A Skyscraper in Chiavere
June 29, 7:21PM
Mario Arcelli remembered the first time he had been there, as he rode the lift. He had been optimistic, proud of himself for becoming an associate, one of the senior members of the organisation that had given him so much purpose during his postgraduate and early work years. His entirely outlook towards life had changed, and though his determination remained, he had oriented it towards a darker, more violent purpose. He was an Associate of the White Hand Consortium, a terrorist organisation whose sole purpose was to sow instability and fear in Sartoria, to set the ground for the establishment of a Sacuri Empire, where all would live and work for the aggrandisement of Sacur, for his exaltation and eventual liberation from the unfair prison imposed unto him by Laterana. He had done much to ensure that he would sit at the top, when such an order came upon. He had worked hard and committed unspeakable acts to rise through the ranks, converted and recruited new members to the cause, contributed with his fortune to fund the initial operations. In short, to his view, he was one of the main reasons why the Consortium was as large as it currently was.
Yet he was still an associate. A senior one, but one of many nonetheless. He had hoped that a successful end to the hostage crisis, one that followed his plan, would lead to his promotion, but it had all become a mess when those hostages rebelled and took a room. Shortly after, Valerio had ordered his military operation, and as a result, one of their key associates, who was also one of their best field agents, had been captured. Alive. As he rode the lift, he was not optimistic, not about his own future, nor that of the Consortium, should they fail to contain the problem. He was on his way to a plenary meeting, just like the one he attended that very first time, months ago, and he was going to propose a solution. A radical one, but he had a policy about desperate times.
"There he is, our saviour has finally arrived." said the voice, in an overly sarcastic tone, as he entered the room.
Mario felt the hostility in the room the moment he took his seat, the empty one, which had been moved to one end of the table, far from his usual place near the head. He ignored the person who had spoken, and address the woman, the one who led the meetings of the Consortium.
"Let us begin."
"It seems you got us into a major trouble this time, Arcelli. One of our most senior associates is currently in custody, fully identified as such, and is likely being interrogated by the Royal Eastern Security Service. Can you tell me how we should see this as anything but a total disaster?"
"Our operation succeeded. We managed to strike fear into the hearts of Sartorians, and has fatally wounded the Valerio Government. Our future operations will get us closer to our ultimate goal. All that's left to do is contain the problem, and I have the answer to that." one associate, an older man, tried to interrumpt, but Arcelli raised his voice, displaying an image of authority that he had been saving all this time. "I said I have the answer. We know that this associate is in Security Service custody, so that means they will be held in the detention centre. We will send our Rosso operative to silence them, and that will be the end of our problem. One well placed poison, an undetectable one, and that will be it."
To say that the reaction was an uproar would be an understatement. Each voice was louder than the previous one, and all were asking for Arcelli's removal. To kill a fellow associate? To directly infiltrate the Security Service during their moment of highest paranoia? To risk the identity of a highly skilled operative? Outrageous! Yet Arcelli was expecting that, and braced himself for a long night, fully confident that, in the end, they would all see that one life, even one as senior as that one, was of little consequence compared to the very survival of the Consortium.