STALEMATE [MAFIA] [MXM] ✓

33: CONDOLENCES

It's at least a thirty minute drive before Salem is finally arriving at the station. They're reaching the early hours of the morning at this point, about 1:00 AM. He parks outside the station, then pockets Band's phone. He puts the keys in his other pocket, and steps out of the vehicle.

Salem locks it and turns around. He takes a deep breath, unsure what to expect and starting to feel a bit nervous. His adrenaline went away during the drive, as did a lot of his mania.

He can't believe he actually killed someone. Don't get him wrong, Band definitely deserved it, but still. He never thought he was capable of such a thing. He really lost it there for a second.

Salem decides not to dwell on it, before making his way down the broken escalator stairs.

Salem notices something really strange almost immediately. As he descends the escalator, it becomes apparent that there is nobody here. He frowns, wondering if perhaps this actually was some sort of trap aimed at him? That would take a crazy amount of planning, however, and there are a lot of things that would not be certain.

Salem frowns, then takes Band's phone out of his pocket. He never locked it, so he could still access the messages. Right as he's about to check said messages between Band and Catrine, he hears a noise from one of the hallways.

Salem tentatively makes his way that direction. He finds nobody in said hallway, but he definitely hears some noise. He just walks, steps a bit hurried but still silent due to his lack of shoes. He eventually reaches a doorway, and leans forward, peeking his head around the corner. He makes sure not to make his head show, at least not all that much. The doorway is so large that he doesn't have to lean far, anyway.

He realizes why the doorway is so big when his eyes land on the room. It's massive, and was absolutely not part of the original structure. Nope, Black Cross added this.

It's also full of people.

Atlas is at the very center, and it looks like some sort of strange stand off. All of Atlas' people are on one side, and Black Cross is on the other. Atlas is standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed. Catrine and her sister are on stools a few yards in front of him. They're keeping their distance, which is smart. The tension is almost palpable.

Atlas has his mask and coat on, hood up. Catrine is dressed unlike any time Salem has seen her in the past. He's so used to her being in her police uniform, it's strange to see her in leather pants and what basically looks like a cloak. She is not wearing a mask, but her sister is. It only covers the lower part of her face, and it looks like teeth or something.

"The only thing I've tried to do, from the very beginning," Catrine says, and her voice sounds like it did the last time Salem saw her. Darker, no longer professional. Her superiority complex seems to have vanished, though that might have more to do with Atlas than herself. "Is help."

Atlas' response is simple, and his voice sounds dead. Salem wonders what's happened while he's been gone. "Your sons thought that, too."

"That's because they were," Catrine replies, voice louder. She sounds defensive, the slightest bit of emotion leaking into her voice. She's trying so hard to remain unfazed, like Atlas, but she's failing. "They were your friends. If you let them go through with it, they'd have fixed everything. We wouldn't be here."

Salem notices that she has a large screen behind her, as well as a projector. It's really big. It's also off.

"There's nothing to fix."

"He is your weak spot," Catrine disagrees, and it doesn't take a genius to know she's talking about Salem. He puts the phone back in his pocket. He hears a faint buzzing sound, for a second, but it goes away quickly. "Getting rid of him will make you stronger."