I may be saying that to myself, but how could I know? I was two seconds away from making a deal with the bastard till this I got detained!

“Probably just nerves.” I lied.

“Sounds like you’re about to lie about something,” Hexan said.

“Me, lie? I'd never...it’s not like I'm the commissioner, who lies for a living.”

“I’m a politician.” The Commissioner admitted.

“...that doesn’t help your case. It re-enforces it.”

“So, you think.”

“So...I know Commissioner”

“You don’t know shit Cypher. You overestimate yourself, you know that? You think because you’re some elite operative that worked for the federation that you know EVERYTHING about the federation, but you don’t shit!”

“...is that so? I don’t know shit? Alright...”

The Commissioner's jaw protruded from frustration, she know what I was getting at. I wasn’t gonna say a word that’ll benefit her, or her agenda. Everything is about me, and my agenda.

A thousand potholes that I felt as I bumped and jumped in my seat made it quite evident where we were heading. CSS’s main building. The black tint didn’t help, but I knew this road was like the back of my hand.

The SUV went up a short incline, then a sharp decline made a series of turns. When we made a stop, the door shot open, with two of the Commissioner's bodyguards exiting first, then me, then her.

We walked down the dimly lit parking lot, quite similar to BLED’s own. The parking had a slight curve, which we followed. At this point, my joints felt as if I'd be trudging through quicksand and my mind was going crazy not knowing what was going on with Hannah and Shin-Lee.

The commissioner walked past the bodyguards and entered a code on the door in front of him. It slashed open with a groan and led us down a flight of stairs. Each step was thirty before it turned either right or left and once we did this five times. We walked down an elongated corridor that was barely lit.

At the end of the corridor, was a black door with divets at the ends. The Commissioner pushed it open and light-flooded through the door like a flower in full bloom, capturing the commissioner’s shadow perfectly.

One of the bodyguards nudged me forward and the urge to slap him with the back of me was there, but I kept my frustration in check and walked into the room.

I said Room, but it was more like a briefing room, but dimly lit. I was starting to get a feeling as though CSS, my employer was in interrogation mode, and I was interrogated.

The room had an oval table, with six chairs, three on the opposite side, and a table at the centre. Two men sat on the far right, whilst one woman sat on the opposing side.

I browsed their faces, noting no distinguishing features in any of them, but most importantly. I'd never seen them at CSS before. Perfect.

“Mr Cypher” the woman on the left side. “Welcome, good to have you.”

“...and you are?” I grunted.

“A Great Benefactor, who wishes to be a friend.”

“I'm not one for pretty words lady. “

“Stark, aren’t you?”

“...realistic. is more like it. Have you ever been in a crowd when a madman hisses his disgust at a crowd, then spoke to cheers about the beauties of torture?”

The woman rocked back in her chair and glitters from the tip of her black here twinkled in my eye, like diamond dust falling from the sky. Her lips curled into a smile which made them look like a heart. The top she wore, was white, with black stripes and at the edge of those stripes, I could see the gold lining sparkling when she shifted in her seat.

“We’re all mad, in some form or fashion, so it wouldn’t matter if I did hear a mad man’s ramblings”

“…and that is the problem. You feel because you don’t know, you are better off knowing and you create a false image in your head, thinking you are better when you are not.”

“Are you trying to say I’m mad? You’ve never met me before.”

“…I’ve never met you, but I’ve seen you. Darlina Weitson.” I lied.

I never saw the woman in my life but used the facial recognition software that’d been embedded in my system. She’s Elhisia’s cousin and the next in line in the Weitson Empire to takeover. Which meant one thing.

She could care less if her uncle died.

“That’s refreshing, least I don’t have to introduce myself.” She said, licking her lips. “Mr Cypher…is it?” The gentlemen sitting opposite on the other side. He was further from me, and held a haughtiness I didn’t like.

“It is.”

“Good. Let’s cut to the chase then. What happened when Chairman Weitson died?”

“Didn’t you debrief the cobra squadron already?”

“We did, but you were there, and for whatever reason, you chose to ‘leave’ without debriefing us.”

“Us? Do you work for Celaron Security Services?”

Everyone turned to each, confused by words. I almost swore I stuttered, so to ensure there wasn’t a misunderstanding. I repeated myself. “…are you part of Celaron Security Services?”

“We are not,” Darlina admitted.

“I know!” I snapped.

The dragging sound of a door swung open and pounded against the wall in front of me. Colonel Levisay and Stelyne walked from out the door, strutting across the floor like a tank ready for battle. Shit, I grumbled to myself.

“Mr Cypher…you’re finally here.” Colonel Levisay said, stiffly. “Never left sir.”

“Really? It seems you abandoned the mission. By going into the city…”

“I didn’t abandon the mission, sir. I’m sure you saw me getting out of the SUV, heading into the city. I had an emergency.”

“Emergency? One of the richest men in The Antillean Federation is dead…on your watch, but you had an emergency.”

“YES.” I hissed, “I had an emergency”

“Lik—

“None of your business. I’m here. TALK.”

I approached the centre of the room, not needing any direction. I’ve been to ‘debriefing’s’ such as this before and knew what questions they would ask, but this was no debrief, all a power play to take over The Weitson Group. I don’t have for this shit I groaned to myself.

“I understand my uncle tasked you find an object of importance to him, yes?” Darlina Weitson asked.

“Humph…that’s interesting.”

“What’s so interesting…about what I said?”

“Well, I was brought here under the guise that I need debrief regarding the kidnapping affair. Yet, the first question you ask was about what your uncle requested me to retrieve? Do you even want to know what to know how he died?”

“We do.” The man to my immediate right said, clasping his hands in front of his mouth. “But the item he requested, is more important than his death. I’m sure he has made that point to you…whilst requesting your assistance.”

“He did.”

“Then where is it?” Darlina Weitson.

“I don’t know. I had all intentions to look for the device, but after I found Elhisia, I had no choice but to abandon that course of action.”

“Abandon…you say, it wasn’t with her?”

“With her?” I answered confused. “Why would it be with her?”

“You’re Lying. “ The man closest to me said.

“Ok,” I answered.

As the room went silent, I could hear the frustration of everyone here. All, except me. Phrazeon Group representatives all show signs of aggravation.

Darlina flared her nosed whilst steam wafted around it. The two gentlemen, who by the way I couldn’t access their information through facial recognition, showed their frustration through protruding jawlines and cracked knuckles.

I made another stepped forward and looked ahead, allowing them to continue looking at me with their haughty gazes. If they thought I was scared of them, they were wrong. I was furious with this quorum, asking such foolishness, but I knew what this all was, a power play for the Weitson Group.

“Are we done here?” I finally asked after ten minutes of silence. “I’d like to give my report my Colonel Levisay and Stelyne. Officially.”

“We’re not done here!” Darlina snapped.

“Yes, you are.” Colonel Levisay said. “It’s as I told you, we will report our findings to you.”

“You ai--” Darlina tried to say, but the man on the right stepped raised his hand, silencing her.

After a moment of defiance, the trio finally left, taking their stench with them.

Colonel Levisay and Stelyne walked on over to my right, dragging the chairs across the ground as they sat.

I turned towards them and Colonel Levisay gave me a nod. I turned around and pulled up Darlina’s chair, and made myself as comfortable as I possibly could.

“Alright Cypher,” Stelyne said, adjusting her glasses. “Let’s start from the beginning at The Broken Sphere.”

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and began my debrief.