The Gen

Chapter 9

NAL GHANIK WAS the leader of the FTS in Hagesh, nevertheless he didn't know where Faliz Tinna of the mayor's office got the parts for the Gen from. Faliz didn't know either, and neither did the courier who delivered them to him.

Usually an FTS member only knew two or three others, mostly the one who recruited him or her, plus one or two more who were essential for the particular task that member performed.

It had to be that way, since no mind could withstand the governmental torture methods in case of capture. Thus a single FTS member could only betray two or three others. Faliz for example didn't know the friendly that worked at the OT's base. Sirid didn't know Faliz and so forth.

Even Nal knew only a rather limited number of FTS members. He knew one of the big bosses in Kurie, since that man recruited him, he knew one more big guy in Angreius who recruited Sirid, and he knew his own operatives, of course, but that was it.

Well, Alek Fons hadn't really recruited Nal. Nal recruited himself. After the suicide of his sister, who had never spoken about how she had been tortured, Nal's wrath needed a valve. Fuck Aran, the rich police state that eliminated its enemies not by war but sneakily, and stealthily one at a time through assassins, or through torture that broke their wills. Aran's police force was massive and more effective than any army. Nal had been so angry with Aran that Alek had a tough time believing Nal was genuine.

Nal smiled, remembering, while he prepared to leave for a meeting with Faliz, during which he would receive the next part. It was his or Meilo's job to get it to a certain factory where yet another friendly would integrate the part into a "suitcase" that contained other, regular parts for the Gen. Sometimes the friendly only created an empty space in the suitcase for the OT friendly or Sirid to insert the part into the suticase when it was loaded onto the OT's cargo compartment.

Meilo knew only Sirid, the factory and OT friendlies and Nal, who recruited and fell in love with her. Or had he fallen in love with her and recruited her then? Nal smiled to himself, he genuinely couldn't remember what had come first.

"I'll meet the courier," Nal said and kissed Meilo briefly. She nodded.

"Where's Taila?" Nal asked.

"Don't know. She hasn't come back from school yet."

Nal was about to ping her but Meilo put her hand on his arm.

"Nal, don't, give her a little freedom."

"How did you know I was about to ping her?"

"You tilt your head slightly to the left when you're about to do that," Meilo said with a grin.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Wow."

"She's nineteen, she'll be gone to Shilas in a few months. You have to stop keeping track of her twenty hours a day."

Nal groaned. "How do you manage to let go?"

"It's hard, and I hate it, but it's what we must do."

Nal nodded. "See you later." He kissed her again.

"Take care," she said.

Nal left and stepped outside into the smoldering evening heat. If he lived beyond the day when the Gen would be destroyed, he'd be able to leave Hagesh. He'd love that. It was just too hot and humid in this damned place. He got into his car and told it to bring him to the meeting place with Faliz, a clearing somewhere in the jungle. He stared out into the night, at the glittering OT. How strange that he still thought of a life beyond the Gen's destruction.