RECLAIM

Chapter 17. Here We Go

~Laith~

"Tell him to act a little bit more nervous, Rush." Laith peer through the tinted glass, watching from across the street where both she and Arden sit inside his car. "We have to make sure he's presentable. Even the slightest details are important."

"He can hear you just as fine, Wolf. But, I'll tell him anyway," Arden said to her with amazing patience.

This conversation pretty much sums up how they ran this undercover/stakeout assignment. Bored, restless, just waiting for somebody, something to pop up.

"Both sender comm off," Arden suddenly ordered. Laith turn to him immediately and raised one eyebrow in question. "The receiving end still runs normally. Relax."

"I know. This better be important." Laith settled back in her seat.

"It is. Remember the small metallic object we found? Any update?"

"Nothing yet, just that it contain some unknown, strange combination of protein and metal. I'll get back to you the moment we get more. " Laith shrugged; noticing how the dim light casts a long shadow over the surrounding area. "Now, can we just focus on this stakeout?"

Laith loosens her stiff shoulder as she turns the comm back on and faced forward. The roads were lonely; the street looked usually empty, it blended perfectly with all the abandon buildings. Snow stops falling, though the thick dark clouds remain. What a gloomy afternoon it turns out to be.

Her restlessness grew. The nagging feeling of a wild goose chase just won't disappear. And she bets he noticed it too. The so called Reclaim assignments on Queen and this juicy intel that came out of nowhere, all conveniently linked to their case. The timing just doesn't feet right. Yet, for some strange reason, she's just can't give up the chance to finally nail this particular Scavenger. As if somebody believes she'll take the bait and succeed in carrying it.

"I can tell, you know," Laith finally addresses him. "Feel free to ask."

"Care to fill me in about this obsession you called Scavenger Trevor White? I know there's more than just a rivalry and the vague potential estimate that he knows something. Your interest was underlined by personal reason, perhaps?"

Arden's voice was subtle. It was demanding in no nonsense way, but the hidden genuine cares, for her, actually compelled her to speak.

Laith reluctantly put her hands inside the coat pockets. He had proven himself to be a reliable partner so far. He had followed her lead as he promised. He had stuck with her through gunfire and back. He bargain with somebody who's he clearly wary off, to help her gain a piece of information he didn't know will came trough or not. He even goes with her on this shaky stakeout mission, together with one of the witness none the less. How could she not return of the trust?

"You can say that." Laith flexed her fingers, feeling more than a little awkward. "But I still don't really sure exactly how much details I can share. I must warn you to never ever share this to anyone, no matter the stake, OK?"

"You can trust me," he confirmed. "What you about to share will stay between us."

Laith glanced at the darkening sky, trying to dissect the information inside her brain as she half turned and share her attention towards Alex as well. Here they were, within arm reach from the answer she's been searching for.

"Don't get me wrong. The 'against the law' part is true," Laith kept her voice calm. No matter what the reason, she has to a make sure they carry this particular mission till the end. "He's a criminal, wanted for at least a dozen of offences."

"Yes. I recall. And?" he encouraged her. "There's no need to be so tense, Laith. You didn't judge me so I won't either. It's useless anyway."

Laith scratched her head a little; unsure from where should she start. "Do you know how somebody can become a Reclaimer?"

Arden looks confused but he answered her anyway. "You either apply for the job, or are recommended by someone on the inside. The same as any other profession, as I believe even the shady Scavenger have the same basic rules too."

"Correct."All right, from the very beginning then. Hope the Hive won't mind. "All of the applicants were given the same tests and basic questions, and then evaluated by Hive before either rejected or hired." Laith paused as Arden leaned back at the car seat, moving carefully, as if not to spook her.

"But, behind the curtain, I'm talking way behind until even some of the senior Reclaimers didn't know, is that there's existed a third and more hush-hush kind a way to introduced new applicants," Laith said somberly.

Arden blood turned cold. "Don't tell me, human trafficking?"

"Well, not exactly." Laith grimaced. "Since technically, trafficking gone extinct more than half a century ago. Its existence was deemed as a threat to the emerging organs rental market after all."

"An advertisement. Nothing more." She positively sees Arden almost spit the word.

"Back to the main topic." Laith won't go there, no matter how she agrees with him. "As I was saying, this third way was said to be implemented as a kind of charity system. Reclaimers called it a recruitment method."

He went silent for long moments, Laith wonders if he thinks he has heard more than enough. She can see his hands absent-mindedly tapped on the steering wheel with a far way expression.

"Are you allowed to share this?"

"Nothing states that I can't. At least, not in any written langue that I know of. Everybody just decided that it was better to treat it as nothing more than a rumor."

Laith wanted to throw something. Again. She knew better though. But, since they already came this far, what better way than finishing it?

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