One more time : Where Oblivion meets Obsession

#3 – THE WRAP-UP

‘And I thought we were on vacation.’ Shermon murmured before picking it up.

“M 12 A here Sir.” He spoke in a flat tone.

There was someone speaking from the other side.

“Okay. This is our fault. We will rectify it. Just give us a few days.” He said in a flat tone and hung up with a deep sigh.

“What happened?” Bryan asked.

“That pathetic surgeon filed a missing complaint of Mye saying his wife Sarah, is not dead and he saw her in Georgia a few weeks ago. Old man is angry, saying we were being irresponsible and not covering up our tracks.”

“I’ll handle it.” Myra said after a pause.

“How?” Shermon asked.

“We meet him. Me and Sherry.” Myra declared.

“That’s so freaking dangerous.” Shermon tried to reason.

“He asked me to clean it up. So I do it my way, not his.” She replied sternly.

“Tip the Gardiner somehow that this Saturday, the girl, his wife will be in Ireland. There I’ll see him and get this over with finally.” She asked Bryan.

“You sure about this?” Yousuf asked concerned. He hardly ever talked to them unless it was important.

“Yes. Damn sure. I’ve to end this properly. All others can continue with their vacation but Sherry. This is no official work but I need you to come with me.” She said politely. Shermon was a childhood friend and somehow his presence always made things easier for her and he knew that.

“Always there for you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re going face first? Just like that?” Ron said and Yuka nodded worried.

“Yes. And no further discussions on this. Sherry we’re getting on the plane tomorrow.”

“Sure you won’t need me.” Rose asked. “I could do it easily.”

“No thanks Rose. You go with Yousuf and see the new collection. You’ll like it.” Shermon said. If she came, it would be very difficult to hold her back.

***

—Ireland, Cliff of Moher—

Myra kept staring at the waves and wondering how they took pride in their strength and broke into nothing as they hit the rocky boundaries. And still they kept doing it again and again and again.

“You sure about this.” Shermon asked again.

“More than anything. I’ll make sure he never interferes with our work again.”

“Sarah.” They heard a voice from a distance and turned around to see an ecstatic Scott run towards her. He pulled her in his arms while Myra stood there emotionlessly waiting for him to get over with his extreme reaction.

“I knew it. I always knew it. I knew destiny wouldn’t be so cruel to me. I was so lost and lonely but somewhere my mind knew you were alive. I went to the police and filed your missing complaint but after a few days the police said you left on your own. Just to hide their incapabilities, they showed me some fake divorce papers submitted in the court a few days earlier. I always knew it wasn’t true.”

“Are you done?” She asked sternly.

“What?” He asked confused by Myra’s coldness.

“What if they were saying the truth? What if everything except what you see was real? What if those divorce papers were real? What if they were submitted in the court by me? What if I disposed of all my photographs, our phones and CCTV footage so that you can never find me?”

“What are you saying Sarah?” he asked, trembling, desperately hoping this to be false.

“Yes, it is true. Whatever happened between you and me was just a drama. A lie. That marriage. Those promises. That love. Everything. This is the truth of my life. My real boyfriend – Shawn.” She said while Shermon placed an arm on her waist pulling her closer.

Scott spoke violently, “No! How can this be true?”

“Yes Mr Gardiner. Yes. This is the truth.” Shermon continued, “We love each other even before your wedding. And still do. So she got those divorce papers signed by you that day and faked her death in Paris so that she could get rid of you and be mine.”

“Sarah, what is he talking about?” He asked, glancing at his hand on her waist and then her when suddenly it clicked him. He was the same waiter, totally disguised though.

Myra saw his pale expression and said, “Awww, you’ve seen him. That day in the Hotel remember? This is who I am. A girl who never loved you. Everything I told you was a lie, nothing was true, not even my name.” she said rudely.

He looked at her properly and for the first time and took in all her appearance. She truly wasn’t his Sarah. She wasn’t wearing her clothes, light jewellery and those long, curly hairs. Her hairs were cropped short, ending just below her shoulders. A tight-fitting black T-shirt and jeans that clung to her body paired with long boots. Sarah always found such clothes indecent. Then what happened now?

“Then why did you marry me?” Scott asked, his voice breaking like struggling to breathe.

“I thought I could forget him but I couldn’t. So here I am.” She said casually and she wasn’t faking it. She was calm and didn’t care about anybody’s feelings. Her conscience didn’t prick at his heart-breaking voice, his words or his betrayed tears.

“So I was just an experiment.” He stated as a matter of fact. “Something for trial? If it worked, it worked and if it didn’t, just leave. It wasn’t the same for me Sarah. The moment I saw you, my happiness knew no bounds. The only aim of my life was to get my life, my girl back. I fought everyone who said you died… the police, the lawyers, and the media who kept running my ‘mysterious’ wife’s death news… I thought they were doing this to hide their incompetence. You knew I had no one but you. I trusted no one but you. Then why? Why in this whole world, you found me and only me to fool?”

“Yes. You are a fool to trust someone you knew only for a few weeks, then get married to her just like that. Now Mr Gardiner I won’t tolerate any more nonsense from you. It’s making me sick.” Myra said irritated. “Just accept it that we are divorced, or that I am dead because I am never coming back to you, I don’t care about you anymore.”

Scott could see a clearer picture now. “Yes off course you don’t care. If you had some other reason for leaving me than this, I would have understood, or at least tried. But this,” he said pointing a hand disgustingly at Shermon. “I don’t think there’s anything to talk about anymore. I should be happy that I am saved from being played any further by a cheap, characterless woman like you.” She could see Shermon about to pounce at Scott when she restrained him, clutching his hand tightly.

“From this moment, there will be only the fire of hatred burning in my heart for you and nothing else. All the love, respect, care vanished.”

Love doesn’t end or vanish just like that but when after standing too strong drenching and being hit in the rain of wounds, pain, false hopes, it is struck by the lightning of betrayal and disloyalty, it dies.

Scott looked at Shermon and said, “I wish one day you know how being in my place feels.”

Shermon smirked, “Trust me… I do.” And walked away without waiting for anymore words from him. She didn’t wait for him to break down. She knew Scott was an extremely sensitive person and how difficult moving on would be for him.

She wasn’t used to any explanations or people staying in her life. They came and left. Always. Nothing was permanent except Shermon, and his friendship. “This chapter ends here. Because if he creates any more problems, I’ll be ordered to kill him and I will do it without a second thought.” Myra said walking away.

“Dang. Blowing up that lovely Gini is just wasted.” Shermon was regretting his hard work and planning.

As they reached the car, Myra was breathing heavily and Shermon knew she was stressed. He provided her the escape. “Here…” she took the cigarette from his hands and lit it quickly. “I never wanted to do this Sherry.” She said weakly getting seated on the passenger seat. He was the only person who had seen her vulnerable state. No one else knew Myra had this side too. Their bond was beyond words. She shared her universe with him. They saw the same fights, same struggles, same pain, and same losses. They knew each other’s weaknesses, strengths, love, hate and past.

“I know. I was there when you shouted at the old man giving such orders.” He spoke igniting the engine.

“Yeah because I knew… if I agree once, they’ll ask me to do it again and again. When I refused, he bluntly said, ‘you’re a woman, you have the privilege of a beautiful body. Use it for your advantage. How is that wrong?’"

“Then why did you agree?”

“It wasn’t a request Sherry, it was an order. There were lives at stake. And… What did I have to lose? I already gave myself to the man I loved. Lived my life to its fullest with him. And I have the old man’s word, never again would he put me in such a situation. No matter how rough things go.”

“Better. Now forget about it. Let’s just hope nothing comes up for a few more months.” He said, raking a hand through his hairs.

“You really think the world will hold on?” she asked.

“Umm… okay a few weeks maybe.” They laughed sarcastically.

“Mye can I ask something?”

“Go ahead.” She asked, still puffing the cigarette.

“We could use any excuse then why this?” She understood what he was talking about.

“Because he is a typical, self-respecting man who can tolerate anything but infidelity. No man on earth can. They think their wife is their property. And most women have no problem with that. They find the chains in their legs romantic. Marriage is never really partnership Sherry, not until women realize their worth. It's ownership. And men can’t stand sharing something that they ‘own’.”

"Yeah right. In some cultures, punishment for a******y is a death sentence. In fact until a few hundred years ago-"

"Sherry! Not now." She pleaded. She knew once Sherry got started on history, he would be impossible to stop.

"Fine. Mye...?"

"Hm."

"You spent around three months with Scott, lived like his wife, even slept with him... did you... never develop any feelings for him?"

"If by feelings, you mean guilt, remorse yes but love, etc no! My feelings, my will to have a family, my body's response to a man's touch all died a few years ago with the man I loved."

***

True to Shermon's words, after three weeks, they got a summon from their main base in Svalbard Islands commanding them to report the other day. It didn’t take much time as they were expecting it and reached on time. It was a rule of travel, they never travelled together except for vacations. In twos, or threes or alone, not risking being seen together a lot.

As they reached the place which looked like ‘seclusion personified’ and walked inside after scanning their ID tattoos on what looked like a tree bark. The place was designed to look like a range of mountains from satellite view because of its roughly real mountain-like structure but inside, it was a training ground, a hostel facility, and everything like a whole university. Besides, it was surrounded by the jungle which was the perfect stage for rough training and exercises.

As she walked in, she smiled proudly thinking how far she has made it. How strong she has emerged? Looking at those cadets, some running, some shooting practice, some in combat and others in the hall on those benches where she once sat wondering who her team members would be, how they would be, would they get along?

As the beautiful professor Mrs Sharon Gills, a psychiatrist commenced, Myra stopped at the railing and started listening to each word. She knew every word that was going to come out of her mouth, five years ago to this date, they had the same first lecture…

Welcome young warriors,

WELCOME TO THE UDF, UNITED DEFENCE FORCE. WE DO NOT WORK FOR ANY COUNTRY, ANY RACE, ANY RELIGION, ANY POLITICAL PARTY OR ANY OTHER ORGANISATION ETC. WE WORK FOR ONE CAUSE - HUMANITY. THIS ORGANISATION WAS SECRETLY ESTABLISHED BY SOME GREAT LEADERS MARTIN LUTHUR KING, MAHATMA GANDHI, AND A FEW MORE AT THE END OF SECOND WORLD WAR. THEY HAD SEEN THE LOSS, THE CASUALTIES AND REALISED THAT THE WORLD CANNOT TAKE ONE MORE.

YOUR ONLY OBJECTIVE IS TO STOP KILLINGS IN THE ILLUSION OF HONOUR AND LAW. THIS INSANITY, BLOOD AND OBSESSION TO RULE OVER. WHEN COUNTRIES ARE AT WAR, THE LEADERS DON’T WEAR A BULLET PROOF JACKET AND GO TO WAR. THE YOUNG, INNOCENT BLOOD OF THE COUNTRY DO IT. YOUR DUTY IS TO STOP SUCH SITUATIONS FROM ARISING, FIND THE NUISANCE ELEMENTS AND PEOPLE, SEPARATE THEM FROM THE CROWD AND DESTROY THEM. AFTER THIS TRAINING YOU WILL BE DIVIDED AMONG GROUPS TO OPERATE IN SPECIFIC ZONES. THE CRISES AND COMPLICATIONS OF THAT ZONE WOULD BE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

THERE ARE BRANCHES BASED ON WHICH ZONES YOU HANDLE. IT'S

NUCLEAR AND WEAPONRY

TRAFFICKING

DRUG DEALING...” And she went on… after a while she asked, “Any questions?”

Some cadet raised his hand and stood up, “Mam, how can a private organisation afford so much? I mean the training grounds, the weapons, the bases in almost every country, and our huge pays. How is this funded?”

“THERE ARE CERTAIN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AT WAR SINCE DECADES AND THEREFORE HAVE A STABLE ECONOMY AND WANT THE SAME LASTING PEACE. UDF IS FUNDED ENORMOUSLY BY THEM. ALSO THERE ARE SITUATIONS IN WHICH WE CAPTURE SOME TERRORISTS WHO OWN WEALTH MORE THAN A FEW COUNTRIES ECONOMIES COMBINED.”

“How much does a ‘zone’ constitute?

“A SINGLE ‘ZONE’ ENCOMPASSES A CLUSTER OF SIX TO EIGHT COUNTRIES THAT WILL BE YOUR WORKING REGION. ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THERE IS YOUR PROBLEM.”

And it went on.