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7/28/2019 Zava Unexpected
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A midnight blue shade colored the sky, with stars far in between. The night grew quieter, too
quiet for Zack’s liking. He had been waiting between alleyways since dusk. He was given a tip that
the ominous ‘dark trade’ would begin soon. The alleys between the abandoned warehouses had
been chosen as the spot tonight. Much like a black market, the items offered for purchase were
illegal and often, dangerous. The underground affair wasn’t of Zack’s interest; instead, he was
pursuing a possible suspect whom he believed would be there.
Zack suddenly heard three loud ‘plops’, much like water dripping that echoed through thealleys. All of the sudden, people appeared from different nooks and crooks and began to fill the
once-deserted pathway. Every person had adorned some sort of guise, be it a cloak, fedora or a
fake mustache - as long as they appeared unrecognizable. There was a buzz of excitement in the
air as the trading started. Zack pulled his cloak tightly around him, making sure that his face was
shadowed. He blended into the crowd easily, browsing through the rare findings from different
merchants.
He was immediately relieved when he identified the suspect he was pursuing. Dr Winters
had disguised himself to seem one foot that he actually was, but Zack knew to look for the two left
limps in his gait. Although the suspect did not posses any real leg defect, he pretended to have one
to be recognized by his partners included in the dark trade.
Zack calmly paid for an item by the stall he was at, while keeping a close eye on thesuspect. He was caught by surprise when he felt the money was pushed back into his palm.
“Better check what you’re buying before taking it.” A voice whispered in his ear. Zack turned
around and cringed when he saw Ava, who waved away the snake heads from the grim-looking
trader. “Next time.” She spoke to the merchant, whose lips curled in displeased.
“Ms. Kyle.” Zack spoke formally.
“Scott,” she reciprocated. She took his arm and guide him slowly in the midst of the crowd.
She seemed to know that he was surveying the suspect, when they lingered two stalls away from
Dr Winters.
“What are you doing here?” Zack cornered her. She had worn a curly brown wig and a fake
mole by her lip.
“Same thing I should be asking you.”“You stalked me; so, you would know why.”
“I wouldn’t call it stalking,” she replied nonchalantly. “I followed you when I had a hunch that
you didn’t tell me something. You simply didn’t notice me.”
Zack grew silent. It was true that he wanted to rid Ava from his work for a while. He had
found her dominating stance suffocating. If Mr. H hadn’t partnered them together, Zack would have
given her the boot a long time ago.
“Besides, did you really think I wouldn’t notice if one of my men was gone?” Ava continued,
browsing through a selected rare breed of opium apples.
“Nothing can escape you, Kyle.”
Ava sensed the sarcasm in Zack’s voice and stopped talking. She nudged him to look at the
suspect, who was quietly examining a palm-sized gadget. There wasn’t much of a crowd aroundhim.
“Let’s go,” she said.
“I don’t want us to confront him.”
“Well, what’s your plan then?”
“I want to observe him in his natural state. Watch how he acts. See where he goes.”
“Oh. You want to profile this guy?”
“Yea.”
“So, is this about getting more points with H? If you get some key information, you’ll add
something to your name?”’
Zack tightened his jaw. It wasn’t enough that her tone was condescending, but she was
actually correct on his motives. Ava had been upstaging him in the mission since they started aweek ago. He desperately needed to stand out so that Mr H could see his leadership.
“If you don’t agree with the plan,” Zack begun. “You’re welcome to leave.”
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“I certainly would not. This is my case. I’ve searched for this guy months before you did.”
“Then follow my lead on this one.”
“We haven’t had a discussion -”
“There isn’t time for that - Look, he’s out.” Zack tilted his head towards the opening to the
main street, where they both saw the suspect, who had discarded his getup, turned around the
corner. Without another word, Zack and Ava followed suit. Losing their disguises, they began
walking with a good distance from the suspect. The crowd was sparse with midnight closing in,making it difficult to maneuver themselves without being noticed.
Zack and Ava criss-crossed between the drunken and the beggars, keeping an eye out for
possi. Once or twice, they had to hide or blend in with the non-existent activity amongst them to not
look suspicious.
“I can talk to H you know,” Ava said softly, when they had entered an empty street. There
was no hiding now, it was just them and the suspect. Zack tried to make it seem as if they were
simply walking home. But Ava was making it difficult for him to focus. “I can say something about
you - prod him into giving you a lead on a squad of your own-”
“It’s none of your business.”
Ava scoffed. “Well, you need to reconsider that. This mission, and how I think of you is a
major part of the grade.”“I know that.” Zack said gruffly.
“For one,” Ava whispered hoarsely. “I can’t always be digging for information from you.”
“Maybe you should consider to give up patronizing others.”
“Oh, don’t give me attitude. I’ve given you chances -”
Zack could feel the blood in his veins rising. “Drop it, okay? He might be able to hear us.”
“We’re bickering like civilians, it seems more natural than to snoop in silence, right?”
Zack restrained the urge to choke her. “Just -”
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the doctor looking at them. Acting on instinct,
Zack pulled Ava towards him and kissed her. He closed his eyes, deeply hoping that the suspect
would think it’s for real and move on. When he released Ava, the first thing he saw was her shock-
filled eyes.“I’m sorry,” Zack said hurriedly. If the suspect is watching, he needed to make it real. “It’s
just that - I... I would never see that girl again. You’re the only one... Babe” He added bitterly. To his
relief, he could see the glee on Ava’s face. He mentally pleaded with her to play along.
“Why... babe,” she sneered. She hung her arms around his neck, and pulled herself
dangerously close to Zack. “Nice to see you lose the ego. What makes you think you have another
chance?” Zack knew she was enjoying her time to make him as uncomfortable as possible. Well,
two could play that game.
“Simply because you’re ‘in love’ with me.” Zack cooed. Ava rolled her eyes, much to his
amusement. He saw the suspect starting to back away into the shadows, but did not appear
convinced by their act. Zack dove in blindly for another kiss, capturing her lips, but this time Aca
was not playing nice. They fought for control, for who to lead the kiss, for which sides their faceswould tilt. When Ava bit his bottom lip, Zack growled - and all of the sudden, their inhibitions
melted. The kiss became more fluid and passionate, and felt very intense.
Ava pulled back breathlessly, looking away from the man. Zack let go of her, realizing how
far they went. He could feel the blood in his face and his ears, the tap of his heartbeat growing
faster, and the absence of her hair in his fist. He looked at the corner and saw the suspect was
gone.
“Agent Scott.” Ava called him in her strictest voice.
“Agent Kyle.” Zack awkwardly tipped his head towards her. “The doctor’s left.”
“He couldn’t have gotten far.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll take the east alley and you can follow him up from Drake street.”
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“Sounds good.” Zack said formally. He could have argued with the plan, but he didn’t want
to break any more boundaries for the night. There was a pause between them, before they both
muttered that they’ll inform each other.
As Zack turned the corner on the street, he caught Ava’s silhouette in the dark. He felt the
bruise on his lip, and felt his blood raced again.
Crap. What had he gotten himself into?