Chromium

12.5

First draft

"Dia? I..." Omen took a deep breath, trying to regain control of his emotions, but his pupils were huge, his surprise impossible to hide, "I don't know what you're talking about." He managed to say in the end, but his recent ordeal must have taken its toll on him. He looked shaken, his face unusually expressive.

"It's a bit late to play dumb, don't you think, Omen?" Dia asked, her voice heavy with sarcasm," Interesting name, by the way. Your parents must have really hated you. Except they didn't, right? Give you that name I mean."

Omen's eyes widened ever so slightly, "Corporal, I know you're angry but..."

"Angry, Omen? No, I'm not angry." She spoke softly, without emphasis or emotion, but her bionic eyes seemed to have a life of their own.

Thanks to them, Dia knew he was wearing a knee brace, she knew he broke his nose in the past, but above all, she knew how to kill him in the most efficient way possible. Her enhanced vision offered her a wide range of options, creative ways to maximize the damage and end his life instantly. However, there was a part of her urging her to take her time, make him suffer. It was strange; she was herself, but at the same time she wasn't. Most of her anger was gone, and she felt powerful, in control, and yet, despite everything, those grisly thoughts were oddly intoxicating. She could see herself playing with his entrails, removing his spine as she...

"You're angry. Your eyes are flashing red." Omen suddenly said, his clear voice bringing her back to reality, "And you are staring at me like you want to dissect me with your eyes."

"I'm not angry." She repeated, her tone a little more forceful, "I'm just curious. How'd you manage to fool everybody?"

"Dia..."

"You must think we're complete idiots. But then again, who can blame you?" Her lips curved into a self-deprecating smile, "You left so many clues behind that only a fool would fail to understand what was happening. I should have known, when Reyes told me how the Chair works, I should have known something wasn't right. In hindsight, it made no sense for an ordinary officer to have the necessary credentials to operate something like the Chair. If I were the emperor, I would keep my circle small, give access only to the chair's operator...and the ship's captain."

"Dia" He shook his head, "you're not making any sense."

"Don't insult my intelligence, Omen. I can still call you that, right? I've got used to it." Her mocking laugh echoed in the sickbay, "Besides...the anagram is so much better than the alternative. I've never liked fictional characters. They are so fake. Don't you agree, Omen?"

When she finished, Omen's face had lost all its color, his calm facade slipping.

"When did you find out?" He asked quietly.

"Just now. I went to your room to pick up some clothes. I suppose I should thank Sarah, though I doubt she'll want to see me anytime soon."

He looked unnerved, scared even, "Did you see it?"

"The book, you mean?" She laughed and Omen paled even further, "You know, when I saw the ship on the cover I had this strange sense of deja vu, but I still didn't suspect anything. Imagine my surprise when I found this." She threw him the picture, "Nice picture, by the way. I didn't see you as the marrying type. But what do I know? For starters, I would've never guessed that a secret service operative would do something so stupid. 'Cause that's what you are, right?"

Omen's hands were shaking, his face glistening with sweat, but he didn't answer her.

"Of course, there are a lot of things I can't understand. For example, why does this ship look like a submarine? Seems like a dumb move, though probably not as dumb as naming the ship Nautilus." She chuckled, "Well, I suppose it makes sense. Nemo, captain of the Nautilus. It has a nice ring to it. What is it, by the way? Some kind of codename or..."