One-Sided Stories: Secrets Unfolded Through a Single Call

The west gate closes in forty-five minutes. No, don't you go quiet on me. This is not one of those times where silence says more than words... I need you to talk to me, Leo. Tell me where you are. Okay. Okay, floor seventeen. That's fine. You're still on schedule, but the schedule is the problem.

I need you to just stop for one second and listen to my voice. Can you do that for me? Good. You have to walk away from this. Right now. I know what he promised you. I know the debt gets cleared. But you think they're just going to let you walk out of there with their prized possession?

After everything that's happened? Leo, the plan is a ghost. It was never real. Who told you it was a prototype? It was Mikhail, wasn't it? Of course it was. He's not your friend, Leo. He's your creditor. He's using you to burn the whole building down on his way out.

He doesn't care if you get out. He's counting on you not getting out. Because I have the real schematics. The ones you were never supposed to see. The ones I pulled from the master server two hours ago. They show the life support systems in the transport case.

They show the bio-monitor feeds. The security on that floor... it isn't for a thing, Leo. It's for a person. What do you mean, what am I talking about? You're standing right there. Look at the case. Is there a vent? Is there a power cell indicator that's active even when it's not plugged in?

Yeah. I thought so. Leo, stop. Stop talking about the payout. Stop telling me it's worth the risk. You don't understand what you are carrying. It's not a prototype. It's not a piece of tech. The 'package' is a seven-year-old girl. Her name is Anya.

Yes. Yes, I'm sure. Her vitals are on my screen right now. Her heart rate is a hundred and forty beats per minute. She's terrified. And you're about to walk her into a firefight. So what does it all add up to? It adds up to you being the only person who can do the right thing, right now, in this exact moment.

You can walk away. I'm giving you a way out. You put the case down. You turn around, you walk back to the service elevator you passed. Take it to the lobby. You walk out the front door like you're a visitor who got lost, and you call me from the first burner phone you find.

We can fix the money. We can't fix this. Good. Okay. Just... stay on the line. I'm coming to get you.