Nobody can imagine the feeling. After 10 years in a concrete cell alone he finally stepped out, into the fresh air, into the city that once he lived in peace, the city that betrayed him, the city where his whole family turned against him.
"My car is there, so follow me." She said, but as he looked back, he didn't move.
Just stood still before the high walls of the prison and stared straight ahead.
"Joseph?" She asked back, but she knew it was something that was hard to understand, how it felt to be out in public, in the weather, to feel it. But not just that, the change.
Those ten years, a lot of things happened, a lot of changes to the world. It was 2010 when he was thrown into jail, and now ten years have passed, a decade of change to the world, to technology, to everything.
"Let's go…" He said as he stepped forward, and it was light. He felt his whole body was just light, like he was walking in heaven. He felt the sun, the warmth, the fresh air. He could feel all of it, and at that point, he promised something to himself.
He would never go back to prison.
With that, they walked to the car, which was the first thing he noticed.
What is this… He thought as he looked at the car that he knew the model of, but it looked so different from what he used to see… it looked futuristic.
"Ten years, Joseph. A lot of things changed." Olivia said as she smiled at him and got into the car. But for him, it was even a hard part to find the handle of the car, because there wasn't any handle.
"Push the button and the handle clicks out." She said as she rolled down the tinted black window.
So he pushed the button and the handle slowly pulled click out of the door, like a spaceship was it but that was the beginning as he sat in the car Jospeh mind blew away. He knew what a touchscreen was, but not what was in the car, a big-ass screen and not just that, but it looked like a ture spaceship to him.
But still, one thing was on his mind that was stranger to him then anything else.
"Why are you alone?" He asked as he looked at her.
He was deemed the most dangerous mafia boss, but now she was just chilling with him alone.
And, well, if she didn't have a straight answer to it. Everybody, even her bosses, said to bring the whole squad with her because nobody knew what the truth was about him, and if he got released, who knew what was going to happen?
Well, she too was still doubting the whole thing and was worried about Joseph… that maybe she just set herself up, but had hoped that it was all a misunderstanding, like how he said, but the most danger part of all of it not was Joseph but more importantly his enemies who want to hunt him down.
Yeah because the list was published on the page of the Justice Ministerium that which inmate would get pardon and on the list Joseph name was the biggest one.
So basically it was setup… yeah maybe it was a plan all along to actually see what happened when people get the info that the most dangerous man is going to be released, how do other gangsters and underworld figures react to it.
"I believe in your story, that your family set you up and you have no connection to anything." She looked at him, but her eyes flickered for a bit. "Well, maybe I'm still guessing, but this car has trackers as well as my phone, and if something happens, they will know it." She smiled but that smile was fake as fuck and she knew it that she was part of the setup that maybe today something really bad going to happen or in the near future. "Ohh and this you said your eyes hurt so put it up." She said and gave him tinted sunglasses which was actually a good idea because of the sunlight.
Maybe that move was her best move, because now she was the first person, even if she is an agent, that showed care toward him.
"Buckle yourself up and off we go." She said and Joseph did that and finally they were out of the Bastion, from his home…
There were a lot of changes and a lot of things he didn't understand as they neared the city, like the city wasn't looking how it always looked, big skyscrapers, buildings, and new roads, even names of them. It all looked unbelievable and just otherworldly to him.
"Lots of change, yeah?" She asked as she looked at him for a second at the red light.
"Yeah… the fashion is much better." He said as he looked outside. "What happened to the city… it looks confusing. What are those numbers and what happened to the slums?
"When the last government collapsed, a new democratic government took the lead and changed it to parliamentary republic and with that they cut up Vienna into 23 districts."
"District?" He asked back.
"Yeah, 23 districts, all districts have their own mayor and own local government but the whole has a so-called lord mayor who is elected by the people of all 23 districts." She explained to him and what Joseph noticed was the holes in it.
"So there are more holes in corruption, aren't there?"
She laughed. "Yeah that's why the National Integrity Authority was formed, and they work to stop any sign of corruption and they have their eyes on every single bit of money the district spends and where to spend it."
So there is still corruption just under layers.. nice.
"What about the slums?"
The slums of Vienna, the worst place to be alive, was in the east part of the city, a quarantine zone.
"Slums were all destroyed, the people got housing for free and work where they can finally do something, so yeah Vienna now is a great city."
Great city, huh… but still, gangsters roam around. They still have power, and with this district system, it's easier to go unnoticed.
Yeah, as he thought more about it, it made more sense, because if every district had its own little government and mayor, it just gave more possibility to get them bribed. There are too many holes in that. Even though he didn't know too much about it, he could think about it and imagine that if one mayor gets corrupted, then the whole district becomes a mess and it's not just about money.
That agency, the NIA, which fights against corruption too, is just looking at the funds that are going to the district system, so what about the other things?
A mayor can help them smuggle, help them with a lot of things to hide tracks, not even talking about if a gangster gets into the system with them.
But his thoughts were shattered because as she was driving, taking turns and stopping there was something he noticed.
"You said you came alone, yeah?"
"Why, you want to escape?" She asked with a chuckle.
"Well, no, but we just turned onto a one-lane road, and behind us are two blacked-out cars, following us." He said it calmly and she immediately looked at the mirror, and well it was true.
Two cars were behind, their tails really close, and she immediately knew it wasn't any agency or branch. There weren't any number plates on the cars, and they were too close.
"Open the glove box and give me the radio." She said as she still eyed the car behind, but they were fucked because it was a red light and in front of them was 3 cars and the most fucked up thing, she had no lights on her car not even siren.
Meanwhile Joseph did exactly what she said, opened the glove box, and put the radio into her hand.
"This is—"
As soon as he wanted to call in it happened, from the back the car straight went into them and pushed them out of the road to the right side into the light pole and they were immediately knocked out, at least Joseph was, because he was tired as fuck with all those years of suffering, and well, the airbag hit him so hard that he immediately lost consciousness, while the woman on his side was up until her door was opened and was hit with a gun.
It was quick. Not even an hour out of jail, and he was already kidnapped with the agent who was there to protect him or protect the public from him…
Well, she didn't do her job well enough, as they were thrown into one of the blacked-out cars, and once they opened their eyes, it was just a reminder of how much shit they were in, at least the woman realized it.
Great city where a kidnap of an agent can happen during daylight… yeah what a great city it is.
When Olivia opened her eyes she saw the typical setting in a dark warehouse surrounded by gangsters… something she trained for and something she had already experienced once in her life.
But on the other hand, Joseph was up too, just staring ahead. His eyes were bloodshot red, but he could see the faces.
How lucky I am… he thought as he looked around. Fuck my life…
"Cassian Joseph… how nice to see you." A woman's voice came as she stepped toward him and lifted his head up. "Do you recognize me after 10 long years?" She asked, smiling into those empty and dark eyes.
"Who the fuck is this bitch…?" He asked as he looked at Olivia, but then he got hit so hard in the face that his nose immediately broke.
Not even an hour out he was already being tortured.