Ex Vivo (#2 EX TRILOGY)

Chapter 13

Ender nodded to the music in silence and finished her coconut juice. She glanced at the pool and watched in amusement as the surface bubbled and the ripples grew wider and wider. She turned in the lounger such that her back faced the pool, totally shutting her eyes and ears from Akoma's struggle for survival. After a few seconds, she shook her head and rose to her feet with her towel around her waist. She walked to the edge of the pool and stared down at it for a moment, and then slowly, she turned and walked away.

At the bottom of the pool, Akoma was growing weaker. She started to question her motive for attempting to drown herself, and somehow it struck her that she might not have done it on her own accord but under Ender's spell. What was her boss planning to achieve by getting rid of her underwater when there had not been any final word about Ex Vivo being a threat or not? Akoma felt she could still claim her indispensability, something she believed would be her strongest asset to taking Ender down at her blindside, which is why she had not escaped from her all those months with Ex Gratia. If only she could stay alive a little longer and survive this, she could keep up with the abuse until Ender's weakest spot got exposed someday.

I am slipping...Akoma thought.

I am dying. What do I do? My best friend is killing me.

I am finished.

God, save me.

Her eyes closed slowly, and she could not hear anything again. Her consciousness was dimming gradually, and she could hear her heart slowing down. Suddenly, she blacked out.

***********************

Ender quickly dressed up and left the hotel in her car. She received a message on her phone and picked it off the dashboard to check it. It was an invitation to Ex Vivo sent by another User. She frowned and put it back, but shortly afterwards the phone rang and she answered on her Bluetooth headset. All she could hear was the breath of the call party on the line. There was silence for thirty seconds without any word. Ender shook her head and ended the call. The person called again and did not speak for a minute. Ender ended the call the second time. When the third call came, she quickly answered and said angrily, "Whoever you are - this is an encrypted line. I don't know how you found it, but you have made a very big mistake."

The call party chuckled, and Ender frowned. It was a male voice, but it was altered with a vocoder effect. "Hello, Aba," he said. "Long time no see. How are you?"

Ender blinked. "Who is this?" She quickly picked up the phone and realized the number was also encrypted. She frowned. "Who are you?"

"Oh don't worry about my identity. You surely recognize me. You're just shocked to find out how I found you again - or how I survived. It's been - six years or something? How's Ex Gratia doing? I heard you're really cleaning the city up. You've got a lot of blood on your hands, I guess. I hope I will not be much of a competition to you by helping some folks get better relationships. Take it as a simple non-verbal collabo with you - I make them break up by granting them a perfect relationship, and you serve them ex gratia. What do you think?"

Ender slowed down and parked the car in front of a supermarket. "You're the creator of Ex Vivo, aren't you? Nice."

"Mmm - you can say that. I'd love to meet you again. We have an unfinished date, you know. When can I see you?"

Ender shook her head slowly and scoffed. "Where have you been all these years? I thought you died."

"Well - see it as a resurrection from the dead. I am sure we will be seeing each other pretty soon. And mind you - keep an eye on your Ex Agent. She could get herself killed. Allow me to make people happy, and I will let you have your heartbreakers fall into your trap. It's business. Don't mess with me. I spared you once. I will not repeat that mistake. See you soon, Ender." The line cut.