No-LIMIT-Rooms 06 English

Uncertainly, I accepted it.

"Go ahead: open it!"

Inside was a thin folder, obviously a dossier, as I concluded from the title page. What startled me, however, was the name written on it: Piotr Babich! It was only with difficulty that I managed to avoid moving. I looked at Rebecca with a neutral expression.

"So, who's that?"

"A Russian-German. Do you know him?"

I opened the dossier and looked to see if there were any photos. Of course there were. They showed him, obviously taken secretly with a telephoto lens, in various situations and talking to various people. Involuntarily, I looked to see if I was in any of the pictures, but I was not.

"No, sorry, never seen him! Does he work for the mafia?"

Thoughtfully, Rebecca looked at me.

"No, probably not. He's a small private snoop who does jobs here in Germany. Sometimes for companies, sometimes for influential private clients. Likes to pretend he's an embassy official, but he's not. And you know what's weird?" She looked at me lurkingly.

I shook my head.

"That picture there matches your Facebook contact Holger Schmidt to a T!"

Thoughts were racing in my head about this. Deny it? Insist on coincidence? But also: He was not an embassy official? To stall for time, I opened the dossier again and began to read.

Piotr Babich, born in 1981 in Russia, immigrated to Germany with his parents at the age of 5. Owner of a small detective agency specializing in German-Russian interests, whatever that should mean.

There was not too much about him, hardly more than Rebecca had already said. Well, he might not have been an embassy official, but he could still be from the intelligence service.

Rebecca had waited patiently.

"I needed help looking for my sister!"

"And he promised help to you!" she nodded. "I had some pages removed, since you don't need to know them yet, but it's highly interesting who he seems to be working for. And the funny thing is, you seem to have gone from being a minor character to a major one!"

"I don't understand a word!"

"He was set upon me, and was supposed to find out my secrets so that the Rooms could be snatched from me. And at some point you stumbled in, probably at Club Hydra, where I had admired your show. At that time I had no idea that I was being monitored. What happened after that? What did he lure you with? With knowledge about you?"

I sat there transfixed. Rebecca could not have figured that out. I decided to remain silent.

"Knowledge that no human can have about you, except for a powerful intelligence agency, possibly? Was that what convinced you? You were deceived! He is not from the secret service. But he has a powerful client: Vladimir Morozov!"

My confusion was total. Where was the connection to my sister? Where was the connection to the knowledge about me?

"You're still in the dark? Still don't understand the context? I'm disappointed, because I was sure he'd already told you something about where to find your sister to keep you in line."

Cyprus! She was in Cyprus, with Vladimir! And only Nadine knew everything Holger had told me! My poker face slipped away.

Rebecca had unmasked me and was visibly enjoying her triumph.

"So the penny is starting to drop? Can we finally talk to each other openly?"

46 Revealed

"Since when?" My voice sounded strangely toneless even to my ears.

Rebecca shrugged her shoulders.

"The last pieces of the puzzle came together yesterday, thanks to you and Isabell. I was able to remember. There's little you can do in the hospital except think. And it took some phone calls, too."

Isabell had been right: we should have run away when we had the chance.

"What happens to us now, I mean Isabelle and me?"

"That's completely up to you now: Either you work for me and our existing arrangement stays as it is, or you're out and Isabell stays with me! Then the driver will drive you back and you can pick up your handbag at the reception. You leave us the way you came in: with nothing!"

"You would just let me go?" my disbelief was evident in my voice.

Rebecca looked ice-cold.

"Yes, since you have only one goal, we can assume that you would not cause us any more trouble. However, I don't think you will drop out. For exactly the same reason."

"What if Holger is from the secret service after all?"

"Call! Call the Russian embassy and demand to speak to your commanding officer! Did he ever have you call the embassy? Or give you his number there?"

Hesitantly, I retrieved my smartphone from my pocket and googled the number of the Russian embassy. Then I called there.

"A voice announced itself in Russian, '' I answered likewise.

"Good afternoon, my name is Johanna Blauert. One of your employees introduced himself to me, but unfortunately I don't have his extension. Can you connect me? His name is Piotr Babich."

A brief pause followed on the other end, then an inquiry, "Piotr Babich?"

"Yeah, right!"

"Hold on, I'll put you through!"

Rebecca hadn't been listening in because I hadn't put it on speaker.

"They're putting through!"

She didn't seem fazed.

"Good afternoon, Mrs., uh Blauert? My name is Schukin, what can I do for you?"

"Oh, I beg your pardon, but I wanted to talk to someone else who works with you : Piotr Babich."

Another moment of silence on the other end, then a friendly rejection. "I'm sorry about that, but we don't have an employee with that name on staff."

"He also calls himself Holger Schmidt!" my voice was getting desperate.

Silence again for a moment, I heard a keyboard clattering in the background. "No, I'm sorry, but I didn't run an employee here under that name either. Can you maybe tell me where you got those names? Or in what context you were told he would work here?"

"Look, either I got screwed or he's working for you. If he's working for you, have him call me back. Immediately! If not, I've been taken in by a bad joke! Then I apologize for the interruption!"

The voice on the other end of the line remained polite: "Then someone must have played a bad joke on you. Have a nice day!" He hung up.

"So, was I right?" Rebecca's eyes flashed with triumph.

"He might not be so easily approachable as a member of the intelligence community." That excuse sounded lame to my ears, too.

"Good, he has about 10 minutes to call back. Then we'll be at my place."

"And then what? I mean, if he doesn't call?"

"Then I want to know your decision. Not that the phone call will change anything. But I want you to see for yourself how you were deceived."

But my cell phone remained silent until the end of the ride, just like Rebecca and me.

The car stopped and that snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Well, what's your decision?"

"You almost killed me the first day! I saw a recording of my interrogation!"

The outer door was opened and the chauffeur looked in.

"Not yet, Mathias, give us another ten minutes. Close the door, please!", Rebecca ordered.

When the door was closed again, she looked at me, visibly surprised.

"You always manage to surprise me, Johanna! A recording? I don't believe it!"

I nodded. "I sent a copy to Holger, by mail."

Rebecca pondered.

"How did you get it?"

"Same way I got the other data from the AI room. I asked Hal!"

She seemed stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"That simple? So, can you show me the footage?"

I shook my head.

"I had filmed the scene, and shortly afterwards the data was suddenly deleted. At first, I suspected that it was you, or Diana, covering your tracks. But then I assumed that you would not have allowed such a recording. It was someone else!"

After a moment, she nodded thoughtfully, "You're right: I wouldn't have. Don't you have a copy anymore?"

Yes, I had. But should I give them out of my hand?

"No, I don't have it with me, but just filmed it, not copied it directly."

"Then I'd love to see those!"

"Understandable, like I'd love to see my sister! Possibly Holger is not from the Secret Service, but you are just as reckless: I could have died or even suffered a coma!"

Rebecca leaned back in the seat. Now I noticed how her hand was shaking again.

"Would it make any difference if I said I was really sorry I did that?"

I shook my head.

She sighed. "It does. At that moment, I was pretty stressed and assumed you would act against me. I hadn't cared if you might suffer permanent damage. It was only much later that I realized what I had almost done to you. More precisely, since I could remember you again. And that's why I forgive you for knocking me down, too!"

She forgave me? I got angry again: "I didn't knock you down! How could you? You fell down. At that moment, I was sitting in bed, two meters away from you."

"Oh, so it was Isabell? I wouldn't have expected that from her. Why?"

"It was an accident!", I insisted. "But my knockout punch in the AI room was not!"

"Johanna, we're going in covens: if I want to spend two days alone with you in my house and depend on your help, I need to know your decision now!"

"How am I supposed to believe you can lead me to my sister? You are absolutely inconsiderate!"

"And you're not? You probably provided Holger with information about me that could endanger the Rooms and all the staff there!"

We stared at each other.

I tried to weigh what would bring me closer to my sister now. Holger, Walter or Rebecca? I still had Walter as a wild card up my sleeve.

"I need some proof that my sister is alive, and you know where she is and how I can get to her!"

"She has a barely two-year-old daughter named Marja!"

My tension collapsed, and my tears came through. Marja, had been the name of our grandmother!

The car door was opened again.

"So, what do you say? "Rebecca's voice sounded like she was waiting.

"I'm in, Mistress Rebecca!"

When I got out, I was surprised to see Aaron standing in front of the house with a shopping bag. I looked at Rebecca, who had noticed my glance.

"Did you really think I was going to stay in my house alone with you now? Besides, I need help getting up the stairs, Aaron can do that better than you."

I felt betrayed. She wanted me to trust her, but had none towards me?

Aaron came to the car and greeted us politely. Then he helped Rebecca to get out. Then he and Mathias lifted the wheelchair out of the car.

It was only a few steps to the house entrance, so Rebecca refused to get into the wheelchair again. With the help of a cane and Aaron's support, she walked to the entrance. I stood indecisively for a moment with my bags by the car. Should I really work with Rebecca now? Could I really trust her?

Rebecca hadn't missed it, because she turned to me, "Are you coming, Johanna? You can open the door for us!"

Determined, I grabbed both my bags and stomped on my pony boots. wordlessly, I pressed one bag into Aaron's free hand and took the key card from Rebecca's hand. As I did so, I noticed her lurking gaze. Was she afraid of me? Why? She had a security guard on her side and I was alone.

Thoughtfully, I went forward and opened the door. Then I went in and held it open until they both came in. Behind them, I closed it again and wanted to hand Rebecca the key card, but she shook her head.

"Put them there on the shelf by the door. I don't need it because I can hardly get out of the house without help."

Aaron helped Rebecca sit down in an armchair.

"Well, here we are. Will you cook something for lunch, Johanna?"

"Yes, with pleasure, mistress. Do you have any particular wishes?"

"See what we have and just surprise me."

I did as instructed, grabbed the grocery bag and went to the kitchen. The food in the refrigerator all seemed to still be good, only the lettuce was wilted. However, in the shopping bag there was fresh lettuce, peppers, beef and poultry meat, as well as fruit, milk and cream.

So I decided on a rice pan with peppers and chicken. With it a salad.

From the living room, I heard the quiet conversation between Aaron and Rebecca, who were probably talking about me. However, I could not understand anything, also because my work noises covered the conversation.

Barely 40 minutes later, I dished up.

In the meantime, Aaron had helped Rebecca to the dining table and set the table. Now he helped me serve the food.

We ate in silence.

"Very good, Johanna!" praised Rebecca after we were done. Now let Aaron clean up, and we'll talk some more. Aaron, please help me back into the chair!"

Silently, Aaron helped her and then set about clearing away and washing up. Apparently he was supposed to leave us alone, but stay within shouting distance.

I sat down in an armchair opposite her.

"So, now we come to our actual conversation. I need to know what you've already said, let's call him Holger for simplicity's sake."

I began haltingly to report what I had passed on to him, but without explaining exactly how I had done it. Rebecca listened attentively, without asking any questions. Finally, she nodded with satisfaction.

"So far, you don't seem to have done any damage. I was afraid you'd figured out some credentials and given him a way into our server."

Embarrassed, I looked her in the eye.

"Yes, I did!"

She stared at me in horror.

"Excuse me?"

"Here in the house! The computer is bugged and the router automatically transmits everything that is entered here."

Rebecca turned pale.

"Since when?"

"Since your accident!"

She visibly relaxed again.

"Well, since then, this access has not been used. But now I'm curious: How did you do that?"

"Holger obviously knows your home address. The night after the accident, he had me drive here, and with the help of your key card, I was able to get in here and make the changes!"

"Is that what you had planned? Is that why you knocked me down?" Her voice suddenly became sharp.

"No, of course not! It happened spontaneously, because of the accident! I didn't knock you down!"

"Johanna, I can tell you for sure that my head wound could not possibly have been caused by a fall. If it wasn't you, only Isabell could have been it!"

"It was an accident!" I insisted. "It all happened so fast!"

"Why?"

I hesitated, then decided to take the initiative again.

"Mistress, it was an accident, no matter what you believe. Neither I nor Isabell wanted to hurt you, although we were both very angry with you!"

She seemed surprised. "At me?"

"Of course you! I had let Isabell in on the fact that you had drugged me, interrogated me and knocked me down on the first day. And then you even confirmed it and wanted to declare me the guilty party!"

She seemed unfazed, by my accusations, "So Isabell is fully in on this?"

Confused, I paused.

"No, but she knows everything about me since the day of the accident. I confessed everything to her! But you are the ones who blackmailed others and made Isabell such a monster!"

"Monster? Why did I make Isabell a monster?"

"You have isolated her, exploited her, and used her as an informer. Everyone in the house is afraid of her or hates her. And the 24/7ers have all ended up in the basement because of her!"

Rebecca seemed taken aback. "No, they aren't. They're there because of their own actions!"

"You have them in the palm of your hand and left them no choice! And what is the purpose of the cellar? Who is the coven circle? Why do the graduates disappear without a trace afterwards?"

"Aaron, will you come here, please!" she suddenly called out loudly.

"What is it?" It had taken only seconds for him to stand next to her.

I was scared to death. What was she up to?

"Please check the property thoroughly, see if everything is in order. You can take an hour!"

"Very well!" After a brief scowl at me, he went to the door, took the key card from the shelf and left the house.

"Aaron is trustworthy, but even he doesn't need to know everything. Especially not about the coven." she explained to me after he walked out. "What you want to know is nothing more or less than the whole reason you and I are sitting here together like this in the first place. But before I forget, hand me the phone."

I picked it up and handed it to her.

She leaned back in her chair and dialed.

Shortly thereafter, she probably had our IT manager on the phone and ordered him to come over as soon as possible.

"What had you exchanged?" she asked me in between.

I explained it to her and she passed it on. Then she hung up and I took the phone back to the station. Afterwards, I sat down again while she started to explain.

"The idea of the Rooms came to me about 17 years ago. I was a little bit younger than you are now and sub of Vladimir. He had money and connections and made my idea a reality."

"Sub of a Russian oligarch?" My voice betrayed my disbelief.

"Oh, Vladimir had often had business in Germany. And he had an apartment here where I lived and was available to him when he was here. How that came about, I'll tell you some other time, perhaps. May I go on?"

"Excuse me, mistress!"

"I wanted to have the management of Rooms from the beginning, but Vladimir thought I was too jumpy and inexperienced. But I wanted to prove it to him. So we created the slave school. There, not only good female slaves are trained, but also personalities are developed. If you remember the learning program, it is not inferior to that of a college. And depending on what talents and previous knowledge the slave girls bring, they could earn very high degrees there!"

"But this is not an accredited college!", I interrupted her again.

To my surprise, she smiled.

"Yes, it is! It is registered as a Russian School of Society and Economy in Germany."

I had never heard of that before.

"But nobody down there knows that, not even Isabell knew that!"

"No, not everyone knows that for sure. But some do. Isabell hadn't been interested in it, and frankly, she didn't graduate that high."

"She's not stupid!"

"No, I didn't say that either. She's carefree, sometimes childlike. And she occasionally needs guidance. But then she's reliable and can do a good job. But she will never be a leader."

"I still don't understand it. Why use blackmail to lock the women up there? Surely they'd have to come voluntarily if they knew what the options were afterwards?"

"Whoever is down there has found a sponsor. These are the members of the coven. Some of them are also the supervisory board of the Rooms, to which I am also subordinate. Of course, I can't and won't tell you any names, although of course you can guess that at least Vladimir is one of them."

I nodded.

"Not every girl that messes up gets a chance down there. She has to have potential, a strong character and win over a sponsor. And every successful graduate ends up getting a job offer from her sponsor. As a personal slave, an employee or whatever. On one condition: There's no going back to the Rooms, except into leadership!"

"Like you?"

"Yes! Vladimir made my life hell for six years. Humiliated and tortured me in every possible way, but I persevered. And in the end he made me the manager of the Rooms!"

"Just like that?"

Rebecca smiled. "A Russian never gives anything just like that. I was the best qualified, plain and simple. Moreover, by now I just knew too much about him. Yes, I put pressure on him, too."

Dumbfounded, I looked at her. "You blackmailed Morosov?"

"No, just reminded of the deal we had."

Everything started to rotate in my head. Morosov, Holger, Nadine, Rebecca and the coven. I still did not understand the connection.

Rebecca seemed to recognize this.

"No idea yet how everything might be connected?"

I shook my head.

"Vladimir wants me gone, wants control of the rooms back. He's looking for leverage against me, which is why he hired Holger. He's supposed to find a way in and expose my weak points."