Page 19

Ziva

The sterile corridors of the Compliance Monitoring Division feel even more suffocating today. I search the sea of identical uniforms, when I spot him near the break room’s glass wall. I take a deep breath, cool air filling my lungs, and step forward, Marcus’s footsteps echoing softly behind me.

“Myall,” I say, keeping my voice steady despite the tension coiling in my chest “There’s someone I’d like you to officially meet.”

Myall’s green eyes flick to Marcus, his expression a blend of curiosity and wariness. I press on, fighting the tightness in my chest. This could go terribly wrong. What if Myall misjudges him? Or worse, what if I’m betting everything on a fragile alliance?

“This is Marcus Holt. He’s a Technician, like me, but with experience as a Compliance Monitor.”

Marcus nods, his face unreadable. “Pleasure,” he says, his tone cool but not unkind.

Myall eyes flick over Marcus, brow furrowing. He’s piecing together why I’ve brought them together.

“Marcus has some… unique insights that could be valuable to our project,” I say, glancing at him for confirmation. His expression remains inscrutable, but I catch a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, and my heart sinks momentarily as I turn back to Myall.

Myall’s posture relaxes, his gaze sharpening with understanding. “Is that so?” he asks, tone neutral. “I’d be interested to hear more about your experiences, Marcus.”

I glance around to make sure no one’s watching. Most people are either absorbed in the vid-screen or eating. “Perhaps we could continue this in a more private setting,” I suggest, my eyes conveying the urgency I can’t put into words.

Marcus clears his throat. “I know a place,” he whispers. “An old tech lab, abandoned but still functional. We could meet there after our shift ends.”

I watch Myall closely, silently willing him to understand. His eyes meet mine, and I see the moment it clicks. “That sounds… productive,” he says slowly. “I’d be happy to join you both.”

Relief washes over me, though I keep my expression guarded. “Excellent,” I say, allowing a small smile. “We’ll met at shift’s end.”

As we part ways, I can’t shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. We’re taking a huge risk, but the potential rewards are too great to ignore.

* * *

The building where Marcus’s abandoned tech lab is located looms ahead, a hulking shadow in the twilight. A surge of apprehension grips me—are we entering a sanctuary or a trap?

Marcus said the lab was on the ground floor, which means an easy escape if things go wrong. I approach the rusted door, Myall and Marcus close behind. I can’t shake the feeling we’re being watched, but I push it aside, trying to let go of my worry.

“Here we are,” I whisper, my fingers tracing the outline of the hidden keypad Marcus told me about last night. “Let’s hope that override code still works.”

I punch in the sequence, holding my breath until the lock clicks open. We slip inside. The musty air hits us like a wall, heavy with the scent of forgotten machinery and dust that clogs my lungs with every breath.

“This way,” Marcus murmurs, leading us through a maze of abandoned equipment. “I have a workspace set up in the back. I like to come here from time to time.”

As we enter the small workroom, I can’t help but gasp. Gutted NeuroMods litter every surface, their innards exposed like mechanical corpses. I wonder how long this place has been here and how Marcus discovered it.

“Impressive,” Myall breathes, his eyes wide as he takes in the room.

Nodding, I move toward the workbench. “We can’t risk being here too long so we’d better get started. Marcus, can you walk us through what you know of the NeuroMod system?”

As Marcus explains, I disassemble my malfunctioning NeuroMod, the cool metal against my fingertips and the faint scent of burnt circuitry making my stomach churn.

“See this circuit here?” I interrupt, pointing to a tiny component. “This is where I think the vulnerability lies.”

Myall leans in close, his breath warm on my neck. “How so?”

I swallow hard, the flutter in my chest impossible to ignore. “The emotional suppression relies on this loop. If we disrupt it—”

“We could potentially disable the entire system,” Marcus finishes, his eyes gleaming with newfound excitement.

As we work through our ideas, I guide them through the intricacies of the NeuroMods glitch, welcoming their questions and insights.

Finally sharing this knowledge is exhilarating, working toward a common goal.

For the past week, I’ve been stuck trying to replicate the glitch, but bringing Marcus in—his expertise—could be the key.

“What if we reverse the polarity here?” Myall suggests, pointing to a cluster of wires.

I beam at him, pride swelling in my chest. “Perfect. Marcus, can you hand me that soldering iron?”

As we work, I’m amazed by how quickly we’ve fallen into sync, as if we’ve been at this for years, not hours. For once, I feel a glimmer of real hope.

My fingers brush against Myall’s as we reach for the same tool. A jolt of electricity shoots up my arm, but I don’t pull away right away. For a moment, I let it linger, my breath catching. I force myself to focus, ignore it. It’s just a touch.

Still, I can’t help the way my pulse quickens when I glance up at him. He’s already looking at me, his eyes lingering for a second longer than they should. I turn back to the workbench quickly, trying to focus on what we’re doing. My hands move on their own now, disconnected from my brain.

“Careful doing that part,” he says, his voice quieter this time, as his hand grazes mine again when he adjusts something near the wires. I try to ignore the heat that rises in my cheeks. It’s stupid, how every little touch seems to matter now.

I should be thinking about the soldering iron in my hand, but all I can think about is the way he’s standing so close.

My skin’s too aware of him, and I hate it.

It’s hard to concentrate with him right there, the air between us tight with something I don’t want to name.

My fingers fumble a little with the tool in my hand.

Focus, Ziva.

“You know,” Myall says, his voice low, “I never thought I’d find anyone else who felt the same way about… all of this.” He gestures vaguely at the lab around us, but I know he means so much more.

I nod, throat tight. “Me neither. It’s… it’s everything I’ve dreamed of, but never dared hope for.”

We share a smile, neither of us acknowledging this growing thing between us, before turning back to the NeuroMod.

Marcus clears his throat, startling us both. “I think I might have another idea,” he says, his usual caution giving way to excitement. “What if we could create a feedback loop within the emotional suppression circuit? It could potentially overload the system—”

I lean in, intrigued. “Go on. What are you thinking?”

Marcus explains his theory and his insights are brilliant, building on what Myall and I have already discussed.

“That’s… that’s genius, Marcus,” I breathe, mind racing to catch up with the implications. “If we can pull this off, it be enough to bring down the whole system.”

Myall nods enthusiastically. “We actually make a good team, the three of us.”

Myall and Marcus hunch over the disassembled NeuroMod, their heads nearly touching as they begin debating the finer points of its circuitry.

“What if we rerouted this connection here to create the feedback loop?” Myall suggests, his finger tracing a path along the circuit board.

Marcus shakes his head. “Too risky. It might trigger a failsafe. But—” He pauses, a mischievous glint in his eye. “What if we disguised our modifications by adding in an additional connection?”

“Marcus, that’s brilliant!” I exclaim, excitement bubbling up. “That could actually work.”

I catch Myall’s eye again, and my breath catches at how close he is to me. The warmth in his gaze sends my heart racing. Desire and fear swirl inside me. I quickly look away, but I feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

“I think I’ve found something else,” Marcus says, his usually stoic face animated with excitement. “Look at this anomaly in the emotion suppression module.”

Leaning in, Myall’s proximity is all but forgotten. “That could be our way in,” I whisper, conscious of the need for secrecy even here.

Myall’s shoulder brushes mine as he leans in to take a better look. The contact sends a shiver down my spine that has nothing to do with the chill of the lab.

“If we can exploit that weakness,” he says, “we could disable the entire network at once.”

I nod, trying to focus on the task at hand and not on the warmth radiating from Myall’s proximity. “It’s risky. We’ll need to test it carefully,” I say as the others nod in agreement.

“We’re really doing this, aren’t we?” I say, half to myself. “We’re going to break the system.”

Myall’s hand finds mine under the table, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Yeah, we are,” he affirms, his eyes meeting mine with an intensity that makes my breath catch.

Why is it that when he looks at me like that, I feel my resolve wavering?