SECOND CHANCE

Hans sighed, wondering what to do. For once in his life, he questioned the controversial lifestyle that he had chosen. What was the point of being a rich, famous, feared terrorist if the one person whose opinion he cared about thought he was a piece of garbage? What he was sure about was that in his state of mind, he was completely useless to Karl and to the rest of the Volksfrei. Some leader he was. Even though all the boys had finally broken out of prison, could he really hold a Volksfrei meeting now?

He sighed. There was only one thing to do.

*scene change*

"You what?"

"You heard me, Karl. I quit."

Karl's face was a mixture of shock and confusion. "Why?"

"I just don't have it in me to carry on the Volksfrei," Hans said. "Getting busted took a lot out of me."

"Well, you got out of the cooler fast enough," Karl replied bitterly.

"Yes… I just don't think I can be an adequate leader to you all."

"You were the best, Hans. Better than Fuchs. We could've had world domination by now if not for -"

"But we don't. Get real, Karl. You carry on in my place, see that we get to that top spot in a few years."

"You want me to carry on in your place?" Karl's eyes sparkled.

"You have been my second-in-command for long enough. It's time you take charge."

"How will I know you won't squeal on us?"

"I'm a wanted man, Karl. Squealing would mean I would have to voluntarily go to the police station. Besides, the only man in the Volksfrei with more dirt on him than me is Fuchs, and he's dead. If you all banded together and said I was a cruel, vicious tyrant, nobody would question you."

"Well, seeing as I do get the top spot -" Karl smiled to himself. "Fine. I'll cover for you. But don't let yourself get spotted by any of our guys from now on. I'll make sure the Volksfrei doesn't attack you, but one of our guys on his own might have a good go at it."

"Thanks, Karl."

"In breaking news tonight, the Volksfrei movement has attacked again, this time striking Buckingham Palace. Fortunately, the criminals were unable to make a single assasination, but the palace was destroyed.

Notably, escaped convicts like Karl Vreski, Heinrich Muller, Fritz - " The newsreader rattled off a series of names that would make anyone who was even slightly aware of the world around them shiver - were spotted forcibly entering the most tightly secured building in Britain. However, their notorious leader, Hans Gruber, is not with the group. We know for a fact he has escaped jail, so officials are speculating as to where he is now. According to new leader Karl Vreski, Herr Gruber was expelled from the Volksfrei a few weeks prior to the attack, due to extremist behaviour that even the Volksfrei couldn't handle! Is this true, or just a cover-up of a more sinister truth? Stay tuned to find out more after the ad break!"

Karl decided to save my butt by pretending I was expelled? It was clever, Hans had to admit. They'd be less likely to kill him than if they knew he'd willingly turned his back on them. There would be no way to explain he wasn't doing it to spite them. Still, he'd now have to watch his back for both police and his former colleagues. Great.

Just as he was wondering whether things could get any worse, the phone rang.

"Hello."

"I heard you got expelled. Sounds like even your terrorist buddies couldn't handle your shit."

Monica.

"I didn't get expelled," he admitted. "I left."

Silence. Finally, Monica's voice crackled over the telephone.

"You're joking."

"No. I promise I'm not."

"It's not exactly the first time you've lied to me though, is it?" However, something inside Monica believed him. Maybe it was her intuition. Or maybe she just really wanted it to be true.

Hans must've picked up on the lack of conviction in her voice, because he continued, "I realised there wasn't much point in being a terrorist if your own friends despise you."

A pause. "I left because I didn't see any point in being rich and feared worldwide if you hated me."

"Oh Hans," Monica whispered. Despite her better judgement, her heart fluttered. She wanted so badly for what he was saying to be true. Could she give him, a terrorist, another chance?

"I love you, Monica."

The hand holding the telephone began shaking. Taking a deep breath to collect her thoughts together, she finally said,

"I love you too, Hans."