Nine Lives || Complete

4 || promises

"I've sent word of the camp to my superior." The Professor's voice announced, sounding from her radio during her stop for lunch. Areum paused in roasting a freshly caught rabbit over a small fire to watch the sky.

His cabin maintained a set of servers by which he was able to pass information along to the people who employed him and most of Areum's colony to conduct various missions against the Nøkken. He'd used the equipment to teach her how to attack network vulnerabilities, a field of skills that she took to as naturally as breathing.

There had been many instances in which she'd ignored the sincerity of his admiration to explain that her mother had forced a technical prowess upon her from a young age.

Areum removed the rabbit from the fire and began to eat.

"They will probably want you to get data before dismantling it." He continued. "Do you remember the layout to the flight computers?"

He knew she'd been on a shuttle base camp before, but he also knew that it had been nearly eight years since then.

"Probably. Most of the camps are built in the same configuration anyway." Areum responded, careful not to transmit chewing noises over the radio. If he thought she was taking too long between responses, he didn't say so.

"Do you need any equipment beforehand?"

Making an appearance at his cabin while her face was still swollen and purple seemed like a terrible idea, so she assured him that she had enough gear. "Havel will want to see it for himself. I bet you fifty points that I'm taking him on a field trip tomorrow."

Bits of laughter crackled back in response. "We both know he doesn't exercise any more than he pays you. What am I supposed to do, bill him?"

"I wouldn't." Her eye smarted even at the thought of Havel's reaction to a prank like that.

A few moments passed, and then The Professor's tone changed. "I just got a report that a Collector platoon is scavenging your quadrant this week. Keep your eyes open."

The mention of the government bounty hunters turned her mood even darker. "I always do." She always did. Even when he told her that they were patrolling a hundred miles away, she kept her head on a constant swivel. To end of escape or surrender depended merely on the day, despite numerous past occurrences of being caught and dragged only a short distance before everything went horribly awry.

"You're seven years past collection age this year?" He didn't need to ask. He'd been assigned to her colony the year she should have been taken.

"Despite my best efforts," She grumbled. Seven years past sixteen years old, and still Havel didn't permit a single member of their colony to claim her.

"On the bright side, the Academy is a far more appealing option than any of the candidates in your geriatric colony."

His attempt at humor rang hollow. Elderly and already married though most of them were, they really weren't worse options than a very short future at the Academy. And, try though they might to barter with Havel for her registration rights, he refused every last offer. Only one man remained outside of his sphere of influence, and he was making jokes at her expense.

"Not every candidate lives in my geriatric colony." The bitterness took hold and forced the words out before she could stop them.

Silence resounded.

Areum finished her lunch and continued on towards home, wishing she had the courage to say more.