Reality hiccuped, burped and belched at the same time for Otrahun. He was back in the white room. It looked as pristine as ever. On the wide screen in the middle of the room, the old man looked even frailer and closer to death.
"Ah, you. You will just not die an easy death."
"I was ready to die, until you showed me that place. You should have never sent me there."
"Hindsight is always 20-20, Otrahun. You of all people should know that."
Otrahun sat down cross-legged on the ground. He looked up at the screen with a mixture of sadness and pity.
"Did you get your files?" he asked.
"Of course, we did. All the records are in place. Every sin ever committed on this planet. Every mark, every tally of it all, recorded and cataloged."
"Good, good. That's great. My name might be there in a few places, too," he paused and wiped his face with his hand. "What do you plan to do with the information in these files?"
"The same that we have done all these years. Maintain the balance in the corridors of power in this world. When we have leverage, we use it to control those who make decisions and propel the world towards a better future."
"Ah," Otrahun sighed. "I should have known."
"You should send Lisa back. I need her here."
"No can do, old man. She fucked with the wrong kind of creatures by meddling too much in the other place. They are going to keep her there."
The old man frowned. "I will not have my most valuable lieutenant rotting in the jails of that place. I demand you return her here."
"She won't rot anywhere. She is a guest of Oak and others. But if you come for us there, we will make sure she rots."
"We? And you dare threaten me?"
"Yes, we. Because now that I know you have dirt on me, I am not staying here. And I can threaten you because I am going back to where you can't touch me."
"Otrahun, you are right. And you will be fine. But watch your back, because I promise you, one day, I will send someone to put a knife in there."
"Oh, won't that be exciting. Goodbye old man. I hope your circuits fail and your boot order is corrupted."
Otrahun looked at the table once more. Same steel where his body once laid strapped. Now empty and cold. He waved a middle finger salute at the old man and bit by bit, started to disappear.
-0-
"Ah, you. You will just not die an easy death."
"I was ready to die, until you showed me that place. You should have never sent me there."
"Hindsight is always 20-20, Otrahun. You of all people should know that."
Otrahun sat down cross-legged on the ground. He looked up at the screen with a mixture of sadness and pity.
"Did you get your files?" he asked.
"Of course, we did. All the records are in place. Every sin ever committed on this planet. Every mark, every tally of it all, recorded and cataloged."
"Good, good. That's great. My name might be there in a few places, too," he paused and wiped his face with his hand. "What do you plan to do with the information in these files?"
"The same that we have done all these years. Maintain the balance in the corridors of power in this world. When we have leverage, we use it to control those who make decisions and propel the world towards a better future."
"Ah," Otrahun sighed. "I should have known."
"You should send Lisa back. I need her here."
"No can do, old man. She fucked with the wrong kind of creatures by meddling too much in the other place. They are going to keep her there."
The old man frowned. "I will not have my most valuable lieutenant rotting in the jails of that place. I demand you return her here."
"She won't rot anywhere. She is a guest of Oak and others. But if you come for us there, we will make sure she rots."
"We? And you dare threaten me?"
"Yes, we. Because now that I know you have dirt on me, I am not staying here. And I can threaten you because I am going back to where you can't touch me."
"Otrahun, you are right. And you will be fine. But watch your back, because I promise you, one day, I will send someone to put a knife in there."
"Oh, won't that be exciting. Goodbye old man. I hope your circuits fail and your boot order is corrupted."
Otrahun looked at the table once more. Same steel where his body once laid strapped. Now empty and cold. He waved a middle finger salute at the old man and bit by bit, started to disappear.
-0-
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