I awoke with a startle. The subtle hum of the air-born engines was peaceful.
“I can’t believe I am going back to this hell hole. I wonder what Jim has been up to.” Jim was my only brother. He was an archaeologist. Like many archaeologist, Israel was a gold mine of fossils. For as long as I could remember Jim was always playing in the dirt. We both took very different paths. As he was studying at UCLA, I went to the Naval Academy. I graduated at the top of my class with high honors in hand-to-hand combat, battlefield versatility, and was the best shot in his battalion. While he was in Montana investigating the unprecedented amount of fossils, I was in Israel.
“Attention passengers, we are making are final approach into Jerusalem. Estimated time of arrival is in five minutes.”
I careful collected my luggage and exited the plane. I felt the dry air assault me as soon I had left the comfort of the plane.
“Well at least nothing has changed.” I thought. I analyzed the arid environment. My eyes stopped on one particular position. There he was. Jim. He was wearing a blue american eagle t-shirt with a brown shorts.
“Dutch! How are you?!’”
“Good. How is the dig coming along?”
“We found a couple of velociraptors yesterday.”
“I would love to see them.”

We walked toward his discolored jeep. We drove for about 3 miles until we came to his excavation. There were several indigenous workers carefully dusting away the sand.
“Here is our crown jewel.” Jim gestured to a large tarp. I cautiously walked toward it. I bluntly pulled the tarp from its location. I was met with an immediate contrast. A skull was staring back at me. I instantly recognized it. It was a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil.
“Jim...This is huge. This will change everything. You’ll finally have something to put in a museum with your name on it!”

“Shhh! People might try to steal it. And I agree.” Jim chuckled.
We toured the rest of his camp. I saw more fossils than I had seen in my entire life.
“Now it is my turn to show you something little bro.”
I drove about 5 miles into the heart of Jerusalem. We were met with many shady looks as we drove through the shanties. It seemed as if they had smelled death on me.
“I hope he still lives here.” I thought. Just then, Amul emerged from his house.
“Dutch! It is has been a while my friend.”
I was instantly flooded with memories. Amul and I were in the same platoon when I was stationed in Jerusalem. We were brothers in arms. Brothers for life.
“What have you been up to my friend?!”
“You know... The usual.”
“Hmm.. That bad.”
“Tell you what. Is that one cafe still around?”
“Um.. Yeah yeah.”
“Dinner on me.”
We all walked to this cafe. The cafe was just how I remember it. It had the same rustic, neon sign. The cement had been roughed from the many sandstorms. I walked in and ordered.
“1 cream and 2 sugars.” I always enjoyed coming here with Amul. We would sit in the corner and talk. No military plans, just talking. We would talk about the contrast between the inner city and that of the surrounding shanties. So much of our time was spent in firefights and in combat, we rarely had time to relax. For this was the life of two extremely deadly men. Amul was an Israeli Commando. Similar to myself, we spent the majority of our time refining our necessary skills. He was extremely skilled in hand-to-hand combat. He had taught me everything I know. I taught him everything I know. Together we struck fear into our enemies. Walker and Endad. Our superiors told us that we were the greatest military asset at his disposal.
“Just like old times.”
“Ahh yeah. Except we aren’t being shot at.”
“Haha. yeah.”
“Hey guys... We should really get going.” Jim said nervously.
“Why?”
They immediately found out why. A group of rebels had opened fired on the coffee shop. Effortlessly, I unclipped my SIG Sauer from my side. Amul had kicked over the table and was huddled next to my brother.
“I was actually missing getting shot at!”
“Me too Dutch!”
“Jim I need your camera.”
“Ok.”
I could tell that this camera was very expensive. Too bad it wouldn't survive the firefight. I looked everywhere for the flash. My fingers slowly came across the button.
“Dutch whatever you are going to do, you had better do it faster.” chimed Amul.
I glanced up at my attackers. I saw that they were loading a menacing weapon: a rocket propelled grenade. I carefully rewired the camera.
“Take cover in 3....2.....1...... NOW!!”
I slid the camera across the floor just as the RPG was about to be launched. I shot the camera. The bullet made contact with the flash button. All of the terrorists were immediately caught off guard by the burst of light. I took this to my advantage. I raised up my gun and fired several shots. As if on que, Amul took the other rebels. All of the bullets had found their marks. Our attackers laid dead in the moonlit night.
“Where in the world did you come up with that one?” an astonished Amul said.
“I wanted a flash bang so I improvised.”
“My camera!” Jim yelled.
“You’re worried about the camera! Amul and I just saved you.”
“No one is safe while I am alive.” a mysterious voice. Just then I was struck from behind and I saw my vision darkening. I saw one thing that haunts me to this day. My brother being dragged the blood soaked sand by an unknown enemy.

When I awoke I found that I was no longer in the cafe. I was bound to a chair. I felt the coarse rope grind against my wrists. Amul groaned quietly.
“Amul.....Amul!”
“Whhat?”
“Where are we?”
“I don’t know but it can’t be good. The last thing I remember was that voice. I recognize that voice.”
“You should... Ah where are my manners. My name is Afanasi Gergoff. I-”
“You’re a monster!”
“Some may call me this. I prefer inspired leader.”
“You killed some of my closest friends.” yelled Amul.
“Gentlemen enough. The reason for your abduction is because I have grown tired of being untouchable. I want a real challenge.”
“What do you mean??” I asked inquisitively.
“Israeli Commando and Navy Seal vs a Mass Murderer. Can you imagine a better scenario?”
“What makes you think we will play your little game?”
“Why do are you doing this?!”
“It is what is necessary.”
“Ah..Dutch direct your attention to the television set in the corner.”
I saw the aged device spark to life. It was a live feed. I didn’t believe what my eyes were witnessing. I saw my brother was in a busy public square.
“Afanasi... Let him go!!”
“You play my game and he will leave in peace.”
Just as he was saying this, Afanasi stepped from the shadows. He was a tall and well built. He had a beard that was speckled with gray and black dots. I could feel his evil charisma. With his white skin and thick Russian accent I deduced that he was a former KGB agent.
“Go to hell!” I screamed.
“So be it.... Blow him sky high.”

Afanasi left us alone. My eyes immediately darted to the television. My brother had been replaced a ball of smoke and flames. My life seemed to stop. The faint echo of the fire department brought me to the realization. My brother was gone. I had to avenge him. Afanasi would pay dearly.

I struggled against my restraints. It yielded no results.
“Amul. Do you have a knife?”
“Yeah at the cafe. They confiscated our weapons.”
“Dang.”
I began devising a solution to our escape. There was absolutely nothing to work with. Just as I was about to give up, when my efforts were rewarded. I began rocking the chair. After two rounds of rocking, the chair crumbled to the floor. I felt the chair smash under my exerted pressure. I quickly untied my comrade and burst down the door. There was a small table with our weapons littered on it. I felt myself being consumed by the darkness. Amul was at my side.
“Dutch what is the plan?”
“Kill Afanasi. Take down his gang.”
“Good plan. Chances of survival?”
“Next to nothing.”
“Just the way I like it.”
“Don’t you think there would be guards here?”
Just then I heard the whisper of the sand. This must be the guards.
“Amul, Take cover. We need to find answers.” I whispered.
My suspicions paid off. There 20 feet away was one guard. He had AK-47 strapped to his shoulder. He also had ammo draping from his slender shoulders.
“I got this one.” Amul said calmly.
I watched him stealthily sneak behind the guard. He drilled his knee into the guards back. He shrieked in pain. He was immediately gagged by Amul. I began the interrogation.
“Where is Afanasi?!”
“I.. I don’t know” He said in broken English.
I grasped his wrists in my rugged hands. I violently twisted his hands. They made a gruesome cracking. The guard contorted uncontrollably.
“What else do I need to break to make you talk?!!”
“HE.... HE in Dubai!”
“Thanks. Amul he is yours.”
Amul promptly thrusted his elbow in the guard’s head. He slumped to the cold sand.
“We can try to fly there, but we will need to charter a plane.”
“I can fly the plane. But where are we going to find one?”

It was dawn. The Arabic sun slowly stirred from its slumber. Amul and I were camped out waiting for our time to strike.
“This is crazy!” Amul stated.
“I have to find this man... He killed Jim.”
“Alright.”
It was a perfect day to hijack a plane. The plan was simple. We would wait for the pilots to exit the plane and then make a break for it. We casually walked into the rustic airport. I could feel the tension in the airport. I was counting on that Afanasi would have some people waiting for us. I knew I had less than 3 rounds left in my Sauer. If there was a confrontation it would be without my gun.
“Flight 367 from Dubai has arrived in gate 7.” said an intercom voice. It then repeated itself in several languages which I didn’t understand.
I saw the glimmer of the seven in the distance.
“Hurry we are almost there.” I whispered.
The terminal was almost completely barren. They were two women quietly gossiped in the corner. I carefully watched as I approached the gate.
“Amul... As soon as we set foot in that tunnel we need to run.” I chimed.
“I don’t think they are women. We show up in an empty terminal with two gossiping women. Unlikely.”
As we sprinted down the rectangular tunnel, I told Amul to stop around this corner. Seconds later the two women, who actually men, unsheathed the automatic rifles. I nodded at Amul with a half grin. He knew what to do. I propelled myself at the henchman. He easily collapsed to the metal floor. I glanced at Amul. He had the other henchman in a choke hold while his gun had been dismantled. I viciously bashed the rebel’s head into the cold, unforgiving steel floor. Amul had kicked open the door to the tunnel and threw his rebel out. He laid still on the black tarmac.
We heard shouting from the tunnel. We had wasted all of our time. We hurried inside the monstrous aircraft. Amul shut the hatch and we sprinted to the cockpit. We were met with thousands of small dials and switches. I began to work frantically to start this monster. I had switched on several buttons until one yielded results. I heard the engines cough to life. I began to steer the plane to the main runway.
“Dutch I think we have a problem.”
My eyes darted to find this. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I observed another plane cutting across the runway.
“Amul there isn’t any turning back. Fire up the main engines.”
“Ok Dutch.”
The metal behemoth began to gain tremendous speed. I could feel the wind biting at my controls. With all my strength, I yanked the yoke up. I saw that Amul was doing the same. We weren’t going to make it. Our plane made a horrible screeching noise as the rear tires impaled the top of the plane. The was a loud snap and we lurched from side to side, but we had made it.
“Ahh Dutch. Let’s never hijack a plane again.”
“I can’t guarantee that.” I said sarcastically

We arrived in Dubai around sunset. The orange rays glimmered against the blue ocean making a beautiful spectacle.
“Amul, Do you have on your parachute?”
“Yeah. This why I am ground based.”
I saw the nervousness in his eyes. We need to dispatch of the plane.
“3....2.....1... Jump.”
The wind howled as I open up the hatch. Amul awkwardly sprang from the plane. I calmly fell out. The massive bird dropped out of the sky and crashed into the pristine waters below. I felt my adrenaline kick in. I aligned myself with Amul and pointed to the spot. I was pointing at the largest building in the world. The Berj Dubai.
As we approached, I could see the scaffolding near the top. We pulled our chutes and gracefully glided to it. I firmly grasped the rebar in my hands while Amul glided to the ground. I unclipped the chute and pulled myself up. I cautiously walked along the wooden beams until I came to the construction site. I must have been at least a mile high in the air. I desperately searched the site. Wet cement, glass panes, and several different kind of tools littered the ground.
“I see you have found me American.” Afanasi said cooly.
“Where are you?!” I yelled.
“Where you least expect it.”
I felt the cold steel penetrate my skin. It was met with the warm ooze of blood. I grasped the knife with my hands. It was buried deep in my gut. I fell to the ground in agony.
“I have failed... I have failed.”
“You have come all this way to fail now. What a pity. I thought you were better than this.”
“Show yourself!”
“I guess it is only appropriate.”
Afanasi stepped from a nearby column. He gracefully walked to me. I mustered all of my strength and I stood.
“Looks like you will face me, Dutch.”
“Not exactly.”
I pulled the knife from my belly and threw it with all of my might. It made a satisfying thunk as it plunged into his rib cage. I hobbled over to his side and drug him to the edge of the building.
“Wait what are you doing?!”
“What is necessary.”
I released my grip on Afanasi. He fell into the darkness. Amul raced to my side.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah just got knifed.”
“Where is Afanasi?”
“Down there.”
Amul and I peered over the edge and saw police cars race into the square below.