CLOUD NINE

Chapter 21

"Agent Z. I have your files. I'm sorry I was away..." an unexpected voice came out of the shadows as the tall stranger came closer. A strange feeling of déjà vu swept over her. She would never forget how he made her feel. The steely grey eyes behind the mask widened a bit as he took in her features. She had worn a rosewood cross front jumpsuit which Arya had said would complement her mask. She lowered her eyes, suddenly self-conscious.

"On a mission," he completed his sentence, eyeing her wearily.

"Thank you, um," she hoped her ignorance sounded natural.

"Agent J," he supplied, "Do I know you from somewhere?" his voice sounded hopeful.

Alizeh didn't know how to react to that. No one in the circle was supposed to know who the other was in real life. They all had their borrowed identities in the 'Firebird.'

"Are you supposed to know anyone here, personally?" Alizeh countered.

"I'm so sorry, miss. I didn't mean to pry. It's just that you seem awfully similar to a lady I'd like to meet again," he grinned, back to his flippant way.

"Well, I'm wearing a mask so I don't think you're viewing enough of me to discern anything."

"True that," he commented.

"Well. I'm still new to all this. I'll take some time adjusting to this all," Alizeh sighed.

"You'll like it here. There are a few power-crazed dogs," he commented, his voice still thoughtful, "But I believe you'll adjust and learn to stay away from unwanted peeps."

"Sure," Alizeh mumbled, turning back to her monitor.

"What are you doing?"

"Just exploring this vast treasure of illegal material over the dark web."

"Do you know about the books?" Agent J came closer, hovering over her computer. Alizeh stiffened at the proximity. His perfume was overwhelming her senses once again.

"What books?" she asked without looking up.

"Let me," he gently brushed his hands on her. She quickly withdrew her fingers from the controller. J's hands moved fast, his long fingers drumming in unison.

"We have an online library for the books published before the war," he pointed to the screen where hundreds of tiny icons were now popping up.

"These are treasures," Alizeh squeaked. She had always dreamt of reading those vast storehouses of knowledge which had been censored and disposed off.

"For a bookworm they are, miss," J chuckled, before removing his hand.

"Thank you," Alizeh breathed, scrolling through the pile. Her eyes caught at every title and she took her time savouring the feeling of unbridled freedom.

"I do know the eyes," Agent J's voice jolted Alizeh out of her reverie. She realized, much too late, that he had been watching her all the while.

"What eyes?" deciphering his language seemed to be a task in itself for her.

"Yours. They're the colour of freshly tilled earth, mixed with a tint of gold at the edges. I don't forget them easily. I've seen you ..."

"I believe there are a lot of people out there with similar eyes."

But before J could press her further, Lady A entered the room. Her presence itself somehow chilled the air of. The alter ego of Arya isn't a person Alizeh liked to associate with. She wondered how much time it'll be before she developed a different personality of her own.

"Agent Z. I need you to meet the agents from Cloud One. they say they have a proposal and I want to make sure it's worth my time before getting too involved with them," her voice was crisp and businesslike. If she saw Agent J in the room, she completely ignored him.

"Yes lady," Alizeh got up from her chair, hurrying after Lady A who had disappeared as soon as she had come. She cast one last look at Agent J whose eyes were still boring into her. How much time would it be before he realized who she was?

Musing over the future, Alizeh entered the reception room and there on the plush velvet cushions sat two ladies. They wore delicate half masks, one magenta, and the other azure. They were dressed in casual jeans and tee, quite different from the elegance Alizeh's team maintained in their circle. The blond girl was the first to speak, "Thank you Lady A for willing to entertain us." There was a small hint of contempt in her voice. It was clear that both teams weren't on very good terms.

"Actually, I'm Agent Z. My lady is a bit caught up with things. So if you could just tell me," Alizeh tried to put on her most negotiating voice.

"I'm Agent Cyanide. This is a sensitive issue and I would like to speak to your boss only. Thank you, " the rejection was clear in her voice. Alizeh was confused at what to do. She didn't want to anger the other group but they weren't ready to trust her.

"I can assure you, Agent, that I'm a very close confidante of her," Alizeh offered.

"I'm impressed with you Z. Thank you. I'll take it from here," Lady A was suddenly standing beside her as she settled herself on a couch, beckoning Alizeh to follow.

"I didn't recognize your new companion, Cyanide?" Lady A asked, just as Alizeh sat down gingerly on the seat. Every muscle in her body was tense from nervousness.

The new companion now seemed to sit up straighter. Alizeh's eyes fell on her. Behind the beaded azure mask, her woodland eyes shone even in the dark light. The eyes were achingly familiar. "This is a new trainee. Agent Nickel-Sodium," Cyanide introduced, "She joined us a couple of days ago."

"Same here," Lady A gestured to Alizeh but her gaze was focused on the other girl. The other girl seemed to be looking at her too. Those eyes...Alizeh now realized what J was telling about eyes being familiar.

"Can I call you Niso?" Lady A laughed, "You have a big name kind of."

Nickel-Sodium tossed her sleek black hair back from her shoulder.

"Nina!" the words slipped from Alizeh's mouth.