11 Nightmares to Reality

Ever since Arthur had named Jason Al Hadid as a suspect, Britney had kept a close eye on him, and whether he was busy being overworked at the office, or going for a stroll through the walkways, she was always closeby.

While he was at the office, keeping track of him was an easy task, but whenever he decided to leave, it made things considerably more difficult. Since she'd started following him, she'd ran through a dozen different disguises. Today, she traded in her pantsuit for a flowing red dress, and with the help of Arthur's modulation device, she was a clear-skinned blonde.

Jason typically kept a predictable routine. He was either working, painting, or spending time with his girlfriend; Tessa Vanderbelt. Now, he walked through the walkways of Paris, and Britney was not yet sure if this was a deviation from routine. He could be here to visit the Louvre. Or for some elaborate date with Tessa.

The walkways were crowded, and hundreds of people walked this way or that. She made sure she kept her distance, lest he figure out he's being followed. She followed without having him in sight, but instead just followed the red dot that signified his location on her map, which appeared in her EyeView at the top right corner of her vision.

Still, she stayed close enough to him that she would be able to find him in case her tracker suddenly dropped. He stopped at an outdoor cafe and took a seat. Her map showed her that the cafe was less than five hundred meters away from the Eiffel Tower, but the famous landmark was not visible from where she stood, instead, dozens of glass-covered residential buildings blocked her view, extending endlessly upwards. She entered the cafe and sat far behind Jason. Far enough that he wouldn't notice her, but close enough so that she could covertly keep a watchful eye.

The scent of pastries and baked goods filled the air, and as a waitress came by, she decided to indulge herself. The waitress said something to her in French and on any other day, the words would have sounded like some beautiful, sexy gibberish. Today, however, Arthur had given her control of his Nina-Nerulink, and the waitress said, "What can I get for you, mademoiselle?"

"I'll have your oldest scotch, neat. Also, get me a couple of St. Honorés. I hear they're to die for!" Britney said in perfect French, grinning, after scrolling through the menu that overlaid her vision.

The waitress nodded and went on her way back to the kitchen.

A string quartet played soothing music from behind her, the sound overpowering that of the loud chatter coming from the city walkways. When her drink arrived, Britney had to admit, she quite liked the place.

Good scotch and classical music, she thought. And located in the most romantic city on earth. She chuckled at that. Maybe she's becoming too much like Arthur. Still, she'd have to come back here with Shawn later, Lord knows their relationship could use a little romance. For now, though, she needed to focus on the mission.

The cafe was predictably busy for a day such as this. A dozen round tables filled the space between her and the suspect, and men and women of all ages drank, ate, and laughed all around her. Waiters and waitresses bustled this way and that as they filled orders, carrying trays stacked impossibly high with plates of food and drink. She prompted her Eye to zoom in closer on the target.

A bead of sweat dripped down the side of Jason's face as he sipped from a glass mug. The golden-brown skin of his forehead wrinkled, creased, and strained as he began to blow on his beverage, which was seemingly too hot for him to handle. It had been far too long since Britney had been given access to Nina's Nerulink and she'd forgotten how remarkable it was. She could see every aspect of Jason's face, and with incredible detail. Far greater detail than if she'd been sitting right in front of him, let alone hundreds of feet away. She could see the short black hairs of his half-beard individually move up and down as he took another sip, each hair pointing in a slightly different direction. She saw every muscle movement, every micro-gesture. Jason's face was an open book, and she only needed to read it.

"Analysis complete," Nina said monotonously inside Britney's head.

"And?" Britney replied.

"Based on analysis of his body language and vitals. I can surmise that he is waiting for someone--"

"-That's it...?" Britney asked. "I could have told you that… and without the use of a supercomputer either. For Hermes's sake, I implanted him so you can get his vitals, followed him around for hours so you can capture his body language. And all you have for me is that he's waiting for someone? Your analysis is about as useful to this case as Jason's blowing is to the burnt taste buds in his mouth!"

"I am sorry you feel this way, Britney. But I assure you that my capabilities are invaluable, and I urge you to not underestimate them."

"Oh have I offended? I'm truly... not sorry. Enough with the commercial! Should I turn you off or do you have something else for me?"

"Yes. The suspect is terrified. The recommended course of action: Wait and see what Jason Al Hadid is so afraid of,"

Britney sighed. Maybe her memories of Nina's Nerulink being an indispensable asset were slightly exaggerated. The funny thing about memories is that they are scantily similar to what actually happened. Although Nina's analysis was rudimentary, she did agree with one thing: all she could do now was wait. She waved the waitress over and asked for a refill on her scotch. When her drink was filled to the brim once again, she grabbed a white packet of Nutris from her purse, pulled out a green cigarette, and lit it.

Viridescent smoke poured out of her red-lipsticked lips and nostrils as Beethoven's ninth symphony played in the background. She felt refreshed and rejuvenated as the pharmaceutical vapors coursed through her lungs, and into her bloodstream. She took a long gulp from her glass and crossed one golden leg over the other. Even though she'd used the modulator at least a hundred times before, she never got used to seeing her skin so clear and freckle-less. She grinned. It was truly the perfect day, and for the first time in a long time, it seemed that even mother nature had decided to take a break from its relentless attempts at wiping humanity from the surface of the earth.

Clear blue skies, scotch in hand, and the perfect weather... Arthur would love this.

After twenty or so minutes of pure serenity, Jason's appointment finally arrived. A broad-shouldered, pale-skinned man sat across the table from her suspect. Jason's tracker feed dropped the moment the mysterious man was near to him. She cursed herself silently.

Without the tracker I can't hear a thing, she thought. Well, at least now I know for certain that the feed interruptions were not caused by Jason.

She frowned. She needed to know what was being said, but she had to do so without raising any suspicions. Getting closer was not an option. She scanned her surroundings. The cafe was located in an outdoor courtyard and was surrounded on all four sides with looming cloudrippers huddled closely together. She noticed an exterior camera on the building that was opposite her.

"Nina get me access to that camera. I need to hear what they're saying. Use Arthur's authorization!"

"I'm afraid Arthur's special authorization can only be used by him. We need to find another way," said Nina.

"I give the orders here, not you. Get me ears on that conversation. NOW!"

"Luckily for you, Arthur remotely approved your request. The camera is yours,"

The view from the camera overlaid Britney's vision but all she could hear was a jumble of loud, indiscriminate chatter, paired with the now intolerable music.

"Enhancing," Nina said.

Slowly, the sound of classical music was muted. The chatter went from a thousand different voices speaking at the same time to a hundred, then a few dozen, and finally just two. In less than a minute, Britney could hear everything the two men were saying.

She grinned. Maybe the old piece of junk is not so bad… Nina may prove to be an asset after all.

"... whaddya mean the payments stopped coming through?" Jason said.

"It's as I said, kid. We didn't receive payment," the man said with a sharp throaty voice. "You know the rules. No payment, no shipment."

Shipment? She thought. This must be the smuggler, and that means… She pursed her lips into a line and grimaced. The other man was an Exitur member. The terrorist organization that was responsible for wiping Chicago from the map. Responsible for destroying her home.

"Nina, what's your analysis on our mystery man? Can you confirm his identity?"

"The man is using facial modulation technology. I need some time,"

The man's face began to blur in Britney's vision, but his voice remained clear. "If we don't receive payment for the last shipment, within twenty-four hours, you can expect a visit from us. And from what I hear, your little girlfriend is a fox! Wouldn't mind taking her for a spin myself..." The man said, a despicable grin visible on his face, even though the blur.

Jason's hand was wrapped around the man's collar in an instant. "If you so much as look at Tessa… I'll... I'll fucking kill you!" He said, lips quivering, and hands trembling with anger.

In her view, the blurred face began to unblur slowly. Pixel by pixel, the man's modulated face began to morph into his true face as Nina deciphered the encryption. A jagged nose appeared in the place of a soft one, long black hair instead of a bald head. The man swatted Jason's hand from his collar, nasty grin clearer now as the pixels fell into place. "I'm impressed. For the first time since I've met you, you're not shitting yourself at the sight of me. And to think that all this time, you had a spine after all… quite impressive. Quite…."

Impressive? She thought. More like insane. The damned idiot is going to get himself killed. Britney contemplated intervening. She couldn't have her main suspect getting into a scuffle with a probable terrorist. She was ready to make a move but froze.

The real face of the man became more apparent as the last million pixels fell back into place. It was a scarred, hideous face. The face of a man who had committed more than his fair share of atrocities. A face she was far too familiar with.

"... A spine can be a good thing. A good thing indeed," the terrorist said, a hideous, curved smile extending from ear to ear. "Until it breaks that is! If you ever raise a hand against me again… I'll cut off your eyelids so you can't ever close your eyes and I'll make you watch…" he said, cackling. "… I'll make you watch as I take her from you... I'll make you watch as I give her to my men... And after you've witnessed a hundred men fuck the love of your life. When you're weeping with agony, and begging for my mercy... I'll slit her throat and bathe you with her blood. You understanding me Jace?"

Britney trembled. A part of her wanted to scream. Another wanted to run and weep. The loudest part of her demanded vengeance, and it took every spec of discipline within her bones not to go for the kill right there. She grimaced. She didn't need Nina to tell her that across from Jason sat the vilest of men. He was called the Wolf, and he was no mere smuggler… No low-level terrorist. He was the head of Exitur on Earth and the triggerman behind the Chicago bombing. The most wanted man in the world, and history's worst mass murderer. The man responsible for the deaths of four and a half billion people. The man responsible for wiping out a city. The man responsible for the death of every single member of her family. The very reason she came to work for Arthur.

She wiped a trickling tear from her eye and finished the rest of her glass in a single swig. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and sat there on guard. She was not going to let her emotions take over. No rash decisions. Cool, calm, steady, and ready to strike in an instant.

Jason reluctantly nodded his head. "Listen… I'm truly sorry sir. I didn't mean to offend you. It'll never happen again on Hermes's soul... Just please do not involve my girlfriend in this! You will have your money, in fact, I will go to the bank immediately, and I will even pay you from my personal account. An hour at the most. You have my word," he said, hand trembling as he slid an envelope across the table and over to the Wolf. "Here are the coordinates for the next drop."

"WARNING EXTREME DANGER. CONTACTING THE AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY!" Nina bellowed inside her head.

"Negative. Override," Britney said.

"Britney, your actions are irresponsible! This man needs to be brought to justice immediately!"

"If you call the authorities, I'll never find out what's in that envelope. This could crack the case wide open,"

"Valid point. Recommended action: Subdue and arrest the Wolf. Take the envelope and hand him over to the World Police,"

"No,"

"No?"

"He's the leader of a terrorist organization. I'm going to follow him, and find out where he's headed. Who knows what he'll lead me to?"

"UNACCEPTABLE PLAN. CONTACTING ARTHUR,"

"Override!"

"Override denied. My records indicate that you have a personal vendetta with this man. I will not allow your shortcomings to cost Arthur this case"

"Listen here tincan... Last I checked humans still run the world. Not fucking robots. After we discover where this piece of filth is going, I'll get the envelope, arrest him, and then and only then will you contact Arthur and the calvary. FUCKING OVERRIDE. It's an order!>

"Override accepted. A most unwise dec--"

Britney prompted her Eye to mute Nina. Jason and the Wolf were both leaving now, and headed in opposite directions. She jumped to her feet and began to follow the man that had so often haunted her nightmares.