Emotional blackmail is the use of fear, obligation and guilt to control another person.
командир - Commander
The man, The boy, and the Commander
The ominous voices echoed off the concrete walls that surrounded the facility. Grey slick walls, dripping with grime and sin.
There was a man, sitting in a perfect stereotypical villain chair. His strong shoulders stood proudly, asserting his dominance.
The cigar in his mouth did nothing to hide the agitation he felt. Something was coming. Something even more powerful than the man had ever seen. And yet, it was something so hidden - thrust deep into the shadows - that a civilian could walk right past it, never knowing the true maliciousness it embodied.
Thoughts swam in the mind of the broad-shouldered man. Theories. Scenarios. Possibilities.
His reverie was broken, by the patterned clomp of entering footfall. It was quieter than most. Not loud like the burly soldiers who often entered his chambers. It was hesitant and cautious.
It must be the boy.
It was.
The boy entered the sullen room, quivering with every step. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but fear clutched at his throat, preventing anything from slipping out. But fear works two ways - It discourages some, but in others, it urges.
The boys fear of the man was more robust than anything else in his unfortunate life. To not speak, would only get him into more trouble.
With shortness of breath, he stammered out the words.
"Sir...Operation RedHawk is ready to be set in motion."
The boy couldn't help but flinch as it left his mouth, and struggled even more when the man swivelled around in his chair.
With a soft thud, the man's discarded cigar landed in the bin, making the boy jump.
"Prepare the base for the командир," the man said without as much of a flicker of emotion on his face.
The boy's face lit up in fear, "He's...coming here," he stammered. Despite the man's cool composure, he too, felt the shivers of dread go down his spine. Still, he had to keep his equanimity, for reputation sake.
"Affirmative, he will be arriving shortly. So unless you would like to explain to him why the base was not ready to accommodate his needs, I would hurry along."
"Yes, Sir", the boy scurried away as fast as his legs could take him. Wanting nothing more than to complete his tasks, and be far away by the time the командир arrived.
Once the boy had left, the man stood up and looked through his papers, checking everything was in order. His palms were sweaty and beads of perspiration dripped down his temples.
The man was feared throughout the base, but he was nothing, nothing, compared to the командир. Somehow the командир managed to instil fear in every person he came across, even the strongest willed people.
The man's strained eyes were fixed on the hallway leading into his office, apprehensively awaiting his boss' arrival. It was hard to stand still - demonstrating his competence and power - when his insides were flipping with anxiety.
Fortunately, he wouldn't have to wait very long. As a short moment later, the quiet 'Pitter Patter' of the командир steps echoed through the hallway
A tall figure, with broad shoulders and a chiselled face, marched into the office. Even though the office belonged to the man, the командир managed to occupy the space, in a way that made it seem that everything in the world belonged to him.
The rest of the world did not know his name, but they soon would. If his plan worked, he would go from a nobody - a wannabe villain hiding in the shadows - to one of the greatest miscreants of all time.
"командир, I must say it's a pleasure to meet you. I have been eagerly awaiting your..."
"Is it ready?" the superior man interrupted. Not one for small talk. Not when there was so much excitement to look forward to, and still so much to be done.
"Is...what ready sir?" he stammered, losing all of the fake confidence that he had intricately built up around him.
"Project RedHawk," he growled, "Don't tell me you brought me all the way out here for nothing."
"Of course not Sir. I have the folders right here" he said rather quickly, gathering all the folders on his desk and passing them to the commander.
"Good. Good" the командир said, taking his hand off of his gun.
The room was filled with eery silence as the man read through the papers. The only sounds were the agitated breathes of the man and the chattering of his teeth.
"Is everything in order, Sir?"
The командир looked up at the man, with a new emotion on his face. A gratified and eager grin formed around his features.
"It is,"
"Excellent. Shall we begin?"
EDITED AS OF NOVEMBER 12 2021