they would stand no chance if they tried to put up a fight.

»Sorry for interrupting your little – talk«, the nurse purred as she let her eyes wander over the girls` naked breasts and their reddened cheeks.

»Had I known that you were – busy, we would have waited a little longer!«

The men chuckled and now, the nurse became more serious.

»Now, who of you decided to take freeing you from your bonds in your own hands?«

She looked at the two captives and decided that Samantha, who glanced at her, was the culprit. She said something in Arabic and one of the men took a backpack from his shoulder.

»Prince Harun wants to see you!«

The man approached Manu and tied a belt twice around her legs, right above the knees, before buckling it tight. The blonde winced, but Samantha felt a little relief: if they tied her thighs together, they at least did not intend to rape Manu.

The nurse had picked Samantha`s pantyhose that had gagged Manu previously from the floor and handed it to the man who worked it behind the blonde`s teeth. Then, he tied a cloth tightly between her lips before further securing the gag with a few strips of tape. Finally, a black hood was pulled over the girl`s head and then, the man put her over his shoulder. She weakly flailed with her lower legs, causing the man to slap her buttocks.

»Stop it!«, Samantha blurted and the nurse chuckled.

»She`s enjoying it! Listen how she laughs!«

She poked her finger into Manu`s side and the girl cringed and mewed, only to be slapped once again. Then, the man carried her outside and the horrified Samantha heard his vanishing steps, accompanied by additional spanks and muffled cries.

»Now for you, my little escape artist!«

Quickly, Ali and the other man tied her knees with a belt, pulling it so tight she had to oppress a whimper. Then, Manu`s pantyhose was forced back into her mouth, to be secured by a cleave gag and tape. When Samantha was hooded, the nurse announced:

»Now, before we go, just a little reward for your behaviour!«

One of the men stepped behind Samantha and began to fondle her breasts. At the same time, another belt was buckled around her waist, again pulled excruciatingly tight. Yet, Samantha managed to oppress her squeals and just panted from pain and humiliation.

She felt nimble fingers at the belt and then, a hand was pushed between her legs.

»Mhhmmph! Nnnggg!«

With her legs tied, it took the nurse quite some effort to work her hand between the girl`s legs and then, Samantha felt that a rope was threaded through her bent arms. Then, the other woman pulled and Samantha found out the hard way that the rope had been tied to her belt and now cut into her pubic mound.

»Nnnngggg! Mmhhhrrrmm!«

»Your own fault, Sweetie!«

The ropes pulled her arms backwards and downwards, forcing her to thrust out her breasts into the groping man`s hands. At the same time, the crotch rope felt like a red hot barbed wire and the nurse took care it was embedded between her labia. Only when Samantha whimpered, no longer able to hold back her cries, she brought the ends of the rope back between her legs and knotted them off to the belt.

She was then put over one of the men`s shoulders and when this forced her to thrust out her butt, the crotch rope bit her even harder. A helpless victim of her pain, Samantha wildly flailed her lower legs and screamed through her gag as she too was carried through the corridors.

The trip seemed to take no end, but finally, she was put back on the ground. Again, a man stood behind her and she felt a pair of hands on her boobs, preventing her from falling, but again fondling and groping her.

Samantha had no idea where she was or who else was in the room. Only Cordelia had been able to watch helplessly as the underground office had slowly filled with people.

First, Harun had entered, in his hand a silver chain. This was fixed to a silver collar around the neck of a woman he now forced to stagger inside. Cordelia had never seen her before. She was of medium height and the first thing she noticed was that she was clad in transparent trousers that allowed a good lock at her triangle of pubic hair. She also sported a golden bustier, the cups so transparent that her aureoles and nipples were clearly visible. She had silver shackles on her ankles and her wrists were cuffed to her silver chain belt. A golden mask covered the lower part of her face and Cordelia could see a pair of brown eyes and a mane of black curls. Obviously, the woman was an Arab, too, according to the colour of her skin.

Harun just fixed the other end of the leash to a ceiling hook, forcing the woman to keep standing, whilst he sat down on the desk, so he touched Isabelle who still was tied spreadeagle. The redhead moaned and squirmed slightly, but, blindfolded and still sporting the stethoscope, she wasn`t fully aware what was going on.

Harun had grinned at her, but said nothing and the Arab woman had also just stared at Cordelia, obviously aware of her helplessness. A few minutes later, the man she knew as Jemal had entered, carrying yet another woman over his shoulder. When she was placed on the floor, Cordelia could see that she was hooded – and naked except for a pair of white panties that looked crumpled and had small red hearts on it. She also had ample breasts, but these soon got out of Cordelia´s sight as Jemal stepped behind her and began to fondle them, much to the unknown girl`s discomfort.

Finally, Aida entered, followed by two more men. Cordelia remembered them as her other two kidnappers and one of them also was carrying a girl over his shoulders. She too was hooded and naked except for a black thong, but Cordelia gasped as she saw the brutally tight crotch rope. One of the men stepped behind her and cupped her breasts and before he did so, Cordelia was sure that she had seen these before.

Harun rose from the desk and said something to the other man he addressed as Chalid. The man grinned and took Harun`s place, bending over Isabelle and beginning to knead her naked breasts. Cordelia shivered as the head between her thighs began to move and Isabelle faintly moaned through her gag.

»So far, the Arab woman and I are the only ones that are not molested!«

In addition, if one didn`t count the transparent bustier, Cordelia was the only one who had her breasts covered. She felt guilty towards her co-captives, but she was glad about that little favour.

»Seems we are complete by now!«, Harun announced, raising his voice just a bit. He then waited silently, like a teacher who wanted to continue with his lesson in an unruly class. The men stopped groping the captives, but kept their breasts cupped. It seemed that the silence of their captors somehow was transferred to the girls, for they stopped squirming and moaning, too.

»Now that I have your attention!«, Harun continued with a grin and he seemed like a forbearing father talking to his teenage sons who now reluctantly paused playing with their X-boxes. Cordelia shuddered, but at the same time, she had to admit that Harun was not without charisma.

»Tomorrow, our guest from England will arrive and so, we can soon stop to live like tunnel rats! But speaking of England – Aida says that two people are still at the spa, asking questions. One of them is definitely an Englishman. At least, he arrived together with this pair of shapely legs!«

David was actually Scottish, but Cordelia ignored that insult and even Harun`s finger brushing over her thigh. So, David was indeed looking for her! However, after a few moments of joy, this was washed away by worry for him.

»He is together with another man and Aida heard them talk in English. So, he maybe is an Englishman, too. In addition, he fits the description of the man who asked for Laila at that Yellow Press paper she is writing for. Is he a secret affair of our open-hearted half-caste here?«

Harun made a gesture towards Laila who bit down on the ball in her mouth as she felt all the men`s eyes on her barely covered body. At the same time, she felt a wave of contempt for Harun who considered her of lower value because of her heritage. The fact that, for a change, her white father was the reason for a racist slur didn`t make things better.

The man waited for Laila to cringe with all the men staring at her breasts and pubic area, but he was disappointed. So, he shrugged and continued:

»Just kidding, he is the fiancé of that lovely redhead!«

Cordelia felt how Isabelle stiffened on these words. Obviously, she had heard Harun speak through her earplugs and now knew that Mike was close. There was also a mew from the smaller of the hooded girls and now, Cordelia recognized her: this was Samantha, Isabelle`s younger sister!

»Now, it seems that we can hit two birds with one stone, as the English say! Or, maybe, even three! We can give our English partner what he wants – and in exchange, he will make me very happy. And, as a bonus, we can arrange something that will sure cheer up my brother for the rest of his sentence!«

He straightened his pose and Cordelia could see that he was checking his looks in one of the mirrors. Sure, this man was vain, but somehow, she doubted that he was just enjoying his attractive appearance. This man seemed to be the epitome of a megalomaniac.

»Maybe, when my brother will be set free, he will find a home country that has already changed!«

His eyes sparkled and now, the three other men took their hands from their respective victim`s boobs and straightened up, too. Their looks showed a mixture of devotion and admiration and even the girls seemed to have been attached by the aura in the room and fell silent until Harun slightly shook his head, as if he was waking up from a pleasant daydream.

»Sorry, I got carried away! Now, we should all see that we find some sleep – including our guests!«

He bent down to Aida and whispered something into her ear. The girl showed a malicious smile and went for a small cupboard from which she took a bottle and some cloths. On the desk, avoiding to touch Isabelle, she folded two of these cloths into rectangles and then soaked them with the liquid.

»Chloroform!«, Cordelia thought with alarm.

Aida said something to Ali and Jemal who again cupped the breasts of Samantha and Manu and held them in a steady grip. Aida took the cloths, approached Manu and lifted her tight hood so her gagged mouth and her nose came free, but her eyes remained covered. Then, she pressed the cloth over Manu`s face and quickly pulled the hood down again.

»Mhhmmph! Uuhhmmph!«

Manu squirmed and moaned whilst Aida repeated the procedure to Samantha, pressing the other cloth to her face. Isabelle could only vaguely imagine what was going on, but Laila and Cordelia watched with horrified fascination how the two hooded girls squirmed and moaned and flailed with their unbound lower legs. It was as if they were watching a movie that was turning into slow motion, as their moves became weaker and weaker as the narcotic they were forced to breathe in worked. Manu was bigger and could therefore have withstood longer, but she was hyperventilating, thus sucking in more of the soporific fumes every time her ample breasts heaved. Samantha tried to shake her head, but to no avail. Soon, both girls were only twitching and moaning faintly and then, first Manu and then Samantha collapsed ant their captors lowered them to the carpet.

Then, it was Laila`s turn. She tried to shy away, but the leash that fixed her neck to the ceiling stopped her and so, she was flanked by Ali and Jemal whilst Chalid stepped behind her. She screamed into her gag as at the same time, each of the men to her sides groped one of her breasts whilst Chalid pushed his hand between her legs from behind. He literally lifted her from the ground whilst he held her hair in a vice grip, forcing Laila to hold her head still.

As if to further impress Laila`s helplessness, Aida now soaked a cotton wool pad with the chloroform and held it to the other`s nostrils. With her mouth gagged, she had no chance but to breathe through her nose, but like that, it took longer for her to pass out. Cordelia whimpered with fear and pity as she watched Laila moan and squirm in the tight and humiliating grip of the three men whilst Aida obviously sung an Arabic lullaby. After what seemed to be an eternity, Laila`s eyes twisted and she collapsed. Chalid loosened the chain from the ceiling and let her sink to the floor.

»Now, it`s either me or Isabelle!«, Cordelia thought. She had been chloroformed before and tried to steel herself for when Harun himself now approached with a soaked cloth and pressed it over her mouth and nose. She forced herself to breathe in the fumes, knowing that struggling would only prolong her suffering.

»That`s right, be a good girl, Cordelia! Have pleasant dreams of your Englishman – for you will never see him again!«

The mentioning of David had an effect on her. She opened her eyes and bucked, at the same time screaming into the cloth. Harun tightened his grip and the last thing she saw as things slowly got blurred was his diabolic grin. Then, everything went black.

Isabelle had only been able to hear parts of the conversation around her. So, Mike was somewhere around and the voice of the man speaking, his pronounced English with the slight accent, had reminded her of Ahmed Ibn Badr – the man who had tried to kill her, had Mike not saved her life. Now, Ahmed was behind bars, but she was in the clutches of his brother!

There had been some indistinct moaning and then, suddenly, the drums had accelerated again. The throbbing in her earplugs had grown faster and there had also been some muffled cries. At the same time, something had touched her breasts and shoulders. First, Isabelle thought it was the man groping her again, but this felt – different. Something smooth, but quite hard brushed over her, even softly hitting her. Isabelle had no idea it was Cordelia`s heels as she helplessly flailed her legs and on that occasion touched Isabelle.

Then, these movements ceased and at the same time, the throbbing slowed down to a steady »BADUMM! BADUMM!«. Isabelle let out a sigh of relief as that strange torture was over, but then, she felt that the plugs were removed from her ears.

»Now, time to put you to sleep, too! To keep things entertaining, Aida found a variation of counting sheep!«

On Harun`s command, Ali prepared with another soaked cloth. Harun bent over Isabelle`s upper body and, ready to grope her breasts, he waited for Aida who pushed her hand into Isabelle`s bikini bottom.

»Mhhm? Nnngg!«

The girl twitched and tore on her bonds. As she breathed in, Ali pressed the cloth on her face and then, Aida plucked one of Isabelle`s pubic hairs.

»One!«

Isabelle screamed into her gag and reared up the little her bonds allowed. During her scream, Harun squeezed her breasts and Ali loosened his grip, only to press the cloth tighter over her nose and mouth as she breathed in – which was the signal for Harun to withdraw a bit. Then, Aida plucked the next hair.

»Two!«

Again, Isabelle twitched and the strong hands on her breasts pressed the air out of her lungs. She helplessly breathed, only to inhale another dose of the narcotic. The game continued for a while, with Isabelle less and less reacting to the humiliating pain caused by Aida and her moans becoming fainter and fainter. Finally, when Aida crowed »17!«, she had completely passed out.

»Does that count for ›make a wish‹?«, Aida asked and blew the reddish pubic hairs from her palm. Harun brushed over the girl`s head.

»If your wish was that you can have more entertaining games by tomorrow morning, I would definitely say ›Yes‹!«

***

At the house of Tintin and Manu, the tension had abated, since Tintin was also a victim of the criminals. However, the mood was far from being relaxed. Tintin felt guilty for having talked; to him, it was as if he had betrayed Manu. David had absent-mindedly played with the revolver until Mike had taken it from him and now, he was staring out of the window as if the dark, rainy night held the answer for Cordelia`s whereabouts. Mike still sat in the armchair and tried to see a picture in the few puzzle pieces they had.

So, Harun Ibn Badr was behind all this, but why? He might have targeted on Isabelle and Cordelia to exact revenge on the women involved in his brother`s arrest. Mike thought of the fact that the real culprits were Guylène and Linh and, opposite to Harun, he knew where to find these two.

»So, Samantha may have just stepped into their way and Manu was used as leverage against Tintin. The only question is how Laila Steele fits the picture!«

Mike`s thoughts went to the man on Laila`s photo of Harun, Kenneth Pearce. He had checked the information about the man but found quite little. Pearce was a high-ranking secretary in the Ministry of Defence, rather a man doing the work for the more prominent figures than one seeking the limelight. He had no criminal record known to the public so far, but Mike knew that nobody worked in the field of politics for 30 plus years without bending the law.

»What is the deal between Harun and Pearce? And why is it so scandalous that he most likely had Laila kidnapped?«

As the director of »Changing World« had put it, just another weapon deal between Britain and a not so democratic country wasn`t that much of a story. However, it was strange that Harun was involved into it. Okay, he was number eight or nine in the line of succession and the Royal House of Saudi Arabia was involved in all branches of politics, but according to his research, Harun was no member of the Saudi`s Ministry of Defence and the Saudis had no need to make a secret out of buying a few retired vertical starters. Only recently, the country had bought a number of modern tanks from Germany.

Saudi Arabia was involved in the civil war in Yemen, but they already were far superior in the military sense and in addition, a few helicopters would have been more useful in the Yemenite mountains. The country was also no friend of Israel, but in that case, some dozen Harriers would also not have changed the game, even more as Israel had a powerful ally in the USA.

»So, Harun maybe wants the Harriers for someone else than his country`s Air Force!«

If Pearce was the highest-ranking British person in this conspiracy, he could perhaps let some ten or twelve of the officially retired Harriers disappear from the books. They would be declared as defunct or as spare part donators for intact planes.

»Ten planes – that`s not the most impressive squadron! But it would be enough for a limited air raid!«

The advantage of vertical starters was that they didn`t need a long starting lane and therefore could also be used from small platforms. But they were not invisible to Radar and in addition, ten planes were no match for even a small Air Force. So, Harun could strike once or twice before that weapon would be too weakened.

»So, he plans something for which these few air strikes are sufficient. And instead of keeping his head as low as possible, he also does some kidnapping!«

Unfortunately, Tintin had not been able to tell them much. He had only been in contact with Aida, a new colleague at the sanatorium. She had been working there for months without behaving suspicious, but two days ago, she had confronted him with the fact that »they« had kidnapped his sister and if he wanted to see her alive again, he had to organize a general key for Aida, plus do some other things to prepare the abduction of Isabelle.

»I swear I have no idea where they are hiding or who they are, except for Aida! When we had to talk in secret, we always met in the laundry room!«

He had shown Tintin the photo of Harun and Pearce, but he had recognized neither of the two and in addition, he also couldn`t add helpful information to David`s description of the men who had kidnapped Cordelia.

»So, all we know is that Harun seems to rely on his countryfolk, for all those we have seen or at least heard of are Arabs. And the only one we know where to find is Aida!«

Mike asked Tintin about the fake nurse, but he only knew that she was not living at the sanatorium, but had an apartment somewhere.

»At least, that is what she told us! As far as I know, Aida was friendly to everyone, but didn`t make closer friendships!«

»So, though we can`t be sure, it seems that Aida is the only staff member of the spa that is involved in whatever Harun is planning!«

David scoffed.

»I am not sure if this is a good thing! If the spa was a concealed criminal`s lair, we would at least know where to find Cordelia and the others!«

Mike nodded grimly, for he had come to the same conclusion. Then, he looked at the others and asked:

»So, none of you did military service?«

David shook his head and Tintin also lowered his head, as if this was yet another failure. Now, Mike rose from his chair and smiled at them:

»Well, as a Lance Corporal, I am meant to lead combat teams of up to five men! David, you may be glad to hear you are herewith promoted from being my sidekick to my second in command!«

David saluted mockingly. However, Mike could see that the man was also interested in what he had in mind. After all, following a hazardous plan was better than doing nothing.

»Tintin, you will be promoted from orderly/criminal`s accomplice to orderly/our comrade who pretends to still be a criminal`s accomplice!«

The young man looked at Mike, frowning.

»Won`t we endanger Manu`s life?«

Mike nodded slowly.

»Most certainly, we do, and also those of Laila, Cordelia, Samantha and Belle.«

He paused to make clear that all of them had women they loved involved in this.

»However, it is not that they are save and sound if we are doing nothing. Even if they are not intending to kill them, I can imagine a thing or two you would prefer to at least try to prevent!«

Tintin gulped, but then, he nodded. Aida had given him Manu`s bra, implying that she now was topless in the clutches of some gangsters. And Tintin was not blind to the fact that his sister was very attractive. Most likely, the gangsters would also think so.

David grimly slammed his fist into his palm. They shook hands and then, Mike said:

»Tomorrow morning, you have two important things to do, Tintin. First, you have to act unsuspicious, especially towards that Aida!«

Tintin grinned wryly.

»If she considers me nervous, I don`t have to lie, for I am really worried about Manu!«

Mike also grinned and patted the man`s shoulder.

»Second, you will have to organize another general key. Do you think you can do so until noon?«

Tintin shortly thought about that and then, he nodded again.

»All right! Tomorrow at noon, I will once again show up and pretend that I aske for Belle. And then, once we have the key, we can go full White Knight!«

Some time later, Mike and David left Tintin`s house to return to their hotel.

»You seem quite confident«, David began once they were inside the car. »Do I have to remind you that I am 39, have never fired anything heavier than an air gun and had my last fist fight at the tender age of 14. And this Tintin also doesn`t look like a frightening warrior.

»He`s French! Maybe, that`s how their most frightening warriors look like!«, Mike joked and David also grinned, albeit a bit forced. Mike then continued in a more serious tone:

»It`s okay losing to opponent! Must not lose to fear!«

David frowned at the slightly odd grammar and then, he remembered the saying.

»Is that from ›Karate Kid III‹?«

»Exactly! And if you don`t consider a shared base of cinematic knowledge to be enough to kick some criminals` asses, we also have the element of surprise. They may know who we are, but not that we are already that close!«

»Strike first! Strike hard! No mercy!«, David now cited the »Karate Kid«-franchise. The movies had indeed made him start Martial Arts, but he had retired after having received a yellow belt in Karate, for he preferred playing football. However, the idea of Cordelia sinking into his arms after he had beaten up her kidnappers was quite intriguing.

»That`s the spirit! Tomorrow evening, you will look at the wrong side of a coin, with a mixture of disappointment and anticipation!«

»Eh?«

Now, David felt confused and Mike grinned:

»Because we will flip a coin whether Cordelia and you or Belle and I will get the hotel room, whilst the others have to sleep in the car. And I intend to win!«

David chuckled, but again, he had quite pleasant pictures in front of his inner eye: so far, he and Cordelia hadn`t gone farther that kissing and he would not mind taking the next step on the base of being the hero of the day.

»So, all we have to do is to find the criminals hideout, fight an unknown number of criminals and save the girls!«

»Or, as I call it, ›just another ordinary day of the week‹!, Mike commented. His new comrade was perhaps not the most prolific fighter, but at least, he was no coward.

***