by Sweth Water
Coal remembered Fog telling him about the alleged hackers from Anonymous. Taking had discussed with Fog, and he’d told some officers to work on the case from a different angle. “He is not a fucking suspect, Jo!” he screamed over the phone.
“I can’t say anything more, Coal. Sorry.”
“Fine.”
He hung up the phone.
He stood with March outside the house. Chase was inside, ripping the house apart. Coal remembered doing it many times in his life. People’s pain he never understood. He regretted those searching. It might be his job, but the people living there wouldn’t like that.
March didn’t say anything. She asked Coal to look after Sun as she went inside the house. A few minutes later some shouting he heard. It was Chase and March. Sun started crying. An agent took March from her arms and pulled her.
“Leave her!” Coal shouted. “March, please.”
Her dress was messed up, and hair was dishevelled as if someone pulled it. He doubted that any agent would do something like that. Chase showed up within the next minute.
“Coal, can you please take her outside? It will take few more minutes.”
“Sure.”
Coal put his hand behind her back and walked her outside.
“He wouldn’t do anything wrong.” March was sobbing.
“He didn’t. These are just the searches that I talked about. Instead of doing in my house, they are in yours. Nothing is going to happen. I will handle that.”
March took Sun in her arms. Coal waited near the door, the agent didn’t let him go inside. He didn’t push further. He was not on duty and they had the right to keep him away from the place. Chase nodded to the agent and Coal went inside.
“What type of proof are you looking for?” he asked her.
She eyed him.
“I am no fool, Chase. You thought he had to do something with my wife.”
“We believe that he killed your wife.” Chase murmured.
For tens of heartbeats, he stared at her. This case was going beyond what he thought at the beginning. Wind did what? No, there was some misunderstanding. Maybe Chase had no lead so she cooked the story.
Wind had hit March, but murder was not what he was capable of doing. All four of them – Wind, Coal, Rose and March – they were family, and trusted each other. Not for a second he believed what Chase told him. If he were at the Headquarters, it wouldn’t have come to these accusations.
“What?”
“He knew your wife. Maybe he was willing to go far with the plan but your wife didn’t.”
“This is idiocy.”
“Then wait till we find the evidence. And for your information, that Wind is not at work. Any guesses where he is?”
Chapter
20
Fifteen days before the accident
I am happy today.
Coal and I had an awesome vacation in London. He told me to make a plan to go to some other place when we reached the house. I have started working on that. I love to visit exotic places around the world.
I look out of the window of our bedroom and see March waving at Wind. Such a lovely couple they are. When they came here in the city, March was very worried. I remember going to their place and talking to them first. She was pregnant at that time, due in few weeks. I envy her for having a child.
We have planned too to have a child. We are trying. Coal is very romantic. I love him so much. Our first few days in Venhoa decided our future. I never thought I would end up with such a nice man. He has everything that a wife needs from her husband. And he is so caring that I feel my parents didn’t care for me much. I laugh.
Wind drives the car away. Coal has gone to work too. I am not going to work today. Some strike is going on there and I don’t have any intention to waste my time by shouting and raising the slogans. I sigh and go to meet March.
She is still standing on her porch and playing with Sun. Oh, I love that child. She sees me and takes Sun in her arms.
“Rose. Good morning!”
“Morning,” I say. “Playing with this sweetie?”
“Say ‘hi’ to Rose, Sun.”
The little child says, “Baye.”
We both grin.
“You are not looking for a job?” I ask.
“No. I don’t want to leave Sun with a babysitter.”
I caress Sun’s cheeks. “I am going to the supermarket.”
March smiles. “Of course, I am coming.”
I go to my home to collect my keys and cards. I like to drive. Coal gifted me a BMW on my birthday last year. I don’t know how he arranged the money, but I thanked him. It is easy for him to guess what I want. On the other side, I don’t even know if he likes pasta or noodles. I frown.
March puts Sun in the baby car seat in the back. She had this seat for her child even before Sun was born. Two months back they bought a car. I start the car and drive to the supermarket.
“How is life going, March?” I ask her.
“Good. I enjoy a lot at home. And neighbours like you never make me feel alone.”
“I thought we were friends.”
She looks at me. “You are better than a friend to me, Rose. I don’t have any sister but a brother. I always wished there would be a younger sister, and then I met you. You are such a nice person.”
I laugh. I don’t like praises. I have been like that since birth.
“What are you buying today, except makeup?” I ask.
March smiles. She always buys makeup. If you ask her to eat makeup, she would do that too. No offence.
“You should have some makeup too. It makes you look charming.”
“Come on. Don’t start that. You know I wear makeup before going out.”
“Light makeup.”
“But makeup.”
We both laugh.
“I saw some fishes in the supermarket last week. They were giving twenty percent off. Thinking of buying that. Wind likes fish in this season. Actually in any season.” March turns her head back to Sun. “This baby girl likes oatmeal three times a day, and her father likes fish three times a day.”
“Hmm. I hope fish will be there.”
“Yup.” Suddenly she changes the topic. “You heard of these rumours of someone stealing from the Department?”
“No.”
“My mother told me yesterday. It is not public. My father has some friends in the Department, close friends. They confided in him.”
“What the guards were doing?”
She shrugs. “No idea. These ... these Anons, this is what they call themselves, are thieves. Have their own agenda against the established systems. So many people have been taken into the custody over the years. Some admitted their crimes.”
I steer the wheel to the left and honk. “And why would they do that? Are they terrorists or what?”
“They didn’t kill anyone for sure. They believe in the freedom of information. Many secret services’ documents they’ve exposed in the world. Many movements they had in the European and Western and Middle-Eastern countries.”
“Our country is not there. Why us then?”
“That is a million-dollar question.”
I park the car in the parking lot. March takes Sun from the seat and enters the supermarket.
It’s Wednesday. Not many people are there. The racks and shelves are overloaded, and the fish smell is coming from the left side of the gate. They have vegetarian and non-vegetarian food on different sides. Some people protested last year, so they changed it. In any business, losing the customers is a way to failure.
March takes a basket and gives to me, and has one for herself. Sun starts pointing to the cookies on the shelves. She likes it. March never says no whenever Sun wants something. It is like she had something in the past that she doesn’t want Sun to have. It is good. I admire her sometimes.
We meet some children running in the aisles and their parents behind them. One of them comes straight to me and falls on the floor. I rub her head
and make her stand. She smiles and runs to the opposite side.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
“I will be back,” I tell March and keep my basket on the floor.
She nods.
I am standing outside the supermarket, near my car. Nobody is here.
“Hello,” I say when the ringing is going to stop.
“You will be caught soon, Rose.”
This voice is familiar to me. Maybe he is not using his cell phone. “Who is this?”
“Don’t do this. You know who I am. You need to stop doing illegal things. Anon? Seriously? You can’t go in the history as a traitor.”
I don’t say anything.
“You there?”
“Yes.”
“Please. I beg you. This is not good for you or Coal, and the country. What you stole from the Department must be given back to the officials. These papers can destroy many people of this country.”
I hold my breath for few seconds, and then speak, “You called me a traitor? You don’t have any idea what is going on in this country. Treason and patriotism are not defined by the laws but the people in power. Regimes change and so does the definitions. People who were slave and fought against the rulers were hanged, and after freedom they were called heroes.
“I am not a traitor, nor a patriot. I just can’t stand and see the wrong things happening in my country, or my country has a part of doing something bad to others’. You don’t have to nod to every military or police operation to prove your patriotism. You will never understand that.”
“Instead of feeling guilt you are saying it as if you did an awesome thing and deserve a reward, you stupid woman.”
“Don’t call me again.”
“Or?”
“I will have Coal arrested you for harassing me.”
He laughs. “Does your beloved husband know that you are part of the conspiracy that is going to change this country?”
“You asshole.”
“I didn’t call you to debate with you. Hand yourself to the police and rot in prison. Otherwise I will take some hard steps to stop you.”
“And that includes?”
“Killing you.”
I have a smile on my face. “You better start preparing yourself if you are going to kill me. We are the legion. We don’t forget, we don’t forgive. Expect us.”
Chapter
21
It was dark. She didn’t see anything outside the window. For what purpose they had her here? Gin had never met someone who would kidnap and wouldn’t have any demands. What part she was going to play in this game was hard to tell. She had tried asking the questions to the people who would come and give her food. They would just shrug and leave her.
She lost the count of days she was here. Her body stink of the foul smell of this place and sweat. Chains around her wrists and ankles were so tight, and it was impossible to get away from here. She knew martial arts. But there was always a person at the gate when someone came to give food. She surely could beat one person without a gun, but it wouldn’t give her anything.
She grabbed the water bottle and opened the cork. Some water was there that she drank. Chains let her move to few feet around the chair. An old mattress was given to her for sleeping, and they would remove the chains to let her use the loo.
No window was near her reach, and the place where she was kept was far from the city. In the car that day, the bullet was fired on the windshield. The man must have been following her or waiting for her. One thing was sure that they needed her alive.
Some faces she remembered. Never saw them before though. These people were not criminal, nor were they from Anonymous. But they had guns. It was enough for her to believe they were not good people. In her Rule Book, only army and police and agents should have the guns.
The door opened and a man came inside. He would come once in a day to check on her as if she was a friend. He was a nice person. Irony, no? His long and big hands were like a monster’s. His face had some bruises. Old bruises. Around his neck, he had a long mark of something sharp. His black sweater and brown pants didn’t make any sense to her.
“Are they taking good care of you?” he asked.
What name he had was not told by him. “Why are you keeping me here?”
“That didn’t answer my question. Curious. You are a curious woman. I like people who have the desire to know something more.”
“That didn’t answer my question too.”
The man smiled.
“You were very close to know about the attack, Agent Gin.” Her mouth opened to make a big O. “Yes,” he continued, “I know you. From Top One. Many people don’t even know about this agency. I am good at that.”
“They will find me soon.”
“I know. They are very close. What was his name?” He stopped, thinking. “Agent Taking. He is a good man in your team. I saw him roaming with another man near the downtown. They are getting closer. But before they find you, it will be over.”
“What is that?”
“The hunt.”
“I don’t understand.”
The man shrugged. “That man, Agent Gin. Officer Coal. You know the truth of his wife. That’s why you called him in your office.”
She just sat on the chair, staring.
“We have the access of many things in your office. We are not Anons; we are patriots. Saving our people from them.”
“By kidnapping an agent?”
“We had to, Gin.” He neared her. “That Base was getting everything to find us. The details that he had from you were dangerous for us. So we cleaned the mess before he got there. You see ... we are better than your people.”
“So, you were the ones who burned the barns and have the access to the satellite?”
“Yes, and no. We burned the barns. Those were the places we were working from. Abandoned last year by the people. I don’t know the reasons. Were good for us,” he took few steps behind. “We don’t have the access of the satellite.” He breathed deeply. “This place stinks. You should go out and get some fresh air.”
She didn’t laugh at the sarcasm.
“I saw a body there. Who was that?”
“Some old woman who was not ready to give us the place. We locked her down in the basement and worked there. Burned it after we realized Base was finding the clues left by my dumb people. We didn’t kill the woman. That is the truth. We gave her food and clothes and fresh air two times in a day. But she died. Was old. Burying an unknown woman was risky. So we burned her with the barn.”
“You know, when I leave this place what you said to me will be harmful to you. You should either kill me or keep your mouth shut.”
The man had a wicked smile. “I never killed any innocent in my life, Gin. And after we kill that traitor Coal, it doesn’t matter what you are going tell or do with us. I won’t let my country down.”
Agent Gin saw hate in his eyes. It was the first time. He had talked with her many times, today he chose to say something he’d not said before, and it enraged him.
“What it has to do with Officer Coal?”
He was serious now. “Are you not listening?”
She said nothing.
“His wife was an Anon. She broke into the Department. That information you wanted to keep to yourself and the President. Not even to Taking you said so. Now think of the secrets Officer Coal knows. How many people he shared it with. Brains, Gin, brains.”
“You should have gone to the local PD.”
He laughed. “You people knew about it. Involving the police in it was a big mistake. You did the mistake too.”
“Did you have the information before the breaching? Before us?”
“Of course.”
“Then I believe you were the part of the plan and then changed your mind. Abandoned Rose and other people.”
“I wasn’t and I didn’t leave Rose. She chose a different path that I was not ready to walk on.” He took out the gun and checked the magazine. “How did
you find out about Rose? Before the President even? That thing is not getting into my brain.”
Gin shut her mouth for a while. He was staring at her, waiting. Why it mattered now when she was with them? She bought some time by telling the half-truth. Base would know this location soon. “I had people working for me unofficially. Base was among them. He had his hands on the documents that she had in her house. Rose and Coal had gone to London. Perfect time to sneak.”
“You had proof then?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t arrest her? You are so fucked up, woman. What reason could have been there that you did not take her into your God damned office for interrogation?” He spat on the floor. He put the gun in the holster, hands against the wall. Like a mad dog he was shaking his head. Now he looked at her, his eyes narrowed a little. “God. She was working for you.”
She said nothing.
“Why? Why would you betray your country, bitch?” He trudged towards her and took her hair in his hand and slapped her. “Why?”
His face was near her face. She could feel his breath on her face. “Because ... someone was planning to invade the neighbour country. She did what was asked of her.”
He slapped her again. She fell from the chair. Her hands bruised by the chains, she put her hand on her cheek and glared at him. She wished she were not in chains. I will kill you.
“Let me guess the next part. She didn’t give you the real documents that she stole and abandoned you. Now we don’t know who has the documents. You had your suspicion on Coal. You called him just to talk. You didn’t meet him. You were on an adventurous ride with your soul-mate Taking. You found the breach. Anons are working in the city. You have no idea who else was with her.”
With her shivering hands, she removed the dirt from the bruises. The pain started soon. She never got injured in any operation. Here it was just ... She sat on the ground and looked at him with disgust.
“How did you know we were planning to attack Coal? The good part was you realized it after the attack.” the man said.
She just stared at him blankly.
He moved to her, took out his gun and pointed it on the leg. She could feel the muzzle on the shin. “You won’t fire.”