The Recluse

by D A Rice

  …

  Damion was glaring at her while trying valiantly not to. Rei realized this as she sipped her coffee the next morning and refused to look at him. He’d come to pick her up, calling her before classes and asking her if she wanted caffeine, which she did.

  She’d spent a long time at the church, under the New York version of stars, talking to Eli and laughing like she’d never been able to before. He made her feel so at home that it was almost unnerving. The peace that flowed between them made it natural instead. She was still exhausted from staying out so late. Eli walked her home to make sure she got there safely, before disappearing into the night.

  They’d taken the roof access back down. Rei knew it existed. Besides, it was really the only way off the roof with the zip line exclusive to one direction. Eli claimed he always liked to have at least two ways to escape any area he visited or lived. It meant he had to have another way back to the apartment, but she didn’t know what it was. He had so much energy, she wondered when and if he ever slept. She smiled thoughtfully until Damion cleared his throat in front of her and shifted to one side with an eyebrow raised.

  They were at a small, locally-owned coffee shop near campus, electing to get a table because they still had some time before classes began. The cramped tables were littered with students trying to get in their caffeine fix before classes. It also had big windows looking out on Convent Avenue.

  Rei knew that her closest friend wanted her to talk to him without him pressing her. She also knew that, eventually, he would press her anyway. His eyes were heavy with worry underneath his cool glare. Rei knew why he was upset. They had been close for years now. Damion had always been there for her, and had always treated her relatively normally despite her circumstances. But he knew she was keeping something from him, and he didn’t like it. She sighed, setting down her mug. “Alright, Damion,” she said slowly, leaning forward on her arms, “say what you need to.”

  He took a sip of his coffee before setting it down too, not moving his hands from where they cupped the mug. Rei met his gaze as he said, “you don’t trust me.”

  She gaped at him, “what? Of course I trust you!” She winced as his eyes narrowed and she glanced down. “There’s... some things I would rather not involve you in, but I have never lied to you.”

  “Rei,” his weary tone made her look up again as he reached across the table for her arm. “If you’re in danger, I don’t care. I’ll always be here for you, and you can tell me anything. I know you’re hiding something, and I don’t like it. It gives me a bad feeling.”

  She nodded, “I know, Damion. I get it. You’re my closest friend...”

  He cut her off gently, “I used to be.”

  She bit her lip at the hurt in his tone and glanced down at his hand on her arm. It was gentle, but it lacked the warmth she had grown used to from someone else. It wasn’t like they hadn’t seen each other. They had--certainly, more then she had seen Eli in the last week--but there was a big difference between them. Besides, how could she tell Damion about Eli without giving away who he was? She refused to betray him like that if she could help it. “I just…Met someone, I guess. We’ve been hanging out is all.”

  Damion squeezed her arm, his gaze softening, “going on dates behind my back?” He laughed lightly, “I know I’m like a brother to you, but I didn’t know you expected me to be cleaning guns.”

  “Isn’t that the dad’s job anyway, when a daughter dates?” Rei grinned.

  Damion rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair cupping his mug again and brought it to his lips. “Alright let’s hear it. Who is he and how do I get a hold of him to do a proper interrogation?”

  It was Rei’s turn to laugh. “No, no, it’s not like that. I don’t get to see him that much, and we’re definitely not dating.” He watched her with an eyebrow raised. She bit her lip thoughtfully. “I kind of met him on accident... and,” she took a drink here, muffling her words as she said, “so did you.”

  Damion’s brows furrowed in confusion, then widened, “you mean that weirdo who ran you into the pavement a few weeks ago?!” She was silent as she watched him. He slammed a hand on the table in frustration and leaned forward as his voice became a harsh whisper. “You mean, you’ve been hanging out with the Recluse?”

  She winced. It was answer enough for Damion as he leaned back slowly, his eyes narrowed. Rei forgot it was something Damion had suspected that first night they’d run into him. It was before she found Eli later at the church and he’d all but confirmed it. She took a sip of her coffee and didn’t reply. She couldn’t. She was trying to protect them both.

  Damion stood up suddenly and nodded towards the door. She stood with him and, after placing their mugs in a plastic bin, followed him to his car. He was silent as they got in and closed the door. Then he let out a long sigh. “This guy is dangerous,” he gripped the wheel with both hands, trying to remain calm.

  “Dangerous?” Rei asked with a soft and bewildered voice. He glanced at her.

  “Yes, Rei, dangerous. Did you ever stop to think how he got a hold of you after almost running you down? He obviously has the brains to stalk you.”

  “Why would he do that, Damion?” she turned to face him, her own eyes narrowed defensively. “Why would he stalk me when he has far bigger worries? Why would he take that risk?” His eyes narrowed in confirmation and Rei realized her mistake. She had all but admitted that she knew the Recluse. How had Damion drawn that out of her when she was determined to protect Eli? Damion still didn’t have all the facts though, and maybe that was enough.

  Damion didn’t comment on it, saying instead, “exactly, Rei. No one, except maybe you, knows who this guy is. It means he’s good at disappearing” He waved his arm toward her and leaned back against the door with an incredulous look on his face, “what’s to stop him from making you disappear, too?”

  She halted. She honestly hadn’t thought of that; had never had a reason to think that about Eli. She supposed, however, that Damion had a valid point. She took a deep breath. “I know,” came out softly as she looked down at her own hands, “but I don’t think that will be a problem.” She didn’t say anything about the Recluse. She wasn’t going to bring it up if he wasn’t. Maybe that in and of itself would be enough to keep Damion safe if it came down to it. What was it called? Plausible deniability?

  Rei supposed that Eli was doing the same for her having never actually admitted to what he’d done or who he was. He’d even stopped her from confirming it with him the first time they met, before he’d secured her phone. She hadn’t brought it up since then, and neither had he. She would do the same with Damion. Would someone like her dad be able to build up a case with nothing? Maybe, she thought wryly, but not many else could.

  Damion was watching her now. “Ok. I’m going to trust you. Maybe you’ll give me the same benefit one day, but today I’m going to trust you, just...” He closed his eyes and relaxed his grip on the wheel. “Please, at least promise me you’ll call me if this goes south?” After a deep breath, he met her gaze with a pleading look.

  Rei put her hand on his arm and nodded, “Ok, Damion. I promise that if something happens, you will be the first person I call.” Her eyes turned sad, “and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

  He watched her for a few moments more before nodding, accepting this. Sliding his body forward in the seat, he turned the ignition switch and pulled onto Convent Avenue.

  11

  “Mr and Mrs Wilkins! It is a pleasure to meet you,” Dr. Lars Heek smiled as he held out his hand for them to shake, which they did, warily. They were in the waiting room down the hall from ICU. Nikki’s condition was critical enough that none of the doctors assigned to her felt comfortable moving her yet. Dr Heek tapped his briefcase before laying it in his lap as he sat down on the plastic chairs attached to the wall. Mrs Wilkins joined him, exhausted as she sank into a chair across from him.

  Mr Wilkins remained standing, his gaze down the hall towards hi
s daughter’s room. Dr. Heek felt sorry for them. No one should have to go through this with their kids, and it wasn’t over yet. “I know you guys have a lot going on right now, but that’s exactly why I’m here,” Dr. Heek said, leaning forward confidently with sympathetic eyes. “Detective Henderson, whom I have worked with before, asked me to come in and see what I can do for your daughter.”

  “How can you help?” Mr. Wilkins asked in a monotone voice. His gaze never wavered from the hallway. He was a lengthy man, dark-skinned and weary with the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was obvious, however, that he was strong enough to carry it for as long as he had to. “She hasn’t even responded to her family.” He looked down at the psychiatrist now, his dark gaze cool and challenging, “how can you help her?”

  Dr. Heek sat back, but didn’t take offense to Nicole’s dad. He understood where this man was coming from, but he had a job to do. “Mr. Wilkins, all I can do is try. I know how the brain works; sometimes with proper stimulation, we can get a response. She has nothing physically wrong with her, or her neurologist would be better-suited to this task. It’s widely believed that your daughter’s state of mind has to do with something blocking her psyche. A lot of times it is an emotion, a trauma the patient can’t get past, so the brain shuts down. This is my job. I help people like your daughter every day, sir.”

  Mr Wilkins nodded, glancing away again. When he spoke, his voice was choked with emotion. “If you think you can get her back to normal, then I will try anything, Doc.”

  Dr Heek smiled kindly and turned his attention back to Mrs Wilkins. She was watching them with a pinched face, even as hope lightened her caramel eyes. Lars laid a hand on her arm in a professional gesture, “I will do everything I can for Nicole. You have my word.”

  …

  Damion clenched his fists as he stared at his laptop. The message had shown up in an encrypted chat designed to look like student resource had contacted him. This was how the Wolf usually contacted Damion, and it was always encrypted when he did. Damion knew the Wolf well enough to know he wouldn’t risk contact any other way.

  Do you know where your charge is?

  Damion hesitated as his chest tightened. He was in his chemistry class, but he didn’t need it. The only reason he was there at all was to keep up an act of normalcy and for those rare times when he needed an alibi. It was here, too, that Fenris had attached him to Rei, his wayward friend. She was his part-time job. Or it used to be part-time until Fenris had re-assigned Dr. Heek.

  It wasn’t as if Damion was paying the school to be here, so he didn’t mind. He had slipped in unnoticed, added himself on the class roster. Sometimes, he’d come back and change his attendance record, but not much else. He didn’t care about his grades, only about keeping tabs on Rei as he’d been told to. But if he didn’t show up at all, the added insurance would be a waste.

  Damion had bugged her phone when he first met her. He uploaded a program that kept him informed of where she was at all times. The app relayed the information back to him via notifications sent directly to his encrypted phone. As long as she had her phone, he had her, and he tried to make sure she always had her phone. Something as easy as that he could do with his eyes closed. He was, after all, one of the eight.

  He’d been drafted into Arachnid two years ago after his predecessor had failed to stop an outside source from breaching their firewalls. Whoever the Recluse was, he knew what he was doing. He’d stolen the Genesis Project from right under their noses and deleted everything. No matter what the eight did, they could not find the program he’d used to accomplish this feat. If the Recluse hadn’t messed with them so much first, to let them get to know his programming firsthand, they might never have known it was him. It was an embarrassment to Arachnid.

  Even Damion had to admit that the Recluse was very good, and he did the tedious work of double-checking his coding on a microscopic level. He was working on strengthening their firewalls, but that would only help so much. It was clear the Recluse had a way into their network. How else could the other hacker have done what he had? When Damion wasn’t with Rei, he spent most of his time working the problem. It was the job he never told her about.

  That and tracking her. Damion needed to get her away from the guy she was seeing behind his back. He honestly had no idea who he was, but if Rei believed him to be the Recluse, that was the angle Damion would use. He’d never seen the strange man before, but this was New York; people came and went. Any one of them could be the hacker. The Recluse wasn’t his immediate problem, but Rei was. He needed to seclude her so that she only relied on him. Fenris would have his head if he didn’t, and that terrified him more than if he were to lose his place within Arachnid.

  Fenris and the Wolf were the same person. Damion had figured that out when he had hacked into his high school’s computers to change a test score. When Damion had gotten in, he’d found a program lurking there which gathered information on certain students. Damion traced it straight to the Wolf. Fenris had recruited him on the spot. It was a game he still played to this day. He posed as a teacher and recruited students to help him do his dirty work. Damion was still the only one who had made the connections.

  However, he had figured out fast that Fenris was not always as he seemed. The Wolf was intimidating and terrifying. It was enough for Damion to know that double-crossing Fenris was an option he never wanted to explore. There was something almost unearthly about Fenris that scared Damion. It wasn’t just the eyes that seemed to glow in the dark or the fact that, when he got angry, the temperature dropped. It was more than that.

  Whatever the Wolf had planned for Rei, Damion knew he couldn’t grow too close to her. He could feel himself coming close to that bridge. He couldn’t cross it. If Damion couldn’t separate Rei from this golden-eyed man, if he lost control of her, they would all die in a way that Fenris would relish.

  Damion looked at his screen, coming back to himself, and pulling up a map. His chemistry class was later in the afternoon. He told Rei it was because of his job hours. She still had no idea what he was capable of. Damion typed in a code and pulled up the app tracking her. She was at home now, or at least her cell phone was. His brows pulled together. Why would Fenris ask him where she was if she was at home?

  His answer came a moment later as the red dot that was supposed to be Rei fuzzed as if it’d been interrupted then disappeared. No, he thought as he typed. He had perfected the program he had used on her. There was no way it was malfunctioning. The dot pulled up again, but now it was on campus. He leaned back, his hands clenching the table in front of him. What was going on? The chat flickered back onto his screen.

  You have a bug problem. Terminate it.

  The chat ended, and Damion drew a deep breath. Every time he had looked at this map, for who knows how long, he had been looking at a lie. How had this happened? He could only think of one answer. Something had corrupted the coding. Who could have gotten a hold of her phone? Was it a coincidence? Not likely, when Damion was so adamant about protecting his assets. The only other thought he could come up with was that Rei had been right.

  If that was the case, then the information that he had anonymously given to the NYPD would prove to be far more useful than he’d originally thought. He needed to confirm his suspicions before he reported back to the Wolf. The right accusations on anyone could cause them problems, especially with the right proof. But if they were real, that would place the game at a whole new level.

  Ignoring the rest of his class, as usual, Damion got to work.

  …

  Eli tapped his tablet, responding to the notification he’d set up when Arachnid made specific moves within their network. He’d programmed a few different spiders to alert him any time Arachnid snagged one of the keywords he’d given them. Rei was one of them.

  Pulling up a small screen, he smirked. So they’d finally figured out his virus had corrupted their bug in Rei's phone. He’d found it easily enough once he had her phone in hand. Eli
figured she had no idea it was even there, so his question was, who had? It was obvious to him that someone wanted to keep a close eye on her, but why?

  He knew it’d been a risk to disrupt the program. Whoever put it there in the first place was skilled, and had to be someone who had regular access to her phone. Eli didn’t know her well enough to know who that might be. Not wanting to cause her any more stress, Eli had set the Black Widow up to monitor her phone remotely. It was why he could send her messages and know that only she would see them. Normally he wouldn’t bother. He’d just met her, and he didn’t want her thinking ill of him.

  But he couldn’t let that bug in her phone stay. Whatever was going on put her in the path of Arachnid, and that was always dangerous. After seeing the way she did, Eli knew that she was something more. Arachnid would know who he was sooner than later, but they had no way of knowing he would interfere with their program. Now that he had, they would try to get them both in vastly different ways.

  He knew the original eight were no more, and only the Wolf made executive decisions. This made it personal. Eli would find out why. What would the Wolf do when he found out not only who Eli was, but that he was just like Rei? Eli could only assume that, whoever the Wolf was, he knew about Rei’s special abilities. It was the only thing that made any logical sense. Plenty of people got diagnosed with various mental illnesses every day. Arachnid wasn’t planting spiders in their phones to track their every move.

  So what made Rei special?

  The fact that her mental illness wasn’t an illness at all.

  12

  “Hello, Ms. Williams,” Jackson smiled pleasantly from the hallway of her open door. Rei raised an eyebrow at him before glancing at Agent Montoya over his shoulder. “Sorry to intrude on you like this, but I was hoping we could ask you a few more questions?” He knew who she was now. Her father was one of the most aggressive lawyers of New York, so he wanted to play this carefully. He could ask her follow up questions without a warrant, but he didn’t want to toe the line and make things more complicated than they already were.