BREATH . OF . LIFE . ~ { ReGenisis Chronicles Book I }

Chapter Eleven [Part 3/3]: Pacing Floorboards

                      -Griffin King-

The new complex lacked in many ways, I was trying to make sense of it. Why move to such an open place right after meddling with Ides and Trinity? It was niggling at me somewhat more than usual. It's not like I could ask Rin what she was thinking, and whoever it was that set this up was incognito for a reason.

"Griffin, please, you're making me dizzy with all your pacing." Nicodemus Garner growled from the kitchen, stirring his herbal tea clockwise, counter clockwise and tapping the spoon twice on its side before resting it down in the sink.

I had been walking back and forth in front of one of the blackout shutters in our apartment that could be rolled up, unlike many of the others which were fixed. Every now and then looking out at the City Centre, bustling with people trying to get places. The light hurt my eyes a little, but I wanted to keep a watch out in case Rin returned or if someone showed up that we didn't want to see us, but needed to be aware of beforehand.

"Nicodemus is right, worrying won't solve anything." Molly sighed, leaning on her hands, elbows up on the little kitchen counter. Her melancholy couldn't take from her face a faint smile.

"But..." I turned to see Garner rolled his eyes, huff a sigh so heavily his shoulders juddered too, and took a gulp of his steaming tea. "Alright," I stopped, making myself sit down on an uncomfortable wooden chair. "Nope, moving around helped." I got back up again, unable to stop myself from pacing out of a comfortable habit I'd formed. A little like the tide of an ocean pushes and pulls, my body had got caught in the cycle.

Molly giggled a little. "I know this is no time to be taking things lightly. But this is the most nervous I've ever seen you."

"That shouldn't be entertaining." I snapped.

"Actually," Nicodemus smirked gruffly, rubbing his stubble filled chin as he approached his little laptop where it sat on the kitchen counter next to one of Molly's elbows. "It's extremely entertaining, and rather annoying. You're a bloody teenager all over again."

I glowered at him for a moment as I turned the room again. Tapping my fingers against the top of my leg, as if movement could generate power to my brain and somehow an answer to everything would crop up. Everything. Including what exactly went down last night.

"It seems I've gotten news." Nicodemus frowned, his old grey eyes sagging a little at the e-mail he'd opened.

"From Rin?" I was hopeful.

"No," He shook his head, running a hand through his white puff of hair. "No, not from Rin. But it involves her sure enough."

"Is it from Jake?" I stopped in place, the room still felt as if it were moving around me. My brain took a moment to realise that no, the ground was fixed and I couldn't detect the rotation of the planet.

"No, one of our other contacts within Trinity Science." He was tapping keys quickly.

"One of?" My eyebrows furrowed. "One of...? How many of us are there?"

Nicodemus let himself smirk, "Not very many. But those of us that there are count far more than the many."

"Oh, that clears everything up." I crossed my arms around myself, feeling the room shrink about me a little. Even amongst those of us trying to do some good, there were secrets. Mostly in place to keep us all safe as individuals as well as a whole.

"So, what information have you gotten?" Molly lifted her chin off of her palms and placed a hand on Nicodemus's shoulder, peering over it to see.

"Nothing good, I'm afraid." He frowned, rubbing his worn cheek, I could hear the sound of his new beard rustling against his skin. "They've got her, she's at Trinity. Also, it appears certain details of our involvement with Miss Andersen are slipping. But it is contained to the right ears for now."

"Who the hell is this contact?" I felt a fire swelling inside myself.

"Neither a friend or an enemy. At best, we're allies due to our own personal interests. But as I cannot foresee a change in those interests, we're safe enough in the hands of this contact." He put his laptop lid down and looked across at Molly who had a quizzical expression on her face, worry warping underneath it. Making the bobbles of scar tissue droop in places and bunch in others.

"If Rin is at Trinity instead of Ides, that means someone must know. They must know what she did." She realised.

"Shit," I found myself resisting the urge to hit a wall, not all of them were sound proofed and the suffering unwanted in the room over would not have appreciated it. "So now, Kate, Jake and anyone else who can be implicated could be hung out to dry." I growled, "what did we even do this for?"

Nicodemus thought for a second, "depending on who the link is between Ides and Trinity is depending on the severity of actions and how quickly it will come to light. Some will bide their time and let slip they have information to barter for control. Use it against them."

"But knowing Jake, it would take a gun being aimed at someone else's head for him to fall for that." I thought aloud then realising, "that head would be Kate's... and she's so... so..."

"Unsure of herself?" Molly used a better word than I was about to in my frustration and I thanked her with a nod.

"She'll probably go right along with it." This time I did hit the wall, only gently, but that didn't stop Geoff from knocking back and yelling a warning. "Or worse, she'll get herself killed." I had ignored him.

Nicodemus held an expression on his face that was hard to described. All his features gathered up in amusement he was trying to conceal. "My, you are not your rational self."

"I have to go to Trinity." I realised, starting to head towards the door.

"And do what? Get yourself captured and put in the damn deadlock cell?" He growled.

"Had I not been such a stupid idiot none of this would have happened. I owe Rin, I'm responsible for Kate." I paused, turning back, "and Jake, he's risked a lot for us."

"At least you'll admit your idiocy now." Nicodemus muttered quietly to himself. Then nodded. "Alright, go, but try to stay out of sight and do not for pities-bloody-sake act rashly. I do not want to hear that you've been captured, or maimed."

I saluted Garner and walked from the apartment. I owed it to all of them. Including the unwanted. I had been the one who put them all in danger, or forced them to put themselves there.