Agent Zero

Chapter 7 - Thin Rope

Bec (June 16, 2025, 1:24 PM)

Today was awful. I looked outside my window and saw them escorting Leo to the police station. For what? I knew he was framed, but I had to figure out who dared to do such a thing.

I went to Thalia's dorm, where she was folding clothes. Her neatly organized closet always inspired me to keep my room clean, though it was no easy feat.

"It was a frame-up," I said, sitting next to her on the bed.

"Are you going to believe that forever?" Thalia mumbled, but I heard her loud and clear.

"You're not serious, right?"

"People change, Bec. He might not be the Leo we knew."

"Leo doesn't know how to kill people, Thalia."

"You don't know everything, Bec."

She was right. I didn't know everything. I had no real authority over Thalia or Leo. I didn't know what they were truly like.

That night, I sat alone in my room, worrying about Leo. The prosecution was set to interview him tomorrow, and I needed to talk to him. I jolted from my bed, running to Mitski's office. He was still awake, buried in case files.

"Mitski," I greeted, my voice urgent. He wheeled his desk chair closer to me.

"Bec, why are you still awake?"

"It's a frame-up, right?" I asked. Mitski's breathing grew heavy.

"Sorry, Bec, but we're not sure right now."

"You have to help him, Mitski!"

"Bec, I have a lot on my plate. I have missions, research, files to review, and people to interrogate. Leo is just one of my problems. Can you please give me a break?" It was the first time I'd seen him shout, stressed and overwhelmed.

"Sorry, Mitski," I muttered, leaving his office, feeling defeated.

I couldn't find help there, so I went to the next person who might assist me.

"Can't help you," Bonnie smiled sarcastically, slamming the door in my face. Was Leo really nothing to them? I realized maybe I was the only one who could help him. I didn't need people who were unwilling to support him. There was evidence pointing to Leo—the security cameras showed a blonde boy, with gray eyes, and the ring was unmistakably his. But something didn't add up. I needed more evidence.

I had to confront Leo. I entered the dimly lit interrogation room, where Leo sat slumped in a chair, his eyes bloodshot from hours of questioning. I paced back and forth, trying to piece together the truth. Outside, a storm raged, the thunder rumbling and making it hard to focus. Time was running out to clear Leo's name.

The door swung open, and Kai entered, his face pale and still shaken from his grim discovery. He handed me a plastic evidence bag with Leo's ring inside. It glinted ominously, a gift from years ago.

"It was from my parents," Kai muttered. The ring, once a symbol of unbreakable bond, was now a twisted instrument of incrimination. Becky examined the ring, then looked at Leo, her voice steady but urgent.

"Leo, this ring is yours, but it doesn't make sense. You weren't anywhere near that area, right?" Leo shook his head vehemently.

"I haven't seen that ring in weeks. I thought I lost it."

Kai shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting between Becky and Leo. "I found it with the limb. It was just there like someone wanted it to be found," he said, his voice trailing off. Becky's eyes narrowed, contemplating the implications.

"Someone planted it. Someone wanted us to suspect Leo. But who? And why?"

I paced again, my mind churning. The limb—identified as belonging to a recent missing person named Fiona—had no direct connection to Leo. I recalled recent events, searching for any clue or odd behavior from those around us. The team had always been tight-knit, but something had felt off recently. I remembered a recent party and a stranger I bumped into. A flash of insight struck me. That stranger looked exactly like Leo.

"What if this is about another you?" I said suddenly. "That stranger at the party, he looked exactly like you, Leo. I don't remember who he was, but Thalia mentioned the Library of Printed Records at City Hall. What if...?"

Leo looked up, confusion and hope mingling in his eyes. "What are you saying, Bec?"

"I'm saying this could be a setup," I replied, my voice gaining enthusiasm. "There's a doppelgänger involved, and they're trying to frame you for something. But what do they gain? Money? What's the connection?"

The pieces began falling into place. I remembered a previous case involving two doppelgängers, where one tried to frame the other for a killing spree. The next step was to find that doppelgänger.

"That's it!" I exclaimed, springing from my chair.

"What?" Kai asked.

"Reggie must know him. I only saw that blonde boy because Reggie was talking to him."

"Reggie, huh?" Leo noted.

"That doppelgänger is responsible."

Leo's face lit up with realization. "But how do we prove it?"

"We need to find Reggie, ask him about that blonde boy he was talking to, and show the court the two Leos."

Kai nodded, already pulling out his phone. I headed to the door, turning back to Leo with a determined smile. "We'll get you out of here."

"He answered!" Kai whispered urgently, putting the phone on speaker. "Reggie!"

"Who's this? If it's you, Reggie, I'm gonna kill you for putting that ring on that stupid limb. You're an idiot for making this obvious." The phone hung up. It wasn't Reggie. It was someone else. Did this mean... Reggie was the killer?

Reggie (June 16, 2025, 7:49 PM)

Ms. Calliope's eyes blazed with fury, like the storm raging outside.

"I'm sorry," Marlon begged on his knees, his gaze fixed on the ground. The room was silent, broken only by the harsh crack of a thin rope against his back. "I'm sorry!" he cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. But it was no use. His failure was met with a grim punishment. I could almost feel the wounds on my own back, remembering the agony of failing before Ms. Calliope.

She stood and walked away, but the punishment continued. The whip cracked repeatedly, draining Marlon's energy, and leaving him in a cold room until morning. He was dead. Now, it was my turn to cover up the crime. As their tool, I was tasked with concealing Ms. Calliope's atrocities.