The Vigilant

Brother Elias looked up at the illuminated window of the second story room where the kidnappers were holding Marcia Gaines, the heiress daughter of billionaire Tycoon Marshall Gaines then, using the secret art of 'projecting', one of the hundred secret arts taught to the members of his order, he used the elasticity of his body to catapult himself up to the window ledge before using another of the orders useful arts, that of lock picking, to open the window, sliding it gently up before agilely leaping inside.

 

Immediately he was confronted by two grim, hulking men with handguns that fired them into his chest and might have killed him had he not been wearing magnetically repelling body armour under his black polo neck that stopped their bullets in mid-air.
Then, before the two men had time to realise what had happened and aim at his unprotected head, Elias knocked them each unconcious with a single high voltage taekwondo blow from his electrified stun gloves.
But then, as the two goons thudded helplessly to the floor, he saw what they had been guarding, Marcia Gaines, sitting in a white arm chair.
Strangely, though, he noted, for a kidnap victim she was not bound or handcuffed.
"Who are you?", she asked, "Is my father paying you? You're not a policeman, are you?".
"No", he said, "Neither of those things. I'm a member of the Ancient Noble Order Of The Vigilant".
Slipping off his stun gloves, he showed her his right hand and the ring upon it bearing the symbol of an eye surrounded by outwardly radiating beams of light.
"We are a centuries old secret society committed to fighting crime", he continued.
"You mean you're like a Freemason?", she asked, surprised.
"Something like that, yes", he replied, going over to and cautiously opening the door of the room before peering out into the dimly lit living room beyond, "Now if you'll just follow me, Miss Gaines I'll get you out of here and safely back to your father".
But then Elias felt something cold and hard press against the back of his head, just behind his right ear and heard a gun being cocked.
"No. I don't think so", said Marsha, "You see I still haven't recieved the ransom money that Daddy is paying to get me back".
Realization dawned on Brother Elias.
"You mean you kidnapped yourself?", he asked, "But why?".
"My father may be a billionaire but he's a skinflint", she said, "He wants me to get a job and work for a living. He says it will teach me self reliance".
"I see", said Elias.
"Thats why I can't let you save me", she said, "Sorry but I'm going to have to kill you".
"Oh well, I'm prepared to die", said Elias.
"You are?", she asked, interested.
"Yes, like all the members of my order, I have looked into the all seeing eye and have seen the world to come", said Elias
"Oh?", she asked, curious, "And what is it like".
"Why don't you see for yourself?", said Elias, raising up his hand slowly and showing her his ring.
She glanced over at the ring and saw the eye upon it appear to light up and then suddenly something flashed into her mind, a vision of herself in a dark place, a burning place; a man with horns standing behind her and grinning.
"No", he heard her gasp, her hand that was holding the gun, trembling.
But then, suddenly Elias grabbed hold of her hand and in a single move, spun her around, pulling her infront of him so that now it was she who had the gun pressed against the back of her head.
"Is that where I'm going?", she asked, "To that terrible place".
"Christ said the Kingdom of Heaven is within you", said Elias, "Perhaps Hell is aswell".
But then a finger jab to the carotid sinus at the back of her neck reduced the heiress to unconciousness.
A wireless earpiece in his left ear crackled and Elias heard the voice of his lodge officer.
"A serpent hiding under the rose", he commented.
"Indeed", said Elias, "The question is now what do I do with it?".
"Oh well return Miss Gaines to her father. Don't worry, we have a recording of her confession. A copy of that will be sent to him then whatever he decides to do with it is his own business", said his superior, "Oh and, as always, remain vigilant".
"Yes sir", said Elias.