Learning Romance

Chapter 8

It was late when James and Chelsea left DVI base, they decided to head to James's house, Chelsea had a room in James's house and thus decided to sleep there this night mostly because they had questions for Vivian and Daniel James's parents.

Chelsea was an orphan whose parents left behind a fortune and a very prestigious international company. At the time of her parents' death, they reached out to Vivian, it was like they knew they would die so they requested James's parents to take her in. However, Chelsea had an independent personality so she refused to move in with them, she wanted to relish the freedom of living alone and managing her affairs. Daniel and Vivian were very much open-minded so they only set procedures in place whenever Chelsea needed assistance with anything. Amazingly, the six-year-old girl was now 18 and she grew up to be a fine young lady. She and James had been best friends and playmates from the moment they were born and had been so ever since.

When the twins got home, neither Daniel nor Vivian had returned.

“You think they would be having as much fun as we did?” Chelsea asked James as she threw her jacket on the couch in the living room.

“Getting my stomach sliced wasn’t fun” James grimaced, settling down on the couch.

“Hmm” Chelsea shrugged, she didn’t comfort him or move to assist him. James had experienced worse than a surface wound. She walked into the kitchen to make dinner for them.

“Hey, do you think we should remain with DVI? Codesus is more fun than that place” Chelsea asked from the kitchen.

“No, Codesus is still an outlaw organization. Their agreement with the government is the only good thing about it, their work is good, but the way they do it?”

“I get it” Chelsea appeared with a cup of coffee for James.

“Chels, what’s the time?” James sighed dejectedly at the sight of the coffee.

“Uh-” Chelsea blanked, she hadn’t realized it was already 8 pm. She didn’t return the coffee though, instead, she sat beside James. Raising her legs to her chest she leaned on his shoulder with her arms wrapped around his arm.

James could feel something soft on his arm and his heartbeat quickened but he managed to calm himself in time. It wasn’t the first time he was with Chelsea like this but in recent times, his reaction had become very much different.

“We didn’t achieve anything in Rhina but I bet Karen is hosting a party right now” Chelsea murmured tiredly.

James froze pondering her words.

“What do you think Karen gained from organizing the meeting in Rhina?”

“I don’t know but that Council Chairman, he was in on it, he gave a speech after all for an impromptu meeting. Then he and KS had a conversation. I don’t buy his nervousness pretense, what’s his deal anyway?” Chelsea’s tiredness slowly washed away as she continued. She suddenly sprang up from her sitting position and without a word, James picked up his keys and they made their way to the door.

“What’s burning?” James stopped.

“Ah” Chelsea screamed and ran back to the kitchen. James let out a chuckle and picked up the jacket she dropped, he handed it to her when she returned and they both left the house returning to DVI base.

“James?” Chelsea called while they were in the car to the base, James was driving.

“Hmm?” he turned to her, he noticed Chelsea had been silent since they got into the car.

“Do you ever get second thoughts about Codesus? I mean, we can’t play within the law and outside it, we are either here or there. Codesus trained us and now we work for the government to uphold the law. Where are we?”

James didn’t know how to reply to her, he simply stared at her solemnly.

“Watch the road silly” She smiled warmly at him.

“I don’t know my parents very well” James smiled bitterly as he drove. He didn’t understand his parents, why and how they created an organization like Codesus, despite the good deeds they did, their methods were against the law and he admitted that. He didn’t know the full extent of Codesus power but he was certain that they weren’t a simple vigilante group.

“Which side are you?” Chelsea asked again.

“I don’t know”

“I am on the side that gets me on a beach with my son someday,” Chelsea said to herself dreamily.

“Your son?” James asked with a funny smile on his face.

“I said that aloud? Yeah, my son, I will have a son someday. With a husband more handsome than you, one who doesn’t grumble is careful when driving, doesn’t have toxic friends” Chelsea continued pretending to be dreaming aloud with her eyes closed.

“Toxic friends hmm?” James nodded still smiling at her antics.

“Yeah, like that Stacy” Chelsea opened her eyes to glare at James.

“What? I think she is cute, and talented” James didn’t realize he was sinking deeper.

“Cute and talented huh? So you mean I am not cute or talented?” Chelsea turned away from him watching the blurry scene as it rolled past.

“When did I say that?” James was stunned by her deduction.

“You think so highly of a girl you only met today, I have been with you for how long? 18 years you bastard!” Chelsea continued ranting until they drove into an unassuming parking lot. As they approached a door where two armed men guarded, Chelsea flashed her badge but she didn’t stop scolding James who could only follow obediently.

“Some of us, have lives outside this building, why did you call us back?” Stacy sulked when she saw the twins walked out of the lift.

“But you told me about a movie collection your ex sent you that you wanted to binge on this night” Chelsea blanked.

“You still talk with your ex?” Angela asked, she was a nurse but unlike all the others she lived in the base.

“Ahem” James coughed and the team quietened following him to the cortex.

“We know that Karen arranged an emergency meeting in Rhina where we lost both Karen and KS. Chelsea and I were wondering, what was the end game? Stacy, pull up everything on the attendees of that meeting” James explained to the team.

“There were sixty members of the judicial council in the meeting. During the attack, three died leaving fifty-seven.” Stacy worked on her computer and the faces of the sixty appeared on the large screen with their names below them.

“Hold on, one of the dead, who is that?” William asked pointing at one of the women on the screen.

“That is Judy Klein, she was a student in Starcut, kicked out on her second year for insubordination” Stacy introduced.

“How the hell does an expelled military student get on the Judicial council?” Chelsea frowned stepping closer to the screen.

“Oh, she’s not” Stacy answered with a blank expression.

“Excuse me? Then what was she doing there?” Chelsea squinted.

“You recognized her William?” James asked William who was also wearing a frown.

“Not her, her pendant. It’s the military symbol, the man I told about was wearing the same. Stacy run her face through the military database”

Stacy stole a glance at James's frowning face, her actions didn’t go unnoticed and Chelsea’s glare intensified. Stacy pretended to cough and got to work, her fingers almost a blur in her keyboard.

“There is no Judy Klein in the military database but there is a Nita Sullivan” Stacy pulled up a picture of the same person wearing a grey and ash military hat.

“She served four terms in the military under the same commander as Karen Schuster. She was sent home from her last tour after she claimed the commander was involved with the local rebels in Rhina, her records state she had proof to the effect but none was ever received by the military court.”

“What’s the name of this military commander?” James asked.

“We need to ask Albert for that, all I can see from here is a portrait with a question mark on its face. We have no authority.

“Oh and for your Council Chairman, he was KS’ captain before he retired”

“I need another chat with this Chairman, he said Lavender Formula was his idea, obviously there’s more about him we don’t know” James picked up his new badge which was resting on Stacy’s desk, he figured Albert left it for him there.

“You guys realize you are investigating the government and military of our country right?” Angela who had been silent asked in a very solemn tone just before James stepped out of the cortex.

“The President has given us clearance to investigate all levels of the government, he intends to clean out the country before putting all his attention on the terrorist Souter. If someone in the military is involved in all this, then I want to know.”

“All I am saying is, KS might not be an enemy. She is a stealth operative, she may be involved with Karen Sanchez but maybe not in the way we think”

“Then I guess we need to pay a visit to KS too.” Chelsea grinned.

“Umm it’s only an hour before midnight so” Stacy awkwardly put down the hand she was raising and the group turned to James who was about to step out of the room.

“Tomorrow then?” William asked settled on the only couch in the room.

***

“What the hell happened?” Karen walked into a bunker angrily glaring at KS who had an ice packet to her head.

“What do you think? He’s an 8th ranker that’s what!” KS growled without raising her head.

“You assured me you could handle him. I need to know where your loyalties lie, are you with the military or with me?” Karen wasn’t satisfied with the excuse.

“WILL YOU CALM DOWN?!” KS shouted putting down the ice packet and raising her head to stare at Karen who was will heaving with anger.

“I haven’t asked about the attack on the meeting place so don’t start. You took out one of mine. You got what you went there for, you received the package and you assassinated your target, and what did I get? A dead mate?” KS reduced her voice but the displeasure in it was quite clear to Karen.

“Taking down the Codesus boy was your responsibility?” Karen's gaze on KS intensified.

KS fell silent, she pushed her hair from her forehead and with the hand holding the ice packet continued holding it over her temple.

“You are quite greedy, aren’t you? You had your people there to take both Codesus’s boy and the package from the Chairman. That’s why you took out one of my people, it wasn’t an accident, you would have taken me out too if I stayed. You never intended to let me have the formula, you want it for yourself” KS spoke casually and at an even pace. Karen maintained a straight face even as KS revealed her intentions.

KS there down the ice packet and stood up to face Karen for a moment, she walked toward a shelf her back to Karen, and continued.

“Which makes me wonder, why did you come here after crossing me? You are either very stupid for underestimating me, or you are here to finish the job” KS’ tone still wasn’t at all hurried.

“Which is it?” she turned to face Karen again.

Karen smiled at KS, the anger and displeasure on her face vanishing without a trace.

“You are smart after all. With all that wisdom, tell me please, which do you think it is?”

“Truly a con-man, forgive the absence of support for gender equality” KS smiled, and just as Karen raised her hand a flying knife fixed itself into her heart. Her hand stopped, in it was a gun, she was about to kill KS!

“Your father would be pissed. Unfortunately, I am not one of his people, I hope he finds somewhere else to vent his pain at your death” KS smiled warmly at Karen as blood slowly trickled down her lips. She drew her gun and fired twice at Karen, one in her head and the other into her abdomen.

“I hope your father understands my message” she slid her pistol back into her trouser and walked calmly out of the room leaving Karen’s body on the ground as life slowly left her open eyes.