Sanctify

Some hours later, still out of communication with Oren and Jenna, Hayden looked up to see Noriko organizing the papers into different stacks. He frowned and looked it over before he asked, “How are you organizing these?”

Noriko replied easily, “This stack happened before I came to be, this stack is when I was at the Academy, the middle stack happened during my time in the program, this one is when I was put to sleep, and the last is the most recent to date. I need to make sure my knowledge is caught up properly,” she added, leaning forward to grab papers from around him that he had been sifting through.

Hayden smiled, “I guess that works.”

Noriko nodded, “It has to work. I need to figure out what happened before, during, and after my long nap. Once that’s done, I can figure out what the next steps are and move on. Know what I mean?” she asked, and, without waiting for his answer, she stood and stepped around them to gather more papers.

Hayden sighed and watched her, pulling his knees to his chest. She was very determined and, needless to say, one of the hardest working people Hayden had ever met. He had felt slight attraction to Jenna, but how he felt towards Noriko was completely different. Jenna had been a friend and someone he knew little of, whereas Noriko was the source of all the books and the basis of all the information the Organization had. The idea of having that which everyone had only talked about, physically, working with him, Hayden felt human emotions that he hadn’t before.

When Noriko sat down again, her arms were filled with papers and files. Hayden wanted to offer her help but something else irked at his thoughts. Unintentionally, Hayden stated, “You’re very different from what the textbooks and case files said about you.”

To this, Noriko looked up and asked, “I am? Where can I get my hands on those?”

Hayden recited, “The first Origin was inquisitive, a forward-thinker, and a dangerously conscious creature. Not imprisoned by habit, but very much fascinated with human and technology interactions.” Noriko sat back as Hayden continued, “The texts painted you as the ultimate humanitarian with selfless goals and brilliance beyond the technology of your time. You were the ultimate example and the reason why the idea of mechanical integration was pushed.”

Noriko nodded, “Professor Egas always said stuff like that. He must have written those books. Funny guy, he was,” she added and returned her attention to her papers, “You would have liked him.”

Hayden found a yearning within him to do more for her. He swallowed, encountering it, for the first time. He’d noticed the way he felt towards Jenna but this was very different. His entire body was on high alert being so near Noriko.

Noriko glanced up and frowned, “You alright there, buddy?”

Hayden swallowed. He didn’t have to be in the same room as her. Or, he could pretend to sleep until communicators were back on. He glanced at the bed behind Noriko and clenched his jaw. With a sigh, he sat closer and spread his legs so that she could still work with him being so near. “Tell me to move,” he stated, praying she would tell him to sit further away.

But Noriko let out a chuckle, “Do what you want, buddy.” She moved over his right leg to inspect a stack of papers, not moving away immediately.

Hayden could feel the heat of her through her clothes. He let his eyes wander down her back and as she sat back down, he asked, “You’re fine with this, then?”

“Sure,” Noriko replied, not really listening. She looked over the patterns of the recent slew of attacks and noted, “These are Topher’s signature viruses. He liked making them for Diane to crack,” she added.

Hayden stared directly into Noriko’s face and didn’t want to move. He’d only remembered ever feeling like this towards Jenna and a puppy he’d once held while the mother was being given a shot. The small ball of fur burrowed into his arms and dared to smile up at him. Dogs, more than anything else, knew the difference between Origins and Shadows, but the fact that it knew and still cuddled up to him made Hayden understand, in some ways, the effects of acetylcholine in the human body; the happiness of acceptance. And the hesitation he felt to hand the puppy over proved just how susceptible Hayden was, still, to the human side of his existence.

When Noriko looked up at him to speak, unsure why, Hayden grabbed her face and pulled it to his, capturing her lips. A light and very gentle surge of oxytocin ripped through his body, down his muscles, to where an inner need woke. All the dormant feelings and desires woke as her hands reached out to touch his face, gently. Hayden shifted and groaned, finding her response the same as encouragement. Kissing her was much more powerful than holding that puppy, that was for sure, but the reactions his hormones had to her actions were very different and very much worth exploring.

Hayden nudged her and Noriko complied, following his lead onto the bed. Her small hands reached under his shirt and he felt adrenaline and excitement kick in, much like the feeling of being in the field with a machine gun in his hands. Except, the machine gun was an Origin and the trigger was their lips. Hayden tilted his head a bit more and Noriko was forced to open her mouth more. Hayden knew the implications of such a welcoming movement so he slipped his tongue in to search for hers. Normally, he’d resist everything to not venture his tongue into unknown territory, but a heat between them told him it was the right thing to do. To his dismay, he had to chase her tongue down before she gave in and the change in their interaction was phenomenal.

That did the trick, from what Hayden could tell. He moved his hands to her torso and arched her backwards, careful to support the degree she arched. He knew comfort to be important and moved a pillow under her hips for support, straddling her for good measure. Disrobing was the key point he wasn’t sure how to do without feeling awkward. He’d undressed in front of other Shadows before and never felt anything, due to the speed required to work in the field and adapt to different situations, but if he simply ripped off her clothes, that would surely ruin the mood.

Speaking of which, it annoyed him that he should move according to such a human emotion. Moods were nothing more than chemical imbalances and releases in the brain to stimulate the appropriate sensors so that the experience was that much more pleasurable. Without such chemicals, the act would be painful and boring for the female counter part. Males were different and he knew to better his experience, she had to enjoy it. Or, that was to say, he had to get her in the right mood before he could take any pleasure for himself.

So, while doing his best to not be too rough or fast in his actions, hoping to move in slow motion to help ease her discomfort, he focused all of his energy and anxiety on touching her and being touched by her. Before that encounter, Hayden hadn’t known the pleasures of female touch and intimate attention. Even when he repositioned himself to look into the female equivalent of his most sensitive part, he couldn’t help but wonder if she felt what he felt when it was touched.

Her change in breathing and quickened pulse confirmed his suspicions, which led him to a thorough exploration of the wet folds none had ever ventured. The idea that she was only his, that he was the only one to have ever touched her suddenly overwhelmed him as he pulled himself up to stare down in to her flushed cheeks, eyes tightly shut, and quivering body. Suddenly, the way Michel watched Jenna made sense to him. The feeling of such power and control, mingled with gentle vulnerability made Hayden smile.

Noriko opened her eyes and reached out to touch Hayden’s face, “Am I doing something wrong?” she asked from beneath him. The tremor in her voice was enough to undo him.

Hayden kissed her forehead gently, brushing her hair aside. Beads of sweat were on her forehead and chest. Something about her uneven breathing and raw exposure made him forget about the science behind the physical act of intimacy. Instead, he thought only to please the first and only woman to grace his embrace. He sought to make her feel as undone as he felt.

“Based off of the energy needed to launch each cyber attack, the only building offering enough power to centralize and shoot off such viral signals would be the Towers,” Dr. E concluded with a regretful sigh. Jenna and Oren had been discussing possible sites but it was clear that the attacks were coming from a local and central source. It was, also, obvious that the location had to run their own lines and protections to blast out the attack but remain shielded enough so as not to catch any heat from the authorities.

Oren frowned and stabbed his straw into his juice pouch. He looked up to see Jenna glaring at the map of the Towers penthouse. They had known Sanctus was well connected, but to have so much power and to have established it by working through the secured access and lines of the Towers, it was more than impossible to break into that building, not to mention, break out of.

Dr. E sighed and asked, “Why don’t you guys just set off the alarms? I’m sure that will evacuate the building.” She entered a program and it simulated the reaction of all of the alarms going off in the Towers.

Jenna shook her head, “The issue is not doing something that will short circuit the building, but something drastic enough to ensure privacy. Alarms will cause security to lock things down,” she sighed and watched as the building became dark and empty.

Oren nodded, “An earthquake should do the trick. Mandatory evacuation if that’s the case,” he added and smiled, “You just have to find a way to shake the world without killing too many people.”

Jenna rolled her eyes, “Yeah, that’s not hard at all.”

Dr. E swallowed and pointed to the Towers on the map, “Or, you could just tap the foundation.”

Oren looked at the map and then shook his head, “You might as well tap it into the ocean. That soil is not safe,” he added, pulling up geological reports.

Dr. E fought back, “Buildings of that grade will survive and no one will even blink if you just shook the dirt a bit. If you want to hit them where it hurts, get to the foundation and I guarantee that the residents will have enough sense to high-tail out of there. You only live there if you believe it is safe. And you only look for safety if there’s something you’re trying to protect. Right?” Dr. E turned to Jenna, smiling confidently that she had won that argument.

“That is true,” Jenna drew circles over the map. Oren grumbled but he didn’t voice his disagreement. He knew better than to argue against two dominant females at the same time. “Actually, we might not even have to physically do much. It’s the sensors that just need to react. That’s do-able from any lab with soil controls and plate access, right?” she asked, looking up at a nodding Dr. E.

“I like where your head is at. Move the dirt but not the plate and get the building to react. They switch to emergency power controls and access to the penthouse from the elevator shafts is a natural entrance and exit. Security will take ten minutes to clear each floor, that’s about half an hour before they check the pent house,” she added, approving of the plan.

Jenna turned to Oren, “Would you mind meeting me over there once the shaking is done?”

Oren frowned, “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

Jenna winced, “I can’t help but feel that I ought to get back to my Origin and, if our calculations are correct, Michel is waiting for help. I’m sure you’ll make it there in time for some action,” she added, rather wistfully.

Dr. E rolled her eyes and walked to the doorway leading to the den before she turned back to Oren and asked, “Coming?”

Jenna smiled and waved, “Have fun tapping that foundation.”

Oren shook his head but pulled together his equipment, “I can’t believe I’m on babysit detail.”

Jenna shook her head, shoving equipment into her bag, “It’s just until we can get into the Towers without causing an uproar. I’ll let you save Michel, okay?” she added, her voice dropping to a tone reserved for babies. Oren rolled his eyes and hurried after Dr. E, not even dignifying her words with a response.

Jenna turned on her communicator and hurried out of the jammer’s range. She knew she would have to tell Hayden to hold on, for fear of creating more chaos than necessary. She only hoped the kids had remained kids during their time out of communication.