The Strings Being Pulled

Ch 41

"Essentially, the hacker is one of our own members by the name of Vira, she is someone who gathers information for members as you know, I've sent her current location. I doubt she would actually betray us like this so please try to find any signs of manipulation or blackmail." Azula says through the phone.

I end the phone call with an alright and head to the location I was sent. It's an alleyway with practically no people around, I head over there in an instant and arrive at the location with in a second. There's a girl leaning against the wall looking up at the sky, her eyes are pure black but not lifeless like Weller's, her hair is blue and short, she's wearing camo pants and a white long-sleeved shirt with a black t-shirt over.

She looks at me, I approach her, she's standing in the alleyway seeming to be waiting for someone.

"What can I help you with...?" she asks and a deep but soft voice, there are clear eye bags and she looks awfully overworked.
"My name is Harry Carsson." I state.
"New member...?" she questions before going silent.

She isn't in a mentally stable state, it's clear. Azula said she's a bit quiet but really cheerful though it doesn't seem like it at all. There are heavy eye bags, her fingers are purple and there is an extra layer of skin on them indicating that she uses them a lot for something specific, clear signs of being overworked and it doesn't seem like she has taken care of herself at all.

I'm familiar with this...some of Weller's workers used to be like this, they all died after a short period of time...they didn't react much to what I said but would be like a statue when Weller was giving them instructions...they'd follow the instructions like robots as if Weller had complete control over them.

It's as if their minds were destroyed to be like puppets, I have no idea how he does it but I'm not too sure if Vira is actually under his control, though I doubt she no longer has a free will. I'm very familiar with this, I've seen Asher talk to these 'puppets' a few years ago and though I never knew what was happening, they were all pretty much long gone.

"Perfect..." Vira whispers as she reaches into her pocket, a gun comes out. "Control...ant...strong..."

I snatch the gun...her eyes are suddenly lifeless, guess she's long gone. Not even five minutes after meeting her, it's as if the same words are now repeating in her head and she is no longer thinking properly. I turn the gun into ash, she isn't talking properly, just repeating words like ant, strong, control, destroy, perfect, colony and chance.

Her eyes look like they are gonna pop out, she hasn't blinked at all. She looks rather miserable, I kill her. I'm familiar with this, a point of no return is what she is stuck in. I destroy her skull and her head starts to bleed, she's dead, she was already on the verge of death.

"What a pity..." I feel Weller appear behind me. "Though I got some good results."
"You're welcome, now tell me why the you did this?" I ask.
"I destroyed her mind, rewired it through manipulation." he answers with a smile. "All I needed to manipulate was a few words, it's like my hobby."

The urge to kill him but I'd end up destroying the buildings around us considering the level of hate and anger I have inside of me right now. So manipulation is his hobby...

"Few things amuse me anymore, manipulation is easy but the results are always pleasant to watch." Weller smiles. "I destroy their minds by using their own problems to change their view on the world, nurture their greed, give false hope and then their mind is rewired, just a few extra things and they're a puppet, it's easy to do."

It should be no surprise that Weller is a fucking expert with manipulation, he can read minds so he knows the right words. I turn Vira into a pile of ash, just consider it like a cremation as the wind comes to blow the ashes away.

"She was already at a state of no return." I state. "I've put her out of her misery and I'm done here."
"Alright then." Weller chuckles.
"Bye and fuck you." I say before leaving, though something feels off.

I'm back at the hotel, stepping into the lobby though just as I'm about to call Azula explaining what happened, I accidentally make eye contact with someone. Golden eyes and red demon horns with long brown hair put into a braid...that's awfully familiar, am I daydreaming or is it a lookalike?

I can't, the sudden feelings of denial I get when I see someone I believes was dead for 4 years. 4 damn years and he was alive, right now, just one meter away from me. I'm happy but still pissed off from the encounter with Weller. It is him, it fucking is him.

We stare at each other, he seems as shocked as I am. He is alive but there was no heartbeat back when the fight was over, I don't get how he's alive, standing here. That fight was brutal, so I can't see how he's here or even if I'm just hallucinating. I don't want it to be a hallucination, I really don't want the thought of someone I love to be truly dead.

"Sorry..." Asher is the first one to talk. "I'm sorry for faking my death, it was pretty shitty."
"Language." I say while tearing up, he never allowed me to swear. "So you knew?"
"I'll explain...can't hide it from you anymore and besides, you deserve the truth." he tries smiling but fails, there's a few tears in his eyes. "I'm really sorry, Harry."

I'm crying, why? I don't feel sad, I feel overjoyed yet I'm crying.

I notice Liza at the corner of my eye, she looks worried and runs up to me quickly. She grabs onto my hand, holding it tightly, it's obvious that she's worried and a bit a confused but I give her a smile to reassure her that I'm not hurt at all.

"Sorry if I'm worrying you, Liza..." I get out. "But, this is Asher, my teacher."
"Ah, erm hello..." Asher smiles gently, waving his hand at her.
"Hi, Asher." Liza looks at him with curiosity. "Harry, are you alright?"
"Hm, I'm rather mixed but don't worry about it." I answer, giving her hand a squeeze.

She looks so worried, it's understandable since I rarely get tears. Two emotions are inside of me, happiness and denial. It feels like a dream but I don't want it to be a dream at all, thank goodness he's alive and safe. I can't care if I'm confused on why or how right now, everything feels so surreal.

My vision is blurry from the tears, it's the first time that I'm vulnerable in public. I can't bring myself to move much, there's so many emotions and thoughts going on that I don't even know how to describe. It does hurt that this was hidden for a long time, he's probably the one who was there when me and Peter felt followed. Since it was a test, he was the one observing it I guess.

"Should I leave or do I stay?" Liza asks.
"Stay, please." I peck her on the cheek. "Asher, I'm glad you're alive, thank you for being alive but it's a lot to process since I really thought..."
"It's fine, I'm in the wrong no matter what." he replies as if he knows what I'm thinking. "Do you need some time?"
"Don't worry about it, you're alive and that's all that matters." I answer. "But well I had just an encounter with him so maybe not the best mood."

I still feel mad from Weller, can't help the fact that this was kept hidden for so long but it sure brings back painful memories. And a lot of them, even if I'm happy knowing he's alive, I still can't wrap my head around on why they would keep it hidden. Azula surely knows, I'm guessing that she knew about this. Just how did it all go?

Coming back to my senses and wipe away my tears, three emotions mixing inside, happiness, anger and denial. Liza is holding my hand tightly but she lets go, I know she's worried and curious on everything, her love and care is comforting even if she doesn't say much. Just this small little thing is always enough.

"I should leave because you look like you have a lot to say." Liza says, taking a few steps back.
"It's fine, you can stay if you want." I state, she shakes her head and smiles.
"I'll leave, I just hope everything turns out alright." she says and goes off somewhere.

Alright...guess it's just the teacher and pupil then.

..............................................................

Not a big fan of the buildup but it's my first book so I'll just deal with it

Future me: Yeah this was shitty, I added some extra descriptiveness on Harry's monologue and emotions to make it work.