A Shadow Play

Leonard's POV

As the car moved smoothly over the night, my thoughts flew while the city lights melted into the blackness out the window. The weight of the decision we had made felt like the one solid item in my existence even if everything was closing in on us. Though it was dangerous, we could not afford to keep not face Victor head-on any more.

Jenny sat coolly beside me, her face toward the window. Her fists tightly clenched on her lap and her posture exposed the strain. She had boundaries, even though she was stronger than anyone I had ever known. Together, we did. And I knew nothing to say even if I wanted to reassure her.

Mumbling, "This is all happening too fast," she broke the silence. She talked with rigorous, forced precision. "We seem to be passing over something right here. Like there is a jigsaw piece we have not yet seen.

She had nothing to be off from. The quickness Victor had turned against us, his tactics had changed abruptly and without logic. Under development, we were only seeing the borders of what felt to be a bigger game.

Slinking back in my seat, I muttered, realizing the same thing. Victor is too smart to act without considering things. We have to figure out what else he is dragging back before it is too late.

Jenny's eyes fix me, her face sad. And in such a situation what ought we to do? Assume he already leads five steps ahead of us.

Her words sliced sharply with ambiguity, and I could feel it dragging on my chest. Seeing her like this, so uncertain, so afraid of me. I hate it. Actually, I wanted to tell her we would outsmart Victor as we normally did and that we had everything under control. Not in this particular case.

Then we adapt, I said, more fiercely than I felt. "We have suffered worse, Jenny," stated We have surmounted situations meant to break us. We will work on a fix.

Her gaze stayed on me for a minute more before she slumped her head on the seat and moaned. "I just want nobody else to suffer as a result."

Neither did I nor did she. As the car halted outside my apartment, though, I couldn't get rid of the impression that the danger was far closer than either of us realized.

Later, when we looked over Victor's most current data while seated in my office, I couldn't ignore the growing dread biting at me. Every action we did seemed to be met with yet another obstacle, another turn about. Victor was more lethal than ever since he was pulling invisible wires.

"What about this?" Jenny asked as I turned my glance back toward the TV. She waved to a file, her brow pinched in concentration. "These conversations seem unusual to you?"

I angled in to look at the details. She pointed out the right thing. Records revealed flaws that shouldn't have been there, and the figures didn't match. Though minor, it should raise questions.

"He's hiding something," I said, brain swirling among the choices. "These could be phony accounts and false transactions aimed to throw us off. But merely why? He seems to be trying to cover something.

Jenny shook her head gently. Not known. Still, that is rather huge whatever it is. more than anyone could have dreamed of.

Her shoulders fell under the weight of what we were juggling, and her eyes revealed tiredness. She had already experienced more than anybody should have to go through. Still here she was, fighting beside me and not giving up.

I said, "You should rest," gently reaching out to take her hand. We have labored for hours at this.

Her voice gentle yet strong, she answered, "I cannot." Not till we arrange this thing.

Her will was among the qualities I most appreciated about her even though I could see the toll it was costing. Running on fumes, in an apparently never-ending battle, we were both pushing ourselves to the brink.

"Let's take a break," I said. "Clean our heads for a little while here. We will be more effective if we are not absolutely burned out.

Jenny hesitated, then nodded at last, glancing back at the television. All right. But only here, just a tiny bit.

We walked to the balcony, the cool night air offering a little relief from the oppressive worry that had enveloped us. Before us the city expanded out like a glittering labyrinth of shadows and lights. Though tonight it seemed like a reminder of all at stake, it was a beautiful sight.

"I keep thinking about what Victor said," Jenny murmured, her voice almost audible above the far-off rush of traffic. "Around consequences"

I grimaced, remembering the evil overtones in Victor's speech during our debate. He is meant to be frightening us.

She might have remarked, turning to face me. But suppose he is not showing off? Suppose he is already setting off events we cannot stop?

Her remarks truly have the gut check effect. Not totally, I hadn't let myself consider that possibility. But now, being here with her, the complete truth began to take hold.

"What are you implying?" I asked softly.

Jenny turned to face me, eyes vulnerable in a manner I hadn't seen in a long time. "We might have to have second thoughts about this. Maybe we are not ready for what is about to happen.

She admitted something that caught me off guard. Jenny was always the one seeing we could win and pushing us ahead, regardless of how stacked the odds were against us. She was doubting herself right now. And that brought me the most terror.

Rising to her, I said, "We can't stop now." Victor gains should we reverse-off. I cannot let it happen either. Not honoring all we have given up.

Jenny shook her head, seeming mixed-minded. Leonard, I am not implying we give up. Just... I would like to avoid losing you. I desire not to go from you.

Her words hung raw and weighty between us. First I fled, not sure what to say. The truth was that I had not stopped to think about how the fight was impacting our relationship on us. I had been so consumed with it.

At last I said, "I'm not going anywhere," clutching her hand in mine. "I swear to you, Jenny. We will go over this. In concert.

She looked at me, her eyes searching mine for something—hope, comfort, maybe even a reason to believe everything would be okay. And for the first time in a very long time, I wasn't sure whether I could give her that.

One thing I knew, though, was I wouldn't let Victor cut us off. Whether it costs or not.

My phone blipped ceaselessly on the nightstand when I woke up the next morning. Groggily, I reached for it while I watched TV. That came from among my security contacts.

"Leonard," the voice on the other side sounded breathless and frantic. "We have a problem over here." Victor's people have suffered a breach. One came upon someone joining the system.

One missing beat in my heart. What kind of hack?"

"They accessed sensitive files." Whoever it was, they were precisely looking for what they needed.

I sat up, my mind whirling. If Victor had obtained those facts, all the leverage we had—everything we had been working for—could disappear.

Hanging off the line, I said, "I'll be there soon."

Jenny stirred next to me, blinking sloppily with tired doubt. "what's going on?"

I knew hiding it would be useless even though I hesitated not wanting to frighten her. Something has leaked. Victor could possess the means to pull us down.

Her eyes widened and for a moment we just stared at each other as the weight of the situation hit in.

"Then we need to move," she said, her voice strong even with the horror I could see in her eyes.

I nodded and went right to get dressed. "This isn't carried out. Not exactly by accident.

We left the apartment and I couldn't get rid of the feeling that we were walking into a game we didn't really know—one in which the stakes were higher than we would have ever anticipated.