Room 25

This is why you listen

It had been approximately 3 hrs since Chris' capture, and yet she still had no grasp on what could possibly be going on in her captor's head. She watched with a curious eye as Gunter paced the room, only stopping to glance at his phone before huffing in frustration and continuing his pacing. 'Paranoia,' Chris thought to herself, 'Is this a case of schizophrenia? Maybe he thinks he's a CIA agent. It would explain the inconsistent behavior patterns. Wait, shit; he has a badge! Maybe it's fake?' Chris' line of thought was interrupted by a phone ringing.

"Fucking finally!" Gunter reached for his phone and clicked to answer.

"PO-Agent Gunter McDonald, badge number 276."

There was silence before a soft yet stern voice came through the phone.

"The Birds do not fly their nests like a bee leaves a hive. True or false?"

"What? Wait, shit! Um. Yes! True!" Gunter hastily responded.

The voice returned, "Why?"

Gunter sighed, clasping the bridge of his nose with closed eyes "Fuckin- cause one will return, the other will not, now for god's sake Esparza help me out here!"

"Calm your tits, my Lil fledgling, all in due time. Now, I'm sure you already know, but the operation has been compromised. All our branch offices have been hit."

The voice paused.

"You gonna continue or just piss around for another 3hrs?"
Gunter responded, slightly annoyed.

The voice's tone changed drastically.
"Watch yourself, Mcdonald; you shouldn't address a superior like that. It's that attitude that got you in this mess in the first place. The only reason you qualified for POA is cause of my recommendation."

Gunter's whole demeanor shifted. 'POA? Attitude?' Chris was listening intently to their conversation, trying to pick up anything that might be useful.

"And I'm most grateful to you for doing that Esparza."

Gunter took a breath before continuing.

"I apologize for my rudeness SO-Agent Esparza. Are there any updates on the situation?"

Though Chris could not see the person on the phone, she could hear their smile laced within their words.

"My my, what proper manners my lil Gunter has acquired. I'm proud of you, kiddo."

There was yet another moment of silence. Gunter's face now sported a slight smile.

"As for the case, I have been informed of the target's capture. Can you confirm this to be correct?"

"Yes, I have her right here."

Chris tried to readjust herself in the chair, the cuffs rattling and clinking as she did, something the person on the phone must have heard.

"Wait, are you on speakerphone right now?"

Gunter instantly sported a wave of fear.

"Shit."

A sigh was heard from the other end of the call. "Luckily for you and me, everything discussed so far would not further compromise this case."

Another pause.

"Carrying on, now that the target's capture has been confirmed, the Organisation will be sending you a partner."

Gunter was about to speak, but the voice interrupted him.

"And before you say anything, Gunter, that is not a request. Remember, you're not a JOA anymore; you're a POA. To be completely honest, I was very much against you being the lead on this case, considering your past relations to it. But, I couldn't argue your value to this case. Despite it all, we still need to make sure no unnecessary harm has come onto the target."

Chris was getting more and more confused by the second.

The voice became softer after the silence. By this point, Gunter had turned his phone off speaker and turned away so Chris could not hear the conversation. "Remember Gunter, we aren't the judge, jury, and executioners. Our job as OAs of the Organisation is simple. We receive the target information. We gather further information and or evidence, and then we catch the son of a bitch. That's it, Gunter. That's it."

Gunter sighed. "Um, so, quick question."

The voice replied, "What." In a concerned, almost parental tone.

"Does, I don't know, injuring the target with a legal close-ranged blade during an interrogation count as unnecessary harm?"

The phone went silent again before the voice bellowed down the phone.

"Gunter!"

"She wasn't answering me! Plus, she's a damn terrorist Esparza! She's killed thousands!"

Chris recoiled. 'Thousands...' Chris' head hung forward, her eyes widened with horror as she gulped the sickness in her throat back down to her stomach. 'And they think I did that...'

Gunter and the person on the phone continued to argue for a little while longer, but Chris had completely zoned it out. Her mind still hung on those words. 'She's killed thousands!' She was suddenly snapped out of it when she felt an object hit her head. She reacted with a quick "ow" before looking up to see Gunter reaching down to pick up the object that had landed on her.

He let out a sigh. "This is why you listen. I told you to mo-." The room fell silent as the realization hit Gunter like the object he was now holding. The pair just stared at each other till Chris broke the silence with an unexpected laugh.

Gunter stared at her, confused. "Why you laughing?"

Chris looked up at him. "Why aren't you? You just said the dumbest thing." Chris continued to laugh, leaving a confused Gunter glancing at her with concern.

"Are you on drugs?"