In the mind of the Genius

Rook: Forced Mate

Does Beta knew the man behind it? Who is he, by the way? And why is he using a voice morphing apparatus just to conceal his real speaking voice?

"Damn it! Vincent, get me some tape!!" Beta aggravatingly shouted.

Officer Vincent then immediately reached for the drawer to look for a masking tape. He handed the tape to Beta. Beta covered the webcam of the laptop with the masking tape.

"We've been hacked." Beta said.

Then the man started to speak again "Too late. So you're with a girl, Beta. Who would have thought that you would have a girlfriend?"

"Damn you! If you ever do anything to this girl, I promise you, I will definitely kill you, Rook!"

Beta said Rook?! Rook from the Abyss Syndicate? He knew that we were dealing with Rook? How come he knew Rook? And it seems like Rook also knows him. Who really is Beta, by the way?

"You know that threatening me won't do a thing. And besides, I came all the way from Japan just to kill you. But tell me first, where is Alpha?" Rook said.

"Alpha's long been dead." Beta said.

"Don't test my patience, Beta. The sim card that's inside the phone I got from Knight is definitely made by Alpha."

I can't bring myself to interrupt them. But it feels like a whole new door of mystery has opened before me. Who is Alpha? Another Greek alphabet, same as Beta. And it feels like Alpha's a very important person both to the Abyss Syndicate and to Beta. And the sim card? Was Rook referring to the sim card that I'm using right now?

"So you're teaming up with Knight? If you wanted to kill me, you should have considered teaming up with your King, instead." Beta provoked.

"Don't get this whole thing wrong, Beta. I don't like teaming up with anybody. In a game of chess, sacrificing a piece is a natural move. Now, if you won't tell where Alpha is, I don't need you anymore. I can trace Alpha using the sim card that I got from Knight."

"You killed Knight?!" I shouted.

"I didn't kill her. I just tied her up in some place for I-don't-know-how-many-days already. She's a traitor for keeping information about Beta. But I have a better use for her." Rook replied.

"What are you talking about? You could be sentenced for kidnapping. Now, we have a valid reason to arrest you, just like Pawn!" the officer said.

But Rook didn't bother with what Officer Vincent said and continued with his agenda "Like what I've said, I personally came here in the Philippines just to offer you a game, Beta. It's either your death or my death, are you in?"

"This time, I'll make sure that you're toasted, Rook." Beta confidently said.

"You're the same as always, but look how healthy I am. I would like to remind you that you failed to dispose me and you will never succeed. And this time, I will take revenge for all the humiliation I suffered because of you." Rook said with confidence.

Then Officer Vincent said "Sir, are we moving a bit too fast? Let us, the police, handle this. This is a criminal case and civilians should not dwell on this."

"Don't make me laugh. The person I wanted to kill is right within my reach. If you think you're better than me, then stop me." Beta said with an intense anger in his eyes.

I can't grasp the what's going on. It feels like Beta's attitude suddenly changed. The normally calm Beta that I know turned into a vengeful and provocative person.

"Enough with the chitchat" Rook said. "I will give you 5 minutes to prepare. The game will start after that. Good luck finding me, Beta."

"5 minutes?!" Officer Vincent interjected. "How are we gonna prepare for 5 minutes?"