The Ring of Rebirth

Nick was writing in his diary when he heard his door being knocked. A boy appeared after he opened it.

“Hi. Can I help you?”

“Mr. Commander summoned you.”

“Ok. When…?” The boy was gone before Nick could finish his question.

Well, he’d better go right now. He packed his diary into his drawer and headed out toward the Commander’s office. What does he want with him? He didn’t break any rule by accident, did he? No, he’s worrying too much, it’s probably just the next mission coming up.

He reached the top level of the base by stairs. There, in front of him, was a sign which warned people to stop approaching. He disregarded it and proceeded. At the border of the stairwell, Nick crouched down, traced his fingers along the wall, and finally detected a miniature keyboard. He typed something into it, and it stated, ‘Access Granted.’

He allowed himself a tiny smile before walking into the corridor. Nick has heard a story about a guy, who didn’t know the setup and walked right through the border. So many tiny bullets were shot into the guy that the person who found him later said he looked like a beehive. That’s when the sign was put up. Gladly, Nick was trusted enough by the Organisation to know this trick.

At the center of the corridor was the Commander’s office. A heavy, fancy-looking red door stood in front of it. He was raising his hand to knock on it when he heard muffled voices inside. It was the Commander and a guy Nick didn’t know. Should he come back later, or should he eavesdrop? What if someone passes by and catch him sneaking around? Curiosity eventually got the best of him and he flattened himself against the door.

“Mr. Commander, this is the data you required.” The stranger spoke hoarsely.

“Yes, I remember, the first mission experiment.” The Commander’s low voice drifted out.

“Exactly, sir, the trial period is ten years and the results are positive.”

“Hum,” Pages ruffled loudly, “The strategy you proposed is working well. Good job.”

“Thank you, sir, thank you so much,” Delight radiated off the voice.

“We’ll continue the usage of this tactic. How did you come up with it?”

“Sir, when I was analysing the performances of the children, I found the rate of betraying and escaping is around 2.3 every twenty of them, and this is a big problem. We’ve poured so much resource into them and I couldn’t stand that the rate was this high. I then collected more detailed data and found out most of the children chose to escape because they ran into their former family members by accident during missions. What can we do the eliminate the chance of this happening? That’s when I thought, ‘Why don’t we kill all their relatives?’ Fast and easy, sir, just like how the Organisation functions.”

Nick’s breath caught in his throat and he pressed himself closer to the door. He knew he’s listening to something important.

“Then again, tracking down their family members consumes time and resources. So, why not make this their first mission? The children just graduated and are not yet skilled at doing missions. If we give them a hard one at first, then I’m afraid that the death rate will soar. Since their family members are basically normal people, they could actually use this as a practice to help them get used to modern technologies and mission conditions. And, with their relatives cleared, they’ll never be prompted to leave the Organisation.”

Nick froze outside of the Commander’s office. The words of the man circled in his mind without him taking in any of them. He clenched his hands into fists and stared at the ground, feeling giddy. He knew he won’t be happy knowing what the man said, but he had to know.

His eyes then glistened with tears as the words finally sank in. So…he’s the son of that rich guy and the prostitute? He…killed them? Killed his very own parents? He chewed on his lips. No! This can’t be right. This is not happening. Please let this be a dream, please!

“And when the idea of finding them occurred to the children, what they do will be doing in vain.” The Commander guffawed, “We indeed need a brilliant mind like yours in the Organisation.”

“Thank you, sir,”

“You may leave,” The Commander instructed.

He blinked rapidly as footsteps came his way. He shoved this overwhelming information into the back of his mind, though before he could dart out of the way, the giant door opened. A short man with a round, kind-looking face stepped out, his eyes widened in surprise when he saw him standing close to the door. Nick saw a hint of panic and annoyance mixing in his eyes before they both quickly adjusted their expression and nodded to each other.

“Mr Commander, sir, a chap is waiting outside of your office.” The man gave Nick a glance and shouted toward the office before leaving.

The Commander paused for a few seconds, then replied, “Ok. Come on in, boy.”

Nick gritted his teeth and took a deep breath before pushing the heavy door aside.

Unlike everything else in the base, the office was mainly consisted of wood. The massive writing desk was made of redwood, and the drawer and shelves are wooden as well.

The Commander was around sixty years of age with a rather square face. His grey hair was fixed backward by mousse, and symmetrical wrinkles sternly spread across his face.

“Good day to you, Mr Commander, sir,” Nick greeted him with a tremor in his voice, he coughed to cover it.

“Hello, boy, sit down.” The man behind the wooden desk gazed at him unfathomably with his dark green eyes, “I told you to come half an hour later, why you came so soon?”

Oh, no! Nick gulped in fear. Is he irritated? Did he find out anything? Will he dispose him?

He hesitantly sat, “I’m sorry, sir, but the boy didn’t tell me when to come, so just in case…”

“It’s ok, kid,” He shrugged, “Your next mission has come up, do you want to pick a partner?”

Whew! Nick was so relieved that the man let this slide. But why is he being kind all of a sudden?

“Yes, please, sir,”

“Who then?” For some reason, Nick thought he saw a hint of humour speeding across the Commander’s eyes.

“Tiffany, sir, I pick her.”

“Good.” He snatched a pen and wrote something on a file in front of him, “So, I’m going to tell you the detail of this mission, and you need to pass it on to her later.”

“Yes, sir, I will,”

“You need to obtain a ring called Ring of Rebirth,” The man flashed a photo at Nick and gave him a piece of paper, “Which is now in a collector’s hand. This is the address. You and that girl will be given half a million each as the mission fee. Do you know what to do now?”

“Yes, sir,”

The Commander nodded, “The time limit is a year. Use your time wisely.”

“Thank you, sir,”

“You may leave.”

Nick exhaled as he shut the door behind him. Finally! The atmosphere in the office was suffocating him. He found his palm cold and sweaty as he walked downstairs to his room, body stiff the whole time. Messy threads of thoughts started to drift around in his mind, and he stuffed them all away. He felt a huge rock weighing on his chest, getting heavier with each step he took. Every now and then, a word or two like ‘parents’, ‘kill’, and ‘first mission’ popped into his mind, but he suppressed them all.

Nick found Tiff waiting for him in front of his door, he muttered, “Hey,”

“Did you go to the Commander’s office? Got your next mission?” She bounced to him, beaming.

Should he tell her what he heard? He stared at Tiff. He’d hate to wipe that grin away.

“What’s wrong?” She frowned, “You look pale.”

Nick remained silent, struggling internally. He would feel better sharing this with her, but she’ll certainly be devastated. She might even do something irrational in a time of guilt or fury.

“Nothing, I’m okay,” he shook his head, “Yeah, I got my mission, and you are my partner.”

“Yes!” Delight sparkled in her eyes, “What is it?”

He handed her the note, “We need to get a ring called Ring of Rebirth from a collector. This is the address. I’m a bit tired, so I’m just going to hit the bed.”

“This mission sound alright.” Tiff shrugged, “But you seem to have something on your mind.”

Nick put up a wide smile from ear to ear, “No, I’m fine. I’m really just tired.”

“Ok, then. Well, see you tomorrow.” She waved and left.

Nick exhaled and entered his room, dazed. He slumped onto his bed and stared at the metallic ceiling with his mind completely blank. After a while, he gently led the tangled threads out, ready to straighten them out.

So…his first mission was to kill his own parents. Images dashed across his mind. The enormous mansion, the guy in Tokyo with many wives, the night club, the prostitute… Wait, she said something! She said something before she was killed by him. Nick gritted his teeth as he scavenged through his brain for her words. What was it? What was it!

His’s eyes widened as he remembered the piece of paper. Yes! Tiff made him write that. He found it in his bottom drawer, dusty but complete.

It says, ‘I knew it. I knew you would come. I sold you there. You are here to kill me. Yes, finally, finally! I deserve it. I regret it. You are a big boy now. I’m glad.’

Nick frowned at the paper. His mother knew he would come. Come to do what? Kill her? If she knew it, why didn’t she run away? And she sold him to the Organisation for money? Sold her child to this inhuman place? His expression hardened. In what world would a mother do that?

A foggy memory dated long ago slowly emerged into his mind. A stubby man’s hand handing a small pile of money to a woman’s figure. Moisture appeared in his eyes again.

But…she seemed to regret her action and was very relieved to see him, even though he came to end her life. The woman’s face was already fuzzy in Nick’s memory, no matter how hard he tried, the thin veil concealing it just won’t go away.

He murmured under his breath, “Mother, I forgive you. Please, could you forgive me?”

Tears trailed down his cheeks as he waited for a response, but none came. He hugged himself as he stared at the note through his blurred vision.

Suddenly, Tiff’s first mission skidded into his mind. The heart-warming family she was jealous of was supposed to be hers! Nick knew how much she wanted to find her family, yet…she’s the one who killed them with her own hands. Tiff’s heart will shatter if she knows this. He signed. He was glad he saved her the suffering.

Did the Commander know he knew their secret? He recalled the man he met in front of the office. That guy definitely suspected, and he then yelled toward the office saying that he’s out there. Yes, he was surely signalling the Commander that he was eavesdropping. Could he be overthinking this? How Nick wished he’s just imagining it! But no, things were definitely this way. The water in the Organisation was so deep Nick had to observe every detail and analyze them.

So, they all knew. He suddenly found some difficulties breathing. It felt like his lungs are squeezed in an enormous hand and it was contracting tighter and tighter. Will they dispose him? Using what reason though? Well, they probably don’t need any reason, they can just say he behaved rudely in front of the Commander, and no one will be able to save him.

But why haven’t they made their move yet? Why did the Commander assign him a mission if he was going to get disposed? Nick stood and paced around his room. Maybe, to maximize the profit of the Organisation, he wants him to do one last mission before the disposition. Or, instead of getting rid of him in the base, they want to send killers following behind him, and as soon as he got the ring, they’ll kill him and bring it back. This way, the Organisation will both get the ring and put an end to his life. Yes, this is the most logical explanation!

He’s only fifteen, and his life just began. Nick has only truly seen the world for three years, with one-third of the time stuck in the base. When he was on missions, he saw teenagers shopping, playing sports, and hitting bars. Has he experienced any of that though? Nope! He has always comforted himself, that it’s OK and he will have plenty of time to try things out. But will he? Nope! It’s so not fair! Tears oozed into his eyes against his will. He needs to think rationally, and tears don’t help!

Wait… If the Commander wants to get rid of him, wouldn’t it be easier to shoot him when he’s alone? So that no one else will see the cruelty in the Organisation, thus behave faithfully toward it. Why would the man let him choose a partner then? He saw a tinge of brightness in his dark future. What if nobody knows his eavesdropping after all? No, he can’t lie to himself. Nick tightened his fists. Things are never simple in the Organisation, and he can’t let a trace of fake hope blind him.

He forced himself to relive every detail in the Commander’s office. The man was being kind to him and that’s abnormal. Nick wouldn’t exactly call it ‘kind’, but for anyone in the Organisation, it was rather benevolent. When he thought about it…it seemed like an attitude you’d take toward a soon-be-dead person. And he let him choose a partner… Nick drew in a deep breath.

Selecting a partner in missions is a serious matter. One only chooses the person who they are most comfortable exposing their back to, who they can entrust their life with. The Commander was using this process to test who’s the closest to Nick. Of course! The Commander thought that he would tell this secret to someone he trusts the most. He gazed at the metallic wall as tears streamed down his face. This secret is a big one, so the man surely wouldn’t mind killing several people to stop it from disclosing.

No, no, no! Tiff cannot get involved in this! If she died because of him, then he’ll be tormented for the rest of his life! Probably still guilty after he’s dead! Maybe he can go to the Commander and swear that she doesn’t know a thing? He’ll certainly kill him, but there’s a slim chance he might let her go.

No, of course not! Since when did the man care if someone’s innocent? Since when did he start to show mercy? As long as Tiff is linked with the secret for even the tiniest bit, he’ll continue to plan for her death. Turning himself in will only end their life sooner.

Nick threw his pillow at the wall in frustration. What had he done?! He pressed his palms against his damp cheeks. Why didn’t he restrain his damn curiosity? He’d rather not know this stupid secret!

It’ll take some time for Nick to accept the fact that his death lay in the near future, but he knew it’s his fate, and he can’t do a single thing to alter it. Now what he desperately needs is to figure out a way to get Tiff out of this devastating tornado of terror.