CHAPTER 14: COLD

(DOVA'S POINT OF VIEW)

Hearing that threat, I felt like beating up the ill-mannered bandit who had just yelled at me. Did he just think that I was scared? Not at all.

Before I could run over the bandit, someone squeezed my right shoulder from behind. "Hey, don't get so upset."

I warded his hand from my shoulder. "I have told you, I have a different purpose from all of you," I warned while holding tightly the scroll of painting in my hand. "I didn't want to cost more time with any battles," I exhaled. "Only the bandits know where my friend is. I will negotiate faster."

"What do you mean?"

I looked back at all the members of the black mission team behind me. I looked at them with a sharp gaze.

"Don't tell me you're going to exchange the painting with your friend."

"Exactly," I replied smiling. I was taking a few steps away from the black mission team. "Anyway, it's not my mission anymore."

"I won't let you ruin our black mission!" said one of them enraged.

I didn't give a shit. I could beat up these three at once. This painting was the key to Suri's return to me.

Someone else stepped up and calmed his teammate. "Take it easy, bro. Why don't we just duplicate the painting?"

I raised my eyebrows. I didn't understand what they talked.

"By the way, you probably don't know. When you finally reach the black level, there'll be plenty of new technology for you to learn. One of them is a high quality printer."

The high quality printer?

"It's a technology that can duplicate the image into the real use," continued one of them. "It can even print the exact same artificial face as in the photo, for any undercover purposes. You can see it on the use of hyperreal masks."

"I agree. You can use it to duplicate the painting," another said. "We don't have to be in battle to solve this problem."

I was still holding the scrolled painting in my hand tightly.

"Don't worry. We promise to give you a copy, but first hand over the painting to us."

"No," I rejected.

"You said that you didn't want to waste much time. You think we'd just let you get away with it?"

"Yes, you said you wanted to see your friend right now."

I sighed. I think they have a point. I hadn't much time. "Fine, Then I will also come back to EMA with this painting."

"All right."

****

The Elite Mastermind Academy had a special room containing sophisticated equipment that spies need in their missions. All this equipment can only be used by students who have reached black level.

There was a printer three times the normal size right in front of me now. It had a photocopy system. A photograph was laid out to be duplicated, and the result was soon appeared in the exact same color.

"I just unrolled it up, and stick it on the printer. Done. Now can you tell which one is real?"

I shook my head as I stared to the two paintings one by one. The resemblance is amazing.

"Take this," he commanded throwing one of his scrolls at me. I didn't even know this painting I got was real or fake. "I'm sorry we couldn't stay for so long that we had to hand this to Mr. Ferdy."

"Okay, bye." I hurried to the door.

****

I finally got back to the bandits and tried to negotiate with them. It was happened on early morning. The darkness slowly began to fade.

One of them went up and yelled. "So, you bring the painting?"

I immediately lifted the roll in my hand as high as I could.

One of them also raised so many of the keys attached to a ring.

I understood. It should be the key from where Suri was. "Tell me where she is now?"

"Disarm all weapons you carry!"

What the hell?

"We don't want any fuss, because morning time is coming," continued one of the bandits.

I held my breath, then glanced at my watch in my hand. It was been half an hour since Suri left, and there was no time left to delay any longer. I rushed to put all the weapons I had to the ground.

They all burst into laughter.

"Follow me," he continued.

I stepped forward as he commanded. A bunch of bandits in the back kept an eye on me until we all arrived at a place filled with so many big boxes with doors.

One bandit unlocked the key from a big box.

"Suri," I whispered in surprise. I can see clearly that girl sat while sleeping inside the box. I thought this box was a big cold room for saving all marine fishes. All these large containers were the common refrigerators in the harbor.

Suddenly someone folded my arms back, and tied them fast. One of them pinned the tip of the revolver to my head. And then I got the painting in my hands forcibly removed.

"Get in, you idiot!"

****

(DOVA'S POINT OF VIEW)

"Suri!"

I was keep calling her name. It didn't matter that the door were suddenly closed from outside. Then I heard the door was locked and the laughter of the criminals were growing softer until it became silent.

"Suri!"

It was very difficult to move with my hands tied behind my back, even to reach that girl. I looked at that girl up close. Both hands and feet tied together. Her eyes were closed. Her face looked tired. I was getting worried.

"Suri, wake up!"

I turned my face around. It was so dark in here, I could barely see anything. I couldn't reach anything with my hands tied. Then I forced my brain to think harder. Was there any way out? How long could the two of us stay alive? Especially Suri. Because she was here before me.

My clothes were humid because of leaning on the ice covered walls. Soon I rose with my feet and tried to find any hidden passageways I could find. I had to walk slowly because the floor was very slippery. A cold burst started to prick until my bones hurt. I really hate that criminals!

So cold here.

We could both die of hypothermia slowly. It was dangerous.

Luckily, my legs were still perfectly capable to walk. I had been busy pacing to create heat in myself. I had to fight this cold. If I could, I needed to buy some time. I had to hold on.

I suddenly fell with prone position. Not because of the slippery floor, but I thought it was because I had just stumbled onto something hard. It was hard to move in this position with both hands tied. Finally I was barely able to get up and walk across the floor in this cooling room.

****