Back in the office, Zara was sitting patiently at her desk, waiting for her file to arrive. Another day, and still no signs of Ed. I should get out and do something. I can’t keep doing this to myself. She sighed. I’ll finish work first. Then see what I can do.

Name: Aleksander Genkov

Age: 31

Occupation: Bank clerk

Biography: Born to parents Drago and Milena Genkov, Aleksander had a younger sister, and an older brother... He graduated from high school, and quickly entered the work force to earn money... After jumping from one part time job to the next, he eventually landed a job at the local bank as a clerk. During this time, he had saved up enough money to move out from home. He had come across a roommate wanted ad and ended up moving into the two-bedroom apartment from the ad... He shared the apartment with the same person for several years until they had a huge argument, and he was forced to find a new place to stay...

...He ended up meeting someone and fell in love, moving in with her only a few months into their relationship. Neither of them are good people. They treat others as if they are beneath them, constantly insulting retail and hospitality workers. They actively lobby against acts that will improve the quality of life for minority groups, in particular homeless people, people of colour, and LGBTQIA+ people and families... They try their best to make the world worse for everyone else that is different from them.

... However, they truly love and care for each other... A few years into their relationship they married and had their first child...

-End of document-

Dicks. Zara huffed. They have no respect for other people... Doesn’t really give me an idea of what I should do though. I might need to think about this one for a while.

Zara sat at her desk for a while, unable to progress at all. She scratched her head, but no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t get started. This one sucks. I don’t have a specific incident I can use as inspiration. This guy’s just a massive dick.

She sighed and leant back in her chair. What would Ed do? He’d probably have already figured this one out by now. God, I miss him. Why’d he have to go and do something so stupid? I haven’t seen him on so long.

Annoyed about the whole situation, but powerless to do anything about it, she read through the file again to try and get her brain flowing again.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Stupid prick. Why does he get to be with his partner when I can’t? He doesn’t deserve it... Wait a minute. Her eyes widened as an idea slowly took shape in her mind. That could work.

She grew more excited by the minute, as she pulled up the app and got to work. I don’t need anything big this time around. She created a small room, just barely big enough to fit a person or two lying down.

She created a table that took up the entire space, with straps designed to hold a person down. “Buddie, can we bring in his wife as well?”

There was a slight pause before Buddie responded. “Her file hasn’t been given to anyone else to work with, so she is available. However, you won’t be rewarded for anything related to her. What do you want to do?”

That’s fine, I guess. “Can you strap both of them onto the table for me. I want their heads in the middle.” Zara said.

The space adjusted itself to just barely fit them as the couple were strapped onto the table. The tops of their heads rested lightly against each other. Straps bound them to the table, restricting their range of motion to an extreme degree.

Zara raised the roof and placed a rotating saw blade on it that was roughly half the length of the room. Then she added a lever next to the man’s hand, and another next to the woman.

Okay, I think I’ve got everything I need. “After you finish speaking, I want the saw to slowly lower down to them, eventually killing one of them. The levers can control who will be killed by the saw. If both are moved to one side, they will kill Aleksander, and if they are both moved to the other side, the saw will come down on... What’s her name?”

“Nina.” Buddie answered

“Then it will come down on Nina. They have to spend the time when the saw is coming down to them to agree on who dies. If they disagree and the levers are pointing towards each other, then the saw will come down in the middle, killing both. Only if they both choose to sacrifice themselves will they both survive.” She finished.

“That is acceptable, how long until the saw reaches them?”

“Just a few minutes, I don’t want to give them a lot of time.” She said.

“Thank you for submitting your plan. I will let you know when it’s ready.” Buddie said, as the screen cleared.

Zara got out of her chair with a sigh. What should I do today? Guess I’ll get lunch first. She went back home to get something to eat. I don’t feel like cooking anything right now. “Buddie, can I have a bowl of beef stew please?”

A bowl of steaming hot stew materialised right in front of her as she sat down at the dining table. She switched off her mind, allowing the stew to ease her frayed nerves. For a moment, all was warm and peaceful. The bowl disappeared after she finished eating.

Then Zara curled up on the couch, her wings wrapping around her like a blanket. What are you doing Ed? Are you safe wherever you are? Please come back to me soon.

“Buddie, when are you going to tell me where he is? I just want him back.” She asked

There was a pause before Buddie answered. “The next time you redeem a sinner, I’ll let you choose between increasing the strength of your bloodline and going to visit him.”

“I can visit him?” She asked excitedly, not even bothering to consider the other option available to her.

“Yes, but it will also cost you credits.” Buddie said.

“I don’t care about that, I’m doing it!” I need this. I’m coming Ed.