Everybody Wants to Rule the World

26

Trigger Warning(s): suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide

Given Up by Linkin Park

~ Jimin's Point of View ~

22:08, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026 (5 YEAS LATER). BUDAPEST, HUNGARY.

This was a covert operation, just like all of the others. The CIA had gathered a little too much evidence of the Jade Phoenix's existence, and it was all thanks to a single agent. A sudden disappearance of a CIA agent would not bode well for the Jade Phoenix, so I intended to be diplomatic rather than assassinating her. She received a false message from a friend, requesting that she meet him in a parking garage. That was Evania's work – she was our primary technician now. Evania would have met her, but she was currently employed in the UK's Parliament and had more pressing matters. So, like most things, the burden fell to me.

I was dressed in clothing that would easily blend into the cover of night: a black, unbuttoned Henley shirt, black jeans, black sunglasses, and a baseball cap. Bet you can't guess what color it was.

Black. It was black.

I spotted the agent from the moment I entered the parking garage. She was known for her gaudy clothing that resurrected '80s fashion no one needed to see again. At the moment, she was wearing denim on denim – a jean jacket with loose mom jeans – and a graphic tee with a muted orange beanie. I honestly didn't know how she passed the training program. Then again, she also noticed me from the moment I exited my car. She followed my every move, chewing lazily on gum, and she didn't return my smile when I leaned against the car occupying the parking space beside her.

Neither of us spoke for several moments, and then she said, "Well? Make your demands."

"You know what I'm here for, then? Who I am?"

"I know everything there is to know about you." She spat her gum onto the ground and shifted to a more comfortable position with her hands in her pockets. "Your Jade Phoenix underestimated the threat I pose to you."

"Well, I'm already fairly impressed that you had no qualms about being here. Unless, of course, you actually thought Charles was going to meet you."

"Not his style to text at a normal time of day. And I already knew you've been keeping an eye on me. So, make your demands. I don't have all night."

"You're a little too good at your job for the Jade Phoenix's liking. I'm supposed to keep it diplomatic with you, though."

"Probably for the best. How long have you been working for her, anyway?"

I tilted my head. "What makes you think I'm going to answer that?"

"Oh, you don't need to answer – I know you've been with her since the beginning, around five years. You're a US military vet, yeah? Deployed to Afghanistan in 2020, discharged the same year for severe PTSD and a shattered kneecap. I'm betting the PTSD was because of Harvick's death, right? Don't answer that, I know I'm right. Your therapist, Sherry, isn't very good about keeping her files secure."

"She isn't my therapist anymore."

"Oh, right. That's in the past, which you seem to be actively ignoring. But I bet if I say the name 'Adler,' you'll know exactly who I'm talking about. He's dead, by the way."

"That's not possible." Why not? Why wasn't it possible? Everyone dies. Well, not me. But had my own experiences really tainted my view of everyone else's experiences?

"He died of an ischemic stroke several years back. You know, he had PTSD just like you, and it was even worse because he stayed in the military much longer. Add that to his wife's death, and the stroke was kind of the last straw, you know? He just lost the will to live, as far as I know. Anyways, I'm getting sidetracked. How were you feeling after the operation, by the way? Probably heartless, since you didn't seem to have a problem with murdering an entire convention of mafia bosses. Not like I'm gonna sit here and complain – you made my job a lot easier. But it's become an issue now that you've made a habit of killing anyone who presents complications. That's why your hand is on your gun right now. I'm making it difficult, aren't I?" She grinned. "I'm making you think, for once in your life."