Mastermind

Chapter 6: A Person Of Interest

That same night, in an undisclosed location beneath Mercury Heights, an unconscious cop awoke to find himself inside a cold, unforgiving, sterile laboratory, forcibly bound to a gurney with several leather straps. No matter how hard he struggled, he was unable to free himself; in fact, the straps seemed to be getting tighter and tighter the more he tried. He turned his head to his right and saw that a metal-lined dresser was positioned next to his gurney, with a steel tray sitting on top of it holding several surgical instruments.

He looked towards the exit—his only possibility of escape—and saw that two police officers were standing guard, with one on either side of it. However, they didn't look like the others; these two had solid-white, soulless eyes, and seemed to do nothing but stare straight ahead emotionlessly. It was as if they were in some kind of trance, had been victims of brainwashing, or had gotten possessed by ghosts.

Okay.....what the heck is going on?! he thought to himself. Where am I?! I was just sleeping in my bed earlier!

He tried contacting the rest of his squad using his radio, but no one answered.

Suddenly, a dark chuckle echoed from the room's only doorway. The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder and louder, until finally, a girl wearing a full set of surgeon attire stood before him. She used a set of medical scrubs with a purple, fitting, long-sleeved shirt underneath it, a surgical cap on her head, clean, white shoes, blue, latex-free gloves, and a mask that was currently pulled down, resting on the underside of her chin and leaving her mouth and nose exposed for the time being. Her skin was dark, and her black hair was bunched up into two buns on the lower part of her head. A pair of small, golden earrings also adorned her ears.

"Oh.....I'm afraid no one will be able to save you now," she informed matter-of-factly. "In fact.....it's only a matter of time before you belong to us."

The cop's eyes widened. "Who.....who are you?! And where am I?!"

"I'm Alyssa Atkins, oldest daughter of the Mastermind himself. And it is a great honor to be the first to welcome you to our base of operations. Or should I say.....your final resting place?"

Her victim came to a realization. "Did you say 'Mastermind'?! Like.....the 'Mastermind' that's been—"

"—abducting police officers across the country? Exactly!" Alyssa replied. "And you're just another name added to the pile! My father's been a bit busy, so he's asked me to take care of you."

"How did you all even get to me?!"

"Our agents snuck into your house while you were sleeping and stole you right out from your bed," Alyssa boasted. "No one was the wiser.....not even your wife. Heck.....she likely doesn't even know you've been taken. She's probably still back at your house, fast asleep. Zzzzz....."

"Let me go!" the cop pleaded. "I swear I haven't done anything!"

Alyssa frowned, moved to a counter located on the opposite end of the room as the gurney, then picked up a clipboard with some paperwork affixed to it. "You're.....Tony, right? A member of the MHPD?"

"How did you know my name?"

"We know everything about the officers in this city, sweetheart. First, we do our research.....then we move in and start picking you off. One.....by.....one."

Tony gulped, at which point Alyssa continued. "So.....according to this debriefing, it says you're guilty of murdering an African-American man in one of the local suburbs when his only crime was intimidation.....correct?"