Sylvie Maradona: The Story Of A Monster

Chapter 6: Personal battle

          {Wise people choose battles carefully, the way a rat nibbles around a trap. What doesn't kill you doesn't always make you stronger. Sometimes, they    leave you maimed, scarred and lacklustre}

"Let's repeat what we said one more time."
4:16 pm, a terribly hot day. One of those days that you want to tear your clothes apart. The intergating room was small, it felt like you couldn't even breathe.
"Let's repeat what we said one more time."
Rachel's voice did sound tired although strong. How many hours where they in this cage? The detective was investigating Ryan Brown under what looked like too much pressure.
"I have been replying the same questions over and over again for the last two hours."
Just a typical police game. Ryan was going to betray Sylvie for sure. He just needed a bit more of pressure.
"I just want to make sure we didn't miss anything. So, the night Anderson got murdered you weren't in the club. That means the owner, accidentally wasn't there the night that a cruel crime took place. And in coincidence the cameras were off, so there is no video evidence, but the only person who has access to them is you, Mr Brown. Why did you turn off the cameras?"
"I didn't!" he answered scared.
"You knew what's going to happen!"
"No!"
"Where were you that night?"
"In Las Vegas."
"Why?"
"For business!"
"Any proof that you were there?"
The pressure was too much. The temperature was getting too high. Ryan was circled from everywhere and the sweat on his forehead had make clear he knew what happened that night. He had to escape. He was desperate for air. He didn't have any other choice than play his last card.
"Okay, I have had enough. I have nothing to do with this case." he slammed his hands on the table and stood up, getting ready to leave. "Now, if you excuse me, I have somewhere to go." He buttoned his shirt and took his jacket. As he was walking towards the door he heard Rachel speaking once again.
"Mr Brown, you can either work with the police either spend fifty or more years in prison for Michael Anderson's murder and drug dealing crimes."
  What are you suppose to do when your life is on the line? He could probably get rid of Sylvie's madness forever. On the other hand, he was in danger. His head would be smashed from a hammer and his brains would decorate Sylvie's basement walls. He didn't know what was worse. He could handle prison. After all, Sylvie would pay for him. He would be free again. Right? Sylvie was caring for her workers, right?
"I'm innocent, detective." He can't do it. He can't betray her. However, Rachel was having a lot of hidden cards yet.
"This pair of gloves was found at the scene of the crime."
He decided to check the gloves the woman was holding. A pair of black leather gloves but there was something on it. It looked like...he walked closer and after he examined then with his eyes he realised they were full of blood.
"These are..."
"Yours. But they are also covered with Anderson's blood." Her voiced took a softer tone, messing with his mind and emotions so she would get right where she wanted to. " I know that you didn't kill him. You turned off the cameras, made your assistants lie, saying that they didn't see anything and you went somewhere that nobody can make sure to the police if it's true or not. All these make you automatically the main suspect."
He was trapped
"You got trapped. And the only way to get out of this mess is to help us."
Ryan knew very well in what kind of position he was. The poor man was feeling like he was drowning. He trusted and thought even for a few moments the he was protected by Sylvie. It could be a piece of cake to say everything he knew about her but he also knew very well that these would might be his last words.
"You don't understand...if I don't help you I'm gonna spend the rest of my life behind the bars but if I do within the next twenty four hours I'm gonna be dead."
Rachel on the other hand was trying to find a way to, somehow, comfort him.
"After we finish with your report you are going to leave the country with government's protection." She was lying but she was in need of his report. He had to help them. It was a huge risk but this risk could save them for the rest of their lives or it could send them to death much sooner. But what's the point of living in a situation like this.
"I hate breaking it to you but Sylvie is the government." He was right. Sylvie was both the government and the underground.
"I need exactly three days to arrest her. Survive for these days and all of our nightmares are over."
He stayed silent for a few minutes. Did he has the courage to do something like that. The results were going to be chaotic. But he didn't want to die. But once Sylvie was in prison none would be afraid anymore. He remained silent for a few minutes.
  At the end he agreed to work with Rachel. His report was clearly saying that Sylvie planned and performed Anderson's murder step by step. All by herself. Plus he mentioned that she was the mastermind behind the drug trafficking and the Argentinian cartel and that she was probably the killer in seven more cases. A difficult decision. His life was on the line. He could feel it he wouldn't survive. His heart was pounding like crazy.
How terrible to feel like drowning. How did all of them got there? Could they even say that this was a normal life?

After Ryan's report there was only one person left to get by their side. Rawlins was the last and most powerful card in this game. Rachel and Crista paid a visit to him, making sure Sylvie had no idea. Everything has to be done in silence.
"Do you remember what happened to the ones who betrayed Sylvie?" he screamed towards Crista.
"They disappeared." She answered while keeping her usual poker face.
"Exactly! We never found their bodies! Do you want us to end up like them?"
"I'm scared too, but we need to write the end to this story."
"She is a human after all. If we treat her like that it's going to be easier." Rachel was building a lie around her own self. She didn't want to admit her fear.
"You are saying that's because you haven't seen what I have." His eyes got wet while he kept talking. "You haven't seen the monster on charge. As much I want to get rid of her, I'm afraid. Even her own family is scared of her. What makes you think you can win against her? Pablo did pray for her to be killed during the battle." He stopped a took a deep breathe. He never, once shared his thoughts about all this "He was wondering what's gonna happen if she was getting to the real world. He loved her. He was proud about how good general she is. Her strategy was amazing. But when she was in the frond line, oh lord. Faster than the wind, silent like death and afraid of nothing. She has no soul!" His voiced was trembling. Rawlins was too old for fights and situations like this. But deep down he was feeling guilty. He had the chance to kill Sylvie but he never did. "No feelings. And most important, she doesn't feel any kind of pain. Sylvie is not a human. You don't know how many people tried to kill her. We have the devil in front of us. This monster keeps me awake at night. I know her since she was a child. What happend to this little girl? "
A tear rolled down his chick. He has to take the most difficult decision of his life. Betray Sylvie and take down his dead best friend's child.
"Mr Rawlins, you have to help us."
The memories were coming back. What would Pablo do? If he was alive things wouldn't have take this turn. Poor Pablo. How happy he was when his 12 years old daughter told him she wanted to become a soldier. Rawlins had seen Sylvie training and failing. He saw her change through the years. But the stronger her body and mind were getting, the emptiest she would feel. He knew she slowly was turning from a simple soldier to a war mastermind and later to an excellent politician.
  He looked outside the window and saw a cat trying to catch a bird. The poor bird must be injured on his wing because it wasn't able to fly and was trying to escape from the other animal. At some point the cat grabbed it with her teeth and started eating it. Is this how they look like? They are injured birds that can't fly and they are trying to escape from a barbarian animal who wants to eat them alive.
  Not only them, but who else would be in danger from Sylvie? How much blood can someone carry in their hands. No matter how much you wash your hands your can't take it off. Others can't see it but you are able to see the stains.
"I will." he said it. It was time for things to take their own path. She had to stop or better yet someone had to stop her.
"Great, but we have to be extremely careful." Rachel said and left the room in hurry. She was satisfied but her fear wouldn't let her enjoy it.
Crista and Rawlins stayed staring at each other for a few moments. The atmosphere was cold and scary.
"Crista, are we going to die?"
"I don't know."
"I can't breathe. Aren't you scared?"
"I never was scared of Sylvie."
How can you be scared of a person you grew up with? Sylvie for Crista was her family. She didn't hate her, neither was scared of her. She wasn't seeking for revenge or anything like that. She wanted to help Sylvie. This was maybe the wrong way to do it and Sylvie would probably never forgive her, but it is worthy. Maybe even her mental health would be better and she would probably be a better person for herself and the others.
  The irony of this situation was that they did feel safe in this office, but they weren't. Back in Sylvie's office, Ben McRogers, the criminal Rachel hired had betrayed police. Sylvie now has every little detail from their plan in her hands, since he gave to her a copy of every file and envelope that police had with her name. Even the secret files that only Rachel knew about. 
"I hope I'm going to get what you promised me."
"We have a deal. Thank you for your help."
"Always happy to help you."
Sylvie did hand him an envelope that he opened with excitement. A brand new identity, followed from a brand new life and a big amount of cash. She was always using her wealth in order to solve little problems like that. She was high convinced that she could do anything just because of her money. Money that she created with her mind. Sylvie was weird in many ways and her mindset was the weirdest of them all.
Not many things to worry about anymore.
"Rachel Collins, show me your biggest weapons."
This war was on a personal level now. Both of them were sure they were going to win. But how can any of them win when they are both evil.