CHAPTER 101: TRACY KINGSLEY’S SURPRISING NEWS.

Major Elio leaned back in the chair, and he raised his hand halfway. The tone Sunshine was using, the look of determination in her eyes and the knife in her hands sent a message that she was about to say or do something crazy. "I have no idea what this is about, but I think we should all remain composed and navigate this carefully. We are all friends here, right?"

Sunshine did not respond.

Nimo drew in her breath. She knew that look on her friend’s face. It was the look that accompanied them on every journey that ended in Sunshine causing some havoc and bloodshed.

Hades put his arm on Sunshine’s. He guessed that this was related to her rule about not trusting superhumans.

Tia looked back and forth between Sunshine and her husband. Her biggest hope was that he would not be killed, and they would not be thrown out of the base. But she was too afraid to say anything."

"Suni....." Nimo called her friend.

Sunshine grabbed a hold of the handle of the blade. "Major, your eyes are an advantage in a fight. They are a great addition to the security of the base. But what happens when you start scanning carelessly?"

"You are worried about the hidden sections of the base." He said slowly. "Like the tunnel...."

"That is none of your business." She replied. Her tone was not friendly; it was a warning.

"I wasn’t trying to---" Major Elio started to explain.

"Yes, you were." She cut him off. "You like to be everywhere, and you treat this base like your personal home. Which is a good thing because you protect it wholeheartedly. That is why you were scanning. But it makes you dangerous to me."

Major Elio sat upright. "You have said it yourself; this base is now my home. My family and friends, most of them are here. I would die before allowing danger into the base. It is not unexpected that you have things you are hiding, this is your base, and you have the right to hide what you want to."

"That’s right." Hades looked at the Major. "And I hope that you will not question us because we don’t owe anyone any explanations for the things we don’t share."

Major Elio wanted to disagree. All he wanted to know was if there were weaknesses that could compromise the base. It wasn’t like to wanted to see into their bedroom or something that perverted.

Sunshine raised the knife. "This is my base and you are my guest. If you poke your nose in unnecessary places I will pull your eyes out with this knife." She threatened him. "And if I hear anything among the residents about where those tunnels lead, you and your wife will be taking a bath in acid rain before you know it."

Major Elio gulped. "I promise that word will not come from me about unnecessary things. My wife will not say anything either. You are keeping secrets, but I am sure that they are related to the safety of the base. Why would I ever want to compromise it?" He leaned forward. I would rather work with you to keep them hidden deeper. From now on, you can consider my eyes your eyes. I will monitor the base, not for me but for you."

Sunshine studied him. She pondered on whether he could be trusted. Through the peripheral of her eyes, she saw Major Elio’s daughter walking into the living room. She was like a good hostage delivering herself to her kidnappers.

"Daddy." She ran towards the Major.

Sunshine stretched her hand and snatched her mid-way.

"Hello Mrs. president." The little girl smiled innocently.

Sunshine ruffled the little girl’s hair. "Hello little one." She opened her toolkit and brought out a lollipop. "Here. Would you like some candy?"

The little one looked at her father and them her mother. Only after they nodded did she accept it. "Thank you, Mrs. president."

She skipped to her father, and he carried her. Seeing them together made something in Sunshine flicker. For that little girl, Major Elio would not take stupid risks.

"Have we come to an understanding, madam president?" he asked.

Sunshine stood up. "I guess we are done here for now." She bent and picked up her knife.

Hades stood up and waited for his wife. Together, they left the house leaving behind Nimo who wanted to talk to Major Elio.

*****

From the moment, her husband had given away her cat without her knowledge, Tracy Kingsley had been in a foul mood, and she was completely out of her mind. She had been having a lot of arguments with her husband.

When she was not angry, she was sulking or taking a walk because she did not want to be in the same place with her husband.

On one of her walks the previous evening, she had come across a flower that growing through a tiny crack in the wall. On a whim, she decided to pull the flower and ended up being pricked. The sting felt like that of a needle, and it drew some blood.

Jon had been quietly following from a distance, and he heard the soft cry which she released. Her rushed to her and carried her back to the house. A doctor was brought in to check on her condition and treat the injury.

For reasons unknown, she had fallen asleep quickly after the wound was treated. All through the night, she had tossed and turned like she was having bad dreams but come morning, she was fine and back to sulking.

It was Jon’s routine to apologize every other hour, and such an hour had arrived. His wife was having her daily brunch and ignoring him as she bit on a grape slowly. frowning like it was bitter.

"Honey I am sorry about Bob; I will bring him back I promise." Jon apologized.

In his mind, he was groaning. It was a just a cat that contributed nothing to the base. Why was she so determined to have it back? He had offered her three other cats that he bought from residents, but she kept rejecting them.

What was so special about stupid Bob?

Tracy stared past Jon and looked at a painting of Bob on the wall. "I could hear him crying for me all night. He can’t sleep without me." Tracy wiped a tear, Bob was her child, especially since she did not have any of her own just yet.

"That is just absurd honey, Bob is all the way at Fortress Four, how could you hear him from here?" Jon asked her.

"I am telling you that I can hear Bob crying, even now. I can hear dogs barking and someone shouting the name Siegfried. Since I woke up, I have been overhearing some things happening at Fortress four. They are not clear because I am focusing on Bob. It took me a while to isolate his meows from the meows of the other cats on that base." Tracy shouted.

She did not know what was happening, but she wanted her husband to believe her.

"My baby is living with some woman named Lisha and she doesn’t have a sparkly collar anymore. She feeds him canned fish without warming it." She started punching Jon’s arm softly. "How could you send him over there to suffer?"