"How about we do both?" I suggested to Sarah
"Both?How?" Sarah asked
"We are going to rescue Anna and take the files to him. Just that we won't be giving him" I explained further
"Okay, so how do we get out of there?" Sarah asked again
"We just need to get close enough to Anna, she will take care of the rest. Where can we get guns?" I replied
"Guns?" Sarah shouted in shock
"What do we need guns for?" She asked again
"We are going to the lion's den, shouldn't we get something to protect ourselves with?"
"Do you even know how to use a gun?" She asked again
"What does it matter? We just need to get one to Anna. She's a cop, she will take care of the rest" I said again
"Okay, that kinda makes sense. I can get the guns. How do we get to Anna?" Sarah queried again
"I'm going to text Ralph. Tell him we will exchange the files for Anna. He knows we are both normal people so we wouldn't pose as a threat to him. We get close enough to Anna to give her the gun, she finishes the job. Can you make a bomb?"
"You want me to make a bomb?! Sarah exclaimed
"Calm down, not that we will be using it. Just a plan B incase we are unable to get to Anna. Not necessarily a bomb. Just something enough to distract them while we escape. Something like a tear gas?" I said again trying not to make Sarah react
"I work in the IT department Alex, not anti-terrorist or bomb squad" Sarah protested
"I'm sure you will work something out. I believe in you" I said with a smile as I tapped her shoulder gently.
"I can't believe you are making me do this" she said again rolling her eyes
"Your skills might get rusty if you don't practice once in a well Sarah" I said again as I laid on the heap of dried grass in the barn.
"I might as well just pour oil on them". She replied
"Ehh, you need to stop making jokes, you suck at making one." I teased her again
I waited for Sarah to make arrangements for our escape plan. I had no idea how it was going to end but I was certainly not going down without a fight. Ralph had the resources and power. I only had my brain and Sarah. Moments like that made me wish I had taken my training seriously when I was hoping to go to a military school.
Saving Anna would have been a piece of cake. I had no idea what next we were going to do if our plan succeeded because Ralph was certainly not going to give up easily but then I just wanted to save Anna. I wouldn't let the same man who killed her father kill her too. Anna was also part of the world I wanted to save. I just couldn't sacrifice her for this.
"Okay, we are set" Sarah said
I had sent a text to Ralph earlier. We were suppose to meet at the warehouse I was hiding before it got compromised. It was already 30 minutes to our meeting. Sarah and I had planned to reach there earlier to survey the area and map out our escape.
"Let's go"
I said as I took my backpack containing the files
Sarah and I got to the warehouse fifteen minutes before the meeting. Ralph and his men weren't there yet. We hid in the field beside the warehouse. Ralph and his men came in five minutes later than the agreed time. Sarah checked with the binoculars.
"You were right, he really did underestimate us. He came with only three of his men, I don't think we will be needing the guns. We just need to distract them to get to Anna" Sarah said
I wasn't sure if I could call three underestimating. I couldn't even take one man down. Our only hope was Anna and the distraction Sarah had made but then he could have come with a battalion if he wanted to.
"Guess three is our perfect crowd then"
I mumbled as I stood up from where we were hiding brushing off the leaves and sticks on my clothes
"Let's go"
I said to Sarah as I reached out my hand to lift her up from the ground
"Whatever happens, let's try to live".
Sarah said holding my hand
"We'll live" I replied
We entered the warehouse, Ralph was seated with two of his men behind him. The other behind the pole Anna was tied to. It was my first time meeting Ralph in person. I had imagined him looking like one of the villain in comics or movies but he looked just like any normal human would look. I was really expecting a horn or tail. So disappointing
"Look who's here! Our friends!"
Ralph said mockingly as he spread his hands like he was going to give a hug.
"I hope you didn't torture Anna" I said with a straight face
"Whether you believe it or not, Anna is family to me. And I cherish family so much. I wouldn't lay a finger on my goddaughter" Ralph said with a mischievous look
"But you can take her hostage to get what you want" Sarah fired back
"Well, you use what you have to get what you want" Ralph replied bursting into laughter with his men as he looked at them.
"We have what you want" I said interrupting their laughter
"I see you are a man who likes to cut to the chase Mr Alex. How about a counseling session after all this huh? You could be my personal counselor. I have trouble sleeping these days cause of these nightmares I keep having" he said again laughing mockingly
"Now let's see what you've got" he said as he signaled to one of his men to get the file from me
I looked at Anna, then Sarah. This was our only chance to escape. I gave the file to Ralph's man. Of course it wasn't complete. We couldn't give him a fake one, Ralph was too smart for that so we gave him the real deal but it was incomplete. I signaled to Sarah as Ralph was distracted with reading the file. She dropped the tear gas on the floor and I quickly reach out to Anna amidst the smoke.
The man behind Anna was struggling with the smoke as I quickly untied the rope and gave her the gun. We stood up to get to Ralph but we couldn't find him in the smoke.
Ralph was nowhere to be found. We had planned to take the file from him even though it wasn't complete. He could get other researchers to work day and night on it to complete it but then Ralph had escaped,with the file.
"He got away with the file" I said as the three of us got out of the building coughing and breathing heavily
"He did what?" Sarah asked again in disbelief