A gentle tune plays in the background as you stare at the pile of documents in front of you. Lately, you have grown fond of classical music. You don’t where that sudden interest came from, but it is certainly not the worst phase someone can go through. If it were a punk-phase your boss would probably send you home in an instant. You sigh defeatedly. Maybe that would be the better option for today. Why? Well, if you’re sending out high-ranked police officers to deal with a bomb threat in a city where never anything happens because it’s just that unimportant, you can be sure that nobody is particularly thrilled about the whole thing. Way too often had you had a false alarm because some stupid teenagers thought that it would be oh so funny to make a fake bomb threat. The building that was chosen this time isn’t even easy to break into to begin with due to the massive number of cameras and guards. That place is nothing special, it’s just a hospital, but whatever. You are getting paid for this so you shouldn’t complain. Having packed all the things you need, you drive to the hospital with the whole crew. Since nobody wants to cause chaos in a place full of sick people, the mission is meant to be done with a low-profile, therefore nobody from the police is wearing a uniform.
Once you arrive there you place the suitcase beneath the window next to the staff exit, exactly where it belongs. …W̶h̶y̶ t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶?̶
Everyone is assigned a specific sector which they need to guard for the entire day. As the hospital is divided into three buildings, one can imagine how much personal expenses this (highly-likely) fake bomb threat is costing the city. But that’s only on a side note. You yourself are positioned on the first floor of the center building.
Since there is nothing - aside from observation - to do, time passes horrendously slow. Those two hours where nothing happens feel much more like two days. Only once a man, based on his clothes someone from security, spots you, does your boredom find its end. “Officer (L/N)? You were asked to go to the gates of the south wing.”
Confused, you tilt your head. “The south wing? Isn’t that where the psychiatric department is? Did something happen there?”
“Sorry, I don’t know. I only know that it is something important.”
Sighing, you take your walkie-talkie out of your pocket. “Could someone cover the first floor in the center building for me? I need to check on something.”
You wait a few seconds for one of your colleagues to answer. A male officer does so. “I will.”
With that you thank the man from security and take your leave. It takes you ten minutes to get to your destination. A small group of people are awaiting you there. “Officer (L/N) here, who called?”
A beautiful woman with purple hair steps forward. Her face seems very familiar, but you can’t recall where you’ve seen her before. Odd, when you think about how your heartbeat quickens upon seeing her. “I did. There is a security issue in the basement that needs to be fixed. Please follow me.”
That melodic voice fits her appearance very well. If only you could listen to it more- No (Y/N), this is neither the right time nor the right place to swoon over strangers. There are far more important matters that need your attention. “I mean sure, but couldn’t you have asked someone who already was stationed in the south wing? If it’s that important you shouldn’t wait for someone who has to change buildings first. Every minute can be crucial.”
“Listen, for this task we need the most skilled hands which happen to be yours. Follow me.”
T̶h̶a̶t̶ d̶o̶e̶s̶n̶’t̶ a̶n̶s̶w̶e̶r̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ q̶u̶e̶s̶t̶i̶o̶n̶. Sounds reasonable enough. Without any further protest, you follow her.
Having arrived in the basement, you take a look around. As it seems, this room is usually used to store documents. Nevertheless you can’t spot anything out of the ordinary. “Soo… Where is the problem?”
“Unfortunately, my key has a defect, so we need yours.” Seeing your obvious confusion at her request, she continues. “The key that is sitting in the right front pocket of your jacket.”
Automatically you reach for said pocket and just as she said, there is a small object hidden inside. By the looks of it, it appears to be an electric key. Why were you carrying that thing around again? Something isn’t right here; you can feel it. This quickened heartbeat you first felt when meeting her – it feels less and less like attraction, but rather like fear. “Who… are you…?”
Her lazy smile, why does it remind you of a cat starring at a half dead mouse, mocking its fate? “Kafka, your partner.”
“My wha-“
“Listen, you need to use the key to activate the bomb. The bomb is in the suitcase underneath the table in front of us.”
T̶h̶i̶s̶ i̶s̶ w̶r̶o̶n̶g̶. Y̶o̶u̶ w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ h̶e̶l̶p̶ t̶e̶r̶r̶o̶r̶i̶s̶t̶s̶ w̶i̶t̶h̶ t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ c̶r̶i̶m̶e̶s̶. I̶s̶n̶’t̶ t̶h̶a̶t̶ t̶h̶e̶ s̶u̶i̶t̶c̶a̶s̶e̶ y̶o̶u̶ b̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ t̶o̶ t̶h̶e̶ h̶o̶s̶p̶i̶t̶a̶l̶?̶ W̶h̶y̶ d̶i̶d̶ y̶o̶u̶…?̶ Again, without complaining, you follow her order. With a swift motion you take out the bomb and put it on the table. D̶o̶n̶’t̶ d̶o̶ t̶h̶i̶s̶ (̶Y̶/N̶)̶, y̶o̶u̶ d̶o̶n̶’t̶ w̶a̶n̶t̶ t̶h̶i̶s̶. Having the key in your hand, you hold it above the bomb. Just an inch closer and the timer will start. S̶t̶o̶p̶. T̶h̶i̶s̶ i̶s̶n̶’t̶ y̶o̶u̶ – t̶h̶i̶s̶ i̶s̶ h̶e̶r̶. S̶h̶e̶ i̶s̶ s̶u̶f̶f̶o̶c̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ m̶i̶n̶d̶ w̶i̶t̶h̶ h̶e̶r̶ a̶b̶i̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ a̶n̶d̶ t̶a̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ c̶o̶n̶t̶r̶o̶l̶ o̶v̶e̶r̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ a̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶. T̶h̶i̶s̶ i̶s̶n̶’t̶ y̶o̶u̶. T̶h̶i̶s̶ i̶s̶n̶’t̶-̶ “This isn’t… me…”
A gloved hand is placed on top of yours and gives it the last push it needed. With a loud beep the timer gets activated. The display shows that there are only five minutes left. Moving behind you, Kafka places her hands on your shoulder and leans forward to whisper into your right ear. “It is too late for any regrets now so listen: We need to leave the building in an instant or else we will be blown up with all the others.”
Too shocked by the turn of events, your mind can’t produce any proper though and you simply follow your partner. Barely have you distanced yourself from the hospital, does the bomb detonate with a big explosion. A crushing silence comes after it. Despair and nausea overtaking you, you fall to your knees. They are all dead now and it’s all your fault. No, it is not your fault, it’s hers. She forced you into this…
“Kafka, your pet is crying again. Didn’t you say that they were cooperative by now?” Looking up, you see a silver-haired girl leaning against a tree not too far away from you and Kafka.
“I said soon. Very soon. But Silver Wolf, my electric key didn’t work. If we didn’t give (Y/N) one as well, the whole operation would have been for naught.”
“That’s what you have spare keys for. Besides, this mission doesn’t hold any practical value, even if Elio approved it. This is just your personal agenda. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Both Silver Wolf and Kafka are so nonchalant about the whole situation that you get the impression that you are the crazy one out here.
“Why… did you do this…? Why did you kill so many innocent people?! And why did you drag me into this hell of a mess?!”, you cry out.
“No particular reason. Back when we first met, I simply found you… interesting.” She kneels down to your level and gently pets your head.
Immediately, you slap her hand away. “You did all of this just because you thought that I was interesting?! This is ridiculous! Even if I can’t prosecute you, my colleagues can. In fact, I will call them right now. That way I won’t have to deal with your búllshit any second longer.” You pull out your walkie-talkie, but Kafka puts her hand around yours.
“I don’t believe that that’s a smart idea. Think about it: Who helped us with the preparation of the attack? You did. If you call the police, you will have to face punishment just as much as we will have to.”
“You used your brainwashing technique to make me cooperate today! I didn’t act on my own will. The punishment you get for committing a crime under brainwashing are light because you weren’t compos mentis.”
“Are you sure about that? Listen, I need you to remember all the conversations we had before.”
As if someone opened a door which was already going to burst any minute, a massive number of memories floods into your mind at once. You finally remember where you have seen her before. You first met her in a bar on a Saturday evening. It was a nice meeting – the only nice meeting. After that, she reached out to you multiple times, always using her ability to make you do things for the Stallaron Hunters and making you forget everything afterwards. For months, you gave them crucial intel, weapons, you name it. She manipulated you into becoming the perfect conspirator. Even if you didn’t do this out of your free will, she’s right. Proving your innocence will be a task close to impossible. They probably planted more or less false evidence around you too. You are like a fly that flied into a spider’s net. When you realize that you have been caught, it is already far too late.
“Normally, such an elaborate plan wouldn’t be necessary, but your mind can be stubborn at times. You follow simple order well, though those that obviously go against your morals don’t work. Just as we have seen with the activation of the bomb, you are able to tear the silk and snap out of it in time. This is why I split up a few big orders into countless, more subtle ones. You don’t want to do extensive research for us about the security measurements of the hospital? No problem, just give us single pieces of information that are meaningless by themselves. If smuggling a bomb into a hospital is out of question for you, merely bringing a suitcase doesn’t sound all that bad, doesn’t it? Even if the path is obscured, the destination remains the same. And now you are far too deep in this hole to easily climb out of it again. This is why I want to ask you;” Kafka uses her right hand to lift up your head by your chin so that you are directly looking into her eyes. “Will you finally cooperate without having to be guided by the silk, darling?”
I hope you enjoyed reading and stay healthy!