The Sensorians: Trust

by Brigitte Morse-Starkenburg

  He paused to give me a chance to answer. I would give him an answer alright.

  “Over my dead body,” I hissed and exploded. “Who the hell do you think you are! Trying to use my love for Eliza to break my loyalty for the one person who took me in, looked after me and raised me to be a good person and who loves me! You don't even know how to love, abandoning your only daughter when she was only two!” I turned my head and spat at him, hitting him full on in the face.

  He slowly wiped it off with the back of his hand, stood in front of me and slapped me hard. Searing pain. Not only where he'd hit, but all over my body. I was getting pounded by the full force of his anger and didn't have time to shield. Another blow landed. His ring cut my eye. I could feel the blood trickle slowly down my face.

  “We shall find out how much Markus loves you. You've left me no choice,” he growled and marched out of the room.

  CHAPTER 37

  Eliza

  “What are you doing with that?” Daniel nodded accusingly at his phone in my hand. His tone was cold. His stare hard. I was thrown for a second and felt myself go red. No way to hide that. I had managed to sneak Daniel's phone out of his coat pocket and when he busied himself putting on Netflix and finding something to watch, I used it. I recovered quickly. I never forgot how I was slightly peeved and embarrassed when Zack pointed out my prowess in improvisation and deception, but it had come in useful so many times and now it was called upon again.

  “I'm so sorry Daniel,” I simply said, waiting for Daniel's reaction to work out how I was going to play this.

  “Sorry for what exactly, Eliza? I may not be a Sensorian but you sure have a guilty look on your face.” His voice angry, clearly feeling betrayed. I looked up at him, eyes wide open but then I lowered my lids slowly.

  “This is so embarrassing,” I started, squirming and fiddling with the phone still in my hand. I quickly gave it back to him. He sat down beside me. I felt his anger slowly dissipating, but I was not out of the woods yet.

  “What did you try and do? Contact your ex? She won't have access to her phone anyway,” he sighed.

  “No! That's not it. Not at all!” I exclaimed, trying to sound surprised and slightly offended. “It's far more embarrassing than that. I wouldn't betray Rick or you after you've just helped me so much.”

  I hoped to God I sounded convincing, because that is exactly what I had done and any other Sensorian would have picked up on that huge lie.

  He got up and threw his hands up in the air, looking baffled.

  “Well, what was it then? You had my phone; you clearly did something by the look you gave me when I caught you with it. Tell me, no matter how embarrassing it is.”

  “Oh my God,” I buried my face in my hands and sighed deeply seemingly trying to muster up the courage to confess to him. “I tried to hack into your messages,” I mumbled.

  “You did what! What on earth for?”

  He now looked positively puzzled. Bless him. He had no idea about deceit and jealousy. He was so blissfully naïve and trusting.

  “I tried to get into your phone and read your messages, Daniel. I wanted to see whether you had talked to anyone about me or whether you were seeing other girls. I know you like Helen and she's really into you, so I just wanted to find out where I stood with you...”

  I looked up to see his body language and face to put together the signals I was getting from his scent and vibes. He was totally unsure how to take this and what to make of my feelings of insecurity that I led him to believe I had. He wasn't stupid though.

  “But you're a Sensorian. You don't need to do that kind of shit to know how I feel about you.” He wasn't convinced. I had to persevere.

  “No I don't have to. I know you like me and maybe even more, but I can only see that when I'm with you. I was just insecure, you know. It was wrong, but it was just that.”

  I grabbed his hands and looked up, searching for his eyes.

  “I shouldn't have taken your phone Daniel. Can you forgive me?” I cast my eyes down. I felt his anger and confusion leave his body and it was replaced by something else.

  “Does that mean you like boys too?” he teased. He lifted my head and moved in. His lips gently caressed mine and I let him. He was nice, uncomplicated and genuine and for just a moment I could actually imagine a future with him. But it would all be based on a lie. I returned his kiss softly but then recoiled gently and put a finger on his lips.

  “It's too soon, Daniel,” I tried to soften the rejection somewhat, a little smile playing on my lips.

  “Does this mean you've forgiven me?” I gently teased.

  He broke out into a smile.

  “Yes. It does. But you worried me. I thought...Never mind what I thought. Let's forget it even happened.”

  He gave me a soft kiss on my forehead, before he stood up and offered to get me a cuppa, which I gratefully accepted. Once again reminding me what a kind soul he was.

  It gave me a bit of time to digest what I'd just found out and what I'd done. Daniel had told me he'd discovered where Zaphire was staying, and also where she was going to be in the next couple of days. She was meant to be going to the main compound where Rick had planned a big meeting the day after tomorrow. Daniel had no idea that I didn't know where that was, so he'd let slip the town name where Rick was based, assuming I knew what he was talking about. I was absolutely sure if I got that information to Zack, he would figure out where the building was, and get Zaph out of this mess, if they didn't manage to get to her before she left the safe house.

  I'd been able to text it to Zack and managed to delete the message just in time. Now all I could do was wait and find out as much as I could about the organisation and who else was involved. It was time to use my VH skills to the max.

  CHAPTER 38

  Zack

  Fuck, this was good. I knew Eli would come up with something useful at some point but this exceeded my expectations. I had to find out where exactly Rick's main compound was, and now I knew the town, it would be do-able. All I needed was some time and people power, sadly neither of which I had. I doubted Zaphire would still be at the address Eli had given me but I had to check it out anyway, just in case. I had to convince Markus that the CCTV footage had shown something worth checking out, but I had to get round Brody first. He suspected something was going on and I had to convince him somehow to let it go and leave me to it. Brody was loyal to me but he also had a strong sense of duty to Markus so I knew I had to pull it out of the bag with this one. I returned to the room where Brody was waiting for me, his arms crossed defensively and a stoic look on his face.

  “Hey man. You okay?”

  His face betrayed a sliver of concern but mostly suspicion. I nodded vaguely not quite knowing how to start.

  “Brody. I need to ask you something and you're not going to like it.”

  I waited to be hit by his sensory output, but apart from a little apprehension, I didn't get much. He was fucking cloaking. He had anticipated this and was prepared. That made my job much more difficult as I wouldn't be able to tell if I could trust him fully. I had to carry on regardless.

  “I'm going to tell Markus I found and tracked the car that highly likely carried Zaph. I'm also going to tell him that the CCTV showed the same car driving into a housing estate. I found the nearest addresses and we need to check them out, one house in particular. I know that you know that isn't true, but I need you to keep that to yourself and trust me.”

  The silence was killing me, but I gave him time and didn't push it. Although Brody was cloaking, I could still see the conflict playing out in his mind. He finally answered after a few minutes, which had felt like an eternity.

  “How did you get that address? I assume it has something to do with that text message you received earlier? And you need to tell me the truth Zack, if you want any chance of me putting myself in this position.”

  He meant it, but I couldn't give the truth. Not yet.

  “Brody. You know I would never do
anything to put my sister in danger and that I would give my fucking life to save hers. I need you to do this for me. Make yourself unavailable if you don't want to actively lie, but please let me do this my way,” I pleaded fervently.

  “For fuck's sake Zack! You owe me big time.” He dropped his guard and I felt he meant it. I tried to give him a hug but he turned away from me. “Just go. Before I change my fucking mind.”

  “Thanks mate. I knew I could count on you.”

  He flicked me the finger. I had some apologising to do after this was all over, if he would ever speak to me again.

  Markus was impressed with the lead I 'found' and sent Vivian up to investigate straight away. I asked if I could join her, full well knowing Markus was going to deny me, but he would have found it odd if I hadn't asked. I protested a little to give him a chance to assert his authority over me but it was all for show. I needed to stay here and find a way to discover where Rick's main compound was, and I didn't think Zaphire was still going to be at the address I gave them anyway. I had no idea where to start though and on top of that Markus had given me a stack of paperwork to do in his office. He hadn't forgiven me yet. Whatever I needed to do, it had to wait. I would have to work through the night if necessary, but without access to the entire workforce I didn't really stand much of a chance. I had to try though. There might be a way.

  After about three hours Vivian reported back. As luck had it, I could hear firsthand what she had discovered as he had the phone on speaker and I was still there doing admin.

  “Zaphire has been at this address, Sir. Her scent is still lingering, so she hasn't long been gone. There is nothing in the house now though, so it looks like they moved to another location. Get Zack to follow up with the CCTV. There must be more footage. However, question him as to how he got the address as there were no cameras near the location.”

  Fuck. I had to think fast.

  Markus turned to me, face stern with questioning eyes boring into mine. You would have thought I'd gotten used to that by now, but it still made me feel sick to the stomach. I had to fucking man up and answer quickly to divert suspicions.

  “It was an educated guess Markus. I googled the area and checked the census and that looked like the most likely house to be used as some sort of safe house,” I lied. Markus took a moment to process my answer and nodded.

  “Okay. But you're nervous. Why?”

  He knew something was up.

  “Because I lied about knowing the address. It was a guess and I was worried you'd be angry with me. I haven't been in your good books lately.”

  I managed to look at him, but cast my eyes down under his stare.

  “Fair enough. And you still aren't. In my good books that is. Stop lying to me and go back to check the CCTV again and focus on that area,” he ordered.

  “Yes Sir,” I quickly replied and practically ran out of that room. I had to conjure up some more CCTV from the area as it wouldn't be long before he would check in on me and I better have something.

  Brody hadn't left the room and in fact had a massive grin on his face.

  “Oh dude. You really owe me now. I may have just saved your arse.”

  “What the fuck, why? What have you found out?” I exclaimed, surprise written all over my face. I could do with some good news though.

  “I had a look in the area of the addresses you came up with and it actually shows a BMW coming in and leaving the area nearby on several occasions. I guess they didn't find her there, did they?” Brody searched through some images and pointed at one he had enlarged.

  “This was taken about five hours ago and I'll be damned if that's not Zaphire in that car, a few streets away from the house.”

  “You're a fucking genius Brodes! That's exactly what I need. How can I thank you, mate!”

  He looked at me and paused.

  “By never putting me in that position again. I'm serious, Zack. Promise me.”

  “You have my word Brody. I'm sorry I asked you to neglect your duty to Markus. It won't happen again.”

  This time he didn't shirk away from my hug.

  I had some work to do to see if I could follow the car to its next destination, but CCTV in the surrounding area was sparse and quite a few cameras were not functioning at all, and after about two hours of searching, the car had all but vanished. But I had one more trick up my sleeve and that was the town where Rick's headquarters were. She might not be there yet, but if I could get my hands on CCTV of the town and surrounding areas, I could spot them arriving there. It required another lie though.

  “Why don't we look at the towns surrounding the area and decide which ones could be likely candidates for Rick's headquarters. He might want to take her there so if we could find it then we could monitor it,” I suggested. Brody gave me a strange look and sighed.

  “You know we have been trying to locate his main compound for weeks now, don't you? That is what Laura and Frank have been working on. Nothing yet, but for a few tiny clues, but it could be any of those towns round there. Where do we start? We simply don't have enough people to scour through that much footage!”

  “What if I tell you I have a feeling it's this town here, pointing at the map.”

  “Oh for fuck's sake Zack. You just promised me no more shady deals!”

  “No. I promised I wouldn't put you into a position where you'd have to compromise your duty for me. You wouldn't have to. It's just a hunch. Markus understands hunches, trust me.”

  Brody growled and muttered some choice words under his breath, but once again he came through for me.

  I contacted Tristan and he was able to get us access to all the CCTV we needed, and we set to work. We'd only just got into it when the door swung open and Michael burst in. The stench of panicked urgency barrelled into the room.

  “Go to Markus' office. NOW!”

  Both Brody and I leapt to our feet and raced to our leader's office, hearts pounding and nervous as hell. What had Markus found out? Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. When I opened his door, one look at the screen told me enough. Shit had hit the fan.

  CHAPTER 39

  Eliza

  I found myself roaming the house during a rare moment of solitude. Daniel was working on something and I hadn't seen my father in the last few hours. My feet had taken me to the room they used as a little office where a few of Rick's staff were glued to their computers. It smelled stuffy and sweaty in there. A Sensorian wouldn't be able to work in this room for very long!

  How I wished I could VH remotely, but I still needed a slight moment of contact to set it into motion. I desperately wanted to see what they were working on and see if I could discover some more names of people who were involved. I decided to enter and hover. I'd met a couple of them before and when one of them looked up I pounced and asked him if he wanted a cuppa. He eagerly nodded his head and then the other two gladly accepted the offer too.

  When I put down the first cup, I made sure I brushed passed the man's arm and tapped into his vision straight away. I quickly read the email and made a mental note of the recipients, none of whom I knew or even heard of before. The email was a reply to a request to intervene in a law suit involving several companies, but I couldn't quite make out what it was all about before the vision faded. It didn't look relevant.

  I moved on to the slightly older woman called Sophie, who, by the looks of it, was compiling a list of guests. This could be interesting and I made sure I got some good contact with her, though it made her look up at me in a peculiar way. I got a good connection and I chose to stick with it so I quickly put the next cup down in front of the other bloke and got myself a piece of paper, nonchalantly sat down on a spare chair and started writing what I could see through Sophie. My eyes honed into two names and my heart fell. Why were they on this list? I'd seen Irena on it, Daniel and his mates, lots of foreign sounding names and then Lois Langfield and Ned Peterson. There was no chance they were undercover, so why were they included? I feared the worst and I had
to get a message to Zack as soon as I could. They shouldn't trust anyone. I hoped to God it was a mistake of some sort. I couldn't believe Ned would betray Markus. Not after he worked so hard to redeem himself. They must have gotten to him one way or another. He wouldn't do this out of his free will. But his name was there. That was a fact. I hadn't come across Lois a lot but I knew she did carry quite a lot of power. She was on a par with Frank and Michael, so definitely a worry for us and a coup for Rick if she had turned.

  “Hey, Eliza!” an enthusiastic voice belted from the back of the room.

  It was Daniel's friend, Mark. I could really do without this but I turned around and smiled at him as much as I could muster. He was beckoning frantically for me to come over. I hastily stuffed the piece of paper in my trouser pocket and reluctantly went to see him, not wanting to raise bad blood or suspicion.

  “Nice to see you again, lovely. How are you doing?” he said, genuinely pleased to see me. I felt a smidgen of guilt only perceiving him as a nuisance to be dealt with quickly. I might as well have a look and see what he was working on, but I didn't think he had much to do with the organisation and I was surprised to even see him here. I just saw him as Daniel's friend and never given him another thought. Maybe I had been wrong.

  “I'm fine Mark. Thanks. Are you busy? I won't keep you long.”

  I planted my exit strategy early.

  “Extremely. I've been run off my feet what with Rick arranging this big meeting so last minute,” he sighed a little exasperated.

  My interest immediately piqued. I tapped into his vision but he was only looking at me. Not helpful.

  “Can I help you with anything?” I slyly suggested. He hesitated for a second, before breaking out into a broad smile.