Notes:
This chapter is where the unknown villain is introduced. Along with some rhymes, the WISE operatives get to hear an ultimatum and a verdict.
This chapter also introduces strategy and chess.
Similar to chapter two, there is a secret message hidden in this chapter! The secret message is hidden in the final paragraphs of this chapter. Test your abilities and try to find the hidden message.
Enjoy Chapter 3.
Index
"Bolded text in quotation marks is not direct dialogue. Instead it highlights what each character thinks about to oneself."
"Text in italics is not direct dialogue either. It is a subtext which deciphers original dialogue. It is used to provide the deciphered spy dialect for the reader."
**Text surrounded by double asterisks is dialogue communicated through a radio or a phone call.**
Chapter 3 – A Game of Chess
April 29, 13:19 PM – WISE Safe House D
The phone on Sylvia's desk was ringing. Everyone silently looked at it. Almost every agent and operator in the office had a wish for the phone to be answered. At the same time, everyone was skeptical, and precautious, about the incoming call. The final decision was up to Sylvia. Sylvia stood motionless as she looked down at her ringing phone. She decided to not answer it.
"It's just a coincidence," Sylvia calmed herself down.
After a minute, maybe two minutes, the phone stopped ringing. Quiescence followed. The silence was awkward, but every person in the office was too haunted in order to try and break the silence.
"Are you sure that you switched off the phones?" Sylvia asked the operator.
"Yes ma'am," the operator replied.
"Is there any bypass you forgot about?"
"Ma'am, there are no bypasses for the phone switch."
Sylvia wanted to ask additional questions, but she withheld from asking them because she sensed the uselessness of hoping for answers. Soon, she understood that this strange incoming phone call must be investigated. Just as she was about to order the operators to investigate that phenomenon, the phone on her desk started ringing again. The feelings of strangeness and alarm once again filled everyone's minds as the ringing sound made it into everyone's ears.
"Now it cannot be a coincidence," Sylvia concluded for herself.
"Hey!" Sylvia called out to the operator, "you got the cryptograph and the blocker on?"
The operator quickly checked his switchboard before answering.
"Yes ma'am. The cryptograph and the blocker are on and functioning."
"Attention!" Sylvia announced, "I am about to answer the phone. I will do all of the talking. Everyone else tap into the call and remain silent! Operators! Trace the call and start the call recorder."
Every agent and operator silently followed Sylvia's order. The operators proceeded to turn on the call tracer and the call recorder. The agents in the office spread among the number of available phones. Some agents picked up the handset to tap into the call. Other agents used an earpiece attached to the telephones. Soon, everyone was tapped into the call and ready to listen. The operators gave Sylvia a gesture confirming the fulfillment of her order.
"Get ready!" Sylvia announced as she reached to the handset of her phone.
Sylvia already planned how she would answer the caller. She decided to answer the phone while pretending to be a worker of the inquiry office. This way, the caller could have no clue about reaching a WISE safe house. With a single movement of her hand, Sylvia picked up the handset. She brought it closer to her head and she answered the caller.
**Good afternoon** Sylvia started, **you have reached the Inquiry Office of Berlint. Right now, the time in Berlint is 13:20 and the weather is 16 degrees Celsius. How can I help you today?**
After delivering that information, Sylvia went silent. Sylvia, along with everyone who tapped into the phone call, listened to the dead silence on the other end. The caller was noiseless. There was no response.
The silence from the caller's end daunted everyone listening to the call. Everyone wanted to hear some sort of a response in order to discharge the accumulating tension. To everyone's dismay they did not get any quick response.
At a certain point, some of the agents could have sworn that they heard something. They heard phantom-like noises, but they could not distinguish what exactly were those noises. It was either the sound of someone maniacally laughing or the sounds of someone pronouncing a curse incantation. The psychological pressure of this phone call was becoming too much to endure.
**Hello? How can I help you today?** Sylvia asked again.
This time, the agents heard the caller take a deep breath. Then they heard a reply.
**Twenty little agents went out to the canteen, I shot one of them and then there were nineteen,** the caller answered.
A new wave of horrifying chills swept through everyone in the office. It took a brief moment for everyone to realize that the caller was most likely the perpetrator of their troubles. Some agents experienced paralysis when they realized the extent of their compromise. Thankfully for those agents, they were ordered to remain silent. It meant that none of them were obligated to answer or reply to the caller. Sylvia absorbed the meaning of the rhyme she heard. The caller's answer was unexpected, but Sylvia preserved her composure. She intended to continue her act.
**Are you interested in the author of the rhyme?** Sylvia calmly asked the caller.
In her mind Sylvia held an optimistic thought. She hoped that she could successfully bypass this eerie situation. At the same time, she focused on paying close attention to the caller's voice. The caller's voice did not sound male nor female. The voice sounded neutral.
Same as before, the caller did not answer immediately. A few second of silence followed. Then, a sardonic laughter echoed from the caller's end. Every agent could hear the laughter loud and clear. For some agents, it was not the first time that they encountered a mysterious villain; however, it was the first time that a villain got so close to them because the villain called directly into their secret safe house. The only thing they could do was to continue listening silently. The caller finished laughing before replying.
**Why did you choose to become who you are . . . Missus Sylvia Sherwood? Or is it Missus Samantha Stone? Stella Stewart? Maybe Scarlett Sackville?**
As the caller listed those names, Sylvia experienced a state of paralyzing shock. Those names were not a bunch of random names. Those names were aliases that she used in the past. The caller knowing her current name was awful enough, but the caller having knowledge all of her aliases made Sylvia feel like the caller crept under her skin. Sylvia prevented the shock from paralyzing her completely, although she had trouble coming up with an effective response. Sylvia spent several seconds in silence trying to come up with a response as her thoughts faltered. The caller got ahead of Sylvia by seizing the silence on her end and delivering a message.
**You can drop the act. I know who you are. Where you are. And how you feel right now.****
Sylvia accepted the failure of her act.
**Since you know everything about me, would you care to introduce yourself?** Sylvia asked politely.
**Five people were executed today* the caller started, *I am the one who carried out those executions.**
If before anyone had any doubts about the caller being the perpetrator, then now it was clear for everyone because the caller gave a direct admission.
**I guessed that it could have been you,** Sylvia answered with zero amount of surprise in her voice.
**One of the five was your agent. His name was Simon Solo, but I believe you called him Solus. The two SSS officers on Vettin Street were Captain Manfred Merlich and Lieutenant Heinrich Hedimann. Feel free to look them up.**
Sylvia expected for the caller to continue the explanation, but after naming the two SSS officers the caller stopped talking. The caller provided some valuable information about the attack, but that information was accompanied with alarming feelings. The caller seemed to answer all of the questions that the WISE agents discussed before receiving the call. That coincidence made the agents feel uneasy because the caller was aware of their questions - as if the caller could read their minds. In the current moment, everyone accepted it as a coincidence. After all, the caller was the perpetrator of the murders. After some silence, Sylvia continued.
**That was three. What about the other two?** Sylvia asked.
**The other two were a part of an organization; an organization that is rather close to you.**
**What organization?** Sylvia asked.
**You will find out when the time is right.**
Next was a brief pause. The caller's partial revelation only reignited the frustrating torment of mystery. An intuitive compulsion told Sylvia that she should end the phone call. On the other hand, her pragmatic consciousness understood the importance of continuing the call. If she can continue the call against all of the eeriness, then they could trace the caller's location. After a few seconds, Sylvia decided to break the silence of the call.
**You obviously didn't call just to tell me about your achievements. My act failed. What is your act?** Sylvia asked.
**My act focuses on delivering an ultimatum,** the caller answered.
**An ultimatum?**
**Yes. An ultimatum. I know that every one of you is currently listening to this call. So, listen carefully. The only other time I will repeat myself is at your graves. That's if you get one.**
That statement caught everyone's attention. It was common for WISE agents to encounter threats in their line of work. Unfortunately, this time the threat was delivered straight to their safe house. That contrast made everyone feel the threat close to home. Everyone was carefully listening to hear the ultimatum.
**Once upon a time,** the caller started, **all of you did something very wrong. All of you are guilty. The punishment of each individual will be carried out accordingly. Right now, I give you the chance to speak up. Do any of you have anything to say in your defense?**
All of the agents listening to the call remained silent and still. Some agents remained in such a state because they were too shocked in order to move or to speak. Other agents simply continued obeying the order of their Handler. That order was to remain silent.
Agent Twilight looked towards the Handler. He was slightly frightened and at the same impressed by the ultimatum. He established eye contact with Sylvia. Sylvia looked back at Twilight. Sylvia's gaze spoke for her. Her gaze asked him 'what?' Twilight understood the silent question from Sylvia. He raised his free hand and pointed it at the telephone handset in his other hand.
With this gesture, Twilight asked her 'should we answer?'
Sylvia immediately shook her head. Thus, telling him 'no.' Twilight silently nodded his head in acknowledgement of her answer.
**The presumption of innocence is a universal right,** Sylvia responded, **can you provide us with a formal indictment before we speak up?**
**All of you know what you are being charged with. It is something you know, but chose to deny,** the caller answered.
**Honestly, we don't know what you are talking about,** Sylvia answered calmly.
The caller did not answer immediately. Instead, the caller chuckled with a sense of irony.
**I see that all of you chose to remain silent,** the caller replied, **very well. You do have a right to remain silent. Or did you choose to remain silent for a strategic purpose?**
The last statement was a guess, but it was correct. Instead of interacting with the caller, Sylvia decided to remain strategically silent. There was no reasonable response in her mind. She, and every listening agent, continued to silently wait for the caller to say something else. The caller chuckled once again before continuing.
**I see you like strategy Missus Sylvia Sherwood. Would you kindly play a game of chess with me?**
**A game of chess?** Sylvia asked.
**Yes. A game of chess! You'll be the white because you're the good guys and I'll be the black because I'm the villain.**
With this strange request, the entire conversation became truly difficult to comprehend. First the caller taunted everyone. Then the caller admitted to perpetrating the attack. Next the caller declared everyone guilty. And now the caller was asking to play a game of chess with Sylvia. Sylvia did have a set of chess somewhere in her desk, but she did not wish to comply with the caller's request.
**With all due respect I am not really fond of chess. On top of that, I don't have any chess to play with,** Sylvia tried to evade the request.
**He he he,** the caller laughed in an awkward, sarcastic, manner before responding with another rhyme, **oh you liar, you liar, your dress is on fire! Your nose is as long as a telephone wire!**
Sylvia felt slightly insulted by that rhyme directed at her. It was the first time in years that she felt insulted by words. Despite the spike in her emotions, Sylvia remained calm.
**I really don't have any chess. How am I supposed to agree?** Sylvia continued as politely as she could.
**Check your desk,** the caller responded, **in the back of the upper right drawer.**
A second, more shocking, wave of shock ran through Sylvia. She knew that she had a chess set somewhere in her desk, but she had not used it for a long time. Thus, she forgot about the set to the point that she forgot where exactly it was in her desk. The caller knowing the location of her chess set created the illusion of the caller being inside her mind. Every agent listening to the call shared that awkward feeling. Without answering the caller, Sylvia slowly reached out to the upper right drawer of her desk
"No. It cannot be there," Sylvia tried to convince herself as she pulled out the drawer.
She pulled out the upper right drawer. There was no chess set visible to the eye at first, but she needed to check the back of that drawer. Sylvia slowly shifted miscellaneous items and papers from the back. Upon removing a part of the obscuring items, she found what she hoped to not find. She saw a small checkered chessboard. It was a small set of chess that was no greater than the size of two fists put together. That set was the one Sylvia forgot about a long time ago. Completely shocked and alarmed by this revelation, Sylvia slowly pulled the set out of the drawer and she placed it on top of her desk.
**Was it there?** the caller asked with a sarcastic smirk.
Sylvia ignored that question.
**Set up the chess and let's start this game,** the caller instructed.
**So, is this just a game of chess or is it supposed to mean something?** Sylvia asked.
Stop asking so many questions Missus Sherwood. Set up the chess or else I might detonate a bomb somewhere in the city if I get too impatient.*
The bomb threat could have been an empty threat, but in the current situation it was better to agree for a game of chess rather than taking the risk.
**No need to detonate any bombs. I am setting it up,** Sylvia complied.
When Sylvia exclaimed her compliance, she sounded as calm as she could ever be. However, there was a sense of defeat because she was obeying the caller's wishes.
Sylvia placed down the handset on her desk. She opened the chessboard and dumped out all of the chess pieces on her desk. Then, she set down the chessboard flat on her desk and proceeded to position the pieces in their appropriate places. While at it, she looked over to the operators. The call was being traced since Sylvia answered the phone. By now she bought enough time for the caller's location to be traced. She turned her head towards the operators with high hopes for receiving some positive news. To her misfortune, Sylvia saw the operators looking at her with lost and horrified faces. The call was still ongoing so it was risky say anything directly. Instead of speaking, Sylvia mouthed her question.
'What is it?' Sylvia mouthed without making a sound.
After understanding her question, one of the operators grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. The operator began to write the answer onto the paper. While waiting for the answer to be written down Sylvia continued setting up the chess. She deliberately set up the pieces at a slower pace in order to buy some time. At last, the operator walked up to Sylvia and he held up the paper in front of her face.
The following was written down on the paper:
We have traced the call.
The call is coming from your phone!
The Handler was ready for the worst scenario she could imagine, but this outcome went beyond any possible prediction. She froze for a second. A new frustrated look occupied her facial expression. A savage, animalistic, glow shined from the lenses of her glasses. She looked at the operator.
'How?' Sylvia mouthed.
The operator only shrugged his shoulders in complete incomprehension of their situation. The situation started to seem less hopeful. Sylvia waved off the operator. The operator silently returned to his spot. In the torment of the silence everyone waited for Sylvia to finish setting up her chess. At last, after she set up her chessboard, she picked up her handset.
**I have set up my chess,** Sylvia notified the caller.
**Wonderful,** the caller replied, **since you are the white, the first-move is yours. What is your opening move Missus Sherwood?**
It felt strange playing chess against a villain through a phone call. Sylvia spent several seconds thinking about any potential symbolism or tricks related to this specific chess game. In the end, she could not think of anything meaningful. Sylvia decided to accept her current reality instead of overcomplicating it. After running several chess strategies through her mind, Sylvia decided what her opening move will be.
**E2 – E4,** Sylvia said as she shifted her pawn from square E2 to square E4.
There was only a second of silence.
**H7 – H6,** the caller responded.
Sylvia shifted the black pawn from square H7 to square H6. As she moved it, she was stunned by the caller's strange opening move. The black pawn of square H7 was located at the edge of the chessboard and moving it first was a very nonstrategic decision.
**D2 – D3,** Sylvia told the caller as she moved a second pawn from D2 to D3.
**H8 – H7,** the caller responded.
Sylvia moved the black rook from H8 to H7. Once again, she was dumbfounded and confused by the strange moves of her opponent.
**G1 – F3,** Sylvia continued.
She moved her knight from G1 to F3.
**A7 – A6,** the caller continued, **this is my last move for today.**
Sylvia shifted the black pawn from A7 to A6 before asking.
**Last move?**
**Yes, last move. Let's continue this game tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day Missus Sherwood. Sleep well tonight, you'll need that brilliant mind well-rested for our chess game. Everyone else, who is listening to our conversation, be at peace tonight. There are no more executions planned for today.**
Then, the caller hung up the phone. The mysterious and terrifying conversation was over, but relief was nowhere to be felt as the feeling of horror rushed over everyone. Horror swept through everyone at the speed of a tsunami. It was impossible to escape that feeling of horror and there was no hope in trying to escape it. With horror came fear. Every agent, regardless of their background or experience, was overrun by fear.
Now that the call ended, everyone was slowly coming to their senses. Everyone was gradually putting down the handsets and earpieces. Sylvia placed her handset back on her telephone.
"Either this wacko is planning something serious, or he is just really terrible at chess," Sylvia thought while she stared at her chessboard.
The agents silently exchanged glances. Each one hoped to find some sort of an answer from the other one. Besides Sylvia, there were only two agents who retained the solidarity of WISE. Those two were Twilight and Nightfall.
Twilight stood still like everyone else. He remained silent, but he avoided showing any radical emotions through his facial expression. There was only a shallow humored look on his face; the expression of a detective who found some missing evidence to solve a mystery.
"Can we put an end to this rhyme-lover before the evening?" Twilight thought. It was an optimistic thought. It would be ideal to save the day and make it home in time for dinner. Unfortunately, his optimism was soon shattered by his recognition of reality. Twilight compared this emergency to his previous experiences. None of his previous experiences were even close to their current situation because not a single villain managed to get so close to WISE as this one did.
"Well, here it goes again," Nightfall braced her mind while appearing completely unaffected.
Nightfall saw no reason in prolonging the silence so she decided to speak up.
"So? What is . . ." Nightfall tried to ask.
Before Nightfall could finish her question, Sylvia reacted with the speed of a jet engine. Sylvia did not say anything, but she appeared triggered. Sylvia's sharp, triggered, gaze punctured through Nightfall's poker face. Sylvia's gaze was accompanied by multiple gestures that signaled the intention of 'do not.' Without hearing any words from the Handler, Nightfall understood what Sylvia wanted. Sylvia wanted Nightfall, and everyone else, to remain silent.
Nightfall stopped talking and she quietly nodded her head in response. With silence established, Sylvia began to suspiciously eye the entire office. She looked into every corner and all around the ceiling. Everyone else just stood silently. Soon after, Sylvia gestured everyone to continue remaining silent. But, while she did so she established eye contact with the operator.
"Hey," Sylvia called out to the operator, "how is this possible?"
"I . . . don't know," the operator replied in disbelief.
"I'm sure you know the answer," Sylvia encouraged the operator, "come one, think! How can this be possible?"
Only a second of thinking was necessary for the operator to think of a valuable hypothesis.
"I need to check the switchboard wiring and breaker box," the operator answered.
"Do it! Go! Andrew go with him. Be careful. Go!"
The operator and Andrew hurriedly exited the main office. The sound of their footsteps faded as they walked further away. Silence was once again reinstated. Without wasting a second, Sylvia grab the nearest piece of paper and a pen. She started writing something down on both sides of the paper. The sound of her pen movements scratching against the paper was the only sound that everyone could hear in the completely silent office. It was indeed an awkward combination of sounds. Some agents found that combination rather excruciating to endure given their current situation.
"It would be great if someone dropped a pin right now," Twilight wished to himself.
Once Sylvia finished writing, she signaled everyone to come closer. Everyone proceeded to huddle around the Handler. She held up one side of the paper at an eye level.
Do not talk! We have a LEVEL 3 SITUATION! This safe house is compromised! Proceed to evacuate the safe house. THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
One by one, the agents silently nodded. Then each individual agent proceeded to start the evacuation process. It was not as simple as just leaving the safe house. All of the materials, documents, and equipment was to be removed in order to leave no trace behind. Each agent proceeded to do what he was trained to do in this situation. Some agents got to work on removing the documents. Some agents started removing the most valuable pieces of equipment. Other agents started to disable the heavy equipment and roll up the communication cables. Just as agents Twilight and Nightfall were about to join the evacuation efforts, Sylvia signaled them to stay put in their current spot. She pointed at them both and signaled for them to stay near her. Both of them complied. All three of them waited for the remaining agents to read the first message and disperse. When the last agents went on to complete Sylvia's order, Sylvia flipped the paper. There was a different message written on the other side. Both Twilight and Nightfall read it.
Go to Safe House G. Inspect it for any bugs or taps. Relay our current situation to everyone and every safe house. Do not use phones or radios until a secure communication is ensured. Report to me directly as soon as you can.
They finished reading the written order. Both quietly nodded in acknowledgement of their new instructions. After they nodded, Sylvia swiftly pointed towards the exit. That gesture was an obvious order for them to get going. The two agents then marched out of the main office.
Without exchanging any words or gestures, the two agents quietly marched through the hallway. At this moment, there was a link of mutual understanding between them. Even without talking, both of them understood each other. Both of them knew what exit they would take and what they need to do. As soon as they walked back into the lobby, they split up. Each one was headed to a different exit because using the lift was too risky. Within the minute, the two agents exited the safe house and they ensured that the exits were covered before they walked off to Safe House G. For the purpose of safety and secrecy they took alternate routes to Safe House G.
"How could this have happened?" Nightfall asked herself as she walked through the street filled with the sound of police sirens. Just several minutes ago, she was waiting for a routine information relay near Main Street. Now, she was caught in the middle of what looked like a complete compromise of WISE operations in Ostania. As someone who witnessed the beginning of this act, she was pressuring her mind to find any clues that she might have missed.
The pressure was heavy on Nightfall. It felt especially heavy now that the first strike was committed. Her mind explored many possibilities; going as far as thinking that someone in WISE committed treason.
Twilight was waking separately from Nightfall. They were walking into the same direction, but on different streets. Similar to Nightfall, Twilight was thinking about the current compromise of WISE. He thought about every detail and every theory. But with their current vulnerability, ensured security was what mattered the most. If the general security was compromised, then there would be no point in trying to find the culprit. The only thing Twilight could do as he marched through the street was to look up into the clear sky.
"It's just one o'clock in the afternoon," he thought of the most basic, non-spy, fact that he was currently certain of.
Before he knew it, his professional spy mode kicked in. There was no way that he would allow himself to lose hope so early on.
"Increase your pace Twilight! You can still salvage this," he encouraged himself.
Agent Twilight continued walking down the street at the fastest pace he could without looking too suspicious.
