He starts scouting around the penthouse looking for any clues as to what will happen next when he sees something suspicious in the master bedroom. There is a gray envelope on the bed. Did the concierge put it there?
"What the hell is this?" Zach utters to himself, picking the sealed envelope up from the silk linen.
Zach tears it open. A yellow printed note is folded inside the envelope. Zach slips his long fingers into the envelope and pulls the note out.
Unfolding it, Zach reads the content, printed in a jovial font:
Congratulations. A mystery awaits you at Dragon's Tattoo of Jalan Alor at 9:00am tomorrow morning. Be punctual and the truth will be revealed.
What kind of rubbish is this? Zach throws the note onto the cream colored carpet and removes his phone from his pocket. This is absurd. Plain crazy. He is going to call home and get help from his family and friends back in Canada. If no police will help him locally, he will pressurize the local police with the help of the Canadian force. He is sure his country will not leave them stranded and helpless in Malaysia. Just as his finger is searching for his mom's number, his phone receives a video message. Before he can do anything else, the video, which seems like some kind of a movie trailer starts playing automatically.
Like a Hollywood blockbuster, the trailer starts with the words 'Showing this November 18th' to the beat of an unsettling background music. The trailer then starts to show a couple happily boarding a plane and the woman kissing the man's cheek before saying, "I love you Zach." Zach knows this is no coincidence. The video is tailor made for him. The scene then jumps to the man being interrogated by the local police, followed by the words 'His wife is abducted in a foreign land.' Zach watches on nervously, waiting to see what has happened to Nikki. The scene then jumps to show the woman being taken hostage in a dark cell, screaming for help. The scene is followed by the words 'No one will believe or help him.' Zach's heart races as he watches the video, knowing that Nikki is being held captive. The next scene shows the man desperately trying to reach the outside world for help but to no avail. The words 'Rendered alone with no help' then takes over the screen before the last scene plays. Zach watches with cold and stiff fingers at the man asking anxiously into his phone, "What do you want?" and the screen follows by the words 'The only way to save her is by obeying'.
Zach freezes as the trailer closes and disappears from the screen of his phone. He is more than frightened. Why would anyone do such a thing? The only thing that can cross his mind are terrorrists. Like the video showed, Zach immediately continues to look up his mom's contact and dials home for help. But his line is no longer active.
Zach removes Nikki's phone and tries to call out with hers but like his, the line is no longer active too. Zach then reaches for the hotel's phone but the moment he lifts the receiver to his ear there is no dial tone. Desperate, Zach goes to the other phones in the penthouse and they all have no dial tones too.
Standing in the last bedroom of the penthouse, Zach throws the receiver onto the floor as he shouts in frustration.
All of a sudden, the phone in his pocket starts to ring, startling Zach. It is Nikki's phone, playing a Korean tune that she adores. A feeling in his gut tells him that it must be the terrorists. Zach immediately fumbles for the phone and answers it.
"Hel-lo," Zach almost stutters into the phone.
"Zach! Help, help, where are you? Zach!" Nikki's voice can be heard screaming in an echo from the other side. She sounds very distant from the phone.
"Nik! Oh my God, Nik! Where are you?" Zach shouts back into the phone. But instead of Nikki's voice, the line drops silent and a voice recording of a little girl speaking with a playful British accent is played to him, "Follow our rules strictly and you will win the game. If at any point you don't obey the rules, the game is over and your partner in this game will loose her life. Good luck playing."
"Wait! Wait!" Zach shouts into the phone but it is no use. It is just a recorded message.
"Obey what rules?" Zach cries in exasperation. Then he remembers the note in the gray envelope - Dragon's Tattoo. It is his only hope.
Chapter 29
India: Tuesday, 18th November 2:05 a.m.
The hissing of the pressure cooker slices through the early morning silence of the Dragon Boat restaurant, an island restaurant by itself in the middle of the dining zone. Housed on a boat of dark brown planks, matching square wooden tables and stools to compliment it's fishing boat aesthetic, the open kitchen provides all the right noises to make one feel less lonely and secluded - more at home and down to earth if one might even say.
After some pounding, slicing and chopping noises, the chef finally places a bowl of steaming hot handmade pork bone ramen onto the counter top of the simple kitchen. The waitress, a fair skinned Asian girl around nineteen, donning a uniform of traditional Chinese samfu immediately sweeps the bowl of noodle off the counter and makes her way in her wooden clogs to deliver the hot comforting noodles to Ada.
In a world where you no longer know the day from the night, there is no closing hour. Everything operates twenty-four-seven. Only that, at this hour, the patrons are alot less than the usual hours. Speaking of that right now, apart from Ada, there is only another Indian woman seated in the furthest corner away from Ada, quietly picking her chopsticks at the braised pork and tofu over the bowl of steam rice before her.
The ramen is covered by pieces of thick braised pork, with a fair share of melting fat trimmings by the top, a braised lava egg cut in half, with the orange yolks staring back at her like two melting moons and a generous dash of spring onions swimming in the thick, pork bone soup. Ada smiles at the waitress, nodding a silent thank you.
Ada's stomach immediately lets out a tiny rumble to the tantalizing aroma. Ada skillfully pierces her chopsticks into the ramen, scoops the strings of noodle up from its hot murky bath, gives it two blows and pushes the chewy strings gently into her mouth. Delicious! Perfectly cooked ramen is always her favorite, be it Japanese or Chinese.
It has been the most mind exhausting week in her six years at the Hive and she is far from completing her task. But having successfully baited Zach, Ada figures it is only fair that she rewards herself with a bowl of calorie loaded ramen.
Ada is enjoying the ramen when the center of her right palm buzzes. Must be Zero. He is the only one who will contact her through her chip.
She takes a glance at her leech to see what time it is and puts down her chopsticks to raise her palm to her ear.
"Urgent. Meet me at our usual place," Zero's voice echoes with urgency.
What's the matter with him now? Ada wonders as she places her palm onto the side of her throat.
"I didn't know we have a usual place and don't you programmers have normal sleep hours?" Ada asks through her thoughts and lowers her hand to reach for the chopsticks again.
However, before she can manage to dip the tip of her chopsticks into the ramen, her chip lets out a buzz again. Ada hates it every time it vibrates, it gives her what she calls 'the itch', which is sort of like the painful tingling sensation you get when you accidentally knock the funny bone in your elbow. She slaps the chopsticks back onto the table and raises her palm to her ear again.
"The shooting range! Now!" Zero shouts in a whisper.
Ada takes her palm off her ears and picks up the chopsticks again. Determined to finish her noodles she starts slurping up the ramen, followed by the tender pork pieces and when she was just about to sink her teeth into the last half of the lava egg, her palm tingles with a buzz again.
"Ughh..." she shivers to the weird, uncomfortable tingle. She doubts she will ever get accustomed to it.
Ada then puts down the egg and lifts her palm to her ear again.
"Where the hell are you?" Zero demands. He has never used such a tone to talk to her, so this must really be important. Feeling uneasy, Ada drops the spoon in her left hand onto the table and immediately gets up from her stool and wipes her lips clean with the serviette along he
r way down the boat structure.
Ada rushes her way across the food section to the archery's shooting range. There is no sign of Zero, not even a soul in the shooting range which is brightly lit as always. The dead silence conquers the air as Ada walks in wearing her uniform and leather boots, her heels clicking onto the wooden floorboard in echoes. This is awkward. Ada raises her palm to the side of throat and is about to send Zero a message when a hand grabs her shoulder from the back. Startled, Ada instinctively turns around and sends her fist flying into whoever's face it is.
Zero manages to catch her fist in time with his large palm and grabs it like a baseball catcher catching a pitch.
"Wow!" he utters as he backs up a step, still gripping hard onto her fist.
"You startled me!" Ada says angrily but Zero couldn't care less. He tugs at her hand and pulls her hard towards him. Ada tumbles forward and falls into Zero's arms. Hugging her close to his chest, Ada is taken by surprise with the sudden eruption of physical closeness and her whole body freezes as her heart throbs against her chest wildly. Quickly but gently, Zero pushes Ada into a hidden corner just beside the lockers, the place he was hiding before Ada arrived.
Zero pushes Ada against the wall and presses his chest hard against her stiffened body. He stares into her dilated pupils quietly as Ada feels her face flush with hot blood. She has never felt like this before. Her heart flutters as her body shivers with nervousness watching Zero's face come closer towards her. Is he going to kiss her?
Just as his nose is just about to touch hers, Zero's brows scrunch into a frown as he whispers, "Your face is so red."
Ada, embarrassed, pushes Zero away as she tries to muster the most nonchalant face, replying in a fierce whisper, "You startled me! Of course my face is red!"
"I thought your face turns white if you're scared," Zero whispers, "Are you-"
"No!" Ada denies and uses all her strength to push Zero off her but he remains stuck to her like glue.
"What is wrong with you??" Ada starts to yell and immediately Zero cups his right hand over her mouth. He then motions his face so close to her Ada can only close her eyes hoping nervously that he isn't going to kiss her. He moves his mouth next to her ear and whispers, "We have to leave this place."
"What?" Ada squeaks with her eyes narrowed in disbelief, her peach red cheeks draining of color immediately. This is worse than a kiss. What is he talking about now? First the Saowaluks and now he is demanding to leave? No one LEAVES like when they want to. And why would she? She needs the money to pay for her brother's medical fees. What nonsense is he preaching this time? Feeling angry with Zero's nonsense, Ada uses all her might and finally manages to push Zero away, freeing herself from the wall. Raging, she stomps off.
Zero catches her wrist in time and pulls her back towards him. "Where are you going?" he asks, confused with her burst of temper.
"Maybe you programmers got a lot of free time but I don't. Do you know how long I haven't slept? I got no mood and time for your little jokes," Ada yells in a low, whispering tone and tries to twist her left hand free from Zero's grip.
"You have to believe me. I'm not joking," Zero defends himself, not willing to let her go.
"Okay, then tell me, why do we need to leave?" Ada asks.
"This is all a conspiracy. We need to leave, for our lives," Zero explains.
"You said the Saowaluks are a conspiracy," Ada snaps.
"It is!" Zero stands by his words.
"No. Chaisai stole the Hive's data and left. He wronged the Hive first. He deserved to be exterminated," Ada yells in her whisper what Goda told her.
"Forget Chaisai. This is about us. This is our sixth year here. The limit's six. We've reached the ceiling," Zero tries to divert the conversation back to them.
"Oh yeah? And who told you that? Those little friends that I don't have?" Ada asks with sarcasm.
"This is true! Amanda told me," Zero explains innocently.
Ada rolls her eyes hearing the name Amanda. "Oh, so some pretty face tells you something and you just believe it? What if I told you all these are nothing but bullshit? Are you gonna believe me?" Ada asks sternly.
"Listen, Amanda won't lie about these things," Zero raises his voice to an equally stern tone.
"Who the fuck is Amanda?" Ada is getting annoyed at hearing that name again.
"Shhh!!" Zero shushes her as his glance darts around the room to see if anyone is watching them.
"Amanda's the Architin," Zero finally says, whispering so close to her ear Ada can feel his warm breath over it.
"Wait, how did you know her name? And since when have you two been so close?" Ada backs off with skepticism. For all she knows, that bitch is dangerous and cold as ice. Not forgetting, they just put her on a death row. If Zero is now with the Architins, she will not have anything to do with Zero ever again.
"I've met her at the gym a number of times. Sometimes we workout together. I had no idea who she was," Zero tells.
"Yeah right," Ada grunts.
"Then she asked to see me today. She told me that every member of this society has a limit here and the limit's six years. By the seventh year they get 'terminated'." Zero explains, rolling his eyes at the word terminated.
"Rubbish, you don't even know if that's the real Architin," Ada rubbishes his explanation. Not like she believes that such a simple course of events can lead to such a biased, privileged outcome.
"Old, wrinkly, white face, super red lips and antique Shanghai hair," Zero describes. There's no denying that that's the real Architin.
"And why did she tell you that?" Ada challenges with another question.
"Here's the catch. To survive, we have to get promoted from the exec level, which is where we are now to the management level. She offered me to re-program the entire firewall around the Hive's backup system and main servers. Then she can get me promoted," Zero tells.
"So she wants you to live while the rest of us go to hell," Ada remarks rudely, still dissatisfied.
"Honestly, I think she favors me..." Zero replies with a disgusted face and then shaking it off to an innocent boyish look, "...but I want you to live."
Ada's heart warms up to the last few words and softens like melting ice cream.
"Anyway, if we don't leave now it might be too late for you," Zero goes back to the message that he has been trying hard to get across.
"Honestly, I don't believe what she is saying even though you might believe it," Ada says flatly but less cocky. She believes in every word Zero says but she can't bring herself to tell him that regardless to the years here, if her task is not completed she looses her life. Zero will be furious with her decision, or at least she hopes he will. He is the only one who has ever cared but this is a bet she is willing to take in exchange for her brother's life.
"Why are you so stubborn??" Zero finally blurts out with frustration.
"I've always been stubborn," Ada replies.
"How can I make you believe me," Zero asks.
"Proof. Show me proof," Ada answers bluntly. Maybe it is this attitude that has cost her all her friends - the tough and hard front she puts up.
"Can't you just believe me for once? Just... go with me," Zero almost begs.
"No, I can't," Ada refuses, although deep inside she hopes she can just walk away freely from this horrible place. However, like she has said before, her brother's life value over her's.
Zero can't believe his ears and finally lets go of Ada's wrist. Ada looks onto her wrist as she massages her wrist, which has turned red and slightly bruised from Zero's strong hold.
After seconds of silence, Ada looks up and her eyes meet those of a very sad face. She has never seen him so forlorn. All she can do is put up her most indifferent face and turn away.
Zero watches her walk off, the bruise around her wrist looking like a wide bangle.
"I'll prove it to you! I won't give up!" Zero shouts after her as she steps out the shooting range.
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