the story

author's corner

cards headquarters 

—  turkey; 19.7.2017, 19:15

  "You called...sir?" 

  "Ah." At the voice, the figure behind the desk spun around and smiled. "Very good. You're on time. Early, even."

  Yongguk said nothing at the remark, and merely stood silently in front of the superior. Earlier that day, he had recieved a sealed parchment scroll with a rose, de-thorned, red as if freshly plucked, placed on his desk - a stark contrast to the white and black theme of his room. Seeing the summons, he had hurried back as quickly as possible - being a leader meant setting a good example, and he was determined to give an excellent first impression - and as a result, arrived in front of Carroll's desk just fifteen minutes before the scheduled meeting time.

  "Though," Carroll continued, voice cutting through the man's thoughts. "It is not polite to arrive early. Naturally," And here a wave of the hand was used to prove the points mentioned. "Being late is inexcusable. But being early does not have its advantages either."

  "I apologize," Yongguk responded politely. "It was - "

  "I did not say it was wrong of you." Through the shadows, the man could see the silhouette of a hand being raised to stop him mid-sentence. "But bear it in mind next time so that you would adhere better to my wishes. Understood?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Very good." A pause, then the sound of a cork popping, before liquid flowed into glass, the slight sizzling of the beverage not escaping Yongguk's ears. Champagne, he thought. "Oh, take a seat, don't be shy. I assume you drink?"

  "With all due respect, I'm a bartender, sir." Crossing the room in two strides, the man managed to slide onto the cushioned surface of the chair opposite of his superior's, and sat, before his fingers closed around the slim stem of the flute that was just being slid across the desk towards him.

  "Of course. How silly of me. My apologies, young man. But nonetheless, a congratulations is in order." Another well-timed pause. "You should be proud of yourself, my dear. Not many would have the honour of leading Wonderland - my hand-picked elites. And so. Mr Bang, welcome to Wonderland, the first of many and the one to lead." A reflection of light from the chandelier caught the rim of the champagne glass as Carroll raised it to toast Yongguk, who mimicked the actions and raised his own in salute as well. A clear cling echoed through the dark room, before the two drank, thus silence ensuring.

  "And now, a question." A slight sound indicated that Carroll had placed the champagne flute onto the surface of his desk, before folding fingers together. "As a leader, what must you do, in this moment?"

  Yongguk reflected on the question for a moment. While he was undoubtedly trained as a player, this was something else entirely; to lead a team, to make decisions on behalf of six other individuals whom he has yet to meet, was something that no amount of training would prepare him for. And so he decided to rely on his instincts.

  "I would ensure that all of my teammates had recieved the summons from you, sir, and that they are shortly on their way to Headquarters in order to assemble as a team. And perhaps to recieve briefing, or instructions from you, sir."

  A small round of applause before Carroll spoke, Yongguk pratically hearing a slightly impressed smile on the head of CARDS' tone. "As expected, my judgement did not fail me. Indeed, you are correct. And that's why, I would like to invite you to observe on the tracking of your teammates to this base, Mr Bang. Behold."

  Carroll must have had pressed a button somewhere, because the opposite wall fell away to reveal an enormous screen with the world map printed on it, red dots blinking and pinpointed on different spots of it. Yongguk counted six.

  "And now, let us watch as your teammates slowly make their way here, to us."