Sanctify
Chapter 20 - Regret

There was light in the sky as Hayden opened his eyes and groaned, seeing Noriko lying next to him, on her stomach, reading through some papers. He sat up and made sure he was covered. He turned and looked down at Noriko before he asked, “How long have you been up?”

Noriko shrugged, “A couple hours? My sleeping schedule is quite different now that I’m awake more than asleep.” She didn’t shift away but raised one paper to him, “What was this about?”

Hayden looked over it and fell on to his side, staring at her, “The Burbank Water and Power Plant suffered from old pipes so it moved. The old place was condemned; though some people believed it to be haunted due to the strange activity that still happened from within. All rumors though, if you ask me,” Hayden added, putting the paper aside.

Seeing Noriko think so hard made him want to distract her again. He brushed her hair from her face and shoulders and leaned in to kiss her shoulders. Noriko discouraged him by lifting the page he had set aside, “This is where my Guardians are, then.”

Hayden shifted closer and linked one leg around both of hers, enjoying the touch of her smooth skin. “How do you mean?” he asked, hoping she would forget work for a bit longer.

But Noriko didn’t. She pulled out a map she had been studying while he was asleep and explained, “There’s an old villa that I need to go back to, just to gather my things. And it’s close enough to the plant you were talking about. I’d assume the power and energy is still there, right?” Hayden rolled onto his back, pulling her body closer to him, and slightly on top of him. Noriko shifted, trying to get away, but Hayden just grabbed her and held on. “It would stand to reason that anyone who knows how to work the plant would be able to gain access to free power. Do you think we could focus?” Noriko snapped as Hayden managed to reposition her on top of him.

Hayden smiled, seeing her quite annoyed with him, and replied, “I think you should focus on me and then we can focus on the rest of the world.”

Noriko sighed but let him roll her on to her back, “Are you always so persistent?”

Hayden smiled, “Only when I really want something. Or, in this case, someone,” he added and dipped his face to hers. Hayden found he liked kissing her. It was strange to like her so much and touch her so much. In the past, he’d never have dared to approach an Origin so boldly. But Noriko was different. He wanted all of her attention for himself.

As he felt ready to reconnect with her his communicator beeped and static came from it. He rolled off of Noriko and grabbed it from the nightstand. He adjusted the signals and held it to his lips. “Come in, I am here, over?”

Noriko sat up, next to him, and kissed his cheek, “I’m sure we can continue this later.”

Hayden opened his mouth to retort but Jenna’s voice cut him off, “I am heading your way. Prepare for action, over.”

Hayden sighed as he watched Noriko give his arm a squeeze before heading to the bathroom. He lifted the communicator to his lips, “Understood, over and out.” He also left the bed in search for proper clothing. He hadn’t thought of how he would explain what happened between Noriko and himself to Jenna, and knew she would understand, maybe, but didn’t want to be treated with distrust. If anyone had meddled with his Origin and he came to know of it, his desire to protect and secure his Origin would take precedent over everything else. That’s just how Shadows were hard wired.

Michel glared at the firewalls and systems before him. Uncle had wanted him to reproduce the systems he had learned from the various organizations he had been privy to, but the feeling of betrayal never sat well with him.

He wandered through the linked files on his network and frowned, seeing plans to the camera coverage on the outside of the buildings. Though it had been meant to keep watch before the computers went up, they went on and off sporadically. Each time wasn’t consistent enough for Michel to notice a pattern that made things complicated for him.

The document opened and Diem stated, ’I can give you a pocket of twenty minutes. But you have to understand that this is the one and only favor I can do for you.’ Michel felt the weight of her words and frowned. Before he could respond, she added, ’And this can only happen once.’

Michel sighed and replied, ’I’ll make it count. Is there a time you prefer?’

Michel frowned, feeling very alone as the other two hackers grabbed their things and walked out. There was urgency in their steps and when they were gone, Michel noticed the distracted feel of Uncle. ’This afternoon would be perfect. If you can get things ready in time,” Diem cut the connection so suddenly, Michel turned in time to see Uncle step down from his throne.

With a slimy smile, he asked, “Comfortable at that station, Michel?”

Michel shrugged, “I wish I had some of my own monitors and hard drives,” he added.

Uncle nodded and peered over at Diane. “What a prize, isn’t she?” He walked over slowly and stopped on the other side of the glass. “I know how to choose a bride,” he added, very pleased with himself.

Michel frowned and noticed the last sudden message and froze. He forced himself to memorize it without reading it again because it was gone moments later. He breathed deeply, recalling based on the burned image in his mind, like a film negative, and when he opened his eyes, he turned to see the way Uncle touched the glass between himself and Diane and turned away. He knew that look and his heart longed for the one woman who could turn his head.

Dr. E moved into her surveillance room and Oren whistled low. “Dang, Doc, why didn’t you mention all of this sooner?” He moved to look over some cameras and was surprised to see so many feeds. “When did you have time to put all of these in motion?” he asked, flipping through the feeds easily.

Dr. E smiled as she replied, “Who do you think guards the Haven?”

Oren’s eyes bugged wide and he swallowed, “You know about the Haven?”

Dr. E turned to Oren and replied, genuinely sincere, “Who do you think has been keeping it safe?”

Oren looked around and then asked, “Do you think they can offer us some hacking back up?” When Dr. E looked up, Oren added, “I’m guessing Sanctus will have all kinds of walls and security. Things would be easier if they were on the look out.”

Dr. E nodded and picked up her phone, “I’ll make a few calls and see what we can do. It’ll be rushed, but it’s better than nothing.” She dialed furiously, “I think it would be better to have Noriko talk to them, they are her network,” she added, listening to various beeps before clicking away, “and she set them up; brought them in and put them in their places.”

“Noriko? Is she that powerful?” Oren asked, picking up his communicator.

Dr. E’s look was purely priceless as it dawned on her just how many missing pieces of the puzzle the small team had. Just at that moment, the other end picked up and she held up a finger to Oren. “This is Baby Eagle, is the nest secure?” she asked, as Oren ran his fingers through his hair, focusing on the security feeds in the Towers. Of all places, he wondered if their small team would be able to retrieve Michel in time.

Jenna leaned against the desk, noticing the closeness of Hayden and Noriko, though unwilling to accuse either of them of anything. She knew she had to wait and see before killing him. Meanwhile, Hayden glared down at the map and realized just how stupid he had been to not suspect the pent house to be where Sanctus had been holed up. “So Oren is with Dr. E?” Hayden asked, refusing to meet Jenna’s eyes.

Jenna nodded, “He’s upset he had to stay back but he’ll join us right after. It should take him fifteen minutes to travel across town and meet us. Any updates?” she added, waiting for eye contact.

Noriko met her eyes and replied, “I’ve managed to link in to one of the cables that ends in the pent house. There are a few hackers and amateurs manning the firewalls, nothing I can’t handle.” Her confidence and focus made Jenna feel a sense of guilt. Suspicion was never good, but Jenna waited.

Hayden, finally, looked up, with clear eyes, to Jenna and nodded, “The elevator shaft is the most secure, but also the most dangerous. If we can’t get a message to Michel, it would be a kill box. We don’t even know how much firepower Sanctus has up there.”

Noriko elbowed Hayden and smiled, “I guess it’s time for me to figure out some of their networks. Give me five minutes and I should be ready for anything,” she added and Jenna nodded. But before she stepped away from Hayden, Noriko smiled and leaned against Hayden, kissing him affectionately on the lips. Hayden wrapped an arm around her shoulder and let the kiss linger between them.

That is, until a firm grip removed Hayden from Noriko’s side. Jenna had stormed over and, grabbing him by his forearm and collar, dragged him out of the room, into the hallway. She said nothing but didn’t stop walking until they were in the kitchen. When she let Hayden go, she demanded, “What happened?”

Hayden looked away, “Was that necessary?”

“Tell me, now,” Jenna commanded.

Hayden sighed and replied, “We were intimate.”

Jenna’s eyes widened and she searched the kitchen until she pulled out a knife. “I’m cutting it off,” she stated, heading towards Hayden, who jumped out of her way.

“Dude, stop it. We were both feeling it and then –” Hayden shifted and dodged, looking for anything to shield himself from her deadly demeanor. “Come on, Jenna, please, hear me out –”

Jenna stopped and put the knife down after two deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again, she asked, “How could you be so stupid?” Not giving Hayden a chance to reply, she informed him, “Your Origin was built to protect Noriko. It’s in your genetic code,” she added.

Hayden was very still as the realization of his mistake hit him. The feelings of passion and desire had simply been his first encounter with the desire to protect and the loyalty he had for her. Hayden’s body went limp as he whispered, “I’ve violated my mission.” He turned from Jenna and held on to the counter top. He felt shame and regret deeper than anything he had ever known.