Even if the thorough research I'd done on Deathbringer had given me no reason to doubt them – on the contrary – Oli and I still weren't entirely confident about their intentions. As much as I wanted to make sure this newcomer was trustworthy, I already knew a shit storm would come my way if I mentioned them to Lex.
If I did, he would know I was getting mixed into some dangerous things, so he'd do anything he could to make me stop. And that included kicking me out of his place, which would make everything much more complicated. So instead, Oli and I were extremely cautious regarding our interactions with Death.
However, a couple of days following our first encounter, I was forced to consider that they might be honest and truly wanted to help Lex out. Thanks to Death's skills, we had found a crack. The Imperium fortress, just like Helm's Deep, had a weakness, and we'd use it to our advantage.
Oli worked during the days, so he couldn't assist me much, but whatever job Death had, it gave them plenty of free time to help out. At first, I'd been very reluctant to give them new tasks, still wary. But it seemed they'd caught on with what I'd planned anyway, and would contact me here and there with helpful tips, entire scripts I'd need, or even some emotional support with kind words of encouragement.
By the time the following weekend came, my trusting nature was having a very hard time to keep holding back. Regardless of us involving Death more or not, we were already fucked if they turned out to be more foe than friend. They knew too much, including our legal identities, even though we'd told them nothing. At this point, they could make it all fall apart regardless of involving them more or not.
Oli spent the next weekend with me again, and once more, we did a lot. He spoiled me with more of his amazing cooking, we solved a few issues and made some great advances overall. While time would be a little short, things were looking very good. Especially with the valuable help of our newest recruit.
When Sunday evening came, and with it Oliver's time to leave, we had a long and serious conversation about Death, to decide what we should do with them. Oli agreed they could fuck us anyway if they wanted to. The conclusion was unanimous. We didn't have much of a choice and might as well trust them at this point, or call the whole thing off.
The next week started, and it would be my last one on sick leave. After that, I'd have to go back to work and pretend everything was normal. All I would have left would be the evenings, where I'd try to last for as long as was humanly possible. This meant I'd have to do as much as I could now before it was too late.
This meant involving Death more as well.
Although I knew virtually nothing about them, aside from what I'd read in their conversations with Lex, they were growing on me. Inevitably, though, we started chatting more and more, and I found out we had quite a few things in common. For one, we both shared a fondness for pastries, candies, and chocolate – which admittedly, wasn't all that uncommon. We also liked a few of the same shows and movies, and even had a few bands we both enjoyed.
It might have been stupid, but knowing these small things helped me trust them more. It made them human somehow, and gave me something real to envision. The more we spoke, the more confident I felt about giving them bigger tasks.
In all truth, it was easy to see they were as devoted to getting Lex out as we were. From everything I'd read, it made sense. They'd known each other for nearly ten years, and Lex seemed to have taken a very fatherly approach to their relationship, which led me to believe Death was much younger than I'd thought. Given their skills, I'd expected them to be his age at least, but I was now starting to think they were younger than me, even.
As this last week of full-time work unfolded, I was amazed to see how far I'd gotten in so little time. A month ago, I'd known next to nothing when it came to hacking, completely oblivious to that side of coding. But now, thanks to everything Lex had left behind, Oli's help, and even Death's, I was ridiculously familiar with all of it. Enough to pull off one of the greatest cyber-heists of the century.
My great motivation had pushed me forward, and I'd already had a great understanding of how coding worked, which was a blessing. Otherwise, none of this would have been even remotely possible.
On Sunday evening, at the very end of my month-long leave, the last hours of these insane four weeks, Oli and I were in the Lexcave, admiring our hard work. I was sitting cross-legged on my office chair, sipping on a beer, and he was sitting next to me with his, as we went through the countless scripts and files we'd compiled. The next few days would be dedicated to making it fail-proof and anticipating the problems we may encounter. But overall, it was nearly done.
Oli had spent a few evenings here this week in an effort to push our project as far as possible. Although he was confident about our success, I could tell there was still some slight doubt lingering on the back of his head. It was the same for me, but I kept muting these thoughts, needing to believe we'd make it.
"Thank you again for helping me so much," I told him, offering him a grateful smile.
"You're welcome, Dora. I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."
"Are you kidding? Oli, you did so much already! You were here as often as you could. And you taught me so many things. And you fed me. And you drove me to Sheridan. And you provided so much moral support. I couldn't have done it without you. Really, my only option would have been to wait for Lex's trial, and let the anguish and worry slowly destroy me."
"Still, I feel like I could have done more."
"Don't. You were here three evenings this week. You've abandoned Princess Twilight Sparkles enough as it is," I humored, forever amused by his cat's name.
"Oh, by the way. I had to tell the guys why I wasn't free lately, and since we're not supposed to hide it, I was honest and told them I was visiting you. You should probably know that Mace found it suspicious, and legit told me we better not be having an affair while Lex was in jail."
The mere notion had me grimacing, while a sickening feeling spread in my stomach. What the fuck sort of person would I be to do this to Lex? "That's a little insulting," I let out with a frown.
"I think he's just looking out for our boss. But it got me thinking that others might think the same. If the feds are watching you, they might believe we are... doing things."
His words got me thinking, and I reflected on the idea for a few seconds. In all fairness, I didn't care what the feds thought. And if they believed Oli and I were spending our moments together doing that, they wouldn't suspect we'd actually been working on a massive cyber heist. It didn't look good for me, but I truly didn't give a shit how they perceived me.
"It's better than them knowing the truth," I dismissed with a shrug.
"Yeah, I know. But then I started thinking that maybe Lex might hear rumors as well. Something tells me he wouldn't like it very much, right?"
That one hit differently, and a new rush of nausea flashed through me. Repeatedly, I had reassured Lex about my involvement with Oli. By now, he had to know I only loved him, and Oli would never become more than a friend. But he was stuck over two hundred miles away, with very little to keep him from dwelling on his thoughts and worries. If he heard that Oli had spent entire weekends here and evenings until late into the night, he truly might make the wrong assumptions.
The fact that he hadn't called me for over five days now also added to my concerns. What if somehow, through Kev who knew as well, he'd heard about Oli spending so much time here with me? In the past, his lack of trust had nearly ruined our blooming romance, and history might repeat itself.
"I... I don't know. There are a lot of things we did that he won't be fine with, anyway. All that matters right now is to get him out. I'll sort all this with him after."
Oli nodded, turning his attention back to the screen. There was something tense in the atmosphere now, so we finished our beers in silence. After one last check-up together, to assess what I would have left to do, he left, wishing me a good night. We'd see each other again the next morning, when I'd come back to Kelex.
The thought of having to handle Lex once he was out kept me busy for much longer. These invasive doubts ruined my plans to get some work done before going to bed. I'd refused to think of the consequences of my actions until now, because I needed to push through, but I knew things would get ugly once Lex came out. There was no way he'd be okay with what I'd done, no way he wouldn't be mad at me for taking so many risks.
But getting him back would be worth all the arguing; ten times over. We'd get better eventually, and it was all that mattered.
When the chat window opened, it shook me out of my gloom worries.
"Alright, Andy panini, I'm about to head out for the night," Death sent. "I'll look into the Justice Department website tomorrow, and if there's anything else you need, let me know."
"Thanks, Death. For everything."
"All good. I missed all this. You're really doing an amazing thing," they sent.
"By freeing Lex, or with this plan?"
"Both, I guess. I'm sorry his stupid ass got caught, and he definitely doesn't deserve to go to prison for what he did. He basically only righted the wrongs of our world by redistributing the wealth a greedy bunch was keeping all to themselves. But I also really like the plan. It's definitely something he would have done."
"Yes, it felt like it. But I'm pretty sure he won't agree with me doing it." Death and I had already had this conversation a few times, and I'd shared my worries with them.
"I mean, yeah, he might get a little annoyed to see his girl got involved in some dangerous shit; he's protective like that. But when he'll see how you did everything right and took your precautions, he will get over it, right?"
"I really don't know. He didn't even want me to commit perjury on the stand, so this one might take a lot more to be forgiven."
"If he comes after you, you tell me and I'll virtually whoop his stubborn ass until he sees reason. The work you've done is brilliant. I still can't believe you were a noob a month ago."
"The work we have done."
"It's still 85% yours. You've done everything you could to protect yourself and him, which is exactly what he would have done himself."
"That argument probably won't stand."
"Then he's a hypocrite. At least, he's reasonable enough to see that, so it should help your case. Anyhow, I really have to go, but if there's anything you need, let me know and I'll get to it."
"I will, thank you. Sleep tight," I sent, already feeling better thanks to their wise intake.
"Same. Oh, and remind Oli I won that firewall breaching race. I want him to never forget."
The words on the screen made me laugh softly. Some sort of rivalry had settled itself between my two helpers. While Oli had never had an ego problem, he'd always been competitive, thanks to a lifetime of video games and such. So the both of them would issue each other challenges, which not only helped with productivity but also with bonding. I often served as a referee, making sure things remained cordial and free of trickery.
"Oh, wait, never mind," Death then messaged me. "He just got on again, I'll remind him myself. Sweet dreams, Andy!" With that, they were off, eager to tease Oli about their victory again.
Deciding I wouldn't get anything done tonight, I turned the computer off and exited the small room. As I walked into the empty apartment on my way to the bedroom, I was highly aware that I only had a few days left alone here before Lex was finally out and could move back here.
After being separated for so long, it seemed rather evident that I'd stay here with him once he was back. We'd have to make up for the lost time, and even if it was temporary, living together would help with that. At this point, I had brought enough of my own things here to live comfortably, and having to take them back to my apartment seemed counterproductive, given the long-term goals Lex and I had.
Adding to that, Darius was slowly moving in with Tammy. She'd asked for my approval, which I'd given, of course, and by the end of the month, he would be fully settled and pay part of the rent. Tammy's happiness about it delighted me. They had found each other, and the sweet, loving romance between them was dream-like. There was a deep connection that bound them together, and I'd never seen them argue or be mad at each other. They were just perfect for one another, and it was everything I could wish for them.
Once I was ready for the night, I slipped under the sheets on the bed that was now so familiar, and emptily stared at the dark room. If everything went well, Lex would be here with me in a few days. If my plan came through, and if we successfully passed for Nammota, there was no way they'd keep the charges on Lex. The trial would be lost in advance for them, and the accusation would see the errors of their ways. Or at least, they would believe they'd been wrong.
Tilting my head to the side, I glanced at the pillow next to mine and envisioned Lex right there. He would be soon, I was sure of it. We'd worked too hard and too well for it not to work. In under a week, he'd be out. In under a week, he'd be right here, holding me tightly, and I'd be relaxing and falling asleep in his comforting embrace.
For the first time in over two months, I fell asleep with a smile on my face. This nightmare was reaching its end. Finally, I could see the light at the end of this dark, dangerous, and terrible tunnel.