Colombia (12) - Hope's death

Kay was on a cargo train, hiding in a crate, on her way to leave the country. I have to admit, she's always had that fighting spirit.

Most of the rest of us who had anything to do with the fires had been caught and were now starting to rot inside the local overpopulated prison. Some others hadn't been … that lucky, and had been killed on the spot.

The worst part about prison were the TVs. They were nearly everywhere, at full volume, usually showing some random instructional shit, sometimes the news, especially news about those we cared for.

This time they were showing a whole assault squad board a train, led by the Devil himself, his lapdog close behind. Many of us closed their eyes -- that man, HE was the sole reason things were as they were. I couldn't close mine. I knew what was going on -- as did many of us. I guess someone broke down and told them she was going to try to escape on a train. Why had she told us, I'll never know.

The squad soon reached the cargo compartment, all guns pointed to her crate. But no. Hers wouldn't be a quick death. We all knew that. The Devil, with his usual stupid grin, greeted her. "I know you're there, Kay. Come out, let's talk, shall we?"

We heard her curse --comms had long since been restored-- and then laugh as the crate's lid opened and she got on her feet. "Oh, wow, didn't think you'd come to kill me yourself. You make me blush, boss."

He slapped her at full force, causing her to fall sideways. "Name's Andrei."

Not bothering to get up, she laughed. "Sure, boss. Sure."

He sighed. He couldn't win that one battle apparently.

Sasha also sighed. "You brought this on yourself, you know."

She couldn't stop laughing. "Oh, my little boy finally grew up, huh? Well, you see, you didn't manage to kill me last time. So I guess you're back to try again, huh? …please, make sure you don’t' fail again. I hate being a ghost, really."

Sasha smiled as he crouched by her side. "You know. All this time, I've missed you. I've had my bouts of deep regret. … You were everything for me back then Kay."

She looked at him, still smiling. "But now you got him, who's even worse than me, so everything's alright! Come on, get it over with. I don't like being about to die, you know. I'd rather be dead already."

Sasha kissed her passionately, then paused for a moment. "But… yes. This time has also made me realize I made the right choice. … you know, I'd say I'm sorry, but I would be lying."

They both looked at each other's eyes as Sasha pulled a knife and placed the edge softly against her throat.

Kay smiled at him. She could have stopped him, but what for. No. This was it. "I know, Sandy. I know."

He smiled back at her, and with a quick movement, slit her throat open, so deep that the knife got caught in her spine. He just kept slicing at it 'till the whole head was separated from the body, then he sighed. "I won't fail this time, that's for sure."

Colombia (11) - Lighting the fire

It was a few minutes past midnight. Most of the guys had already gone to bed, still trying to wrap their heads about how could the Big Brother crash completely -- and out of the blue, at that.

Meanwhile in Moscow, the tech department at the agency were scratching their heads --they had just come to work to find out the WHOLE system at South America was out of commission. They all thought their system was… fully secure -- in fact, this was the first time it had been hacked.

In the jungle, in the darkness, someone saw a light. And then another. And another. They were growing too. Soon, all the plantations in the zone were on fire.

Andrei groaned as he crawled out of bed to pick up the phone -- it was too damn early, for hell's sake. Then his face stiffened. Half of Colombia was on fire. … and he knew exactly what half.

On a lone cabin in the woods, listening to the radio and grinning like a lunatic, was Kay. … the operation had been a success apparently. The world was on fire. Now, these people didn't have any hope. Now their lives would finally change, one way or another.

I watched as people tried to make sense of it. Yes. It had been a success indeed.

Colombia (10) - The match

They were all drinking at the bar as usual. Kay and Salvador had had a few too many drinks, and they were laughing at everything.

Kay downed her drink and looked at the bottom of the now empty glass, suddenly serious. "You know," she said, almost to herself, "I've become everything I swore to destroy."

He looked at her, too drunk to fully understand the implications in her words. "Nobody really likes the way things are, but you know we don't have a choice."

Kay looked into his eyes, her mind clearer than it had been in months. "There's ALWAYS a choice." And with that, she got up and left.

The next day, the whole network was out, comms included. When Kay arrived at the station, everyone was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Official systems were … not all that reliable, but Big Brother always watched over them all, protective. Its systems were infallible. … apparently not. Kay went straight to Salvador's office.

Him and two of his men were looking frustrated at the computer screen, which only got to say Error: Network not found every time they tried something.

"Boss, can we talk for a moment?"

"Sure, Kay. Guys, if you please…"

Kay closed the door after they exited the office. "I know what's happening."

Salvador's face lighted up for a moment before turning into a worried expression. "Wait. You don't--"

Kay had a poker expression. "Thought I'd tell you before doing anything… else. Comms are off, nobody can hear us. … Yesterday got me thinking. This… this is everything I swore to tear down. I realized, fear is stopping us from making things right."

Salvador tried his best for a poker face too, but his concern was obvious. "Kay. … You know well what happens if you fight Andrei."

"I was dead the moment I stepped in here. I'd rather actually die than live as a mindless zombie, thanks."

He sighed. "I WILL have to go after you."

She smiled. "I was afraid you'd say that." She stopped him from interrupting her. "Look, you're a good friend, Salva. I thought I'd give you a chance. … even though I did knew you don't have the balls to do what you should."

He looked at her. Her taunting would get her nowhere and she knew it. "I do have the balls to survive. To do what's necessary." He opened a drawer and pulled a gun. "Kay. You know how this works. Either you're with us, or you're a target. So please, reconsider this nonsense. Or I'll have to kill you."

Before he could finish his sentence, she was behind him, a knife on his throat. "Good luck with that." And with a swift movement, she sliced his throat.

Colombia (9) - Training

I wasn't the only rescue. There was a handful of us ready to do anything for her -- we owed her our lives, some even in the literal sense.

To the people, we were just more people dragged into the business. To her, to ourselves, we were the future. A little runt army against the system.

She had us train every single day. The physical conditioning was just the first part -- and you'd have thought the bald man was right, that with one too many squats and presses it'd do.

"Faster!! FASTER FOR GOD'S SAKE! You wouldn't outrun a snail at that pace!"

No. That was the very tip of the iceberg. That was easy. Even her nagging was… only mildly annoying. We had a purpose, and we knew well she was doing her best to help us.

We also did lots of combat training -- much more so with knives than with guns. At first, she used to cover her eyes and tell one of us to see if we could dominate her. "I can heaaar youuuu…" She'd grab our hands way faster than we could react and disarm us, every single time. We all thought she was cheating until she made us wear the blindfold and try to listen to her. … And that's when we understood. We had been as quiet as a school at recess. After that, we still couldn't dominate the situation, but we were definitely closer.

Then there was the standard sparring. Lots and lots of hits, falls… pain. We needed to know it so we could overcome it in actual combat, she said. It was all good until we started training with live edges. The pain. The blood. She also got cut a handful of times, but she didn’t react. Again, we had the theory that she was somehow cheating, but… this time we had no clue how could she even cheat when we were seeing the blood flowing from her cuts.

And yet, that was still only the beginning.

- - -

"Salvador, mind if I bring the kids into this?"

He laughed. "I'd say it's about time you did. All that training would be useless if they aren't willing to do actual work."

She smiled back. "Oh, trust me, they will. They owe me, after all."

That evening, she brought us to the dungeon. In the small, dimly lit cell, a man was tied to a chair. He laughed when he saw us. A few of us recognized him: an old junkie, he had robbed the plantations' warehouses a handful of times. … Why people like that don't just ask for a job in there escapes me.

Kay briefed us. "So, this idiot in there, he's got away with ten kilos of merchandise. We need to find out where does he hide it. Now, I need a volunteer."

A few of us raised our hands, not knowing what loomed in the horizon for us.

"Carmen, you will do fine." She picked me.

I stepped forward.

"Well, ask him where he's hiding it, for a start"

As soon as I faced him, he laughed at me. "You think I will tell you, you little bitch? If only you didn't look like a fucking butch, you might stand a chance." … Ouch.

Kay laughed too. "Will you let him talk to you like that, Carmen? …Show him why he shouldn't."

I looked at her, confused. Show him… how?

"Beat him up."

I turned around and faced him. He kept laughing. "Oooohh little butch likes to tickle--" He lost his breath as I punched him in the solar plexus. Then he started laughing. "You'd have to try harder than--" Again I hit him, taking out his breath.

Kay winked at me. "Check your pockets."

My hand flew there -- to find a pocket knife. HOW had it gotten there, I had no clue. WHAT was I going do with it… I had even less of a clue. Again I looked at her as the man kept laughing. "Oooohhhh… little dike has a knife huh? SCAAAARYYY"

"Seems to me he's a laugher," said Kay. "I wonder if he'll keep laughing once that stupid smile of his is carved into his face."

I froze. …. Granted he was a violent robber, but… but…

She came to the rescue. "As always, if you don't do it, I will. But I thought you said you'd do anything?"

Yes, we all had said that a million times. We did mean it. None of us imagined it could mean disfiguring someone, though. Much less what was to come. You see, after that, it became clear that she didn't really give a shit about the man -- this was a test for us -- for me. A test she'd make sure I didn’t' fail.

- - -

Back at the barracks, Kay offered us drinks. I couldn't possibly drink after what I had done.

She bottomed-up a full glass of firewater and then looked at us. "So. Anyone wants to chime in on what happened in there?"

I looked at the floor. No. No, I just wanted to fall asleep and… not wake up. I'd have guessed the others, not having done it, had an easier time, but no-one said anything, everyone suddenly too interested in their drinks or the floor, or really, anything but her.

She got another glass and came to join me. "I'm especially interested in your thoughts, Carmen."

I couldn't lie, not to her. "I wish I'd fall asleep and not wake up."

She hugged me, teleporting me back to the day we met. Mother and Father. I had left them --their hell-- behind. I had joined her. She had given me life. "It's okay, Carmen. You did what you had to. You had no choice."

I started crying in silence, my mind drifting back to what had just happened. Then again to the day we met.

"You need to fight back." She'd told me that day.

I harshly freed myself from her arms. "NO! No, I'm not gonna play this game. You taught us to be FREE. This--"

She grabbed my hands and made me look into her eyes -- they were full of hellish fire. "THIS is the way to freedom. You can't just expect freedom to come to you, Carmen. You have to FIGHT for it. And yes, people are gonna get hurt. It's the only way."

I was almost hypnotized by her eyes. Behind the flames, there was pain and suffering -- more than I thought possible. She had been to hell and came back, stronger. And she was trying to teach us the way out of our own hells.

"There's only one way to fight evil, and it's to be worse than it. Else, it ALWAYS wins. And believe me, I know my fair share of it."

We spent the next hour listening to the tales of her life. Of how much good she'd even done by doing bad. And of how, by being nice to them, the bad people always won.

Colombia (8) - Father

I grabbed the clippers and proceeded to shave Mother’s head -- soon we both were crying, but that didn’t stop me from finishing what I’d started.

Kay oversaw the whole thing, but her mind was drifting. She knew about the immediate future, but … what next? Would the girl actually learn? She came back from her mind trip when I placed the clippers back in the bag and stared at her, not having a clue on what to do next. “Oh. Wow, that was quick. Now, for the next part of the lesson, I’m giving you an easier role.” Kay pulled her phone from her pocket and handed it to me. “I need you to record what I’m about to do. Oh, and do take a seat, this will take quite longer.”

I sat on the chair and hit the record button.

Kay looked at Father with a devilish smile -- the man, for the first time, understood. She was no lunatic… no, she was far, far worse. She put on a rider’s helmet, hiding her face -- she didn’t like it, but she couldn’t risk being recognized in the video if it ever were to go public. And that was definitely something that could happen.

She drew a hunting knife, which made Father go white. Good. She laughed. “Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you. Just teach you a little lesson, that’s all.” She dexterously used the skinning hook to cut off the man’s clothes, leaving him fully naked.

I had to look away. Seeing Father naked was too much. Yet I didn’t say a word, nor put the phone down.

“And now,” Kay continued, “how about a bit of grooming, huh?” She took the clippers and started with the man’s head, but then went on to shave his whole body, leaving his crotch for last.

Midway, the man had started crying, and now he couldn’t seem to stop.

Once done, she looked at her work before touching him, making a big show about expecting him to be baby-soft, but theatrically recoiled as her hand glided up his back. “Oh, shit. No. No, this won’t do, you’re as silky as sandpaper. Hold on.” She ran off to another room, then came back with a triumphant smile, and a razor blade in her hand. “Now, THIS will make your skin soft!” She laughed as she proceeded to, again, shave the man’s whole body.

Father kept sobbing the whole time, his mind dividing between the understanding, and the urge to kill that woman -- or worse.

Kay laughed and again looked at her work, her hand again gliding up his back.  “There! Now you’re soft as a baby!” she got behind him and whispered into his ear “I’d go ahead and fuck your ass, but I don’t think Carmen is ready to see that.”

The man started sobbing far louder. She was no angel, no, she was indeed a demon.

“Okay, Carmen, you can stop the recording now.” Kay paused a second while I stopped it. “Alright, pa. Now, I’ll say this just once. If I hear you’ve done ANYTHING to her, the video goes public. … and I’ll make damn sure everyone you know sees it. Understand?”

The man looked at her, his mind broken. How could someone be so evil?

“Mr. Santana. I need an answer. Nod if you do understand.”

He nodded slightly.

Colombia (7) - The lesson

A few hours later, keys jingled again at the door -- Mother just came back from grocery shopping after work. Upon entering the living room, the bags fell out of her hands and she let out a loud scream as she saw the scene. Father had his hands tied with a rope hanging from the ceiling, hooked where the lamp used to be. He had a black cloth bag over his head. On the side, I was sitting on a chair, my back to the door, and thus to her. Further behind, a stranger in military clothing leaned against the wall, overseeing the scene.

The stranger smiled. “Good evening, Mrs. Santana. I’m… sorry about showing up like this. But see, I thought Carmen here could use some… help.”

The woman couldn’t hear, she rushed forward to the kitchen and frantically reached for the phone, trying to contact the police. … She frowned when she noticed the phone wasn’t giving the dialing tone, only to realize the cable had been pulled off the base, right as Kay entered the kitchen following her.

She casually leaned against the door frame. “Well, can’t have you calling the police you see, would make quite a big mess.”

Mother wouldn’t go down without a fight, it seemed. She opened a drawer and pulled out a chef’s knife. “NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

Kay almost burst into laughter. “Look, I just want to talk, okay? Listen. I’ve come to help.” In two long steps, she was beside the woman, her hands firmly secured into Kay’s. Better safe than sorry. “I’m not here to hurt you. Your husband -- what he did, it’s not okay. Can you see that?”

Mother looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

Kay understood. No, she didn’t see it. At all. She thought it was… the normal thing to do. … to a degree, she was his accomplice. She needed a lesson too. Kay shifted around and knocked her out in seconds, long before Mother could realize what was happening.

She woke up a few minutes later, but was already tied up to a second chair, right in front of Father. She tried to scream, but her mouth had been taped closed.

I was now facing them, my mind racing but not stopping anywhere in particular.

Kay smiled softly. “Finally we can begin the lesson.” She pulled the hood from the man’s face, revealing his taped mouth. “Carmen here has something to tell you both, right?” She looked at me.

I stood up. “Yes. Father. You shouldn’t have done this to me. …. ANY of what you’ve done, actually. See, I thought Kay was a demon, but it turns out she’s my angel.”

Father tried in vain to scream at the heresy.

I continued, ignoring him. “She’s gonna free me from this hell. Because I hadn’t realized it, but that’s what it’s always been. And Mother. I know you too fear him. But you too need to learn to fight back.”

Mother started crying in silence, while Father kept trying to curse under the tape without much success.

Kay went away for a moment and came back with a small bag. Both Mother and Father closed their eyes when they saw it. … The damned clippers. The woman was a lunatic indeed. Kay offered me the bag. “Let’s start easy, shall we? I think ma needs a… lesson. An eye for an eye, if you will. I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t actually lose an eye, or this would get bloody.” She laughed at her own joke. “Shave her.”

I looked at her, shocked. … it wasn’t Mother’s fault. … this… no, this wasn’t … justice. I couldn’t do that to her… right?

Kay smiled at me. “Do it. … you see, this is as much of a lesson for you as it is for them. Things won’t change if YOU don’t change.” She paused, noticing I wasn't buying it. “Okay, I’ll make it easier. … if you don’t to it, I will. Same end result.”

I understood. Yes. I HAD TO.

Colombia (6) - Carmen

(sometime later)
They were all at the bar, Salvador and Kay sitting at their usual corner, simply enjoying their drinks in silence, the rest of guys here and there boasting about their wrongdoings. One conversation caught Kay’s ears.

“... that little bitch. She thinks she can get away with anything, I swear.” The man took a sip of his drink. “She tried it again, as if last time’s lesson wasn’t enough.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Yes, I found her with her hair just past her shoulders!”

The other man shook his head.

The first man sipped on his drink again. “But I’ve taught her the lesson this time. … Last time’s short bob wasn’t enough of a lesson, so this time it was a full shave. That ought to teach her."

The second man looked at the first as if he was mad, but said nothing.

Kay’s blood was almost boiling. She had to stop herself from getting up and beating him senseless -- there were too many people there to stop her. …and killing them all wasn’t an option. Not when Big Brother was Always Watching.

- - -

(next afternoon)

I almost jumped in place when someone knocked on the door to my room -- who the hell … no, wait -- who on earth had gotten in the house?

The door opened to show a… figure in military clothing. Said figure looked at me for a good second before saying anything. “Hi, Carmen, I’m … sorry for showing up like this. Figured out you wouldn’t open the door if I had simply called.”

I froze in place. A stranger had gotten into the house -- only God knew with what intentions.

The woman sat in my bed, patting her side for me to join her. “Come sit. I just want to… offer my help.” She glanced at my hair -- or rather, at the lack of it.

I broke down crying, and in an impulse, joined the stranger in a hug and started crying on her shoulder. … Help. I had only wanted a pretty haircut, something a bit more fashionable than the waist-length blunt cut my father so much loved --and don't I dare tie it up, a real woman wears her hair loose. … But he wouldn’t have it, so he decided it would be either all or nothing.

Kay simply hugged me. I could use a break, after all, she thought. … Could I take control of my life? … it didn’t matter. Things were gonna change whether I became part of it or not -- she was going to make damn sure of that.

We sat there for what felt like hours, the silence only broken by my own sobs. Then, some rattling keys made me jump in place. “Oh god he’s here, you need to go.”

Kay smiled at me. “... no. No, I’m here to help. I’m here to offer you freedom.” She offered her hand. “But I need you to be on board with this.”

I didn’t understand. … freedom? Father would come any moment and if he saw her there… not good. Not Good At All. My fears came true when the door to my room swung open. “What the hell have I told you about closing the--” he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Kay. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Okay. Who the fuck are you and what the hell are you doing in MY house?”

Kay got on her feet and offered her hand. “Name’s Kay. I’ve… noticed you two seem to have a disagreement about what her freedoms are. I thought I could help.”

Father looked at her as if she was a lunatic --which wasn’t too far from the truth, to be honest. “And WHO exactly asked for your help? Because I don’t remember having called you!”

Seeing him like that made me crawl into a ball on the corner of the bed and sit there, completely motionless.

Kay smiled. “I don’t think I need to be asked, pa.”

Father, hearing such a disrespect, was overtaken by rage and jumped at her like a beast, fully intending to beat her up -- or worse. … He hadn’t expected her to mysteriously appear behind him and choke him, way faster than he could react. He tried to free himself, but the damned lunatic was way too strong, and soon, he passed out.

Kay pulled a syringe of Special K from the pocket in her cargo pants and gave him a shot.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. Injected drugs… dangerous things. Really dangerous.

Kay saw my reaction and came back to me, softly cupping my hand with hers. “It will simply put him to sleep for a couple hours. I need time, you know.”

I nodded in silence.

Colombia (5) - Drunken rant

(a month later)

It was late -- far past midnight. Salvador’s men, together with Kay and the man himself, were drinking almost mindlessly after a long day of work -- or whatever. They had a lot to celebrate and at the same time a lot to cry about. A small uprising --a wife and her kids daring to fight an officer about the agreed payment-- had been smothered --quite literally.

Kay and Salvador were sitting in the corner of the place, both mostly looking at their glasses slowly but steadily getting more and more empty, only to be refilled by the waiters when they got actually empty.

Kay sighed and looked at her boss. “You know, I know it’s my job and all that, but I hate this. Look at them -- if this was the right thing to do, we all should be celebrating instead of trying to drown our consciences in a glass of cheap booze.”

Salvador looked back at her, and for one time he was fully serious, as he slowly opened his shirt to reveal the scar on his chest. “Yes. But we have no choice. As you once said, if things change, we’re screwed.”

Kay looked at her glass again -- all the booze had finally had an effect, no matter how small. “There’s ALWAYS a choice.”

The man smiled. “Well, I’m NOT going to risk it. I’ll be doing my job. So you try and fight it -- you know what I have to do about that.”

Kay looked at him again, almost laughing. “As if you could stop me.” She now laughed fully. “No, no, you can’t, your guys can’t... But I know who can. The damned chip. … Fuck.” She laughed again. “I never thought I’d end up as a slave of the drug trade, Salva.”

Salvador laughed back. “Neither did I, yet here we are.”

“You see, all the ‘but we’re helping them, we’re giving them jobs, we’re giving them a life!’ -- all bullshit. All we give them is the bare minimum to survive, so they can bear this hell. So they have hope. And don’t fight back.”

The man nodded.

“Fuck. I never signed up for this. … This is, in fact, everything I always stood against. The money governing people. The rich doing their bid as the poor idiots are enslaved by… money and fear.”

Salvador laughed. “We have no choice, Kay.”

Her eyes seemed to gleam for a split second as she muttered to herself. “There’s always a choice.”

Colombia (4) - The Captain

(sometime later)

"Hey, boss. You called?" Kay entered Salvador’s office without knocking -- she had finally figured out her new friends didn’t have that habit.

Salvador looked at her, worry showing up in his eyes.  "Yes. We have to see the new captain. I'd like you to come. Help me make sure he... understands our particular situation."

"You know I don't do politics." Kay stopped for a moment, thinking of what she had just said. "Well, given the... circumstances, guess if you give me a political target, I'll have to take care of it. But... I'd rather not have to go to a political meeting."

"Kay. I know you. I was hoping you could do your thing since my hands are tied in the legalities. But that idiot still needs to realize what he's up against."

"Well... if it's THAT kind of politics…” she smiled -- ”I guess I can ignore the fact that they're politics."

The odd couple went on their way. She looked like taken straight out of the guerrilla, and he was wearing the official police uniform. They arrived at the police’s captain's office soon after. Salvador opened the door without knocking.

A man in a suit received them. He didn't know what to make of her appearance. "Who's...?"

"She's with me, Captain. She's one of us, in fact."

The captain sighed. "Oh-kay. I'll ignore the fact that she's not wearing the official uniform -- for now. I wanted to talk about what's been happening here. I have countless reports about police assaults, excessive use of force and... god knows what else. All against seemingly random citizens. Also reports about actual criminals being freed without any explanation."

Kay stood in silence, blatantly glaring at the new captain.

The officer sighed too, choosing his words as carefully as he could. "Captain, look, I'll... I'll be honest here. There's... something going on, and I know it doesn't make any sense from the outside, but... you have to trust me on this one. This is way above our heads, things are like they are for a reason."

"I also have quite a few files linking YOU to the drug trade." The captain replied, visibly annoyed.

"Well, if you let me explain... "

The captain looked at him authoritatively "Look, all this has to end. If I receive one more report on--"

"Enough," Kay cut him off.

"Who the hell do you think you are to interrupt ME?"

She circled the captain's desk in three long steps, and in a split second grabbed his gun and pointed it at the man's head, just inches before his eyes. "I said enough."

The captain instinctively raised his arms.

"Look, this is, as Salvador said, way above your head. Things won't change. Because if they do, we're all screwed."

"Put that gun down, woman,” said the captain, trying to make his authority count.

"Or I can blow up your head and hope the next captain they appoint is less of an idiot."

"You won't..."

Kay smirked. "You know what, you're right. I hate guns." Again in a split second, she threw the gun to Salvador, drew a knife, and placed the tip against the captain's chin. "They're too damn fast. You can't do this with them." She slowly let the knife slide down the man's throat, just barely slicing into his flesh. A faint red trail was left behind the sharp tip.

The captain couldn't contain a muted scream, mixed with what sounded like age-old curse words.

"You think that's bad, Captain?" She smirked at his reaction, the knife’s edge now pressing hard on the man's throat.

"You think you can…" the Captain’s voice trailed off as the edge dug a bit into his flesh.

Kay held his stare. "Shut up. It's not what I think. It's that there's a reason for any single one of those files you talked about. Yes, we've done lots of... stuff. The kind of things that should never go public. But you see, we don't really have a choice."

The captain seemed to understand. "The authorities can protect you..."

"No. Not from this. It's not about the drug trade. I mean, those are as much pawns as we are. There's... a guy. No, I don't think you know him, he's not from here." She added, seeing the captain's surprised expression. "Well... nobody's gonna cross the devil."

"Look, I can..." He was losing the battle and he knew it.

"No, I don't want your help. Look, my job is to make sure things stay the way they are. And I'll make damn sure of that."

The captain sighed. He knew he was in a bad position. … so first thing was to get out. You can’t fight crime if you’re dead, after all. “Alright. Alright, I’ll look the other way, then.”

“LOOK at me, you idiot,” Kay replied. “You think you can lie to me?” She laughed theatrically. “No, dear, you can’t. Now, will you be a good boy and actually mean it?”

The man thought about fighting her for a second, but then the reports came to his mind. …torture was not enough of a word to describe it. …and he realized, these people would do anything. He closed his eyes, not fully believing his words, but knowing well he had no choice. “Okay. Okay, I’ll turn a blind eye, I swear.”

Colombia (3) - Justice

The ride was long and bumpy. But Kay made it all the same. Despite the mosquitoes -- how many had bitten her already? Despite the weird noise coming from under the jeep’s hood -- let's pray it doesn't stop in the middle of nowhere. Despite the sun hitting her at full force -- it was the early afternoon after all.

Upon reaching the plantation, she spotted a guard and stopped to ask about Salvador’s guys. He pointed at the road leading to the next plantation -- so she shrugged and followed it.

Not five minutes later, at a clearing in the trees, she spotted two men messing with… a kid, he couldn’t be older than 12. … Her heart broke a bit. … But she reminded herself -- she had no choice. So she took a deep breath and got off the jeep. “Hi there, Salvador sent me to offer any help I could.”

One of them laughed at her. “No, he called, he sent you to follow orders. Now, this kid here. He’s a thief. Salvador wants you to serve justice.”

Kay smiled. There was a strange glint in her eyes. “Alright. What exactly do I have to do?”

The man grabbed the kid and threw him to the ground, while the second man offered Kay his machete. “Chop off his hands.”

Kay was… no. Surprised is not the word. She was almost thrown out of balance. That was quite a harsh punishment -- for what seemed like a petty crime. But she had no choice, she reminded herself. So she took the machete.

As one of the men had the kid already immobilized against the ground, she simply grabbed one of his hands and pulled. Then she struck. Hard. … A machete could cut through bone, but you had to hit it hard. And so, the first hand was cut off. The boy was trying hard not to scream, but he couldn’t help himself. At all. … It required lots of training to withstand that and not scream your lungs out, thought Kay as she reached for the second hand. … And she struck again. The boy didn’t scream this time -- he simply fainted. That was … better. No consciousness to actually feel the pain. … or so she thought.

The men were just laughing at the bloody scene. One of them opened the fly on his pants while the other glanced at her -- you just watch, try to stop it and there will be consequences.

Kay looked at him for a second, then looked at the boy. … She Had NO CHOICE, she reminded herself. So she yawned theatrically and watched the whole thing, her mind far from there -- a pair of blue eyes was all she could see. … Who would have thought the Devil had blue eyes, she caught herself thinking.

Colombia (2) - The job

The next morning, a knock on the door almost made Salvador jump in place. … Who the hell knocks on a door? … The answer came before he could answer the knock, as the door opened to reveal Kay.

“Anything for me?”

The man looked at her. … Her reaction the previous night had been … good enough, but could she take some actual work? Time to test it. “Yes. Come with me”. He got up and led her to the basement while he explained. “The guys found one of the fugitives from yesterday. I need you to figure out where the others are.”

She smiled. “Any red lines?”

He looked at her confused.

“... what exactly can I do to make him talk?”

Salvador laughed. “Follow my orders.”

The small cell greeted them with a stench of rotten piss and … God knows what else. The fugitive started crying as soon as he saw them. Salvador grabbed him by the neck of his shirt, laughing. “You shouldn’t have let that bitch escape if you didn’t want this. Besides, we haven’t even started yet.”

The man kept crying.

“Kay. Break his legs," he said, dropping him back to the floor.

She looked at him, slightly surprised, and steeled herself before stomping on the man's knees, bending them far past their natural angle. The man promptly passed out amidst screams.

“Wake him up.”

“Will take a while, you know.”

Salvador sighed. “Yes. Call me when he’s awake. Can you whistle?”

Kay shepherd-whistled as an answer.

“Good. You know how to call.”

She spent the next 15 minutes with the man, cursing at herself for not having … any kind of chemical to help the process. But this wasn’t the States, this wasn’t Russia, this was the ass of the world. The place where you go when there’s nowhere else to go. And it meant not having the … resources of the civilized places, she thought while she kept shaking the man.

Finally, he came back. But upon seeing her face, the ugly scar, he froze in place. Kay ignored it as she got up, and, as told, whistled loudly.

Salvador promptly came back. “So, can we keep working?” He looked at the man for a second. “Okay, you’re back to the land of the living, I see. Now. If you wish to continue in it, do tell us. Where are the others?”

The man looked at him before looking down. “I swear I don’t know, we each went in one direction, please, please--”

Kay sat in front of him. “Nice try. But you’re lying. Now, look at me.” She softly lifted the man’s chin, forcing him to look into her eyes. “You don’t want to get hurt, do you?”

The poor soul shook his head.

“Then do tell. Where are they.”

“I swear I don’t know, please….”

Kay smiled as her hand rested on the man’s knee. “Want me to help you remember?” Suddenly she shifted her weight, putting most of it on the man’s bent-back knee. The man, in response, screamed his lungs out. Kay simply looked at him with a smile the whole time. Then, silence -- promptly broken by her. “So? Memory any better?”

“Please…. Please….”

“Well, then. Let me tell you what’s going to happen. I’ll keep going ‘till you break. And believe me, you will. You will tell me where they are -- that much I can guarantee. What happens before then, that’s up to you. Will you go through hell and then some… for nothing?” She accentuated her words by resting her hand on the man’s other knee.

The man looked down and cried.

“Do it,” said Salvador, out of the blue.

“Patience, boss. I know what I’m doing.”

Salvador wasn’t having it. This was a test for her, after all. He pulled a gun and placed it against her temple. “I said do it.”

Kay sighed. “You want results? … or just to hurt him?”

“I want you to follow orders.”

She laughed in response. “You should have started there, man,” she said, shifting her weight again, placing it all on the man’s broken knee.

The poor soul started screaming again -- then he passed out.

Kay got up and confronted Salvador. “... and that’s what you get when you force it.”

He smiled. “I didn’t think you’d do it. Got to admit, I’m… impressed so far.”

She shrugged. “I’ve done far worse. I just need to know what you want. … I’m used to people wanting results, you see.”

Salvador kept his smile up. “Well, the guys will take care of this idiot. Now, I have received a call, they’ve caught a thief at the Mayorga plantation. … I need you to go there and follow our procedures.”

“Gotcha, boss.”

Colombia (1) - Arrival

The door to the decaying police station opened to reveal a mercenary -- or so everyone thought at first. Standard paramilitary clothes, a black gun in a waist holster, short, blonde hair in a longish crew cut -- the only thing that revealed her as a woman was a slight bulge over her chest. “Hello! Who’s in charge around here?”-- she said in Russian, but her accent was hard to pinpoint.

An officer silently pointed his chin at the back door. There, a man dressed in an official uniform greeted her. “Hi there. I’m Salvador.” His eyes stopped a moment on the horrid scar in her cheek, which also made him pause for a split second. “Oh. Yes, I’m… I’ll be your contact here, I guess.” He offered his hand.

She smiled as she firmly shook it. “Kali. But everyone calls me Kay.”

Salvador returned the smile, and then seemed to doubt for a moment before asking boldly. “So. Do you know … what goes on around here?”

Kay simply nodded.

The man sighed deeply before continuing. “Okay. So, the guys are going out on a raid. Tonight. You’ll be going with them. … I need you to prove …your abilities, so for now, you’re to follow orders to the letter. Prove yourself trustworthy, and we’ll then discuss … the exact situation of yours.”

She again nodded. “... Alright. Just say when and where.”

He looked at her amused. “The old post. At midnight.”

- - -

(midnight, the old watch post)

A handful of men were laughing and drinking inside the crumbling building when the door opened. Silence fell as the dark dressed figure entered the room, a couple of the men drew their handguns at it. “Who are you?”

The figure’s smile could be heard in her voice as she instinctively raised her hands, her palms open so everyone could see she wasn’t a threat. “Calm down. Salvador sent me.”

“So where is he?” said another man.

“Bastard is always late, Armando,” shrugged the first as he turned back into his glass.

“Care to serve me one of those?” said the figure. Shortly after, a glass of an indescribable liquor appeared in front of her. She downed it without hesitation. “Hm. Thought it’d be firewater. What’s it?”

The men laughed and started cracking jokes about rat poison when the door opened again. Salvador whistled loudly, and in less than a minute they all were riding two jeeps towards the jungle.

Not half an hour later, they were in the middle of… what should have been the jungle, but it was a plantation, hidden from the skies by a few trees. On the edge, a rotting cabin was barely distinguishable against the trees’ shadows. The jeeps parked in silence, the men quickly circled the house, then at a whistle, they barged in.

They found it empty. Salvador cursed before calling the men back to the cars.

Kay stopped him. “... we should probably search the place, you know.”

Salvador laughed. “What for. No. That’s not how we do things here.” He fumbled with his pockets for a moment. “Guys, off we go.” Then he lighted a cigar as he looked at Kay. “This” -- he paused a split second for emphasis -- “is how we do things here” he threw the match at the hay bed, which promptly caught fire. “Now let’s go, nothing else to do here.”

Colombia - Prologue

She’s dead. The heroine. The only one who’s ever dared to fight the system. And the system killed her.

But she lit the flame. The flame of hope, of change. Of war against the system. And now -- now we must not let it go out.

She came from far away. The mark on her face -- one of them. The Russians. The ones who control everything around here.  And for a while… she was indeed one of them.

But not anymore. And neither are we.