Infinity and Beyond
-Chapter 21-
The Next Seduction, Part Two
Mommy carries me as she and Emil walk into a dark, scary forest in the middle of the night. "Mommy, I'm scared..." I whimper.
"Shh... Just hold onto mommy." She murmurs softly to me as I wrap my arms around her in a hug.
Emil moves a big dark tree trunk that's laying on the ground and pulls out a hidden black suitcase. "Is that it?" Mommy asks as Emil's about to open it.
"Yeah." He pants.
"Wait." Mommy stops him from opening it and he stands up. Mommy puts me back down on the ground as she crouches down and opens the suitcase, which is filled with yellow water bottles.
I stay very close to mommy, as I don't like this place as it makes goosebumps pop up my olive skin. Mommy stands back up. "How would you ever get that through security?" She asks Emil.
I pull on mommy's arm and raise my arms up towards her. "Mommy, up please..." I whine a little before mommy picks me back up.
Emil says something, but there are a lot of words in his sentence that I don't understand...
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'You trust him?' Computer mama tells me what Ryan's saying to mommy on the phone as we're still in that scary forest.
"Well, I don't have any reason not to." Mommy says. "At least not yet."
'Alright, we need to get Voss and the package onto US soil. Now, there's a border checkpoint about 45 minutes south of you, but it might take me sometime to get the seven floor to sign off.'
"What are you going to tell them about me?" Mommy asks worriedly.
'You're an independent contractor. Nikita, are you sure you trust Voss? I still haven't confirmed who killed the man in Berlin. Local police are sending me video surveillance.'
"Well, if Voss did the killing, we'll reassess, but for now, I say we move on this. Gogol's here, Ryan." Mommy tells him.
'The Russian military contractors?'
"The Russian Division." Mommy says. "Let's just say I've a history with them too."
'Are you okay?'
"I'll be, when this is all over." Mommy sighs, but she doesn't sound happy, so I kiss her on the cheek.
'That's not what I meant, I just... I want you to be careful.'
"I know." Mommy says quietly before hanging up. She looks as if something's bothering her, and it's making her sad.
"Mommy, are you okay?" I ask worriedly as I hug her warmly.
"I'll be fine, sweetie." Mommy hugs me back and kisses me on the cheek...
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"Hopefully we lost Gogol." Mommy says as she parks the car in a place where a little further in front of us, there are long lines of other cars.
Mommy's put on a thick coat on me as it's really cold. "Couldn't you have stolen something with heat?" Emil complains.
"Not used to traveling economy?" Mommy sounds annoyed. What does it mean to travel economy?
I know I'm wearing a lot, but I'm still a little cold. I lean closer to mommy and put my arms around her. "Mommy hug..."
"Come here, sweetie." Mommy smiles as she pulls me closer.
"I know you don't like me." Emil says to her. "But do you still not trust me?"
"Seriously?" Mommy rolls her eyes, I don't know why she doesn't get dizzy...
"My four year old daughter isn't even complaining." Mommy says. "You're a grown man, Voss." She smiles a little before continuing. "What happened to you, Voss? Why the sudden change?"
"I'd love to sit here and tell you about the experience of losing a loved one." Emil says. "But the fact is, there are no loved ones. It's just a succession of mass murderers and common thugs that relied on me for care and feeding."
He keeps murderers as pets? But that's so scary...
"I started telling myself that the world would soon be over with these vermin." Emil continues as mommy looks at him weirdly. "So, just by crimes, forced into the business. But I wasn't."
"Then you saw the weapon and you turned against them." Mommy says.
"I went rogue, to use the proper term for your business." Emil says. "That's what my surrender was all about. After I erased who I was, so I can become whoever I might be. The question is, am I too late?"
I tilt my head silently. I don't get it...
Mommy hugs me tighter and kisses the top of my hat before answering him quietly. "I hope you're not."
"Thank you, Josephine." Emil nods.
"It's Nikita." Mom tells him. "My name is Nikita." But then, mommy looks more serious as she looks at the side view mirror. "Gogol is here. My CIA contacts are pulling in now."
"Go." Mommy tells him. "I'll distract them." Then, as Voss leaves the car, mommy lets go of me. "Alright, sweetie, I want you crouch down and stay here until mommy comes back, okay?"
"Okay." I nod before crouching down as mommy leaves the car...
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Mommy's holding my hand as we're walking. She's on the phone with Ryan. 'You did it.' Computer mama tells me what Ryan's saying. 'I heard from my team. Voss and the weapon are on the States's side. Made it through security without a hitch.'
"Just make sure the right people take that thing apart and study it." Mommy says.
'Already on it. Hey, I'm giving you screen grabs from Berlin, Voss was there, but he wasn't the shooter. I'm sending it to your phone now.'
"You're giving me another assignment?" Mommy laughs a little.
'The shooter's Gogol, he might be one of the guys you tangled with. Just see if you recognize him, it's going through now.'
Mommy takes her phone away from her ear as it makes a beeping sound. She looks at the screen. "Roan..." I hear her mutter.
I feel goosebumps pop up my olive skin. It's that scary man with glasses...
"Ryan!" Mommy sounds nervous as she squeezes my hand. "That shooter's not Gogol, he's Division!" Mommy crouches down and picks me up quickly before starting to run as I wrap my arms around her. "Tell your men to change their route! You're going to meet them! You need to personally escort Voss to DC, trust no one!"
Mommy hangs up the phone after that before running to a motorcycle. Mommy quickly puts a helmet on me before doing it for herself. "Hold on to mommy tightly, okay?"
"Okay." I gulp and nod nervously...
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Mommy doesn't stop until she reaches a big black car. She takes her own helmet off before helping me. "Mommy, up please." I reach my arms out towards her.
She picks me up before running to the car. I quickly squeeze my eyes shut when I see two really injured men. I hug mommy tightly and turn my head away.
"Nikita..." Emil's voice murmurs weakly. "Looks like I'm out of time after all."
"Emil?!" Mommy says in shock before telling him "Don't move."
But I hear a long sigh from Emil. 'He's dead.' Something in my stomach feels as if a balloon has just popped. I whimper tearfully...
Just then, we hear a phone ring. Mommy quickly follows the sound and finds the phone. 'Percy's the one calling.'
"Mommy, it's Percy..." I murmur nervously.
Mommy takes a deep breath before picking it up. "Hello, Percy, if you think this is over..."
'Now, now, don't be a sore loser.' Computer mama tells me what Percy's saying.
"That's why you called?" Mommy sounds annoyed. "To brag?"
'Actually, it's called gloating and I earned it. After you cut my endeared network, and give your little propaganda speech to the proliteriot..."
"I'm getting your ass kicked a lot lately." Mommy tells him.
'Not this time. I hear your boy Fletcher thought he stumbled on some chatter. Well, guess what, it was all home made, right here in Division, send directly to his desk.'
Mommy crouches down behind the car with me still in her arms. Her hands touch the bottom of the car as she's looking for something. 'I knew that the minute that Voss got away from us in Berlin, there was only one agent who would ever be able to track him down. My old favorite.'
Mommy stands back up. "You did call to brag." She doesn't sound happy, so I tilt my head and put my red lips on her cheek.
'No, I called to thank you. I never would have done it without you, Josephine. Take a look around, the shell casings from the two cartridges, steel shells, it's Gogol's bullet of choice, isn't it?'
Mommy picks up a small black thing from the ground. 'So Gogol's the evil empire, and Division saves the day. All the evidence will be there, right down to the charred remains of Voss's ex-girlfriend.'
Mommy pulls out a silver box-like thing from under the car. 'It's a bomb.' Computer mama tells me. Something icy cold runs through my body.
"Mommy..." I whimper in fear. "I'm scared..."
"Shh, it's alright, sweetie." Mommy mutters to me before pulling something out of the bomb. "Missed me." She tells Percy through the phone before running back to the motorcycle. "Don't worry, when I bury you, I won't call to brag first."
Then she hangs up and we put our helmets on before we're on the motorcycle again...
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Mommy stops the motorcycle when her phone rings. 'It's Alex.'
"I need you in Division in an hour." Mommy tells her as I can still feel something in my chest jumping up and down really quickly. 'Your heart.'
'Why?' Computer mama tells me what Alex is saying.
"They just stole a dirty bomb off of two CIA operatives in upstate New York, my guess is they'll try to secure it back at headquarters. I need you to find out what airport that is." Mommy says as she takes off my helmet and picks me up.
"Alex!" Mommy says loudly as she's walking with me in her arms.
'Yeah, yeah, I'm here.'
"Alex, if Percy gets a hold of this, he sells it to the highest bidder." Mommy says seriously. "I don't wanna know who that is. I need you on the ball."
'I'm on my way. I'll text you when I've got it.'
Mommy hangs up the phone before putting me back down. Mommy takes out a knife in her boot. "Cover your eyes, sweetie."
I silently cover my eyes with my hands and wait until mommy picks me up again before I open them. I look at mommy before getting scared. Mommy's bleeding and there are rips on her coat.
"Mommy!" I gasp tearfully as I start crying a little.
"Shh, sweetie, I'm okay." Mommy tells me with a smile. "Don't cry." 'She's cut herself on purpose to put up an act.'
I sniffle as I wrap my arms around her and tilt my head so that my red lips would stay on her cheek. "Don't hurt yourself, mommy." I say sadly. "I don't like it when you're hurt. It makes me hurt too."
"I love you too." Mommy tells me softly as she hugs me back and rubs my head...
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Mommy walks to an outdoors place where there are people sitting around tables with food and drinks. Mommy's walking as if she's got a broken leg. 'She's faking it.'
"Are you alright, ma'am?" A random man asks, but mommy doesn't answer him. I still have my arms wrapped around her and I'm keeping my lips on her cheek.
"Well, you do know how to make an entrance." Ari Tasarov's voice sounds. I feel goosebumps pop up my olive skin. That man is scary and mean...
Mommy hugs me closer and doesn't say anything, but Ari stands up and walks up to mommy, blocking her. "My men told me that you made it across the border with Voss." He says. He feels very cold too.
"My trip was cut short." Mommy's glaring at him.
"Where's the weapon?" He smiles very fakely.
"I should ask you that." Mommy says. "Voss's car was attacked. There were shellcasings everywhere."
"Division." Ari scoffs.
"Move." Mommy growls at him as she tries to step around him, but Ari's still blocking her.
"Where are you going?" He asks.
"Upstairs." Mommy says scarily. "Go through my bags, pick out which guns to wear, then I'm gonna get that bomb back. And I swear if I've to ask you to move again, Ari..."
"Don't be that way." He says calmly as he reaches out a hand to touch me, I shrink back closer to mommy...
Mommy pulls out her handgun very quickly and points it at his face. "Don't you dare touch my daughter." Mommy snarls dangerously.
"Protective as ever, huh?" Ari smiles crookedly. "You know, we can help you. The enemy of my enemy..."
"Is just another man standing in my way!" Mommy says angrily before Ari smiles calmly as he silently steps aside. Mommy hugs me as she walks past him...
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Mommy drives super fast on a motorcycle and it makes me scared and nervous, so I grab onto her very, very tightly.
"Ryan, how far are you from Hernon Airport?" Mommy's on the phone again.
'A couple of miles, I think.' Computer mama tells me what Ryan's saying.
"I've got ten miles. Gogol's following me." Mommy tells him. I still don't really know what Gogol is, but it's scary, so I grab onto mommy even tighter.
'What?!'
"Trust me." Mommy says. "We're gonna need a diversion. Stall Division until I get there..."
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I'm hiding in mommy's arms as she runs to Ryan's hiding place while avoiding a lot of gunshots. Mommy touches Ryan's shoulder. "Geez." He says in surprise.
"Crouch down, honey." Mommy tells me as she puts me down on the ground while she crouches down too before looking at Ryan. "Good job keeping them on the ground."
"I'm a black belt and beaurocracy." Ryan says before glancing at two men in black with guns. "Is that Gogol?"
"Yeah." Mommy says. "They're nothing if not predictable." She moves closer to him before continuing. "I need you to do one more thing for me." Mommy silently turns her head towards a moving cart that has a lot of black suitcases on it and then back to Ryan.
I don't really get it, but Ryan does as he nods silently before running off...
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I stay hidden as mommy runs out and knocks a man down before grabbing a handgun from him. After a moment, all the gunshots suddenly stop.
I stay where I am and wait for mommy as she grabs a black suitcase and starts running before a silver car stops her. 'Ari Tasarov.' I bite down on my red lips nervously. I hope mommy will be okay.
Vision
"She did very well considering the situation." Jason said to Wendy as they were both sitting inside a car.
"Well, I certainly hope she is." Wendy said. "Because if anything happens to Infinity, I'll make her suffer." Her words makes me frown worriedly, I don't want mommy to suffer...
"Does that mean you're not planning on taking her out anymore?" Jason raised an eyebrow.
"Don't count on it." Wendy narrowed her eyes coldly at Jason. "She still has to pay for what she did to my father." Does that mean Wendy wants to hurt mommy?
Whenever I think about mommy getting hurt, I always end up crying...
"So, what's our next move?" Jason asked.
"We'll just continue watching her for now." Wendy said before looking out the window...
End Vision
"Sweetie?" Mommy looks at me worriedly as she picks me up. "What's wrong?" She says as I'm crying a little.
I wrap my arms around mommy and bury my face in her chest before shaking my head and sniffling. "Mommy, hug me please." Wendy wants to hurt mommy, doesn't she?
I feel mommy pull me closer into a warm hug. "Is that better?"
"Thank you, mommy." I nod before lifting my head up and kissing her on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you too." Mommy smiles as she kisses me back on the cheek...
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Mommy and I are standing outside with Ryan as mommy's holding my hand. "You should've seen their faces." He smiles. "It's not everyday that an analyst walks onto the seventh floor with a dirty bomb."
"I told you I would make you a hero." Mommy smiles back.
"Yeah." Ryan sighs. "Some hero. I let Percy lead me around by the nose."
"Well, now you know how he operates." Mommy says sadly. "Just because you've been bumped upstairs, doesn't mean you can trust anyone, remember that. He's taken too many lives already."
I can tell something's bothering her, and Ryan can too. "What is it?" He asks.
Mommy looks a little tearful, so I pull on her arm and raise my arms up towards her silently.
She picks me up and hugs me before turning to Ryan. "Do you think we can ever erase who we were?" She says. "Come back from it."
"From what?" Ryan says.
"Things we've done." Mommy says as she looks as if she's swallowed something that tastes really bad. "Just all of it."
"Nikita..." Ryan says.
"Do we even deserve to?" Mommy says sadly before I quickly squeeze my almond-shaped dark brown eyes shut as she and Ryan are making kissy faces at each other again...
"Yes." I hear Ryan say, but I keep my eyes shut for a little longer just to be safe. I hear footsteps walk away before I finally open my eyes again...
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Mommy's holding my hand as we're walking. She's calling Alex again. 'You didn't follow protocol!' Computer mama tells me what Alex's saying.
"Sorry." Mommy says.
'How did it go?'
"We got the weapon, but somebody paid a price." Mommy says. "Alex, what I told you before about not getting close to anyone..."
'I know, it's for my own protection.'
"I was wrong."
'I thought relationships with outsiders were dangerous.'
"They are, but you can't just live the lie, Alex. It's not enough. You've to live too."
'Thanks.'
After that, mommy hangs up before we go home...
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I walk down the stairs holding my special wooden box. It's where I keep pictures of mommy. I want to show it to her. I want to make mommy happy.
Mommy's sitting by her computer again, so I only walk up to her when she's done. "Happy Valentine's day, mommy!" I grin as I hand her the box.
"Oh, that's for me?" Mommy smiles as she takes it from my hands and puts it on the table. Then, she pulls me onto her lap. "Alright, let's see what's in here."
She opens the box before letting out a surprised "oh". "Every picture has me in it..." Mommy's smiling widely, but tears are falling out of her eyes.
I quickly wrap my arms around her before starting to kiss her tears away. "Mommy, don't cry. I'm sorry if I did something wrong." I say as I continue kissing her wet cheeks. "I'll do better next time, so don't be sad..."
Mommy hugs me tightly. "I'm so happy right now, sweetie..." She breathes out before she starts kissing me all over, it tickles, so I start giggling...
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Author's note: alright guys, here's another chapter. Please do review me your thoughts as reviews do help motivate me to write. So please remember to review!