𝒇𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏 ━━ the commission, paradox protocols
₊ ⊹☕˚୨

❝ get your ass up, you idiot ❞

❝ you know you love me ❞

"Cameras down, you're good to go." Ivy's voice comes through the earpiece.

The tires screech slightly as Shayan turns sharply, veering onto the narrow street. The car's engine roars as he pushes the gas, the speedometer steadily climbing. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest, the adrenaline rush of the moment making his senses heightened.

Mark glances at him, his expression tense. "Ivy, update?"

"You're clear so far," Ivy's voice comes through the earpiece, her tone cool and professional. "No visual on the drones yet, but be prepared. They'll be sending guards to intercept you."

As they approach the compound, Shayan's eyes roam over the surroundings. The place looks like a fortress, with high barbed wire fences and tall concrete walls.

"This place is like a goddamn castle," Mark mutters, eyeing the barriers with disdain.

"Definitely a place to hide shit you don't want found." Shayan pushes the car faster.

Shayan grits his teeth as they approach the gate, the car's engine screaming as he floors the gas. Ahead, he can see armed guards rushing towards them, taking up positions behind the barriers.

"We're going to have company," he mutters, his tone grim. "Connor?" Shayan glances in the rearview.

Connor is in the back seat, his face determined. He nods, a silent confirmation. "I'm on it," he says quietly, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.

"Rubber rounds, we don't need more bodies on our hands."

"Got it," Connor confirms, reaching for his weapons.

Shayan grits his teeth, his focus intense as he takes in the scene before them. The guards are now fully deployed, aiming their weapons at the car. The car barrels through the gate, the impact sending a shudder through the vehicle. But the reinforced chassis holds up, allowing them passage into the compound.

Immediately, bullets start to pierce the air around them, hitting the car with a series of loud thumps. Shayan keeps his foot on the gas, the car's speed picking up as he heads towards the main building.

"We've got backup incoming too," Ivy says, her voice crackling in their ears. "Looks like a dozen men, approaching from the south."

"Damn it," Shayan mutters, his eyes darting around the compound, searching for an escape route. He spots a low building to the side, seemingly unguarded. "I've got a side entrance," he grunts, veering the car towards it.

The guards try to follow, shouting and firing after them. They screech to a halt in front of the low building, Shayan killing the engine.

"Ivy, get the door!" Mark yells.

"Hold on.. I've almost got it!"

The door slides open, the metal screeching. Inside, a narrow corridor stretches before them, lit by harsh florescent lights.

"Move," Shayan barks, already climbing out of the car.

They move quickly, weapons at the ready, racing down the corridor. Around the every corner, they expect guards to appear. But the place seems eerily deserted. Finally, they arrive at a heavy iron door.

"This is the morgue," Ivy says, watching the security feed on her tablet. "Looks like the body's in there."

"Connor, watch our six." Shayan orders. "Ivy, hurry up the door!"

"I'm trying!" she yells through the earpiece.

Connor positions himself at the end of the corridor, his rifle held ready. His eyes dart around, his stance taut with tension. Ivy's fingers fly over the tablet, her face a mask of concentration.

"Almost there..."

The door suddenly shudders and groans, the locking mechanisms disengaging. With a loud clang, it slides open, revealing the dark interior of the morgue.

"We're in," Ivy calls out, her voice a mix of relief and urgency.

Mark and Shayan shove inside, Connor keeping the backs covered from the doors.

"Which one?" Shayan asks, scanning the rows of hatches.

"Seventeen." Ivy responds.

Shayan strides forward, making a beeline for hatch number seventeen. Mark keeps close behind, his flashlight sweeping the surroundings. The place is cold, the air stagnant.

They reach the hatch, the metal chill to the touch. Shayan grabs the handle, yanking it open. The interior is dark, the only light filtering in from outside. And within, they see a covered body, laid out on the cold metal slab.

"That it?" Mark mutters, his voice low and tense. Shayan doesn't answer, already moving towards the slab. He yanks back the sheet, revealing the motionless form under it.

"Jesus Christ."

Kitae's body is pale and waxy, the lack of a head making it look almost like a grotesque doll. Silence falls, the shock of the sight making them all pause.

"God damn," Mark mutters, his face contorted with disgust.

Shayan steps beside the body, rolling it over onto his side. Sure enough, all of Kitae's tattoos are in the right place, even the old ones he had covered up. He'd recognize Kitae's ink anywhere, the old and new pieces blending together like a map of his life.

"It's him," he confirms, his voice grim. "But why his head?" Shayan drops the tarp back over him, shoving the hatch closed.

"No idea," Mark mutters, shaking his head. "But it can't be a coincidence, right?"

"They didn't do that with my parents.." Shayan mutters, staring at the hatch.

"Your parents?" Mark repeats, confusion creasing his brow. Connor looks equally baffled, both of them turning towards Shayan for an explanation.

"Guys, you have to go." Ivy says through the earpiece.

Shayan makes no effort to move. "They went after my parents, suits, rifles, completely faceless but they didn't... why would they take his head?" he seems to be talking to himself more than anything.

"What are you going on about?" Mark demands, reaching out to grab Shayan's shoulder.

Connor looks nervous, his eyes darting to the door and back. "Shayan, we need to go," he presses, trying to snap Shayan out of his trance.

"No, no something's not making sense," Shayan grabs the coroner's report from the hatch.

Mark and Connor watch with confusion as Shayan starts leafing through the report, his eyes scanning over the pages. The sound of approaching footsteps outside adds to the rising tension.

"Shayan, we don't have time for this," Connor mutters, his eyes shifting towards the door. But Shayan is deeply engrossed in the report, his expression growing darker as he reads on.

Shayan stops on one page, his eyes widening. "Scopolamine.."

"What..?" Mark looks at him, confusion etched on his face.

Connor's eyebrows shoot up, his expression turning wary. "Scopolamine? You mean the mind control drug?"

"He knew something." Shayan says. "Something they literally had to drug out of him."

Mark and Connor exchange a glance, the realization hitting them like a freight train. Scopolamine was notorious, a powerful drug used for brainwashing and mind control.

"Jesus.." Mark mutters, his eyes widening.

"They killed him whether he told them or not." Shayan puts the report back.

The sound of the approaching footsteps now echoes through the corridor, getting closer by the second. Mark and Connor look tense and ready, their weapons held at the ready.

"Shayan," Connor mutters, his voice urgent, "we gotta move."

Shayan nods, pulling his firearm from its holster. They fall into formation, back to back, waiting for whatever is coming for them. The footsteps are right outside the doors now, the sound of multiple pairs of boots ringing out. Mark and Connor grit their teeth, their weapons held tight.

Shayan pulls the fire alarm. The alarm rings out, loud and shrilly, the sound echoing through the corridor. The footsteps outside pause for a moment, their owners clearly taken aback by the sudden noise.

"Ivy?" Shayan presses the earpiece. "We need a way out."

"Working on it," Ivy replies through the earpiece, her voice barely audible over the blaring alarm. "But they're swarming the compound. You're gonna need a diversion.."

Connor grins. "That's what I do best, baby."

Mark and Shayan can't help but return his devilish grin. Connor is a genius when it comes to distractions, able to pull off the most outlandish and flashy moves with ease.

"Be careful," Mark mutters, checking his weapon's magazine.

The sounds of footsteps approach again, but now they're more cautious, the guards clearly wary of the situation.

Connor takes a breath, a cocky smirk on his face. "Time to shine.." he pulls a grenade from his belt. The grenade sits in his palm, the pin still in. Its lethal potential is obvious, but Connor doesn't look fazed. In fact, he looks excited.

Mark watches, a mix of worry and grudging respect on his face. "I hope you know what you're doing, man."

"Just get outta here. I'll find my own way out." Connor says.

Mark and Shayan give him one last look, a silent understanding passing between them. They both know that what Connor's about to do is dangerous, but they trust him.

"See you on the other side, buddy," Mark mutters, clapping Connor on the shoulder. Shayan gives a nod, his face set.

"Go on," Connor grins, his eyes glinting with excitement. "I got this."

Mark and Shayan nod, turning and heading for the door. Connor stays put, his fingers wrapped around the grenade. He waits, his sharp ears tuned to every sound in the corridor.

Shayan follows Mark out of the door, the blaring alarm following them into the corridor. The path is empty for now, but they know it won't stay that way. They make their way quickly down the corridor, their feet padding quietly on the hard floor. They're just about to turn the corner, when the air around them is pierced by a deafening explosion.

The blast is so powerful it nearly knocks them off their feet, the shock wave shuddering through the corridor. Shayan instinctively grabs onto the wall, steadying himself.

Mark is similarly dazed, his eyes wide. "Jesus Christ," he mutters, his ears ringing from the explosion.

The alarm is still blaring, the sound almost ear-piercing. But they can faintly hear Ivy's voice through the comm. "Head west!" Shayan nods, already setting off down the corridor. Mark is right behind him, both of them moving with swift, practiced efficiency.

They reach a junction and turn to the left, the corridor stopping.

Shayan stops, frowning. "Dead end."

"There's a door right in front of you." Ivy says.

"No there isn't." Mark says. "It's a solid wall".

"What do you mean?" Ivy's voice crackles through the earpiece, confusion clear in her tone. Shayan and Mark exchange a look, perplexed. The wall ahead is definitely solid, no door in sight. "There's a whole area behind there, it has to be a false wall."

"How the hell do we get through, then?" Mark mutters, banging his fist against the wall. It's definitely solid, no give in the cold concrete.

"Hang on, I'm looking.." Ivy says. "There has to be a hidden panel or something.." Shayan and Mark wait impatiently, the only sound the blaring alarm. They're exposed here, with no cover and nowhere to hide.

Down the hall they hear Connor yell, "Get fucked!" then "Oh shit-"

They freeze, their eyes widening. They can't tell what's happening, but they know it's bad. Connor's supposed to be creating a diversion but it sounds like he's in trouble.

"Ivy, what the hell's going on over there?" Shayan growls into the earpiece.

"I'm trying to look but there's something wrong with the security feed." Ivy reports, her voice tense. "It's like someone's messing with the system..."

Shayan turns to Mark, "Stay here, get this open." he orders, before heading back down the hall.

Mark nods, turning back to the dead end. He starts to feel along the wall, searching for any sign of a hidden panel. Meanwhile, Shayan hustles back down the corridor, his mind racing.

The alarm is still blaring, the sound echoing through the hallways. Shayan pushes past the blaring noise, adrenaline pumping through him. He reaches the junction and glances down it. Connor is nowhere to be seen, but Shayan can hear the sounds of fighting further down the corridor.

Shayan moves with swift, stealthy silence. He skirts down the hallway, rounding the corner with weapon at the ready. The sounds of fighting are louder now, the crack of gunfire and the thud of bodies meeting. Ahead Shayan can see a group of black-clad guards swarming a single figure.

"Come on guys, let's just talk about this?" Connor's on the floor, grinning up at them.

The guards look down at him with grim expressions, their weapons aimed at his head. He's bleeding from a gash on his forehead, his t-shirt torn where an elbow or boot has connected with his gut. But despite it all, he's still got a sardonic grin on his face. One of them steps forward, putting his foot on Connor's chest. Connor winces but his grin doesn't falter.

Connor notices Shayan down the hall and laughs. "You guys are so screwed."

Shayan moves like a ghost, his footsteps light and careful. He's only feet away from the guards when they finally notice him, their heads whipping around in alarm. They open their mouths to cry out, but it's too late.

With lightning speed, Shayan strikes. His first blow lands a powerful jab to the nearest guard's temple, knocking him out cold. He spins, lashing out with a brutal kick to another guard's knee, sending him crumpling to the ground. The third guard goes to raise his weapon, but Shayan closes the gap before he can fire. He grabs the gun by the barrel, yanking it out of the guard's hands. He raises his own weapon and fires.

The guard crumples to the ground, his body convulsing grotesquely as the bullets tear into him. Shayan lets the empty weapon fall, turning to the last guard. The guard is staring at his dead comrade in wide-eyed horror, frozen like a deer in the headlights.

Before he can react, Shayan grabs him and throws him against the wall, pinning him there by the throat. The guard stares at him, his eyes wide and terrified.

"Talk." Shayan orders, his voice as cold and hard as steel. The guard splutters, his breath restricted by Shayan's hold.

"I don't know anything, I swear!" The guard gasps out, his eyes wide. He's clearly terrified, shaking like a leaf under Shayan's powerful grip. "I just guard the place."

"Then who's in charge here?" Shayan demands, leaning in closer. The guard's eyes dart around wildly, searching for any escape.

"I-I don't know, I swear!" The guard chokes out, his voice cracking. "I'm just a grunt, I swear, they don't tell us anything.."

Shayan stares at him, before dropping him too the floor. The guard gasps for air, his eyes watering as he draws in ragged breaths. He looks up at Shayan, fear and relief etched onto his face.

"ID." Shayan orders.

The guard nods meekly, his hands shaking as he pulls out his ID badge. He holds it out to Shayan, his eyes still wide and fearful.

Shayan scans the ID. "You saw nothing, you understand me."

The guard nods rapidly, his throat still burning from Shayan's grip. "N-nothing. I saw nothing." He replies, his voice hoarse. The guard is acutely aware that the man towering over him now has his name, his face, his identity. He swallows nervously, knowing that he'll never be safe if Shayan decides he can't be trusted.

Shayan just gives him a cold look before turning to Connor. Connor is still lying on the floor, his breathing ragged and his smile still present. "Get your ass up, you idiot." Shayan yanks him to his feet.

Connor grimaces, wincing as he get to his feet. Despite his battered condition, he grins up at Shayan. "You know you love me."

Shayan spares the downed guard one last glance. "Stay."

The guard nods quickly, his head bobbing up and down. He's far more interested in survival than in getting involved further.

"Good dog." Connor grins.

The guard looks indignant for a moment, but quickly shuts up at another look from Shayan. He stays put, watching the two men warily.

"Let's go," Shayan mutters to Connor, slinging his arm around the injured man's shoulder to support him.

They limp away from the guards, Shayan shouldering most of Connor's weight. Connor has a bloodied and bruised face but he's still managing to grin like an idiot.

"What happened to no killing?" Connor asks.

"Things change. You're an idiot, you know that?" Shayan mutters, his eyes flickering to the bloody cut on Connor's forehead.

"Yeah, but you'd miss me if I was gone." Connor retorts, wincing as he puts too much weight on a bruised ankle.

Shayan rolls his eyes, but doesn't deny the words. He leads Connor back to the hallway with Mark, the wall slid to the side. Mark looks up as they reach the hidden room, his eyes widening as he sees Connor's battered condition.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Your mom." Connor grins.

Mark just levels a glare at him, unamused. "Hilarious, as always."

"You've got cops a click out, hurry up." Ivy says.

Shayan nods, glancing at Connor. "You good?"

"Oh yeah, I'm golden." Connor replies, though his grimace belies the pain he's in.

"Idiot," Shayan mutters, leading him into the narrow room.

They all scramble inside, the room barely big enough to hold everyone. The only light source is the faint glow of the screen in front of them, casting eerie shadows on the cramped space. Mark slides the wall back in place.

"Looks like an old maintenance room," Mark mutters, looking around. The room is cramped and dusty, the equipment in the room ancient and outdated.

"Why would they hide it?" Shayan asks.

"Maybe they forgot about it?" Connor guesses, wincing as he gingerly sits down on a crate. "It's not like it's being used, the stuff in here is decades out of date."

"Check this," Mark says, pointing at the floor. They're standing on a large circle logo.

"The Commission, Paradox Protocols." Shayan reads.

"Paradox Protocols?" Connor echoes, frowning. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Ivy, anything?" Shayan says.

Ivy's voice comes through the comm system, sounding just as confused as they are. "I don't know. I've never seen a reference to that in any of the archives."

"Maybe they didn't know about this room either." Connor says.

"Or they were keeping it on the down low," Mark mutters, his eyes still on the logo. "Maybe these 'paradox protocols' are something they don't want the rest of us to know about. Something secret."

Shayan steps back, giving the logo a proper look. The memory floods back to him, vivid and painful. The logo, the cold feeling of dread, the screams of his parents and the sound of gunfire. Shayan clenches his fists, his expression hardening.

Mark notices the expression on his face. "You seeing something?" he asks quietly.

"It's from the night my parents died." Shayan mutters, his voice tight. "The same emblem."

Connor looks up in surprise, his usual smirk gone. Even Ivy is silent, absorbing this revelation.

"Ivy, can you get these systems working?" Shayan asks, stepping up to the old computers.

There's a pause as Ivy accesses the systems remotely. "Yeah, I think so. They're ancient, but I should be able to get in."

There's a soft whirring as the old computers start to come to life, their fans whirring as they boot up. The screens flicker, casting a weak glow across the hidden room.

"I'm in," Ivy's voice crackles through the comm. "I have access to the mainframe.. hang on.." There's a moment of tense silence, everyone watching the screens intently. The screens flicker and shift, data scrolling rapidly across them. Files, logs, security camera footage.

"Are there any files or logs from October 1st, 1989?" Shayan asks, leaning against the table.

There's a moment of silence as Ivy searches through the vast system. "Hang on, found something..yeah, there's something here from that day. I'm pulling it up now.." A file named '01_OCT_89.LOG' appears on the screen, data scrolling across one of the monitors. "This file is locked," Ivy says, sounding surprised. "Encrypted, and I'm getting a security warning.. I need a pass code."

"Try FX3092." Shayan says.

"How the hell did you know that?" Mark asks, frowning at Shayan. 
 
There's a moment of silence as Ivy types the code in. The login screen vanishes, replaced by the contents of the file.

Shayan leans back. "I heard one of the men say it after they killed my parents."

There's a shocked silence in the room as Shayan says this. No one was expecting such a revelation. 
 
"What?" Mark finally says, breaking the shocked silence. "You were there?"

"Safe room behind the fireplace." Shayan mumbles. "Ivy, give me a summary of the log."

Ivy nods, falling silent for a moment as she scans the file. "It's... it's a report on some mission. Target elimination. There were two subjects.. let me see.." There's a moment as Ivy reads, her voice sounding slightly disturbed. "Looks like it was a retrieval mission. Eliminate the targets and recover something called...a Paradox device."

"Paradox device?" Mark echoes, frowning. "What the hell does that even mean?"

"Are there any logs from this March, the 17th?" Shayan asks. The day he and Klaus were attacked in their home.

"Yeah, I see it." Ivy replies. "Here it is." There's a pause then, Ivy reading silently before speaking again. "Another mission. The target..it was you."

Silence falls over the room again, the information stunning the others to silence. The implication of a mission to target Shayan sinks in, and it's not a pleasant revelation for anyone.

Shayan leans forward. "Does it say why?"

"There's a... briefing attached to the file," Ivy responds after a moment. "Hang on, I'm pulling it up now.. yeah, here it is. I can display the contents on the screen."

A new window appears on the screen, scrolling through lines of text. It's a mission briefing, the kind of document that would be sent out to a team before they go into the field. The briefing contains a photo of Shayan, a clear shot of him from an unknown source. Next to it is a detailed description of his abilities, his strengths and weaknesses, a veritable guide to his skills and capabilities.

"Jesus Christ..." Mark mutters, looking at the description. "They knew everything about you. Your abilities, your training..."

"I can see why they were scared," Connor says, looking unnerved by the briefing. "They knew exactly what you were capable of."

"Keep reading," Shayan says quietly. He's staring intently at the screen, his heart pounding.

There's a short pause as Ivy reads, skimming through the file. "Yeah, looks like they were targeting you because... wait, hold on.." 
 
Hearing the tone in Ivy's voice, Connor and Mark immediately tense up.

"What? What is it?" Shayan demands. The suspense is killing him, his heart racing and his palms clammy.

"It's..it was a retrieval mission," Ivy says, her voice sounding stunned. "They were meant to bring you in alive. For a 'medical procedure.'"

The room falls silent, the implication of those words sinking in. 

"..What kind of procedure?" Shayan asks, his voice taut.

"Hang on, let me see," Ivy mutters, the sound of clicking filling the room as she scrolls through the briefing. "Yeah, here it is. It says they wanted to use you to..to complete some kind of experiment. Codename 'Project Marigold'."

"Experiment?" Connor mutters, staring at the screen. 

"Yeah...it says.." Ivy hesitates, her voice sounding hesitant. "I think you should see for yourself."

A sudden fear grips Shayan as he stares at the screen, knowing that the answer he fears is right in front of him. "Show me." He says quietly.

A new window appears on the screen, filling with more text. It's a detailed report on 'Project Marigold', and the closer Shayan reads, the more his heart sinks with horror. The project explains extracting the 'substance' from Shayan and using it to create some kind of super soldier.

"Oh my god..." Shayan mutters, horror filling his gut. The idea of his own body being used to create some sort of weapon is a horrific thought, one that makes his blood run cold.

The others in the room are just as stunned. No one says anything for a long moment, the silence heavy as they all read the report. 

"So they wanted to turn you into a weapon.." Connor says quietly, his voice heavy with revulsion.

"According to the briefing, he already is." Ivy says softly.

"What.. what does that mean?" Shayan asks, suddenly very wary. He has a feeling he's not going to like the answer.

"Whatever they wanted from you, they wanted to use it to make super soldiers. Whatever this Marigold substance is, it's already inside of you."

Shayan stares at the monitor, stunned and horrified. "Super soldiers.." He mutters, the words sounding like something from a nightmare. "So you're saying... you're saying they were going to take this... this 'Marigold' from me.. and use it to make some sort of army?"

"That's what I'm getting." Ivy says carefully.

"Jesus Christ.." Mark mutters, horror filling his gaze. "This is some twisted sci-fi bullshit..you're telling me that your own government wanted to make some kind of superhuman army and use you as the key component?"

"That's the thing," Ivy says. "There's no trace of this organisation anywhere, there's no saying it's even part of the government."

"What?" Connor says, blinking. "So.. so what, it was just some sort of secret society or something? A crazy cult?"

"Whoever they are, they've been around for a very long time." Ivy says.

"This is too much.." Mark mutters, leaning against the wall. "So all of this...all of this was orchestrated by some secret organisation from the shadows? For God knows how long, they've been trying to use Shayan to make a supersoldier army?"

"But why go after Kitae?" Shayan asks. "What did he know?"

"There's likely an answer in the files." Ivy says, the sound of clicking in the background as she searches. "...Yeah, here it is." 

Shayan's heart sinks again as another document appears on the screen. It's a report on Kitae, his picture and information on the first page, followed by a brief summary. But what comes afterwards makes Shayan feel cold.

"There's a..a recording attached to Kitae's file," Ivy says, her voice soft. "Would you like to play it?"

Shayan swallows the lump in his throat and nods. "Yeah."

The screen momentarily goes black, before a recording begins to play. The quality is grainy, the image stuttering and static but the audio clear enough to understand.

"Kitae Kim." A rough, stern voice says. It's clearly directed towards Kitae, who doesn't respond. The view begins to clear, as if the camera is coming into focus. Shayan's heart sinks when his eyes land on Kitae, his pale face bruised and bloodied.

His hands are bound, rope cutting into his arms as he stands in a small, cold room. Kitae's eyes are unfocused, as if his mind is elsewhere. It's obvious that he's sustained a lot of physical and mental torment.

"Are you feeling cooperative today?" A gruff male voice says from off-camera. There's no response from Kitae, his eyes vacant. The recording must have been taken while he was heavily drugged.

"No response?" The off-camera voice says, tone mocking. "You're quiet today, you usually have more to say."

Shayan can tell that the voice belongs to an older male. His voice is rough and gravelly, with the tone of someone used to giving orders.

"You must be tired, that's why." The voice continues, the tone shifting to a mocking, almost fatherly tone. "You've been through so much here..you can make it all stop if you tell us what we want to know."

Kitae's eyes narrow. "Fuck you."

The off-camera man chuckles, unbothered by Kitae's outburst. "That's the spirit." He says, chuckling. "I like you better when you're feisty."

The camera pans closer, focusing on Kitae's face. His expression is hard, even through the obvious pain he's in. There's something else in his eyes though, a certain defiance. He's refusing to back down.

"You know, you're wasting your time." The gruff voice continues. "You may as well make this easy and speed up the process, don’t you think? Tell us about Shayan, and you're free to go."

"Eat my dick." Kitae snarls. "I'm not telling you anything."

The man sighs with exaggerated disappointment. "Such defiance, and for what? You're only causing your own pain." He says. "Why do you put yourself through this? Just tell us what we want to know, and you'll save yourself a lot of discomfort."

Kitae grins, showing off bloodied teeth. "You wanna know about Shayan?" he asks, his tone venomous. "When he finds out what you're doing here, you better start praying."

The man laughs at Kitae's defiance. "Is that a threat?" He asks, clearly unbothered. "You think your little friend can do any real damage?"

"You don't know who you're up against," Kitae says. "Because if you did, you would've run away long ago back to mommy with your tail between your legs."

The man chuckles again, the sound low and mocking. "You think I'm scared of your little friend?" He says, tone amused. "Please. I'm sure he's a perfectly capable fighter, but he's no match for us."

"You'll be dead long before you're precious little guards know anything." Kitae says.

The man laughs again, the sound still mocking and confident. "Is that so?" He says. "You really think he can sneak past the top security we have? You know we have over a dozen armed men patrolling this facility alone, right?"

"A dozen?" Kitae asks. "You'll need more than that."

The man is unbothered by Kitae's defiant tone. "Oh, we have much more than that, I promise you." He responds. "Not only do we have men patrolling this site, we have a security team always ready to deploy, armed to the teeth and ready to kill at a moment's notice."

The realization hits Shayan like a punch in the gut. Kitae was intentionally provoking the man, trying to get him to reveal more information for the recording.

"You son of a bitch." Shayan shakes his, smiling.

The man chuckles again, his tone still mocking. "You think we haven't dealt with people like you before?" He says. "We've got the best equipped security systems you can imagine, and the men patrolling and on standby that can kill anyone within a heartbeat."

"Your state-of-the-art security looks like a finger painting." Kitae smirks.

The man scoffs, his tone still sure and mocking. "You clearly don't know what you're talking about." He says. "We have the most sophisticated security measures in the world. Finger print recognition, retinal scanners, the whole nine yards. And that's just the beginning."

Kitae rolls his eyes. "You're a grunt, I bet you don't even know who that shit works on."

The man scoffs even more, his tone more confident. "Oh, and you think you know better than me?" He says, mocking. "You think we give just anyone access to the security measures of this facility? Only a select few know how it works. I just so happen to be one of them."

"Sure, sure, you're totally special, I get it." Kitae leans back.

The man is clearly losing his patience with Kitae's mocking tone. "You think you're clever, don't you?" He snaps, tone sharp. "You think you're really sticking it to us with your little comments, but you have no idea what we're capable of."

"Oh yeah? Entertain me then." Kitae says.

"Entertain you?" The man says, scoffing. "Fine. I'll entertain you. You want to know how advanced our security is? I'll tell you everything." He leans forward, his tone shifting to something mocking and slightly condescending. "First of all, we have finger print recognition and retinal scanners, like I said. Each guard is outfitted with the means to scan any person they meet, and if you're not cleared by the system, you won't get past the front gate. Simple."

"Boring." Kitae rolls his eyes.

The man scowls at Kitae's dismissive comment, clearly not liking his mocking tone. "Boring?" He snaps. "You think that's boring, do you? Well, how about this then: we have an armed security team on standby at all times, which I'm sure you're aware of, but have you seen how many there really are? Fifteen guards at the North Entrance, Ten at the south. Ground and rooftop patrol at all hours. Estate wide security system controlled with one passcode that changes every 24 hours. You think that's boring?"

"I think you're an idiot." Kitae says.

The man's expression darkens at Kitae's insult, his tone now filled with anger. "An idiot?" He snaps. "You think I'm a fool, do you? That's rich, coming from you, chained to a chair, beaten black and blue."

Kitae looks directly at the camera and winks. With that, the recording ends.

Shayan's eyes widen as he stares at the screen, shock and realization filling his chest. Kitae had done it. He'd somehow managed to get the man to reveal more information, on purpose, for the recording.

"That guy really is an idiot." Connor laughs, standing straight.

"No kidding." Mark mutters, an amused smirk on his face. "Kitae really managed to push his buttons, didn't he?"

"Ivy, did you get all of that?" Shayan asks.

"Every word of it." Ivy says, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "Audio and video recorded in its entirety."

"You think you can track down this estate with it?"

"Maybe." Ivy says, her eyes narrowed in thought. "It won't be easy, but nothing's impossible with the kind of knowledge I have. If the estate in question does exist, I'm confident I can find it. It may take me a while, though, depending on how well-hidden it is."

"Good, start working on it as soon as you can, we're gonna find a way out of here." Shayan looks up at Connor and Mark.

"You got cops on the premises though," Ivy says through the earpiece. "You'll have to find a way out without being seen."

"Yeah, we know." Shayan replies, glancing around the room. "We'll need to be careful. Any idea how many there are or where they're stationed?"

"They've circled the compound, but they won't find the false wall. If I'm seeing this correctly.. there should be a hidden hatch at the back of the room, it'll take you to the sewers." Ivy says.

"Sewers?" Mark asks, wrinkling his nose. "You want us to crawl around in the sewer?"

Shayan rolls his eyes. "You wanna go out there and get dishonourably discharged?"

Mark grimaces at that. "Touché." He mutters. "I guess the sewers it is, then."

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© TOO SAD TO CRY