Children's Games: A Story of Modern Punishment

Chapter 55 - Emilia

~Emilia~

"Wait... Maybe you're wrong..." Jonny said, running his hands through his hair. "He's made a mistake. That's all."

"Jonny, he knew her before the war, that's why he trusts her... The existence of a fake file should tell you more than I can!" she argued, holding up both of them. It was no different to Unit 352 having two files. The details didn't matter at that point; Gabriel was the rat.

But Jonny had left before she got another word in, and she had to skip in order to keep up with his long strides. He was calm and collected, but his eyes held a dangerous level of doubt in them, deranged and angry.

"What else has Gabriel told you about them?"

"He didn't tell me that there was a second person. But he told me that her name was Oksana and their parents were family friends. Half of his family is Russian, but he never reached out to them because they would've thought he was dead..." Jonny trailed off as he speed-walked.

"What else about her?"

"He wouldn't tell me much. Just that they connected through The Games somehow and she knew a way back into Russia, she just couldn't do it by herself. I should've pushed him more for the information... he shouldn't have been dealing with a potential spy just by himself... Tell me everything that you were talking about back there."

She took a deep breath.

"Emilia, now!" Jonny demanded in a cold, authoritative tone. She stopped walking, staring at him through creased eyebrows as she bit her lip. He stopped for only a moment to hold her hand, a softer look on his face. "From the start. Please." Then they were off speed walking again as he dragged her along.

"Dominik was the commander and had a soft spot for me because he was in love with Maria before she got her memories, and he had to kill her."

"Maria?"

The stress was finally catching up to her. "Alice. Don't interrupt me." Talking about Alice's death was easier when she referred to her as Maria, because Maria and Katerina weren't sisters.

"Yes ma'am."

"Dominik turned a blind eye to me when I started betraying them, as if ignoring it was like giving Maria a second chance. Joshua was getting his memories back, and he helped me see the truth. Ivan could see right through us, he's the 'mean one' Evelyn was talking about back there. He tried to convince Dominik to get rid of us on the basis that our procedures had failed. So he tracked down Evelyn, who I believe was telling the truth about how she came to Australia separate from any Russia military, but once she learned what we were doing she switched sides instead of just leaving. That must've been how Unit's like ours were able to drop in and out mostly unnoticed."

"Circle back to this Ivan."

"Ivan put in an anonymous tip that I was at George's house the night he went missing. He was one of the elders that we were to... assassinate... to send a message that... I don't know. George specifically was targeted because we found evidence that he created The Games, including the sub-site that trafficked the slaves taken from France when he was finished with them to build the settlements and internment camps. We figured out too late that he had been framed. I think it was Evelyn and Alec. Evelyn was high up in government, she could've made it. Alec was stationed as a rich civilian to befriend the elders and give us information on how to get into their houses. They had been playing both Russia and Australia for a while, as they were accepted and trusted by neither."

"Ivan?!" he nudged, trying to keep his voice down.

"He wanted us gone. He made a deal with Evelyn that they would bring her back with us once the mission was completed, since Russia thought she was too invaluable to relieve from her position. He put in the anonymous tip that I was suspicious at the party, and she set up an interrogation. I was let go, but according to the rules, I was supposed to be terminated due to a code grey. Interrogations could've lead to me being followed, accidentally revealing our true identities, something that threatens the rest of the Unit. Like Maria since she made that emergency call to your Unit. In the moment, Dominik couldn't kill me, and he killed Ivan instead because Matthew revealed that he saw Ivan dropping off the tip to the police, and that he was the one that put the Unit in jeopardy."