Chapter 1

It was a misty night in Brussels as Cornelis Goudsmit, better known as Cor to his friends, walked the streets. Midnight was only several hours away and beautiful fireworks would explode high in the sky once the clock struck twelve, heralding the New Year.

There were some fireworks going off left and right at the moment, but the majority of the people were inside their warm houses with friends and family, or having a night out at one of the many clubs and bars in the city.

Cor, however, was not as lucky. He had to work late to get a new software version ready to be shipped next week. It had been a long, tiresome day, but in the end he fixed the software. The only thing Cor cared for right now, was drinking a beer, and then hitting the sack as soon as possible.

He wasn't even going to bother with all the festivities in and around the city this year, like he usually did. The last two weeks had been terrible on the team he worked with and for now, he was just glad to be out of the office for a week.

Freedom at last. It's about time too. The first thing I'm going to do is sleep-in late until early midday and then have brunch in Spotters.

Spotters was Cor's favorite cafe and if he weren't so tired now, he'd have probably spent the night there. A couple of his buddies had said they'd also be there, but he had let them know earlier in the day that he wasn't going to make it due to his deadline.

Cor pulled up his coat's collar to protect him from the biting wind. The snow of the last several weeks had turned from a virgin white into a brown muddy mess and since it was freezing again it made the roads dangerously slippery. Luckily, he lived close enough to work to walk the distance, though he wished he had a car at his disposal at times like these. Then again, the parking fees downtown were insane, and his colleagues often complained about finding a parking space close to the office.

The lanterns kept the streets well-lit with their soft orange glow, but the mist made it hard to see much further than fifty meters ahead. Since Cor always traveled the same road every day, he knew the streets like the back of his hand. The limited visibility wasn't really a problem, but with all these diplomats in the city, you never know when some maniac would be speeding on the slippery roads.

Despite it only being slightly after nine p.m., several inebriated young men and women were already walking the streets like obnoxious zombies. They had probably been drinking for most of the day already to celebrate the coming new year.

I'm not surprised if some of them pass out before the real fireworks even start. Let's just hope that they have enough sanity to take a taxi home. We already have more than enough drunk drivers wreaking havoc on the city.

Cor heard the low humming engine of a van behind him, but he paid it no attention. Cor figured that the driver was just being careful due to the slippery conditions of the roads. He kept his eyes trained in front of him, least he'd trip on a particularly slippery part of the sidewalk.

I wish they'd at least try a little harder to keep the pavements clean, I read that several elderly people broke their hip when they slipped and fell on the sidewalks.

He kept walking with his hands deep in his pockets. As he left the downtown area, the amount of people on the streets seemed to die down. Once he left the entertainment district, the city seemed deserted, not a soul ventured outside. Cor was lost in his thoughts, wondering what he should be doing with his spare time. He had been working on some small projects and now would be the ideal time to finish them.

The wind howled through the streets, while the van's engine continued to hum behind him. That's weird. Why is that van still behind me? It had ample opportunity to pass me by now.

Cor turned his head, looking behind him. He saw three men and one woman, all clad in black suits with balaclavas pulled over their head, walking next to the van, their eyes trained on him.

Shit, that can't be good. I need to get away from those people and fast!

Cor looked for a way out. There were a couple of narrow alleys up ahead where the van wouldn't be able to follow him, but those four black figures probably wouldn't have any problem running after him.

Still, he felt it was his best chance at getting away from whatever they had in store for him. Cor waited till he almost passed the alley on his right and then quickly turned around, running through it in an attempt to get away from his stalkers.

While the van stopped and dimmed its lights, he heard one of the men roar, "Get him!"

Cor heard several pairs of rubber boots following him. He ran as fast as he could, taking a sharp turn to his left into another narrow street. He briefly considered hiding behind a couple big trash containers, but figured that they'd find him easy enough since the distance between them wasn't that much.

Seeing no other option than to keep running, he did just that.

Damn it, I wish I had gone to the gym these last couple of months.

He sweat badly already and his heavy coat and pants slowed him down. To make matters worse, his office shoes were being a royal pain on his feet and he was he felt a bad ache coming up in his side. Still, he wouldn't give up that easily, whatever those people were planning with him, it couldn't be anything good. It was obvious that these men and woman were not part of a local gang. For one, they wouldn't have taken the trouble to stalk him for this long or dress up the way they did. They'd have just pointed a knife or gun in his direction and demanded his wallet and mobile phone instead.

Cor was actually prepared for dealing with such a situation; he didn't wear any visible jewelry that'd make him an easy target. He also carried a spare wallet with him that held some cash, but not his driver's license, credit cards, and other valuables. Having been robbed before, he really didn't want to go through all the trouble again with the various institutions to get his driver's license back and his credit cards restored.

Cor kept running, but the black ice on the sidewalks slowed him down. He nearly slipped a few times already and he hoped that his pursuers were having the same amount of trouble he had.

One of them actually seemed to, as he heard one of the men slipping and crashing into a parked car with his full body weight, muttering a stream of curses while he slowly got up again. It sounded like he had left quite a dent in the car.

One down, three to go ... Oh crap, this is a dead end!

Cor had managed to get himself trapped, but still didn't want to give up just like that. Of his three remaining pursuers, the woman ran the fastest and she was the first to face him. Cor panted like a dog after a run, the cold air burning in his lungs. He held his aching side, while recovering from his sprint. The woman slowly advanced on him like a cat stalking its prey, giving him a few more seconds to catch his breath.

Shit, I'm in real trouble now.

Cor had studied karate as a child and although he knew his executions had grown sloppy, he still remembered the basic routines. When the woman tried to kick him, he quickly side stepped and used her momentum to give her an extra push in the direction of the wall.

Taken by surprise, she crashed into it. Cor didn't think twice when he decided to follow up with the best kick to her head that he could manage. She groaned, before falling unconscious to the ground.

I figure that she'll be out of it for at least a few minutes. Oh crap, where did those other two come from?

"Martial arts? That wasn't in his profile," one of the men muttered, taking on a classic Jiujutsu opening pose.

He seemed to have more experience with boxing and Cor started to panic. He had never been a good fighter in the first place, and running away was generally the better option, especially when it was two against one.

Great, now what? I'm with my back against the wall and they're blocking the only exit. Cor looked around him to check his options. It was then, when he noticed a metal bar lying on the floor between the trash.

Beats nothing. He dove for the bar and narrowly avoided a kick aimed at his abdomen from the first man.

Cor landed on the ground, grabbed the bar, and rolled out of harm's way, after which he quickly got up again. His attacker wasn't taking no for an answer, however, and advanced on him once more. Cor swung the bar with all his force, aiming it at the man's knee. It felt as if he had hit a brick wall; his hand stung badly and his arm trembled.

The big man howled out in pain and grabbed his left knee while he fell to the ground. "My knee, my knee, you fucking broke it!"