Jebat/Zhang- Singapore
Kartika- Indonesia
...
"Get to work," Malika barked at Kuzey, slamming the lorry door shut and walking to the back to unload the crates. Kuzey just nodded before climbing down from the passenger seat of said lorry to help her. He looked around at the deserted car park they were in, stretched out in front of a huge complex of pharmaceutical buildings. He'd been here several times this week already, but never been allowed inside. He wasn't sure what exactly went on inside, only that it was research into developing some new drug, supposedly for anaemia or cholesterol or something, he'd not really been paying attention. He had a sneaking suspicion that animal testing went on too, but it still didn't explain what the hell they were doing delivering crates here. Unless they contained live mice, he really didn't have a clue why the building needed them.
But he wasn't being paid to ask questions, so no questions left his mouth.
A pair of security guards took the crates from them and began to carry them inside. There were only a couple, and before long, everything was unloaded and Malika turned to him.
"I'm just going to talk to someone for a bit. Wait outside."
Kuzey nodded and watched her go, boredly glancing around and scuffing his shoe against the ground.
Well this sucked.
He was supposed to take a few months off from job-searching to spend with his Baba on holiday in a different country, not all this bullshit. He wanted a job desperately, but not during the few months he'd allowed himself off to relax.
And to top things, Uncle Hera kept coming round, sticking his big nose in their business, making sure Sadik was being a good father to them and looking after them. Of course he was! He was the best! What did Hera know anyway? He didn't have kids, or anyone really.
Kuzey could see why.
But Stelios adored him, so he would keep showing up, fighting with Baba, and making everything unpleasant. Then Cora would blame Baba, Stelios would get a stomach ache and Kuzey would contemplate throwing Hera out the window. They lived on the 7th floor so it would be quite a fall.
Still, this was his first job in over a year. He didn't like the work much, but it paid reasonably well. Baba said it was crooked, and he was inclined to agree, especially where Cora and Temel were concerned. He doubted the boss would be willing to give him a reference for when he went back to Cyprus and started looking for another job, and he wouldn't want her to, whoever 'she' was. Or he could just apply for citizenship and continue working for 'Commonwealth'. Even the company's name sounded weird and pretentious.
Staying in Germany might not be such a bad idea though, and not just because he'd get to stay with Baba. A place like this would give him so many more opportunities to get his foot on the first wrung of the corporate ladder and to where the real, hard, cash was. He was a businessman at heart and wanted to make it big. And he would. Stelios could waste his life selling fruit from a stall, but Kuzey certainly wasn't going to. Not when the world was so big and so full of possibilities.
Kuzey could feel a plan beginning to form. He just had to save up enough, bit by bit. Start a business. Get a job in a bank even. And somehow quit Commonwealth without a horse's head ending up in his bed.
…
Malika opened a pack of gum as she walked down clean corridors, popping a piece in her mouth as she flashed her ID card to anyone who asked for it. All around her, researchers and chemists bustled past, talking excitedly and writing notes. She didn't pay them much attention, keeping an eye out for her dear little brother's office.
She didn't visit Jebat often, and only occasionally did because she knew it would annoy him. And she found it rather fun to annoy him.
Malika spied his office and entered without knocking, causing her brother to jump, and nearly drop the suitcase of Euros he was counting.
"Morning, dear Jebat," she greeted, sitting in the chair opposite him.
"It's still Zhang," Zhang snapped, shutting the suitcase when she tried to peer inside.
"Business deal?" she asked, making sure to chew her gum extra loudly.
"Yes." His eye twitched.
Malika leaned back, studying Zhang as she chewed. He had a plate of snacks on his desk, as usual: a platter of different foods to keep his diverse palette satisfied. A Vanda was pinned to his shirt, much like her own hairpin, and brown eyes stared at her boredly behind glasses. His black hair was neat and styled, except for one irritating lock at the back that insisted on sticking right up, and he was short and on the slim side.
"I swear if you don't stop chewing I'll stick that gum where only doctors can get it back."
"Are you threatening me?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Well it certainly wasn't a compliment."
Malika stared at him with a stony expression as she spat her gum into a nearby wastepaper basket.
"Why are you here?" Zhang asked with a strained voice.
"Just wanted to check up on my baby brother," she shrugged.
"How lovely of you," he glared at her, "it's almost like a family reunion. If only Kartika was here with us too, then you could give me a migraine instead of a simple headache."
"Well she's coming over sometime soon, on a dig or something. We'll be sure to visit you together when that happens."
"I can hardly wait," Zhang rolled his eyes, "oh by the way, I just need two more for this month then you're good for a while."
"That's nice to know," Malika replied, somewhat truthfully, "stock's hard to come by."
"Really? I'd have assumed there was an abundance."
"Maybe 'come by' wasn't the best term, I meant 'subdue'."
Zhang nodded. "Of course. Understandable. Maybe you're simply losing your touch."
"Don't test me, Jebat."
"Zhang."
"Whatever." Malika's phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to find a text from Kuzey. Damn kid couldn't handle five minutes on his own without crying to an adult? Where was the boss finding these people?
"Problem?" Zhang regarded her with amusement.
"Not for long," Malika stood up, eyes still on her phone, "farewell for now, little bro."
Zhang continued to glare at the door long after Malika had gone. "I really need to send a memo to security, if she tries to visit again they'll shoot her or something."
…
"Well it seems we've had a stroke of luck," Andrei grinned at Peter, who was sat opposite him in his office, slumped in a swivel chair and staring at him glumly, accusingly.
"You're supposed to be at home," he simply said, "the funeral's tomorrow."
"Work must come first," Andrei replied regretfully. Tsvetan was at home, saying prayers by candlelight in preparation for tomorrow's service, and he wanted to be there too. Still, he'd just have to pray when he got home.
"So what's this lucky break then? And shouldn't the others be here for this too?"
"Unfortunately, the prospect of someone betraying us has left me no choice but to reduce the amount of common knowledge in here," he told Peter, "meaning what you know from now on won't be the same as what Agents Edelweiss or Yogurt or Fondue know, for example."
"I can't see this being beneficial in the long run," Peter commented, "and how do we investigate if we don't know the full picture?"
"It's the best we can do for now," Andrei sighed, "until our mole has been culled. And Magyar and myself will still be omniscient, and direct you based on our findings."
"If you say so…" he frowned, "so I'm the only person who will know about this 'luck' then?"
"Yes. Though I think it's only fair you inform your partner if you feel it necessary. And I will be telling Magyar too, of course. Unfortunately, I fear Tsvetan will have to be informed too…"
"How come?"
"It involves yet more of his family."
"In what way?"
"I'm just about to tell you." Andrei pulled out his flip phone, taping at a few buttons until the tiny screen was filled with a blurry image and he passed it to Peter. "A possible member of Commonwealth."
"No way!" Peter took the phone and found himself staring at a young man- younger than himself it seemed- in a dishevelled shirt and trousers next to a van, though unfortunately the shot didn't include its license plate. He saw the man had messy, dark hair and the beginnings of a beard, and was staring into space boredly, probably waiting for someone.
"Do you know who it is?" he asked breathlessly. This was good. This was a clue! A foot in Commonwealth's door. He felt like they were invincible, that they could do anything.
"I'm afraid we have no idea."
Oh. Never mind…
"Do we have a way of knowing?" he asked.
"Probably. I'm gonna get Yogurt to look into him on Monday."
"I see," Peter frowned, "who took the photo?"
"Phoenix."
"He did?"
"Yes. He followed the van leaving Mr Wang's office to a pharmaceutical building and got a snap of one of its drivers. However, we lost contact with him and when Magyar went to investigate, he found Phoenix's phone in some nearby bushes, broken beyond repair, but nothing else."
"Do you think they took him inside?"
"It's possible," Andrei shrugged, "but Magyar couldn't get in to find out. We're… we're not hopeful…"
"No," Peter looked down, "come on, we can't lose him too on top of everything else!"
"We almost lost you and Edelweiss last week. I thought you both were dead and was busying myself typing up an ad for a newspaper to find your replacements, but you turned up again. Phoenix might just do the same. His codename is Phoenix for a reason, you know?"
"What is Tsvetan gonna say though?"
"Nothing because I'm certainly not gonna tell him yet," Andrei exclaimed, "he's got enough on his mind right now!"
"But he'll be expecting Feliks at the funeral."
Andrei looked away; "I'll say he was busy or something. But I'm not telling him until we know what happened to Phoenix for sure."
"If you think it's for the best, then fine," Peter sighed, "can't see this working out well though."
...
Oh come on! I can't write a story like this and not throw in a Godfather reference!
So yeah Singapore has two names: his Malay one (Jebat) that Indonesia and Malaysia use, and his Chinese one (Zhang) that he goes by nowadays, just fyi.
I wonder if anyone's guessed that 'other thing' Commonwealth are up to. Or who the mole is.