Two loud knocks on a door are heard. The door opens and Thomas Kaypek sees his brother, Paul Kaypek, standing outside the door. They haven't seen each other for a few years now, and since their last written interaction, it's uncertain when they last spoke.
''Hi, Tom, I've come to ask for my device back, please, if you will?'' Paul says, very formally. It seems they might not have ended on the kindest of words when they last spoke to each other.
''I was curious as to when you'd be knocking at my door to ask that question, Paul.'' Thomas opens his door wider. ''You'd better come in.''
Paul walks into his brother's house, and Thomas sees another man walk up to his door. A tallish man with short black hair, holding a metal briefcase, unknown to Thomas.
''And you might be?'' Thomas enquiries.
A familiar grin appears on the tall man with the short black hair's face. ''Oh, I'm just an acquaintance of your brothers. On a mutual goal.''
''Well, I guess you'd better come in too then.''
The tall man enters, and Thomas scans the outside of his house and road suspiciously as he closes his door shut.
''This way,'' Thomas orders, as the two follow him upstairs to his study. ''I must say, there have been a few strange things happening to me, ever since I received this peculiar object from you, Paul.''
Paul says nothing and just follows to the study, with the tall man silently following behind.
The three of them enter Thomas' study, and he points to his desk where it lies. Paul looks at it, as though it's some kind of holy grail, with a shining aura sparkling off it, that only he can see. The tall man's eyes glint, as his right sided grin sets like dried concrete and he can't help but slowly fold his fingers over one another at the sight.
Paul moves in to pick up the device, but at first glimpse of his advancement, Thomas smoothly rests his hand in front of the device.
''So am I going to get any explanation here?'' Thomas eyes the tall man as he grunts, and Paul rubs the back of his head.
''This is a delicate matter, Thomas. Highly confidential, and I'm bound by certain legal terms, which inhibit me from telling you otherwise,'' Paul sputters out an explanation.
Thomas moves his whole body in front of the desk. ''Well, I'm bound by certain legal terms, which tell me this item behind me, is my property. And I'm afraid, that without an explanation, it will stay that way...indefinitely,'' the tone in his voice rises.
The tall man's impatience takes the better of him. ''It's not your property, don't you know?''
Thomas' head jitters over to the tall man's direction. ''Excuse me?''
The tall man continues, ''it's property of her majesty's government, Thomas. I could quite easily let the police tell you that...behind bars if need be,'' he says, with his eyes fixated on Thomas'.
''Who does this prick think he is?!'' Thomas yells back, changing his stance to offensive.
The right sided grin dissipates, as the tall man begins to back away. ''I'll call them now, shall I?''
''Please stop! Can we just stop with all this animosity,'' Paul says, trying to cool both heated sides...if possible?
''Then step out of our way, Thomas.'' The grin slowly, reappearing on the tall man's face.
''Fine, whatever! Take your damn piece of shit!'' Thomas backs off into the middle of the room, in a sulk.
''Thank you,'' Paul says, and he picks up the device, whilst the tall man lays the metal briefcase in his hands on the desk. He opens it up and inside sits a laptop, he plucks the black-metal device out of Paul's hands, without asking, and connects it to the laptop. Whilst the tall man is clicking away, Paul looks over to his brother, whose arms are crossed, and with a rather miffed look, he stands staring at the floor. Sensing someone looking at him, he turns his head up to face Paul. Paul tries to smile, but his brother closes his eyelids and opens them again with his eyes rolled to the side. He moves his head back into a defeated position, eyeing the floor. Paul's face saddens to the reaction and he too averts his eyes upon the floor, realising that this relationship may never improve. His eyes notice a couple of small spatterings of blood on the floor and the muscles in his eyes contract as he focuses on the blood.
Paul looks back at his brother. ''You said there had been a few strange things occurring, since you received this device?''
Thomas looks up. ''What's it to you?''
''I'm worried for you.''
''My workplace was broken into and my office was completely smashed up, nothing else was damaged but my office, strange?''
''Anything else?''
Thomas waits a bit. ''Just that!''
A strong prod pokes Paul's shoulder, he turns to see the tall man staring at his laptop screen, with an unimpressed look. Paul's eyes move over to what the tall man is watching and he sees a file opened, showing the contents of the device. Paul gives a confused gaze as he sees multiple pictures of very muscly men. The tall man scrolls the file and countless pictures of body-builders performing different poses stream past his eyes. His scroll ends on the last picture of a grinning Schwarzenegger. To say the tall man looks disappointed, would be most modest.
The tall man turns to Thomas. ''Is this a joke?''
Thomas, still with crossed arms, moves his torso sideways to get a better look at the pictures.
''You got it to work then?'' Thomas steps closer to the screen for a clearer view and slightly jumps at the sight. ''What is this? This is what you've made me hold onto? Your secret soft-porn collection? Are you two bloody lovers or something?'' Thomas laughs.
The tall man, however, doesn't take kindly to this insult. ''You shut your mouth or I'll find a dog in heat to plug it for you! Now where is the device?!'' the tall man screams with his face enraged.
Thomas retaliates, ''that is the fucking device!''
''Don't you lie to me, or I'll have you slung into the most sex-starved prison in the country!'' The tall man clenches his fists and points.
Paul tries to calm the situation down again. ''Please, we don't need this hostility.''
Still staring deep into Thomas' soul, through his eyes, the tall man holds his index finger up in the air to Paul. ''Dr Paul, your silence is required and recommended!'' He moves his index finger to point over in Thomas' direction. ''Now, Thomas, where is the original device your brother gave you?!''
''I...don't...know!'' Thomas speaks slowly, with his mouth wide open so that there can be no confusion as to his words and pronunciation.
''Well then, you better get yourself an ample supply of lubrication. You'll be needing a stockpile of it for the next fifty years!'' The tall man's nasty tone echoes through the study.
Thomas' head rapidly shakes with micro movements. His mind races for thought. ''It was the girl!''
''Girl?'' the tall man's voice returns to normal.
''No...wait...yes, it must have been. I found her in this room yesterday.'' Thomas tries to reformulate his sentence.
''Please, go on, Thomas,'' the tall man says, now engulfed in his curiosity.
''She, she tricked me, told me my best friend was in the hospital...but then when I realised he wasn't, I came back here and...''
''She phoned you and you believed her?'' Paul asks.
''No, no, this voice...weird computerised voice, told me, but I thought nothing of it...because...I thought my friend was practically dead!''
''You said a computerised voice?'' Paul asks, with a thought at the back of his mind.
''Yes, told me my friend's name, his bike registration, how his close friends and family were needed, because they didn't think he would make it any longer than a few hours-''
The tall man interrupts, ''and you think this girl took the device?''
''My office smashed up the day before...my...my best friend apparently in the hospital...then I find her in my study? All after I received that fucking thing.''
The tall man's grin rightfully reclaims its place, back on the right side of his face. ''So tell me, Thomas. Who is this gi
rl?''
Thomas looks hesitant. ''I...I can't.''
The tall man's grin starts to recede again. ''And why not?''
Thomas thinks back on what he did to Grace yesterday and worries. ''I...I can't...unless you give me a reassurance...?''
''And why would I need to do that?'' the tall man ends, with rage slowly bubbling up inside again.
''I might of hit her about a bit,'' Thomas confesses.
The anger dies back down inside the tall man. ''Is that it? Well then you tell me her name and you won't ever have to worry about this violation hitting you in the back one day...or on the other hand, you don't tell me and I use the few extra cans of fuel you've given me to add to your funeral pyre.''
''I'm going to tell you! You don't have to keep threatening me!'' Thomas says.
''So tell me!'' the tall man encourages.
''Grace Roberts, she's an employee of mine.''
''Thank you, Thomas. Dr Paul, now the clock chimes for our departure.''
The tall man quickly packs his things together, places the device in the metal case and shuts it, locking it tight.
He faces Thomas. ''If this is just a distraction of yours. I will be back, and don't even think of leaving. You don't think we're the only two who have eyes on you.'' The tall man strolls out of the study and leaves Paul behind for a few seconds.
Paul looks towards his brother. He begins to speak, but can't find the words, so instead just heads out the door and hurries to rejoin the tall man with the short black hair.
*