Occidis

by Aisha Tritle

  “From what you’re saying, it sounds like you only get one use out of it,” said Sophia.

  “Yes, David will have to plant the device it at a suitable point in time— as close to activation as possible to avoid the device being found.”

  “A suitable point in time?” asked Ilya.

  “There have been rumors of a meeting. A congregation of the heads of The Org.”

  Ilya scanned Jonathan skeptically. “Where did you hear these rumors?”

  Jonathan ignored him. Sophia wondered why…was there another source he was hiding? Or was he lying?

  “It’s supposed to happen sometime in the next few weeks,” he said. “Once we believe they have finalized the plan for the meeting, we’ll activate the device and figure out where and when the meeting is happening.”

  “How are we going to tell Davey when to plant it?” asked Ilya.

  “My tech source will take care of that,” said Jonathan confidently. “There will be something to ensure a means of communicating with him. We’ll get it sorted out before you go to Nantes.”

  “I don’t like this,” said Sophia. “You’re putting Davey at risk.”

  Jonathan’s voice suddenly became low. “Why are you doing this?”

  “You ask like I was given a choice.”

  “You could’ve killed Robert when he first approached, but you didn’t. You couldn’t even bring yourself to kill him in the end.”

  Sophia began to feel a pinpoint of intense heat in the middle of her back.

  Jonathan went on, “You’re doing this because you know Norbert and The Org must be stopped.”

  “If I weren’t doing it, someone else would.” Sophia’s voice was mechanical.

  Jonathan studied her in silence for a minute before standing up. “It’s time I take my leave of you,” he said, picking up his briefcase.

  Ilya was already standing by the door, which had been opened a crack as if eagerly awaiting the departure of the ethereal man.

  Sophia rose and followed Jonathan. The heat in the middle of her back was getting worse. She was startled when Jonathan suddenly turned around and took her hand. He opened his mouth as if to say something. Sophia stared at him. There was a strange look in his eyes…as if he knew something? Something about her? A chill ran up her spine.

  Changing his mind, Jonathan let go of her hand and quickly strode out of the house.

  Ilya slammed the door behind him. “I don’t like him,” he said.

  10

  The balmy weather brushed Sophia’s skin as she took in a deep breath. She pulled the brim of her hat down and slunk further back into the shadows.

  “Damn,” she muttered, as she bumped into the corner of a fruit cart. It was midnight in Nantes, and she had been waiting in front of a small grocer for an hour. Across the street stood a beautiful 18th century house with all its windows dark. The lights had gone out fifteen minutes before.

  Sophia lifted a hand to her earpiece. “Are you sure he’s still in there?”

  “Positive,” replied Ilya. “He hasn’t left through the back.”

  “What did the case file say he’s supposed to do?”

  “He’s supposed to make it look like accidental electrocution.”

  “I hope he didn’t screw it up.”

  “He’s probably fine.”

  The false confidence in Ilya’s voice irked Sophia. He was putting up too much of a front. He’d been weirdly nice to her over the past few days, sometimes attempting to take care of her as if she were a child. She was thankful he was keeping watch on the other side of the house though; it gave her room to breathe.

  “The file didn’t have a section on surveillance, right? Davey wasn’t told to disable anything besides the house alarm?” asked Sophia.

  “You’re right.”

  “I’m going in,” she said.

  “What? You can’t do that.”

  Sophia pulled the collar of her coat up and ran across the street. She quieted her footsteps as she walked the small cobblestone path to the house.

  Ilya’s panicked voice was rambling in her ear. “Sophia, go back across the street. Davey should be out soon. We don’t know that his job’s done yet, so just go back…”

  Sophia switched off her earpiece. “Bye,” she whispered with an air of triumph.

  The front door was unlocked. She carefully pushed it open and slipped inside. Though it was dark, Sophia could tell the house was as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. Antique furniture had been carefully positioned, and there seemed to be mirrors everywhere.

  She stepped past the foyer and into a large living room. The faint burning scent met her nose, and she followed it to a nearby hallway. The moonlight from the windows disappeared as she walked further into the house, and Sophia pulled a small flashlight out of her back pocket.

  She turned it on and began scanning the rooms on either side of her. Davey was nowhere to be seen, but she traced the burning scent to the body of a man lying in a game room. Apparently, Davey hadn’t screwed up after all; there was no sign of him.

  The smell filled her nostrils, and she cringed. Holding back an urge to vomit, she quickly left the room. Frustrated, she went back to the living room. A wide staircase was on the other side. After climbing it, she found herself in another hallway.

  The first door on the right was open a little, a faint light was glowing from within. A relieved smile crossed Sophia’s face; she’d found him.

  Cautiously, she turned her flashlight off and crept towards the door. She began pushing it open when it slammed back and hit her in the face.

  Stunned, she stumbled back as Davey leaped out of the room and gripped her throat with his strong hands, but once he realized who she was, he set her free.

  “Sophia!” exclaimed Davey.

  Sophia used her sleeve to wipe the blood from her nose. “Hello.”

  Davey stared at her, obviously at a loss for words.

  “I have to talk to you,” said Sophia.

  He quickly ushered her into the room; the door firmly closed behind them. “Where have you been? They wouldn’t tell me anything.”

  “It’s a bit hard to explain—“ Sophia stopped. The light in the room was emanating from a computer. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “That doesn’t matter,” replied Davey. “I’ve been worried sick about you.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize! Just tell me what happened. I don’t have much time…you’re not coming back to BASE, are you?”

  Sophia shook her head. “No. And I’m really sorry, but I’m going to need your help.”

  Davey looked at her steadily. “Just shoot,” he said. “You know I’ll do anything for you.”

  Sophia felt her heart nervously quicken. She didn’t want to recruit him…but it was the only way. Then again, she wasn’t quite sure why she was doing this. Sure—Norbert and The Org had done wrong. But what right had she to ask Davey for help? The words came out of her mouth reluctantly. “I need you to intercept Norbert’s communications.”

  Davey’s face fell. “What?”

  “They won’t trace it back to you,” she said, unzipping one of her coat pockets.

  A scornful laugh escaped Davey. “Are you kidding? There’s no way I can intercept Norbert’s communications without him knowing.”

  Sophia pulled her hand out of her pocket to reveal a metallic strip. It had a small button and light on it.

  Davey looked underwhelmed. “What the heck is that?”

  Sophia held up the end with the button. “This is dormant until we activate it. Then it will download all the data off of Norbert’s devices and transmit it back to us, one time only. When it’s done, it’ll self-destruct.”

  She placed it in Davey’s hand. “I need you to plant it in his room.”

  Davey covered his eyes with his hand. He said nothing, but Sophia knew what he was thinking about: his family. She fought back an urge to call the whole plan off.

/>   Finally, he spoke, “So you’ve decided to take down Norbert and The Org? That’s what this is all about?”

  “Yes.”

  A minute of silence followed while Sophia shifted awkwardly.

  “I’ll do it,” said Davey, as he picked up a small satchel from the desk.

  Sophia felt a wave of guilt sweep over her. “Thanks. I know we don’t have any right to ask you to do this, so I really appreciate it.”

  Davey ran his finger over the strip and looked up at her. “Who’s ‘we,’ Sophia?”

  Should she tell him? Maybe the less he knew, the better. But she couldn’t ask him to do this without giving him more information.

  Seeing her hesitation changed Davey’s mind. “Forget it,” he said. “I don’t want to know.”

  “Ilya,” blurted Sophia.

  Davey’s jaw dropped. “Ilya? So that arrogant prick thinks he can take down Norbert and The Org and you’re helping him?”

  “Yeah...”

  “How did that come about?”

  Sophia drew a sharp breath in. How was she going to explain it? She mustered up a minimal answer. “It’s complicated.”

  “Are you serious, Soph? ‘It’s complicated’?” Davey’s voice was thick with resentment. He handed Sophia a box of tissues from the desk. “You’re still bleeding.”

  “I know,” said Sophia, holding up a wad of tissues to her nose.

  “Sorry about that.” Davey put the strip in his satchel and resumed typing on the computer in front of him.

  “He is arrogant…but his heart’s in the right place,” said Sophia.

  The man scoffed. “I find that hard to believe.” He pulled a USB out of the computer and turned it off.

  Sophia gently nudged him. “I find him annoying, too.”

  “Tell me there are others. Tell me he’s not the one spearheading some half-baked plan,” pleaded Davey.

  “There are others.“

  “Good. Don’t tell me who they are.”

  Suddenly, a vibrating sound met Sophia’s ears. Davey pulled the smartphone that all the Members had out of his pocket. He glanced at the screen quickly before putting it away. “You should stay here until I’m gone. Lund’s picking me up a little down the road.”

  Sophia frowned. Apart from when they were sniping, Members had never been allowed to bring their phone on field missions —as a precaution. Sniping allowed for a safe distance but if any of the more intimate jobs failed, The Org couldn’t risk a personal phone being left behind.

  “What was that about?”

  “What?”

  “We’re never supposed to bring our phone on field missions like this. It’s one thing if you’re sniping, but you’re not.”

  “Oh,” said Davey, casually slinging his satchel over his shoulder. “Well, they changed protocol after you and Ilya disappeared like that. They want to monitor us more closely. Now if anything happens to the phone, the handlers swoop in.”

  Sophia felt another wave of guilt. So, she and Ilya had managed to take away his last bit of freedom…or was it something else? Was the phone bugged? She stared at Davey, and her pulse started to race.

  “This isn’t a trap, Soph,” sighed Davey. “You don’t need to worry.”

  “I didn’t say it was a trap.”

  “I know, but you were thinking it.”

  They stood there for a minute, in silence.

  “How’s Kristin?”

  It was hard to tell in the dark, but Sophia felt the man’s face go a deadly shade of white.

  “Not good, Soph,” he said. “I haven’t seen her.”

  The memory of the therapy she had gone through caused Sophia to shiver. “Well, it’s good that you’ll be there for her when she gets out.”

  Davey sighed. “Yeah. But you won’t be.”

  The guilt Sophia felt doubled in size. “You know, if things work out, we’ll be free.” The words that came out of her mouth seemed like a false promise. That’s what she was working towards, but it seemed too good to be true.

  Davey seemed unconvinced. “A life without killing, eh?”

  A small bit of wonder crept into Sophia’s voice before she could help herself. “Yeah, just think about that.”

  “I have thought about it,” was the quick reply. “Walk me to the door?”

  As they tread softly down the stairs, Sophia racked her brain for things to say. Could she tell him any more? Could she tell him anything that would make his help seem warranted?

  “I’m sorry about asking you to do this,” she said.

  Davey let out a pained sigh. “I suppose somebody has to do it.”

  “Yeah, but—“

  “What, are you going to try and talk me out of it now?” scoffed Davey.

  “No.”

  “Because it’s not going to work.”

  Sophia shot a glance at him. The moonlight in the window showed sheer determination on his face.

  Davey continued, “I just hope that whoever’s planning all of this can outsmart Norbert. Cause that man is scary, Soph. He has one of the most brilliant minds in the world—and one of the darkest hearts.”

  When they reached the front door, he softly kissed Sophia on the cheek. “Good luck, Soph, I’ll see you on the other side.”

  And he was gone.

  11

  “Don’t ever do that again.” Ilya was gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white. They were on on their way out of Nantes on a speedboat going down the Loire River. Jonathan had arranged for them to stay the night at a small chateau a short distance away.

  He went on, “The whole reason I came along was to make sure that you’d be alright. And I can’t do that if you cut communications and run off. If something had gone wrong, I would be driving this boat by myself. Because you would be dead.”

  The Russian accent was getting thicker. It seemed to be directly proportional to the amount of agitation Ilya was experiencing. The wind brushed Sophia’s hair into her face, and she pushed it away with a low growl.

  “You know, if you were really so worried, you could’ve followed me.”

  Ilya’s reaction implied that she’d obviously said the wrong thing.

  “No, I couldn’t! Because that would be stupid. It would’ve added to the stupidity of the whole thing. Then maybe we’d both be dead. If I’d seen someone go into the house, of course, I’d go in to make sure you were alright. But I didn’t. So I stayed.”

  Sophia felt her patience wearing thin. Who did he think he was? She hadn’t done anything wrong. Maybe turning off her earpiece was a bit rude, but Ilya’s everyday behavior gave him no right to hold that over her. She stifled an urge to whack him over the head—after all, he was steering. Then again, she could just take over the wheel.

  “So you just sat there, sick with worry, when you could’ve come after me.”

  Ilya shifted uncomfortably. “Yes.”

  “In my opinion, you’re the stupid one here.”

  Ilya’s cheeks grew crimson with rage. “Me?”

  Sophia turned to face him.

  “I do something slightly risky—which ends up with good results—and you’re sitting here yelling at me because you were worried. I’m sorry I didn’t stop to think about your feelings before I went in and saved the whole mission.”

  Her sarcasm seemed to hit Ilya like a million annoying pin pricks. He clenched his teeth. “Saved the whole mission? Please.”

  “We wouldn’t have been able to talk to him outside of the house. Lund would’ve spotted us. We would’ve had to scrap everything.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes. The havoc the wind wreaked on Sophia’s hair forced her to tie it up. She crossed her arms. “Are you going to say anything or are you just going to sulk?”

  Ilya’s retort was quick. “You’re a really hard person to work with, do you know that?”

  Sophia stared at him; his muscles tense, eyes narrowed. “That’s hilarious coming from you,” she said.

  “I mean
it, Sophia,” he said. “You are absolutely…”

  “Absolutely what?”

  “You’re absolutely impossible! You clearly have no regard for me. I can’t say anything to you without feeling like a horrible person.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe you are a horrible person.” Sophia winced as soon as the words came out of her mouth.

  Ilya’s eyes drifted from the water for a moment to look at her. “What makes you say that?”

  His earnest tone took Sophia by surprise. It also irritated her. Everything about him was irritating her; she was sick of being stuck with him.

  “You’re spoiled, Ilya,” she said. “And you’re arrogant.”

  “So you think I’m a spoiled, arrogant brat?”

  “You also need to stop telling me what to do. I don’t answer to you.”

  Ilya scoffed. “Well, it’s no use telling you what to do. Cause you don’t do it. You don’t listen.”

  Sophia’s hands curled into fists. “If you were worth listening to, I’d listen.”

  A pained look crossed Ilya’s face. “How do you know I’m not worth listening to? You don’t even know me.”

  “Yeah, so you’ve said. But that’s not my fault, is it?”

  “I have been trying to get to know you for the past four days,” huffed Ilya.

  Sophia stared at him, confused. “If that’s true, you haven’t been doing a very good job of it.”

  “I just—“ Ilya stopped.

  “You just what?”

  “I just don’t know how to go about it,” he said. His eyes shifted uncomfortably towards her again, his cheeks flushed.

  Sophia felt her anger start to abate; she also was at a loss for words. “I see…” her voice drifted off.

  Ilya cleared his throat. “I didn’t have the best upbringing,” he said. “I had things, but I didn’t have friends.”

  Sophia’s jaw dropped. Was Ilya starting to open up? It was time to take advantage. “What about your family?” she asked.