Collateral
Saturday, January 10th 20:05

“Father. What are you doing here?”

Her father laughs. “Did you really think you could infiltrate my company, and steal my secrets without anyone noticing? The moment your car parked itself before our building, I was informed of your presence. I was wondering how far you would go. Quite far it seems.”

“Dad, I –”

“Silence, Rose. It was bad enough that you destroyed my reputation, and now you decide you also need to destroy my company.”

“Dad, Tom told me you were dead.”

“Don’t believe everything your brother says, girl. He is a lawyer after all. They don’t tell the truth. Never trust them. Now that I mention it, your eldest brother is a lawyer, and your other brother is a chemist. What are you? A right. Nothing. A dirty street criminal.”

“Dad, I didn’t -”

“You could have been a doctor. Or another high-ranking job. Damn, you could have had a job in my company. And you threw it all away. And for what. For that devil spawn of yours. Give me a break. Ellie will be just as big of a disappointment as you. Both of you will have added nothing to the world. Will have just made it worse. That money you use to pay for your daughter’s fancy education. All stolen. All drenched in blood.”

“Did you only come here to spell me a lesson, Dad?”

“No. I have come here to fix a grave mistake I made. But don’t worry I will correct it.”

The door opens again, the light from the hallway momentarily lighting up the dark room. and the two guards walk in. Between them, they are dragging a girl by her shoulders.

Ellie.

“This girl never should have existed. And she brings ruin wherever she goes. How many deaths have you caused, Rose, just to keep her alive and well? And how many more will you cause?”

Father reveals a giant knife and puts it at Ellie’s throat.

“Don’t hurt her.”

Rose struggles against her restraints. At the same time, Ellie tries to break free, punching the guard with both her hands. She is punching and kicking but the guard doesn’t budge.

Rose frees her left arm and starts to reach for her gun.

Wait.

Ellie’s arm was broken. How did it heal? The Ellie before her had two healthy arms.

What the hell is going on?

It had been twelve years since she had seen her dad. Yet he hadn’t aged a bit. And he knew everything. And she is sitting here, one arm free. The guards are not stopping her from freeing her other arm. There are just staring at her.

Why is it dark in here? Didn’t her dad turn on the lights? He didn’t kill the lights. What is going on?

She looks back at the three men standing over her daughter’s body. They look less solid now, more like ghosts.

Rose unties herself using her free arm and stands up. She walks over to the light switch and flicks it. The room is filled with light, and the bodies disappear. She is just standing in an empty room. Everything is spotless, as before.

Did she have a nightmare?

While she is free and walking around, she might as well take a look.

Rose looks around at the different machines. Some look strangely futuristic, but others look boring, like giant metal boxes with a screen mounted to them. In the corner of the room, she sees a small table with a chair. On the table is the strangest device she has seen in the room: a typewriter. She walks over to it. Next to the typewriter, she finds a stack of papers. Who the hell types by hand in this day and age?

She reads the first paper.

“Subject 1. Day 1.

Vitals: ok,

Reflexes: ok.

Mental state: debatable.

The subject did not sleep for 24 hours after implanting the device. Hallucinations were strong the first hour after implanting the device, but died down after.”

Maybe Rose’s lack of sleep was not caused by the creepy surroundings but by the implant.

“Subject 1. Day 3.

The subject was utterly healthy before the procedure. The subject did not sleep or feel tired for 72 hours. After we removed the device, the subject experienced sudden cardiac arrest and died.”

Rose’s heart pounds louder in her chest. She rummages over the papers. All stories are the same. The subject is healthy until day three and then dies if they take the device back out. Rose isn’t planning to let that happen to her. She ran to the door and pulled. It is locked.

Of course. She then remembers the cameras.

Damnit. The person that is looking at the cameras probably already noticed she is free. Rose runs back and puts on her jacket. She doesn’t bother with her shoes or blouse or sweater, time is of the essence. She grabs her gun which is hidden under the mattress and uses it to shoot out the lock.

When she enters the hallway, a security guard is standing there, his gun aimed at her.

“Put down the gun.”

Rose raises her gun and aims it at the man’s head.

“No, you put down the gun.”

“If you don’t put down the gun I will -”

Rose doesn’t let him finish the statement and put’s a bullet between his eyes. She walks over to the elevator and tries to press the button.

Right, no button. A keyhole.

Rose runs to the lockers on the side of the elevator and opens her vault. She takes her stuff and puts it into her jacket. The last thing she takes is her phone, and she tries to call Mr Johnson. He can come and save her. Except.

She looks at the dead guard and sees the keyring on his belt. Jackpot. The key fits perfectly on the door of the elevator, and Rose takes the elevator down. Downstairs she is met with a different receptionist.

“Goodbye, Miss Kelly. Did you enjoy your stay?”

Rose ignores her and rushes past the door. She stumbles through the revolving door. Outside, she breathes in the dirty Seattle air. She never realised she would miss it. She gets into her car and starts driving home.

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