A big, fat chapter for you this time, hope you'll like it, whoever is reading this (yeah, I know, the fandom is really small, but it's got a lot of potential, really, and not just because of our favourite Aug XD). Our hacker wakes up in a stranger's house and decides to investigate a little bit about her mysterious host. On the other hand, Adam does a bit of poking around in Markus' flat, trying to discover what happened to him. New plans are in motion and new alliances are created ;)
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In my dream, I entered my apartment and everything was shambles, as if someone had ransacked the whole place, what had been my whole life for the last few years. Terrified, knowing that something wasn't right, I advanced towards my room. Markus' lifeless corpse hung from a rope there, his face bloated and purple. Then, he opened his eyes and whispered "Run, they are coming for you".
I woke with a startle and, when I opened my eyes, I didn't recognize where I was. Then I started to get my bearings and remembered everything that had happened the day before, and how I had arrived in that place. I looked around myself, the flat was bathed in sunlight and looked deserted. So, it had apparently turned out that that Jensen guy was who he pretended he was. If he had been an Illuminati, he would have probably killed me already, and if he had infiltrated the Collective on behalf of the TF29, he would have surely dragged me there, or he would have betrayed Alex long ago, or that's what I wanted to believe.
Markus came to my mind, his deadly face staring fixedly at me, as vivid as if he was in the very same room. He was a nagging thought in the back of my mind, but I knew I couldn't do anything for him. It was another thing you had to assume when joining the Collective: you're going to lose people. It was inevitable, people died during missions, people were caught, Augs disappeared everyday never to be seen again, either because they were sent to Golem City, which, if all those rumours were right, was basically a prolonged death sentence, or they were killed by Harvesters so they could scavenge their enhancements. It sounded terribly cold, but things worked that way, or that's how it had been since the Incident; so many lives were lost back then: friends, lovers, sons, daughters, co-workers, relatives…when you go through something like that you realise that you can lose something close to your heart very soon, at any time, at any moment, just like that. Maybe that's why everyone acted like they did nowadays, including myself; we avoided attachment, we stuck only to those nearest to us, ever in fear of losing them for whatever reason…grief had become a part of life, more than ever, I thought rather mournfully. Markus' disappearance was but another grain of dust in an enormous pile, something that couldn't be helped, if the tables had turned differently, it could have been me, it STILL could be me…if my strange companion turned out to be a traitor or if I was eventually found by those bastards. And brooding about it was totally pointless, it was a lot better to keep going, focus on what you could do instead of on what had no solution. With this slightly more positive mindset, I threw off the blankets that covered me and stood up.
"Hello?" I asked aloud, wondering if my host would be at home. I checked my phone and saw it was 12:00 a.m. Shit, I had seriously overslept, although it was no wonder, as the day before I had only had about a couple of hours of sleep. I stood up, expecting him to get out of his room or the bathroom at any moment. I went to the first door and rapped smartly on the door, then on the other. Nothing, I frowned slightly, where the hell was he? I hadn't even heard him go out.
I walked to the kitchen again and there, on the counter, I saw a hand-written note on a post-it. I looked at the small but neat calligraphy, supposing it was the ex-cop's.
"Need to go to HQ, be back in the evening. Door is locked, but if you REALLY need to go out, the code is 3871. Checked the area before I left, looks safe enough, nothing suspicious, but don't leave unless necessary, and if you do, use your glass shield. If you get hungry, there's some cereal and milk left. Here's my Infolink code in case you need anything," it read.
So, he had left for work. Well, it was the right thing to do, after all, he had a cover to maintain…now that he was out of the picture, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get in touch with my own contacts inside the Collective to find out a little bit about him. I went to the bathroom and then started pouring myself some Count Chocula. Afterwards, I opened the fridge and discovered it to be almost totally empty but for a large glass bottle of milk. Taking it, I thought gloomily that I would probably have to content myself with another bowl of cereals before he came back. I sat on one of the stools by the counter and thought about my current situation. Luckily, until everything went back to normal (God knew when that would happen), I had quite a lot of work to do; during the last few weeks, much of my time had to be committed to the Palisade data heist, something Janus had agreed to, and even though I had tried not to shirk my other responsibilities, it would be a perfect time to catch on some other pending duties and tasks. Once I was done, I washed the empty bowl, dried it and put it back in the cupboard I had found it in. After that, I picked some clothes and went to the bathroom, took a quick and invigorating shower and got dressed, I really didn't like staying in my pyjamas the whole day, it made me feel underproductive and lazy.
It was officially the same time in Prague as in Madrid, so I guessed my sister would be already working. I opened my laptop and sent her a message through our own private channel and waited for her to answer. While I was at it, I took a closer look at my host's flat; you can discover a lot about a person just by looking at their home. There were still some boxes lying about the place, which clearly hinted at him having moved not so long ago. On the other hand, I was rather surprised to find stacks of books everywhere, whose titles ranged from "The Miracle of Life", "The Science Behind Augmentation", "Narcotraffic", "A Detailed History of Cybernetics", "Super Electromagnetic Fields", "Ancient Myths", "The Laws of Detroit" or "Learning to Let it Go", which stood prominently on top of the counter of the kitchen, meaning he had been reading it recently. I must admit I had been rather prejudiced against him when I had learned he used to be a cop, imagining him to be little more than a brainless thug, so it was quite surprising to discover that he had such a wide range of interests. He also seemed to like astronomy, as there was a telescope in front of the last window of the living room (I sincerely hoped he used it to gaze at the stars and not to stalk some neighbour). Propped against the dividing wall between the hall and the kitchen there was a signed baseball bat, and an equally autographed ball lay on the counter, I could imagine him toying with it or something while going around the house.
Finally, I heard a voice blaring from my laptop's speakers, I ran to it and sat on the chair in front of the table. "Auro? Are you there?" asked a familiar feminine voice. There she was, my sister, who smiled upon seeing me. We weren't too much alight, although we shared the same dark hair, which was styled into a professional but comfortable look, a wide smile appeared on her face upon seeing me.
"Glad to see you…I was starting to get a bit worried, with your plan and everything. Did everything go alright? Janus told me you managed to get some important information, but he wouldn't say anything else, you know how he likes playing the mysterious guy…by the way, where the devil are you? That's not your flat, is it?" my older sister looked around the room where I was, suddenly frowning.
"Well, yeah…I got the information alright…but there was a little catch, so as to say…" then I proceeded to explain her all the things I had been through, from the data heist in the Palisade to the moment I learned about Markus' disappearance. My sister's smile slid off her face progressively, turning into a concerned grimace.
"Oh my God, Aurora…this…I couldn't have imagined…where are you? Did you manage to find somewhere safe? I suppose Alex Vega helped you out…where is she?"
"Well, I'm not staying with her, but with another member of the Collective here in Prague…in fact, I wanted to get some information about this guy, just in case, you can never be too sure…know anything about a certain Adam Jensen?" my sister's obvious worry at hearing that I was staying with some unknown member seemed to lessen slightly when she heard my savior's name.
"Ah, Jensen, I remember him. I believe he's alright, he got some friends out of a tight spot a few months ago…in fact, his role was pivotal in all the Rifleman Bank affair, Quinn got him to help with that, and later Janus gave his approval to invite him into the Collective. Is he showing any suspicious behaviours?"
"No, not so far. He's been rather nice to me, in fact; he may not be the guy with the sunniest disposition out there, but I can't complain so far, after all, he agreed to take me in, given how risky it could be for him…"
"Ah, I shouldn't worry about that, from what I have gathered, he's more than able of taking care of himself, or you for that matter. And yeah, I only met him for a few minutes, but he's more the strong silent type," she said beaming. However, her brow furrowed in worry once again. "Nonetheless, even if I'm sure you'll be alright with him, I can't help but think that maybe this is the moment to leave the Czech Republic…I mean, your contribution to the Collective there is extremely useful, but we need good people here in Spain as well, you know it. That attack the other day in that train station, all those rumours about the ARC and Talos Rucker…Prague is not a safe place right now, especially for people with augments, and now you with those Illuminati bastards after your trail….I have contacts at the Embassy, we could get you out of there in a jiffy…" said my sister, dead serious once again.
"I know, sis, but I don't know, I have already committed myself to the Collective's branch here. I still have a lot to do and I owe it to them, especially after hiding me from Picus' people…anyway, you can't be sure I'd be safer in Spain, they could track me there, and it would be dangerous for Antonio, the kids and you…and for Mom and Dad as well…it's just as risky as remaining here, if they learned I was in the country they'd come after you immediately, either thinking that I'm with you or that you have some information about my whereabouts or maybe to threaten me in some way. And, as you said when I got into this, the Collective entails a series of risks, I was well aware of them back then and I still remember them, I knew perfectly well what could happen," I said in earnest, my jaw tensing with resolve.
"I guessed you'd say something like that, and I understand. I have my responsibilities as well and I know the price my family could pay, even though I try to think that I do it to leave them a better world, but still…you're my family, Auro, and I worry about you, even if I'm conscious of our commitment to the Collective," she smiled ruefully. "Mom and Dad asked about you as well, they don't ignore the situation in Prague and they are really worried," she added, trying to sound offhand.
"How's Dad doing?" I asked, a sudden pang of guilt hitting me like a sledgehammer. "Are they alright? I haven't really been able to contact them…" I excused myself lamely.
"Dad's better, he's got a bit more mobility in his arms right now. And Mom…well, she looks older, that's for sure, but she's holding on, you know her," she tried to reassure me. "Don't be daft, give them a call, you should try to make things alright…it's been two years Aurora, you should try to make things up before…anything happens. Do you promise me you will?" she asked, a slightly pleading note in her voice.
"Don't worry, sis, I will, I promise," I assured her, though just thinking about it made a knot appear in my stomach. "What else can you tell me about our friend the ex-cop, then? You seem to know an awful lot about him…" I asked, trying to steer her away from the other matter; however, she knew me all too well, and threw me a piercing look, but probably decided it was no good to argue.
"Well, when he joined the Prague operative, I carried out my own little investigation…just to know who else would be working alongside my sister. It turns out he used to be the commander of one of the SWAT teams in Detroit, but then, for some reason, he decided to resign. And well, I guess he was very good at it, he got decorated and everything. After that, he joined Sarif Industries as the head of security. I don't really have much information about what he did there, Janus has all of it, though. I believe he got really close to the Illuminati due to some accident in the enterprise's lab and, if rumours are true, that's when they gave him all his augmentations, top-notch, from what I've heard. Around then he also got involved in Rifleman Bank. Quinn seemed to be rather impressed at how well he handled the situation. I mean, after infiltrating that place practically on his own, he managed to get rid of Pieter Burke and save both the scientist who knew everything about the project and the poor souls who were kept there as guinea pigs…later, after the Aug Incident he was found in Panchaea, but there's a blank year for him after all that…one year later, Quinn and Alex Vega contacted him to join the Collective; apparently, he had started working for the Task Force not so long ago. That's as much as I can tell you about it; finally, even though I wasn't that involved, he helped us smuggle a couple of other members from Morocco into Spain. In a nutshell, you can trust him, as much as trust within the Collective is concerned," she concluded.
"After what you've told me, I certainly feel more at ease…" I commented, positively impressed at my host's resumé.
"Glad to hear that. I'd love to chat a bit longer, but I have a meeting in a few minutes, have you managed to gather any more information about the Czech government? I imagine you have been terribly busy with the last steps of the plan, but it would be advisable if you gave us something more, I wouldn't want my superiors to complain about your work…" she said, looking slightly worried.
"That won't be a problem, as I knew I wouldn't be able to gather much these days, I prepared a report on the Republic's exportation policies now that they are planning to reconcile themselves with Ukraine, give me a couple hours and I'll send it to you," I explained eagerly.
"Yes, that would be great. Right, Auro, really gotta go, take care, and please, call Mom and Dad," without leaving me any time to reply, the connection ended.
With my gaze lost in space, I mulled over what I had discovered through my sister. Ex-SWAT, Chief of Security for Sarif Industries…well, now I understood why Alex had said crossing him wasn't a good idea; and those augments, given to him by the company itself. If they had equipped him with such an impressive hardware, it probably hadn't been out of the kindness of their hearts, but because maybe they thought they could be useful to him, either for his own purposes (which I frankly doubted) or for his job within the company (which seemed much more likely). And it seemed like he had really gone out of his way to help those people in Rifleman Bank; of course, everyone had heard about Belltower's scandalous experiment on unwilling subjects which had eventually led to their downfall. So, at the very least, our man looked like someone of deep moral convictions, a professional through and through.
Now that I was (almost) free of any doubt about my host's intentions (I had the nagging thought it was too early to confirm such a thing), I decided it was about time I did something productive. I had either that tedious report for the CNI (the Spanish equivalent of the CIA) or that whisper chip. I finally chose the latter, as the whisper chip could be critical for the Collective's plans here in Prague, the Spanish Government could wait a bit more for their exportation policies' report. I took the device from out from my bag and plugged it into one of the ports, then opened my beloved Phantom 3.0, decided to look for the safest, most reliable frequency I could find.
Immersed as I was in this task, I didn't really pay attention to the time, and I was shocked to see it was already 15:00 p.m. in the evening. I felt a bit hungry, so I dragged myself to the kitchen, picked up a bowl and the box of Froot Loops and, finally, poured the cup of milk or so that remained in the bottle. I sat again in front of the isle and put a spoonful into my mouth. A rush of sugar invaded my mouth instantly, why the devil were they called Froot Loops? They tasted like anything but fruit to me…that was it, I was going to buy some things later. After all, hadn't he said he hadn't had any time to get some groceries? I could go myself and get some things, if only not to have to eat cereals once again, at this rate I'd end up developing diabetes. Also, it wouldn't go amiss showing some gratitude to my host. Reflecting on the day before, I realised that I hadn't showed my best behaviour, looking suspicious the whole time, I hadn't even thanked him officially…I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks. "He must think I'm a bitch," I thought, full of chagrin. However, there's no use crying over spilt milk, and the best thing I could do was trying to make amends as soon as possible; I'd get the groceries and maybe prepare something for dinner, maybe he wouldn't mind eating something that wasn't ultraprocessed, sugary cereal.
Yes, that's what I could do. When I had finished my bowl, I washed it and put it back to its original shelf. Afterwards, I decided to take the sheets of the couch and tuck them away in a corner with my bag so they wouldn't be in the way, so it didn't look as if I was invading the whole house with my presence. "I'll rest for a while and then I'll look for some supermarket or whatever there's nearby and get some things for a few days. Guess I should wear my glass shield on, at least while I get out of the building, and it would be advisable to find something that isn't too far…better not risk it too much." With that resolution in mind, I picked up my E-Book from my bag and continued the book I had stopped reading those last days. Even though I was on the run, it still felt good doing something as commonplace as picking up a good book.
My head pounded after so many hours before the computer. Despite my eyes being augmented, I still suffered from eye dryness from time to time, I rubbed my eyes furiously, glancing at the time in my computer; that asshole Macready had said my report was "unacceptable" and had commanded me to write it again. The fucking report was alright, he just wanted to piss me off and remind me of who was boss. Tired, I let out a sigh and rubbed my temples with my fingers; I really wanted to come back home and take a long shower and forget all the train station incident for a little while. We had been thrown out of the investigation by the Czech Police; Miller was trying to engage in some conversation with the top dogs there, but to no avail, at least not yet. In the end, I guessed it would come to me having to pay them a little visit and sneaking off with any evidence I could find; however, it would be best if we seemed to respect the official channels, if only in principle.
Finally, I stood up and stretched, my servos whining and whirring after so many hours sitting there. I picked up my trench coat, remembering then that I had to go to the hacker's friend's house to see whether I could get some clues as to what had happened to that guy. I said goodbye to Aria on my way out and stepped into the lift. While it was going up, I reflected on my "protégée", that hacker. When I had left in the morning, she was still asleep on the couch, buried under some blankets. However, beneath the pillow I had perceived the dull gleam of her 10 mm, it was clear she didn't trust me, but had seen no other option but coming with me. Of course, after that risky data heist and the fact that her accomplice had been forcefully removed from his own home, it was normal she would be frightened and distrustful of anyone. Besides, our little trip through the sewers had only contributed to making her more nervous, something I hadn't really thought of. And then, when we were safely home, I had the magnificent idea of activating one of my nanoblades. After the terrorist attack, they had been acting up a little weird, and I had decided to check them precisely when she had left the bathroom. You didn't need any CASIE to know that she was scared out of her wits, even though she had almost managed to conceal it from me. I couldn't help but blame myself for it; after all, I was extremely aware of the kind of reaction my augments provoked in people, whether they themselves were augmented or not, and that without even pulling the heavy weaponry out…most people found me intimidating, and I knew my character didn't precisely help disprove that impression. I would have to make a point of being more…agreeable? Human? I hadn't really paid heed to this for a while, but my improvised coexistence with this woman would require me to examine my behaviour under a different light… "God, I'm starting to sound like Delara", I thought wryly.
I inhaled the chilly sunset air when I left the nondescript store that concealed our headquarters and set off towards the place Vera had said. As always, I carried with me my silenced 10 mm, just in case. I could always rely on my augments, whether they were lethal or not, but that familiar weight inside my trench coat felt reassuring, even if I tried to use it only as a last resort. On the other hand, it wasn't such a bad idea having a weapon, given that my augments had taken their toll after the attack at the station, and Koller had only made matters worse, apparently.
I cursed under my breath, although it must have been audible, as a woman looked at me in alarm and hurried away from me; like every other Augment in the world, I was getting utterly tired of that shit. It hadn't been as bad before that, even though, I for one, usually bore the brunt of others' ignorance and fear. I'd like to say you got used to all that, but you never did, specially not after that catastrophe, now that all that hatred was being endorsed by international organisations and nations alike. I thought of the Vera woman; the day before I wouldn't have guessed she was augmented, bundled up as she was under her winter clothes; I had only seen her fully-replaced arms when she was going to bed and the circuits near her hairline when she had taken off her hat. Part of me wished I could conceal them as easily; but my hands immediately gave me away, and even if I wore gloves like her in winter, I couldn't possibly hide my glasses, either when activated or retracted. On the other hand, not every Aug thought like this, I had seen a lot of them displaying their enhancements for everyone to see, even in these convulse times, I assumed it must be some kind of "Aug Pride" movement or something of the like…
I finally arrived at the apartment complex; it was a fine-looking building in a fine-looking neighbourhood. My own flat was rather nice, but the Zelen complex itself was rather dingy, as were most places that still accepted augmented people; I couldn't help but remember the stylish Chiron building back in Detroit, it was a beautiful place, but it had ended forbidding Augs from it as well…
I entered the building when no one was looking, activated my glass shield and crept upstairs. Maybe I would have a word with one of those two neighbours Vera had seen, but first I wanted to check the apartment. Before coming in, I activated my Augmented Vision to check whether I would have some company inside, using a couple of my recently-discovered Tesla charges on a couple of bastards wouldn't be such a problem, but I'd rather go unnoticed. Convinced that it was empty, I hacked the keypad in front, trying not to growl the first time I got it wrong. God, I hated hacking, I could do it if necessary, but I simply had no patience for it. Someone had closed the door and it had locked automatically, apparently. It hadn't been the police, that was for sure, or they would have placed some bands around to stop people like me from ferreting around…as if that would be an issue, I thought, my lips twitching slightly.
Finally, I heard that rewarding beep and pushed the handle down; I took in the sight before me, getting the general picture first to then focus on the minutia. The expensive flat was decorated tastefully, maybe a bit too modernly for my liking, but I tended to prefer more old-fashioned furniture. If not for the chaos within, it would have been impeccably clean, spotless; yeah, that Markus guy looked like some control-freak, so, which had been his mistake?
I walked around the room, the panoramic windows allowed to see the emptying streets outside, had they been like that during the attack? Chances were someone from the building across the street could have seen some movement. Why hadn't anyone called the police, though? But, of course, I was forgetting the general climate of paranoia in the city, especially after the attack at Ruzicka…they probably thought it was an undercover operative arresting some suspect for the bombing, or maybe they were too frightened, which was also likely. I'd also pay a little visit to the building in front, just in case they had spotted anything…I turned my gaze to the ground, there was the trail of blood.
I paced around the enormous living room; they had ripped the cushions and the couch, apparently trying to find something. The TV hung askew from its anchor points, burglars would have probably taken it away, as well as any valuables they had found, but nothing seemed to be missing, there was even an obviously expensive painting hanging on the wall. Even though unlikely, I didn't want to discard yet other reasons for this mess, although it looked as if Vera's theory fitted. I went to the bedroom, which had been left in the same state of disarray; they had taken away the laptop, that was the only thing that seemed conspicuously absent (I highly doubted an IT engineer and hacker wouldn't have a personal laptop at home), but they had been looking for something else. What, though? I wished I had equipment for dusting for prints, but I had no idea where I could buy it, probably in the black market, although without any databases to compare with, it would be all for naught.
Next, I turned my feet towards the bathroom, at the other side of the room. "Here I am, following not a yellow brick road, but a path of red blood…what a strange Dorothy I'd make, I think the Tin-man suits me a lot better…" I thought with some grim pleasure. Noticing some scuffs on the wooden door, and how they had dislodged the handle from its hole, I imagined Markus had locked himself inside, time he had used to get rid of his Infolink. I stepped inside and studied everything, from the glass smashed to pieces (I grimaced, unable to quell images of some very similar picture around three years before), to the shattered material on the floor, and more blood. I crouched when I found the scalpel she had mentioned, right next to a couple of tiny cables caked in dry blood; I picked it up, it was sharp, a professional tool (for a moment I felt glad about my prosthetic hands, no fingerprints that could give me away). Why would an IT engineer keep a scalpel in his house? He had planned everything just in case, that's why he had programmed that message for Vera. However, either he had really thought it was better to have a contingency plan even if everything seemed to go according to plan, or he had somehow suspected his movements were being monitored. My brows knitted themselves together, deep in thought; I would still need to ask the hacker some more questions later, and maybe even try to find that garage where Markus kept his other laptop.
I left the scalpel as it was and looked around the room again, just in case. However, there seemed to be no other clues, I had seen no fingerprints from the assailants (either they wore gloves or had burned them away with acid, they wouldn't be the first, or they had augmented fingers like mine). It was time to go see the neighbours in case I could gather some meaningful information. However, there was a little catch, my glaringly obvious augments, it wouldn't be easy…though I could always resort to my pheromones to make things a bit smoother. I retraced my steps to the living room and closed the door behind me, careful not to make any noise. The hacker had said she had heard the neighbours downstairs, so that's where I would check, time to be my most enchanting self…
"Left or right? Looks like a clear case of eeny, meeny, miny, moe…" I thought to myself, pulling at my beard. I finally settled for the right, before knocking at the door, though, I tried to think the best approach. I couldn't possibly pretend to be from the Czech Police, I hadn't even mastered the basics of that language yet and, even if I was fluent enough to pull it off, it would be rather unbelievable, as they had dismissed long ago their augmented officers. On the other hand, I always had my Interpol's credentials at hand, but an international investigation in the vicinity would only make them even more nervous and reticent to talk. No, it would seem less suspicious feigning to be a concerned friend of Markus, just wondering about his disappearance; acting wasn't really one of my talents, but I could probably make it seem convincing enough.
Choosing that flat first seemed to be the most promising, as it was right below Markus' apartment, and they would have probably heard what had happened upstairs. I rapped at the door smartly and, right before they opened, decided to retract my lenses in order to look less menacing, just in case. A woman in her fifties or so with her hair in a tight bun opened the door and eyed me full of distrust.
"Excuse me, maam', sorry to disturb you at this late hour, but I was wondering if you had seen Markus, your neighbour, lately…I've come to pay him a visit but no one seems to be in there, nor does he answer his phone…" I asked as politely as I could, trying to look worried and distraught. My CASIE studied how she responded; her heart beat slowed slightly and her pupils became slightly smaller, showing her initial surprise was slowly wearing off, although she still felt wary about me.
"You mean Novák? Haven't you heard? It's incredible how nobody is doing anything about this," she complained. "I mean, a neighbour being kidnapped in the middle of the night? First that terrorist attack and now this…I don't know what Novák did, he was always a weird guy, but I suppose he didn't deserve what happened to him…" she admitted grudgingly; her English was rather fluent, something I couldn't help but feel grateful about, it would be enough difficult without language barriers. I pretended to be shocked at the news.
"Kidnapped? What do you mean?" I tried to inflect an obvious tinge of alarm into my voice.
"Kidnapped, killed…I don't know," she shivered visibly and crouched ever so slightly in fear. "I heard hurried footsteps in the night, and then a great racket above. Later, I felt them walking downstairs; my husband wanted to get out to tell them off for making such noise at those hours, but I stopped him…; then I saw them through the peep hole, I didn't like the looks of that people, and I'd have sworn they were dragging something heavy away…maybe it was Markus' body, I don't know, or maybe he was unconscious or something…" the woman's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, trying to remember.
"Who took him? You said they were several, haven't you?" I inquired, knowing that I had hit the jackpot, it had been a lot easier to make her talk than I'd have initially thought, or maybe it was because she was bored and wanted to chat to someone.
"Yes, six of them. Big men, they didn't look like the police, not at all…they wore plain normal clothes, and I would have sworn the man leading the group downstair was bald and had a tattoo on the head…a dog, a tiger, a cat, I don't know…I just saw it for a second, and then they were gone," the woman shook her head, obviously disgusted. "I don't know what that Novák had been doing, but you should stay clear of it," she warned me. "That's all I know, you look like an intelligent lad, if you are you'll follow my advice."
"Thanks, maam', I will," I tried my best to sound worried and scared, but I don't think it worked; though it mattered little, for she nodded and closed the door without further ado, as if worried someone might have overheard her having this conversation with me.
I waited until I heard her on the other side of her flat to walk to the door in front, where the other neighbour she had talked to lived, according to the hacker. A younger woman opened the door, her hair falling in auburn locks, she looked at me in sheer fright, despite me having my shades retracted.
"Excuse me, maam'. I'm a friend of your neighbour from the upper floor opposite to your door, it's long ago since I've heard…" however, she didn't give me enough time to finish my sentence, for she retorted in rather broken English: "I don't know anything! Just leave us alone!" and she slammed the door, not even allowing me to activate my pheromones. I pinched the bridge of my nose and exhaled, at least the other one had given me some useful information, although God knew how I was to use it.
Knowing that trying to talk again with that woman would be to no avail, I left the building, thinking that it might be worthwhile trying the complex in front, just in case they had seen anything. I slipped in invisible behind a man with greying hair, and stealthily followed him upstairs, he stopped to enter a password into a keypad by the first door on the first landing, allowing me to continue my way up. If someone could have seen anything, it must have been from the third floor, which was level with Markus' house.
When I reached it, I used my Augmented Vision to localise which was the flat opposite my man's. I knocked at the door that convinced me the most and waited for someone to answer. I was surprised to see a thin old man with an augmented arm and some pieces of metal decorating parts of his face. An Augment, it was getting rarer and rarer seeing them in that kind of complexes, as all of them were being evicted.
"Yeah?" he asked, less fearfully than the other two women, but suspicious nonetheless. In those times it was hard to trust anyone, even if they were "your kind", as many Augs liked to refer to themselves.
"Good evening," the data my CASIE displayed compelled me to try a slightly different approach with this man. "I'm private detective Jensen, we have a suspect case of kidnapping of an augmented man in the building opposite yours, I was wondering whether you might have seen anything…" the man studied me, as if considering whether to answer or not.
"A kidnapping, huh? So that's what happened the other night, I couldn't help but wonder…and how come the police is looking into the disappearance of riffraff like us? Guess they would be better off if we were just to disappear, wouldn't they?" he groused. Apparently, my approach to this particular man had been rather inspired, I decided to follow that line.
"Not a policeman, as I said, just a private dick," I had wisely slid my hands into my pockets, there was no way some lowly private detective could get hold of the kind of hardware I had. "The victim's family called upon me to take a look at this affair, and that's what I'm doing, not many in my profession keep accepting cases with augmented people, but I guess someone has," I said with a would-be tired voice.
"Yeah, we've got to take care of each other, seeing how those bastards keep breathing down our necks, when not downright fucking us up," the other man pulled at his scraggly beard, his eyes full of hatred at merely mentioning the Czech law enforcement authorities. Now that I had paved the way, there was no need to beat anymore around the bush.
"So, I've been asking around and, apparently, the victim was taken the day before yesterday during the night. While I checked his apartment, I noticed that the blinds weren't pulled down, so I thought maybe you could have seen something…" I looked at him in tenterhooks, which was precisely how I felt at the moment.
"Well, yeah, I was about to go to bed, you know how it is, you sit in front of your TV and when you look again at the time it's fucking 2:00 a.m. in the morning. I started perceiving movement across the street, in that apartment you say, and I saw several men inside, at first I thought they were burglars, seeing how they kept trashing the poor guy's apartment, but then I saw how a couple of them dragged this other dude into the living room…I thought one of them hit him, and he suddenly went all limp, must have passed out due to the blow, then they took him away…saw them carrying him out in the streets, throwing him into the trunk of a car and then speeding away…" the man shook his head sadly, "not an agreeable sight, really."
"That must have woken up everyone in the neighbourhood. Why no one called the police?" I felt outraged, and my anger seeped through my tone.
"You know how it is, son. You see, I used to be a History teacher in a high-school before all this shit, before we were forbidden from such jobs due to the danger we posed to the kids…" the man's voice sounded bitter, sad. "During the Nazi's it was like that, someone came during the night to take someone away, to do some cleaning, whether they were political opponents or Jews, and no one dared move one finger for those poor devils. You know what they say, history repeats itself," concluded the man, obviously crestfallen.
"Yeah, not the greatest time to be alive, that's for sure…anyway, did you see their numberplates? What kind of car did they have? Do you think they could have seen you?" I inquired.
"No, couldn't see them, they were too far away, and when you are my age eyesight only goes for worse…I can remember their cars, though. The one where they put that man was a 1977 dark grey Camaro…" I perked up at this information. A '77 Camaro wasn't such a usual car, it shouldn't be too hard to trace. "As for whether they saw me, I highly doubt it, I had my lights off, with the lousy retirement they have given me, it's best to save as many credichips as you can," he said with a disgruntled grimace. "That's all I can tell you, if it's any help."
"Thanks a lot, I'll use the information well, I promise," I said.
"Least thing I can do, I'd have called the cops, but who knew if they weren't some of their colleagues, or even if not, who would pay heed to an old Clank like me? One last thing: you look a tough guy, son, but I'd be very careful with that scum…who knows what they are capable of doing," he said, looking at me keenly.
"I will, and, again, thanks," I repeated, starting to turn around to leave.
"Never mind, son, never mind," said the old man with a nod while he closed his door.
I left the building and, once out, lit myself a cigarette. I took a drag from it with relish, allowing the toxic and foul smell to fill my artificial lungs, pondering on everything I had learned so far. It was already pitch-black, time to go home and tell my guest the info I got; I expected she would be alright, I had spent some time before going to headquarters checking that there was no one suspicious in the vicinity. Remembering her obvious fear the day before, I rather hoped she'd be calmer, I had already stood a lot of people flinching at me that day, wincing when I got near. Most of the time, I tried to ignore the stares, but hell, it was like a not-quite-healed wound that brushed constantly against your clothes, it ended chafing. I took a few last drags of the cigarette and then flicked the butt away, it was time to go home.
Trying not to lose my patience (which was running quite low at that time) at the officer who kept trying to decide whether to let me in the Metro or not, I stepped into the platform, which was mercifully empty. After a short ride, I reached my stop and got out, the dilapidated sight of my neighbourhood kind of welcoming at that point. I stalked upstairs and when I reached my landing, entered the code into the keypad, the door opened with a light beep and I entered my flat at last. I spied the woman sitting before her computer behind the table by the window, her face lit by the monitor's screen. I heard a gasp of surprise and her raising her face to look at me, though it seemed to relax almost immediately when she realised it was me.
"Oh, hi there, I didn't even hear you enter," she said. "Lots of work at the headquarters of what?" she asked, obviously trying to be nice.
Remembering that I had resolved to be more friendly, I answered: "Sorry for that. Yeah, lots of work, but not exactly TF stuff…I'll tell you about it later," I shrugged out from my trench coat and turned to hang it on its peg. When I turned around I was surprised to see her standing, looking quite irresolute, I let my glasses retract, wondering what she had to say.
"Jensen…I wanted to…well…apologise for yesterday," she started, she brought one hand to the back of her neck, apparently looking for the words she needed. "I mean, I really behaved like a bitch yesterday; you've taken me in, at great risk for you and your cover at the TF and I, on the other hand, didn't even thank you for it…so I'll do it now: thanks a lot, really, you're saving my life with this, I mean it," she said, looking me straight in the eye. My CASIE still perceived some nervousness in her demeanour, but this time it was the usual amount people felt when talking to a practical stranger in a slightly awkward situation.
"Hey, I get it, you had just accomplished a very risky mission, and then your mate goes missing…and I guess having to go with a total stranger to his house through the sewers did make things worse. I'd also want to apologise, I didn't take care that into account, and then I was stupid enough to go flashing my nanoblades around…frightening you wasn't my intention, really," now that we were being honest to each other it was only fair that I presented my excuses as well.
"Well, yeah, it was a bit scary, not gonna lie there," she said, a smile flitting across her lips for a second. "Anyway, I'd like to make amends; I know that you said I shouldn't go out, but as you said you hadn't had any time, and that the area was quite safe, I went to the small store at the corner to get some groceries," she faltered for a second, apparently expecting me to get angry at her for having ignored my advice. "And, well, as a 'sorry for being such a bitch', if you let me, I thought I could prepare something for dinner, if you want," she explained, still doubtful. She seemed sincere and there was an almost guileless look in her eyes.
"There was no need for that, really…I should have gotten somethings myself, can't really expect anyone to thrive off a diet of shitty cereals and milk, can I?" I replied, feeling chagrined. "OK, it's a deal, but only if you let me help you," I gave in; it wouldn't be too bad if it made things a bit less awkward between the two of us, and eating something that wasn't cereals for a change didn't sound bad, either, I had to recognize to myself. At this, her face split into a wide beam, which reminded me of the one the day before, a bold grin which dispelled any traces of wariness that might have lingered off her face.
"Cool then, so, whenever you want, we start cooking," she replied, still smiling.
"Copy that, let me take a shower and change into something more comfortable first, though," I said, starting to walk towards my room, she nodded with her head.
"Sure, take your time, there's no hurry, I still want to do some touch ups to the whisper chip's frequency," she said, making a beeline to the table.
I strolled into my room and picked a pair of old grey sweatpants, my favourite, and the same T-shirt I had used the day before, as well as some clean underwear. I took it to the bathroom, I didn't feel like going around with nothing but some flimsy towel with someone in the house. I stepped into the shower and groaned in pleasure at the warm water hitting my tired back; I washed myself fully, including my hair and my beard, and then got out and put on my clothes, throwing the ones I had used into the laundry bucket. Feeling refreshed and in better spirits, I left the bathroom and stepped into the living room, she was still sitting there, her brows slightly furrowed in concentration.
"You finished? You hungry yet? The thing I wanted to prepare is very simple, though it takes a little bit to cook it, so it would be better to get on with it," she said matter-of-factly, standing up from the chair and stretching her augmented limbs.
"No problem, whenever you want," I said. She walked to the kitchen behind me, I couldn't help but notice now that she wore street clothes, although they looked comfortable, though her feet were bare.
"It's very easy, really, you don't have to help, after all, you just came from work," she insisted.
"Am I not allowed into my own kitchen anymore?" I inquired raising an eyebrow at her, my tone slightly teasing
"It's not that…well, whatever. Do you have any knives?" she asked, I pointed with a finger to one of the drawers below the counter. It occurred to me that maybe she thought I didn't have any because I used my nanoblades to chop vegetables, my lips twitched upwards at the thought, though I decided it would be wiser not to express it aloud, no need for her to get scared again.
"What are you up to?" I asked, intrigued despite myself.
"I would have wanted to make some chicken fajitas, but the store didn't have any wraps, and the avocados for the guacamole were far too unripe, so I'm going to prepare the stuffing with some rice, or would you prefer something else?" she explained, turning to me with a questioning look in her eyes.
"Sounds good to me, what do we need?" I asked, walking to the fridge and opening it. She had bought quite a few things that would probably last for a few days for the both of us. "Hey, how much do I owe you for this?" I should have really gone to the grocer's myself, after all, I was the one who had invited her.
"Oh, come on, it isn't such a big deal, and this was my making-amends gift, remember?" she replied. "I'm not going to accept even a credichip, so don't even try," her tone sounded rather resolute, I turned to her and looked at her half-stern, half-amused.
"I see you got some beers…well, this making-amends gift doesn't sound so bad," I commented upon discovering some cans in the fridge.
"Yeah, figured you might appreciate…I don't know if you like Dai-Taga, but I couldn't find any better down at the store, so…" she shrugged. "Mind getting me some peppers and the onions? We could start with these."
I got them out and put them over the counter, she had taken out two knives and the cutting board, which was on top of the microwave.
So, with that, she picked the onions and started peeling them, leaving me to cut the peppers, I worked on the isle facing the living room and her on the one behind it, her back to me; taking advantage of the situation, I studied her back, trying to read her body language. He shoulders sagged ever so slightly, meaning she felt calmer, but not all the way through, not yet. I started chopping the peppers in square pieces, and then I heard something falling to the ground.
"Mierda," I heard the woman say. We both turned and saw an onion lying on the floor, she looked down and made a gesture to pick it, but something there had caught her attention all of a sudden. Her eyes seemed about to pop out of their sockets, and I realized what she was looking at: my feet, just as pitch-black and augmented as my arms.
"Joder," she muttered under hear breath, I supposed it was a curse in Spanish, her gaze turned up to me and a tinge of pink appeared on her cheekbones. Suddenly flustered, she stooped to pick the vegetable and turned around, hurriedly trying to hide away her discomfiture. I turned around as well and resumed work, trying to concentrate on the task at hand. We continued cooking in silence; after slicing the vegetables, we sliced some chicken and put the veggies in a pan; finallyshe turned to me once again.
"This will take a little while, the peppers and the rest have to cook down, it'll take some time," she had apparently retrieved her self-assurance, although there was still that slight wariness in her eyes. "Guess it'll leave me some time to see if I can finish with that whisper chip of yours, I think I'm one step away from finding the right thing…" she added, frowning, deep in thought.
"Good, mind if I watch some TV?" I asked while strolling to the couch and slumping on it.
"Of course not," she said, returning to her laptop. I picked up the remote and turned the television on. There was Eliza, commenting on the last events, among them Ruziczka Station, I couldn't help but shudder when I remembered what I myself had witnessed there. The debris falling everywhere, the screams, the fire, dust filling a room of dead and wounded people, me trying to get that woman out from under the rubble, after hearing her son screaming for help, her hand going limp in mine…I squeezed my eyes shut; hell, if there's one thing I wished to forget, it was that shit, it would probably come back to haunt me in the next weeks, and I had already seen a lot of awful stuff out there. Those motherfuckers who had killed all those people were still on the loose, biding their time, probably planning to commit more murder, to bring more despair and grief, more hatred; my jaw set at the thought.
"About fucking time!" I heard the hacker cry out; I turned around and saw her eyeing the screen in an exultant manner. She turned her head to me, still with a broad, smug smile on her lips. "I managed to find the right frequency…well, not right, the PERFECT frequency, there's no way the TF's techies are going to detect this," she said, sounding downright delighted.
"That was fast," I said rising an eyebrow. In fact, it was very good news, a tiny ray of sunshine in the dark hole we were in.
"The problem is that there were too many interferences, where the hell did you put it?" she asked while she sauntered to the kitchen to check the pan.
"The NSN subnet, right behind the NSN room itself…and my boss' office," I explained, remembering how I got in there.
"You didn't just casually stroll in there and planted the thing, am I wrong? Any off chance anyone might have seen you?" suddenly, she sounded slightly troubled.
"No, I don't think anyone saw me, got there through a ventilation duct…though for a moment I thought I had been caught red-handed," I recognized.
"What? What happened? If they saw you…"
"Don't worry, it wasn't that, my boss called me through my Infolink when I was inside and for a second I thought something had given my presence away, but he just wanted to talk about an unrelated topic," I tried to explain.
"Could he be suspicious?" she inquired, leaving the kitchen and peering at me intently with those sharp grey eyes, I couldn't help but scoff.
"Do you really think I would be sitting here if it was the case? I'd probably have my ass down at their holding cells for questioning, the TF doesn't beat around the bush," I explained.
"If you say so…" she answered, still sounding unconvinced. "Anyway, dinner is almost ready; I'll change and then you give me a little hand thhere," I just nodded, she walked to her bag, which was at the other side of the couch, picked a few items and left for the bathroom.
When she was back, wearing a pair of black leggings and top instead of her pullover and jeans, I stood up again and helped her fill the dishes with the spicy-looking mixture she had prepared, with a side of rice, and also got out a couple of beers. I was starting to get hungry, and the food really had a mouth-watering smell, especially after eating just a couple of those plasticky sandwiches from the machine down at headquarters.
Just like the day before, I picked the only chair and put it by the small coffee table, leaving her the couch. I sank my fork into the food and tried it; it was good, spicy, but rather tasty, she had said it was fajitas' filling, hadn't she?
"It's really good, thanks," I said to her, she grinned in response, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly.
"Glad to hear that, I was afraid it would be too spicy," she replied, we continued eating in silence, each deep in our respective musings. However, this silence wasn't as tense as the day before, and I felt rather happy for it; if she had to stay here for a while, the more comfortable we felt with each other, the better.
"By the way…" she said after a long while, when our plates were already empty. I raised my head to glance at her, every trace of a smile had disappeared from her face. "I was wondering if you finally had any time to visit Markus' apartment…"
"In fact, I did. I think your theory was right, and I managed to get some information from the neighbours," I started, leaving the dish on the table. I hadn't broached the subject before because I was looking for the right timing, but it seemed as if the moment had come. "I looked at the place and yes, it was chaos, didn't seem very professional, to tell the truth. But that's not too strange, if I were Picus, I'd probably just send some goons to make it look like something else, like some thugs sent to settle some debt or something…Well, in any case, I guess they took Markus' personal laptop, but I have the feeling they were looking for something else…they had put everything upside down, even cut into the cushions. But that was the only thing they took, or at least that's my impression. I also found the scalpel in the bathroom as you said, and no traces of the Infolink chip, I suppose he threw it down the toilet. However…I don't think having a professional surgical scalpel at home was casual…"
"You mean he had foreseen something like this would happen and had everything planned. It makes sense; after all, he didn't say a word the whole day. I suppose he did suspect something and that's why he didn't get in touch with me…though I guess he feared something like this would happen long ago, setting up a system like the one he used to send me the message the day after would take a while," she ventured. She was rather perceptive, I had to admit to myself, though hackers weren't usually stupid, quite the contrary, they were usually the biggest smart-asses you could find, Pritchard was a prime example of that. "You said you managed to talk to the neighbours, what did they say?" she inquired.
"I talked to the woman who lives right below him. She didn't add much to what you explained the other day, though now I know there were six of them and that they were led by a bald man with a tattoo on the head, some kind of animal like a tiger, a dog or something of the sort, shouldn't be too hard to track down. The other woman wouldn't tell me anything; however, I decided to pay a visit to the man who lives across the street at the same level as Markus, the blinds were up and it could be possible that he had seen something odd. And he did; he told me how he saw those men ransacking the place and then how they dragged out Markus from his bathroom, I guess they knocked him out afterwards," I continued.
"You don't think…they killed him right there, do you?" she asked in barely more than a whisper, her face very pale, she had crossed her arms and one augmented hand kept rubbing her upper arm up and down, clearly trying to calm down the distress she obviously felt. I shook my head and I took one last swig from my can of beer, gathering my thoughts.
"No, it wouldn't make sense to kill him, not right then. They must have him somewhere for questioning, and there wasn't enough blood on the floor to hint a mortal wound…the old man from the other building told me he saw them stashing your friend in the trunk of a '77 grey Camaro and they left, and that's just about all I have for now," I looked again at her, trying to read her expression. Suddenly, she stood up from the couch and walked to the window, obviously distraught.
"There's nothing you can do for him, I suppose," it wasn't a question, but a statement. I felt a wave of compassion for her at that moment, and saw her really for what she was. She was a hacker belonging to the Juggernaut Collective, yes, but in truth, she was but a helpless civilian who was trying to do right in a world that was terribly wrong. She had tried to uncover the truth, just like I was trying to do with my infiltration in the Task Force and had willingly put her life at risk in the process. I studied her profile, a small young woman like many others you saw carelessly strolling down the streets every day, but she had decided to give up her peace of mind, her safety and possibly her life, although that wouldn't happen if I had any say on it, I decided.
"No," I said grimly. I could have lied to her, told her that I'd try to save that man, but we both knew it was impossible, he'd probably even be dead already. It would do no good giving her false hopes, and when the time came, it could only make matters worse, it was best to accept the truth, even if it hurt. Her shoulders slumped even further, and she tilted her face downwards, a curtain of dark hair partly hiding her expression from view. Realizing that I had been too brusque taking into account the situation, and wanting to make her feel a bit better, I stood up, walked up to her and put my hand on her shoulder, I couldn't help but register the familiar texture of myofoam under my mechanical fingers.
"Hey, it's going to be alright. We'll find those bastards before they get their hands on you, and if they try, they'll have me to reckon with," I said bracingly in the gentlest tone I could muster; part of me expected her to recoil in fear from my touch, but she didn't and, instead, turned to me and smiled feebly, apparently comforted; then, unexpectedly, she lifter her own hand and put it over my forearm, her pure white augmentations in stark contrast with my pitch-black limbs. It still kind of amazed me that I could feel pression, texture, temperature and weight, Sarif had truly given me the best he had; it was not the same thing, but I suppose I should feel grateful that I could still feel anything there.
"Thanks for looking into this, really…I know it is probably too late for poor Markus, I suppose the only way to go now is making sure that the information reaches the appropriate hands, so at least his sacrifice hasn't been in vain," a steely glint appeared in her eyes, and she seemed to start going back to her resolute self. "And get those bastards if we can, and give them hell," she added, jaw tensing in anger. She gave my arm a brief and gentle squeeze and walked away, her brow furrowed once more, but there was a determined look in her face now.
"How could we find those fuckers, though?" she asked to the room at large, pacing around slowly, as if trying to look for inspiration.
"Well, as an ex-cop, the first thing would be looking for them in some database. A grey 77' Camaro shouldn't be too hard to find here in Prague, and the leader had a tattoo on his head, that kind of narrows down the possible list of suspects…" I reflected, sitting back on my chair with my elbows over my knees, my eyes following her movements, trying to fathom whatever was going through her head.
"Maybe in some of the TF's databases?" she ventured, but before I could even open my mouth to answer, she shook her head. "No, better not, it's far too risky, you looking up some information unrelated to your current assignments could raise suspicions if somebody was to check, we can't blow your cover, it's way too valuable for this. However…" she started, her gaze lost in the beams of the apartment. She kept pacing around, gnawing on her lower lip, I let her have some time to think and took advantage of the pause to light myself a cigarette. I exhaled the smoke through my nostrils, enjoying the calming effect it had on my systems; Aurora kept pacing around the room while I waited patiently for her answer.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I wondered aloud after a couple of minutes, intrigued by her silence, her head swivelled toward me, snapping out of her mind.
"Oh, sorry, got lost in thought…I was thinking about how we could do it, it shouldn't be too difficult…I mean, entering some sloppy State Police database will be a piece of cake after accessing the Palisade. I could probably break enough code and eventually find a trapdoor, but it would take too long…but there's another way, though stealth will be of the essence, and it is certainly risky. I can easily make a little device that, if connected to a computer in any police station, can help me access their databases…the problem will be planting said device and then removing it with no one being any the wiser…"
"Well, I don't think that will be a problem, I do have some experience with that kind of job…" I pointed out, she stopped dead in her tracks and peered at me intently, as if assessing me.
"Do you?" I couldn't help but distinguish the tiniest note of disbelief in her voice. I huffed a low laugh, which seemed to surprise her. I didn't need my CASIE to know what she was thinking; she probably believed I was just some brutish oaf that would barge his way into any place, wielding a combat fusil and striking down everyone that crossed his path.
"Yeah, I should believe that, after infiltrating high-security premises like FEMA's, Tai Yong Medical's and Rifleman Bank Station, I should be able to get in some lowly neighbourhood police station, don't you think?" I replied silkily, my voice heavy with sarcasm. However, she didn't seem very bothered by my retort.
"If that's the case, maybe we could go a bit bigger," she sat again on the couch. "Do you think you could sneak your way into the General District's Police Station and plant this thing on the chief Commissioner's computer?" she inquired, toying with a loose thread of her top.
"That shouldn't be very hard, either," I replied. Part of me wondered whether I truly believed it or if I was accepting the challenge to prove some point, I must admit that her disbelief hard irked me a bit.
"Alright. I'll have to think what we will need, is there some electronics or IT store in the area?" she asked.
"Not really, and I don't think it would be wise for you to leave the neighbourhood, going to the store at the corner is one thing, but going through the city is quite another. When you know what you need, just tell me and I'll get whatever you need," I resolved.
"Guess you're right," she admitted grudgingly. "Given the current state of things, me wandering around the city wouldn't be too smart. Ok, then, I'll give it a thought and send you a list as soon as I can, I have some tools in my bag already," she reflected.
"If you need some more, I have a few here in the apartment," I added, getting up and picking up our dishes, which lay forgotten in the table.
"Cool, leave those, I'll do them before getting to bed," she said, stifling a yawn.
"No way, you cooked, I should do the dishes," I countered.
"In fact, we both cooked, so, what if I wash them and you dry them and put them back to their shelves? You'll reach those far better than me, anyway," she rejoined.
"God, you're stubborn…" I huffed, giving in.
"For what I've seen, that's one thing we have in common," she said, raising her eyebrows at me while she opened the faucet. I mimicked her expression, trying to look stern, but she suddenly snorted in laughter, unable to contain herself anymore, I myself chuckled under my breath at her ridiculous expression. Both of us feeling much better indeed, we washed and dried the dishes in a few minutes, our silence more comfortable than ever.
"We should go to bed, it's getting rather late," I commented when we were done; earlier, I couldn't help but notice that there were some bags under her eyes, which were slightly bloodshot, I didn't know whether from crying during the time I had been gone or, probably, because of spending a lot of time before her computer.
"Yeah, I think we should…I'd rather wake up tomorrow sooner than today, got many things to do if we are really going for this...mind waking me up if I don't before you leave?" she asked, turning to me.
"Not at all, I will," I reassured her, starting to walk towards my bedroom.
"Thanks. Good night, then…Adam," she said, a smile flitting across her lips for a second.
"Sleep well, Aurora," I bade her myself, realising it was the first time we had called each other by our first names.
I gave a voice command to turn the lights off and entered my room. While I stripped down to my underwear, I couldn't help but feel glad at finishing the night on a happier note, mostly for her, but also for me. With that comforting thought, I lay on bed and closed my eyes.
