#rem5

[novapark]

“I just don’t understand how the mug shot is there but nothing about that arrest is listed.” To Inika it seemed like an obvious flag to anyone who would want to audit the records that something was amiss. Even if the Yagers had the charges cleared there’d be a paper trail of lawyer bullshit all the way through.

“Well… they do have a couple things.” Levi admitted after a few moments of silent skimming,  “There is an assault on an officer here that was eventually dropped.” 

“Oh yeah, I... that definitely happened.” Like most things about that day, had she not been staying in his room that night maybe things would have gone a bit differently for both of them. “He.. he had his reasons.”

[novapark]

@elisabettasims

[novapark]

The warehouse Inika typically worked out of was just off the docks in the Spice District. She liked the location previously due to its accessibility to Olin’s apartment. Even when she didn’t want to go see him, the option was there. Now that benefit was put to use by the team watching him. They had to tread carefully and generally didn’t have someone following him directly. The boss had warned against such tactics, the Rask were known for their familiarity with flows of energy. It wouldn’t take much for a small ripple to make waves in their headspace. No, this work was largely done through tapping into the city’s vast network of silent surveillance systems and nearby cell phones. 

“Hey boys, party’s over, the boss is on deck.” Inika called out as she walked in. She worked with a lot of different teams at Idealogix, but these guys, these were hers. 

“Well fucking finally! We got something new to do?” It was no surprise to her that Jonas was bored with this job. As the youngest, he was naturally the most eager to prove in some big way. Catching up on hours of pre-recorded video was not exactly a ticket to the top. 

“Don’t listen to him Venus,” Dalian chimed in, “Some of us are happy for desk work for a change.” Dalian had been with her almost since she started working for Hansen. He had been the youngest member of her Uncle Otis’ crew before he died and was happy to stay with her family. 

“Yeah man… I am good,” Weston added, his usual half-there, half-care, tone barely growing above a whisper. This sort of task fit him just fine. He never complained about much as long as he had the cash to keep himself well stocked in shrooms. 

“Well glad to see you all are coping well with this detail save for young guns over there.” Inika smirked, “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll have something for your taste soon Jonas.” 

“Well good because this asshole we’re watching is fucking boring.” Jonas whined, “There’s like nothing remotely interesting about him. Why the fuck are we doing this shit?” 

“Because I said so, and besides, you’d be surprised how much the quiet ones have to hide.” As the words slipped her lips Inika couldn’t help but smile a bit. It was hard to forget what Ollie really looked like now that she’d seen it.

[novapark]

“Ollie?” Inika called as she made her way into a large open space. His apartment in the city was nice but this...this was something else. “Holy shit. What the fuck is this place?” 

“Hey sorry.” Olin replied as he climbed down to her, “I went upstairs to clean up.” 

“Nice place, you said it’s yours?” 

“Yeah I sort of built it.” His eyes lit up with a mild hint of pride, “Used to be an old barn. I just moved it and cleaned it up.” 

“There a reason I’ve never been here?” As much as she tried she couldn’t disguise the mild sting she felt that he had kept something so major from her. Though admittedly she wasn’t sure she had the right to care. They both had their secrets.

“Truthfully Nika, no one has been here before today. So don’t get fucking snippy.” Usually he was a mild man but one downside to their intimacy was how little Olin filtered himself for her. “The only reason you’re here now is because it’s the most isolated place I could think to keep you for a while.” 

[novapark]

In the meantime life carried on. Levi had allowed her some time to collect herself but had made the prudent suggestion that perhaps a change of scene would do her some good. She’d always made a point to live far from Myshuno. She wanted to avoid letting her work flood into what personal life she managed to eke out between assignments. Oasis had been a sanctuary of the privacy she liked to keep for herself but now that all didn’t seem to matter. It was all a wash. 

“So, what do you think?!” The Boss always lit up at the sight of even the slightest bit of luxury, “Absolutely fantastic right?” 

Inika wasn’t exactly sure it was a fit for her though, “Seems like a bit much to me.” 

“You say that now, but just wait until you get used to it.” He replied with a sly grin. It wasn’t often that she got to see this side of him since they mostly met at the office where annoyances were in abundance. So for the moment anyway it seemed like it’d be wise to give in to his good humor. 

“You’re right Boss, it’s perfect.” She relented as genuinely as she could muster. The thought of having to clean such a large space still weighing heavily on her mind.

“Damn right I’m right, I mean what the fuck is not to like? Just look at this view.”

[novapark]

“Are you a fucking suit Ollie?” Inika decided the direct route would work best. Ollie was pretty damn good at dodging difficult discussions but she wasn’t going to let him get out of this one.

“What?” He snapped back. Good, he was annoyed, just like she wanted. 

“You fucking heard me.” She pushed on, “Don’t you dare try and lie either. I’ll know. You know I’ll fucking know.”

“Didn’t you say you knew what one looks like? What do you think? Do I look the part Nika? You ever seen me in a fucking suit?” 

“Nice attempt…” If she wasn’t so upset she’d almost laugh at that joke of a response. She had to hand it to him, he didn’t try to outright lie but if his greatest tell was always avoidance, “Fuck Ollie.. I can’t believe you. I can’t believe I didn’t see it. Been fucking a g-man this whole fucking time.”

[novapark]

Three months had passed since the incident in Winden and the sound of silence had held its ground between them. It was the longest she had gone without hearing from him in recent memory and that quiet haunted Inika more than she wanted to admit.

[novapark]

REM Series Five - Ghost