Everyone in our country has a voice. It's something that says not just where you come from, but who you are. Welcome to NPR's Black Stories, Black Truths, a collection of podcasts and a celebration of the hosts in journalism who've always spoken truth to power. Our voices are as varied, nuanced, and dynamic as the Black experience, and stories should never be about us without us. Find NPR Black Stories, Black Truths on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Bring a little optimism into your life with The Bright Side, a new daily podcast from Hello Sunshine, hosted by me, Danielle Robé. And me, Simone Bois. Every weekday, we're bringing you conversations about culture, the latest trends, inspiration, and so much more.

I am so excited about this podcast, The Bright Side.

You guys are giving people a chance to shine a light on their lives, shine a light on a little advice that they want to share.

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Warning. The following episode contains explicit language and sexual themes. Listener discretion is advised.

There was a very big shooting competition in the military academy with over a thousand participants. The colonel called me. He said, Listen, you're one of the best gun shooters. I want you to participate in this competition Competition. It's very important because, first of all, it will give you financial bonus. Second, you'll make our academy to be one of the best. I want you to participate in this competition. I said, Yeah, of course. I would love that. He said, Okay, you need to practice more, so come to the shooting range every day after your lessons. So I came to the shooting range, and he gave me a pistolet Makarow, the handgun Makarow. Usually, we are in the shooting range with lots of people, students, and that moment, it was only me and him. And I've heard some stories that sometimes, very rarely, it happened when student kill another student by accident, and the student didn't go to jail because it was an accident. So I took this gun, and it was heavy and cold. And it was so powerful because it's just a power to know that you can You can kill someone with this gun.

So I was standing there and I was thinking, If I shoot him right now, can I prove that it was an accident? Well, that moment, I just had anger and I had that thought that if I will kill him right now here, there's no witnesses. It's only me and him. I was holding this gun, and Cornel was behind me, telling me how I should stand and look at the target. And I was so close to doing that. But I didn't do it. I said myself, I should wait. Because patience is another important skill. Agent has to be very, very patient because you never know, but life will always give you a chance to do the revenge. And it was given to me later. I have to kill you. I'm really sorry. I have to do it. God, I got a girl on my own. You didn't care, stuck behind I was holding my gun. I got you, I tell you, I call I had to kill you. Was it so much fun?

Episode 7, Chapter 15, The Necklace.

The major female teacher said to us, You know when you will be ready? When you can seduce anyone with your eyes.

And the students the major believed, were finally ready. The time had come for the ultimate application of this knowledge, a real-world demonstration. So the major took Elia and the other students out of the academy and into town for the first time.

We went to the bar, like lounge bar, and she said, Okay, just look what I'm doing. And then you repeat the same.

The major's goal was to demonstrate the most important technique of sex espionage, to get the target to make the initial approach to the agent and try to pick her up, to think the seduction is their idea, not the agents.

She said that my target would be that guy who is sitting there surrounded by his crew. He's the main guy there because everybody bring him drinks, So I need to seduce him. How do I do it? Watch me. Our major female teacher, she walked like a queen. And every single guy who was sitting there, they just looked at her. She was just walking, very relaxed, wearing her high heels and pencil skirt. The short was a little bit open, so you can see her beautiful cleavage. She walked inside and Every single chair at the bar was busy. But when she walked, she stopped and she looked to a man next to her who was sitting at the bar chair, and he automatically just stand up and he offered her to sit there. So she did it with only her eyes. I was really impressed. She opened her purse and she took a cigarette. All these men who was next to her, they lightened up for her. She didn't even say thank you.

Elia watched with admiration as the major worked the room, getting free drinks from the men there and talking with them just enough to capture the attention of her target.

Eventually, he stood up and he came to her offering her drink. That's how she did it. She provoked him by competition.

By the end of the demonstration, the major had the target eating out of her hands. It was proof to Elia that these methodical techniques worked quickly and powerfully in real life. By now, Elia's world at the military academy had become focused on two people. First, the major, who she deeply admired as a teacher and as a woman. And secondly, the colonel, who she deeply manipulated to think she admired him as a teacher and as a man.

I was constantly asking him questions and constantly learning. Of course, as a teacher, first of all, he loved that. A little stupid, silly, 18 years old student was listening to him with all respect, and he shared a lot with me. Eventually, He shared so many things about his childhood and his issues and his family and his wife and kids. I knew about him like everything, like my five fingers.

Everyone in our country has a voice. It's something that says not just where you come from, but who you are. Welcome to NPR's Black Stories, Black Truths, a collection of podcasts and a celebration of the hosts in journalism who've always spoken truth to power. Our voices are as varied, nuanced, and dynamic as the Black experience, and stories should never be about us without us. Find NPR Black Stories, Black Truths on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the 1980s and '90s, New York City needed a tough cop like Detective Louis Scarcella. Putting bad guys away. There's no feeling like it in the world.

He was the guy who made sure the worst killers were brought to justice. That's one version.

This guy is a piece of Derek Hamilton was put away for murder by Detective Scarcella. In prison, Derrick turned himself into the best jailhouse lawyer of his generation.

My lawyer was my girlfriend. This is my only way to freedom.

Derrick and other convicted murderers.

Started a law firm behind bars. We never knew we had the same cop in the case. Scarsella.

We got to show that he's a corrupt cop.

They could go themselves.

I'm C. Fishman.

And I'm Dax Devlin Ross. And this is The Burden.

Listen to new episodes of The Burden on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive bonus content, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple Podcasts.

Eventually, Really, those two worlds, these two teachers, would come into conflict because as Aaliyah's seduction of the colonel began to transition from lust to mentorship to love, something unexpected happened.

It wasn't just sex, maybe 90% of our time, we would talk. He involved into our relationship because of these conversations. When I looked into his eyes, With full of love and admiration, I would tell him, Oh, my love, you're so tired. You have so many things on your shoulders. I just want to help you. Just relax and close your eyes, and I'll be here for you. And he became addicted to that.

Alia then combined this with an even more powerful technique, one that really pushed the colonel over the edge into infatuation. It was something she learned in her class with the major called circles of hell.

Circles of hell technique. It's similar when you train a dog, to be honest, the way you train a man. In the beginning with Cornel, I gave him everything, but it wasn't really me. I was playing. If he would do something good to me, I would give him a massage, I would please him or do whatever he wants. But if he wouldn't do what he usually does. For example, if he would say something not nice, I would just go quiet and ignore him a bit where I just put a distance. So he feels like, Oh, something is wrong, but he doesn't know why. So it hooks him And then he tries to do more. He puts more efforts. He thinks about me. So then he's obsessed. Then he does something good. Then, okay, I let him to come closer. The target has always think that it's always a challenge. It's always an effort. It's always like, I do one step, I get something. If I do something bad, I go to step back. It's like levels of game. So So this is the circle of health technique. And it's perfect for any relationship with any target.

This technique was extremely effective on the colonel, and soon, he was doing things for Elia that she never could have imagined when she first blotted her revenge.

She invited me to a spa resort hotel with a lake and everything. And And he was drinking, and he was loud, and he was funny, and he felt himself like 20 years old boy. And we spoke a lot. I went into the mood of being just a little girl. And eventually, when he said this word, When I will die, I know that you will come to my to speak with me because you love me. I know you love me. So that moment, I understood that that's it. He's there. He really trusts me, and he felt in love. They have total control. The moment he abused me, the moment I walked out from that office with tears in my eyes, feeling absolutely like shit, feeling disgraced, I think my father's voice was inside of my head, and it's always there. Telling me, You cannot give up. So what do I do? I decided to become the best student to learn every single technique. They said, The strongest power that women has is to make man fall in love. Because once he's there, then it's just the perfect power. You can do then everything you want. So till the moment when he told me these words, I felt like, Yes, motherfucker, I did it.

Now I will show you. It was so hard and it took me so long, but I fucking did it, and you'll pay for it.

Elia's plan had worked all too well. She was no longer an object to be used, but a human being he developed real feelings for.

He really strongly believed that we may be together till the rest of his life. So I just programmed his brain with this belief, which basically just changed his whole mindset. That's why he started to invest into me and wanting to show everybody this is my woman.

Shortly after the spa vacation, the colonel invited Alia to his office. This would not be like the visits before. He had something he wanted to give her.

He said, Well, I have something for you. He gave me a box, and I didn't know what is inside. And I started to open it. It was a golden necklace with some diamonds on it. And it was written my name. I never had anything like that, and it was expensive, so I was really surprised. And I had these eyes like, Oh, my God. Wow. Thank you so much. Like a little girl when Daddy buys her a doll, which she would dream of. When he saw these eyes, he started to smile. I'm the man. I pleased her. And when he presented that necklace, it was his love. I took it and I looked at it, and he said, Worried. Don't wait, worried. And we're thinking, I cannot wear it. It's too expensive. I mean, what are you supposed to do with this? I cannot show it to my parents. They will ask me questions like, Where did you take it from? And all my classmates will notice that. And I said, Oh, my God, I'm afraid to lose it. It's so beautiful and so It was expensive. And he said, Don't worry, just wear it. I want you to wear it every day.

So he helped me to put it on. And then he started to fuck me from behind. And he said, I want to fuck you and look at you wearing this necklace all the time. Then, of course, he wanted to show everybody that this is his female. That's why he bought such an expensive necklace to show everyone that she's mine.

Elia's worries about what would happen if others noticed the necklace quickly came true. When she wore the necklace to her class with the major, who was also sleeping with the colonel.

I noticed during the whole lesson, she would look at me with this weird look. Like she knows something I think. I didn't really understand. Maybe she's in a bad mood. I don't know, because she was really nice to me in the beginning.

During a break in the class, when most of the other students were out of the room, the major approached Alia.

She comes to me very close, and she rips it. She rips it off. That's how angry was her. I was standing there and I understood that that's a problem. She didn't scream at me, but it was obvious that she was pissed. I had this question like, Why would she react like that? It means that she really cares about this colonel. If I will go and tell him about her, then it would be a problem to me. I decided not to tell him I think, and I just collected all these pieces from the floor of this necklace, and I put it into my bag.

Fortunately, the colonel was away from the academy for the next few days, so Alia had a little time to figure out what to do about the necklace. Meanwhile, in class, the major acted as if nothing had happened. The students were now learning the final lessons in this top secret program. Fetishes, threesomes, and other ways to, as the major put it, get a target stuck on the sex process with the agent.

Our teacher, our major, said that if you find your target fetish or weaknesses in sex, you can dominate on that. Using these knowledges, you can make him to tell you more, to do for you more, or basically to be your sex slave. Orgeas is like another fetish tool, so you can always manipulate with that. For example, if there are two female agents and they do this, it's easier to back up each other in order to get information or terminate the target.

Elia noticed that after these lessons, the other students started getting manipulated into group sex situations with various commanding officers. She felt safer being protected by the colonel until one day, her teacher, the major, approached her again.

She called me and I came closer to her and she said, Well, I have a special assignment for you, but you cannot talk about this to anyone. If you will do that, then I promise that you won't have any problem with me. If you won't do that, I will call to your parents and I will tell to your dad that you You are a whore, and he will take you from this academy with the biggest embarrassment you can ever have. And I will tell everything about your relationship with Cornel. It was such a blackmail. I wanted to tell her, Look, it's not my fault. You know him very well. You know what does he do to other students. I'm not your enemy. I'm exactly in the same shoes like you are. I don't I don't want him. I don't like him. But when I started to talk, she said, Shut up. And I couldn't talk. She said, We will go tonight at 08:00 PM to the hotel. She said, I have to wear something sexy and high shoes. And she said, Don't you dare forget how I taught you how to walk and put the makeup.

Tonight is your first mission.

Everyone in our country has a voice. It's something that says not just where you come from, but who you are. Welcome to NPR's Black Stories, Black Truths, a collection of podcasts and a celebration of the hosts in journalism who've always spoken truth to power. Our voices are as varied, nuanced, and dynamic as the Black experience, and stories should never be about us without us. Find NPR Black Stories, Black Truths on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the 1980s and '90s, New York City needed a tough cop like Detective Louis Scarcella. Putting bad guys away. There's no feeling like it in the world.

He was the guy who made sure the worst killers were brought to justice. That's one version.

This guy is a piece of Derrick Hamilton was put away for murder by Detective Scarcella. In prison, Derrick turned himself into the best jailhouse lawyer of his generation.

The lawyer was my girlfriend. This is my only way to freedom.

Derrick and other convicted murderers.

Started a law firm behind bars. We never knew we had the same cop in the case. It's Carcela.

We got to show that he's a corrupt cop.

They could go themselves.

I'm Steve Fishman.

And I'm Dax Devlin Ross. And this is The Burden.

Listen to new episodes of The Burden on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive bonus content, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple Podcasts.

Chapter 16, The Envelop.

I got prepared. I put the makeup on. I put high heels. I put this short black dress, which I had. I took my bag and I went downstairs and she was waiting in the car, and she gave me an envelope. She said, I have to put this envelope into Informer's suitcase. She showed me his black and white picture. He's married, his child just was born, and she said that he had this access to programs or something. Just give him the envelope But make it, he wouldn't notice. We came to the hotel, and we walked into the lobby. I've never been in such a lovish, beautiful hotels, big lobbies and golden lamps, and it was like, luxury. We walked into the bar, and she said, Just wait for him at the bar, and that's it. And she just left. So I sat down, I ordered a drink, and I was waiting. I had the envelope in my bag. I was thinking, Okay, so I need to distract his attention so I could put this envelope into his suitcase. So he walked in, and he walked in without suitcase. And I was like, Fuck. What do I do?

When he walked in, he saw me and he sat nearby. And for me, it was a disaster. First of all, I didn't even know how to start a conversation. Thank God, he started to look at me and he asked, Are you here by yourself? I'm like, Yeah. And he's looking for new clients, and I understood that he meant that I'm a prostitute. I was thinking, Actually, this is helps because look, if I can pretend that I'm a prostitute and if I can get closer to him, I may be able to give him envelope, right? And I can always find the way how to get out. So I said, Yeah, that's it. And he's like, How much? And I'm like, Fuck, I don't know how much. I don't have any ideas about how much these girls take. And all I could say, I said, Well, we can negotiate. He said, Okay. He took my hand and he said, Follow me. I took my bag and we walked together to the elevator. Then he stopped, he looked at my body and he said, You have exactly the body of my wife, but she just gave a burst recently, so she have this extra kilos, and I really miss her body.

So we went to his room, and I didn't want to have sex with him. No, definitely not. He put on the table some cash for me, I guess, just to show me that money are here. And he's like, Okay, so get undressed. And I was a little bit starting, like undressing myself, but I was like, Oh, you mentioned that you just had a baby. Is it a boy or a girl? So I tried to start a conversation on his family because I knew that time that to distract men from sexual intentions, if you would speak family and kids. It's another topic which is not sexy at all. And he said, Yeah, I just had a baby girl and she's adorable. I'm like, Oh, my God, that's I look nice. Do you have her pictures? He's like, Yeah, I do. And he opened his wallet. And when he was opening his wallet, I saw that he was taking it from his suitcase, which actually was on the table. So I was I was like, Okay, so I can put there the envelope.

Elia drew out the conversation, getting him to focus on his wife and his feelings for her.

I was listening to him with eyes full of admiration, how I was taught. All I was thinking just like, I need to get out from here ASAP, but leaving the envelope. In his suitcase, he wouldn't understand that I gave it to him. I said, Listen, you love her so much, but do you often use services of prostitutes? And he said, No, I don't. I got so bored, and I just wanted to talk to someone, and there was nobody apart from you. I was like, Thank God. This is just much better for me. So he said, Do you mind if we'll just talk? Is it okay for you if we're going to have sex? Tell I'm like, Yes, of course. It's totally fine. Just let's talk. I love the conversation.

Elia and her target continue drinking and talking.

About 40, 50 minutes He said, I'm going to the toilet. It was perfect because I could put the envelope into his suitcase. The minute he closed the door, I quickly stand up and I I took the envelope. It was closed, so I never had a chance to open it and see what is inside. But when I opened his suitcase, I saw many papers, and I understood there was some important information. So I put the envelope there, and I closed the suitcase. And then when he came back, I was sitting in the same position in the same place. He didn't notice anything. He was talking and he-Eventually, her target said he had to sleep and catch a flight in the morning. So he said, Yeah, I feel tired. But yeah, thank you so much for the conversation. Money are there on the table. So he took the money, I put it into my purse, and I walked out from his room. I thought, I did it nicely. The job is done. Thank God, I didn't need to sleep with him. It's perfect. I was like, Okay, so in the morning, I will tell Major that I did my job successfully.

It was amazing and all this stuff. Next morning, the colonel called for me. I thought he just wants to see me just for his routine him. But it was quite early. So I had to leave the lesson and go into his office. And the moment I walked in, he started to scream, screaming, What the hell are you thinking? Why would you do this? Why didn't you tell me? You destroyed everything we did for the last few months. And I couldn't understand what he was talking about.

Apparently, whatever was in this envelope, or perhaps the way it was delivered, spoofed the target, and it somehow got back to the colonel. However, the colonel seemed less upset about the mission being possibly blown than about the fact that Alia had been alone in a hotel room with this man.

The first thing he asked me, Did you have sex with him? I said, No. And he said, Don't lie to me. I said, No, I didn't. And he asked me, How long were you there? I said, Well, about an hour. And what were you doing for the whole hour? I said, We just were talking about his family. And he said, This is bullshit. Don't lie to me. What really happened? I said, Nothing happened. We didn't even kiss. We were just talking. He's a nice guy. But first of all, the colonel was really jealous. Second, he was a control freak. And he didn't believe me. So, yes, it did compromise my relationship with him.

After that day, Elia didn't see the major again. Her teacher had either been retired or sent elsewhere. Rather than celebrate this as a victory over her rival, Elia saw it as a grim warning of the fate that waited her in this corrupt system.

I said myself, I don't want to end up like her. Living in that life, like in the cage, having no family, no children, no real man who really loves you, who really cares about you, where you just committed and devoted to do what your country wants you to do. And you just become older, And in the end, when you become an old dog, they just threw you out of the system, give you a small pension, and you dying alone.

Alia's story continues in episode 8, available now.

We had a dinner. It looked normal in the beginning, but it wasn't. It took me many years to understand what really happened that night.

Listen for free on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. For full credits, check out our show notes.

Everyone in our country has a voice. It's something that says not just where you come from, but who you are. Welcome to NPR's Black Stories, Black Truths, a collection of podcasts and a celebration of the hosts in journalism who've always spoken truth to power. Our voices are as varied, nuanced, and dynamic as the Black experience, and stories should never be about us without us. Find NPR Black Stories, Black Truths on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Bring a little optimism into your life with The Bright Side, a new daily podcast from Hello Sunshine, hosted by me, Danielle Robé. And me, Simone Voice. Every weekday, we're bringing you conversations about culture, the latest trends, inspiration, and so much more.

I am so excited about this podcast, The Bright Side.

You guys are giving people a chance to shine a light on their lives, shine a light on a little advice that they want to share.

Listen to The Bright Side on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search The Bright Side.