Kalle Koskinen: The Iceman

Laughter filled the room as conversation flowed as freely as an Alpine stream. Elsa and myself had ventured to her family's mökki (holiday home) beside the town of Konnevesi in central Finland. We were joined by Elsa's brother Sami and his girlfriend Karina. Sami was tall, slim and had jet black hair which fell in locks to his shoulders. His face was gaunt, and his skin worn from years of military service and private security work. Karina originated from Prague in Czech Republic and has long straight scarlet-coloured hair which shined with a radiance of a terrifying beauty. She had soul-piercing green eyes and a smile which seemed to contain as many mysteries as a Russian doll. She described herself to be a free-lance accountant and financial advisor.

Sami and Karina proved to be good company. They were both well-traveled and spoke with respect, dignity and understanding. The pair had been involved with each other for the best part of a decade but had not yet tied the knot. They had professed that they were waiting for a time when they were more settled before engaging in the ancient act of matrimony. Despite the pair of them having aged into their mid-thirties, they appeared to live with a timeless youth and freedom that was not bound by responsibility. They were free souls.

The four of us sat together at a singular dinner table in the cabin. The icy wind of winter pelted the wood-formed walls and the windows of the cabin with a fierce power, sending flurries of snow to the ground from the high-heavens. The sun was close to setting but a chill had set into the air. The wooden cabin insulated us from the winter's cold embrace. A fire burned in a marble-clad stove in the centre of the cabin, heating us with tendrils of pleasant warmth. The fire burned from thick birch logs which crackled every few seconds as sparks formed from air bubbles inside the log exploding.

In front of each of us sat a bowl of pea soup and a side of dark rye bread. It was considered a very traditional meal in Finland, and a luxury to many. Small chunks of bacon and carrots floated in the soup, which we all engorged upon with an unfathomable content. Warmth filled our bellies as we wetted our lips with red wine. It was a simple meal but one made luxurious by the company of people who sat down to eat it. The four of us bonded over the meal. It was the first time I had met Sami Heikkinen and his partner Karina, and he had proved to be a pleasant companion.

The cabin provided an escape from reality for all of us. I had just completed by second season in charge of Peimari United and I arrived in Konnevesi to free my mind from the pressures of football. I had worked hard with Antti Eklund, the club's chairman, to put plans into motion ahead of the upcoming season. The club had recently turned professional and we had secured the signatures of a number of players. While three of those players signed during the end of last season, we had been actively searching through the world for a host of other players who were willing to join. We had secured two defenders, one Finn and one Englishman, to join our ranks before the beginning of next season. Two highly-rated prospects were due to join from US development sides during 2021.

The past year had not been without drama either. Since Rodrigo Soldado's attempt on the lives of Elsa and myself, I had thrown some of my free time into researching what the dragon which marked his arm stood for. It had a significance which was unknown to me at the time, and extensive research into the subject proved to be fruitless. Aside from a number of notable gangsters in Asian cities, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, who bared the mark as a piece of artwork, and not as a significant symbol, there was no mention of the dragon anywhere. The origins of the mystery had eluded me.

Michael Scott had also made quite the impression on 2020. The cowardly Englishman had arrived in Finland to seek his own revenge on myself. He disrespected the privacy of my dead mother by digging up her corpse from her grave and performing cruel and distasteful acts on her. Crime scene investigators had concluded that Scott ejaculated onto the corpse, staining my mother with his curse. Investigators also discovered traces of a rare poison on my mother's corpse, but the traces were faint which suggested that the poison had found its way to her decades ago. The investigators were at a loss as to how the poison got there, but admitted that it was impossible for Scott to have put the poison there.

Michael Scott appeared to have vanished from existence since the event. While police were actively searching for the vile demon who violated my mother's sanctuary of rest, the English-born plague could not be found. Since the event which unfurled in mid-March, there was not so much as a whisper uttered of Michael Scott. His presence was no longer a known quantity, but the threat remained. He was a shadow in the back of my mind, threatening to break in and destroy the peace which I had come to in recent times.

Elsa giggled hysterically beside me following a joke which Sami had made. Elsa had drank more than her fair share of wine. She was a lightweight as it was, and her second glass of the blood-red intoxicating juice was enough to blur her vision and relax her other senses. She brushed my arm with her hand before squeezing my hand which rested upon my lap. Her warmth surged from her body to mine, and my affection from her made itself known as my fears gave way to the overpowering tide of love. I had my feelings known to her long ago and she reciprocated in kind. She was a woman who I wished to become married to, but I was waiting for a more private time to put myself on one knee. With Sami and Katrina present, it was not the right time.

An inexplicable connection lived between Elsa and myself. As we held hands, we were connected by more than just skin. I felt a strong bond to her, as if we shared each other's minds and souls. Our beings had merged into one and we were stronger for it. She brought out the best in me and I the best in her. With her beside me, I could close my eyes and still know what she was thinking, what she was feeling. When apart, I was eager to be reunited with her. We were like the opposite ends of magnets.

In Elsa's semi-drunken state, she accidentally knocked her half-filled glass of wine forwards with a swift and uncoordinated movement of her hand. The glass bounced harmlessly off the table, but the liquid splashed onto the left sleeve of Sami's white shirt. Sami laughed at the display as Elsa apologised profusely. Sami found no harm in the event that transpired and dabbed at his wet sleeve with a table cloth. I thought knowing of it until I looked at his arm. The wine had made his sleeve semi-transparent and my gaze was fixated upon a familiar face beneath it. A chill ran through my body as I felt despair and shock. Staring back at me, through the wet sleeve of Sami's shirt, were the eyes of an old enemy. The eyes belonged to the tattoo of a dragon.

Sami noticed my stare and a glint formed in his eyes as he made the connection. He knew immediately that I recognised the tattoo, which belonged to Rodrigo. He remained calm and steady as he stared back at me.

"Is everything okay, Kalle? Perhaps you've had a bit too much wine yourself," he said inconspicuously. Elsa and Karina laughed at his words and smiled at me.

"I think I just need some water," I responded in a muted voice. I pushed myself up from the table and walked towards the kitchen. I poured a glass of cold water and took two heavy gulps. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. Warm beads of sweat had formed on my face and I felt the back of my shirt begin to dampen as my back similarly precipitated.

I placed both of my hands on the kitchen counter and stared out through the window down the road which led away from the clearing where the cabin belonged. I watched, but did not observe, as snow continued to rain down in gentle flurries, wrapping around tall thick trees that had belonged to the ground for centuries. As I watched, a lone figure marched into view on the road. He made his way towards the cabin, dressed in combat pants and a thick padded jacket. His hood was drawn over his head and in both hands he held an assault rifle. The rifle was supported by a strap which was slung over his shoulder.

Fear sank in as I looked at the face under the hood, and I realised that I was surrounded by my enemies. Sami Heikkinen belonged to the same organisation that Rodrigo Soldado did, but a new concern rang through my head as I watched the lone hooded gunman make his way to the house. The man under the hood was someone who had harmed my family immensely in the past. It was Michael Scott.

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As Michael Scott made his slow approach to the cabin, fear set in to my bones. A state of paralysis, caused by the mental distress that I was experiencing, set itself on me, binding me in place. It was like I was at a cinema and the window which I looked out upon was the display. As Michael Scott marched ever closer to the cabin, my heart began to pound at a rapid frequency. My ears began to ring with an imaginary siren as I realised that I had no control over the situation. Whatever happened next, I was to be no more than a victim to it all.

"Get Elsa to bed. She's drunk enough now that she won't realise what is happening. I know you saw my tattoo and you have a lot of questions. I promise to answer them all later but for now, you just have to trust me Kalle," whispered Sami into my ear. He had crept up behind me and witnessed Michael Scott making his advance upon the cabin.

I battled the dilemma in my head for some time before conceding to Sami's words. Whatever threat Sami posed to Elsa or myself, he had so far done nothing to endanger us and he was not the immediate danger. He was the lesser of two evils and one I had to side with for the safety of my beloved Elsa. I broke free from my transential state and began to pant heavily, but nodded to Sami in agreement. He placed his hand on my shoulder on me and urged me to act.

I turned around to see Elsa still sitting at the table with a fresh glass of wine. She was laughing at something she herself had said, or thought of, and was completely oblivious to the situation. I smiled at her as I briskly made my way to where she was sitting. I kissed her gently on the cheek and took the glass out of her hand, placing it on the table in front of her. She looked at me with a stare which made me feel like I was everything she needed in the entire universe. It was a look which reaffirmed my commitment to making sure she was safe.

"Shall we go to bed?" I whispered into her ear.

"Aren't you a forward one?" She giggled. "Very well, but I do feel as though I may just fall asleep straight away."

I helped Elsa out of her seat and she bade good night to Sami and Katrina, who watched on as Elsa and I made our way upstairs. As we got into our bedroom, Elsa sat down onto our bed with a crash. I helped her to get out of her clothes and into a set of her pyjamas. I did not get changed myself, instead lying on the bed with a full set of clothes on and allowed Elsa to snuggle up to me. She rested her head on my chest and wrapped an arm around my waist. Within a minute, Elsa had fallen into a deep sleep. I felt her chest expand and contract against my side as she breathed gently.

I heard the door of the house open, as Sami and Karina made their way outside before closing the door behind them. The door locked before they marched away from the house. I heard nothing else for two or three minutes, and then there was the sound of two faint clicks outside, and then a soft thump. Shortly after, I could make out the sound of a body being dragged through the snow and out of earshot. Then it went quiet. I remained still, cradling Elsa in my arms. All I could do was lie in bed and hold Elsa in my arms. We were helpless to the danger, but I felt safer with her.

Minutes passed as an eerie quiet remained. Those minutes turned into hours. Four had passed before I could the door to the house being unlocked, with Sami and Karina stepping back into the house. They closed the door quietly behind them and I could make out the sound of them making their way to the kitchen before sitting at the table. They sat there in silence, and I could hear them unzip their jackets before placing them somewhere.

I gently moved Elsa off of my chest and place her head onto a pillow. I crept out of bed quietly and made my way downstairs to confront Sami and Karina. They sat at the table, emotionless and unrevealing. They waited patiently as I sat in front of them and I looked into each of their eyes. I saw them in a different light than I had hours before. Their true nature had become a mystery to me and I was both scared and angry of the threat they posed.

"You won't need to worry about Michael Scott anymore, Kalle," spoke Sami after such time. He held his emotionless stare as he tried to read my face.

"I don't care about Michael Scott, you know why I'm angry!" I grumbled back at Sami through clenched teeth. I was furious with the secret he had kept from Elsa and myself. He was on the side of a man who very nearly took our lives away, and neither of us were the wiser as to why. I wanted answers and part of me wanted vengeance, but I knew that anybody who worked for the same organisation as Rodrigo Soldado was likely to be an excellent fighter, particularly a man with a military background such as Sami.

"Okay, I'll explain some things. There are things I will keep from you, and you cannot ask why. But first, I need you to calm down. You need to understand that it is not my, or Karina's, intention to harm either Elsa or yourself. We are here to protect you."

After I took a deep breath to calm my thoughts. Sami explained that Elsa and himself were indeed part of a secret organisation which included Rodrigo Soldado. When I asked why and how he joined, Sami made it clear that he would not share that knowledge. Instead, he explained that it was in the organisation's best interests to keep both Elsa and myself safe. He did not explain why, but instead told me that the leader of the organisation was very interested in discussing matters with myself. He did not explain any more.

Sami had me promise, for Elsa's safety, not to divulge with this information for anybody, even Elsa. I was sworn to secrecy about the death of Michael Scott too. It was a difficult thing for me to do but I understood that if Elsa found out about her brother's truth, it would hurt her too much and potentially endanger her. She was an inquisitive person and she wouldn't let the secrets hide until she knew the full truth. I, on the other hand, was more than happy to put the secrets to bed for the sake of protecting the woman I loved.

I went back to bed and cradled Elsa once more. When we woke up the following morning, Sami and Karina had already gone. They had left a note saying they were required to travel to Slovakia urgently for Sami to take on an important security contract. We did not question their quick departure, instead taking advantage of having the house to ourselves. Before I could even think twice, we were both naked and on the floor, making the beast with two backs. There was no thought of conspiracies or murders, just the physical ritual of love. All was at peace once more.

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There was a saying; 'time healed all wounds'. That was a lie. As time passed on from the events of Konnevesi, I came to be at piece with my predicament. The organisation which had wanted me dead one year previously was now working actively to protect me, yet I did not understand why. A war was occurring in the shadows and I was in the middle of it. There was an archaic game of good versus evil at play. Despite being a pawn in it all, I didn't even know what the rules were. I didn't even know what the game was. I didn't even know what was at stake.

I felt helpless in this battle which seemed to revolve around my life. I was certain of one thing; it all began with my mother. I did not blame her for what happened; I only felt sorry for her. She suffered to bring me into the world and she had no control of the outcome or the consequences of her death. While I may have suffered near-death experiences and unwarranted abuse from a toxic minority of the public, my mother was the one who made the real sacrifice. Every day that I lived, I honoured her memory. I honoured the sacrifice that she made so that I could live.

On the anniversary of her death, I found myself paying my respects at her grave. Michael Scott had dug her up over nine months previously, and a crime scene investigation had taken place at the spot. However, the hallowed soil had been restored to its previous sacred and untouched state. There was no indication that there was ever any disturbance to her resting place. At least, not physically. The painful memories still remained. 'Not all scars are physical', I thought.

I lit a candle and lay it in front of Mia's gravestone. It was a traditional gesture applied by those who visit their dead relatives in Finland. I didn't want her to be alone on the anniversary of her death, or for Christmas. I never knew her, but I loved her regardless. We had a bond born from our struggles. Her sacrifice was what linked us, and everything that I became involved in was as a result of the sacrifice she made for me to live.

I stood up from the crouch which I had been in for the best part of an hour and stretched out my aching legs. I brushed a light layer of snow from the top of Mia's gravestone before departing the graveyard. I left straight for Paimio, my home. It was a two drive from Hietaniemi cemetery during the winter months, when speed limits were reduced to account for the adverse weather conditions. I used the time to gather my thoughts. I had another mentally-challenging task ahead of me.

It was my birthday. I was anticipating Elsa to celebrate the occasion when I arrived home. I was never big on celebrating my birthday, because of what it stood for. The start of my life was the end of my mother's. It was not something I wanted to celebrate. Instead, I celebrated Christmas like everybody else did. However, since Elsa came into my life, I showed appreciation to her for celebrating my birthday. She meant no ill will in doing so, and I understood and respected that.

I had been distant in the recent weeks since the events which transpired in Konnevesi. Elsa noticed it and posed questions as to my capricious behaviour. She was often unsatisfied by my muted, dejected excuses, but she never pressed the matter. She respected my privacy, even if she felt uncomfortable by the thought. She trusted that I did not withhold any information from her maliciously. It was a mutual trust bred by our love for each other.

I arrived back in Paimio a little after midday. The clouds had made way for a low winter sun which shone with a pale glow. The air was bitter with the chill of winter rasping my throat as I breathed in. I parked outside the front of my house. The snow on the lawn had been flattened to form an immaculate surface. A single ceiling-light inside the house sent a glow which shined through the windows at the front of the house. I took two deep breaths before stepping out of my car and heading inside.

Elsa was in the kitchen preparing a meal for the two of us and for my father, Joonas, who was due to join us later that day for dinner. Elsa greeted me with a hug and a kiss. She then stood before me and I suddenly felt a sense of obligation. A desire burned deep within me that filled my entire body with an unrelenting energy. I felt my cheeks turn red and pupils dilate as I stood there. Before Elsa could question my actions, I held both of her hands in my own and I set myself down on one knee. I let go of one of her hands and reached into the back pocket of my trousers from where I produced a ring that had once belonged to my mother. It was my inheritance.

"Elsa, will you marry me?"

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I will keep this one short. In terms of actual story-content, not much has happened since the last interlude. We have witnessed the plot from last season tail off with a familiar foe returning to haunt Kalle Koskinen more directly than previously. Friends become foes, and become friends again (of sorts). This will mainly be a few points on a few different characters dotted through the last season.

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Boris Maguire:

Loose Ends: He is first introduced as an unhappy client of the Dragon organisation. He requested a meeting with their nameless leader and left the meeting knowing that he had been sentenced to death for undermining the abilities of the organisation through his words and actions. However, we become aware that Boris' contingency plan of Michael Scott was still in play and very much a danger to Kalle Koskinen.

Former UEFA Vice-President Found Dead In Home: It becomes clear in the second, and final, update including Boris Maguire that he is a character inserted for means of satire. He can be likened to current British Prime Minister Boris Johnson through his name and a Boris Bites (similar in name to the real-life Boris Bikes initiative) company. He weaseled his way to becoming UEFA vice-president through cunning and dishonesty, but was ultimately undone by the safeguards put in place by Kalle Koskinen during the Finn's time as a UEFA employee. Boris was unhappy with this, and attempted to take Kalle's life.

Dragon:

Loose Ends: Not much is learned about the organisation itself in this episode, but that it is far-reaching with bases all over the world. It has a very prominent, yet made discreet by the glamour of it all, base in Las Vegas. It posed as successful casino-hotel, with the workings of the organisation in the US taking place there.

In Surrounded, we discover Sami Heikkinen to be a part of the organisation, with his partner Karina also known to be a part of the organisation in The Winter Soldier. Such news came as a shock to Kalle Koskinen, revealing the true reach of the organisation. It has its roots in all corners of society, and eyes on every branch of the tree of life.

Mia Koskinen:

Despite being dead, Mia Koskinen becomes the victim once more in Digging Up The Past. Michael Scott took advantage of her being defenseless and used her to fulfill a seemingly sexual sadistic quality of his character. The act tarnished the memory and the sanctuary of Mia Koskinen, leaving an unpleasant memory for all to see.

In Surrounded, it was discovered that police investigators found traces of decades-old poison in Mia's system. Was this perhaps linked to her death, or had the poison found its way to her body through the soil after her burial?

In Inheritance, we found Kalle Koskinen at her grave on his birthday, the anniversary of Mia's dead. It was a tradition for Kalle to spend time there to share the day with his mother. They were eternally linked, despite living in two very different phases of life.

Mia left one last gift for Kalle in Inheritance. At the end of the episode, Kalle proposed to Elsa with a ring that once belonged to Mia. It was a gesture filled with emotion and an incredibly symbolic meaning.

Michael Scott:

Digging Up The Past: Probably the most disturbing thing to happen in this story so far. Michael did the unthinkable in this episode. I won't repeat the details now, but he revealed a side to him as toxic as anything.

ISIS is my guidance but I was sent by my masters

This was the first hint at him being employed by a party. It was later revealed, in Loose Ends, that it was Boris Maguire who hired Michael Scott. In the end, his plot failed as the pair were cut down.

Sami Heikkinen:

A blast from the past! Sami Heikkinen was inspired by a previous story of mine; Sami Heikkinen: The Winter Soldier. He appears in this story as the brother of Kalle Koskinen's partner, Elsa Heikkinen.

In Surrounded, Kalle learns that Sami had become part of the Dragon organisation. The thought had struck fear into the heart of Kalle as he realised that his enemies were all around him. However, Sami becomes an ally to Kalle in The Winter Soldier, as he and Karina strike down and dispose of Michael Scott. As the proverb goes; 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'.

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The warm rays of the sum beamed down on the grassy slopes of the Alp Bommen. The large mountain made up part of the northern edge of the European Alpine range. It was part of a blockade of high-rising natural rock structures which separated the east of Switzerland from the diminutive country of Liechtenstein. It was a place where seasons varied with an extreme range of temperatures, and snowfall was often heavy during the winter months of the calendar year.

During the summer, however, there was no sign of snow from the lower part of the Alp Bommen. Temperatures had soared into the low-thirties and there was little escape from the treacherous heat which radiated from the sun's powerful beams of light. Grass turn brown and yellow in all but the few patches where lone trees stood, and animals took to these plants for shelter from the light of the galaxy's central star. There was not so much as a breeze to disturb the hot and clammy air, with only the chirping of birds and insects hidden in the low, hilly planes of Alp Bommen disturbing the peace.

A young girl of eight years old was sat on a rock midway up a lower hill of the mountain. Her golden hair was tied back into two braided pigtails and she donned a cap to protect her freckled face from the sun. She wore a red-and-white striped t-shirt and dungaree shorts. Her feet bared no socks or shoes. She was accustomed to the area and did not fear stepping on something treacherous. She plucked the flowers off of a lupine stem which she had collected while humming to the tune of a song that only she knew.

By her side lay a golden retriever by the name of Lasse. The dog lay on its side with its mouth open and tongue hanging out. He had his eyes closed to hide from the sun and basked in the heat that warmed his fur. Most dogs hated the typical summer heat of the area and sheltered indoors but Lasse was not one to be compared to a common dog, instead enjoying the summer rays beside his companion.

When the girl had stripped the lupine stem of all its flowers, she threw it away from her without remorse and began to repeat the process on another stem which lay beside her. It was a time-consuming exercise she often did when she had little else to do. Evening was fast approaching and she was not to be any further from her house than the sixty-or-so metres that separated the rock she sat on midway up a hill and her family's home closer to the bottom.

She loved the place she lived in with her family. They were not too far from the small town of Weissbad and she enjoyed being able to roam freely around the great expanse of the northern Alipine area. There was a sense of freedom and peace which encompassed the area and molded the girl into the person she was. She was quiet, but not shy, she was at peace with the world, and she was open to adventure.

However, part of her yearned to explore the world. Her parents had worked as dancers prior to the Second World War, which forced them to safety in the Swiss Alps. They often told their daughter of their adventures across Europe where they performed in front of vast crowds and in front of the many royal families of the continent. They spoke of the strange folk of Ireland, the proud people of France and the glamorous royals of the Soviet states.

The young girl yearned to experience such fantasies for herself and had made it her own life's mission, despite her young, tender and inexperienced age, to travel Europe, and the world, to perform as a dancer, just as her parents had. She felt that it was her calling in life and it fed on her dreams like an insatiable hunger.

As the young girl picked away at the lupine stems, she spotted her mother exiting from a door at the rear of their house. She was thin and middle-aged. She wore dungaree shorts similar to the girl, but also wore an apron which she wore when she cooked. The mother worked her eyes over the landscape, looking for her daughter. She spotted her sitting on the rock far from home and placed her hands on her hips.

"Mia! Abendessen!", she shouted before making her way back into the house.

An urge to eat immediately took over the young girl, Mia, as she realised just how hungry she was. She threw away the rest of the lupine stems which she had in her possession before getting up and sprinting down the hill as fast as she could. As she began to progress down the hill, she looked back over her shoulder and called for Lasse to follow. Lasse got up from his position on the ground with a groan before bolting down the hill in pursuit.

Mia broke into a skip halfway towards home and began to sing a song in her native German, creating her own rhythm for the words. She felt a breeze work its way through the bank of grass and she held her arms outstretched to greet it. She giggled as the breeze tickled her face and pushed her hair backwards, before continuing to make her way back home. Without a single dread or fear on her mind, Mia lived in absolute freedom.

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