She was unconvinced; this thing in her hand couldn't have been the reactor vent Heisenberg complained so much about. It was nothing more than what he said it was; a metal vent, albeit the one in her hand, was rusted and the wires on the end were frayed and stripped of their cable sleeves.
Narrowing her tired eyes, Irina shoved it into her coat pocket and thanked Leonardo for finding it for her.
"It's no problem," he grunted.
Locking up his workshop, he turned and gave her a curious look.
"What do you need all this scrap for? Are you making something?"
Irina hummed. "Not me in particular, but someone else I know. He gives me a list and I retrieve the parts he needs."
She wasn't lying, but she thought it was best to leave out who sent her on these errands.
Leonardo grinned knowingly, making Irina curious. She puckered a brow.
"What?"
He shook his head. "Rumors are you fancy a lad in another part of the village. Anton has seen you sneaking out and returning days later."
Fancy a lad? Irina groaned. She was too wrapped up in her arrangement to consider what the villagers thought about her.
"It's not like that," she calmly rebutted.
Taking a deep and uneven breath, she explained.
"I've been running errands to earn some money, and he's right, I have been sneaking out, but because it's an uncanny arrangement and my boss doesn't want to draw unwanted attention."
And because he's a monster who will most likely kill me and everyone I tell if he finds out.
Leonardo hummed. "What's he making? Seems pretty damn big if he's wanting to keep it a secret."
"I have no clue," Irina answered in honesty.
She was curious too, but if it was anything like the creature who maimed her in the heart of the factory, which still made her fear the lower levels, then she didn't want to know.
The aging man brought up his hands. "I understand; it's none of my business."
Irina wanted to clarify, but decided against it and nodded. She watched him as he walked past her, then followed him from the backyard and into the street.
"You know," Leonardo mentioned. "Luiza has been asking about you."
She narrowed her eyes. "How come?"
"Worried, I reckon. You know how she is; ready to lend a hand to those around her," he answered with a shrug.
Irina gently smiled. "She's a sweet woman. I haven't had the chance to go see her since I started the errands."
She wrote a letter, but with everything going on, Irina pushed it to the back of her mind. She heard from Elena at breakfast that Luiza sent the horses to the village near the reservoir; the houses below the clinic were washed away and the old man who took care of the windmill needed the horses to aide the villagers who lost their homes. Irina was upset to lose them but thankful that the horses were in better hands.
Perhaps when she had the time, she'd thank her.
"I'm fine – not really. Tell her not to worry about me," Irina uttered.
Leonardo grunted. "Make time to do it your damn self,"
"Yes sir," she said in agreement.
He turned and narrowed his eyes. "And get some rest. You're worrying Elena."
Easier said than done, Irina thought.
Regardless, she agreed and waved as he trudged back towards his house. Irina reckoned it was time to return to the factory. She wanted to give Heisenberg the part and return his key to him before the sunset and it got dark. Spending another night in the factory was not something she wanted to do again.
Irina sighed, remembering the rude way he woke her this morning. The metal frame ended up on its side on the floor and her along with it, crushed beneath the mattress. As she sat in fear against the wall, he explained to her in detail what a reactor vent was and ordered her to retrieve it for him, as he had made some progress on his recent project and needed the vent. Before she ran off, he tossed her the key to his quarters and gave her instructions to leave the piece there, then return the key to him in the forge.
And here she was, reactor vent in tow.
Irina sighed and took the key from her pocket, clutching it in her hand.
Better take thi––
In mid-thought, she turned and tensed in fright, having nearly bumped into someone in her path. The key tumbled from her hand and hit the muddy ground with a wet plop.
Catching her breath, Irina knitted her brows in concern for the Hag; an unassuming old woman no one knew much about, not even her given name.
"Forgive me," Irina pleaded. "I wasn't paying attention."
The Hag stared down at the ground, then bent down and to retrieve the key from the mud. The bones on her staff clanked in protest.
"What a strange yet familiar crest," she stated. "Where did you find it? Is this key yours?"
Irina narrowed her eyes. "It was entrusted to me. I was about to return it."
She reached her hand out and the Hag returned the key.
"You tend to open doors at your own risk," she stated.
Her murky eyes looked her over.
"You are no one particular, but to someone else, perhaps."
Irina narrowed her eyes. What did she mean?
The Hag leaned forward, beaded hair clinking. "The powers that be have their eyes on you, child."
With a cackle, she ambled around the confused woman and continued on her way. Irina glanced back at her with wide eyes. Was she trying to warn her?
She ignored the veiled meaning behind her words and rushed from the village, returning to the factory. Heisenberg was most likely still at work in the room she encountered the creature in; a room she wished to avoid, but because he ordered her to return his key, she had no choice but to.
Taking the lift down, Irina took the rusted reactor vent to his quarters, then road the lift to the materials floor. She retraced her steps, walking hesitantly through the eerie hallway until she came to the room with the automated door; a new LED lens took the place of the one she broke, and written on the sticky paper near the lens were the words: don't fucking break me.
Irina laughed and pulled back the handle, passing through the door once it opened, and followed the long route back to the workplace with the furnace in it. The room was hot as hell.
No wonder he walks around without a shirt on.
And speaking of Heisenberg, he was nowhere to be seen.
Irina groaned in annoyance and considered leaving the key. He most likely would not mind, but because he might have something else for her to do, she waited, resting against one of the workbenches as she closely watched the door on the far left of the room. The lock she had picked had been replaced, but still, she was cautious, nervous that the creature with the roaring auger would burst through the door and lunge at her, clicking its stained teeth as it tore her apart.
She took an uneasy breath and dared herself to look away.
Baby steps.
Something was different here. Irina noticed some pictures on the film board and wandered over to them, keeping alert in case her fear came staggering from the room over; the broken concrete stood as a reminder of her escape from death.
She looked over the x-rays on the board, not able to identify what the pictures may be of. They appeared to be x-rays of the human skull but something was attached to the brain; she wasn't sure what. On a note stuck to the board read: Soldat Enhancement: Klinge, attached chainsaws to the arms of a Soldat. Testing in progress, awaiting results.
Soldat? Klinge? What were those?
Irina was so confused.
To her left, she heard a noise. She darted her head to the side and saw Heisenberg on the stairs. Her heart pounded in shock.
He scoffed at her.
"Can't you ever keep your damn nose out of my business?"
Irina narrowed her eyes. "Don't order me down here, if you don't want me to see."
She tossed his key to him. "If you don't want anything else, then I'm going home."
The air thinned around her and the cuffs around her wrists bit into her skin as her arms were forced out in front of her. She groaned in pain, hearing him laugh.
"You're feisty, sweetheart, and I like that about you, but don't forget who the fuck you're talking to."
Irina bit back an insult and nodded. There was no point in provoking him; he would undoubtedly break her wrists if she made him mad enough.
His hold on the cuffs released and her arms dropped to her sides.
"But there is something I want you to see," Heisenberg suddenly asked.
She rubbed her arm. "What is it?"
"Don't fucking spoil the surprise," he snapped. "Go upstairs to the barn area and I'll come to get you once it's ready."
Irina was suspicious, but rolled her eyes and ambled from the room before he said anything else.
She hoped this wouldn't take long.