The Gardener of Nahi

Chapter 11

Cassidian

“You’re John, right?”

The man who approached me kept his black metallic splitter at his side.  He was well built, dressed generically but professionally – black pinstripe pants, white shirt, narrow silver tie.  His shiny black hair was parted to the side, every strand neatly in place (which is why I mentally referred to him as Parted Hair before learning his name).  The gray trench coat he had on was opened and fell just above his knees.  In his other hand was a narrow black leather commuter bag which he was swinging slightly.  Behind him were two others, clothed in a similar manner.

They were all dressed to blend into a certain environment, I realized then.

“Yes,” I said extending my hand.

He ignored it, looking at me up and down instead with a cold scrutiny.  “Green.  Blue,” he said loudly to the men at his back, “take a look around.”  I noticed they were wearing light green and blue dress shirts beneath their coats.

“You’re UpMove?” I asked.  Consumed in my charade, I pretended to be John.  I assumed that since the man didn’t know me, then I (or John) would not have known him either.  “I don’t believe we’ve met.  Your name is?”

“A mystery,” he answered.  “And you haven’t seen me before because UpMove sends me on operations that are a little–“  He tilted his head as if in thought.  “Confusing.”  He nodded, pleased with his answer.  “Yes, I am confused, John.  Do you know why I am confused?”

I knew where the conversation was going.  This man was astute, but of course I had to play my part.  The John I knew would answer deferentially, and so I did as well by simply saying “no.”

“I’m confused why we didn’t hear from our guy.  We always hear from our guy, John.  Do you think maybe he just disappeared?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

“He just left, you said earlier when I called.  Why would he just leave?  Any idea why he would just leave, John?”

I could tell he was patronizing me.  “He left with Mr. Smiles.  I don’t know why he left without contacting you.  That is something to take up with him.”

“But you can understand now why I am confused.  Right, John?  Aren’t you confused?”

“Yes.”

Parted Hair nodded absently, looking now at Myria.

“So this is the girl,” he said to himself.  “Damn, she’s cute,” he added with a smirk.  “But nobody can understand her, apparently.  Right, John?  Sounds like every woman I’ve slept with.”  Then louder and directed to Myria, he added, “What’s your name?”

She spoke more unrecognizable words.

“Her name is Myria,” I said, watching Green and Blue in the corner of my vision.  They had gone perilously deep into the darkness where the UpMove agent’s body lay hidden behind the couch, but already they had turned around.  Blue was looking at himself in the large ornate mirror resting against the stone wall, adjusting his tie.  Green’s neck was craned upward – apparently in appreciation of the elaborate stone archways.

“Good.  So you’re acquainted then,” he said mockingly as he set his soft briefcase down on the ground.  Then, reaching in, he pulled out a thin tan coat and unraveled it.

“Since you know her so well, tell her to put this on.”  He threw the loose bundle at me, and I grabbed it.

“What is this for?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

Parted Hair looked at me sharply as he kneeled, continuing to pull something out of his bag.  “Do you think we’re going to burrow up into Torso with her looking like that?  My men and I need to pass as businessmen.”  He motioned with his head toward Myria.  “She needs to pass as a businesswoman.  Do you understand now, John?”

Standing up again, he threw a pair of shoes on the floor next to my feet.  They were a woman’s dress flats, shiny black – the kind that autosized.

“I am coming with you,” I said plainly.

He started to laugh then.  First slowly, and then after raising his head to the vaulted ceiling, he really let his voice carry.  Green and Blue eventually joined in – I am doubtful they even knew what the context was but to them it really didn’t matter.

“John, John, John, John, John,” he said.  “Now why would you want to come with us, adding to the confusion?” 

I could feel my serrater at my side and never did I want to use it more than now, but I could not.  I needed them to lead me where I knew I must go.  I needed to get to Torso.

“I am the only one she knows,” I said.  “I pulled her out of the ship, brought her here and got Smiles and the doctor to work on her arm.  Think about it.  Why would she go with you?  She doesn’t trust you.  She trusts me.”  I looked at Myria then and gauged her frame of mind.  She was trying to follow the conversation, looking at each of us when we talked.  Her eyes were narrow – I could see wisdom in her youthful expression.  She knew that somehow she was in danger.

Parted Hair pursed his lips, nodding most likely in mock agreement.  “Very logical, John.  You have a real good point there.  Maybe you’re right.  Maybe you should come with us.”  He pointed to me lazily with his weapon.  “Although what you’re wearing is not going to work.  Blacksuits know the God eaters secretly aide in the UpMove movement.  Why don’t we just make a sign that says we’re going to Torso?”

     Silently I cursed myself for the error.  I should have had John change his shirt before skinning him earlier.  I knew his odd white collar was prominent on my neck.  But there was not much I could do – any change in clothing would jeopardize the illusion.

     Thinking quickly, I flipped the man’s logic on its head.  “Actually, if you think about it, what I am wearing is perfect for this situation.  If it’s as obvious as you say it is, then perhaps being honest is the best approach.  No blacksuit would ever believe a burrowing operation was occurring.  It’s simply too obvious.  Besides, I go everywhere dressed this way, even to the business district.  The blacksuits never give me any looks.”  I was lying, obviously.

     He brought the weapon up to his head, tapping his temple with the side of it repeatedly, deep in thought.  Then placing a finger to his ear, he spoke to someone remotely.

     “We got one more.  God eater’s coming with us.  Yes.  There’s no sign of him.  I understand.”

     Turning to me a final time, he said, “You know what, John?  I don’t trust you.  This is all too confusing for me, this whole thing.  I don’t like it.  That’s why you’re coming with us.  I want you close by, so if anything starts happening, I can put a nice little hole right through your God eating head.  You know these bullets, John?  You know what they do?  They’re splitters.  Inside your body they split apart and then they split again and then they split again.  It sounds like fireworks.  Alright, John?  Does that sound confusing to you?”

“No,” I said.

“Now let’s go.  Get that coat and those shoes on her now and clean up her face.  She looks like shit.”  He raised his wrist, glancing at a silver decorative timepiece he had on.  “In ten minutes we need to be at the crossjumps.”