Page 21

21

SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

Nemo

“How many times do I have to tell you people?” Demon bitched. “If you use the last of something in a first aid kit, replace it immediately! If I had opened this out on a project, someone would have bled out because the kit didn’t have a tourniquet.”

From his worktable in the armory, TB responded with a bored tone as he laid out his weapons and ammunition. “Relax, Florence Nightingale. You’re so anal-retentive, you check all of our work three times before you let us pack it in the vehicles. Then you check it again before we pull out. And then you check it again when we arrive. There’s no way we would have ended up anywhere without a fully stocked kit.”

“That’s not the point, fecker. I shouldn’t have to check all those times. You’re all adults. Check your goddamn kits and make sure they’re stocked.” He slammed the lid down on one of the metal box kits the SUVs had underneath the front seat on the passenger’s side. “Think how much time I’d save if I didn’t have to check everybody’s work.”

TB shoved his primary gun into the holster at his right side. “Seriously? Even if we never ever forgot to stock our kits, you’d still check them five times. Fuck, pop a pill, would you? It would improve your mood.”

Demon stomped away, muttering in Gaelic. Nemo didn’t know the language at all, but he definitely knew that the medic was either calling TB’s parentage into question, or he was calling down pagan curses on the man. Maybe both. Nemo smiled to himself, then went back to inventorying all of his standard tools that he’d laid out to make sure he had everything.

The air-conditioning blew a sugary wave in his direction, and the skittering of Scheherazade’s toenails followed. He inhaled deeply.

“Hey there, kitty cat. Wondered when you’d get here.”

Haskell stepped up next to him at the table and looked at the contents, divided into a grid system with two of whatever was in each box. “What’s all this?”

Without looking at her, Nemo replied, “This is my supply kit.”

Out of his peripheral vision, he watched her categorize each item one by one.

“Why are there two of each item?” she asked.

“I figured you were traveling light and probably didn’t have your supplies, so I just put together a second set for you.”

In the silence that followed, he could feel her gaze burning through his brain.

“Why?” she eventually asked.

“Why?” He frowned.

What is she confused about?

“Yes, why? Why would you do that for me? ”

“I just said. You’re unlikely to have your own stuff.”

“You’re not responsible for me.”

He shrugged. “It’s not rocket science. You can’t go into this with no tools to work with. If you have to steal something, you need your bag of tricks. If you get stuck in a ventilation shaft, a conduit, or somewhere else, you’ll need tools to get out. It would be irresponsible of me to put my partner into a dangerous situation.”

“Is that what we are? Partners?”

“For all intents and purposes for this project, yes.”

“Why are you and your friends helping us?”

Nemo leaned on the table’s edge, elbows locked, as he paused and thought about how to frame his words. He replied, “A few reasons, actually. One, a couple of months ago, your employer helped us rescue TB’s girlfriend. So we owe them a favor. Two, these guys you’re dealing with are up to their necks in some serious shit. Plus, they’re using Kubrick’s brother to do it. We’ve been searching for him since February, so we’re not going to pass up the lead. Three, you’re not going to stop pursuing them, are you?”

“No,” Haskell agreed.

“Right. So since Waters knows I would follow right after you to help you, he’s going to put Tribe behind you as backup.”

“Backup?”

“Yup.”

“Not protection?”

“From what I’ve seen, you can handle yourself pretty well. You don’t need protection.”

He watched her scan the table, but it was clear she was considering his words. She picked up the mini-dispenser of sticky note, flag-style, double-sided tape. “You carry this tape, too? ”

He wondered if the non sequitur was her way of avoiding the implications of what he wasn’t saying.

“That’s the stuff you used to reset the top of the Saturn Diamond’s showcase, right? I read about the theft in the local newspaper. The authorities found residue from what they assumed was double-sided tape on equidistant points of the lid. Thought it was pretty smart. I used to carry a collapsible bar that had multiple joints that I used like a pry bar to lift off the tops of display cases or whatever.”

Haskell looked around the table. “I don’t see a pry bar.”

“Nope. When I saw what you used in Gabon, I thought it was ingenious, and I retired the pry bar. Your option is way better.”

“How do you know I used that in Gabon?”

“Midas. Well, Nova, his AI program, figured it out. She borrowed the files from the local police, analyzed them, and came up with a number of solutions as to how you did what you did. Then I went through and made notes of which version I figured was most likely. I particularly loved the Spider-Man-style crawl across the ceiling to lower yourself upside down into the display case. Genius.”

“So, you looked at something I did, figured out what I used, and then threw away things you’ve been doing for however long to use my version?”

He shrugged. “No ego here, kitty cat.”

She snorted.

He admitted, “I can recognize when someone does something well and be smart enough to change my ways to be better. Refusing to adapt could get me caught. Even killed.”

She shook her head and went back to studying his table. “Every time I think I have you pegged, you surprise me.”

Nemo ignored the loaded comment. “See anything I’ve missed or that you want? ”

“No, you have pretty much everything I used,” she admitted. “Are we leaving soon?”

“Waters said we’re rolling out at oh-four-hundred tomorrow. Medusa is going to take us by helicopter to a private airstrip, and then she’ll fly us by Mythos’ jet to Mozambique, where we’ll create a safe house. From there, we’ll head into Zimbabwe. We’re going to meet in an hour or so to come up with a plan of attack, then we’ll get a few hours rest before we pack up and head out.”

He turned to her and leaned his hip on the table’s edge, his arms crossed over his chest. She was chewing on a thought. Hard. He could almost hear the wheels turning in indecision. He was worried that her teeth were going to bite straight through her lip. Finally, she reached into her pocket and removed a tool from it. She clicked a button, and a metal rod extended from the end of it. She handed it to Nemo.

“This is my get-out-of-all-disasters tool. I never go anywhere without it. It’s even more important to me than a cell phone, so I’m trusting you not to lose it.”

He didn’t even look at the item she held out to him. He stayed focused on her eyes that wouldn’t meet his. “Why are you handing it over to me, then?”

It was her turn to try for nonchalance. “I have a spare upstairs, and I figured maybe you’d want one of your own. If you get stuck in a ventilation shaft, a conduit, or somewhere else, you’ll need tools to get out. It would be irresponsible of me to put my partner into a dangerous situation.”

It felt like all the oxygen had been sucked right out of his lungs. As quietly as possible, he tried to suck in air so he could breathe again. He unfolded his arms from his chest, and with one finger, he tilted her chin up so that she would look him in the eye. Then, slowly, he bent down and placed a barely there kiss to her cheek. When he pulled back, he didn’t take his eyes from hers. “I’ll guard it with my life.”

“Hey, you two!” TB’s bark came from across the room. “Save that shit for in private. Some of us don’t have our women here to canoodle with when we’ve got work to do.” He chucked a box at Nemo, nearly hitting him in the head.

Nemo was thankful his back was partially to Haskell when he made the catch, as it allowed him to hide the box of condoms. Nemo rolled his eyes, mouthing, “Fuck you, asshole,” at his teammate. Then, out loud, he muttered, “As if you’d ever let Flame be around me alone.”

There was a chorus of chuckles around the room, and TB agreed. “She’d be safer in private with you than in public. Either way, I don’t want you anywhere near her to work your voodoo on her.”

That comment actually caused Haskell to flinch. Nemo looked around the room, but everyone’s focus was on whatever they were doing. He pressed his index finger against her lips. With a shake of his head, he replied, “I would never do that to you.”

Anyone listening would think he was answering TB. Anyone watching would know it was a promise to Haskell.