One World

Part 29

Garret entered Eric's lair, as he had come to call the security room of the destroyed shopping centre that had become a rebel hideout a few weeks ago, and looked at the busy programmer.

In the dark room, filled with the silent and switched off screens of the supermarket's once-used surveillance system, everything from various Ardanian weapons and complex technical devices to a simple mobile phone lay in dust.

"How's Gabriel?" Eric looked up from the screen of some digital device and glanced at the newcomer.

The clever hacker with the light, unkempt hair looked tired, his pockmarked face was pale and the circles under his eyes suggested that he'd been up all night again, fiddling with his technical nonsense, and hadn't had time to sleep.

As if it wasn't bad enough that Garret had to worry about one of his friends. He didn't want to add Eric to the list of those who were walking around like a body without a soul, not eating or sleeping.

"I'd say he's just as miserable as he was yesterday, the day before that, and the three weeks before that when he came back," the greying mercenary concluded. "And what's your excuse for looking like a living corpse?"

"I had a technical problem to sort out."

"There's always a problem, so put it down and get some sleep."

"It's only morning."

"For someone who hasn't slept all night, it's about time to go to bed," Garret grinned, reaching for the device Eric was holding.

"I can't right now," the programmer winced, using his own body to protect the tablet-like device he was holding, "something strange is going on and I need to get into the Ardanian communications network to find out what it is."

"You can find out later."

Their argument was interrupted when Matthew burst in.

"Gabriel's not here?" The blond young man paused as his green-brown puppy eyes scanned the room in disappointment.

"Not unless he's hiding in one of those metal boxes," Garret said ironically, getting incredibly annoyed with Gabriel's former lover.

Sometimes he thought Matt wasn't such a bad guy, but the constant whining and complaining was driving him crazy. He didn't understand how Gabe could put up with him. 

Moreover, Matthew seemed to have got it into his head that he was the only one who could lift their brave leader's spirits and dispel his gloom. Unfortunately, this was a feat that neither Garrett, his best friend (which the mercenary proudly considered himself to be), nor Eric, nor Alexa, nor anyone else could accomplish.

Which was why he doubted that Matthew would be the one to do it. Though he was taking a slightly different approach than everyone else.

Still, judging by the number of times Garret had heard Gabriel yell at Matt to leave him alone, and the number of times he had seen the student thrown out of Gabe's room, it was safe to assume that Mattie's distraction technique wasn't going very well.

"You don't have to be sarcastic," Matt objected, offended. "I'm worried about Gabriel. He's not in his room and he doesn't seem to have slept there at all last night. I didn't see him at breakfast this morning and as far as I know he wasn't at dinner last night."

Eric grew serious and gave his grizzled friend a worried look, but Garret remained calm. He suspected where their leader was hiding.

"Don't fret, he'll turn up," the mercenary waved his hand unconcernedly.

"If you count the number of times he's disappeared or been captured, I wouldn't be so calm," Matthew snapped irritably. "I'll look for him," he added, before leaving the room.