Inception {Dreamnotfound}

28 | Calling Backup | 28

Everyone alright after the last two chapters?
Dw if you're still confused, stuff will start to make more sense once it's put to use.
Enjoy. Love ya <3  ~ Owl

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-Zak's POV-
(Last 1 of 3 in his POV)

"I'm here to see Techno."

One of my old co-workers rolls his eyes, folding his arms as if in disappointment. "Of course you are..." he mutters bitterly, avoiding my eyes as his linger on my soulmate, who stands silently behind me. "You go crazy with this weird yellow eye, disappear completely for like a month and a half, then suddenly end up back here with your soulmate, asking to see the boss?!"

Both Darryl and I nod uniformly, earning another eyeroll from Punz. "Zak, what the hell are you thinking?! Did you seriously come for your job back?"

"I don't remember being fired," I quip back nonchalantly. "I didn't resign either, so technically, I still have my job." Punz shoots me a glare, pulling a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and unfolding it. I notice pretty quickly that it's the schedule we're given with all of our shifts on it, and despite my long absence time, my name is still on this week's one.

"Guess you are still welcome here after all-" Punz drawls, narrowing his eyes at the dark blue name on his sheet, "-for now". I briefly catch sight of a red name just above mine as Punz refolds the paper to put it away, but don't get a good enough glimpse to read whose it is.

"And for the foreseeable future," I grin smugly, finding myself prouder now that I can officially label myself as a member of the Elite Assassins, not just a spy who's forced to use that title to hurt them.

"I'd watch it if I were you," he warns, yet opens the doors behind him, nonetheless. "People aren't gonna be happy to see you here, especially after what the last person who reappeared randomly did a few weeks back." I remember hearing what happened here with Sapnap and Fundy, how the former addressed the carnage as his resignation and the latter hasn't returned since. Apparently Fundy is still in the city though, somewhere.

I don't think anyone here knows where Sapnap is now.

"Don't worry about it. Contrary to popular belief, I didn't come here to cause a scene," I smirk, letting the assassin lead Darryl and I through the maze of hallways that I could've navigated myself, had it been necessary. "Really? That's quite uncommon for you," Punz comments over his shoulder, but his tone is light-hearted. "It's easier if I don't," I tease back, and Punz looks rather impressed for a split second. "Didn't think you do the easy way out."

"I don't, usually," I admit, knowing that I've caused more than my fair share of fights in the past. "But this pacifist-" I signal to Darryl over my shoulder, "-does, and for that, I'll stay quiet". Darryl offers me a mildly agitated thumbs up, letting Punz scan his eyes over us both sceptically.

"At least until we get to Techno's office," I add quietly, and Punz smirks to himself.

"Just... don't burn a building down this time."

"You know about that?!"

Punz turns away from us, laughing quietly to himself while shaking his head, as if in disbelief. "Eventually. We knew about the fire the day it happened, but it took us a while to figure out it was you." I manage to hide my look of shock pretty quickly, but I'm still very thankful Punz has his back to me.

"No promises," I stutter out, finding that once again, I'm forced to spend the next few seconds avoiding Darryl's gaze. It's become a recurring theme for the both of us since I revived him, something that I've wanted to acknowledge, but can't seem to. It's made slightly more bearable when other people are around, until they inevitably ask the question that I've come to dread.

"Are you two... like... together, or not?" Punz asks, stopping into the middle of the hallway and turning to face us once more. I end up hoping that Darryl will answer for the both of us, but I realise very quickly that that's extremely wishful thinking.

"We're... working on it," I settle with, taking a step forward in a silent plea that Punz will do the same. "It's complicated after so long, y'know?"

"Can't say I do," Punz mutters bitterly, and I think about apologising, but he's walking away again before I get the chance. So I follow him, a little further this time, trapped between two people I owe a long explanation to.

Thankfully, it isn't much further to Techno's office, and Punz only knocks, offering a "someone's here to see you" to a still-closed door before walking away.

He leaves us in that hallway to wait for Techno by ourselves, and it's only then that the full effect of what I'm doing hits me.

I'm granted a few merciful seconds to pull myself together before the door is opened, and judging by the look on Techno's face, he seems more inclined to close it again than enquire. "So you finally decided to come back," he mutters, looking more bored than annoyed. At worst irritated, but I can hardly blame him after all this time.

"I need to talk to you about something," I state bluntly, subtly signalling for Darryl to step back a little so that he stays hidden. Techno shakes his head, a displeased scowl on his lips. "It's been a month and a half, Skeppy-"

"I know, and Punz said the same." It's useful in times like this to be one of the few with the privilege to cut Techno off in conversation. Fundy, Darryl and I always got along with him a little better than everyone else, and it's helped a lot in the past. "But I need to talk to you, and it has to be you-"

"Find someone else to talk to."

"Techno just let me explain-"

"You've lost your chance to explain, get out of my office-"

"I know who killed your friends!"

Silence.

Techno freezes on the spot, stunned completely for a few seconds. He's quick to get a hold on himself though, slowly clenching his fingers into fists at his sides. "What?" he stutters, and I it's the first time I've seen that look in his eyes.

Horror, I'd describe it as, a mix between pure fear and pure rage.

"I know who killed them," I repeat, knowing I've won. "I found out, and I brought our medic back." As if on cue, Darryl steps into the office, immediately trying to hide his fear at the sight of Techno's.

"Now will you let me stay?"

—————

So I know Punz appeared suddenly, I just needed a background character to fill the gap here, and hey, I think Punz would make a pretty cool assassin.
Also I remember people asking who the accepting co-worker that asked Sapnap if his soulmate was cute at the start of this book was: presume it was also Punz lol.