“You have nowhere to go. Let the little girl go and give up,” Gabriel told him calmly. “It is over for you.”
“No. It isn’t. I can kill you all and die. Then it is over. Then I have fulfilled my mission.”
Gabriel motioned with his hand for the family to come towards him as the terrorist lifted the six-year-old up against his chest with one arm and moved backwards to the patio door leading to the balcony.
Out of the corner of his eye Gabriel could see a face he recognized on the television. It was switched on to the ship’s internal channel giving out information on Explorer’s amenities, progress and much more. Someone was making a direct announcement from on board the ship. It was Aalam El Hashem. But the sound was down and he couldn’t hear anything.
At first the family was reluctant to move. They huddled together, the mother begging the terrorist through her frightened tears to let her daughter go.
“Many children were killed in your country’s air strikes in Iraq. You did not care about our children. I will not care about yours,” the terrorist spat at her moving out onto the balcony.
Gabriel motioned with his hand again and tugged at the man’s tuxedo jacket arm to move. He wanted them out of the line of fire.
“Get back. I will deal with this,” he informed them following the jihadist fighter to the balcony.
“Leave and surrender to us or I will throw the child in the sea,” he threatened lifting her up to hang her over the balcony.
The family screamed and came towards the balcony but Gabriel acted fast slamming the patio door shut to keep them away. The little girl sobbed and pleaded with the man resting her feet on top of the rail and using what small traction she had to push back against the man’s chest in an attempt to stop him.
Malinov’s heartbeat increased its rhythm until it pounded painfully against his ribcage.
“You really want to kill a child?” Gabriel questioned. “Only cowards and murderers kill children. I thought you were a fighter for your cause. A warrior? Yet this is how you show your bravery killing an innocent child.”
The Jihadist fighter was quiet for a moment, lost for words. His head moved in agitation as he glanced along the rows of balconies above, below and to the sides of him looking for help but he was alone.
“I am not a coward and I will die for Allah but she will come with me,” he said the words with conviction but the fear and terror behind them were audible in his shaking high voice.
Once more he tried to force the girl over the balcony rail but she was stubborn and scratched at his arm then bit it. Angry he dropped his Kalashnikov and turned his back on Malinov to use both of his hands to throw her off the balcony. It was the mistake Gabriel had been waiting for him to make.
The Russian agent rushed forward and swung his arm around the terrorist’s neck as he dangled the girl over the rail. Using all of his strength he pulled him backwards with force and the girl back onto the balcony. They all fell to the floor and Gabriel fought to maintain his hold on the Jihadist fighter. The man lost his grip on the girl but renewed it when the child tried to get up and run from him. He held on to her pulling at her hair to make her stay. She started to scream at the top of her lungs.
Lying back on the deck Gabriel struggled with the terrorist who was elbowing his ribs with force. Gabriel continued to hold his arm around the terrorist’s neck and tighten his grip pressing down on the man’s throat to strangle him. He gritted his teeth and strengthened the pressure on the attacker’s larynx as the man continued to fight him and keep hold of the girl to kill her. The terrorist fought to breathe clawing with his nails at Malinov’s arm drawing blood but it was no use and eventually the terrorist’s hold on the girl weakened and death claimed him.
The girl rolled over sobbing. Malinov pushed the terrorist off his body and stood running his hands through his hair relieved the girl was safe. He looked down at the terrorist with contempt. Killing was difficult but it was his job to keep others safe and if he had to end the life of someone then he would do it without remorse.
More than often it was kill or be killed in his line of work. That’s what his father had drummed into him when he decided to train him at an early age to help him focus. Gabriel had gone off the rails by trying drugs to help him forget about witnessing his parents’ death when they worked for the KGB, and he was grateful to him still.
Gabriel helped the little girl up and lifted her up into his arms. Her small arms clung around his neck as she cried. He hugged her tight and reassured her she was safe. Giving the top of her head a kiss he told her how brave she had been before opening the patio door and carrying her back to her parents and sister.
The little girl gave him a kiss before being pulled into her daddy’s shaking arms. Vikktor was in the cabin now along with two military men. They took the family outside and away to safety.
“You need to see this,” Vikktor said turning the sound up on the television. Just as he did the sound of Aalam El Hashem’s voice echoed outside in the corridor and inside the cabin. It was being piped through the Explorer’s intercom system and all over the ship, including the bathrooms.
“I will give you one more chance, Antonia King,” Aalam said holding a knife to the throat of the woman with him. “Come to me
