Loyalty

The air in the room was thick with tension. Aarne, Linda, Jason, and Sofia stood silently in front of the boss, their eyes fixed on him as he leaned back in his chair, the dim light casting long shadows across the room. Viktor, the boss, folded his hands on the table, his gaze sweeping over each of them. He didn't speak right away, letting the silence fill the space, making the weight of the moment heavier.

"You've all done well so far," Viktor finally said, his voice calm but authoritative. "I've been watching. Your skills, your loyalty, your ability to handle pressure. Now it's time to see if you can handle something bigger."

Aarne's stomach tightened, but he kept his face impassive. Beside him, Linda shifted her weight slightly, and Jason glanced nervously at Sofia. They had survived up to this point, but something about Viktor's tone made this feel different—more dangerous.

Viktor reached into a drawer and pulled out a thin file, placing it on the table between them. "Your first job," he said, sliding the file toward Aarne. "You'll be infiltrating a rival trafficking group. We've had problems with them encroaching on our territory, and I need intel. Nothing too complex, but it's important to see how you handle it."

Aarne picked up the file, flipping it open. Inside were photos, names, and addresses. The rival group, from what he could gather, was small but aggressive. Viktor wanted them to gather information—find out their routines, their weaknesses, and report back.

"You'll be posing as potential buyers, interested in their services," Viktor continued. "Act smart, don't let them know you're connected to me, and don't try anything stupid. This is a test of your abilities. I need to know you can do this before I trust you with anything bigger."

Aarne nodded, feeling the weight of the task ahead. His friends exchanged glances but remained silent. The file felt heavier in his hands than it should have, like it contained more than just information—it contained their future.

"I've arranged for everything," Viktor said, standing up and walking around the desk. "Your cover, your identities, your contacts. All you need to do is follow the plan and bring me what I need."

For a moment, Viktor's eyes lingered on Aarne, as if he were searching for something. Trust? Doubt? Aarne couldn't tell, but he held Viktor's gaze, refusing to show any sign of fear.

"You leave in two days," Viktor said. "Make sure you're ready."

With that, the meeting was over. Aarne and his friends left the room, the file clutched tightly in his hand. As they walked down the narrow corridor back toward the prisoners' quarters, Aarne couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this job than Viktor was letting on.

---

Two days later, they were ready. Aarne, Linda, Jason, and Sofia stood in the small room they had been given to prepare. Linda adjusted her disguise—a simple but effective change in her appearance that would help them blend in with the traffickers they were about to meet. Jason looked anxious but determined, and Sofia, as always, appeared calm and collected.

Aarne spread the contents of the file across the table. "We stick to the plan. We go in, gather information, and get out. Nothing extra."

Linda nodded. "We're just buyers. We don't ask too many questions."

Jason swallowed hard, his fingers fidgeting with the edge of the table. "What if something goes wrong?"

"Then we improvise," Sofia said, her voice steady. "But we won't let it. We're prepared."

They left the hideout under cover of night, making their way to the location Viktor had given them. The streets were quiet, but the tension in the air was palpable. As they approached the meeting point, Aarne couldn't help but feel like eyes were on them. He dismissed the thought, focusing on the task at hand.

The building they entered was rundown, a forgotten relic of the city's darker days. Inside, they were greeted by a man who seemed to know exactly who they were—or rather, who they were pretending to be. He led them into a back room where the rival traffickers were gathered, their faces hardened, their eyes scanning Aarne and his friends with suspicion.

Aarne felt his pulse quicken as they began the negotiations. The traffickers weren't friendly, but they didn't seem to suspect anything. Everything was going according to plan.

But something was off.

Aarne noticed a figure standing in the shadows of the room, watching them closely. He couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just a simple mission. They were being tested, but not by the rival group. Viktor was behind this—he had to be. The mission wasn't about gathering information; it was about seeing how far they were willing to go, how much they could handle, and whether they could be trusted.

As the meeting came to an end, Aarne and his friends walked out of the building with the information they needed. But instead of relief, Aarne felt a knot in his stomach. Viktor had set them up. This was a test—a practice run to see if they would break.

And they hadn't. But now, Aarne realized, the real game had only just begun.

---

Back at the hideout, Aarne laid the file on the table, his mind racing. "This wasn't a mission," he said quietly.

Linda looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"It was a setup," Aarne replied. "A test. Viktor wanted to see if we could handle the pressure."

Jason frowned. "So, what happens now?"

Aarne's eyes hardened. "Now, we wait. But we can't trust anything Viktor says anymore. From here on out, we need to be careful. Very careful."

They had passed the test, but the price of their success was the realization that they were deeper in the game than they had ever imagined. And there was no turning back.