The Mission (7) - Payback

A few minutes later, we had Valera shackled to a metallic chair. The police station didn't cease to amaze me - what the hell was a metallic chair doing in a clinic? Anyway, Sandy had managed to fix the door and lock it again. We didn't want any surprise. I had one of my men posted outside, with explicit instructions on not letting anyone get in, no matter who or what or how.

Sandy looked at me, silently asking for my opinion.

I grinned at him. "Do as you wish, boy. It's up to you. I couldn't care less about what you do." I gave him the green light.

Sandy took another chair, and put it in front of Valera. Then he went behind our man, and  leaned onto him. Valera was still unconscious when Sandy softly caressed his cheek. His voice was almost a whisper. "Hey. Hey, man, wake up. We don't have all day, you know."

The man awoke in a jolt. He froze upon seeing me. Sandy put a hand on his shoulder, making him jump in place.

Sandy kept whispering. "Shh... it's okay, man. Life happens, doesn't it?"

"Sandy, Sandy, look, you don't want to do this. You don't want to be like him, you know that."

Sandy looked at me for a split second. His eyes cold as ice. I couldn't help smiling. Sandy, the shy boy, too scared to admit what he was. Now he had finally torn the leashes of the prejudices. Of the education of a system thought to produce mindless livestock. Finally himself. A hunter.

He sat in the empty chair. His eyes gleamed with malice. "I'm just following orders, man. You want me to not do this?" He subtly pointed at me with his chin. "... Ask him."

The poor Valera had started to sweat. "You don't have to do this, Sandy."

Sandy smiled softly. Almost sadly. "Then he'll take care of you, man. You see. I'm doing you a favor." He drew a knife and got up. "Am I not?"

"Sandy, look, I'm... sorry about what I did, okay?"

"Stop lying. Nobody believes that, Valera."

The man closed his eyes for a moment, unsuccessfully trying to appear calm. Idiot. Nobody could fool us. Especially not such a bad liar.

"Sandy, I swear, I'm sorry. You're not the only one who has to follow orders, you know."

"Oh, about that. I don't really have to, you know. I just want to."

The look on Valera's face was priceless. Sandy was being blunt as a hammer. And I couldn't see a hint of a lie in him. Wow. I almost couldn't believe it. Sandy grinned again. "So, welcome to Hell, my friend."

"Sandy, listen... listen to me." Valera's voice trembled.

"Shut up. I'm the one doing the talking in here." He took the knife to Valera's face. "You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna make your life Hell. I'll show you the mistake you've made, you piece of trash."

The man was almost in tears by now. "Don't do this, okay? ... Please. Sandy. Please. You don't know..."

"I DO know, Valera. I told you. I'm gonna wreck your life." He went on to carve the mark on Valera's face. Slowly, so it would hurt. I couldn't help but to smile as the man started shrieking.

The man's eyes were red and full of tears by the time Sandy was done. I looked at his work. Wow. He couldn't have cut deeper. I winked at him, and he winked back. I couldn't be more proud of the kid. He sat again in the empty chair.

Valera kept looking at the floor. Heh. Guess he couldn't possibly look at Sandy. "Please... oh, god, at least tell me what do you want from me..."

Sandy took his chin, forcing him to look into his gleaming eyes. Valera couldn't help closing his. This was too much for the poor thing. And it had just started. I smirked at the whole situation.

"Hey. Hey, look at me." Sandy said, softly. Almost a caress. Wow.

Valera finally opened his eyes. "Please... at least tell me what you want from me..."

Sandy smiled softly. The kid may well be the best actor I've ever seen. "Nothing." His voice was almost an insinuating whisper. I felt a chill going down my spine. Holy shit, Sandy.

"What-what do you mean.... Please... I... I'll do- I'll do anything, but please..."

Sandy's smile was like a hammer. A sledgehammer, actually. It tore through everything. "No, no. That's not enough. I want you. Your life. Except I'm not gonna take it."

Valera looked at him mostly confused. 

"You think I'll just break you? Hah. You'd wish that. No, no, no. First, I'll break you, into pieces, you know. Then I'll step on the pieces so they become the tiniest shards. But that's still not enough. I'll then take the shards to a grinder, so they become dust."

Our man froze in terror. He got the idea. His very soul. I smiled at Sandy's words. The kid was good at this. Like, really good.

Sandy continued his brutal monologue. "It's once you're reduced to dust that we can build something. You see, with the pieces, you can just try and build the same thing again. But, it's pointless, you know, we don't want the same piece of shit, we want something new. With the shards, well, you can start building something. But it won't last, the shards are too big for it, and it will soon crumble. The shards aren't malleable enough. It's with the dust, that you can properly build something else, something different. A new you."

Valera was sobbing, too terrified to listen.

"Are you even listening to me?" Sandy whispered eerily into his ear. I got another chill down my spine.

"Please... Please..."

"Andrei, you got that briefcase of yours?"

I simply pointed at the bedside table with my head. Sandy silently took it and placed it open, in full display, on the empty chair.

Valera made the mistake of looking at it. "Shit. No. No, no, no..." He started mumbling at its sight. I guess it's kinda scary too see all that stuff together.

"I don't know if you're familiarized with our... tools." Sandy took a syringe out of the open case. "You've ever tried our serum?"

"Please. Oh, god, please, no, no, I'll do anything, I swear, but don't do this, please...."

"Shut up. That nonsense won't get you anything, I've told you. I'm gonna assume you've tried it. But, how much? A full syringe? Two?"

"Please..."

Sandy gave him a shot. Valera started mumbling again, clearly in pain. A single syringe was almost too much for anyone not used to it. It was physically harmless, mind you. But the nervous system went into frenzy. The result? Pain. Lots of it.

Sandy took a second syringe. "How many shots do you think I'm going to go for, Valera?"

"Oh, god, please..."

Sandy took his chin and again forced the man to look into his eyes. "How about, five plus a dose of crystal? You think that will be enough to break you?"

Holy. Shit. We had never got that far. A single dose of serum plus crystal was already too much - for anyone, period. Crystal was like our emergency plan for the few people who could stand high doses of serum. It also acted on the nervous system. Technically, it was the fancy new drug in the streets. Supposedly it produced physical pleasure. But, together with the serum, the pain was something you couldn't possibly forget.

Valera let out a scream as the second dose got into his bloodstream. "Oh, god, kid, please, you don't know what you're saying, you'll kill me..."

Sandy smirked. "This doesn't kill, man. It's the good thing. It just causes pain." In silence, he injected three more doses into Valera.

After the last one, he was whimpering pathetically. It was painfully obvious he was not used to our serum.

Sandy got behind the man. Leaned over him, resting his forearms - and letting most of his upper body weigh rest on - Valera's shoulders. He hunched a bit so he could murmur into his ear. "Does it hurt, Valera?"

The man could barely mutter a nearly unintelligible "Please..."

"Well, then I have bad news for you." Sandy said, showing him the white syringe of Crystal in his hand. "That's nothing compared to what you'll go through once I give you the last shot. For now, you know. See, you think this hurts? ... Yeah, you do. Well, it can get much worse. I'll make it last for days. How about that?"

He slowly let the needle pierce Valera's skin. The man started mumbling "No, no, please..." He already had too many chemicals running through his veins. And this... this would be Hell. The very definition of it. I held my breath as Sandy slowly pressed on the plunger, letting the drug get into Valera's body.

It took almost a minute for him to react - for his blood to start flooding his nerves with the chemical. Then he started whimpering. Lost in his own mind. In his own hell of pain.

The Mission (6) - The Clinic

Sandy had been moved to the clinic. Why there was a clinic on a police station, I could only guess. The good thing about the clinic was it had a fire exit. It was wired to an alarm, but disabling it was incredibly easy. I had also told my man to setup a hidden camera inside the otherwise "dark" room. Sandy was in a safe place. Especially since I was outside, ready to barge in at the first sign of trouble.

A while later the doctor came. But something was off. He locked the door. It didn't make sense, Sandy was strapped to the bed. He was under arrest, after all. There was no reason to lock the door. Unless...

And I saw it. I saw Sandy froze upon seeing the doctor. The fool thought Sandy was alone. I rushed in. A simple key lock wouldn't stop me, I already had the habit of kicking doors open.

They both jumped when the door swung open with a loud thud.

"Why, hello there. Valeriy, is it?" I greeted him.

The false doctor froze.

I deliberately leaned against the broken door frame. "Now, if you would please take a couple steps back, and put your hands where I can see them..."

He slowly did as I told him. I saw the bulge under his white coat. A gun. Idiot. Like that could help him.

"Look, we already got you. Sandy here kindly helped us, you know? So, for your own good, it would be better for you to try and hide like the rat you are." His voice spat hatred.

I let out a good laugh. "Yeah, he told me you scared him. Poor thing was a wreck this morning."

"He sold you, Andrei."

"He told me that, you know. He's not an idiot like you, Valera."

He turned slowly, visibly angered by the nickname. "You filthy rat, we will tear down everything you have, 'till you have nothing left. And then..."

"You and who else." I interrupted him. "You think you can do this to a friend of mine, and then nothing happens? ... Think again, Valera. You've made a big mistake by coming here alone."

"So the rat has a heart. Who would have guessed. I've always thought you vermin only had anger and guts to spill."

I smiled at him. "Well, you do have a gun. Why not try and kill me already, if you hate me so much?"

He grinned back. Hatred mixed with cruelty. Those made up for a good mix. If only he wasn't such an idiot, I could have offered him a job. Too bad he'd never accept... right? "Andrei, today I'm not here for you. I'm here after the thing you seem to care most for." He drew his gun and pointed it at Sandy.

I laughed. Idiot. That's exactly how you get yourself hurt. You don't stand a chance, you moron. I got ready to act - I would only have a second or two at best.

He got closer to Sandy. The boy was looking at me. Silently pleading for help. His teeth clenched to avoid sobbing. His eyes betrayed him when a stray tear managed to get out. Valera looked at him with a cruel grin as he placed the gun against his temple.

That was my clue. I thrown myself onto him, sending us both to the floor. I quickly grabbed his hand, and easily ripped the gun from it. I unloaded it, and threw it away. Then I squeezed his neck, hard. It took me seconds to render him unconscious. I quickly got up and went to check on Sandy.

He was almost laughing. "I nearly had a heart attack, you know."

"I won't let anything happen to you, Sandy. I swear."

He chuckled. "So, you did grow a heart, didn't you?"

I looked at him, trying to appear serious, until I too burst into laughter. "Yeah, I guess. But don't tell anybody, or they'll all come looking for you, boy."

He laughed harder. "Well, that doesn't have to be a bad thing, that way you don't have to go looking for them!"

"There you have a point. Anyway, Sandy. How are you?"

"Told you I'm fine. Physically. Other than that, I've never been more happy to see a friend."

"Here, let me help you." I proceeded to undo the straps that held him. "That said, I still want a doctor to see you. But it would be a shame to let this opportunity pass, you know." I pointed at Valera with my head.

Sandy gleefully smiled. "Yeah, I know."

The Mission (5) - Confession

The next morning, the cam was finally up again. I rushed to the screen. Sandy was there, hopefully fast asleep. I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't wake up. I couldn't really visit him, so I decided to let him sleep and keep trying to figure what the hell had happened to the surveillance systems. They had been off since last evening.
It was another long couple of hours 'till my earpiece beeped. "Boss? Are you there? Can you hear me? ... Please, tell me you can hear me.... " Sandy. I could tell from his voice he was a complete wreck.

I took my phone in a rush and opened the interface with the surveillance and comms system. "I'm here, Sandy. Calm down, I'm here for you." Shit. What the hell has happened to you, boy.

Poor thing was a mess, shivering, in tears. "Boss, please, please. Tell me it was a test, tell me..."

"Calm down, boy. Explain yourself, alright? ... I have no clue on what you're talking about."

"I lost comms, and I thought..."

"Yeah, comms have been off since yesterday evening, but I swear I haven't had anything to do with that. In fact my guys have been working non-stop on getting them back up."

I heard him swear under his breath. Then he started sobbing loudly. "Oh, shit, no, Boss, no. Tell me it was a test, please..."

"Sandy, I have no clue on what you're talking about, but calm down. Alright? ... Tell me what happened."

He took a really deep breath. I could feel the panic in his voice. "I... they took me. This guy, Valeriy. He... he made me sign a... a thing. ... Pointing... pointing at you. Boss, they want you, and I... I failed you, I signed the... the confession. I'm sorry, I... I didn't want to, but..."

I took a deep breath. Shit. Who the hell could have done this? I needed to calm Sandy first. "Calm down, Sandy. Alright?... I'll deal with that, don't worry. Everything can be fixed. Okay?"

He closed his eyes, definitely a bit less shaky. "You... You're not mad at me?"

Shit. No, boy. Of course not. "Sandy. Sandy, I trust you completely, you know. I just wonder who the hell has done this to you. That's it. Well, I'll have to deal with the consequences, but those aren't as pressing. If they wanted a confession, they'll want to use it in the trial, so we have a bit of time to deal with that. I'm more worried about you, boy."

His face changed. He was now beaten up, but had calmed down. "Thank you, thank you, I'm sorry, I ..."

"Stop it, boy. You did what you had to, I'm sure of that. Alright? Now, I'm arranging a move so a doctor can see you, just in case. We've been a lot of time without comms and I'm not risking you having something broken or whatever."

"I'm... I'm fine, Boss."

"Yeah, well, I'm making sure you are."

The Mission (4) - Valeriy

After a few hours in the cell, a man came to see me. The attorney. Or at least he was not a cop.

"Hello, Sandy. Name's Valeriy, I'll be your attorney."

I looked at him as the cop who escorted him unlocked the cell door.

He signed at the cop to leave once he was locked inside. Then he sat by my side. "So, I need you to tell me all the details, Sandy. Else I can't possibly help you."

That... did not make any sense. I knew Andrei had been watching the whole thing from the distance, he surely had even more details than me. Was it a test of some sort? I decided to be cautious, just in case. "Boss already has all the details, you know."

"Of course. But as your attorney, I need your version of the facts, Sandy. I want to help you out of this, but the only way seems to be if we point at him, you know."

Confused, I looked into his eyes. Stupid me. I never saw the syringe, I only felt it piercing my leg's flesh when it was too late, as everything faded to black.

I awoke in a standard interrogation room. Empty except for the metallic table and two matching chairs, mine with leather binds in the armrests. They were tight, I promptly checked. Same in the legs. And a last one, much thicker, in the waist. Shit. What the hell? Was this a test? Andrei had told me to trust him... I was definitely not expecting a test. Oh, well.

Valeriy soon realized I was awake. "Sandy, I've brought you here since I realized you may want to talk in private. Despite the generous light, this is a dark room. No mics, no cams, nothing."

Not even comms? Andrei hadn't said much since I got arrested. Still, I decided to test. "Boss? Can you hear me?"

Silence. Was it all part of the plan? ... Was Andrei listening but did not want to respond, just to see what I'd do? This man couldn't block our comms, could he? Valeriy smiled at me. He had that kind of creepy grin too. He could perfectly work for Andrei, so I kinda assumed he did.

"Sandy, let me help you. There's no other way to get you out of this. You just point your finger at him, I'll do the magic."

But the idea had never been to get out. Was the guy an idiot? Or was he acting?

"I won't betray him, you know. It doesn't work that way."

I did not see it. I just felt it, an even pressure in the back of my neck. A gun. Shit. I waited - it was about the only thing I could do.

Thankfully, he didn't make me wait too long. "Sandy, I want him. You will point your finger at him, or you're dead."

Shit, shit, shit, what the hell was this. My mind was racing. "Look, I..."

"Can you take the risk, kid?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Okay. I had this. A lie. Yes. That was the answer, no one had to get hurt. "Okay, okay, I'll do it, but let's both calm down, okay?"

He left the gun on the table for me to see, while he took a paper out of his briefcase, which then handed to me. Except I was tightly bound to the chair, so I couldn't possibly take it. He soon realized it, and placed it - and a pen - in front of me.

"Let me help you, Sandy. Just sign this."

I quickly read it. Long story short, it said I had been following Andrei's orders, and that he was the only responsible for what had happened. I sighed. Shit. Could this really be a test? Had Andrei drank again, or something? Or was it... real? I couldn't possibly sign it either way. Failing a test was bad, but betraying him... yeah. Nope. I knew too well what would happen.

I looked into Valeriy's eyes again. He was dead serious now. As if a warning. "Sign it." He took the gun again.

I sighed. "Look, man, I can't. I do that, Andrei's gonna kill me."

"Well, I'm gonna kill you if you don't."

Again I felt the gun against my nape. SHIT. What the hell do I do. I decided to do the only thing I could. Keep talking. I tried to put on a sweet, sad smile. "Look, man. I sign that, I would wish Andrei would just kill me, you know. I've seen what he does to those he can't trust. You see, from here, a bullet to the head doesn't seem that bad."

"Oh. So, you're willing to die for him. How kind of you."

I sighed. Okay, that didn't work. My mind kept racing, and I focused on not (fully) letting my breath betray me. "So... you want me to sign that paper... how, exactly?" I pointed at my wrists with my chin.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't realize that." He proceeded to unbind my right hand.

I had to try. I quickly reached to grab his arm.

But at soon as I did, he drew the damned gun again. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Oh-kay. Another thing that didn't work. I let go of him. I felt the gun once more. "Sign it, Sandy." He held the paper with his left hand so I could actually sign it.

I took the pen, toying with it. I couldn't possibly do it. And then I noticed a detail. His pinkie. It was missing a big chunk. Andrei, I knew it. You bastard. I pointed at Valeriy's hand with my chin, almost laughing with relief. "So, this is a test, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're following his orders. That's why he hasn't said anything in this whole time. He wants to know what I'll do."

He took out a pen of some sort from his pocket. An inhibitor. One of ours - the only ones designed to block even our comms' frequencies. I smiled at the sight of it - nobody else had those. Oh, boy, was I mistaken.

"I got this from one of your guys, Sandy. I'm not working for that madman, I'm trying to stop him."

I froze in place. Shit. Shit. No. Nope. Not... What the hell was I gonna do now? Signing it was out of the question... wasn't it?

"I know you're scared of him, Sandy. I can give you a way out. Some sort of witness protection."

I started breathing fast, my heart raging. I could barely think. "That won't work, he'll find me. He's good at finding people." Namely, the comms chip also had a transponder. So, nope. hiding was not an option. Plus I didn't want to.

"Well, you can risk him getting angry, or you can just get your head blown up. It's your call."

I closed my eyes, trying to think. I could not form a single coherent thought. No. I couldn't... Shit. I had a sort of a flashback, Andrei telling me how thank god nobody had nothing to legally get him. And then I saw the paper. A confession. That would get him. The first nail in his legal coffin. I couldn't possibly...

Valeriy's voice brought me back to reality, away from my thoughts. "Sandy. I technically have all day, but I'd rather not spend it here, you know. Sign it already, or tell me you won't and let's get done with it."

"No, wait. Wait." I needed time. I needed to think. Even if Andrei didn't get... mad at me, this would be the end of his world. I couldn't do that... Right?

I tried to focus. Took a few deep breaths, but it did nothing to calm my heart, raging in my chest so hard it hurt. I had another flashback. The hug. I couldn't betray that man. I couldn't possibly... Shit. Shit. No. I couldn't do anything.

I never made up my mind. My body just went on by himself. Tears flooded my eyes as my hand took the pen and signed the confession. And my vision quickly faded to black again. I guess I was too focused on the events to notice the needle piecing my arm.

The Mission (3) - The Kill

Sandy was waiting outside the building. Most of the time he was leaning against the cars parked just in front, but from time to time, he walked up and down the sidewalk, to lean onto a different car. It took a while until people started getting out from the place. Dripping at first, soon a full stream of people too busy to notice anything. Sandy now leaned against the huge columns that adorned the main entry, waiting for his prey to show up.

It didn't took long until he saw it. A man in a suit, apparently a random guy among the crowd. So would think the people at first. Sandy followed him, fast, through the ever-growing crowd. He touched his shoulder, as if asking for a question. Heh. The kid was pure theatrical gold, I tell you. The man turned around, confused. He was not used to people addressing him, and much less on the middle of a crowd. It was not a polite thing to do, you know.

And then it happened. In a split second, Sandy drew a knife and slashed his throat. Holy shit. What a sight. The kid almost beheaded him. Blood spurted everywhere, splashing all nearby people. They stopped in their tracks, screaming in horror. It was pure chaos. Many people froze, unable to look away. Many more ran in all directions, scared, thinking they could be next. And Sandy was just there, waiting, a stupid grin in his eyes. Oh, how I like the kid. Nobody could have done it so perfectly well.

Ten seconds later, the guards rushed out of the building, shoving the people aside. Sandy just lifted his hands and dropped the knife. Fighting was not in the script. The bastards were treating him as if he was dangerous. Little did they knew, he could have easily killed them all. But that was not the plan. He had to let them catch him. They harshly threw him to the ground, and then proceeded to immobilize and handcuff him. Just a little too tight. Idiots, there would be consequences for that.

Police came too late, so the civilians can thank them for their response times. Poor Sandy had to wait like ten minutes for them to show up and finally take him into custody. They were even more brutal than the guards. I tried to guess their badge numbers, but they were too far away. They finally shoved him into a police car and went away. To the Central - that is, the central police station, not our Central. Can you imagine? That would have been REALLY fun.

The ride was completely uneventful. Sandy followed the script to the letter. Don't say a word. Just smile and nod. Once at the station, they shoved him into a detention cell. Alone, in semi-darkness. Good thing he was used to both things.

A cop came to talk to him. "Jesus, kid. You have a clue on what you've done?"

Sandy simply smiled at him. The script was to not say a word 'till his attorney came. Or whatever. Dozens of people had seen him - there was no way to try for a not-guilty plead. So, he knew going out on a madman's rant was not out of the question.

The cop sighed loudly. Exasperated. He was obviously not used to deal with our kind. "Kid, do you know who he was? You have any clue on who you just killed?"

Sandy's eyes were gleaming. He was too damn good at this. "Why, of course." His smile gave me the creeps, I swear. He was THAT good.

The cop was clearly upset by Sandy's reaction. "So. You admit doing it."

Sandy kept grinning. "Dozens of people saw me, it would be silly to try and convince you it wasn't me, don't you think? ... Dozens of people who won't ever forget the sight, the blood soiling their clothes. Their faces, even. You can't really forget that, you know." His eyes turned into those of a madman.

The cop's resolution, years of hardening experience, started to falter. "So, why have yo done it. You do realize..."

"Yes. I realize the consequences of my acts. I'm by no means above the law... Am I?" Sandy raised his head slightly. Just enough for the soft light to fully hit his face.

And then the cop seemed to realize something. He noticed the still open wound on Sandy's cheek. A crudely carved x. The mark. Of the madmen. Of the people who would do anything they were told to. The most dangerous of the mob families. Or so they said. The very same wound that I had carved there not even two days before. The cop left in a hurry. Consequences indeed. He realized this was way above his pay.

And Sandy was left alone again.

The Mission (2) - The Videos

Andrei finally broke the silence, the moment that couldn't last. "So, Sandy. Got any more questions?"

"Yeah. So... what's he done, anyway? Even if it's politics..."

"Well... life is always a bit more complicated than just sticking the politics tag onto stuff, you know. Let me..." He switched on the computer and proceeded to search for something. A video.

The target was happily toying with a stripper. It was sensual, but I couldn't see anything wrong with that. I looked at Andrei, confused. "Now that's a crime?"

He fast-forwarded almost to the ending. And I understood. Shit. It looked like a scene taken from one of our worst jobs. I had to look away as the cam focused on the aftermath, I still wasn't that used to such crude images of mangled bodies.

I looked at Andrei, taking a deep breath to try to forget what I had just seen. He proceeded to explain. "You see, this is not exactly politics... This is... well, no, you won't really do justice. He doesn't deserve a quick death, you know. But, you'll stop him from doing it again." He opened the folder again and drew a photo of the girl. "You'll put this on the body. Nobody will really know what it means... nobody but a few. For those few, it will be a day to celebrate."

And I had one of those dangerous lightbulb moments. "Andrei, okay, yeah, I can see that, but, you know. What about... The stuff with the special clients. At the clubs, I mean. How is it not the same?"

He sighed. "I see where you're going. And I guess you're half-right. But, there are two differences. First, the girls who do special clients do it because they want. They can always say no, it's not my fault if they're so greedy to take specials. And second, there are rules in my clubs. Red lines. A girl ends up in the ER, and the idiot who did it will get what he deserves. I'll make damn sure of that. So, you see... yeah, I'm not proud about the whole specials thing, but I tell you, it's totally not the same as this."

I nodded, kinda absentmindedly. The man was an expert at bending the rules - his own included. You see, lots of ... stuff happened with special clients at his night clubs. But I guess that's a story for another day.

Andrei was staring at me, amused by my reaction. "So, any more questions?"

I snapped back into reality. My ingenuity and the surprise got the best of me. "Yeah. How's prison?"

He seemed confused. "You've never been there?"

"Nope. For one reason or another... I always got away with everything."

His second of silence said it all. A hellhole. Shit. But oh man, was I wrong.

"Okay. Here's the rules. Keep your head low, don't get in trouble, I'll get you out long before anything happens. Okay?"

I looked at him. His instructions didn't make sense at all. I guess he saw my confusion.

"Sandy. You have to trust me. Don't get in trouble. A guy wants you to get out of the way, you get out of his way." He sighed hard. "Okay. You don't believe me. Well, let me... show you something."

He searched for another video. Before hitting play, he looked at me. "Sandy, word of warning, this doesn't exist. But... well, see for yourself."

About a dozen guys in uniform, brutally beating an inmate. The video ended before the beating, so you could only guess how it ended. Best case, with the guy in intensive care, I would dare say. Shit. That was way worse than I had imagined.

Andrei went on to explain. "See, the inmates aren't usually a problem. But the guards... They'll go after you at the smallest trouble you make. And, there are quite a few inmates working for them, trying hard to make you cause trouble."

I looked at him. "So, why doesn't anybody do anything about this?"

"This is high-security, Sandy. Nobody gives a shit about what happens there, most of those guys deserve it, anyway. Almost everybody has heard about it, but no one is willing to change anything."

I sighed. "Okay. I'll keep my head low, and don't get in trouble. That should do it, right?"

He let out a long sigh. "Sandy, there's also this... thing. They'll know you work for me, and... quite a few of them are there because I sent them. So... they'll want to get you."

"Shit. Okay. So, what do I do."

"Head low, don't get into trouble, and if trouble goes looking for you... Sandy, you'll have to bit your tongue and take it. Except... There's one more thing. Fights. Whatever, and I mean whatever, ... whatever you do, for all that's holy, don't get into the fights. Here, let me show you this."

He put another video. A fistfight between two guys, one of them a big-ass thug. It would haven't been shocking to see that in a bar fight. Except there were a couple dozens of guards, and even more inmates, surrounding them, most of them cheering at the big guy. Again, the vid cut before the end, but... I looked at Andrei.

"Yeah. It's to death." He looked into my eyes. "You can't possibly win, Sandy. You just can't. The price is tempting, that's why those idiots keep trying, but you have no chance of winning at all. You see, whenever they think someone could win, they rig it."

"Why haven't YOU done anything about this, Andrei."

"Told you. Nobody gives a shit. Most of those guys deserve it, that's high-security after all. Nobody's gonna do anything, Sandy, and I'm not an exception."

I couldn't help sighing at is words. Okay. Oh-kay. "How do you... know all that. Where do those came from." I pointed at the screen.

He smiled at me, winking an eye. "I don't know anything, Sandy. That said, I told you we'll be in touch. You get in a fight - I'll take you out of there, even if I have to fly you out in an helicopter. Problem is, it's about a two hour ride from here - by the time I get there, I may be too late. So, don't get into the fights, okay?"

"Okay. So... how are you gonna get me out of that hellhole?"

"I... have quite a few contacts, Sandy. I know a guy or two in there. They got me those, if you were wondering." He pointed at the screen. "They'll get you out."

The Mission (1) - Briefing

"Hey. You wanted something?" I said as I opened the door to Andrei's office.

"Yeah, come in and close the door." He greeted me.

"So, what's it?"

"Sandy." He looked at me as I sat. I could see the doubt in his eyes. Oh-oh. "Do you trust me?"

Well.... yes? "Yeah. You know I'll do anything you ask."

"Well, this is a... special mission. It won't be easy. Well, the actual mission is as simple as it gets. Go to place, kill the guy. The consequences, however...."

Oh-oh indeed. Andrei talking about consequences. Shit. "You know, I'll..."

He gave me the file on the target. More like he threw it to my face, except it actually landed on the desk, before me.

I opened it, and couldn't help but to let out a loud whisper. "Holy Shit!"

"Yeah. Big fish. But the target is not the problem. The problem is the how. Sandy, I'll be blunt. I want to make a statement. A public statement, if you follow me."

I stared at him, words stuck in my throat. Shit. This was going to be a mess.

He seemed to read my mind. "Yeah, I want you to make a big mess. To let everyone know what we do. You're to wait for him right outside his workplace. Once he gets out, you'll walk up to him and slash his throat."

I looked down, uneasy. "You know, I can think of another way to make a statement. Take him to a safe place, place a camera, let people actually see..."

He smiled candidly at me. "It's not the same. Watching it on TV, I mean. People forget everything as soon as the next big news appear on their screens. No, I need something else. I need people to see it firsthand. To get soiled with his blood, so they can never forget."

I took a deep breath. Man was as nuts as they come. "So, this is why Key never wanted to get into politics."

"I'd guess so. But you're not her, are you? You don't mind that nonsense, do you?"

I sighed. I did. But oh, well. "Okay. ... So... you said this will have... consequences."

I could see he was trying hard to keep his creepy expression, but something was different in it. "Yeah. We're... following the legal procedures this time. We'll go to trial. We'll make it big news so everyone knows what happened."

He continued his discourse, his smile unfaltering on the surface, belied by the doubts in his look. "You'll plead guilty, Sandy. I... Yeah, I'll pull on some strings to make sure the sentence is a bad joke. For the audience, I mean. But, you'll have to go to prison."

Silence. Shit. I couldn't say anything either. After a while, he resumed his briefing. "Don't worry. I'll break you out of there as soon as I can. Couple days should do it. But, worst case, make it a week." He closed his eyes, planting his elbow into the desk and letting his forehead rest on his hand, softly massaging his temples. "Sandy, I want you to know... I'd do it myself, but I can't. Legally I can't do shit. Come here, will you?" He patted his arm rest.

I took the chair to his side, and sat beside him, not really understanding his reaction. Yet. I waited for more, but he was waiting for me to say something, so after a while, I broke the uneasy silence. "May I... ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"What would happen if... I said no?"

He looked into my eyes. And I froze in place. There was no sign of the Void this time, there was... distress. Remorse. Things I never thought I'd see in his gleaming, twisted look. But they were there, and they scared me way more than the brutal sickness I was so used too see there.

"Sandy... I have no one else to do this. Nobody is up to the task."

I pushed a bit further. "You mean nobody's willing to do it."

He smiled, but it was the saddest smile I've ever seen. "I could convince quite a few guys, you know. But... nope. They can't possibly pull it off, they can't do what you can. They're not you, Sandy.

"So... why not do it yourself."

"Because then, it's over. The war. This place. I could do that if it was about the families, but above all, I'm the head of detentions. The family is just a way to fight - but... this place, this is the only thing I truly have. And if I were to make such a statement myself... legally, this would be over. And I can't let that happen, Sandy."

"But everyone knows I work for you."

"Yeah. But they don't have anything. Legally, this mission is a families thing." He unbuttoned his shirt, showing his tattoos. "Legally... this isn't here. The few people who have seen this, are friends. The rest may 'know', but they can't prove it."

I sighed deep. I needed answers. "Okay. But you still haven't answered my question. What happens if I say no."

"You don't want to hear that answer, Sandy." He looked down in shame.

"Yeah, I do."

He sighed hard. "Well, I've told you I don't have anybody else. So... either I convince you, or... it doesn't get done. And... Well, it needs to be done, Sandy. Someone has to do something. So... I guess I'd have to convince you."

I kept staring at him. I needed to know.

"Sandy... Don't make me do this, okay? I don't want to. I swear, I have nobody else, I can't do it myself, I need you Sandy. What else do you want me to say?" He paused, thinking on what to do next. And then he had one of those lightbulb moments. "Okay. What do you want? ... I'm willing to negotiate a deal."

Wow. This was a first for him. Could I...? ... I had to try. "What about Key?"

He looked at me, his eyes full of sadness, of woe. "What about her?... She's mostly on her own. She never calls. She sometimes sends news, a note or something, with a guy, never by herself. That's about it. I haven't called her, given her any kind of file to take care of. I know she'd tell me to go to hell."

That was another first for him.

"So, what's it. What do you want, Sandy."

"Forget it. I just had to know. I'll do it."

The look of relief on his face, on his eyes, was a third first. His smile was almost back to normal, if a bit bitter still. "Thank you, Sandy. You... you don't know what this means to me."

I hugged him in a soft caress that seemed to last forever, my head against his chest, I could hear his heartbeat, steady, soft, and I realized this was indeed the right place to be. No matter the hardships of work. This was well worth it all.