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manisca-rye · 1 year

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Dreams of Grandeur and Paradise

Title: Dreams of Grandeur and Paradise (Part 1)

Rating: M

Pairing: Berlin/Andrés de Fonollosa x OC

Word Count: 5K

Synopsis: The day the most iconic heist in history began at the Royal Mint of Spain, Francisca Martínez was working her last shift of the week in the cafeteria of the museum as a waitress. The heist lasts a total of six days, during which time Francisca finds herself getting too comfortable with her hostage status as she develops a decidedly unhealthy fascination with the leader of the heist, an enigmatic man called Mr. Berlin.

Contains: unequal power dynamics, smut, possible stockholm syndrome

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Segment I: A Robbery At The Royal Mint

Friday

The atmosphere at the cafeteria of the Royal Mint of Spain was as busy as it ever was on a Friday morning and so I went about my work duties, serving patrons with their food orders and ensuring everything was running smoothly on my part. I had been at this job as a waitress for two years now and had come to enjoy the various interactions I had with the patrons that often came by the cafeteria.

I had come in for my morning shift and began work at seven o'clock, and now a little more than three hours into my shift, the morning breakfast crowd of patrons had slowed down and so I was performing clean-up duty as I went around the tables of the cafeteria collecting anything left behind and wiping down the tables while I sang along to the music playing in the cafeteria and paid faint attention to the chattering of the other cafeteria workers.

As I made my way back to the kitchen of the cafeteria, the sudden opening of the cafeteria doors caught my attention as two people dressed in red jumpsuits and pointing guns in my direction made me drop the cleaning items I was holding as I froze in fear for a momentary second. The next few minutes were chaotic as I, along with all the other employees of the cafeteria, were led out by the armed robbers until we found ourselves in the main hall of the museum where we were instructed to cover our eyes with sleep masks.

I could hear the sounds of people sobbing as we stood around waiting for the unknown, and my own terror at the current situation made me cry quietly right along with the others. I listened to the voice of one of the robbers as he gave a speech that explained our current circumstances and warned us of the importance of obeying their instructions. After completing several rounds of the instructed breathing exercises, I found myself gradually calming down enough to stop crying and was left shivering in fearful anticipation.

It was nerve wracking to stand in wait silently, and when the alarms began to go off, I hoped that meant that the police would be alerted to what was happening and rescue us before the robbers could do anything to harm anyone. The next moments were filled with the sound of gunfire going off and the screams of everyone taken hostage and time seemed to stop as my terror came back tenfold.

Segment II: We Are Now Hostages

It had now been a few hours since the robbers had entered the royal mint and taken everyone hostage. In that time, we had all our phones confiscated and we were currently seated on the floor of the main hall, still blindfolded as we waited while hoping for the police to negotiate our release. I continually tried to distract myself with happier memories and my terror at my current situation was minimally lessened if nothing else.

I was taken out of my thoughts by the orders to stand up and take our masks off. I blinked as my eyesight adjusted to the light after having been kept in the dark for so long. Cautiously looking around I could see most of the other hostages wore varying expressions of tiredness and fear as we listened to the robber that had introduced himself as the leader, Mr Berlin, explain that we were going to receive sleeping bags, sandwiches and water in preparation for sleep. He went on to announce that we would also be required to wear red jumpsuits similar to the ones the robbers wore and would be given fake guns to be used at a later time. Despite the circumstances, I eagerly consumed the sandwiches and water, having not realised how hungry I was with the passing of time.

After finishing our meals, we received masks similar to the ones worn by the robbers and engaged in what I later figured out was almost a confrontation with the police. Thereafter, the kidnappers instructed different groups of people to follow them and be put to work while the rest of us that remained would get a chance to sleep. I fell asleep soon after getting into my sleeping bag, hoping that when I woke up, the nightmare I found myself in would have somehow ended.

Segment III: Medication and Gunshots

Saturday

When I next woke up, the nightmare had not ended and I found myself still being held hostage in the royal mint. I could feel what I guessed was a stress-induced headache coming on, and so I tried breathing exercises to calm myself but that didn't seem to be helping no matter how much I willed myself calm. I had experienced similar headaches in the past, most often in the year following my Mother's death but had learnt to manage my tiredness and stress as the years went by.

The speech given by Mr Berlin about ensuring no one became depressed by assigning us all tasks was cut short when he came and stood in front of the older woman that was sobbing in front of me. After offering anxiety medication to the sobbing woman, the question was asked if anyone else needed medication and after a few more people spoke up, I raised my hand and was called on, “I need pain killers.”

After the robber called Nairobi had collected a group of men to follow her, we were each allowed to record videos for our families. I had no immediate family to speak of since my Mother's passing six years ago and my Father's death a decade ago. I had no siblings as I had been an only child and any extended family I had left, I was not particularly close to. Nonetheless, I thought about what I would like to say to the people I considered family, my closest friends and my Mother's closest friends that I considered my own aunties.

“Hello. This is Francisca. Francisca Martínez. I am doing well. We are being well looked after and the robbers are not violent. I hope to see you all again soon, and wish you well for now.” I breathed deeply after my video had been recorded, with the assurance that our videos would be seen by our loved ones on the outside. I was led to an upstairs office where the people that had requested medication earlier were sitted and waiting in tense silence while we were watched over by one of the large and strong-looking robbers.

I was seated closest to the door and so was given the medication to distribute when it was delivered by one of the younger-looking robbers, passing the bag around for everyone to collect their medication. I gratefully took the painkillers and waited for the medicine to start taking effect.

After what could have been an hour or less, I realised that the Director's secretary Ms Monica Gaztambide had not returned after having accompanied the robber out of the office. I only knew of Ms Gaztambide through our limited interactions when she would come by the cafeteria on occasion, but hoped that she was doing well and hoped she would be okay.

The sound of faint gunshots were soon heard and the faint sense of calm I had created for myself vanished in that instant.

Segment IV: The News of Ms Gaztambide's death

Sunday

The next day found our group of five, Alma, Carmen, Elena, Gabriella and I, in the same office we had spent the previous day and night in. I had once again taken another dosage of the painkillers provided yesterday after waking up with another headache and so sat back as I began feeling the slow effects of the medication work to relieve the throbbing pain.

The only chance we got to get out of the room that morning was to go to the bathrooms to relieve ourselves and freshen up as best we could with only the use of limited toiletries, paper towels and water from the handwashing sinks. I stood in front of the mirror as I applied a minimal coating of hand lotion to my face after a wash, giving my dark brown skin a minimally better-looking appearance.

When we returned to the office, we were soon silent as we sat around with not much to do other than reflect on the fact that we were currently hostages. I tried not to feel trapped but the stress of not knowing what was going on was suffocating. Each time we heard gunshots, we feared someone had been shot but received no definitive information from the robbers.

My mind drifted as I continuously wondered if I could have done anything differently on that Friday morning in order to have avoided being caught up in my current situation, though I could not have predicted that I would ever be caught up in such a situation.

By the time one of the younger robbers, Rio, came to distribute food and water, I had decided and worked up the nerve to request being assigned any type of task so as to hopefully occupy my mind enough to momentarily forget what was going on. I requested a private chat and when Rio and I had made our way into the corridor outside the office, I began, “I feel better today than I did yesterday and wanted to find out if there are any tasks I can be assigned to do downstairs.”

“There aren't any tasks that require any more people right now. But I will let you know if that changes.” He replied before he escorted me back to the office and left our group alone.

The atmosphere of the room was somewhat less anxious with the robber guarding us from outside the door and not in the room with us as the other had been yesterday. We were able to exchange quiet conversation and reassurance to each other as we sat and waited for the unknown.

The chattering abruptly ended as the door opened and in came the robber that had introduced himself as the leader of the heist. The atmosphere of the room became tense as Mr Berlin sat in the chair closest to the door, surveying us all with a look that I could not really read. With a stroke of unfounded bravery, I stared and studied him, looking for something I was not aware of but some part of me was curious about such a man.

Mr Berlin gave a speech about how we were protected from the horror, blood and gunfire that was going on outside of where we were.

I listened to his voice, trying to determine what sort of person would lead such a heist against an institution like the royal mint, when he announced that he had had to order the death of a person in order to maintain order. The tone of voice used by Mr Berlin to describe emotions made it seem like he was firmly detached from the very emotions he described.

The mention of the death of Ms Gaztambide filled me with fear and sadness as I wondered if that meant that we might all lose our lives. Mr Berlin had previously assured everyone that we would not lose our lives if we followed the robbers' rules and I wondered whether Ms Gaztambide had broken one of their rules or they had just turned against her and killed her regardless of their own rules.

Either my sense of bravery had intensified or maybe I was just getting tired of my current circumstance but I raised my hand when he had finished speaking for several moments and when he nodded in affirmation, I took a deep breath as I asked, “You assured us that we would all be safe if we followed the rules and instructions. Did Ms Gaztambide break one of the rules?”

Mr Berlin looked at me directly as he answered, “Ms Gaztambide had hidden a phone away. One of the very first rules given was that no one was allowed to keep any phones with them and no one was allowed to contact the outside world.” He looked at all of us as he reassured, “Nothing will happen to you for as long as you obey the rules and instructions given to you.”

After a few moments of silence, Mr Berlin stood up and made his way to the door, leaving without another word.

My thoughts were filled with sadness for Ms Gaztambide's unfortunate fate and what that meant for the rest of us. But underlying my sadness was a growing morbid curiosity about just what kind of man the leader of the robbers was.

Mr Berlin had previously seemed reassuring, or rather as reassuring as one could be as a kidnapper in a hostage situation, each time he made one of his speeches explaining what was required of those taken hostage. But now I particularly wondered what kind of a man leads criminals to take hostages in such a manner and discusses the death of a woman as though it were a usual everyday happening.

After what felt like a less than three hours later, the sudden sounds of gunshots and screams began ringing out. We all instinctively dived to the floor and were huddled together as the gunfire and screams continued for what felt like an endless amount of time, though was realistically less than half an hour, before all went quiet again.

All five of us checked on one another to make sure everyone was doing okay, reassuring each other of our well being. Carmen noted something that we were all thinking but too afraid to say, “Do you think they killed a lot of people?”

After a beat of silence., I shook my head in disagreement. “The screams indicate that people are still alive enough to scream. It could be the police storming inside.”

“Are we just going to wait here not knowing what's happening out there?” questioned the heavily pregnant Elena angrily.

“What do you want us to do? We don't know if the robbers are right outside the door waiting for one of us to step out of line.” Was the reply from the schoolgirl called Gabriella.

As we lapsed into momentary silence, I looked at the door that was supposed to provide security for those inside the room but now acted as a prison gate to keep us locked and unknowing of what was happening outside.

Segment V: Mr Berlin

As more time passed in anxious waiting, the sound of the door opening was a change in the monotony of our routine as we all turned towards the door to see one of the robbers make his way in. He promptly informed me that I was to be escorted somewhere, hopefully not my sudden death, but I nonetheless followed him as he led me to an office down the hall.

He opened the door and indicated that I should proceed and I did so semi-cautiously and turned as the door closed after me, to face the leader of the robbers where he sat behind the large wooden desk drinking what looked to be wine.

“Francisca Martínez.” Mr Berlin questioned, and I nodded in affirmation while wondering if it had been a question or simply a form of acknowledgment.

“Come closer Miss Martinez.” Mr Berlin implored as he drank his wine with a self assured grace.

I moved several steps and now stood in front of the enormous wooden desk. I finally got a chance to study the leader of the heist up close as he offered me a seat in one of the chairs facing him and I quietly thanked him as I took a seat.

A few moments of muted silence passed before he began, “You would like to be assigned a task downstairs, is that right Francisca?” I simply nodded my affirmation in reply.

“You aren't happy with the consideration offered to you so far?” Mr Berlin asked in a tone of voice that did not indicate what answer he preferred to hear but nonetheless, I replied, “I do appreciate your consideration by giving me medication and feel much better than I did earlier today and yesterday. I don't have any headaches anymore. If it's not a bother, I would like to be assigned work with the other hostages downstairs.”

After another moment of simply holding eye contact, he questioned, “Tell me, what was your job before we commandeered operation of the mint?”

“I worked as a waitress at the cafeteria.” I replied, breaking our continued eye contact as I had begun to feel uncomfortable with the intensity with which he stared at me.

“There's already a team working in the cafeteria to prepare food.” He mentioned in reply. “In fact we already have people for everything.”

I nodded in understanding as I replied,“I can also perform any other required tasks.”

“That's the right attitude to have at a time like this.” He replied as he finished his drink and stood up to pour himself another drink, my eyes following him across the room as I had nothing to say in answer to his comment.

Mr Berlin stood upright by the drink station and took a good drink of his wine, watching me with the eyes of a hawk as the silence stretched on.

I stood up and prepared to ask to leave and return to the other office, when he spoke up in a conversational tone of voice. “When Mussolini was losing the Second World War and a cloud of depression wouldn't allow him to think, he realized that the only thing that could lift his spirits was sex.” I stared at him, listening where I stood. “So, he had a prostitute ensconced in a room next to his office, and would visit her every now and then so she could bring back his joy.”

I took a moment to process what he said, trying to read the meaning under the words and particular example given before I ventured to reply. “I wonder what the prostitute thought of that arrangement and what she thought of the man who had made such an arrangement with her.”

Mr Berlin looked at me with a faint trace of what could have been a smile as he heard what I had said. “Indeed one does wonder. Was it simply the money he offered her in return for her company or was there more to their arrangement.”

“Some women find the idea of illicit sex with men considered immoral to be a thrilling fantasy.” I returned looking at him and allowed myself to admire his physicality despite the wrongness of such emotions, especially given the news of Ms Gaztambide's recent fate.

Mr Berlin seemed to study me as he questioned “Is that a fantasy you've had Francisca?”

I breathed deeply as a brief moment of anxiousness passed through me before I answered, “Not until very recently.”

Mr Berlin turned the chair closest to him to face me as he sat down directly across from where I stood against his desk, before he questioned, “Tell me Francisca, do you consider me an immoral man?”

“Morality is relative, particularly in certain circumstances more so than others. But desire and pleasure are universal.” I answered assuredly, my thoughts focused on this very moment as I awaited his reply.

“Absolutely.” He responded. “Now the question remains if I desire you, Francisca.”

“That's a question only you can answer.” I said as I purposefully looked at him and tried to present myself confidently as I stood looking right at him.

Mr Berlin casually stood up and set aside his glass, walking to where I stood while staring at me with an intensity that evoked further desire in me. He stopped so close to where I stood, his dark eyes looking down into my own dark brown ones as he brought his hand to the side of my neck, holding onto my neck with a measure of force before bringing his lips to slowly trace my jaw as he whispered: “I certainly desire you, Miss Martínez.” Before he brought his lips to my own, kissing me slowly at first with a few kisses before fully covering my lips with his own.

I kissed him back without thought, enjoying the taste of rich wine his lips carried and the feel of his lips against mine as pleasure coursed through my body. We slowly broke apart after a few more moments, and I breathed deeply in order to catch my breath as Mr Berlin brought his hands to my waist and guided me onto the desk while he moved to stand my open legs.

Mr Berlin kissed me again even more fervently and I kissed him back just as fiercely while fisting both hands into the front of his jumpsuit. We were soon stripping out of our clothing in between urgent caresses and fervent kisses. Before long, I found myself laying naked on the desk as I rested one bent leg on the desk, feeling pleasure course through my body as Mr Berlin moved closer between my legs while his hands held my waist.

When I shifted my eyes and was looking directly at him, he thrust into me in one swift motion that left me gasping deeply through a heady mixture of pleasure and pain, before my hands moved to grip the edge of the desk by my head.

Mr Berlin fucked like he seemed to do everything else, with a systematic sense of harsh precision as he thrust in and out. Both his hands held onto my waist tightly as he continued fucking me. Only his low groans alerted me to the fact that even he could succumb to the urges of sexual pleasure.

As I approached climax, Mr Berlin brought the hand that had been against my waist to my throat and held on with the slightest pressure, seemingly intensifying my feelings of ecstasy as I moaned passionately, until eventually, my climax washed over me with the intensity of an explosion that rushed through my body and left me in a whole new state of ecstatic bliss. As I experienced the high of my own ecstasy, I felt when Mr Berlin achieved his own orgasm as his thrusts slowed down and the heat of his climax enhanced my own feelings of calming pleasure as I breathed deeply trying to catch my breath for the next few moments.

I accepted the drink Mr Berlin offered as I finished tying my jumpsuit around my waist, before sitting back comfortably on the sofa set to one side of the room. The atmosphere around us was one that was borne of a sexually satisfied calm that followed a round of good sex.

He handed me my drink as he joined me on the sofa, seeming to study me as I smiled at him before taking a generous sip to taste, the rich flavour of the wine reminding me of the taste of Mr Berlin's lips. Just as I brought my glass away from my lips, there was a rapid knock on the door and both Mr Berlin and I turned to see one of the robbers, Nairobi, followed up her knock by opening the door before coming in. Nairobi spared me a momentary glance before looking at Berlin and giving him an urgent look.

Mr Berlin promptly stood up and I followed suit, setting my glass aside as he informed me that I would be escorted back to the other office shortly and to go and wait outside for Nairobi to escort me back. I nodded in understanding before I went out into the hallway, only faintly catching the words exchanged between Nairobi and Mr Berlin before she was leading me quietly and quickly back down the hallway to the office I had been staying in.

“Thank goodness you're back. We feared the worst when you didn't return after leaving.” Alma said as soon as the door closed after me, and similar sentiments were shared by the other ladies of what had become our unofficial group.

Carmen looked at me curiously as she questioned, “Where were you and what happened?”

I gave them what I hoped was a reassuring smile as I answered, “I went to see the leader of the robbers, Mr Berlin, about getting assigned a task downstairs. And was informed that all the tasks have already been assigned to people and they don't require any extra people.” A version of the truth was always better than trying to lie, which I was not particularly good at anyways, and I could not really explain the whole truth as I was now only coming to my senses as I realised what I had just done.

All the ladies accepted my answer though Carmen still looked at me weirdly and I smiled at her as I reassured her that everything was okay with me and not to worry too much about me.

As the conversation continued among the other ladies, my thoughts came back to me as I recalled the meeting I had had with Mr Berlin. Some part of me had known that I found him attractive and fascinating as soon as I began to observe him intently. I had decisively pushed such thoughts to the back of my mind earlier today after learning about Ms Gaztambide's death and the role he had to play in her demise. I wondered if the fact that I did not regret fucking Mr Berlin despite my sense of sadness over Ms Gaztambide's death, was an indication of my true expression of moral understanding rather than the understanding of morality I thought I held previously regarding murder in any form.

I also pondered whether having sex with Mr Berlin was something I would desire again or whether it had been a one time occurence induced by the stress and atmosphere of the heist. I stood up and went to the table where bottles of water sat, taking one and drinking deeply of the water before joining in the quiet conversations happening.

After what felt like less than an hour, we were told that we would be going out to chat with a member of the police forces to provide proof of life and so we prepared for that task.

When it was my turn, I was escorted by one of the robbers and was led to the main hall where a female police officer was seated next to Mr Berlin.

“This is Francisca Martínez.” Mr Berlin's voice was clear and precise as I came down the last few steps and stood in front of him and the police officer, who he introduced as a Police Inspector.

“How are you doing Miss Martínez?” She began as she looked at me.

I answered as truthfully as I could while heeding the warnings given beforehand to keep our answers brief when answering the police's questions. “As well as can be.”

She took a few notes before asking the next question, “How have you been treated so far?”

“I have been treated well enough so far.” I replied as I studied both the Inspector's and Mr Berlin's facial expressions. The Inspector had a measure of concern in her expression while Mr Berlin's face expressed how arrogantly assured he was of the situation, which is an expression he seemed to frequently carry on his face as he stared at me while I answered the Inspector's questions.

After being escorted back to the office where I had spent most of the past two days, I joined the other ladies and shared the way our interviews with the Police Inspector had gone.

Later that night, we had dinner in the same office we had been in all day with the monotony only broken up when we were escorted to the washrooms to use the bathrooms and freshen up as needed. Soon enough we began preparing our sleeping bags for another night spent being held hostage in the offices of the mint, as we were not allowed to go back to the other hostages downstairs and were forced to sleep in this office that had begun to feel claustrophobic despite the veneer of luxury it carried.

I was abruptly woken from my shallow sleep by the sound of a loud explosion that seemed to revibrate all around me. I quickly sat up, scrambling to make sense of what the explosion had been as all that could be heard from outside the door was ringing silence and the sounds of the circling helicopters outside seemed to intensify. I felt a mixture of fear and anticipation as I waited for someone to come through the door to either kill us all or rescue us. The atmosphere among our group was tense and anxious as we all looked at the door that led out of the office we currently occupied. This room we were in could be locked from the outside as we had discovered earlier, and so we were trapped with no way to get out even if the explosion that had woken us up had set fire to the building.

A few minutes after the explosion had rung out, the sound of gunfire began and was loud and continuous. The gunfire continued for what seemed like forever and rang so loudly that by the time all quieted down again, I was left tightly wound in a mixture of anguish and fear as my ears seemed to ring after the constant noise bombardment.

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