No-LIMIT-Rooms 07 English

"What about Walter?"

I shook my head quickly and held my index finger to my lips.

"Whose game are you playing now, Johanna? Rebecca's, yours or someone else's? Have you still not learned that Rebecca is a master manipulator? How can you believe a word she says anymore?"

"I have no idea what to believe anymore myself. But at least it seems certain that Holger is not from the FSB. And that speaks for Rebecca telling the truth. Besides, she has promised to provide us with further evidence. Also for the fact that nothing bad threatens the girls in the circle cellar, but on the contrary, even a rosy future can lie ahead of them".

"I feel deceived by you, Johanna! Only a week ago you convinced me that Rebecca was the embodiment of the Antichrist. And now you come and tell me: 'It's not so bad, we're working for Rebecca now! Do you notice anything else?"

Of course, I knew this was not going to be an easy conversation, but Isabelle's reaction really hurt me. She was really angry with me.

"Have you thought about me for one moment? What is Rebecca going to do to me now? And what will happen when she gets her memory back? Do you think she'll just shrug and forgive me? Then you don't know Rebecca very well. She's vindictive as hell. She won't forgive your deception either. She'll wait until you feel safe and then destroy you!"

Was that possible? Isabell had known Rebecca much longer and better than I had.

"And what do you think I should do now? I'm still looking for my sister!"

"If she is Vladimir's lover, she is safe. Mission accomplished. She will contact you if she wants to. Otherwise Rebecca was lying. Let's get out of here right now!"

"I can't. I still owe almost 40,000 Euros to a loan shark. I have to at least pay that off so I'm really free. Besides, I'm doing two shows in the basement this month."

"Two? I thought Diana allowed you to do one?"

"I'm doing another one in the AI room!"

"PLEASE? TELL ME: ARE YOU STILL COMPLETELY INSANE?" She screamed so loudly that it could probably be heard in the apartment next door, even though the soundproofing was excellent.

Before I could restrain her, she jumped up from the chair in a rage and headed for the door. Once there, she turned around.

"If you want to kill yourself so badly, then do it without me! Goodbye, Johanna, Laura, or whoever you are!"

She left, slamming the door behind her. I didn't even try to stop her. In fact, Isabelle's emotional outburst only reflected my innermost feelings. And besides, she was probably right. Only after a while did I realize that I had started to cry.

51 Double game

I was no longer hungry. After a while I got up and went to the phone. I called Diana.

"Hello Mistress Diana, I wanted to say goodbye, I have to go shopping for two hours."

"That's okay, Johanna. Please call me when you're back! We need to talk!"

Another conversation I was looking forward to today with cramps in my stomach.

"Yes, mistress. See you later!"

I freshened up my makeup and changed into something comfortable. Armed with my shopping bag, I took the elevator down to the bicycle basement. There I checked that the tablet was still in the pannier before I rode my bike aimlessly through the city to shake off any pursuers. Summer was clearly over. Although the sun was shining through the clouds, it was not 20 degrees anymore. But I was not cold in my sweater. At the museum I finally stopped and sat down in an almost empty café. There I had free W-LAN and could log in. I looked around to see if anyone was watching me, and then I dialed Walter's number on Skype.

"Hello Johanna! It's about time you got in touch!" he greeted me.

"A lot has happened," I began. "First of all: you don't need to do anything! There is no immediate danger, neither for me nor for anyone else. Obviously, I have fallen for a misunderstanding."

"I received the file today. But it doesn't look like a misunderstanding!" he growled. "This is premeditated assault, almost attempted manslaughter, that Rebecca did to you! I have to pursue this!"

"No, then I won't see my sister again! If you do that now, I will claim that the video is a fake, a movie scene."

"Are you kidding me? Does pretending to commit a crime mean anything to you?" Walter sounded rightfully angry. I sighed.

"It's complicated. But I have another request for you: can you please check out Holger? His real name is Piotr Babich. And he's posing as a member of the FSB."

"FSB?"

"Yes, the branch of Russian intelligence."

"I know what the FSB is, Johanna. You do realize that the State Security Service will be involved in this case? How did they get involved with the FSB?"

"I don't think he really works for the FSB, he just claims to. He's probably just a private investigator."

"At least that could be checked quickly if he has a license here. Give me his data, please."

I passed on everything I had learned about Holger.

"All right, I'll check him out when you explain how you got him."

"He recruited me," I confessed. "He claimed to have information about my sister and that he would help me if I helped the FSB. He knew my real name when he approached me. He also knew so many details about my life that at first I had no doubt that he was really from the Secret Service. But now I am sure that I was deceived. His knowledge could have come from Nadine. Either voluntarily or under duress, she revealed everything about me."

"Could he be a member of the mafia?"

"No, rather not. It's about the apartment building and complicated industrial espionage. He's probably working for one of the investors who's preparing a complete takeover. I just happened to get caught in the middle."

"Ohwow, Johanna, this is too complicated for me right now. Can you send me a detailed report? Or do I have to subpoena you? After all, you just confessed to being active for a foreign secret service in Germany!"

Damn, why did I always forget that I was talking to a German official?

"If he doesn't work for the FSB, I haven't committed a crime, have I? And if he is FSB, State Security should be very grateful for the information."

Walter was silent for a moment.

"Send me a detailed report. I will inform the State Security. But, Johanna: If he is for real, you are in even more danger, you realize that, don't you?"

"Not at the moment. I'll check in as often as I can. If you find out anything, send me a status via Facebook. How about the phrase: 'cool east wind' if it's not FSB, or 'warm east wind' if it is?"

"You sound like an agent!" said Walter. But there was no cheerfulness in his voice.

After finishing the conversation, I hurried to type up the report and send it by mail. The two hours were almost up and I still had some shopping to do. So I confined myself to a kind of telegram style, describing where, how and when he had first approached me, what he had said and what he knew about me. Finally, I explained his offer and what I had to do for it.

As soon as I finished sending the report, I paid for my cappuccino and left the cafe. The email conversation was online, so there were no traces left on the tablet.

I bought what I needed at the grocery store and hurried back. I hid the tablet in my bike bag before I went upstairs, put my groceries away, and reported back to Diana. I quickly took the SD card out of its hiding place and inserted it. It was the last copy I had.

Diana asked me on the phone to come over right away. With an uneasy feeling, I went upstairs, choosing the stairs.

At her office door, I gathered my courage and knocked.

"Come in!"

I entered her office, dropped to my knees as soon as I closed the door, and lowered my head to the carpet.

"Good afternoon, Mistress Diana! I am sorry to be late. Unfortunately, I lost track of time."

"Stand up, Johanna. We will suspend the ritual for now. At least until you return to the coven cellar to continue your training. Why did you forget the time?"

I got up and went to the desk where she pointed to the chair. Uneasily, I sat down.

"I had a bad fight with Isabell and went to a café to think."

Diana looked at me with a serious expression for what seemed like minutes before she nodded.

"I imagine it wasn't a pleasant conversation. And ours probably won't be either."

Wordlessly, I waited to see what she would tell me.

"Rebecca has kept me fully informed. About you, your identity, and your activities."

I had expected this, so I just nodded that I understood.

"As you can imagine, I'm angry with you. If it was up to me, you'd be kicked out of the apartment right now. But Rebecca is vouching for you and giving you another chance. Since she is the boss, I obey her. But she's also my friend, so I don't forgive an attack on her so easily. Especially an attack on the whole company! Do you realize that there are 400 people working here who depend on that money? And then there are the families and relatives! You've put all that at risk!"

The accusations hit me all the harder because, of course, they were true.

"I am sorry. When I agreed to spy here, I was deceived. I even assumed that this company belonged to the mafia."

Diana's scowl did not brighten.

"Rebecca has already explained that to me. But I guess you know by now that we're not the Mafia, right?"

Did I really know that? So far there had only been allegations. So I decided to go on the offensive again.

"Mistress Diana, with all due respect, I have only heard allegations. Although I want to believe Rebecca, I have been deceived so many times that I need proof to be sure. I'm really worried about the girls in the Circle Cellar, the current ones, but also the ones who have already left!

Diana's face turned red with anger, but the expected outburst did not occur. She got herself under control again before she answered me venomously.

"Of course you shall have the evidence, Rebecca has already told me that. But I want to know something from you first: Who are you really, if you are not Johanna?"

Now I was confused. I thought Rebecca had told her everything?

"I don't understand, Mistress Rebecca informed you, didn't she?"

"She told me that your name was Laura Zamora. But I've seen your ID. Believe me, I've seen a lot of fakes. Your ID is either the best fake I've ever seen, or it's real. Where did it come from?"

I had both feared and expected this. I had to decide: Stick to the truth and reveal my connection to the BKA, or tell a new lie? But Isabell already knew, so I couldn't hope that this secret would remain hidden here forever.

"What exactly did Mistress Rebecca tell you about why I am here, or rather why I have a new identity?"

"Are you testing me?" Diana's tone became icy cold.

"No, I just want to add details that might be missing to make it clearer."

"Very well. In short, your sister was kidnapped by the Russian Mafia, but they actually wanted you. And you've been searching for her ever since."

I nodded. "Yes, that's right. But did she tell you why the Russian mafia was looking for me?"

She shrugged.

"Because you were messing with them, ratting them out to the police."

"Yes. And Mistress Rebecca knew that from day one, even before I started here!"

"Excuse me?"

"She drugged me and knew the truth before I started here!"

Diana gasped.

"That can't be true!"

"Do you remember that day in the Circle Cellar when I was so upset?"

"Of course!"

"That's where I found the notes from the interrogation!"

She continued to look incredulous. Sighing, I fished the memory card out of my pocket and handed it to her.

"What is it?"

"The recording. The last copy. Someone deleted the original from the server. Mistress Rebecca wants it too, I told her."

"And blackmailed her into letting you keep it?" finished Diana.

"No, of course not. She gets the recording unconditionally. But the recording was made by a third party without her knowledge. And if they don't know her, they didn't make it!"

She looked at the card indecisively.

"For all I know, there could be a virus on there infecting our server. You don't think I'm just going to put it in the computer now, do you?"

I shrugged.

"Then have Martin bring you a non-networked tablet."

Diana hesitated, then nodded and called Martin. He was still in the house and promised to be right there.

We waited in silence until he came in. We greeted each other briefly. He looked at me curiously, but Diana didn't explain anything, just thanked him and sent him out. She immediately put the card in the slot and began to watch the recording.

I leaned back in my chair. I couldn't see what Diana was watching, but I was listening. Since I knew the video, I knew what was happening and when.

Her expression was telling: first skepticism, then disbelief, then disgust.

"How long is the recording?" she asked when I had dozed off in the video and Rebecca had failed to wake me.

"A little over two and a half hours. It gets interesting at the end, the last ten minutes."

Diana nodded and seemed to be playing faster.

Then we came to the last scene:

"So, I'm so far through," Q announced.

"Good, then we just have to come up with a believable reason why she fainted. Q, can Hal give her a head injury so she has a mild concussion?" Rebecca's voice.

Q's voice: "That's damn dangerous!"

"Just do it!" shouted Rebecca in a commanding tone.

"Should I really?" Q's voice sounded a bit nervous.

Rebecca: "No faith in your design? You are the most brilliant engineer I know. If you're having second thoughts now, we can forget about the shows. Come on, show me what the AI can do. A laceration and a mild concussion, that's all!"

Although I was prepared for the sound, I jumped when I heard the pipe hit my head. Diana flinched as well. Her face went pale and she looked up from the tablet.

"Rebecca did this to you? And you're still willing to trust her?" Disbelief sounded in Diana's voice.

"I am here for one reason and one reason only: I want to know what happened to my sister and, if possible, get her back, wherever she is now. If Mistress Rebecca can make that possible, I am willing to do so."

Diana looked at me sharply.

"And this has nothing to do with the fact that you yourself struck Rebecca down and are responsible for her current condition?"

I shook my head.

"I had nothing to do with Rebecca's condition. It was an accident that I neither caused nor wanted. Of course I was angry with Mistress Rebecca, but I wanted to betray her in another way by giving Holger access to the system. And after that, my plan was to run away with Isabell, no later than the end of our trip to Cyprus. I didn't want to stay in the circle cellar for nine months."

"Does Isabell know about the video?"

"Yes!"

"How did she react to it?"

"Similar to you: With disbelief and horror!"

Slowly, Diana nodded.

"I've known Rebecca for so long, but this..." she didn't speak any further.

Not knowing what to say, I remained silent.

"Well, Johanna, or would you prefer Laura?"

"I've been Johanna for so long now that I prefer the name. Besides, the Mafia is still looking for Laura."

Diana nodded in understanding.

"I'm beginning to understand a bit more about what you two have negotiated. Of course I still can't approve of your actions, but unfortunately Rebecca wasn't honest with me either. She should have informed me. And I want to decide for myself who I trust. So where did your papers come from?"

"From the BKA! I was in the witness protection program!"

Diana looked at me dumbfounded.

"Are you still in contact with the BKA?"

"Yes, I have to report every six months. Also to report where I live and work."

"Did you report that?"

"Of course. Otherwise they'd put out an APB on me."

"Does Rebecca know?"

"She didn't ask."

Diana stared at me in disbelief.

"What does the BKA know about us?"

I shrugged.

"That there are camgirls working here."

"Nothing else?"

"They didn't bring me in, if that's what they want to know. In fact, the BKA wasn't thrilled that I was living and working here. They'd rather I had a low-profile, middle-class job."

For the first time since we started talking, Diana smiled.

"I can imagine."

Suddenly she was serious again.

"Still, your proximity to the BKA is a threat!"

Now I looked sharply at Diana.

"I see it more as an insurance policy for me. In case Mistress Rebecca plays it wrong."

Diana got angry again.

"Are you trying to blackmail us?"

"No, I'm not. You wanted frankness, you got it."

"Why didn't you tell Rebecca?"

"I would have, given the right opportunity. Right now, I'm still waiting for proof that I'm not with the mafia here, and that the girls in the Circle Cellar are not being sold as sex slaves against their will."

"So we're back where we started? You want the evidence. Or what?"

An innocent smile covered my words.

"If my suspicion that there is trafficking going on here is confirmed, I would have to inform the BKA!"

"You do realize that we wouldn't be having this conversation if I were really in the Mafia? Then you would have disappeared long ago without a trace!"

"Probably, but that doesn't change the fact that I want the evidence."

Diana leaned back.

"All right, what would convince you?"

"Isabell should be able to speak freely with some of the former Circle graduates."

She thought for a moment, then nodded.

"That should be possible. We still have contact information for most of them. What else?"

I had been thinking for the last few days: What else could prove that they were not sold? Proving innocence is always harder than proving guilt.

"Mistress Rebecca spoke of certified training. I would like to see the documentation of that. Also that the basement is certified as a school."

"Good, anything else?"

"Can I see the transcripts of the graduates?"

"Subject to privacy!"

"Seriously? In a house full of hidden, illegal surveillance?"

Diana looked surprised at first, but then nodded. She tapped something on her tablet.

"All right. I'll give you and Isabell all the data. You can look at it down in the basement in the surveillance apartment where it's stored. Is that it?"

"For now, yes. Unless I have some questions."

"Well, that settles that. Let's move on to the future: what are your plans now?"

"If everything is as Mistress Rebecca told me, I will fulfill my contract with her. I will complete the year in the Circle Cellar and then be available to the rooms for two years. In addition, I will do everything in my power to clear up the attack on the Rooms and prevent any damage from occurring."

Diana looked incredulous.

"And this in spite of what Rebecca did to you?"

I shrugged.

"As I said, I have been trying to find my sister for the past two years to no avail. If Mistress Rebecca helps me find her, then I'm obligated to her. It sounds stupid, but I have no goals beyond that, so I might as well stay here."

Diana nodded thoughtfully.

"How does Isabell fit in?"

With that, Diana had thrown me off my game. I lowered my head.

"Not at all. I didn't expect to ever fall in love. My life as Laura was over the moment the Mafia put me on the list. All my plans for the future were gone, along with any thoughts of a relationship. And then I met Isabell.

For the first time I saw something like sympathy in Diana's eyes.

"Isabell is your private matter, it's none of my business. But it complicates your future in the house, do you realize that?"

"I don't know if we will have a relationship now. She's angry with me."

Diana nodded in understanding. "It will be hard to trust each other again. For everyone! I'm not sure it's possible. Not with me and not with Rebecca."

"Haven't all the girls screwed up in the Circle Cellar? And yet they get a second chance there," I interjected.