Canaan's POV, the next morning
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Somehow I feel very warm and secure, something I haven't felt in many years, I felt so lonely and cold during all these nights since I lost both Alphard and Siam, so why is it that now... oh, right, I've been reunited with Alphard since yesterday, after all that time I have just begun to understand what Alphard went through during these years, in a way I was as blinded by hatred as she used to be, or did she do all of those things for some other reason...?
Somehow I still feel a little bit too warm in comparison to the other nights, it's as if I'd be hugging a heater, though whatever it is that I'm holding is much softer than a heater would be... Come to think of it, why am I not wearing any clothes? I usually sleep with at least my underwear on, so why am I completely naked at the moment...? Somehow I can't remember much about what happened last night, it's all a blur...
Let's see, we went to meet Cummings in his office and he told us to go to this hotel, there would be a room prepared for us. Afterwards we went to the hotel room, chatted a little bit and Alphard got us some champagne, that's where it starts to get really hazy... It's no good, I don't remember what happened after that at all, just some vague things I can't pin down. Well, it's probably not that important either way, all that matters is that we've been reunited...
I move my hands around on the rather firm and warm surface, it's pretty smooth and I can feel something pounding, it feels like a heartbeat, this has to be Alphard, there was only one bed, after all... I thought she'd feel much harder, I can feel her muscles under her skin and it feels rather firm, but it doesn't feel rough at all, her skin is just perfect... I slowly open my eyes now, though it doesn't do very much, it's still dark outside, though I feel rather well rested.
Hm, in Europe it is winter, so I guess that's only to be expected, it's probably morning already. Alphard is also moving around a little bit, she seems to be reacting to my touch, I guess she's already awake as well... She's mumbling something, I can't really understand it that well, it sounds a little bit muffled, as if she was talking through the sheets or something like that, I guess she's still a little bit sleepy...
"Canaan... Get your hands off me right now or you won't be able to put them anywhere within the next few days..." I still haven't talked to Alphard about my feelings for her, but that probably means she isn't really in the right mood for any of that, she always used to be a little bit grumpy when she woke up... I can relate to that, I'd probably be rather grumpy as well if I woke up like this, at least considering she doesn't feel about me the same way I feel about her...
"Sorry, I was still half asleep..." I pull my hands back, I don't think I want to push my luck with Alphard, she might have a little bit of a soft spot for me, but I wouldn't doubt her words just now even for a second and touching her like that would be going way too far for now, I didn't really now what it was I was touching there, otherwise I wouldn't have done so in the first place... It was partially her fault for picking a room like this one in the first place...
"Anyways, since you're awake already we might as well get out of bed and prepare ourselves. It's actually about time, I was just about to wake you up myself." Hm, I guess Alphard has been awake for a while, it's rather nice of her to let me sleep for a little while longer. This whole scene feels so unreal, one year ago I couldn't think of anything but defeating Alphard, maybe even killing her, I wouldn't have dreamed of sharing anything with her ever again, but now I share a bed with her and I'm happier than I ever was since then...
"Or we could stay like this a little while longer..." Back then on the train when I held her arm with all my might I realised it for the first time, I never really wanted her dead, but in the next moment she shot off her own arm and fell, it didn't look like a height even someone as experienced and well-trained as her could survive... I was really depressed after that event and it took me several month to fully recover, had Alphard not given me some hints I don't know whether I'd have been able to recover at all...
"You have ten minutes at most, I will go to the bathroom and once I'm done cleaning and dressing myself it's your turn. You can just do as I said right now or we can do this the hard way, think about it while I'm in the bathroom if you want to..." I don't think I want to know what she means by 'the hard way', so I should just get up once she's done... The bed is creaking a little bit as she stands up, afterwards it's almost completely silent again, I can't hear her steps at all...
Overall Alphard was always the better one, she was stronger than me in a fight most of the time and she has many other abilities beyond the simple combat, had she really wanted to she could've evaded me completely ever since she had killed Siam, she was able to hide from the whole world for one year and no one even found as much as a trace of her... Well, most just assumed she was dead, but Natsume didn't and she isn't exactly bad at what she does...
Yet she went out of her way to give me some hints about her whereabouts one month after she fell down, it probably took her that much time to recover, though it didn't seem to leave any permanent damage... I'm glad that nothing too serious happened in the end, but at that time I thought she was gone for good, just when I started to realise how much she still meant to me... Searching for her gave me a purpose ever since she killed Siam, without that there was nothing...
Well, I had Maria and the others, but for some reason that was something completely different. Maybe we can go and meet her soon, I'd like to tell her we're both alright, I miss her, but without Alphard I just felt that I couldn't face her again... I feel bad for leaving her like that, without any explanation, but I hope she understands it somehow. It probably wouldn't be very good for her to get involved with me either way, I'd just end up causing her to get hurt...
It would be bad if I couldn't ever meet Maria again, it would be downright horrible, but if that's what it means to be with Alphard I don't have much of a choice, I wouldn't doubt for a second that Maria can be happy without me, Alphard on the other hand... I'm not even really sure if she's happy with me, she did so much for me and she even gave me presents yesterday, but she doesn't seem to be so sure about her own feelings...
Though she looked rather happy yesterday, that was the first time I saw her somewhere remotely close to happiness within these two years since she left us... I feel a little bit torn myself, I didn't just forget that she killed Siam, but I don't think he'd want me to kill Alphard either, he liked her very much back then as well. I really want to talk about these things with Alphard as well once we can speak about it, but I think it's still a little bit too early...
As hard as that is for me to imagine, Siam was always like a father for me, Alphard might have had her reasons for doing what she did and I want to know those reasons some day, maybe I wasn't right for judging her just for what she did without knowing her reasons for doing so, I should've asked myself these questions many years ago, I was blinded by my initial anger and hatred... I'm just glad that it isn't too late, had I really killed Alphard I don't think I'd have been able to be really happy ever again...
The bed creaks again, but I still don't really feel like getting up, maybe I could convince her to let me just lie here a little while longer, though she hasn't said anything so far. Now she pushes a little bit, somehow I wasn't expecting her to just shake me a little bit, I was expecting her to at least pull away the bed sheet as she always did, if I wouldn't stand up after that she used to get cold water. Maybe she's also a little bit tired...?
"Is it alright if I stay like this a little while longer?" We don't have to be ready to leave yet, the car we're waiting for will be here in a few hours, not a few minutes, so we don't really have to get up yet... The sun isn't even rising yet, so it has to be very early, I don't even know when we got to bed last night... Alphard seems to be rather grumpy when compared to yesterday, but I'm still sure about her kindness, the proof of it is right here, on my left ring finger...
"Did you call me? I'm not done yet, but as soon as I return I expect you to get up, you can lie down again once you're dressed and everything, if you really have to." Wait, that sounded rather far away and as if a door was in the way, if Alphard is still in the bathroom who is that next to me!?
"Sirius, get out of here right now!" That dog really knows no manners, he jumped right into the bed once Alphard was away and he nestled up to me, that was probably his head pushing against me through the sheets! I can somewhat understand him, Alphard's side is probably still pretty warm, but a dog shouldn't be in a bed, he was behaving himself all of the time when Alphard was here just fine, but now he gets bold, so I wave him away and he does get off...
"At least that should wake you up, or should I get some water for you?" I can hear the water running, though I guess it isn't meant for me I should still get up once Alphard is done in there, otherwise she'll probably get upset with me and it'd be better if we had a good start for the day. Alphard probably has it very hard as it is already, she really didn't seem to want to live past that day and she has to do most of the work now as well, politics aren't my field...
"No, I'll stand up as soon as you're done." Now I won't be able to sleep again either way because of that stupid dog, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have moved and that way I could've slept a little while longer... I should really ask Alphard about what happened yesterday, I just woke up here in a hotel room without any clothes on and I can't remember most of it, that is very strange. At least I think so, maybe it was because of the champagne stuff...
Alcohol never really was my thing, Siam gave me one of his smaller bottles once and I wanted to prove myself in front of him and Alphard, so I gulped it down as fast as I could... It felt as if I was burning my throat, but I did it somehow. When I woke up I had a splitting headache and I felt as if I'd be dying, Alphard told me I had thrown up all over the place and she had to clean up and look after me... Ah, there she is, already fully dressed.
"There is a change of clothes for you as well, go and get ready." Yeah, that's probably what I should do, since I won't be able to get back to sleep either way I might as well get up. I slowly stand up and Alphard turns away from me, she almost looked a little bit... embarrassed? Oh, I still don't have anything on! Well, I don't really mind if it's Alphard, we used to shower together all of the time, it's not really embarrassing for me if it's her.
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"Are you done?" Well, I'm almost done, I just put on a blue shirt, though I don't think blue suits me very well, I prefer my red one, it has an open back and this one is a little bit plain. Besides, that blue will bite with the red of the wrapping I use to cover my left arm with the tattoo... Whatever, that will have to do for now, at least the jeans are just plain black, that goes along with pretty much anything, though I still prefer my khaki pants...
"Yeah, I'll be there in just a second!" I put my hair up and bind it together to make a ponytail, afterwards I get out of the bathroom and see Alphard pacing up and down, she seems to be a little bit nervous for some reason. Well, she is a terrorist and there are probably a lot of people searching for her right now, but that didn't really bother her before... "So, what do you think, do I look good?"
"Hm, I guess so, though the colours don't really go along with each other. Oh, and I don't really think a ponytail suits you, I think you look better with your hair down. By the way, did you gain some weight?" Uh, I wasn't expecting her to be quite so frank, instead of the compliments I was hoping for I got a couple of insults... Well, it isn't really insults, she didn't call me fat or said anything about my general appearance, I guess she was just a little bit too honest for my taste...
"I guess you're right, to some extend..." I take off the hair band again, but there is nothing I can do about the clothes for now, but it beats the used red shirt I have. Well, I will just get myself some new clothes, the old ones I took with me are still in the hotel and Natsume or one of her men will probably guard that place, so that's out of the question for now. "Come to think of it, I heard Natsume yesterday in that building, though she didn't find me."
"Well, I just gave her the same narcotic I shot at you." That doesn't really seem like Alphard, she never had any qualms about killing, so she probably has some further plans for her or something like that. She will probably try to hunt down Alphard again, though I don't think she will have any more success with it than yesterday... Oh, there is a ringing sound, I guess we have a phone in here? "Yes, what is it?"
Alphard takes a mobile phone out of the pocket of her coat immediately, maybe she was already expecting a call. Judging by her countenance which just darkened even further this isn't good news, she lies down on the bed again, asks some questions and barks some orders, from what I understood she is talking with Cummings and the person who was supposed to drive us today got caught... "So, what're we going to do now?"
"Hm, I was away for far too long, such incompetence is not what I taught my subordinates... We'll have to find some other way, I suppose going there by foot is an option, though it will be a very long way. At least Cummings didn't mention any names, so that driver can't say anything about us, though we should still leave immediately." So much for just having a nice and relaxing day with everything going as planned, it's as if Alphard saw something like that coming already...
"I guess it was a good thing that you hurried me to get up..." I would've liked to sleep for a little while longer, but that's no longer possible, it's rather likely that Natsume could learn where we're right now, otherwise Alphard wouldn't have said immediately, I guess... I will just assume it's Natsume, though I don't know it for sure. Alphard looks around for a moment and finds what she was looking for, apparently a backpack. She takes it to the fridge and opens both the fridge and the backpack...
"It will be a longer trip, so we'll take everything we can get with us." She stuffs some cartons with milk and different juices into the backpack, afterwards she looks through the wooden shelves and after some searching she pulls out some snacks, nuts and the like. Hm, there is a bowl with some fruits on the table, so I take it and empty it into the backpack as well. "Well, not exactly perfect for a long journey, but it will have to do."
"I think that should be enough, we've survived with much less and the way shouldn't be too long, right? We could also look for some food on the fields or in the woods, there should be enough to make both ends meet." We've had to travel through the dessert for days back then with Siam, without any supplies other than water, so this shouldn't be too difficult, I know some things about plants, so it shouldn't be much of a problem... Alphard also stuffs our old clothes into it, it'd probably be bad to leave them in this hotel...
"You seem to be forgetting some things about our current situation, we're in Europe and winter is just around the corner, that means plants are out of the question, I'm sure you don't know the European ones. And it will be a long way, depending on our luck we might need a week or more." Damn, I completely forgot about that, I don't know anything about the plants here... and days outside in the cold will be rather arduous as well...
"You're right, that's a pretty bad situation, winter here seems to be about as cold as the dessert at night, but it's all day long here... even if we knew about the plants here there probably aren't many at the moment..." I'd much rather use a car, being out in the cold in a foreign land isn't exactly a smart move, in my opinion... I just hope it doesn't take too long... "Can't we get another car or something like that?"
"Of course we'll use a vehicle, I was just kidding before, did you really think it would be my plan to walk all the way to Russia?" Now she has a rather mocking grin, I feel somewhat silly for actually believing that we'd be walking, though I didn't know she'd be planning to take me all the way to Russia, that's pretty far away, if I'm not mistaken... At least we won't have to worry about food or the temperature, that makes it much easier...
"So, where are we going to go now?" Sirius seems to be pretty excited as well, I guess he needs to go for a walk now, I'm just glad that he didn't relieve himself in the room, he's probably domesticated, at least somewhat... Maybe he was raised in a household and escaped at some point, not that it really matters. Now he's sticking to Alphard like wax... "Oh, by the way, what exactly did happen last night...?"
"You mean before or after you tried to indecently assault me?" I-Indecently assault her!? I can't tell whether she's joking or not, she seems to be slightly amused by it, but it doesn't sound as wry as it usually would when she cracks a joke. Besides, I've never heard Alphard joking about something like that before, so it might just be true... "Well, believe it or don't, you could ask Sirius, but I don't think he'll be able to give you an adequate answer..."
"Of course he couldn't, but what exactly do you mean by saying that I was trying to 'indecently assault' you?" Maybe she means something different than what I think she's implying, maybe that's the payoff of the joke... I mean, even when drunk I wouldn't try something like that, right? Right...? No, if I really tried that and Alphard didn't want me to I'd be covered in bruises right now and look worse than her face does and that looks pretty bad...
"I don't think that I need to elaborate on that, it was as I said, you tried to kiss me more than once, you did it once and when we went to bed you tried to get your hands under my bra..." I... I can't remember anything like that at all, I find it hard to believe, but if it's true I'm even more surprised that she didn't just thrash me... She doesn't even seem to be all that upset about the whole thing, I wonder why...
"Uh, I did... I... I'm sorry! But why didn't you stop me earlier?" Now she seems to look away a little bit, maybe she... let me do that...? I couldn't explain it any other way, I don't think she was drunk and if I was drunk she'd probably have had no trouble with me at all had she really wanted to stop me, I don't know if I could defeat her sober... But if she let me do all those things, why? Could my feelings not be so one-sided after all...?
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Alphard's POV
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"That's... I didn't really want to hurt you and I thought you were just playing around, it was non-alcoholic champagne, after all..." That is a rather valid question, why didn't I put an end to her actions before things got out of control, that way I wouldn't be in the position I'm in right now. Canaan looks at me suspiciously as well, that's how bad this excuse was... that's strange, under any other circumstances I could lie without even moving a muscle, but now...
"Are you sure that's what you thought? Or maybe you thought it wasn't so bad, huh~?" She is coming dangerously close again, somehow the tables have been turned on me completely, this is not how it's supposed to go, Canaan is supposed to be the one backing away from me... but her eyes are so big, her cheeks look so soft, just a little bit darker than usual... I shouldn't look, I just have to distract myself with something, that's it...
"I should inform you that it was not feeling that good, it wasn't too bad, but..." Somehow I'm stumbling over my own words, I just can't think straight like this, now she even puts her left arm behind my back and looks up at me with those cute hazel eyes of hers... this is bad, this is really bad, I think she might have infected me with that love of hers, if it wasn't lying dormant all along... I will just start counting prime numbers, for my own peace of mind... 2, 3, 5, 7...
"Somehow that didn't come across very convincing, you know~? Maybe you wanted it as well, didn't you?" It's okay, just calm down! My heartbeat is way too fast... 11, 13, 15!? No, it just isn't working, 15 is by no means a prime number, it can be divided by both 5 and 3... it's all her fault, her soft and warm hand on my back, now she even reaches for my cheek and strokes it, this is feeling so... "Actually there is something I wanted to tell you for quite some days now..."
"That will have to wait, as aforementioned we have to leave as soon as possible." That was a close call, if I didn't stop it right there I don't know if I could have resisted, especially if she told me what I think she would... I get both of her hands off me and push her away a little bit, she doesn't look very happy, but making her happy wasn't my intention in the first place. I'm just glad that we have something else to take care of right now, if we didn't...
"Fine, I get it, but you'll listen to me once we're free, alright?" 'Free'? Depending on how she defines free this could be within the next few hours or some years in the future, for that is how long it would take to bring a country under my control without completely destabilising it... Of course I would have the necessary resources to take a smaller one over by force, but that would mean a war on multiple fronts, that would be nothing except stupid.
"I might." Well, everything is taken care of here, there would be no reason to stay here any longer, I already ordered Cummings to prepare a plane, this is taking far more resources than it should... Such things are rather expensive and it certainly isn't inconspicuous for a non-scheduled plane to start, but another car would be rather dangerous right now, it's probably just a matter of time before this whole city is under surveillance...
"Thanks, I guess..." This is good, I'm all calm again, now that Canaan isn't trying to push herself against me anymore... Thinking about plans to escape is also quite helpful in that regard, though that didn't even come to my mind when she was getting close to me... I really have to take care, if things continue going the way they did for the last two days it might be impossible to avoid the topic anymore and if she corners me with that...
"Enough time wasted here, let's get going, by foot to the airport and a plane for the rest of the way, we have to be cautious, it is rather likely that there will be guards looking for us..." Of course we won't walk in through the main entrance, the airport is a little bit secluded from the rest of the city and we should be able to reach our plane from the outside without going through the building itself.
It used to be a military airport, but it's been reconstructed and now it's just a normal airport. I open the door and step outside, both Canaan and Sirius follow me, so I close the door and lock it once there is no one in it anymore. I guess it's about time we separated from Sirius as well, I don't think it would be good for him or us to keep him, I don't really have the time for a dog right now, though he was somewhat entertaining. I'll just drop the key at the reception and leave.
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"Well, here we are, if we go through this forest area we should arrive at the airport and get our plane, we'll have to climb over the fence, that shouldn't be much of a problem." Both of us are good at these kinds of things, so it should be a simple thing to do. Hopefully it will go as smoothly as I hope it does, though I have my doubts about that, things haven't been going very smoothly for me lately...
"No problem, if that's all we have to do..." It's a broadleaf forest, it would probably be rather nice here during spring or summer, but now it's pretty dark and unpleasant, the grey sky rather reinforces that impression as well. I guess it's about time to send Sirius away, though he probably won't understand that very well if he understands it at all... Well, dogs can't climb over fences, so it would be pretty much impossible for him to follow us either way.
"It was kind of nice with you, Sirius, but it's about time we part, I guess." He just looks at me as if he understood everything I just said, though he obviously didn't. I guess he always tried to look like this, he probably didn't understand a single word I said for all that time and it was rather coincidences that made it seem as if he did. Well, he probably understood the tone of my voice as well, but that's pretty much it. I go on my knees and pet him on the head, I guess I'll miss him somewhat, he was good company, after all...
"It's probably a little bit sad for you, I didn't know him for very long and never really got along with him all that well..." I guess that's true, though I don't really mind, it was foreseeable that we wouldn't stay together for the rest of our lives, I knew that from the very beginning, so I'm not very sad. I still wish him well, but that's all, he will have to get by on his own from now on again. I'm sure he'll do just fine, he is probably used to that kind of life by now...
"Well, not that you'd understand it or anything, but good luck, take care." I pet him on the head one last time and he seems happy, he probably doesn't understand the situation at all, otherwise he'd probably be sad, this means I won't be there to give him some of my food or pet him, but maybe he'll find a good owner someday. It's not as if I could have a dog, even if I wanted one, I couldn't take him out for walks or play with him all that much either way.
We continue on our way towards the airport, it's pretty small and not many tourists seem to come here, that is another disadvantage for us, it would be rather easy to dive into the masses on a big airport and avoid any attention whatsoever, but that isn't an option here. The fence is about three meters high, a wire netting with barbed wire on top of it, though that shouldn't be much of an obstacle for us either...
"Well then, here I go." Canaan is the first to climb up the fence, she has little trouble with it, though she does rip her pants a little bit, she hasn't been training that well for this last year or so, has she? I follow her example and get over the fence as well, I didn't even damage my coat, though that was a fair amount of luck as well, not just skill... Sirius puts his forelegs on the wire netting as well, but he obviously won't be able to get over here...
"I told you to stay here, this is goodbye, whether you understand it or not." By the looks of it he doesn't understand it at all, he'll probably stay on the other side of the fence for a while and wait for us to return, but eventually he'll understand that we won't come back and be on his way. I turn around and look at the airport in front of me, there is no coverage whatsoever, so we should hurry up. The plane is supposed to be close by the place where we entered...
"So, which plane are we going to take?" There is one that seems to fit Cummings' description, the pull-down stairs are out, just waiting for us to get in... it's rather small, just the right thing for our purposes, that's much cheaper than using some big plane. Well, money isn't really the problem for me, but it could become one rather quickly if I started acting wasteful... there is no reason to spend more resources than this either way.
"That one over there, the small one, as soon as we get in there we should be able to take off." So far I didn't see any personal except for one person rather far away, apparently inspecting one of the passenger planes, so Natsume probably doesn't know about this, otherwise the whole place would be under surveillance. Unless she has some other plan, though I hope there will be nothing else causing us further trouble...
"Alright, let's go. Come to think of it, you lied about infecting Natsume with the Ua virus, didn't you?" That much should be obvious, otherwise she would be in no condition to cause any trouble, if they had a vaccine against it she would've survived, but she wouldn't be able to do much but recuperating. I probably should have used something more drastic than narcotic agents, though I didn't think I'd have to bother myself with her ever again after that...
"Well, that's pretty obvious, isn't it? I just hope for her that I won't regret that." She has to be almost as obsessed with finding me as Canaan was, though most definitely for rather different reasons altogether. If she got the chance to kill me she wouldn't hesitate to do so, though that could never happen in a fair fight, that much should be obvious. She isn't exactly bad, but there are worlds separating her from Canaan and myself...
"Hm, this plane is pretty luxurious..." Well, it has to be, this is the plane Cummings usually uses on business trips and a luxurious appearance is a rather important part of business. Often even more important than the actual accomplishments, though I never understood that kind of thinking, I rather pay attention to the things I get and what I have to give in return... I walk towards the cockpit and knock on the door, shortly afterwards I can hear the motor starting up.
"Come to think of it, we will have to clear out some things before we reach our destination. I won't tolerate it if you act against my orders and if you act rebellious or something like that I will beat you up on the spot. You will be my bodyguard, nothing else, alright? As such your rank is high enough so that you don't have to take orders from anyone else, but my word is the law of Snake and if you go against it that will be the same as challenging my claim of leadership."
"Do we really have to do it like that, can't we just be like old friends or something?" That would be rather unwise, if someone within the organisation had plans to remove me Canaan would be their first target. She can take care of herself in a fight, but there are many other ways she could come to harm in such a situation. Friendship or love are weaknesses I might have, but they are not ones I will show in public, weakness would be preyed upon.
"As far as I can tell I make the rules, so unless you want to challenge me for leadership it would be wise to do as I say. I don't really care what you behave like if no one else is around, but if there are other members of Snake you will act like a trained dog, is that clear?" It would probably be rather amusing to order Canaan around a little bit and give her some ridiculous tasks, but I don't misuse my authority like that...
"Hah, fine, I get it, I'll do as you say..." Hm, we'll have to work a little bit on her work attitude, but that can wait, we still have some time before we arrive in Russia, roughly four hours, there I'll make further plans. While this plane could fly at a higher speed that would just draw unwanted attention to us, it isn't that unusual for a businessman to travel unscheduled, so it should be fine, I wouldn't want a committee of police and task forces to welcome us...
"Well, there is more than enough time now, the next four hours will be nonstop flight, a bathroom should be somewhere in the back, should you need one. If you want to sleep some more you can adjust your seat and make yourself comfortable." There is probably some alcohol to offer to guests somewhere as well, but I won't repeat my mistake of yesterday... No alcohol or something pseudo-alcoholic for Canaan unless she can handle herself.
"Well, I did sleep rather well and long, it felt better than it did for some years..." I can only agree to that, I can't remember the last time I had such a good sleep, usually I have to sleep with one eye open, so to speak. I usually move at the slightest noise, it could be seen as a little bit paranoid, but I wouldn't be alive anymore if I didn't... This night was completely different, I felt warm and secure, it was something I thought I would never feel again...
"That makes us two, I enjoyed it as well, except for your unsubtle attempts at seducing me..." I guess that's only partially true, I did enjoy that as well, to a certain extend, but I can't say that, that would only encourage her. I should probably be much more direct about this and tell her off right now, but somehow I can't find it in myself to do that, even if it would be better for her. Her happiness is my happiness, even if I couldn't be a part of that I would still be satisfied with just that...
"Well, aren't you the adult one? That makes you the one responsible as well, right?" That's hardly my fault, I couldn't know what would happen because of that, who could know that non-alcoholic champagne could have the same effects as alcoholic champagne? Besides, Canaan is of age as well or at least she'll be soon, she doesn't remember exactly how old she is herself... I would guess seventeen or eighteen, by no means younger than that...
"According to your own words you were twelve when Siam took you in, that was six years ago, thus you should be around eighteen now, though you yourself didn't know the exact date. So you're adult as well and responsible for your own actions." Well, depends on the land as well as the age varies, but back where we came from it was actually 16, though alcohol was prohibited altogether... I rather wouldn't speak about that any more, it probably makes Canaan feel uncomfortable to think about Siam... I myself don't like this topic very much, but I don't really care about him.
"I guess that makes some sense, though it's still your fault..." Not that it matters who is at fault or not, nothing serious happened and it won't repeat itself, at least that's what I hope... it shouldn't be difficult to avoid that in the future, I'll just have to make sure that Canaan won't drink alcohol again. Though it wasn't too bad, I suppose... "Whatever, I think I'll take a little nap, we should have more than enough time...
"Sure, go ahead, I'll wake you up some minutes before we land, sleep well..." She mumbles something that sounds like 'thanks' and adjusts her chair, now she can lie in it and does so. She curls up a little bit and closes her eyes, she almost looks like a cat when she does that, it looks so cute... I catch myself yet again thinking strange things I shouldn't be thinking, I should just follow her example and try to sleep as well, without looking at her...
...
I didn't really get to sleep and I couldn't keep myself from watching Canaan every now and then, she's pretty much asleep now and it looks so cute, the way she lies there... This is really bad, things have been going downhill for me since I met her again, if this goes any further I might just fall in love with her for real... I didn't think I was even capable of such things, but I think I was wrong about that... Oh, my mobile phone is ringing, this is probably...
"Miss Alphard, there are complications, you will be expected in Russia, I fear." Cummings, if this is yet another mistake on your part I will have to replace you for real... He can take care of business, but planning for military stuff or criminal affairs really isn't his forte, I would've done so myself, but I was kind of busy and didn't want to escape either way... Lesson learned, don't leave the planning to Cummings or someone else, if you want something done right you have to do it yourself...
"You'd better have a damn good explanation about this, otherwise a broken arm would be the least of your worries..." For his sake I do hope that it's not his fault, if it is he can expect the beating of his lifetime... He can be happy that I kind of need him to take care of business, otherwise I would execute him for his repeated failures... Never again will I leave the planning to him, that much is certain...
"The problem is our Russian friends, it seems as if someone over there gave the government a tip and the bounty on your head wasn't removed yet, so..." At least it wasn't Cummings failing yet again, but for our 'Russian friends' there will be executions, for the only penalty for betrayal is death... Well, I never trusted them, so this doesn't really come as a surprise, it's just bad timing, all things are going head over heels...
"Well, in that case I will have to pay our friends a visit and remind them of their positions. Do you have some plan B or will I have to improvise?" Well, I don't know if Cummings' plan B would be any good either way, so I should be prepared for improvising. My options right now would be to stay on this plane and altering the course, continue and kill our visitors or leaving the plane with parachutes...
"There was no plan B this time, everything was far too rushed, but I would recommend that you get out of there, there are some unsuspicious things in the plane as well, so if you get out the plane will continue to Russia and they will find nothing but some normal wares that were supposed to get there either way." At least something he did right... This way we will escape and whoever gave the tip will be in quite some trouble before I even get there...
"And where should I stay in the meanwhile?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, I don't really know, do you have an idea?" Why is everyone simply leaving his or her share of work to me? It somehow surprises me that Snakes even made it to this day without destroying itself, they're completely hopeless without me... Let's see, public places should be avoided, I wouldn't be surprised if they started printing new wanted posters of me in this very moment...
"Great job, Cummings, just great... I will just shift for myself as I always have. There are parachutes, right?" Without those a jump would be pretty much suicidal, we are quite some kilometres above the ground and the impact would most likely kill us, the trees might be able to slow someone down during summer with their leaves and everything, but right now there are only barren branches. Besides, we are several kilometres above ground right now...
"Well, there is one..."
"One parachute for two persons, or three if there was an accident? Why, I think you might deserve a medal for keeping that in mind..." Well, that should be manageable, I have quite some practical experience with parachutes and both of us aren't too heavy, so one parachute would be enough in theory, but that would mean that Canaan would have to cling to my body for the whole time, I would much rather avoid that...
"I apologise, but that is all there is right now, it was supposed to be for the pilot in case something went wrong, he was just supposed to deliver some wares." Murphy's law strikes again, I suppose... There is no excuse for this, he had a whole day to prepare this all and such things are common knowledge, but I will have to punish him some other time, he is far out of my reach at the moment...
"I get it, I'll contact you once I'm ready..." I simply hang up on him before he can say anything else, I'm just not in the mood for more of his useless excuses. I lift myself from the seat, sleeping is out of the question for now. Canaan is still sleeping peacefully in her seat, she didn't even move throughout my whole conversation with Cummings, though I didn't raise my voice at all, I don't need to resort to such primitive methods to make effective threats. First things first, I knock on the door to the cockpit.
"It's open, come in." I do, there are the controls of the plane, it is rather advanced for our time, but that is to be expected from the luxurious plane of supposedly important people, though they're actually quite useless... The pilot is a middle-aged man, he looks a little bit like a person from the Ukraine, but it could be some other country that was part of the former Soviet Union as well, not that it matters...
"You didn't see me here, but that much should be obvious, right?" He just nods his head, I would say that he respects my authority and doesn't question my orders, that is a good worker. If only all of my subordinates would be like this I would have no trouble at all, but praying or hoping for something won't change anything, I will have to clean out my own organisation soon... "You will have to close the door of the emergency exit, I'll use it."
"Alright, milady, I will change to autopilot and close it as soon as you've departed." His accent is barely audible, I can understand him just fine and he even seems to have some manners, how remarkable... Well, I guess there is no way around it now, I will have to wake Canaan up and she will have to cling to me for the next ten minutes or something like that for dear life... I can't say that I'm looking forward to that, but whatever...