The Climax

Back above ground Connor has been watching the guards pace back and forth. They keep their eyes on him and seem anxious in his presence, even when he’s bound down. Connor sees Fathi on the other side of the hall. He is bound similarly to him but is still out cold. Hearing one of his jokes wouldn’t be too bad right about now.

A hardass merc walks up to Connor and kneels behind him. “You haven’t tried to get free, have you? I’ll fasten these cuffs to be sure, Tusk.” She says with an angry tone. He was right, these guards are scared of him. Connor listens carefully. She inserts the key to the cuffs and turns. Connor looks up and sees a man observing from a little further away with his **** weapon. Connor hears the little click, knowing the cuffs are free to readjust and he quickly jerks his hands. He pulls them aggressively and just manages to pull the cuffs open. The woman screams and Connor takes her in a chokehold as the other merc aims his weapon at him.

“Let go! I will shoot!” Connor backs away, holding the woman as she groans. Connor finds a knife on her waist and takes it before she does and uses it instead to keep her under his control. “I’m just gonna go there and free my buddy, alright? No need to make this messy, huh?” Connor backs away as more mercenaries surround him, aiming their guns at him and the woman. Suddenly there is a gunshot and the woman Connor is holding gasps. Connor feels her go limp as she bleeds from the hole on her side.

Connor looks and sees the bald man from earlier with only shorts on holding his big gun towards him. “Game over, Tusk. You don’t have a shield anymore.” Connor throws the corpse and runs behind a pillar as the others open fire. These bastards. Connor has been under fire before, but normally he would have his revolver on him. Now all he has is a knife. He feels his hands get wet and then sees something before him. It’s a small scorpion. Just like the one before. First it reminds him of his gun and how useful that would be now, but then he gets an idea. He reaches for it and grabs it by the tail. Then he waits. The mercenaries walk closer slowly and keep their distance. “Shoot to kill! No need to let this bastard walk away from this!” Stuart shouts and gets to the other side of the pillar and peeks with his gun.

Connor is ready and throws the scorpion at him. Stuart manages to catch the scorpion, thinking it was a rock or something. The scorpion stings his palm and he screams in pain. As he is distracted, Connor jumps out of his hiding place and kicks the man on the leg and places the knife on his throat. The mercs turn to him and Stuart shouts angrily: “Don’t you fucking shoot! Oh shit!” Connor smirks and takes the man’s gun and pulls the man across the sand back towards Fathi. What a shitshow.

He reaches him, shoots the cuff chain with the gun and kicks the fat man on the side. Fathi wakes up and sees the mercenaries and tumbles back down screaming. “It’s alright. I got this all under control. Right, Stu?” The scruffy bearded man presses the knife’s edge on the black man's throat and he groans in anger. Connor looks at the unsure mercenaries pointing their guns at him and sees the red haired woman appear while pulling her tank top back on: “What are you boys playing here? Oh.” She sees her partner in a bind and waves at Stuart who grinds his teeth and breathes heavily under Connor’s blade.

“Kill him. Come on. Give me a reason to gut you, Tusk. I’m begging you. Because it won’t be soon over for you, that I can promise! I promise you that, Tusk!” She shouts and pulls a gun from one of the mercs and walks closer. Connor points his gun at her. If he shoots, the goons will make swiss cheese out of him. But so is Mirabel if she gets too close.

Then all of them hear commotion towards the dig site. Multiple mercenaries run out of the tunnel screaming and Connor sees his chance and shoots at the woman who dodges and rolls behind some rocks as the other mercenaries don’t know what to do. “Real piece of shit situation we got here, huh?” She taunts and Connor holds Stuart still, waiting for a miracle to happen.