I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but here it goes, after more than a year of silence, I'm going to try and continue this (last year was very hectic for me, I was studying for a state exam and some things had to be left out, among them writing). Anyway, here's the continuation, it's a rather long chapter, hope whoever reads it likes it, let's see what happened to Adam and Aurora :)
My body, every limb, weighed a tonne, as if a concrete slab was crushing me. The last mists of unconsciousness faded away at last, but, still, that sluggishness would simply not go away. I forced myself to calm down and focused on the external environment. I was lying somewhere soft and comfortable and then there were those two outward rhythmic sounds. I pricked up my ears and paid attention to them. One of them sounded like the whoosh a blade makes while cutting the air, and the other felt rather familiar, even… soothing, something I felt I had heard before and I believed I should recognize but that, for some reason, eluded me. I gasped in surprise when a message appeared behind my closed eyelids and displayed "SYSTEM REBOOTED", and, at once, that uncomfortable heaviness abandoned me. I moved the fingers of one hand tentatively, emitting a gentle whir that usually came after not using my augmented limbs for several hours.
What had happened? I started to panic; if there was anything I hated, it was losing consciousness. Nothing good had ever happened to me after passing out: the first time, half my body had been chopped off and substituted by artificial limbs, the second time, I was being held hostage by Belltower while they beat the shit out of me, the third, I happened to wake up after a coma in a high-security compound for Augs, the fourth, I had almost burnt to a cinder on Koller's chair. I almost feared opening my eyes to whatever was out there. "Calm the fuck down, try to remember what happened yesterday," I told myself quite harshly. The last thing I remembered was leaving the TF's headquarters, but, after that, there was nothing but darkness. I had been feeling horrible the whole day, so it made sense that, at some point, I had eventually fainted or something due to the physical strain and the heat. Now the question was, where was I? What would I find when I eventually opened my eyes? If harvesters had picked me up, they would already have looted everything they could, and I'd most probably be dead, as many of the augs I had where vital.
The surface where I was lying felt very comfortable, a luxury you wouldn't enjoy in Utulek or a police station's cell, and the temperature was agreeable. Finally, I decided to open my eyes and identified a familiar overhead fan over me, which was the source of the swooshing sound I had noticed before. But then there was the other slight, subtle noise beside me. I turned my neck to the side it came from and I was surprised to see Aurora lying approximately some centimetres away from me, her head resting on the pillow. It was rather odd seeing such a lively and dynamic face as hers as calm as she was right then, with her lips parted to let out soft gasps of air from time to time, the eyebrows that always seemed to be scrunched in concentration or raised to show surprise or amusement totally lax. It had been years since I had last seen someone looking so… peaceful, at ease. I was acutely aware of how tense people felt in my presence due to the extensive augmentations I sported, as well as my general demeanour except, perhaps, Pritchard and Malik, who knew me well before I had to go under de knife, or Sarif (who, certainly, had been the main orchestrator of my transformation), so it always came as a surprise when someone acted naturally in my presence, as if I was a normal human being.
The sight of the sleeping woman at the other side of the bed was helping me soothe my ragged nerves after regaining consciousness, and I went on studying her, if only to help my heart go back to a slower rate. One of her artificial hands was tucked under the pillow, and her slender body was curled into a foetal position. Had she spent the night there? Obviously yes, but, what had happened to me? I moved to the side slightly and something fell to the ground with quite a loud thud. The woman's eyelids fluttered in shock and a pair of grey eyes flew open, afterwards, she sat up with a startle.
"Pero qué…?" she croaked, pushing her hair out of her face and looking to the sides, then her eyes fell towards me again. "Thank God, you're awake!" she exclaimed, this time in English.
I tried to sit up as well, but something else fell to the ground, I picked it up; it was a rather heavy bag that read "DRY ICE", why did I have that on me? I looked around my body and noticed a few more bags, some on my legs, or around my arms, there was even one on the pillow, which had probably lain against my head.
"What are these for?" I asked, raising the bag.
"Well, to prevent you from entering into spontaneous combustion while you were unconscious, don't you remember anything?" she inquired, sitting up and crossing her legs.
"I remember leaving headquarters and heading home, but beyond that, nothing else," I rubbed my face, trying to elicit more memories after that, but it was as if they had been excised from my brain.
"Well, you came here and were almost delirious with fever, you literally burnt to the touch, man. Luckily, you did manage to call that Koller guy, at first we put you under the shower to cool you down a little bit…"
"Guess that explains why I'm in my underwear," I commented in an offhand way, although I did feel slightly self-conscious at the thought of her seeing the whole extent of my augments (Koller was already extremely familiar with them).
"Yeah, well, we had to, really, your clothes were way too thick and waterproof, and we had to lower that temperature, at least I convinced Koller not to remove your underwear," she said with obvious chagrin.
"Hey, I'm not complaining, you basically saved my life, as for Koller, I don't think he would know what privacy is even if it slapped him in the face," I reassured her, she smiled feebly, the awkwardness gone again.
"After that, we saw that it wasn't enough, so I went to his place to get some dry ice…" she continued.
"Wait, he made you get out and go through that fucking false checkpoint to fetch those bags?" I growled angrily, interrupting her. "I'm gonna have a little chat with him about that."
"Come on, I was the only one available, wasn't I? He had to stay here in case you got any worse. You say that checkpoint was false, I thought it looked kind of fishy…" she said in a conciliatory tone.
"Not hundred percent sure about that, but everything I've seen points to it… I'll have to take care of it at some point, seeing how the Czech Police does not give a fuck…" I explained, pulling at my beard pensively.
"Yeah, that's all very well, but then there's Koller too. His lab looks like a fucking nightmare, really. That guy is deep into harvesting business. Should you even go to him for repairs? I mean, your augs must be one of a kind…" she commented, her eyes moving to my augmented arms.
"They are, but Koller is the only one savvy enough about Sarif augmentations to take care of them, and for all his weirdness, he's a cool guy, I've been under with him a couple of times already and nothing has ever happened," it was easy to tell that my argument wasn't convincing her.
"Well, you do what you have to do, but I'm not too sure about him. At least he has solved your problem with that neuroplasticity thingy, how are you feeling?" she asked, standing up from the bed.
"Mostly tired and dehydrated, but I'll survive," I brushed it off. "So he used the neuroplasticity calibrator I got him, huh?" That was good to know, hopefully the overheating issues would be over and I would be able to use my augmentations to their full extent.
"Yeah, whatever that was, it seems to have done the trick. You stay there, I'll bring you some water," she said and started leaving the room.
"I can still walk, you know?" I called after her.
"Don't be silly, you're convalescing from almost dying, give yourself and me a break, will you?" she answered while she crossed the corridor. A few instants later, she came carrying a large glass of water, which she handed to me and I drank in one single gulp, realising how dry my mouth was.
"I think you're going to need more," she said, smiling at the sight of me, and left again to reappear with the whole jug. Once I had drunk to my heart's content, I left the glass and the jug on the bedside table. "I really think you should take it easy today, it's Saturday, after all," she added.
"I suppose I should," I recognized reluctantly; I hadn't told her, but I still felt rather sore, but I preferred not to worry her.
"Fine, I'll be in the living room, just call me if you need something, and if you feel any worse, don't play the tough guy and tell me, will you?" she stood up again, as she had sat on the edge of the bed while I slaked my thirst.
"Don't worry, I'll be alright, you should rest as well, after all the grief I've given you," I answered, leaning back on the pillow.
"Don't even mention it, just do me a favour and sleep a bit longer," she commanded before leaving the room.
I slumped against the pillow and sighed, bringing a hand to my hair; God, it was dirty as hell, I must have sweated all night long, and I imagined the smell that pervaded the room would not be extremely pleasing, but I was already used to it and I didn't notice- anymore. What was going on with my augments? I couldn't remember them having any issue beforehand, when Sarif had ordered them to be installed into me. Why now? And it wasn't as if they were some minor glitches, I had almost burned the day before… did it have something to do with those godforsaken experimental augs? I had a vague recollection of Sarif telling me that they would be deactivated until I felt enough at ease with the other ones that had already gone through every possible test, but… I gulped, invaded by that strange feeling of uneasiness that assailed me whenever I thought about certain events previous to my waking up from that coma. However, no matter how hard I racked my brains for the answer to the source of that hunch, it completely eluded me.
Sorely needing a smoke, I felt around the bedside table until I found a half-empty package I kept there, stood up in complete silence and then slid surreptitiously to the window, feeling rather stupid at having to tiptoe in my own house, but Aurora would probably bite my head off for getting up from bed just to have a cigarette. She had quite a nerve, daring to go through that checkpoint, as she would probably be more than acquainted to how the Czech police responded to intruders, especially if they were Augs. That, or she was prone to acting rashly, which also quite suited her. I opened the window slowly and leaned on my elbows while I sucked on my cigarette with gusto, enjoying those noxious fumes.
After mulling over the potential problem with my augs (apparently solved for the time being), which was as infructuous as I expected, I threw away the butt of the cigarette, which had consumed a long time ago after only taking a couple of puffs from it. Why did I even keep smoking anyway? It wasn't as if it actually relaxed me or anything besides the placebo effect, thanks to my rebreathers. I had started doing it as a young man, a few months after becoming a cop, but then I had quit it when starting to train for the SWAT exam, as I needed to be in top shape, which also meant drinking moderately. I had never been a big smoker nor a heavy drinker before, but when I woke up after my surgery and was informed about Megan's "death", some irresistible force was pulling me toward self-destruction, which is why I had taken up smoking and drinking again in an attempt to numb the pain, both mental and physical. All those perils and enemies I had to overcome, all the struggle, all those sleepless nights trying first to avenge her death and my plight and then trying to rescue her… like a complete moron, like a hopeless knight without armour. Maybe Pritchard was right when he said I had a hero complex. I could still remember my hopes shattering when learning for whom she had been working, even if it looked more like misguidedness and gullibility than anything. And then, no more news from her, she had vanished from my life, completely, without saying goodbye. Nevertheless, she was not to be totally blamed for her silence, as I had been left for dead for almost a year, and I pretty much doubted that a lot of people knew about my miraculously coming back to life. Even so, it still hurt that the woman I had loved and with whom I had a longstanding friendship after our relationship came to an end ignored that I still lived, even if my life had changed so much. A few one‑night stands aside during the years after us breaking up and before my augmentation composed my rather barren love life, and now that I had consecrated my days to destroying the Illuminati, I had pretty much given up on finding someone else. Keeping a convincing cover at headquarters was hard enough, no need to further compound it by having to hide that side of me from someone else. Besides, who would want me with those augments? I was little more than a torso and a head sustained by a couple of limbs.
Now in a brooding mood, I dragged myself back to bed, deciding that that line of though was not going to do me any good. It would be better to sleep, sleep and forget, once more. My days being so busy kept me from overthinking too much, what with having to navigate my missions, keep my cover intact and what not. Nonetheless, it was not so easy when I came back home, where my demons waited to haunt me once more, even if they were becoming slightly easier to keep at bay. It had not been so when I was on my sick leave after the attack on Sarif Industries, which is why having to go back to work on such short notice had been an almost welcome change, dodging bullets certainly manages to help you focus on something other than the turmoil in your head…
I exhaled loudly and lay on my side, grunting while trying to find a comfortable position, as the natural parts of my body hurt no matter how I positioned myself. I forced myself to relax and wait for the pain to lessen, telling myself that I had been through worse…
Some gentle shaking by the shoulder aroused me out of sleep. I hummed under my breath and my eyes fluttered open to see a room bathed in sunlight. How had I been able to sleep with so much daylight? That overheating issue had certainly exhausted me. My eyesight focused (a little nuisance mechanical eyes still had, no matter how technology advanced) and I perceived Aurora bending over me, her hand on my shoulder. Not so long ago, the fact of having someone looming over might have alarmed me, even to the point of me activating my nano-blades. Fortunately, I was not quite so jumpy anymore, and I knew that very few people stood a chance against me (it could have seemed a conceited idea, had not it been for the many times I had lived to tell the tale, against many odds). Besides, part of me was already beginning to trust the hacker, even if the more paranoid and mistrusting side of me told me otherwise.
"Hey, come get something to eat, you must be starving," she said.
"Yeah, guess I could grab a bowl of cereal or something," I mumbled sleepily, sitting up and rubbing my face.
"Nonsense, I have prepared something for both," she stated matter-of-factly, while she left the room making a dismissive gesture with her arm. I sat up and looked for some sweatpants and a T-shirt. Even if she had already seen me in my underwear, I didn't feel overly comfortable parading my augmented nakedness around.
Once dressed, I advanced towards the living room, trying to appear recovered, although it was far from the truth. My joints and head ached and, in general, I felt extremely sore, but I was not about to complain, a painkiller after eating something would do. There were a couple of dishes on the low table already, full of what looked like an omelette and white rice. I sat before it and tucked into it, realising how hungry I felt.
"Sorry if it's too bland, but I didn't really know what to prepare, it's what my mother made for my sister and I when we were ill," she apologised, sitting next to me and putting her own dish on her lap.
"Hey, it's really nice, you shouldn't have bothered, a bowl of cereal would have been more than enough," I replied after gulping a big forkful.
"Are you seriously telling me that, after almost burning to death, you thought some shitty cereal were a good dietary option?" she asked, turning towards me and lifting an eyebrow.
"Well, not an expert here, but I don't think there's a diet protocol for spontaneous combustion," I quipped.
"There's no fucking protocol AT ALL, shit, you should have seen yourself when you came, you were almost delirious due to the heat, for a second I thought it was an Incident reprise," her apprehensive expression belied her nonchalant tone, I would have sworn she even shuddered for a second.
Of course, the Incident; not only had the non-Augmented suffered because of it. The Augs that had managed to survive that bloodbath had gone through all manner of experiences. The luckiest, if that could be called luck, did not remember anything whatsoever from those hours, only coming back to their own selves in the aftermath, most of the times to witness the destruction they had caused. Others had been able to see, powerless to do anything about it, how they butchered friends, family, lovers, and now had to live with that guilt, with those harrowing images, forever. And then there were those who had, for some reason or another, failed to go to the LIMB clinic to get that godforsaken chip installed, and had either perished or managed to live through the Aug Incident as if they were not augmented. I could count myself among those who had witnessed it with all their wits about them and lived, thanks to Megan neutralising my chip. Still, what I had seen in Panchaea I would remember for the remainder of my days, even if I had already had my fair share of horror, what with being SWAT and then working for Sarif Industries. Which category did she fall in, though? Had she slain innocent bystanders, even those she loved, and woken up smeared with their blood? Or did she assist to how those robotic limbs tore flesh apart and broke the bones of her victims? Without any doubt, it had been horrible for anyone whether augmented or not, but now millions of people were serving as a scapegoat.
I snapped out of my musings and answered rushedly:
"That must have been quite frightening, sorry about that," I answered, feeling truly chagrined about bringing such recollections back.
"Hey, don't worry about me, I'll survive. Will you, though? Are you sure that overheating issue won't come back to bite your ass at some point? I mean, I'm really glad to be of help, but it would be a problem if it were to happen during a mission or something… will that thingy Koller did work?" she inquired, toying with her food and frowning.
"I hope it does, he made it sound like the answer," I tried to reassure her.
The conversation came to a lull after that, and we kept munching our food in silence, each deep into their own thoughts. Once we were done, we stood up, but she snatched my empty dish from my hands.
"You go back to bed, will you? I will take care of that," she commanded, walking to the kitchen area.
"You're a real box of surprises, aren't you? I don't remember you mentioning having a nursing degree as well… You cooked, I wash the dishes, period," I replied, firmly but keeping my tone rather light.
"Not a nursing degree, just plain old common sense," she drawled. "It's just a couple of dishes, won't take long."
"Well, it will take even less if I help," I shrugged with a half-smile, quite enjoying the exchange.
"As it's either accepting your help or smashing a dish against your head to make you shut up, then help, by any means," she replied pretending to be annoyed and rolling her eyes, but smiling nevertheless.
In this fashion, we did the dishes and I retired myself to my bedroom. I would never recognize it before her, but I felt exhausted, as if all my energy reserves, both mechanical and biological, had been drained up. I lay on bed again, covering myself slightly with the bedcovers. It did not take long for me to fall asleep.
I stared for the umpteenth time at the photo of the motherfucker who had, in all probability, killed Markus, unable to repress a shiver down my spine. I would have to tell Adam about it, but not now, when he was still convalescent. Would he and his cronies know about my whereabouts? Had they found out my apartment and went there to snatch me away as well, planning to torture some information out of me to then dump my body somewhere? It was curiously how you can get so caught up in a daily routine that you forget you are in mortal danger, that the illusion of a life you have built for yourself can be shattered by the sledgehammer of reality at any time. Engrossed as I had been with taking care of my companion, I had all but forgotten another partner, my mind probably acting instinctively and concerning itself with the person that could still be saved, pragmatism at its best.
Jumping at some slight but sudden noise, I lifted my head to see the ex-cop, walking into view. He examined me for a second, probably realising he had startled me.
"Hey, I'm going to take a shower, I stink like a wet dog after sweating all night long, need to use the bathroom?" he croaked while he left the empty glass jug he was carrying over the counter.
"I'm alright. You better take it cold, though, I don't think it's safe for you to use hot water just yet," I suggested.
"Alright, doc," he replied while he sauntered back to the bathroom, with me pretending not to have heard.
I closed the lid of the laptop almost violently, sick of looking at that loathsome face. I peered quite despondently through the window; it was already dark, most of the day had been pretty much uneventful, and I hadn't really managed to get anything done. It would be better just to prepare something for dinner and put an end to it. I rested my forehead against the cool windowpane, desperation finally getting the better of me, wondering how I could have come to the situation in which I was. Barely three years ago I was just a normal girl with a job, boyfriend, friends, not a care in the world besides the usual ones. Now I felt like walking on the edge of the blade at every minute, looking around corners, fearing the worst the whole time, even if I forced myself to go on, to fight against the people who had taken so many things away from me, to do something, because the alternative was so much worse… Was it like that for my companion as well? He had been a normal guy at some point, until he had to forego everything for circumstances alien to him. And, yet, just like me, he had decided to butt heads with the greatest powers in the world.
I studied the deserted streets below. Not a soul could be seen. Who would dare? Most of the people who lived in that area were Augs who had been evicted from their homes on "security" grounds and hoarded into that shady, old and derelict neighbourhood which, up until then, had been mostly haunted by junkies and drug-dealers. Despite the packs of policemen roaming the streets, nobody with enhancements would ever feel safe, knowing themselves at the mercy of any scum without any hope of being helped, or even dreading mistreatment from the very people that ought to protect them. Since the Incident, I had avoided being sent to that place, mainly because my apartment was registered under a Natural's false identity, and thus I had remained largely invisible to those bigots from the Czech government, although always fearing that they might appear one day. The house in which I had happily lived with Michal for several years until… it was no wonder he hated me. I would if it had been me. I could still vividly remember myself being denied entrance into the hospital where he was, with that horrible security guard sneering and telling me Michal had asked him not to let me in. Who would want to see the person who had ruined their life forever? After the ordeal in that place (an involuntary shudder travelled down my spine), recollections of my actions during the Incident had been extremely vague in the best of cases, but then they had started filling my mind with a deluge of images, sounds and sensations that I had been able to somewhat rearrange and realize what had happened. Bones crushing, snapping like a twig under my hands, a sharp electromagnetic pulse surging through my body and then… utter darkness, as if I had fallen into a fathomless pit.
I scrunched my eyes close and gritted my teeth, forcing myself away from those nightmarish memories. Then, I felt something on my shoulder and I yelped involuntarily, as if I had been burnt.
"Shit, sorry, I didn't realise you were there," I gasped when realising it was just Adam. Awash with those horrid thoughts as I was, I hadn't even perceived that he had been walking towards me.
"You alright?" he asked, concern plain in his eyes. I fought hard to recompose myself and smile in relaxation, although it probably came out more as a grimace than anything else.
"Yeah, you just caught me unawares, are you feeling better after that shower, still sore or something?" I asked, trying to divert his attention from my rather obvious discomfiture.
"Running in almost top shape again, which is just as well, seeing that there's something troubling you," he replied, his piercing eyes still studying me.
"Social enhancer, I guess?" I asked tiredly, quite resigned already to share my worries with him.
"Hiding one's emotions completely is a hard art to master. What's going through that head of yours?" he insisted.
"I shouldn't even bother you about this right now, not when you are still getting back on your feet after all the overheating affair but… I'm not going to delude myself thing you're letting this sit… I found the motherfucker who took Markus," at this, his eyebrows formed that all‑too‑familiar frown, every trace of relaxation vanishing from his face.
"Did you? Why didn't you tell me before? When did you find out?" he urged me.
"You were in no fit state to do anything, Adam, I didn't want to add to your worries just then, it wasn't as if we could do anything, could we?" I explained hurriedly.
"Yeah, but that asshole could be closing in around you, don't you understand? Markus looks like a good guy, but they will have made sure to get everything out of him, including your involvement in the affair and even some way to find you or make you leave your hiding place," he retorted, his tone now quite angry, albeit I didn't know whether it was with me for not telling him of with himself for having his guard down while being ill.
"Don't you think I know that? But there were more pressing things at hand than saving my own hide. Anyway, you know it now, and we can start thinking about what to do," he sighed heavily at this and rubbed the back of his neck, his factions looked like carved in stone once again. I felt a twinge of chagrin at burdening him with my troubles once again.
"I guess you're right," he concluded, although I could tell he just didn't want to argue anymore due to sheer exhaustion. "Anyway, can I have a look at that vermin?" he asked.
"Of course, I have downloaded his report and everything, the dude has quite a résumé…" I walked purposefully to my laptop and opened the file, a knot twisting my insides the moment I saw him. "Nasty piece of work, isn't he?" I tried to remark casually while eyeing his mugshot, but there was an appreciable undertone of apprehension in my voice that clearly didn't escape him.
"Can you translate some of that history for me? My Czech isn't that good," he crouched to peer into the mugshot, as if memorising every detail from that scoundrel's face. I rapidly selected the choicest bits of information and translated/summarised them for him, he nodded pensively when I was done.
"So our Dvali theory checks out from what I can surmise from the report, it doesn't seem to say so clearly anywhere, but just from his nationality and antecedents we can guess as much, all the crimes he has committed fit organised crime," he commented, standing straight again and cocking his head in thought.
"But, why wouldn't it say so in the report?" I inquired curiously.
"I imagine someone from the Dvali buttered some cop up to 'forget' any possible link with them… just in case…".
"Ah, of course, I forgot, let's protect scum like that while civilians are being sent to Utulek for nothing," I grunted bitterly, I recognized that anything to do with the Czech law enforcement body was enough to make my blood boil, but this took the cake. "I guess that bribe came from above, this guy looks like some lowly goon at best," I added.
"More like middling, enough high up in the chain to have a few cronies to help him, I imagine they just told him to go get Markus, cozy him up somewhere and make him talk, that or he merely was in charge of the delivery service…"
"And I don't imagine he made any questions, I wouldn't say he looks like the sharpest knife in the drawer… still, wouldn't like to get on the bad side of him," from now on I would be taking my gun any time I went out, just to be safe, even if it meant being extra careful around cops.
"Believe me, I've dealt with much worse. However, some caution wouldn't go amiss with this one, you can never know…," now it was my turn to look at him sharply, my senses pricking up at that not-so-nonchalant comment.
"You mean those mercs who attacked Sarif Industries, don't you?" I inquired. I just couldn't imagine how augmented someone would have to be to pose a problem to him, who had all the makings of a supersoldier with all the weaponry and gadgets I had seen, and I was completely positive I had barely scratched the surface.
"The very same. Fortunately for us, the Dvali don't see augmentations with good eyes, although, still, it wouldn't do well to underestimate him just because he's not augmented. The tricky part will be finding him, though, the family's networks have undergone some aggressive expansion in the last few years," he mused.
"So, if we want to find that piece of shit, we must get deep with the most powerful mobsters out there…" having lived in Prague for so many years, I was sorely aware of how far-reaching the Dvali's influence was, most small businesses had to pay a hefty "security" fee, and they owned most of the entertainment venues in the city, not to mention how many local politicians, judges and cops received fat sums of money under the table so the "family" could go about their filthy business unhindered.
"That won't be hard as, in fact, I met Otar Botkoveli only a few days ago, that acquaintance can only be handy right now," he commented, peering into me, gauging my reaction.
"Botkoveli?" I gasped. Suddenly, a shadow of suspicion crossed my mind. What if Adam wasn't as clean and upright as he appeared to be? I wouldn't put it past Janus to trust shady characters provided they had something to offer as tempting as inside knowledge of the Task Force. Why else would he be rubbing shoulders with the Dvali if his own hands weren't dirty?
"I know what you are thinking right now and, no, I'm not friends with Botkoveli or any Dvali for that matter. It just so happens that I had to do a bit of a favour to Koller the other day," he explained.
"Why is it that I don't find that really reassuring?" The memory of all those harvested mechanical limbs was still fresh in my mind.
"Really, it's nothing to worry about. Koller had a mild disagreement with Botkoveli and he had decided to keep the neuroplasticity calibrator the Dvali had smuggled for him. And well, after Otar's henchmen had trashed Vaclav's whole place, he wasn't really willing to go pay him a visit, so I offered to go to the Dvali's den to get it," he elaborated patiently, leaning against the backrest of the sofa.
"And I guess you merely had to ask nicely," that must have been a real bloodbath.
"In fact, it was pretty much that," he shrugged.
"Oh, come off it now," I huffed, now he was really trying to pull my leg. "Do you really want me to believe that you sweet-talked a mafia boss into giving you something you needed?" Then it dawned on me. "Of course, I guess your social enhancer is not only useful to blindside just poor old me," I pointed out.
"It does, although it wasn't so much giving but a future exchange…" he added in a vague way that made me raise an eyebrow.
"Ah, and here I am so naïve to think he did it out of the goodness of his heart," I said quite wryly. "Although I do wonder why he would need your help precisely, I'm sure many cops whose pockets he lines with money would be more than glad to do what he wants, and without the risk trusting someone else implies," I mused, then my eyes wandered to his hands. But of course, Adam was no ordinary cop, as I myself had seen the very first day: those lethal nano‑blades, the superstrength, his professional skills and so on, all of them were features that could be extremely useful for some special job, for example, if the Dvali needed to get rid of someone discreetly…
"I hope that neuroplasticity calibrator was well worth it, as it will probably mean getting your hands rather dirty," I commented, trying to be as tactful as possible, but I still couldn't prevent a shudder going down my spine at the implications. While living in such close quarters with him for those past few days and how obviously willingly and sincerely he wanted to help me with my plight had pretty much convinced me that he was alright, that I could trust he was on the Collective's side and wouldn't hurt me, I still couldn't help feeling some level of healthy wariness towards him. After all, if given god-like powers to reach one's goals, who wouldn't use them in the wrong way, even under the guise of doing it for the greater good? Delusional though their ideas were, even the Illuminati believed that the end justified the means. What mattered having hundreds or thousands of people dead or their rights trampled on if, in a hypothetical future, millions could live in peace for centuries under their guiding hand? What mattered one dead man or woman if that helped in the great picture of things? What was to stop him from using his abilities to hurt innocent people?
"Don't worry, if he ever asks for me to return the favour, I'll draw the line well before murder," he said calmly, probably aware of how unsettled I was feeling all of a sudden. I stared at him, practically gawking, utterly lost for words. Was that CASIE so good or were my feelings just so plainly easy to see?
"Alright, I guess we are now near enough the Dvali and, consequently, that bastard, but it's not as if you could print out his photo and ask around for him, is it?" I asked, struggling to appear calm.
"Of course not, but me being within their circle means there's a much higher chance of finding him than otherwise. In any case, while not ideal, it's better than nothing," he said.
"Still, I really don't want you to put yourself in danger or do anything rash, nor for me, nor for Markus," I said hesitantly.
"Don't worry, it won't be much more dangerous than what I do on a daily basis for the TF," he replied with a crooked smile, then his face sobered up again. "Speaking of which, I could try to dig up some information from the Organised Crime department, maybe they have some more unbiased leads to go on."
"That could be of help, but please, by any means, don't compromise your cover or anything, you're already helping me so much as it is," I fretted. "And I shouldn't even have bothered you with this now, not after yesterday, you should be resting," I added, feeling rather mortified.
"Speaking of that, I haven't properly thanked you yet for that, if it hadn't been for you, I would probably be dead," his eyes met mine, he looked sincere.
"Please, don't even mention it, it's the least I can do after everything you're doing, I'm really the one who's in your debt, it feels so good to tip the balance a little bit", I said.
"I'm not like Otar, I didn't expect you to return it, I'm helping you merely because I want to, because it's the right thing to do," he stated. I couldn't find any trace of self-righteousness in his voice, no holier-than-thou attitude in his words or insincerity, he apparently was just saying it as he felt it.
"A good guy through and through, hey?" I commented. Something in my tone made him cock an eyebrow, then he snorted through his nose by way of a laugh.
"I know what you're thinking, who does anything selflessly these days?"
"Sorry, I have always believed that everyone does everything for a reason, and the last two years have done nothing to disprove that idea," I said smiling half ruefully, half apologetically, he nodded at this.
"I can relate, for sure," then he made a pained grimace and brought up one of his augmented hands to pinch his nose between his fingers, eyes closed tight.
"Are you alright?" I asked, feeling rather alarmed, had the calibrator not worked after all?
"Huh, yeah, don't worry, I'm alright," he replied hurriedly, he blinked several times as if to clear his head and shook it.
"What's with guys pretending they are fine when they clearly aren't?" I huffed in exasperation. "Come on, be a good boy and sit on the couch while I put something up for dinner," I commanded him while I stood up and walked to the kitchen area, however, instead of doing as I had said, he was stubbornly following me.
"For fuck's sake, Aurora, I've been lying on bed the whole day," he protested when I turned to look at him.
"Because yesterday you almost kicked the bucket, so go sit on that couch before I make you," I threatened, he lifted both eyebrows, looking thoroughly amused.
"You are welcome to try," he replied rather cockily, totally sure of the outcome. Of course, there was no way I could best him, and we both knew it.
"Look, I may not look like much, but I can throw a few punches if needed, and you're not in the best shape ever right now, so don't push it," I retorted tetchily.
"You wouldn't hit an infirm, would you?" he asked, pulling a pretended innocence face.
"I will if the infirm insists on being such a pain in the ass. Sit. Now," with a smug little smile, he walked straight for the sofa, I let out a loud sigh, for someone who was usually so serious and stony, he surely could be obnoxious when he wanted.
I quickly whipped up something for dinner with some chicken breasts, veggies and rice. Meanwhile, Adam had obediently sat on the couch and, seeing that I was not going to relent, turned on TV to entertain himself a bit. However, he did not seem to have his heart fully into it as, although he stared fixedly at the screen, his brow was furrowed and his eyes glazed over, as if engrossed in some deep musing… but I had the feeling it went beyond that. I had seen him with that particular look a couple of times already, staring into something only he could see.
Still looking surreptitiously at him while I dished our food, I started walking into the living-room area, a floorboard in one of the two steps that led to it creaked and he turned his head sharply towards me.
Feeling rather startled myself by his sudden movement, I stopped abruptly and then smiled in apology.
"You disappeared, are you OK?" I asked.
"Errrr… yeah, just got lost in thought, I was thinking of some way to find that asshole," his tone sounded natural, casual, like the one a good cop with extensive undercover experience would use. However, something told me I had just caught him with his guard down, and his thoughts were far, far away from that scoundrel. "That looks good," he commented when seeing the food I had brought.
"You don't have to be so polite, I'm conscious it's not far from hospital food, but better play safe for now," I excused myself while I sat next to him.
"You bothered to prepare it, that's more than enough," he replied, looking at me. His expression and sudden candour suddenly disarmed me.
"Well, we should eat it before it gets cold and even more unappetizing," I settled.
Picus' newscast had already started emitting its evening programme. As a journalist, I sighed inwardly; the enterprise had absorbed an overwhelming majority of the most relevant media, giving the Illuminati an ideal platform for them to spread their filth, to twist and spin the news to suit their needs. Of course, tonight that wasn't going to be any different, as suggested by the footer that appeared under Cassan's bust, reading: "ARC involvement in Prague's train station attack?"
"Many of us are wondering why someone would want to murder hundreds of innocents, who, like any other day, were commuting in Prague's train station. However, the answer may be nearer to us than expected, right next door, in the Utulek Complex, also known as Golem City, where ARC, the Augmented Rights Coalition, has established itself as the governing authority. The organization, led by augmented activist Talos Rucker, has always presented itself as a group of pacifists pursuing equal rights for augmented people. Nevertheless, like so many other terrorist groups created under similar purported good intentions, Rucker and his minions may have decided to choose a darker path in order to achieve their ends. After the leniency shown to the augmented in the aftermath of the Incident two years ago, and despite the crimes that are committed on a daily basis at the hands of non-naturals, this sector of the population insists on forcing the government's hand for rights that would be denied to most normal citizens, such as having their own isolated, self-governed ghetto in Utulek, entirely funded by tax money. But, now we may wonder, why should the augmented enjoy additional rights when they are not able to live peacefully in normal society? Just some food for thought here, folks," as always, her delivery was detached, but it never failed to get on my nerves; right now, the food I had cooked felt as if I had a handful of ashes in my mouth.
"What a load of utter BS," I hissed after swallowing with difficulty, totally incensed. "This shit really makes me sick, especially when I know that people by the thousands are gobbing it down and believing it, the same people who then go out there and harass anyone they see with enhancements," I turned towards my companion, he had stopped eating as well and looked as sombre as me.
"I should be investigating that shit instead of fucking around with the minor assignments they have given me but, of course, someone up there doesn't want the TF to find out who it really was," he grunted.
"You said the orders came from the Czech government, didn't you?"
"Yeah, Miller didn't tell me exactly who, I would like to know where it came from, it could probably give me a thread to pull from in the future…" he commented pensively.
"I could try to find out if you want," I offered, still looking at him.
"I don't know, you've got more than enough work as it is, I don't want to add to it," he said with a frown.
"Come on, it won't take me much, you're forgetting that I already have a direct channel to the District's police station, remember? I only have to send a random, innocent-looking email from that account to some of the other top shots containing some spyware into their computers, that will surely take us somewhere…" I suggested, already thinking on the technical aspects of the plan, a bit of plain old phishing would surely do the trick.
"Yeah, but couldn't it be traced back to you?" he pressed on.
"No, not as long as my network works as intended; there's some risk, I won't deny it, but it's minimal, really," I reassured him, rather excited at the prospect. It was like a puzzle I had to solve, overcoming whatever obstacles to find the information I needed. Getting the final result was extremely rewarding, but I couldn't help but love all the planification it required.
"Ok, you're the expert here, and I guess Janus would be interested in it as well," I couldn't help but snort at that.
"That's if he doesn't already know, most of the time I have the impression that guy, whoever he is, knows much more than he lets on," I said with a wry smile.
"You don't seem to like him that much," he pointed out astutely.
"I must confess I feel a bit wary as far as he's concerned, but he's undeniably the best hacker out there, and he wants the Illuminati unveiled to the point of obsession, I just wish he was a little bit more forthcoming. I guess it's an awkward alliance of sorts, like many that have been formed within the Collective in order to fight those scumbags," I mused.
"I suppose that includes ourselves," he said with a half-smile.
"Certainly, if someone had told me a couple of years ago I would be working closely alongside a cop, I wouldn't have believed it. Not that I'm complaining, though," I replied.
"I'm guessing your experience with cops hasn't been all that good, has it?" he asked.
"I'm an Aug in Prague, how could it be?" I replied rather bitterly. Nevertheless, I did not feel too inclined to dwell on my unfortunate chance encounters with the law, so I changed the topic. "We better finish that, I bet it's already cold."
Obviously reading my mood, he seemed to decide to let it go there and we kept chewing our food, absently watching the news, just to have something to do. We finished eating and did the dishes together (this time it was impossible to convince him to stay put). After that, as per usual, we sat on the sofa, each on our respective places, me reading and him watching TV. Not much later, I heard him yawn.
"Bed, now," I told him, not unkindly but firmly. It was much clear that he still needed some good hours of sleep to completely recover. He gazed at me lifting both eyebrows rather quizzically, but he still got up.
"Sleep tight," he called after himself, strolling towards his bedroom.
It wasn't too long before I decided to turn in as well. After all, helping him throughout his whole ordeal had left me rather tired as well. However, it had been totally worth it, if only to compensate him for all the trouble my presence was causing him.