With just a little smile

I/III

„this is the third time this week!“, the teachers voice echoed through the almost empty classroom.

The only student still left was a teenage girl with blond hair and a choppy haircut.in her early 60s and had her graying hair tied to a bun. She didn’t like having to

confront students like that but she knew when she had to. And this one hadn’t left her with much of

a choice after growing worse every day.

Trying to give of a more friendly and understanding vibe, she sat down next to the young student,

looking her in the eyes „Josephine... “

„Joss!“, the girl interrupted, she couldn’t stand her full name, not even her father used it. That was

when he did talk to her.

Doing her best not to show how startled she was by the girls interruption, the teacher went on „I

know moving and going to a new school in the middle of the year can be hard, especially for

someone your age, but do you really think you have to make a joke out of everything to be accepted

here?“

„I don’t care about moving, the old school wasn’t any better, and what do YOU know about being my

age? Must have been a few hundred years ago for you.“ It truly didn’t matter that much for Joss. She

had changed schools more often then anyone she ever knew and she and her father hadn’t lived in

one place for longer than a year since she could remember. This was mostly thanks to her father’s

profession. As a scientist, Dr. Thomas Myles had to go where there were projects that required

someone with knowledge in his specific field and those projects usually only went on for little over 6

months.

The teacher was still starring at her in shock. Such a direct attack was not what she had expected. She

had witnessed Joss making similar, respctless and mocking comments about various topics of thelecture but as of now, she hadn’t directly offended anyone.

„and I don’t care if anyone accepts me either, this whole place is just a big joke anyways.“ Joss went

on with her rambling. She was just so over it with all those people pretending they knew what her

problem was and acting all understanding.

„Josephine, I think it’s about time I get in touch with your father“, the teacher said, now looking very

stern. The gentle approach had failed, intimidation was the logical next choice, although she feared it

wouldn’t make a difference.

„go ahead then. You know, his job at that stupid minestry or whatever is more important to him than

me. So good luck getting him here“, Joss commented and leand back in her chair, placing her feet

with her worn out converse on the table. They were bright yellow and the smily she had drawn over

the faded logo was smiling a very cynical smile in the teachers directions.

The teacher went back to her front desk where she picked up her phone. She didn’t bother to leave

the room, she wanted Josephine to listen. „Mr. Myles?... Excuse me, Doctor Myles.... I am calling on

behalf of your daughter, Josephine.... She has made a habit of repeatedly interrupting the lectures

and making a mockery of it..... Consider this a warning, if her behavior does not change, she’ll have to

be suspended.... Of course we offer disciplinary messures but I fear they'll have little effect on such

an unruly child, such as your daughter. This is a school after all, not a youth penitentiary....i’d

recommend that you pick her up in person... fine, have a nice day“

Joss could have filled in what her father must have said without a second thought „what has she

done now?“ „can’t you just put her in detention?“ „you really expect me to leave work just to come

over and pick her up?“

Like she had predicted, the teacher seemed very disappointed at the effectiveness of the call, which

made Joss smile. It was always the same but still fun for her to watch when they found out out how

little her dad seemed to cared for her behavior.

„you can go home now“, the teacher gave in with a sigh. Without the support of the father, there

was nothing she could do for now. Getting the girl suspended or even expelled would take some time

and a long talk with the school-director and the father.

Still smiling triumphantly, Joss picked up her schoolbag that was covered in buttons and scribbles and

left.

When her father got home later that day, she expected him to make a big scene about a teacher

having to call him at work, but instead he just vanished into his room, avoiding his daughter for the

remainder of the day.

The next morning:

Hurriedly chugging down her orange juice, Joss grabbed her school bag and jacket, heading for the

door. She was about to be late again, not that she really cared.

„Josie...“, she heard her father behind her. Something was off about him, he normally left for work

before she even got up, so why was he still here? There was also a slight shaking in his voice that

made Joss prepare for the worst.

„how about... I give you a ride today?“ he asked her, sounding unreasonably nervous.

„sure, dad. But don't'cha have to work?“, she cocked her head to the side and gave him a confused

look. Since when did he even care?

„I’ll drop you off on the way there“, he said still not sounding fully convincing

„sure...why not?“, Joss gave in and followed him to the car, that was parked in front of the house.

They both remained silent throughout the drive,althoughJoss had expected her father to use this

opportunity for a talk.

When the school came into view, they did not slow down but instead drove past it.

„Hey, whata you doin‘? School was back there“, Joss suddenly started, pointing over her shoulder,

back towards the school.

„I’m taking you with me to work today ... so you can maybe understand what’s at stake for us here“,

he explained, still with a slight shake in his voice.

Joss had no idea how to react to that, this was so out of character for her dad. He never before cared

to explain to her what exactly he was doing or why this specific job was so much more important

than anything else. But whatever was up with him, she didn’t like it.

They soon left town and arrived in an industrial district. The building they where heading for was

hidden behind fences and barbed wire.

They pulled up at the gate where Thomas Myles waved his bright yellow lanyard in front of a scanner

to open it. There was no guard but a lot of surveillance cameras aimed at where the gate opened to

let them inside the wired fence.

The building itself looked pretty bland if it wasn’t for the giant letters proclaiming this to be „the

minestry of joy“

Joss still wasn’t sure if she should be happy about her father actually making her ditch school, or if

taking her with him to work was going to be an entirely new type of punishment. But if this job was

so damn important to him, why would he risk her making a fool of him in front of his colleagues or

even his boss?

But Joss soon realized that this wouldn‘t be a problem as her father pushed her on through the

empty corridors.

After a seemingly endless walk, they entered a room that had nothing but a chair and a mirror in it.

The chair had suspicious restraints mounted to it like Joss had seen it only in movies where they were

never used for good things.

„Dad, what’s goin‘ on here?“, she asked with fear now evident in her voice.

„you leave me with no other choice“, he awnserd, sounding sad and disappointed, as he forced her

into the chair

„please, don’t get me wrong, Josie, I still love you...“, he tried to explain calming, but she could see

tears forming in the corners of his eyes „I just can’t deal with all of this right now, this job, what I get

to do here, is just too important for you to screw it all up.“, he went on, his voice shaking even more

now “Why did you have to be such an unhappy child... I only hope this will help you get better„

With what was supposed to be a reassuring smile he finished tieing his daughter up and left the

room.

„please stop, Dad! This isn’t funny!“ The leather straps where tight around her wrists and ankles and

she had to watch helplessly.

Lights turned on behind the mirror, revealing her father in the next room. The room was filled with

all kinds of consoles and computers.

„initializing marmalization, test sequence number seven. Commencing correction.“

Still struggling to free herself, Joss had to watch as a ceiling panel moved back to reveal some kind of

mechanical devices with five arms moving in her direction.

One of the arms placed spinning discs right in front of her eyes, while the bright lights mounted to

another one started to flash viciously. The arm equipped with yellow canisters released a suspicious

gas, while the brushes on a different arm started to tickle her, so she couldn’t hold her breath.

II/III

All she could see was the flashing of lights and she felt a tingling and how her lungs filled with the

gas.

When Josephine came back to, everything around her was spinning. Not in a nauseating way, more

like a dance or a rollercoaster, giving her a rush she had never felt before. She had forgotten all about

her dad and the strange Maschine he had called a marmalizer. Her senses where completely

overwhelmed by how much fun it was to watch the world spin.

She felt someone undoing her bonds, then she saw the siluett of a person in front of her. She tried to

focus on the figure until she was able to recognize her father standing above her.

Her vision was still spinning but his face became clearer by the second. He was saying something but

she couldn’t hear it over the rhythmic buzzing in her skull.

„what did you do to me“, she tried to scream over the noise.

Her father’s face became concerned but what came out of his mouth was just more noise.

She could just barely make out that he was trying to tell her something, but the overwhelming noise

drowned out all of his words. In fact, the noise even got worse when he spoke, as if to assure she

wouldn’t understand

„just go to hell!“, was all she could think of right now.

What was happening to her? Why had he done this? And why wouldn’t that buzzing and spinning

stop?

Still unsure of what she was seeing, she watched her fathers eyes change into spirals and his face

became blank.

Slowly he wander over to the wall of the room where he started to smach his head against the

concrete.

Joss’s mind was just barely clear enough to understand what was happening.

„did I...?“, she whispered in disbelief.

Getting up from the chair, she moved closer to the man who was now acting as if under some kind of

spell.

„stop that!“, she commanded him, only now realizing that the ringing in her ears had finally started

to fade away and she could hear her own voice again.

As nothing happened, she grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face her. His eyes were still spinning

spirals.

„I said, stop that!“, this time he complyed and a smile spread over Josephines face.

Even though everything was still a bit foggy, she knew what she had just done. She also felt a little

stronger and overall, in a wiered way, happyer.

She grabbed her father firmly on his shoulders and yanked him away from the Wall „take me back to

the car“, she commanded with a firm voice.

Again, her father’s eyes turned into spirals and, stiff like a zombie, he began to walk –

It didn’t take them that long to get back outside, but Joss still needed to support herself against a

wall every now and then. The corridors where still just as dessert as before.

„drive me back into town“ she commanded her father who still obliged without questions. She could

really get used to this. But was it just him or could she control other people too?

Joss told her father to stop when she spotted a middle aged woman walking along the the side of the

road.

She rolled down the window.

„Excuse me, miss“, she chimed to call the woman over. She needed eye-contact for this hypnosis

thing or whatever it was to work, that much she had figured out.

When the woman turned to look, Joss siezed her opportunity

„would you kindly run into traffic for me?“

With that, the gaze of the woman turned blank and her eyes formed into spirals. Only seconds later

she charged past the Myles’s car and got clipped by a mini van.

Joss watched fascinated as the women got back up from the ground, seemingly unharmed, and

started to run for the middle of the street again.

This was strangley funny. Joss needed to see what else she could do.

She jumped out of the car, ordering her father to follow and headed back to her school.

All the nausia and vertigo was forgotten instead, Joss was almost bursting with ideas on what to do

with her school. Tell teachers to commit vandalism, mess with everyone’s grades, get someone to

pull the fire alarm, the possibilities were endless. And not just at the school, the world was her

playground now.

The sun was already setting when she arrived at home.

It had been an exciting day.

Joss had caused havok in the school, had taken a bus for a spin, causing a mass traffic accident on the

main street, tried every ice-cream flavor in the city free of charge, and she‘d gotten her hair dyed in a

bright yellow. As she had later realized, her eyes had become spirals, just like those of everyone she

hypnotized, and her new, flashier style went a lot better with that then her old school uniform.

With all that had been going on today, she didn’t even notice that the front door of her home wasn’t

locked like it should have been. The siluet of a person, standing right next to the kitchen however,

she did not miss.

„whattare you doin‘ in here?“ she asked while squinting into the dark.

„Dr. Thomas Myles, I presume“ the stranger addressed her father, who was still following her like a

dog, in a cold and emotionless voice.

„I’m sorry but he’s not all there at the moment“ Joss awnsered for her hypnotized father

„do you know who your father was working for, miss Myles?“, the stranger finally addressed her, a

hint of an orange glow visible where his face should be

„some big company... like I care to remember.. “ not being able to see the guy was getting on her

nerves so she fumbled for the light switch while talking.

„the „ministry of joy“ is a government department and I am afraid you made quite a mess of it,

young lady“

She really did not enjoy being called that. Without waiting any longer, she flipped the switch, hoping

to blind the man.

As the lights came to life flickering, Joss could finally see the man in front of her.

He had dark, well trimmed hair with the longer top layers slicked back and was wearing formal attire.

Matching black suit pants, waist coat and shirt with the sleeves rolled up slightly and the top button

undone. Despite that and the lack of a tie, he still looked like you’d imagine a government agent with

his dark sunglasses and expressionless face. She already hated him, and why was that creep even

wearing sunglasses in the dark?

„your father here was involved in the design of a fairly expensive prototype. I hear it had a unique

and very unforeseen effect on you“

The marmalizer. Was that all he was here for?

„oh that stupid thing that gave me that headache?“

She heard an annoyed groan from the man, so he was capable of emotions after all.

With what seemed like no more than one step, he crossed the room.

With him standing right in front of her, she realized how tall the guy was, maybe almost two meters.

The new angle also allowed her to see the short cropped hair on his neck. It was a bright orange, that

had hidden under the longer, black hair.

What a strange fashion choice for a „men in black“ type guy like him.

She look up at him

„Listen Mister, I don’t give a damn about that stupid machine and you should just piss of.“ She

deliberately gazed at him during the last part, fixating on where she expected his eyes to hid behind

the sunglasses.

The corners of his mouth twitched into what was almost a smile „young lady, I’m afraid you have no

idea what you’ve gotten yourself into“ he’s said calmly while slowly pulling down his sunglasses.

The moment his Eyes met Joss’s, she froze. There was a pair of softly glowing orange rings

surrounded by a deep darkness that filled both of his eye sockets

„but you will soon find out“ he added and pushed the glasses back into position.

As if gravity had been dialed up, Joss suddenly felt very heavy, struggling to say on her feet. Even

with her now slightly enhanced strength, she collapsed to the floor.

---------

Joss didn’t know how much time had passed when she woke up, but she immediately realized that

she wasn’t at home anymore. She was inside yet another grey concert room, her hands tied to the

table she was sitting at.

If this was becoming a regular thing, she already hated it.

The door opened and the stranger from before entered.

Joss scoffed and rattled the chains around her wrists „do you think that can hold me? I can just tell

you to let me go“

„I’m afraid that won’t work, Miss Myles“, he sits down opposite of her, placing his sunglasses on the

table „as you might have noticed, you are not the only one with ‚extraordinarily tallents‘“

Joss stares into his black eyes again. Is that why it didn’t work on him before? Or was it just, that she

was too surprised to concentrate properly. She had to try again.

„you will let me go“, she said carefully

„no, I will not“, was the dry response

„we can’t possibly let someone like you run rampant, which is why you will be working for me from

now on“

„wait a second! I’m too young to work!“,she protested

The man simply ignored her. „I personally don’t think you are fit to join the Secret Weapons

Programm, but unfortunately,.. I’m not the one making these decisions“

III/III

When Joss woke up again, the first thing she noticed was the door, it was open. The Room also

looked a lot more friendly than the almost dungeon like room of the evening. This room had a

window and outside of it was some kind of garden or park. And for once, Joss was not tied up

Joss looked down on herself, she was still wearing her school uniform. Next to the bed, she found her

bag.

„rollcall, everyone!“, she heard a stern and cold voice from the hallway, that creep with the sunglass

from yesterday. She really didn’t feel like seeing him again so soon. Instead of following the sound

out the room, she stepped up to the window to take a look outside.

The room was probably on the second floor and the building was surrounded by carefully kept

greenery with some sort of cable lift in the distance and a metal structure that reminded her of a

roller coaster.

„wait a minute“, she said to herself „is this freaky organization hiding out in a..... Themepark?“

„you number 7?“, someone right behind her asked, the voice smoth but deep.

Joss spun around startled „what?“

Now standing in front of her was an androgynous goth with long, purple and magenta dreadlocks.

„guess that’s a ‚yes‘“, their face barely showing any reaction to Joss’s surprise.

They looked to be about her age but where almost a head taller and looked sickly thin.

„who the hell are you?“, she asked impatient. Technically, she had just been kitnapped and she at

least demanded to know who here kitnappers where.

„SW3, Narthryn Xatharys. Not that I expected you to remember that.... Not like anyone else would

care to...“, the purple haird teen awnsered, still sounding deprived of any emotion.

„Narth... what? What kind of a stupid-“

„I don’t give a damn ‘bout what you think.

„soooo.... Is there a reason Orson never close the door to his room when he’s out?“

„honestly, I never thought about it...“

„why would you care? This isn’t any of your business“

„oh, so your defending our slave-driver, Narth?“

„we,... we're all members of the program, Orson too“

„then what exactly gives Mr. Stick-up-his-ass the right to act like he’s our boss“

„well, he is best suited as a team leader...“

„sounds like you little punk wanna be in charge, now that’s great... “

„excuse me, princess. How old are you again? And I‘m not the one with his Doc’s on the couch, Emo-

boy“

„at least 3000 years older then you so shut it, I wanna read“

„seriously?!?“

„Nemi really is that old...“

„urgh“

„sorry, Narthryn..“

„while you two keep up flirting, i’ll be checking out Orson’s Room“