Evenfall (29 page)

The two years of incarceration following the Lydia incident, however, was clearly a punishment. This wasn't too surprising considering she was the Marshal's daughter. Even then, Connors must have viewed the tape if Sin had been briefly jailed rather than terminated for the attack. There was no denying that Lydia had brought it on herself as she took advantage of Sin and used her position to get what she wanted. If the Marshal was anything like Boyd's mother, he would have had very little tolerance for her behavior or sympathy for what had followed.

The final incident had also seemed to be forgiven, or so it appeared. Sin was initially put on the Fourth due to his failure to comply with his partners but no extra time was tacked on for the death of the guard captain.

In fact, Sin had been released sooner than ever. Was it possible that these deaths meant nothing to the Agency in the face of Sin's skills? Or was it possible that the Marshal viewed these same videos and came to the conclusion that the attack had been provoked? If so, why didn't they share this with the majority of the populace instead of allowing Sin to be labeled as a monster and alienated as a whole as if he were someone who killed at will for enjoyment?

The entire situation was baffling.

Even when Boyd thought of his own interactions with Sin, his thoughts were inconclusive. Sin seemed to react based on threat level but that wasn't always necessarily the case, even during times when Sin was in his right mind. After all, how much of a threat was Boyd truly to Sin? And yet when Boyd had touched him on that first mission Sin had slammed him against the car and cut off his breath. Yet if Sin had truly wanted to kill him, he could and would have. So how much of Sin's behavior was threatening bravado, how much was insanity, and how much was a defensive reaction he may not be able to control?

The only thing Boyd could conclude with any certainty was that Sin was mistreated on the compound. He suspected that such treatment added to the issues but he didn't know to what extent. Maybe Sin was simply this way on his own regardless of how others acted. Maybe others acted that way as a result of how Sin had treated them all previously. Or maybe it was the systematic dehumanization of someone who made no effort to do anything but live up to their poor expectations of his behavior.

Whatever the case, Sin was as much a mystery now as he ever had been. Especially when Boyd thought about the moments when it seemed like there could be more to Sin than initially met the eye. Which was the lie? The quietly sarcastic man who read poetry and Milton in the corner, or the crazed person who could literally rip people apart and who killed in cold blood?

Or was either a lie at all?

Chapter 9

The hallways were long and dark, and every noise echoed tellingly around Boyd. He had to be especially careful when he moved, because even the slide of fabric could give away his location. Jeffrey had decoded the information on the location of the headquarters of 53, and it had come time for Boyd and Sin to follow up.

The place was located twenty miles outside of Carson. It was ideal for escape into the thick forest near the Wastelands following 53's repeated attacks on the city. The large, abandoned underground bunker 53 had chosen for their headquarters had steel so thick that signals could not penetrate it. Not cell phones and not GPS. Leaving Boyd completely cut off once inside.

It took him awhile to discover where Warren Andrews was hidden in the maze of hallways and floors. He managed to narrow it down to a corridor but the electricity was faulty this far underground and the lights were flickering into darkness more often than they were on.

It was the second assignment he'd had since Ryan had given him the flash drive and the second time that Sin was actually participating to an extent. While he limited his cooperation to playing lookout or offering opinions on tactical aspects, it was more than it had ever been in the past.  It was a big difference to actually work together for once, and so far everything was going well. Sin was watching the outside of the bunker to see the movement of the hostiles as well as generally checking out the area.

Boyd had slipped into the base itself to observe the set up from the inside. He wanted to get an idea of what may have changed from the blueprints and to see if there were any specific security vulnerabilities he could take advantage of the next day when they would actually carry out the mission.

Boyd spent nearly an hour inside the base, slipping from one shadow to the next in silence. He was very careful to tread so his boots made no noise. Unit 16 had provided him with clothing that allowed him to blend in with the hostiles and had replicated their signature red armband. He wore the armband over a dark green long-sleeved shirt and black fatigues, and his hair was pulled back in a low ponytail at the base of his neck.

The temperature was rising as summer rolled in, but it wasn't unbearable. Still, he could feel the heat trapped by his hair against his skin. The shirt he wore would have felt stifling if it had been just 5 degrees hotter. The heat was made worse in the bunker where there was little air flow, although the ground helped mediate some of the intensity.

He heard footsteps treading heavily toward him, the scuffing of soles against concrete. It echoed so much that Boyd could hardly tell which direction it came from. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small hand held radio that he'd found in one of the supply rooms. From what he saw, the men guarding the perimeter were not the only ones to carry them.

Two men turned a corner and walked toward Boyd down the hallway. Boyd fumbled with the radio, turning it around and trying to click it on and off as if he had no idea how to work it. The men were talking quietly about something and the words bounced around them. It was nothing of consequence, but he kept it all in his mind anyway.

As they came up beside him Boyd looked up, visibly startled, and stood to attention. The radio was gripped in one hand and hit his thigh, causing him to seemingly accidentally press a button. It blared static and he dropped it on the floor with a resounding clatter.

"Sorry," he said, frazzled. He knelt down and fumbled with the radio.
In his peripheral vision, Boyd saw one man roll his eyes. They walked past without incident. Boyd made sure to make noise fumbling and cursing softly with the radio until their footsteps were long gone. When he no longer heard them he flipped the radio off and left the facility without anyone else seeing him.

Boyd made it out to their agreed upon meeting place and leaned against a tree waiting for Sin to arrive. He examined the radio so he had an excuse in case someone walked by and wondered what he was doing.

It didn't take long before Sin appeared, as silent and undetectable as always.

"Two exits other than the one you used," he said flatly. "One to the North and another to the East. They are guarded by two hostiles at all times. Beginning at approximately 0900 hours they switch shifts every eight hours. It is done efficiently with no opening, however at half past the hour, five hours into each shift there is a thirty minute meal break for each man. When one leaves, the entrance is guarded by one guard for this time and there are brief, three minute openings at intervals as he paces back and forth to observe either side of the forest." He looked at Boyd. "When you sneak in tomorrow, that would be the best opportunity."

Boyd nodded. He noted the term 'you' and was unsurprised to realize Sin had no intention of accompanying him on the mission the next day. Pushing himself away from the tree, he put the radio in his back pocket and walked away from the base.

"I believe I've located the leader. There's a corridor on the main floor in the Southwest corner that seems likely to hold his rooms. It's in the best position to be defended. The lighting is faulty in places and every sound echoes considerably, but there are few checkpoints once one is inside the building. They put too much faith in the lack of entrances and the heavy guarding."

Sin nodded sharply and looked away. He looked more tense as the time for the assault on the bunker came closer. "If you are able to speak with Andrews, they will most likely immediately disarm you."

"I have some hidden weapons and if nothing else I can attempt to steal some from them. Still," he continued, looking at Sin with faintly narrowed eyes and a serious cast to his features. "Do you really not plan to come?"

This was a mission that would be too difficult for him to undertake entirely on his own. He would be going into a base filled with hostiles. Then, without backup, he would be expected to negotiate with the leader or, barring that, kill him. His comm unit didn't even seem to work properly in the bunker. There were so many variables involved that it was practically a suicide mission to go in alone.

Pale green eyes met his for a long moment but Sin kept his face perfectly unreadable. In the time they'd known each other Boyd had come to realize that Sin was a master of masking his thoughts and that had not changed over time. His body language, however, was a different story. He fidgeted when he was agitated about something and when he ran a hand through his black and red hair, it was an indication of how much the question aggravated him.

His full lips parted as if to reply but then his eyes narrowed into slits and he abruptly turned away. There was a beat of silence and then all he said was, "Let's get back."

Boyd watched Sin's back and didn't immediately move. It had been obvious since the beginning of their partnership that one day a mission would occur that they both had to be on or it would end in disaster. Having been inside the bunker for reconnaissance, Boyd knew that if anything went wrong, even a small part of the mission, he would have no chance of egress.

Even if he did manage to negotiate successfully with Andrews, there was no guarantee that the dissenters would not determine it to be the last sign of weakness on Andrews' part and simply kill Boyd. He would be outnumbered, likely have his weapons taken from him, and almost positively have no way of contacting Sin to ask for backup.

If Sin didn't come, the likelihood of Boyd dying tomorrow was very high; nearly to the point of certainty. He couldn't tell from Sin's response whether he would help in the end or not but he wasn't particularly hopeful. It seemed the discrepancies and tension in their partnership had finally come to a head. Despite everything Boyd had done to make it clear that he had no biases against the other man, nothing had really changed.

As the gravity of the situation grew clearer to him, he wondered what his mother would say when she found out the inevitable had happened: that her son had finally died. Would it bother her? Or would she simply dismiss the messenger and return to her work?

Would anyone remember that he'd ever lived?

Boyd followed Sin silently as they headed back to the cabin they were using as a temporary base, and wondered if this would be his last night to live.

===

Boyd didn't know how long he'd been asleep before he heard it, or even whether it was a dream. He only knew that an unfamiliar sound caught his attention and that he felt mildly disoriented.

Opening his eyes, he listened closely with his eyebrows furrowed down slightly. When he realized what direction it was coming from, he rolled his head discreetly and peered through the darkness. It took him a few moments to discern what it was.

When he realized it came from Sin's bed, the surprise jerked him awake.

Sin was curled in a tight ball on his bed as though he were trying to protect himself. Despite that, the muscles in his face and body were twitching oddly. A soft, incoherent exclamation fell from his lips and he unwound himself from the ball abruptly.

He extended one of his arms away from his body and one hand dangled off the bed, the fingers twitching and tensing. He muttered in Chinese softly in his sleep, his voice low and strained.

Boyd shifted and pushed himself up on one elbow, his eyebrows drawn down as he stared. Sin so often seemed silent and still, like a statue, that it was disturbing to see him so obviously distressed.

"Sin?" he asked loudly, hoping to wake him.

The word did nothing. In fact, whatever nightmare Sin was having only seemed to progress in intensity. His head turned back and forth, black hair splaying across the white sheets of the bed. His face turned towards Boyd and moonlight shone across it, showing a vulnerable, naked expression that bordered on fear.

Boyd sat up, looking at him with actual concern. He didn't know what to do; it was almost alarming to see Sin in this state. The man was usually so controlled that Boyd never knew how many layers there were before his true opinion would show.

But in this case, with Sin asleep, Boyd knew everything he was seeing was the truth. The fact that Sin sounded terrified made Boyd get out of bed. Even if Sin hadn't been making noise, Boyd wouldn't have been able to go back to sleep in good conscience.

Boyd threw his legs over the side of the bed and padded across the room toward Sin's bed. He'd seen the way Sin hadn't seemed to react much to Lydia when reliving a nightmare but he'd been drugged at the time.

"Sin, wake up," Boyd said loudly, lightly touching the hand dangling in front of him.

The reaction was immediate.

Sin's eyes snapped open; wild and filled with madness. Seemingly without transition, Boyd was suddenly thrown across the room. He smashed into a table so hard that it flew a few inches off the floor, crashed against the wall and fell over.
He crashed into the floor; his vision clouded and he couldn't properly breathe. Everything that was on the table clattered around him in a spray that peppered his body. His bag fell down next to him, spilling its contents.

Before he could even understand what had happened, violently strong hands were on him. He was yanked back and flipped ruthlessly, slammed onto his back. His head cracked against the hardwood floor and pain shot down his neck.

Boyd's eyes fell shut of their own accord. When they snapped open a breath later, Sin's face was less than an inch from his own, and there was no recognition in it at all.
Fear and surprise overcame Boyd. His heart stumbled. Green eyes blazed at him with the same uncontrollable fury he had seen in the surveillance videos. As the words 'automatic kill mode' moved through his mind, he realized that Sin's hands were now wrapped around his neck.

"Sin," Boyd yelled as Sin's fingers started to tighten. "Hsin!
Stop!"

The response was unexpected. The heart-pounding moment, feeling like it had been on fast-forward, suddenly stilled. Tension made the shadows in the room zero in on them while Sin faltered. Long, powerful fingers loosened slightly on Boyd's neck. That shadowed face stared down uncomprehendingly.

Boyd didn't know if it was the use of Sin's real name or the plea that had got his attention but either way he took advantage of the moment.

"Stop," he said urgently. His body was so tense it felt locked in place. He kept himself perfectly still, as nonthreatening as if he were dealing with a wild animal. "I won't do anything-- Just stop, Hsin. Don't hurt me."

Pale green eyes met honey brown and Sin's brow furrowed as he absorbed the words. His hands remained poised on Boyd, ready to snap his neck in an instant. A long, tense moment passed in which the only movement was their chests rising and falling with their breath. Then sluggish awareness seemed to creep back into Sin's eyes. The manic wildness slowly drifted out of his face and was replaced by an expression of confusion.

At first it seemed that Sin wasn't even aware of what had happened but then his eyes widened and he scrambled backwards, lowering into a crouch. Panting and tense, his body was coiled tighter than a spring about to snap. He still didn't look entirely back to himself and his green eyes flitted around quickly. He didn't speak but appeared to be bracing himself, waiting for something to happen.

Tense and unwilling to move, Boyd came to two conclusions in quick succession. One, he still had no idea whether or not Sin would attack him. Two, he was almost positive that Sin had only stopped when he had made it known that he was not a threat. There was only one thing he had that could possibly be considered a threat, and it was what Sin seemed to be waiting for.