The Traps of Black Swan

Forty minutes earlier,

The three officers' mobile beeped at the same time with a message from a contact name, 'Chief Powell'.

[A chance to seize. Shipyard Warehouse immediately.]

'A chance' Excited, they didn't realize it wasn't the style of Chief Powell. They exited their department lying they got a case or needed to check on something.

Once three were out, they looked at each other and cued by pointing their smartphones, 'Got a message too?'

Kane Colon aka Captain Colon, another man who was with Ellis Hudson. He was waiting for a promotion to become a deputy chief for a year after attaining the required experience for the position.

A lady officer cued to Kane as she would go in his car as she went towards him. Layla Rush aka Lieutenant Rush recently got promoted to be lieutenant. A lady in mid to late twenties, tall and tough-looking woman.

She is the same one who was jealous of Ava Kelly knowing she got the attention of Leon Harmon and the latter hadn't even batted an eyelid at her.

Keira Gibson aka Lieutenant Gibson who failed to pass the eligibility test for the captain post for a long time and dropped the wish. Hence her seniors shifted her to the Information management center. She is the same woman who had choked Ava Kelly.

She threw her hand in the air without getting in her car. Kane drove his car out with Layla on the shotgun seat of his car. Keira got in the car when they stopped in front of him.

"Captain, isn't it been too long we got out like this." Layla commented watching the Captain's side profile.

Captain Colon glanced at her evil smirk and looked at the road, "Let's see what we have in the basket today."

Keira interjected, "Chief is being mysterious. Seems like we have a big catch today."

The trio continued to guess and talk their way towards the warehouse without informing anybody. Why would they inform when they felt they had the luck? Why would they like to share their fortune? Given a chance they were ready to grab each other.

Reaching the Shipyard warehouse, they noticed Chief Powell and Lieutenant Hudson's car parked at the entrance, "Seems like it's about a girl." Captain Colon commented and the other two ladies chuckled knowing Ellis loves to fool around hence he had reached early than all.

There was a beep in unison and the three checked to see a message on their phone with different content.

[Hurry up, door 1]

[Hurry up, door 2 on left]

[Hurry up, door 3 after left turn]

Layla chuckled, "Are we going to catch something?"

But the other two looked suspiciously inside the dark warehouse which hardly had air and light ventilation.

Layla who walked front realized the two were too slow so she teased, "Why? Scared? Let's see who gets what."

She sprinted inside and noticed a small light that was displayed on the door [2], She checked to it's right and found the [1]. She went inside while Keira took the second room after nodding at Captain Colon who went to the third room after a turn.

Aarvi who watched the three enter different rooms shook her head in resignation. She wanted one to enter another's room to watch each other's tortures which could double their fear.

The three entered inside the darkroom which had hanging light in the center of the room. It was emitting the narrow light so darkness was around the room with light in the center.

The hint of excitement they had on their face slowly ceased seeing nothing in the room but a chair in the center below the light.

Captain Colon went to the light and swung it around to realize there was nothing in the room but empty excluding a chair. Perplexed he was returning towards the door.

In another room, Layla happily checked out walking around as her hand traced the walls thinking there might be another door but found nothing. Confused, she was taking her mobile out to call.

However, another room had no movements. After a few steps inside, Keira felt alarmed and rushed towards the door to run out but she banged against the door which felt like a wall.

Her hand searched every nook and cranny but there was no knob or a handle to hold and pull the door. She felt like she was trapped in the four walls which had no door.

Twitched breath, she stood pounding on the wall and started screaming, "Help, help… Layla… Captain… Chief… I am trapped… Anybody there…" She went on.

Captain Colon retraced back and found the door closed and the worst one was he couldn't open it. On the exterior, he was calm but the panic in his mind was so high that the precipitation started to appear hoping this was just a prank.

He dialed a number using his phone but realized there was no network. It was the same for Layla. How could they reach anybody when the network jammer was on?

Aarvi passed the jammer to one of the Shadow team members before crossing her arms. The same man asked after five minutes when two women were shrieking on top of their lungs for help and the Captain who had turned on the torch searching on the plain wall to find a way out.

In another room, Ellis had hugged knee sitting on a chair hearing the screams. Chief Powell was in the darkroom too but he didn't move other than watching those officers.

"Ms. Evans, what's next?" The Shadow team member asked, watching her serious expression by looking at the five officers.

Aarvi silently took a long breath before attaining her serene calmness. She responded to the question, "Nothing."

The man was confused. Aarvi continued after her pause, "What do you think is happening over there?"

The man and the rest who heard her low mellow voice turned towards the five officers to study carefully why Aarvi was just standing watching them without doing anything.

Dreaded and helpless, Chief Powell was watching the unseen side of those four officers. The fearless lady officers and the masochists were losing sanity slowly.

Chief Powell remembered how they had tortured Vance Hays's fiance in a dark room under the same kind of narrow light on her. She didn't have the strength to run around or scream like them and could guess how their physical torture and mental torture in darkness could have affected her.

Yet he had seen her bear and endure everything where the four officers failed to keep their sanity in a dimly lighted room by staying alone.

'Why does the pain we give to others won't be understood until we go through it?' He thought, realizing what she was trying to teach him in particular.

Is he really right on his deduction?

Aarvi who was standing upstairs heard faint footsteps coming up the stairs. She knew they weren't the team members because they were ordered to be in their position.

Yet Aarvi didn't turn until a hand wrapped around her shoulder. She was silent for a few seconds before speaking, "You are early."

Aaron saw her tilt her head to watch him next to her. The light rays were too less but he could feel her gaze soften and her body slightly lean on him.

He nonchalantly pushed the blame, "Secretary Wen was edgy thinking what you are doing today."

Milo Wen: "..."

Milo was speechless realizing how shameless his president is. He was edgy, no question in that but he didn't ask Aaron anything about it. Aaron, who was also restless, saw Aarvi's message sending the time to pick her but he just left the office to stay by her side.

Aarvi bit her upper lip to avoid smiling while other team members were speechless hearing Aaron. It wasn't like the President was going to accompany a secretary to curb his curiosity.

Aarvi asked after glancing at Milo Wen, "Are you guys sure you could handle seeing those two men getting tortured?"

Everyone realized there is something more other than just locking in the rooms that were a temporary set up.

Aaron wanted to know how ruthless Aarvi could go to torture them. He doubted if she could really be merciless.

"We will see…" He said before watching the five trapped in box-like walls.

His seriousness soon overtook his gentleness watching five struggling in their own way. Their helplessness, confusion, darkness, isolation, lonesome, powerless, frustrated, nervous, stressed, disillusioned… Aaron could easily trace their quaking emotions before he turned to Aarvi.

His hand caressed her head realizing those were the emotions she had been through when she was in a vegetative state. He was never in the coma, he had heard the patient narrate they hear or be awake but couldn't react, now he found it believable watching her inflict the same emotions on those five who could have saved her when she had believed the police are protectors.

Aarvi mumbled, turning to Aaron, "Why can't they survive ten minutes when I had felt like a lifetime for so many days trapped in a box?" Her hand was pointing at Layla who had fainted in overwhelming fear.

Aaron's hand paused and cupped her head by turning her to facing him, "Because they aren't you." His voice was firm but held the tenderness for her, "Saying or showing themselves as strong on the exterior doesn't make them one. You are emotionally strong and willful. Yielding you is as hard as nourishing their birdbrain."

Is she? She didn't know but pouted before speaking after a long time, "We can't nourish but we can definitely havoc."

Before whoever heard her could understand what she meant, their eyes caught the sight of a new set of people entering inside before their jaws dropped in bewilderment.

They wanted to applaud Aarvi because they had various speculations about torture but this.. 'A vengeful woman is terrifying.'