Human Experiment Chamber 2

Yvonne Gates was head researcher. Allman had been forced to promote her, after security discovered the dead body of Harvey Syton lying in the experiment chamber five weeks ago. The reason behind his suicide was still a mystery, and though she thought about it for a long time, she was never able to reach a sensible conclusion as to why he finally pulled the trigger. However, that issue didn’t matter anymore, because she had now become the third most respected figure on Con Caven Island, standing only before headquarters boss Allman and the legit Boss of the ISS. She’d finally realised her secret childhood dream – to become one of the most feared criminals in the world.

The project was nearly over, which disappointed her slightly. Over the weeks, she had enjoyed using Syton’s prototypes to butcher, burn and skin most of the remaining test subjects. She was proud of the tests, because they produced decent results which delighted the Boss. Their screams did not haunt her, but pleased her very much, and each experiment prompted her to take the next to more extreme heights. Now there were only three left alive – lying in wait for death to come, terrified. Furthermore, her pay had been tripled. She couldn’t have been happier in her life.

Sitting in Syton’s cubicle, which was now her own, she unwrapped a packet of crisps and put her feet up on the desk. As soon as she reclined back in her chair, the phone rang and she rolled her eyes, taking her feet off the desk again to reach it.

“Yvonne Gates, SG64. May I know who’s speaking?”

“Yeah. I’ll tell you who’s speaking. It’s your boss Allman.”

“Hello Allman, what can I do for you?” She always called him by his last name, never ‘boss’. That was what Syton used to call him, and she refused to follow in his footsteps. She refused to suck up to him. The only person she would call ‘boss’ was the real Boss himself.

“I want to discuss private matters. Please come to my office.”

“Sure. I’ll go over when I’ve finished my lunch.”

“No, Gates. You’ll be over here right now.”

Allman’s Secret
“Gates, I’m warning you,” he growled, “you may think you’re something. The Boss might reckon that too, but I know what you want. And you know it too, so don’t deny it.”

“Allman, I have absolutely no idea what you’re going on about.” For some reason, the one time Yvonne Gates ever told the truth in her life, Allman still didn’t believe her.

“I knew you wouldn’t admit it. You’re a goddamn fox, that’s what you are. Never mind. It’s only natural – I would want exactly what you want if I were in your position. But remember, you’re just a temporary replacement. You’re not half the man Syton was, and you never will be.”

“That’s a little sexist.”

“You know what I fucking mean. Now go away, and just remember that I’ll be watching every move you make.”

“I’m sorry Allman, but the language you’re using is threatening. I could get you reported if-”

“Gates, just get out of my sight.”

“I refuse to leave until an explanation has been-“

“GET OUT!” Allman yelled in fury, slapping the keyboard on his desk. He picked up the cordless phone and aimed it at her head. Without hesitation, she sprinted out of his cubicle and wondered what the hell was wrong with him.

Gates and Allman hadn’t been getting on particularly well since he’d been forced to promote her. He didn’t like her self-worshipping personality and much preferred Syton, who had been naturally quiet and never questioned his superiors. She couldn’t deny that she enjoyed Syton’s company as well, but now she had replaced him, and she was going to make it clear that she was there to stay.

Strangest of all, she couldn’t understand why Allman had burst out like that. There’d been tension between them but it never got violent until then. What was he so worried about? Something he thought she apparently knew? A secret? For once, she didn’t know anything she wasn’t supposed to know – and it worried her.

Suddenly, Max Bridges appeared right in front of her from nowhere, making her lose her train of thought. Bridges was the good-looking contract killer who’d recently been employed by Allman and moved from an underground ISS branch in Indonesia to the HQ. He was a smooth guy, with the most gorgeous neck-length dark hair and a smile that would make any girl swoon. But she could argue that she was pretty attractive herself, being a young woman in her mid-twenties. That’s why he’d seemed to have taken a strong liking to her after he joined the HQ. She didn’t deny that he was pretty cool, but as of now, she wasn’t interested. He was merely a tool she could use in her rise up the ranks; just like everyone else.

She stumbled backwards and nearly fell, but he caught her arm just in time.

“How’ve you been, babe?” He winked twice as he spoke.

“Not bad, you?”

Bridges lifted her chin and leaned in for a kiss, but the grin on his face disappeared when he felt sharp fingers grip his neck.

The Idea
They walked together through the central hallway, side by side.

“That hurt, you little fuck,” moaned Bridges, as he rubbed the bottom of his chin.

“That’ll teach you to touch a girl.” Thinking about Allman again, she found herself glaring angrily at the back of his head as she passed his cubicle window.

“Bridges, do you like Allman?” She suddenly asked, her voice no louder than a whisper. He raised his eyebrows disappointedly at her, as if he were listening to a little girl beginning to gossip.

“Yes, I love Almonds.”

“Seriously? All-MAN.”

He chuckled.

“To be honest with you, I haven’t known him as long as you, so I can’t really judge any better than you can. He doesn’t look that great though. Why, what’s he done to you now?”

“Remember, this is strictly between us two, do you understand?”

“Sure thing babe.”

“So, just a minute ago,” she began, “he called me into his place to yell at me. But the thing is, this time he kept on saying that he thought I knew something, or that I was going to do something. Then he demanded I admit it. I don’t know what the hell he’s bullshitting on about.”

She took a breath, then continued.

“Then I got the fuck outta there because he was going to chuck something at me. Do you think he’s going nuts?”

“I dunno. Well, he definitely doesn’t treat me like that. I haven’t signed the contract yet, even after five years of working at the ISS. So if he did dare to yell at me, I’d get myself outta here and the Boss would kill him for losing someone productive and valuable like me.”

“I was stupid, Bridges. I signed the damn thing a year into the job. Now I’m stuck here for the rest of my life.”

“I’m sure it’s not just that. You mentioned he liked Syton, right?”

“Yeah, and he’s using that against me as well. He keeps on feeling the need to remind me that I’m not as good as Syton – at dicksucking. Bullshit.”

“Well I definitely hope you are,” he smiled. She looked at him angrily and sighed.

They were both clueless. But then, he thought about it for a while, and he finally understood.

“You said he accused you of knowing something. Of wanting to do something, am I right?”

“…Yeah. I couldn’t imagine what though.”

Bridges suddenly laughed out loud hysterically.

“How on earth could you be so stupid?!” He remarked.

“What?”

“Look, think about who you were and who you are now. He hates you because he knows you like taking stuff for yourself. Oh, don’t look at me like that. Everyone knows you’re like that, even me. His favourite employee Syton just died and now he’s been forced to make you the head researcher. So were you just going to stop it there? Weren’t you thinking of…I don’t know. Maybe, getting promoted just a LITTLE FURTHER?”

At first, she didn’t understand, but then she realised what he was getting at. It seemed both Allman and Bridges were both thinking one step ahead of her. They seemed to know her better than she knew herself.

“You’re right,” she gasped. “He thinks I’m trying to steal his job!”

“WOW. And Allman thought he knew what you were thinking. Talk about smart,” he jeered. “But you’re the type who usually plans these evil things. Why didn’t you think of such an obvious thing to do?”

“I don’t know. My mind was wandering at the time, and I too busy enjoying myself with that project. I wasn’t really thinking about stuff like that.”

“You mean…ugh. That project. Too much blood and guts for my taste. Rather just shoot them. But I guessed you’d like that kind of thing, you creepy psycho.”

“I suggest you watch your mouth, because you’re talking to the head researcher here.”

“Yeah, whatever. See ya later babe. Feel free to cut me open any time.” He blew a kiss as he walked away down another corridor, and she rolled her eyes again. Bridges was smarter than he looked, and she reckoned staying on his good side would do her well. Still, she couldn’t understand why such a blatantly obvious idea had never popped up in her mind. Now she knew what Allman was thinking, she could put her worries to the side.

Hallucinations
She made herself tea before returning to the imprisonment chamber. The security camera had run out of battery, so the three remaining inmates had been left unsupervised for at least three or four days. Jackson, the bald scientist who was monitoring the security pictures, had forgotten to feed them. They sat stationary in the corners of their cells, and when she entered carrying a handful of batteries, they glared at her menacingly.

“How you doin’ boys?” They didn’t reply, and started growling in anticipation.

She dragged the stool across the room and positioned it under the broken camera. The soon-to-be test subjects watched every move she made, lying completely still in waiting. She stepped up onto the stool and removed the camera from the wall.

“Yvonne Gates…” she heard an ominous whisper behind her.

“Who’s that?”

“Yvonne Gates,” it came again, “''you want to do it. You do''…”

She heard another voice.

“''You want to do it. You know you want to…''”

“You want it…you do…and you’re going to get it, aren’t you…?”

“Stop it, STOP!” She demanded, becoming a little afraid. She turned around, and all three inmates were clutching the bars of their cells, staring at her with wide eyes.

The three voices spoke in unison. They all told her to ‘do it.’ Were they trying to scare her?

“''Kill him, Yvonne Gates. Just do it…you can do it…''”

“''You want to do it, don’t you, Yvonne Gates? We know you want to…”''

“Just do it…just kill him…”

“What? Kill who?” Even though she asked, somehow in the back of her mind, she knew who they were talking about.

“You don’t like him, do you?”

“Then just kill him…slice him open…and it’s all yours…”

“You know you want to do it…”

It was crazy. Where were they getting the ideas from? She glanced down at her hands. Even they were telling her to do it. Could she really?

“Do it, Yvonne Gates…”

“Just kill him…”

“You know you want to…”

She lifted her head again. To her surprise, she saw all the inmates back where they were, huddled in the corners of their cells. They were no longer staring at her, no longer gripping their cell bars. They didn’t speak, and made only quiet animalistic noises. Confused, she shook her head. Had she imagined that whole episode?

If she had, it meant something. Even her subconscious mind was telling her to get rid of him. No, it was telling her more than just that. It was trying to say that once Allman was gone, everything would be hers. And she would be the one to drive him out. Only she could kill him, and claim all.

She would think about it later, as it seemed like a risky but viable option. Stepping off the stool, she clicked open the battery compartment of the camera then bent down to select a few replacements. To her horror, there were no old batteries in the compartment. There was nothing – it was empty. That meant someone must’ve deliberately taken them out, but no employee would’ve done that.

She looked up again, and this time, the inmates were growling suspiciously loudly. She walked a few steps further into the centre of the chamber, where they stared at her intently. It was then that she noticed each of the inmates’ cell locks were positioned at a slightly strange angle. She couldn’t help seeing it, because it seemed odd. It was as if the lock pads had been turned upside-down. Then, she realised they had been broken.

The inmates’ growling rose in volume. Suddenly, one of them jumped out of his cell, prompting the others to escape too. They launched themselves into the centre of the room, snarling and breathing heavily, crawling on all fours like wild beasts. Each opened his mouth wide open, and spit dribbled from their chins. Then, they started advancing slowly towards her.

“Security…SECURITY!” She shrieked, watching their hungry eyes glowing in anticipation.

They attacked her, and she screamed. The camera fell out of her hands and onto the floor, shattering into many pieces. The inmates mauled her and ripped at her flesh with their teeth, chewing off chunks of her face and arms. She flailed around madly in pain and they continued to crawl around her and bite into her limbs.

“HELP ME!” Her screams were muffled.

Five guards dashed into the chamber, followed by Allman and the bald scientist. Blood covered everything in sight, and even the brightest parts of Gates’ white coat had been stained a painful shade of pink.

Security dragged the inmates off her, throwing them back into their cells. They tried to jump back out, but they were tranquilized and soon, all three of them fell into a deep sleep. She felt herself being lifted into a stretcher, and carried away. The last thing she saw before she passed out was her left hand, which was now no more than a gloopy red mess of flesh, skin and bone.

Allman shook his head, gazing disappointedly at the blood splatters in the middle of the room.

“What a shame. The HQ really does need to order some new locks, doesn’t it Jackson?”

The bald scientist eyed him suspiciously.

“You seem calm, boss.”

“Well, one does need to be calm in situations like this. It’s the only way you can get through life, you know? They don’t call me headquarters boss for nothing.”

He walked over to the pile of batteries and the shattered pieces of camera. He picked up two of the plastic pieces, which he fit together like a puzzle.

“Shame,” he said again, turning it over and looking at the battery compartment. “These things cost a fortune.”

He smiled, gazing down into the empty slots, from which he had removed the batteries.

Awoken
She opened her eyes again. She sat up to examine her surroundings, and saw that spots of blood had stained her pillow. Her wounds didn’t seem to hurt much, so she lifted the covers off herself. She was wearing a light blue patient gown, and her limbs and face were wrapped in bandages.

She unwrapped her facial bandages slightly and dragged her fingers across her face. She was delighted that she only felt two stitches, one down her left cheek and one in front of her ear. At least the attack hadn’t damaged her face too much. But her left hand was still a mess, and underneath the bandages, she could see that the top part of her thumb was missing. She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, forcing her to lie back down.

A nurse entered the room, bringing her a cup of coffee and some biscuits.

“Ah Gates, you’re awake. Do you remember what happened to you before you came here?”

“Um, I-“

The door opened again, and Max Bridges stepped in. She groaned silently to herself. He had a sly grin on his face, and his hands were behind his back. As he walked closer to the bed, he took them out, revealing a bunch of flowers wrapped in pink plastic paper.

“How are ya, babe?”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” she smiled, as he placed the flowers on the table beside her bed. He placed an unopened card on top of them, which read ‘GET WELL SOON!’ on the front in large, pink letters, above a picture of a teddy.

“Now, can I have a kiss?”

“Oh, Bridges.”

She sat up and pecked him on the lips.

“Gates and Bridges,” sighed the nurse. “My perfect town has Gates and Bridges. I’ll leave you two to it.” She went out of the room.

“Now, would you mind telling me what the hell happened to you?”

“I can kind of remember it, but not too clearly,” she began. “I was going to change the batteries on the security camera in the place where I kept the test subjects…” She paused. She wasn’t sure whether she should tell him what happened next in her mind, as of yet. No, she would skip that part.

“Muh-huh,” he nodded.

“I thought it was weird, because broken cameras usually give the computer an alert telling you to replace the batteries. And nobody had known about this for ages until I asked about it. But then, I found out, the batteries weren’t broken. There were no batteries. Someone had taken the batteries out, and the CCTV images didn’t get through to Jackson. I don’t blame him, because that’s why he forgot to feed the test subjects.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the cameras were quite stable here. Even if one broke, it would send an alert message. But not if someone deliberately took it out. Hmm.”

He paused and thought for a few seconds.

“I swear I saw Allman go in there once. He was by himself as well, and-”

“What? A security guard always has to accompany a boss into the chamber. That’s the rules.”

“Yeah, exactly. That’s why I thought it was strange, but I just…well, it was nothing really.”

“Well it’s something now,” she laughed. “It’s something serious. I always knew it. Allman was the one who took the batteries out!”

“Hey, don’t jump to conclusions-“

“Don’t question it. I know it was him. He planned it all, and he knew this shit would happen.” She lowered her voice. “He knew Jackson would forget to feed them. Jackson was monitoring the security pictures; he’s old and a bit ditzy – if he didn’t see the picture, he wouldn’t question it. Allman knew I would be the next one to go in there. That’s why he loosened the locks on the cells, and they were all able to jump out and attack me.”

“That’s a sensible conclusion, I guess.”

“Well what then? Do you think all three of the inmates could’ve broken the locks themselves, taken the batteries out of the camera then had the sanity to hide back in their cells just to jump out at the last minute to bite me? Who else would’ve done it? Who else hates me as much as Allman does?”

“Yeah. Okay. Makes sense. But what do you want to do about that now?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

They looked at each other, their faces more tense than before. The door opened, and Allman came into the room. She was surprised to see Bridges stand up and leave the room abruptly.

“Miss Gates, how’s it been?” He almost jeered at her. Anger boiled up inside her, and she felt like she wanted to knock his teeth out right there and then. But she resisted, keeping her face totally calm and professional.

“I appreciate your concern Allman. I’ve been well, thanks. The recovery’s been slow, but I’ve been…well.”

He took out a small box of chocolates from his briefcase and put them onto the table, but no ‘get well’ card followed.

“Thank you,” she smiled, “I’m very grateful for all of this, but it’s really not needed.”

He smiled back at her. Almost sarcastically, she thought.

“I see someone’s already beat me to it,” he said, looking at the flowers Bridges had given her. “Who’s it from?” Before she could stop him, he opened the card. Great. Now Allman knew about their relationship, he was bound to degrade Bridges too. She just hoped he wouldn’t hate her for it.

“Who’s ‘BS’?”

Bridges hadn’t signed it with his full name. Not even his initials. She sighed in relief – reminding herself that he was smarter than he looked.

“That’s my friend Beatrice Smith,” she said, quickly making up a random name. “She’s working for the ISS department in the Philippines. It was quite nice to receive her mail.”

“Really? Never heard of her. And did she mail the flowers to you too? They look a bit too…alive for that.”

She clenched her fists.

“No, those were from the emergency department.”

“Bullshit.”

“What?” A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. His eyes seemed too narrow for safety. He laughed.

“I mean, the ‘BS’ must stand for bullshit! The flowers are pretty bullshit too. I mean, look at them! They’re cheap. All these people have absolutely no idea how to buy gifts. I’ll have to discipline my emergency department better next time. Of course, god forbid there ever is a ‘next time’.”

He wore a jolly smile on his face. She swallowed, and her pulse relaxed.

“Thanks for the chocolates, Allman. It really isn’t necessary, but, thank you so much. I’ll enjoy them.”

He picked up his briefcase and walked towards the door, then turned back around.

“Oh you will, won’t you? They’re professional quality.” He disappeared.

Irate, she gritted her teeth and sliced the cardboard box open with her sharp, red fingernails. Her conclusion seemed to make sense. This was a man who had planned to kill her, in fear of his position being stolen. Now there was an obvious sense of conflict between them, she knew the fight to become headquarters boss had begun. She was not going to lose to him.

She picked up a finger-shaped chocolate and cracked it open. There was a strange yellow paste inside it, which smelt odd. She licked it, and spluttered because it tasted slightly bitter. Her heart skipped a beat as she realised he had tried to do it once more, and noted the fact that he hadn’t attached a card - so she couldn’t frame him for murder.

She swept her arm across the front of the table, shoving the whole box and all its contents into the bin.

The Sign
Gates sat in the experiment chamber, all alone. In front of her was the first lethal creation of Harvey Syton – the deadly ‘Angel’s Wings’. She stood up, then walked over to it. Her high heels created loud, echoing footsteps which filled the entire chamber as she walked. She ran a finger down the undersides of the two flat iron bars which met in the middle, where the subject’s chest would be. The sharp iron spikes pierced her skin, and she licked the blood away.

“Hello Gates.” A familiar, unknown voice called her name. She turned around, but nobody was there. Oh no, not the voices again.

“Who the fuck is this?”

“Do you remember me?” She recoiled in shock. Harvey Jack Syton stood behind her, on the other side of the Angel’s Wings.

“Syton!” She shouted. “H-how are you…I thought you were dead!”

''“Yes, I’m afraid I was too. But I came back to warn you.”''

“Warn me? About what?”

“By replacing me, you’re walking into a deadly trap.”

Before she could move, she found herself entrapped between hollow metal bars. The Angel’s Wings. How had she ended up in there? She didn’t even remember herself getting up.

Struggling to free herself, she resisted the iron bars.

Suddenly, Syton lowered the spikes and she screamed as they dug into her body. Blood oozed out onto her white coat and dripped down her legs. Just then, she saw Syton’s hand on the lever.

“No, DON’T DO IT! MERCY!” She shrieked with all her might. “SYTON! I used to work for you! You’re the original, I’m the replacement! You’re the real one! I’m the fake one! Just don’t do it! PLEASE DON’T DO IT!”

He ignored her desperate pleas, and pulled it down. The machine began to work, ripping her torso open from the middle. The pain was unbearable, and she screamed even more loudly.

''“Gates, this is what will happen if you continue to sit idly and watch. You will die,”'' said Syton, holding a calm look on his face as he usually did when he was alive. “''It’s either you or him. You've seen him try to do it twice already. You’ve got to do it. Save yourself while you still can. You can get everything. Just kill him. You know you want to do it…you know it…”''

It was telling her to ‘do it’ again. The voices had returned. She pushed against her restraints, trying to cover her ears. She recognised that familiar line. It wasn’t the real Syton talking to her – she was just imagining the whole thing. Relieved, she realised she wasn’t really going to die. The pain stopped abruptly.

She woke up, dazed, in a cold sweat. The vivid image of the ‘Angel’s Wings’ was so real it was hard to believe it was just a dream.

But no, it wasn’t just a dream, it was telling her something. Allman was paranoid of her stealing his title, and he would stop at nothing to get rid of her. She originally wanted to wait a little longer before ‘doing it’, but now it had become clear that only one of them could be the boss – and the other one would end up dead. This dream was a sign - she had to take action quickly before it was too late. Sitting up, she grabbed her cell phone from the desk and tapped in a number.

“Bridges, which wing are you in?”

“Is this Gates? Geez, it’s early. You finally wanna hook up?”

“BRIDGES! I have no time for chit-chat. It’s two in the morning, so there shouldn’t be security outside your wing.” She looked out of the window. “The coast is clear here too. Can you meet me in room SP56 in five minutes?”

“For what?”

“I’ve got serious business to talk about.”

“Sure thing babe. SP56, is that right?”

“Yes, be careful.”

The Pact
The dim light flickered intermittently.

“What the hell is this all about Gates?”

“I just had a dream. In the dream, Syton came back and told me I had to get rid of him, or else I’d die. Just listen to what I’m saying, it’s either me or Allman. He’s trying to kill me.”

“Is he really?” Bridges raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you just want to murder him so you can become the boss?”

He spoke the truth, though she couldn’t admit that.

“No, I’m saying, he’s overly obsessed with getting kicked out by the Boss. He doesn’t want me to replace him like I did with Syton. That’s why he’s trying to kill me, like he did back then with the security camera issue.”

“And you figured this out all based on a dream? Are you playing with me?”

“No, whether you believe it or not, I heard voices. They told me to do it. They were always there, but then they weren’t a minute later. I don’t know what’s going on, but from what I know, it’s certainly time.” She looked into his eyes and walked closer to him. “Don’t you love me, Bridges? Now, it’s either me or him. Choose.”

“Of course I love you honey, but what do you want me to do about it?”

“You idiot! Bridges, I’m asking you to kill him for me.”

“Baby,” he began, “I know it’s hard to understand, but I don’t do good work for free. How much are you planning to give me?”

“When he’s dead, I’ll be your boss. I’ll pay you double…no, triple your current salary. That should be enough to satisfy you. Think about it – three times what you get now. What could you do with all that money?”

“Honey, make it four. Then I’ll do it.”

She frowned. “Three’s the maximum.”

“Then I’m afraid I can’t do it.”

“Look, it’s either one or three. Which would you prefer?”

“But it’s a big risk, you know? I might get caught.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

She groaned. “Alright, I’ll make it four.”

“Yeah, that’s more like it babe. How about tomorrow night? After I find some way to get past security, I’ll crawl into his room and shoot him with his own gun.”

“No, you can’t do that. He keeps his gun in his jacket all the time, even when he’s sleeping. Why don’t you use your own gun?”

“You science guys still have a lot to learn about hitmanship. The bullets of each gun are unique, so each kill can be identified and the killer rewarded. But in this case, it would be rewarded with torture and execution, I suppose. I could stab him, then put the knife in his hand – that would be the easiest way.”

“But then they’d question why he didn’t just use his gun. It seems overcomplicated.”

“Hey, gimme a day to think of something sensible, okay? I’m the Bringer of Death, I know how to deal with these things.”

“You? They only call the Captain the ‘Bringer of Death’…wait, you’re the Hitman Captain now? You never told me that.”

Suddenly, his face went pale.

“What?” She asked. “What’s the matter?”

He looked at her again, then his natural face returned – the slightly sardonic smile.

“Yeah, I am. Captain Bridges. Death Bringer. Does that make me hotter or creepier?”

“Mm…both. But I like it. I always thought you were just a normal contract killer. You never told me. Looks like I underestimated you.” The Captain of the Hitmen was third in line to headquarters boss, after head researcher.

“That’s good babe. So do you trust me with this?”

“Yeah, but you need to be careful.”

“Ah, security’s a piece of cake. There’s no way they can catch a contract killer.” He looked into her eyes and touched her face. “How do I know you trust me?”

“What do you mean? I can kiss you again if you like.”

“No, no. Although that would be nice.” He looked at her bracelet. It was thin and silver, and had a pink flower on it. “Do you wear that bracelet often?” He asked.

“I always wear it everywhere, along with my watch.”

“Then if you trust me, give it to me.”

She looked at him strangely. “Why are you asking me for…?”

“Because only that way, I know I can trust you.”

She took it off and gave it to him. He put it in his pocket and ran a finger down the scar on her cheek, then he kissed her.

“And also,” he continued, “one more thing. I need the head of your next subject.”

“And why is that?”

“Let’s just say…I don’t exactly want him screaming my name out loud before he dies. And in case someone sees me.”

“I don’t know where you’re going with that, but fine. Whatever you want. I’m killing off one tomorrow morning, and I’ll deliver it to you before noon.”

“That’s good.”

“Be careful Bridges,” she whispered.

“You too babe.”

SB41
Allman sat in his cubicle and yawned. ’02:34’, read his digital clock. It was time for a nap, although he knew it wouldn’t be long before it was time to get to work again – there were too many damn things he needed to do. Being the headquarters boss took effort. He wished he was the real Boss, who didn’t have to do shit, who could watch the dollars pouring in every second. He chucked his cigarette in the bin and lifted himself off his chair.

He flicked the lights off and headed down the hallway to his room, in SB41. Once he’d locked the door, he sat comfortably on his bed and switched on his night-light, lighting another cigarette. He turned on the television and browsed through the early morning programmes; there weren’t many interesting ones, so he turned to the news channel.

He heard a sharp ‘bump’ behind him. He saw nothing when he turned around, so he dismissed it. Nowhere could be safer than in his own bedroom, where the security camera sitting on his shelf watched everything that happened. Some would say that it’s unnerving to feel watched when you’re sleeping, but if anything, it made him feel safer.

Still, the noise irritated him, as his room was usually completely silent, and he liked it that way. Had something fallen? He shifted towards the other side of his bed, but stopped when he heard quiet shuffling, coming from the wardrobe. That was unusual. He leaned over the lamp to open the door.

Suddenly, a hand emerged from the wardrobe. He jumped back, however before he could get away, someone wearing a grey sweater grabbed him by the neck then covered his mouth. His muffled screams stopped when he looked upon the face of this ominous being – no, it wasn’t human at all. He’d never seen anything like it before, and he was so horrified he couldn’t make a sound.

Some creature of the night had found him. It had two bulging eyes which protruded from two bloody sockets. They were covered with veins and grew unevenly on its face, the left eye too low, almost on its cheek, and the right too high, sitting on its forehead. Its nose was crooked and too close to its lips, which seemed fleshy and raw. Its mouth was permanently open, revealing a set of human-like teeth, aligned in an unnaturally crooked way. There was blood on its teeth, and in its left hand was a giant blade.

The dim yellow night-light cast disturbing shadows across its face. Where was security? Nobody was coming to save him from it. The man, no, the creature grabbed his hair and threw him onto the floor face-first. It swung its hatchet into his head multiple times, then split open his torso. The last thing he felt was the sharp edge begin to rip through his stomach. The blade cut through his bone. Brains, blood and intestines began to spill out of him then onto the floor.

Although his heart had stopped beating, the fear he had experienced in his last moments was forever imprinted into his dead eyes.

The ‘creature’ dropped the hatchet and stayed in the room for a few minutes. Then it escaped down the empty hallway.

Aftermath
5 A.M.

An alarm sounded, and voices could be heard shouting in the hallway.

“The headquarters boss is dead! Allman’s been attacked! Quick, someone get help!”

Gates yawned and opened her eyes. As soon as she heard it, she snapped back into consciousness and dressed herself, dabbing on her red lipstick and pulling her shiny blonde hair into a tight bun. She didn’t bother to brush her teeth. A giant smile spread across her face. It was absolutely brilliant – her plan had worked, and Allman was now dead. Everything belonged to her: the whole headquarters, the money, even the posh bedroom was now hers. This was what she’d imagined, when she first joined the ISS as a low-grade employee. Ah, Yvonne Gates, the headquarters boss. If she continued at this rate, she’d soon end up the real Boss if he died sometime, but she decided she wasn’t going to rush this one. She would take it easy with him.

This was all thanks to Max Bridges. He was the man who had made all her dreams come true. She really couldn’t thank him enough, but the pay rise just wasn’t going to happen. She was his boss now – her life started again here, and anything she said before wouldn’t count. Furthermore, if he resisted, she could fire him with a snap of her fingers. He still hadn’t signed the contract.

She ran as best as she could in her high heels down the crowded corridor to room SB41 where hoards of people gathered. Making her way to the front of the crowd, she peered in through the open door. Her smile faded, and her heart started racing. All she could see was blood and guts, and a huge hatchet had been left at the murder scene. Wait…that wasn’t how it was meant to be. The murder was meant to be dressed like a suicide somehow – but it wasn’t at all. Bridges had said he would’ve devised some sort of plan, perhaps to get hold of Allman’s bullets somehow, but a hatchet?

She needed to talk to Bridges desperately, and ask him what was going on. This wasn’t what they had planned at all. She ran back down the hallway and dialled his number on her private cell.

“Hey there. This is Max Bridges at your service. I’m busy right now but you can leave a message-“

She cursed, hanging up. This wasn’t the time. Something was wrong.

Suddenly, two security guards grabbed her by the arms. What the hell was this? Were they worried for her safety?

“Where are you taking me?” She demanded. They ignored her and dragged her further down the hallway.

“Let go of me! What do you think you’re doing?”

“The Boss himself has arrived at the murder scene. He ordered us to do this,” they replied.

“The Boss? Why me? W-where are you taking me?” she repeated.

“The execution chamber.”

Bringer of Death
She arrived in the chamber, greeted by a set of stony faces. Every member of the headquarters branch was gathered here. They stood organized in rank order and as the Boss entered the room, they bowed in unison. Gates, too, was pushed onto her knees before she could speak. She lifted her head and searched the chamber. Nurses…scientists…hitmen! Bridges knelt at the front, and she recognised him even though he was wearing a suit. She tried to catch his gaze, but he continued to look at the floor.

“We are here to witness,” began the Boss, “the first death sentencing of an ISS offender. In our organisation, we do not tolerate any misconduct. The murder of a superior is punishable by torture and execution. Yvonne Gates, do you confess to the offence you have committed?”

“What? I didn’t do anything!” She screamed. “Let me go! Boss, it wasn’t me! I didn’t murder him!”

“We found this alongside the body.” A guard held up a thin, silver bracelet. The pink flower on it was covered with dry blood. It was broken, making it appear as if it had been dropped by mistake. “Everyone who knows Yvonne Gates has verified that this item belongs to her. I don’t understand what you were planning, Gates. Didn’t you consider the way you conducted that murder was a little…obvious?”

She panicked. Bridges had taken her ‘trust’ and deliberately betrayed it. She couldn’t believe it, but now she knew, all the pieces seemed to fit together perfectly. Why had he chosen to use a hatchet? To blatantly show it was a murder. Furthermore, why had he done that? So he could frame her of doing it.

And why had he wanted to frame her? A sudden realization came upon her. Head Researcher was always second in line to Headquarters boss. The Captain of the Hitmen was third. That’s why he’d broken a sweat when he’d accidentally mentioned it, but she was too dazed to realize anything suspicious. By framing her for killing Allman, Max Bridges had killed two birds with one stone. Now, he was going to become the Headquarters boss. In fact, he had it planned out meticulously carefully from the beginning, as he’d seen his chance coming when she’d first asked him about Allman’s behaviour – he had always been ten steps ahead of her. She thought she’d been using him to get what she wanted for herself, but it turned out that all this time, he had been using her.

He had given her a chance. That time where he let his tongue slip – when he accidentally mentioned that he was the Captain of the Hitmen. He had never told her that; she always thought he was an ordinary contract killer employee until then, and for a good reason too. It was the only clue which could’ve led her to deduce that it wasn’t as simple as it seemed, and more people were against her than she first thought. But she had completely failed to notice it, and she would pay the ultimate price for that mistake - her life.

“IT WAS MAX BRIDGES!” She shrieked. “He set me up! He took my bracelet and put it there! He killed Allman! It wasn’t me, IT WASN’T ME!”

“Boss, I did no such thing.” Max Bridges stood up. “I had known Yvonne Gates for some time before this happened, but I had no idea she was going to do something like that. Though, there was clearly some sort of tension between her and boss Allman, so I can understand why it happened. I was a close acquaintance of Gates, therefore I can also understand to some extent why she wanted to frame me. But I deny having anything to do with Allman’s murder. It is a disgrace to the organisation of the International Secret Service. Greed pays, doesn’t it, Gates?”

“Now as it stands, you will be the next headquarters boss when Gates has been executed, because you are the organiser of the contract killing system at the ISS headquarters, is that right?”

“Yes. That could have been another reason Gates wished to accuse me of the murder.”

He lifted his head and looked straight at her, the corners of his lips curving into a threatening smile.

She could never talk them out of it. His words were too smooth, too cunning. She wanted to burn him, to leave him in the pits of hell to die in the worst way imaginable. She hated him even more than Allman. But there was nothing she could do. She should’ve been smarter, and gotten away from him while she still had the chance. After all, he was the Bringer of Death, and she should’ve expected no less.

She was silent, unable to make a comeback. The Boss waved his hands, and the guards carried her further into the experiment chamber, which was now about to become the room in which she would die. She saw herself being carried towards the Angel’s Wings, and she screamed and flailed.

“Now, let this be a lesson to you all,” said the Boss. “The ‘justice’ system in the ISS is much more efficient. We don’t wait decades for a confession. Once the evidence has been collected, the accused is sentenced to death. Gates, prepare yourself well. As you should know, the ‘Angel’s Wings’ are a torture device invented by your own mentor and previous head researcher, Harvey Jack Syton. It is one of the slowest, most painful ways to die on the planet.”

She was going to die in the Angel’s Wings. It was the real thing now. It was no dream, this was reality.

“Had you been a legendary genius like Syton,” he continued, “we would’ve considered keeping you alive a while longer. But you are only a temporary replacement, so don’t think too highly of yourself, Gates.”

They strapped her into the machine, as the crowd watched in silence. Jackson pushed the button, and the iron nails dug into her flesh. It had been more painful than she’d expected. Jackson remembered how, nearly a year ago, they had been investigating reports for Syton side-by-side. But he’d never expected that he would ultimately be the one to end her, with Syton’s own invention.

He shook his head then sighed, pulling the lever. The screaming started.

End
Why hadn’t the security camera in Allman’s room caught a thing? Jackson had been watching it on the very night he died, but all he saw was an empty room. Replaying the tape again, he saw the same thing, and just assumed that he hadn’t been having much luck with the cameras recently. He had thought Allman was working a night shift in his cubicle, so there was nobody in SB41 that whole night. He told himself to be careful in the future – if he missed something important one day, he could be executed.

He removed the tape from the computer. That’s when he noticed the security code was wrong, and it was missing one digit. It was a fake - the camera had been replaced and the contents of the tape edited. That was the reason why it caught nothing, allowing Allman to be killed. He told himself to be more careful in the future as he had already signed the contract for life – if he missed something important one day, he could be executed. Of course, swapping the camera was a smart idea – it seemed like Yvonne Gates had been thinking ahead, being the clever woman she was. But – a hatchet? There was something wrong with that; she would never make it so obvious, as the Boss had mentioned before.

Jackson sat in his cubicle with his head in his hands. Max Bridges had recently been appointed new boss of the headquarters, but he couldn’t help thinking there had been something fishy with his new promotion. He remembered Gates screaming his name in agony as she died, as if she wanted to use her last moments to keep accusing him of it. As of now, there was nobody with the title ‘head researcher’ and it made him glad, for he knew anyone with that title would eventually drive themselves insane.

Opposite his cubicle was Max Bridges’ room. He spotted something odd inside a large grey box, which had its lid half-open. He tried to dismiss it as nothing, but he couldn’t help thinking it looked something like human hair. Nobody was around so he quietly entered the room, approaching the box slowly. He’d seen this box in the room a few days ago, but Bridges always kept it locked. It seemed like he’d forgotten to do that this time. He lifted the metal lid off the box. A foul stench made him cough, and he held his breath. When he looked down and saw what was inside it, he held in a silent scream. A severed human head, with its eyes gouged out, nose, lips and teeth removed. Skin had been scraped off its neck, leaving it flesh-coloured. He recognised the bristly brown hair; it was the head of the last test subject. There was something else in the box too. He moved the head aside, and saw a white piece of plastic, shaped like a triangle, with a string joining one end to another loosely like that of a mask.

He lifted it out of the box and turned it over. Suddenly, he was overcome with a feeling of nausea. Human skin was glued to the other side of the plastic in patches. The missing eyes from the severed head were glued onto the skin, but asymmetrically. The nose was glued in the middle, and the lips were also glued on, along with the teeth. He noticed two tiny holes, one just above the left eye, which had been glued on very low down, and the other just below the right eye, which had been glued too high. It was like a mask. It was an absurd creation. He’d known some strange people during his time working for the ISS, but never with a fetish as creepy as that of Bridges. It seemed he enjoyed making artwork from bits of dead bodies.

Looking around to check if anyone was there, he swallowed in disgust. Just as he was about to place the mask back into the box, something large and black caught his eye. A security camera. Why was that in here? He lifted it out of the box and pressed the ‘ON’ button – it loaded, meaning it still had battery left. He saw the room label in the bottom right-hand corner – it was SB41! He had found the original security camera of Allman’s room, which had been removed by the killer! But why was it in Bridges’ room?

Wiping the dust and dry blood off the tiny display screen, he went to the menu and clicked on the last video on the list. The time showed 02:13:34, when it had started filming automatically. His midnight break was from 2 A.M. to 2:30 A.M. when Allman would usually go to bed, so he wouldn’t have been watching it then. He skipped the tape to 02:14:09 when he saw the first signs of movement – a suspicious looking man entered Allman’s room. It was the body of a man, definitely not a woman’s figure. The man wore a grey sweater and had his back to the camera; it looked like he was searching for something.

A second later, he turned towards the screen, and Jackson nearly dropped the camera in shock. The man’s face seemed inhuman and mutilated, his features twisted and grotesque. The man saw the camera, then quickly advanced towards it. He realised that it wasn’t the man’s face – he was wearing a mask, the same as the mask in the box. The man saw the camera and rushed towards it in the space of around three seconds, and the tape ended in static when his face was closest against the camera. He had detached the camera, causing Allman to be murdered later.

The mask the man was wearing in the video was the same as the mask in the box. It must’ve been Max Bridges who had detached the camera – and murdered Allman. At least, if he hadn’t committed the actual murder, then he had something to do with it. This box contained all the evidence that was needed to link him to the murder, and he must’ve gathered it here, planning to take it out when nobody was looking and possibly burning it.

“Ah, Jackson,” said a voice behind him. He dropped the camera back into the box and turned around, his heart in his mouth. Bridges walked towards him and closed the door.

“Having fun looking through that pile of old rubbish?”

“I apologise for entering your room without permission, boss.”

“Fair enough. I understand.” Bridges smiled down at him, his eyes narrowing.

“But this box is full of evidence which says that you had a part to play in Allman’s murder. It wasn’t just Gates.” Jackson took a second to cough. “I’ll inform you, Max Bridges, that if the Boss sees this evidence, it would be enough to convict you of murder.”

As soon as it came out of his mouth, he regretted saying it. He wished he could take it back now, but it was too late.

“And I’ll inform you, Jackson, that the execution chamber is right behind you.”