Memshare: The Instigator

[voltadomar]

THE INSTIGATOR

Hhhhhzzzzzzzzssss...
136841... hhhhhzzzzzzzzzzssss... 37891303...
hhhhhzzzzzzzsssss... hzzzzsssss...
White noise and static blast through your skull, accompanied by a nonsensical arrangement of radio chatter. There's a pain like you've never experienced before, a feeling like a thousand stations are being blasted into your head at once... and from the aches and sweating, you may realize that you've been standing here for some time, enduring this torture. You cover your ears, but it doesn't help. There's static, number strings, snippets of conversation, radio music... The sound might as well be broadcast directly into your brain. Your body is paralyzed. It feels like an aneurysm about to happen... You can't take this much longer.

Hhhhhhhzzzzzzz...
L'Iramburde: starbursts and sunshine. 24 degrees centigrade...
And yet, here you stand. Two officers of the RCM, questioning a suspect through the onslaught of torturous noise. The source of your suffering, a machine propped up on a tripod, stands on the far side of this cave you find yourself in. Standing to the side, and safely outside of its range, is a woman with neon red hair and a gun in her hand.

Somehow, your partner finds the strength to move forward, towards the machine. He lunges forward, stumbling to the ground, and grabs one of the tripod legs. With a desperate yank, the machine is unbalanced, and topples over. The noise stops. You hunch over, head sagging.



"You okay, Kim?" the detective asks over his shoulder as he climbs back to his feet.

You let out a shaky breath. "All good, officer. Be careful."

The red-haired woman looks at the machine. Her hand trembles. "Ah, fuck it." She puts the barrel of her gun into her mouth.

"What are you doing?" your partner cries.

"Problem-solving," she mutters.

You try to interject. "Ma'am, put the gun down. That's not the solution to your problems. You are..."

"Oh, yes it is."

Your partner tries to say something, but fumbles, standing wide-eyed and speechless before blurting out, "I know your pain! I've been let down by women too."

She flashes him an incredulous grin. Then she exhales sharply, shakes her head, and pulls the trigger.

"Fuck," you whisper, standing motionless as you watch the blood pool in the sand.