Common Sense Altering System

Julia crossed her arms over her chest, throwing a look of pure disgust at Ray. Her pretty face was now twisted into a picture-perfect act of playing the victim, like she had just escaped straight up hell.

"Officer, you see how completely heartless he is?" Julia’s voice suddenly cracked, her tone taking a hard turn into traumatized and pathetic. Fake tears started welling up in the corners of her eyes. "He completely violated my dignity as a woman! I wasn’t fully conscious that night... I don’t remember a single thing after he gave me that drink. All I remember is being terrified and him forcing his body on top of mine, and after that, everything went black. I’m the victim here!" That dramatic story was a total load of crap, there was no physical force involved, just manipulation from the Common Sense Altering System that actually went down.

The agent in the black suit nodded along all sympathetically, tapping notes into his iPad with a subtle, smug-ass grin. "A very clear confession. Manipulation, sexual assault, and now you’re the main suspect for last night’s mass terrorism."

"TERRORISM? Those damn fireworks? C’mon, I don’t know shit about that!"

Ray leaned back against the freezing metal chair. His handcuffs clinked softly. Instead of freaking out, Ray just let out a quiet chuckle, glaring at Julia with a cold look, not intimidated in the slightest.

"And Julia, nice fucking acting," Ray said casually, his voice steady and dripping with contempt. "Don’t remember anything? That’s the most cliché go-to excuse when someone gets backed into a corner."

Ray then turned his head, staring right into the Agent’s eyes. "Officer, are you actually a professional investigator or are you just a gullible dumbass who falls for the waterworks of a chick you met five minutes ago? A girl like her doesn’t deserve a shred of trust. Instead of swallowing her bullshit whole, why don’t you actually dig into her real background? Who knows, you might find some interesting shit your team hasn’t uncovered yet." Ray said that firmly, relying on his gut feeling that Julia definitely had a dirty rap sheet.

Julia instantly went rigid. "W-what the hell are you on about?! Don’t you dare try to change the subject!"

The Agent furrowed his brow. Ray’s absolute confidence picked at his curiosity. The intel on Julia’s personal history hadn’t been checked thoroughly yet since the main priority of this bust was last night’s terror attack. Moving fast, the Agent typed Julia’s full name into the security ministry’s restricted database.

A heavy silence washed over the room while the iPad screen processed the search. In just a few seconds, a dozen classified documents and sealed police records popped up on the screen.

The Agent’s eyes widened a bit. His subtle grin vanished instantly.

Displayed right on the iPad screen was a whole laundry list of Julia’s shady past. Repeated physical abuse cases against her exes, ties to illegal drugs, and other major felonies. But the craziest part was that Julia always managed to walk away scot-free thanks to spinning public opinion, legal loopholes, and fat payouts from certain people. She wasn’t a victim—she was a seasoned abuser who was damn good at hiding behind a pretty face.

The vibe in the interrogation room flipped hard. The Agent shut off his iPad, then stared down Julia with a look that was now pure disgust and heavy caution.

"Ms. Julia," the Agent cut in, his voice cold and stern.

"O-Officer? Why are you listening to this criminal’s crap? He’s the one who caused all that chaos last night! He’s got magic or some shit!" Julia started panicking hard, noticing the agent’s face do a complete 180, realizing that shaking her rack right in his face wasn’t gonna distract him this time.

"That is enough, Ms. Julia," the Agent interrupted, not yelling, but with an absolute firmness. "Your personal record is quite alarming. This assault case will be handled by a separate unit with a much stricter background check. Please step outside now. The guards outside will escort you."

"But Officer! I’m the victim here!"

"I said step outside," the Agent demanded.

With her face turning bright red from pure embarrassment and rage, Julia finally stomped her way out of the room. The heavy iron door slammed shut.

It was just Ray and the Agent left in the dimly lit room. The Agent walked over slowly and switched off the security camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling. The red indicator light went dead.

"You’ve got sharp eyes, Ray," the Agent said as he leaned against the table, crossing his arms. "Your arrest scenario back there... Hime Nature, the media coverage, the terrorism charges... it’s all just a show for the public. The people need a scapegoat so they don’t lose their minds, and the government needs to look like heroes."

Ray raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Then why am I still sitting here instead of taking a bullet to the head?"

The Agent let out a faint smile. "Because the state needs an asset like you. Your ability to completely bypass the laws of science... that’s something we can’t just ignore. So, here’s my official offer:"

The Agent took a step closer, leaning down to look Ray dead in the eye. "We will officially declare you ’guilty’ tomorrow morning on every news outlet. The public will see you get executed or locked up for life. The name Ray will die. But off the record, you’ll be moved to a black site. You’re gonna work for us. Everything you need, luxury, girls, top-tier amenities... the state will cover it all until you’re old and grey. You just gotta lend us your unique abilities for national interests."

Ray stared at the agent. A peaceful life without having to lay low? Picked up by the state? For a second, Ray was kinda tempted. His brain started weighing how easy that setup sounded. No hassle, no pretending, just living the sweet life.

’—Don’t be a fucking idiot, Ray darling.’

Milady’s voice suddenly blasted crystal clear inside his head, so sharp it made Ray’s nerves snap tight instantly.

’—You actually buying this corrupt bureaucrat’s utter bullshit?’ Milady whispered, her tone dripping with cold-hearted contempt. ’An offer to work for the state? Ha! Did you seriously forget who jacked up the unemployment rate in this country by forty percent over the last two years? Who jacked up food taxes so high the poor had to eat literal trash while politicians built lavish bunkers? That was them, Ray! This damn country is run by fucking bloodsuckers!’ Milady cackled maniacally inside Ray’s head.

’Remember darling, even that coding skill you were so damn proud of became totally useless because of the bullshit AI regulations they pushed!’

Ray held his breath, trying to keep his face completely stone-cold in front of the Agent while his brain processed what Milady was saying.

’—The second you step foot into their secret facility, you ain’t an asset, Ray. You’re just gonna be a lab rat they milk dry every single day. They’re gonna bleed your abilities dry until you rot away in a golden cage. Don’t you dare accept it!’ Milady barked, her voice turning into a straight-up command. ’Keep playing dumb! Don’t you ever admit you got unique powers like Hime Nature or that fire-spitting Angelo freak. Make them believe you’re just some regular dude who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time!’

Ray took a deep breath, soaking in every single word from Milady. He looked up at the Agent in front of him and flashed a super natural, cocky smirk.

"Hell of an offer, Officer," Ray said, his voice sounding totally chill but packed with pure disbelief. "Too bad you got the wrong guy. Unique abilities? Spawning fireworks? Growing trees like that Hime Nature chick?" Ray burst out laughing, a loud, mocking laugh like that offer was the dumbest shit he’d ever heard in his life.

"Listen here," Ray leaned in slightly, narrowing his eyes at the Agent. "I’m just an unemployed guy who happened to be smart enough to ride the trend on social media. Last night’s fireworks? That wasn’t my doing, I was literally passing out cold before that even happened. I don’t got no ’magic’ or ’freak powers’ like that green-haired crazy bitch outside is blabbering about! I could just feel it coming, that’s it."

The Agent glared at Ray, searching his eyes for any sign of a lie. "Don’t play games with me, Ray. Hime Nature tracked your aura trail straight to this building."

"And you actually believe talking plant roots?" Ray scoffed with total disdain. "Hime just needed a clout chase to pump up her organic fertilizer company’s stock! She needed a public enemy, and I was the easiest target because of my controversial record. If your glorious nation actually buys into mystical root bullshit instead of logical facts, no wonder this country’s economy is in the damn gutter and our taxes keep going up for no fucking reason!"

The room instantly grew heated. Ray’s jab at the economic collapse and taxes hit way too close to the Agent’s high-ups. The tension between the two of them was thick enough to blow up any second.

The Agent clenched his fists behind his back, his eyes narrowing with intense suspicion. He was starting to second-guess himself. Was Ray actually the owner of some dangerous supernatural power, or just a manipulative, arrogant punk who happened to sense weird phenomena?

"You’re playing with fire, Ray," the Agent threatened in a low voice.

"I ain’t playing with fire, Officer," Ray shot back with a crooked, mysterious smirk. "I’m just spitting facts that you’re trying to cover up with fairy tales about superpowers."

Inside his head, Milady let out a satisfied giggle. ’Attaboy, Ray... keep ’em confused. Let the world tear itself apart over their own fucking stupidity.’