“Just start with where we’re supposed to infiltrate.”
Zane swiped the control panel and called up the military headquarters. He did a pulling motion to enlarge the building details and walked Nirvana through the details of the building’s security system and where the classified information was held.
Exactly how “high-ranking” was he to have access to so much information?
“Kerimar Dein said you got him the layout,” Nirvana cut in when she couldn’t take not knowing anymore.
Zane nodded but didn’t elaborate further.
“How did you get it?” she asked, feeling slightly irritated by his lack of response.
“I told you, I work in the security department.” That’s all he said.
He’s playing it this way, huh? No problem. She had done this to Ching plenty of times when he tried to fish information about her next “project.” She was a master at evading questions. She would rise to the challenge.
“You suspect Hayashi is building something of a destructive nature.”
“He has been demanding a huge amount of resources from all over the planet and spending hours in discussion with his generals and engineers. I know how he works. He’s definitely planning something large scale.”
“You defected because you ran into some conflict with him?”
“Not directly. I disagree with the way he governs Chikara. He should have focused on fortifying the defenses of all the regions and rebuilding whatever he’d damaged during the war, not draining the people of their resources to build something new. He destroyed people’s homes and decades of infrastructure without blinking an eye. Then, he took what he needed and left them to rot. He didn’t even leave an army for their defense, so those poor people are vulnerable to attacks from brigands and all kinds of Galactic scum.”
Nirvana agreed whole heartedly. It was precisely why she made it a personal mission to keep sabotaging Hayashi’s cargo shipments. However, she was careful to keep her facial expression neutral as Zane continued to rant about the crimes of Hayashi.
He looked very different from the shy and mild-mannered fella she’d been seeing. Those soulful eyes had turned cold and calculating, his shapely upper lip curled in with disdain and his thick, straight brows tilted inwards into a slight frown.
This version of Zane looked ruthlessly ambitious. He triggered a little sense of déjà vu in Nirvana, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Hayashi only cared about his resources. He distributed the rest of the planets to the generals loyal to him during the war. He didn’t care how they ruled those regions as long as they remained loyal to him. He has shed enough blood under his rule. Whatever he is planning next must be stopped.” His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
Hayashi must have harmed someone Zane loved to ignite such a response in him, but she didn’t think Hayashi would be stupid enough not to do detailed background checks on the people he hired for security.
“I think it’s highly likely that they upgraded or changed something to their security after discovering that someone from their department had gone missing,” Nirvana said thoughtfully.
“Security details will definitely change, but the layout of the building will not. They can’t make drastic changes to the infrastructure in such a short period. Before I defected, I planted something in their system which will allow me to access the network from outside of the stronghold. I can get the updated security plans once you get me within half a mile of the stronghold.”
“Why do you need to go into the stronghold to get the plans if you could infiltrate their system from the outside?”
“The plans are stored in a separate network in a high security area.” Zane pointed out a section to Nirvana. “Only Hayashi and a few of his trusted generals have access to it.”
“Do you need ID from Hayashi or those generals to access this area?”
“I can bypass it. I just need to be physically in the stronghold to do it.”
Nirvana scrutinized the plan and got Zane to elaborate more on the structural details. The more information he gave, the more suspicious she got.
“Zane.” She crossed her arms, leaned back and looked him in his eyes, challenging him to lie. “What kind of security work do you do exactly?”
“I mainly monitor the network and security of the stronghold,” he said, avoiding eye contact.
“How high was your rank in Asago?” She was getting annoyed by his curt answers.
“I don’t have a rank. I’m more of a supervisor than an officer.”
“But Dein said you were a high-ranking officer!”
“I don’t know what he said to you!” he snapped back at her. “I’ve never told him I was a high-ranking officer. I showed Dein the blueprint of Asago and transportation records of the raw materials shipped in the past four months. If he guaranteed the safety of my family, I would go back in to try to steal the Hayashi’s war plans for him.”
How did Zane get access to Dein then? It’s not like you can just walk into the office of the General of Panderon and negotiate stuff with him just like that. She knew it was going to be futile trying to get any more information from him and they were losing their temper, so she decided to call it a night.
“I’m tired,” she said. “Let’s stop and go to bed.”
Zane looked at her in surprise.
“We had a long day. Your muscles must be screaming in pain right now. Unless you’re planning to come clean with me about everything tonight, we’re just going to keep getting on each other’s nerves. I understand that it’ll take a while to build trust in each other, so let’s just stop for today. We can continue this tomorrow.”
He nodded and shut down the system. Nirvana left him to pack up while she went to get the fireplace going. The air was beginning to get chilly.
“How long do you reckon this whole thing is going to take?” he asked after a while.
“I don’t know.” She prodded at the logs with the tongs. “Maybe a month or so.”
Zane stowed away the equipment quietly and went to the bathroom.
Nirvana didn’t want to go to bed with this tension between them. He wasn’t her lover, but they were sleeping in the same bed. It would be awkward, and she would like to sleep in peace.
Since he’d left the door to the bathroom open, she walked in and joined him at the sink. He was staring at his reflection and started a little when he saw her, but he moved aside to make space for her.
They brushed their teeth in silence, with occasional eye contact via the mirror. Zane spat out his toothpaste and rinsed his mouth.
“I’ve never shared a bathroom with a woman before,” he commented as he bent over to wipe his face with the towel at the rack.
Nirvana took the toothbrush out of her mouth and mumbled, “I don’t share the bathroom with men either.”
“Not even Ching?”
She shook her head and rinsed her mouth. “He never left the door open for me before.” She shooed him out of the bathroom. “I need to pee. I can’t do it with you here.”
“But you were here when I did it earlier this morning!”
“You didn’t ask me to get out.”
“That’s not fair ─”
She slammed the door in his face before he could react and laughed as he banged the door in protest.
Chapter 13
Zane was already in bed when Nirvana came out.
“You can use the toilet now,” she said as she climbed into bed.
“I’ve already settled my bladder,” he replied with a peaceful expression on his face.
“What? Where?”
“Outside. I thought the bald patch where Ching parked his hoverbike could do with some moisture.”
“You’re unbelievable.” She shook her head and laughed. It felt so much more comfortable sharing the bed with him after they “made up.” Since there was less tension now, maybe she could bait him to reveal more about himself. Sh
e’ll start by talking about herself first.
“I was seven when my father found me at a slave market in Jater,” Nirvana said while fluffing her pillows. “It was disguised as an orphanage. Only the outlaws knew about its real purpose.”
Zane reached over to the nightstand for his glasses.
“Why do you need to wear the glasses when you sleep?”
“I’m looking up Jater’s location.”
“Jater…” She removed his glasses and placed them back on the nightstand. “…is a planet in the Asteropaios system. Furthest end of the Andromeda Galaxy.” She slid under the covers and settled onto her side, facing him.
“I never knew who my birth parents were,” she continued. “My earliest memories were of the orphanage I was in. Dad needed a child for one of his jobs, so he went to buy one. When he saw me, he thought I looked like him so much that I could be his bastard.” She chuckled. “He paid for me straightaway.
“My first job was at this ball hosted by the royal family of Fealiv on the planet Skyoya. Do you need me to tell you where that is?”
“Never mind that, carry on.”
“My job was to make myself really sick and throw up violently on one of the duchesses. Then, one of my dad’s crew, disguised as the duchess’s servant, would take the soiled clothes and jewelry away to be cleaned. We took off as soon as we could. I remember the anxiety, the fear and the thrill of pulling my first con.” Nirvana smiled at that memory. “At first, I was sick from the concoction my father gave me before the con. After that, I was sick from all the nerves.”
Zane smiled and shook his head.
“I was very obedient initially, because I was very scared he might send me back to the orphanage if I was naughty. He found out and asked me why I was afraid of going back. I told him that I was always hungry and getting beaten up. So, by the time I turned ten, he made sure I was an expert at stealing and winning street fights with grown men.”
“He must be so proud of you.”
Nirvana smiled wistfully, “He is. Was. He told me all the time. I miss him so much.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I wasn’t trying to act cool when I returned the crystals to Loperia. I was grieving. I lost Dad that day. It wasn’t me who blew up the Kraken. He sacrificed himself so I could get away with the rest of the crew.” She sniffed. “I wish I’d had more time with him.”
Zane reached over and touched her face gently with the back of his fingers. She held his hand and interlaced her fingers with his.
“Your turn,” she said.
“My turn to what?” he asked.
“I told you a little about myself. Now it’s your turn.” She rested her cheek on their intertwined fingers and smiled sweetly at him. She felt his hand twitch as the tenderness in his eyes was quickly replaced by confusion, then panic, a little anger and finally settling on the cold, calculating look she saw earlier. It was fascinating, how those big, obsidian eyes of his could be so expressive.
He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily as he turned around to stare at the ceiling.
Avoiding eye contact because he’s going to lie, Nirvana thought. Let’s see what he’s going to come up with this time.
“My childhood’s not as exciting. My father is my biological one and the decorations on my body were mostly from him. I was too small and whiny for his liking, so he tried to toughen me up. Most of his methods involved pain and torture. By the time I was nineteen, he realized he couldn’t whip or burn the nerd out of me, so he gave up. I didn’t become the soldier he hoped I would be. I guess he could accept a security personnel as the consolation prize.”
“So all the physical activities this morning triggered your memories?”
“Yeah. He’d always hit me when he caught me resting.”
“Should I go slow with your physical conditioning?”
Zane shook his head. “This is different. This is like when I push myself at the gym. I need the right physique for this job. Besides, you’re not punishing me for being slow. I’ve been going at my own pace. Don’t modify your training plans because of what happened earlier.”
“Alright.” She could take that story. It sounded plausible enough. She let go of his fingers and stroked his arm. “Thank you for sharing. Let me know how I can help to make you feel better the next time something triggers your memories.”
“A kiss will definitely help.” He turned his head to look at her and grinned.
She gave him a slow smile. “Nice try.”
“Awww, don’t you feel sorry for me?”
“No,” she rolled her eyes and laughed. “You’re still sleeping outside if you snore, and if you hit me during one of your nightmares, I will punch you right back.”
The coldness in Zane’s eyes was gone as the corners creased with amusement. Nirvana decided that she liked them better this way. “Good night,” she said as she snuggled under the covers and turned to face away from him.
“What? Not even a goodnight kiss?” he asked, whining a little.
She should have told him “No”, but instead she gave in and turned around to give him a peck on his cheek.
He gave her that smile again, the one that made her heart flutter. She wrinkled her nose at him and went back to her side of the bed because she couldn’t think of any appropriate response to that.
“Thank you for not feeling sorry for me,” he said. “Does wonders for my manhood.”
“Your manhood is doing well, the last time I checked,” she said, still facing away.
He chuckled. “Good night.”
“Good night.”
Chapter 14
Zane woke up grumpy. Judging from the way he limped to the bathroom, Nirvana suspected it was due to sore muscles.
“Good morning!” she greeted him cheerfully. “You didn’t snore last night.”
He smiled weakly and sat down at the small dining table.
“Are you up for more work? Or do you want to rest?”
“Work,” he replied solemnly as he stirred the gruel she’d made for breakfast.
“Alright. I trust that you know your body best.”
“Thank you,” he said quietly and ate his food.
“Did you take the pills for the muscles last night?”
He nodded.
Man’s brooding this morning. Maybe he had bad dreams last night.
“Maybe you can do the firewood today. Work on a different muscle group.”
“Ok.”
Nirvana avoided conversation with him for the rest of breakfast. It wasn’t her job to cheer him up.
After eating, they went into the woods where she helped him pick out the thinnest tree they could find. Then, she pulled out the ax and switched on the laser function, giving the blade a blue glow.
“I didn’t see you use the laser function yesterday,” Zane commented.
“I needed the workout. My muscles are sore this morning. I’m guessing yours are too, so we should make our lives easier today,” she explained. She picked up a few dead branches from the ground and tested the ax. Satisfied, she handed it to Zane.
To her surprise, he switched off the laser function. She was about to say something when she remembered that she had just told him over breakfast that she trusted him to know his own body, so she bit her tongue.
Zane positioned himself beside the tree and adjusted his grip on the ax. With all his might, he swung the ax into the tree. He managed to get through one-fifth of the tree.
Not bad, Nirvana thought. Not bad at all, given his muscle soreness.
She corrected his grip and made a few suggestions for his swing before she tore herself from him. She was verging on fussing over him, so she made herself leave him to it and went to forage for food.
It should be the season for the baruns; Nirvana could smell the fragrance of the fruit. Baruns had a tough outer covering. Within the covering was a thin layer of crunchy flesh, and at the core of the fruit, was a thick layer of soft, juicy pulp surrounding the seed.
She w
as glad she brought a bag instead of a basket. It would make climbing the trees much easier. She climbed from tree to tree, picking the baruns until the straps of the bag were cutting into her shoulders.
Deciding that she needed more exercise, she took the tree route back to the yurt rather than walk on the ground. She was nearing home when she heard Zane grunting.
Reaching towards the branch in front of her, Nirvana hoisted herself upwards silently and climbed towards his direction. Stealthily, she settled on a branch and watched him from a hidden spot as he tried to drag the logs back towards the yurt.
His t-shirt was bundled around his head, keeping his wild hair out of his face. Nirvana thought he looked ridiculous but cute, especially with his glasses and that silly t-shirt on his head. The lean muscles rippling on his back were strangely appealing to her even thought she’d always preferred bigger muscles on men.
He was obviously struggling with the load. Instead of feeling turned off, she felt the compulsion to go over and help him with it. There was this vulnerability in the way he looked that made her want to care for him. She cooked for him, made sure he’d eaten enough, woke up at night to check if he was sleeping well, felt concerned about whether he was coping with the chores she gave him, she had never done that for anyone before, not even Ching.
Nirvana’s thoughts were interrupted by the jarring ringing coming from her CommsB. It was Dawa. She answered excitedly, “Tell me you have good news!”
“Yes, I do. I got you an absolute steal. It’s much smaller but faster than Marian, respectable firepower, large storage compartment and living space for two. It doesn’t have any cloaking ability, but I can add that for you. I can also fix some foldable seats for you if you want to take passengers.”
“When will it be ready?”
“Two days at least. I’ll get my men to work overtime on it.”
Fatal Extraction Page 7