The White Feather- A story of infinite worlds

The Rat Who Took Down The Mountain

Thomas was taking out his pliers as Aram opened his eyes. He didn’t speak this time and decided to observe his surroundings instead. Thomas had his back turned on the man, so he wasn’t aware that he had woken up.

The master bedroom had no bed in it. All of the walls were covered with some black pillow like things, and the bulb lit in the middle of the ceiling made the room look like the set of some low budget horror film. Aram was tied to a wooden chair, and there was a table in front of him.

The table was adorned by various instruments of torture. Aram knew he was in a load of s**t when he heard Thomas chuckling slowly. He knew that his prey was ready to be tortured.

“Who are you?” Aram asked the obvious question.

“Thomas White, but I could be the last person you ever see.” Thomas said, turning around.

He had a blowtorch in one hand and a sharp knife in another. He lit the blowtorch and placed the knife’s edge in the flame. Aram lost his balls right there.

“Okay! I’ll pay you the double of what the government is giving you. I have nothing against you, so let’s just forget this ever happened and….” Aram said as his forehead became wet.

“Oh, I never said I work for the government.” Thomas said and smiled mysteriously.

“Wha….then who do you work for?” Aram asked, visibly confused and scared at the same time.

“You don’t know how torture works, do you? I cut off a few parts, get to know you better. After breaking the ice, I ask the questions, not you.” Thomas said and turned the torch off.

The knife was red hot, and Aram couldn’t find words to plead as he was too stupefied to say or do anything. The tip touched his bare chest, and his brain was suddenly set into motion.

A loud scream echoed inside the room as Thomas moved the blade from the upper part of Aram’s chest to the lower part. Light vapors came up as the burnt skin turned black.

When Thomas finally stopped, Aram had a circle on his front. He was almost unconscious and his face was covered with dripping sweat and the saliva he spit out during yelling. Thomas put the knife away and sat down on a chair beside Aram.

He put his left hand around Aram’s shoulders and sighed.

“Well, that was fun. Let me tell you a secret, we are in a colony that is situated right in the heart of your territory. But no one will hear your screams. You know why?” Thomas said.

Aram didn’t speak, he was too weak to even lift his head. So Thomas decided to tell him anyway.

“Because of those black sheets I have stuck on the walls. They absorb any vibration and prevent the sound from reaching out of the room. Isn’t it lovely, you can almost burn a dozen people alive in here and no one will know? This will be just a house with one peaceful family.” Thomas said and laughed.

“Wha….What do you want from me?” Aram finally asked.

“Yes, that’s the question I was looking for.” Thomas said gladly.

He got up and went to fetch his bag. Then, he took out a small pill and took it to Aram’s mouth. Aram obviously resisted, even trying to bite Thomas’ fingers off. So Thomas delivered some brutal punches to almost knock him out again. Then Aram obliged with the request.

“Okay, so the pill I just gave you is a walking bomb. It has an AI within it, which will lead it to stick in your balls. If you try to take it out, you and the people within ten meter radius are blown to kingdom come. If I suspect that you are double crossing me, you and the people within a ten meter radius are blown to kingdom come. And if I’m dead, you and the people within ten meter radius are blown to kingdom come. Simple, right?” Thomas said and patted Aram’s back.

Aram’s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as he heard that his balls were now a walking self destruct button for him.

“What do you want?!” Aram yelled and started crying.

“I want you to deliver Jamaila to me. You will carry on as usual, but when I tell you to do so, you will bring Jamaila with you to the place I tell you. If you are thinking why I picked you specifically for the mission, it is because I am led to believe that Jamaila has a soft spot for you.

Now I have done some digging, and I know that you never liked the violence. All you want is peace in this f*****g country, and you thought the Khalq was gonna bring it. Unfortunately, by the time that you realized that they were doing the exact opposite, it was too late for you to quit. So you decided to become a bodyguard for the notorious senator’s daughter instead of a sharpshooter. That way, you won’t have innocent blood on your hands.

You might not realize it right now, but you are about to save billions of lives. You will be an unsung hero who will live to tell his tale. But you must do this task for me.” Thomas said, looking into Aram’s pale eyes.

He had suddenly gone from being a torturer to a man with a mission. And I don’t know how, but Aram was actually listening to every single word Thomas was saying, out of fear I guess. He was starting to believe him.

“What are you planning to do?” Aram asked with a shaky voice.

“Don’t push your luck, kid. I’m not your partner, I’m your f*****g boss. Don’t you forget that anytime soon.” Thomas said, putting an end to the courteous talk and coming back to beast mode.

But after looking at Aram for some time, Thomas thought it would be tactically good to let the bodyguard in on the plan. He was going to die anyway as soon as he delivered the asset.

“Okay, I just want her father to listen to me. And he wouldn’t talk to an American in his right mind, unless I have leverage over him. It is not hidden that he loves his daughter more than anything in his damn world.” Thomas finally explained.

“I thought as much. But believe me, it is no use to try that. He is a man who cannot deal with being under someone else’s orders. He won’t listen to you if that means he is submitting to you. His pride and ego is way more important to him.

And don’t forget that the whole country will be looking for you, and it’s not that hard to find an American in this country. Someone somewhere will eventually give you up, and your plan will go down with you.” Aram said. He seemed to be on Thomas’ side. But as I have insisted countless times before, looks can be deceiving. And in a place like this, they usually are.

“Let’s see how strong his ego still is when I start sending him fingers as a penalty for making me wait. Don’t look at me like that, you know I’m perfectly capable of doing it. in fact, it is the least I will do.” Thomas said after he noticed that Aram was looking at him with disbelief.

“That’s not the only thing you have to take care of. Things are changing in security….” Aram said reluctantly.

“What do you mean?” Thomas asked, frowning. He was almost sure what Aram was going to say, but he still couldn’t wait to hear it.

“They have enrolled new bodyguards for her safety, undercover ones. They say that those people use different types of weapons….” Aram said slowly.

“Go on now….” Thomas said, becoming impatient.

“No one else knows about them except me.” Aram said, looking in Thomas’ suspicious eyes.

“How is that possible? You are just an ordinary bodyguard like the others, so how come only you know about this top secret undercover security?” Thomas asked. He was becoming more and more doubtful of Aram’s story.

“A……as you pointed out earlier, Jamaila has a soft spot for me. One might even say that she loves me. That’s why she hasn’t married again despite her father’s repeated requests over the years.” Aram whispered.

“Oh, I see. So why haven’t you married her. I mean, she surely seems to like you and her father wouldn’t turn down her wish. So seem like a fine chap.” Thomas said, checking out the beaten up man.

“No, I never said that I loved her back. I am already married, and I love my wife and kids. She might be beautiful, rich and powerful, but my loyalty lies with the woman I brought home as my wife.

Besides, that woman has no honor. She kills people in cold blood, innocent people who she suspects looked at her with wrong intentions. She knew I wouldn’t give up my family easily, and so she secretly threatened my wife to either leave me or face death after torture. But my wife loves me equally, and survived many attempts on her life.

I am unfortunate to have taken up the job under the senator, and I pay for it every day of my life. After numerous ‘polite’ rejections, she is still stubborn on getting me. And I would gladly help you to get rid of her. But if you let her go alive, I would be dead. So if you want my help, kill her after your work with her father is done.” Aram said with a fierce look in his eyes. Thomas knew that look, and he knew that the man wasn’t lying. And hence the plan was changed to be beneficial to both sides, and Aram went from the role of a victim to that of a partner.

“Okay now, hold your horses. Tell me how you came by the information of undercover guards.” Thomas said.

“Ah yes, Jamaila often takes me for rides, only me and her. But lately, I noticed that she was shy or uncomfortable to ‘talk’ to me like she usually does. I checked multiple times, but saw nothing suspicious.

Finally, when I asked again and again, she spilled the beans.” Aram said and sighed.

“What did she say?” Thomas asked curiously.

“She told me that her father had recruited a special force to guard her. They were handpicked tough soldiers, who could go behind enemy lines unsuspected. At that time, the unit was just in a test phase and so she didn’t think much before telling me. But now that same unit has played a crucial role in ensuring that the Khalq take over the whole of Baghdad in just a matter of weeks.

They are said to have special powers, given to them by Allah himself, to liberate this holy country. But we all know that’s just a load of bullshit. They must have found something that puts the soldiers in a superior position over the American troops, maybe an effective camouflage or better gun technology.” Aram said and moaned in pain as his chest expanded.

“It’s worse than you think. And I have come here with the sole purpose to stop that. and if you insist, I WILL kill Jamaila after my work with her is done, you have my word.” Thomas said and put his hand on Aram’s shoulder. The latter nodded and an important deal was sealed.

The following morning was witness to Aram walking inside his mistress’s house with a smile on his face. That man had smiled after a VERY long time, and that meant something big was coming.