Deus Ex Human Revolution: Shadow's Showdown

Chapter 30: The one who cares.

Washington

It was six in the morning when she was awakened by a knock on the wall and a quarter of an hour later by another one on the door. Sleepy Laura with sunken eyes, dressed in her buttoned crook pajamas, went to open the door. Seeing Connor smiling, she immediately hid behind the door. The man only laughed.

"Good morning sleepyhead! Not ready yet?" he quipped but didn't say a word about her appearance.

"Ready for what?" she asked in a semi-conscious voice, yawning.

"After all, I left a note under your door. I sent you messages earlier and called but you didn't write back," he said offended, intertwining his arms across his chest.

"What..." Laura slapped her forehead with her open palm and walked over to the nightstand. "This letter?" she asked showing him the envelope.

"Exactly this one. Don't tell me you haven't read it!"

The woman felt as if she had swallowed a huge boulder, and with that came unimaginable relief. She couldn't tell him the truth, even to Adam she confided reluctantly and after a long time.

"I ran out of time," she lied. "First I checked to make sure the code was ready. You know I always do that even when I'm sure. Then I found the letter, but I figured I'd take a shower sooner, then I fell on the bed and then you know. I always mute my phone when I have something important to do."

"Well don't explain just get dressed in something comfortable and let's go for a Jogging," he urged feeling that the woman had not told him the whole truth. "There is nothing better than morning exercise," he assured her.

"Okay just give me a minute I need to take a shower and dress and..."

"You have ten minutes. I'll wait downstairs," he interrupted her and walked a few steps away but turned back. "You look cute when you're disheveled and wearing buttoned crook pajamas," he quietly said right next to her ear. He didn't manage to keep himself from passing over that remark.

Laura blushed hearing those words. She felt attractive rather than dirty and unwanted. Connor doesn't know who she was and let it stay that way. On the other hand, she didn't want to lie to him and take away the chance of a better life without her. She took a quick shower, and while brushing her teeth and combing her hair, she looked at herself in the mirror without disgust for the first time in a long time.

"Cute..." she said quietly as she put a bit of lip gloss on her lips.

Luckily she had brought along a sweatshirt, leggings, and sneakers. She liked to be ready for anything. Laura tied her hair up in a ponytail and walked downstairs. The woman noticed Connor already waiting and looking at his watch hoping she wasn't late.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked a little scared.

"I just got here. I was checking to see if anyone wanted anything. We can go," he announced but his voice didn't sound as cheerful as usual today.

Laura didn't ask what it was about. She figured she shouldn't be nosy, and if Connor wanted to he could tell her what was making him so unhappy. They stepped out onto a street still lit by streetlights, sleepy, lazy, and empty. Only a few cars passed them, and they met a few people on the way. They walked slowly at first, then the man sped up rapidly and Laura could barely keep up with him. When they reached the park, the man started warming up without saying a word. Connor stretched his muscles and carefully prepared his whole body for the effort with skilled moves. The woman felt uncomfortable, she had always been calm and relaxed around him, but today she felt something was wrong.

They jogged through narrow alleys winding among trees and bushes, admiring how the new day was dawning. There were benches along the path where they could rest if necessary. Laura had not jog in a long time, but she wanted to keep up with Connor at all costs. The man was athletic, she noticed right away, he must have jog often maybe he did other sports too. After the third lap, the hacker woman was lagging behind a bit, but she rejected every offer to rest. She kept analyzing his strange behavior and each time the conclusion was the same - it was her fault.