Velika: The story of a lover

Velika O'Sullivan appreciated how Daniel Heinrich always had a plan. Before his exile, he rented a small loft on the top of an old building in a suburb. He believed having a safe house regarding what he did for a living was never a bad idea. Even during his depressive years, he managed to pay the rent. Daniel Heinrich could never be cautious enough. Before he and Velika O'Sullivan parted ways, he told her about this place and offered her to take that place as a shelter when she returned.

Somehow, she was worried that loft wasn't available anymore as she had been gone for a while and Daniel Heinrich might forget the promise that he made without thinking too much. She wouldn't blame him if he stopped paying rent, they were barely acquaintances after all.

Now she knew Daniel Heinrich wasn't as cold-hearted, indifferent, and selfish as she thought him to be. Some parts in his heart, he cared for her as a friend, he kept his words. She remembered the time when she met Daniel Heinrich at the entrance of that old building, those lovely green eyes with pride and hostility in them together with his thin, pale lips enchanted her. She was surprised how similar he was to Dean O'Sullivan. However, after they talked and gradually got to know each other during their short partnership, she found the lively and caring part in him, which let her put a tiny bit of trust in him.

What was the difference between Daniel Heinrich and Dean O'Sullivan? This question bothered her a while before she could draw a line to distinguish them. Despite their appearances, they were completely different. Dean O'Sullivan wasn't as handsome as Daniel Heinrich, but he was more composed and rational, well, he was so rational that put everything sentimental and emotional behind when it came to a greater good, while Daniel Heinrich measured both sides and came up with a conclusion which one was more important to him.

The loft was spotless, seemed regularly cleaned even nobody lived here, it was like an office but had a small bed within. The table was made of pure annatto, so did the chair. A window was above the table, the subtle sunlight came in through the curtains and brought warmth to Velika O'Sullivan. It was a peaceful, normal afternoon, a relaxed time that she didn't need to think of the battle out there.

Flashback. She went back to the Sunday afternoons when she and Dean O'Sullivan were together, she would come to visit her husband after work, accompanied him until his evening classes started. She would sit there watching him read all the thick, heavy books, turning pages after pages, he was going to be a doctor, she thought whenever she stared at him in the warm, orange color light from the sunset. Even later on neither of them achieved their dreams, they were once like normal people before, talking about their illusions of their future. They would sit on the bench near the lake, staring at the sky, waiting for the sunset, and the twilight came, the entire sky was painted reddish-orange, so beautiful and serene, it was such a picture that had faded years ago, and would never, never come back. Velika O'Sullivan sighed, she almost forgot she was a teenager before.

She opened her luggage, took out the photo, and placed on the table, it was the only connection between her and the past. All the wonderful times she ever had. Somehow, she didn't want to let it go, even she knew it would never be there anymore.

She wondered if Dean O'Sullivan would think the same.

"Velika O'Sullivan."

She felt her stomach twitched a little and turned back anxiously, this was an odd feeling she hadn't encounter for a long time. He was there with a smile on his delicate face, he wasn't the man she just had in mind and he wasn't even the person that called her name, still, she had him in her sight first. This voice belonged to her long-lost friend that she rarely had the thought to reunite with him, he was standing behind Daniel Heinrich with his thick black frame glasses and a big smile, showing his neat, white teeth.

"What the hell, Nikki!" Velika O'Sullivan shouted out, stepped to him, hesitated for a second, but she ended up hugging him so tight that he could barely breathe, "Oh man, is this you, Nikki?!"

"Yes, it's me." Nicholas Watson coughed, "Let me go, would you? I can hardly breathe."

"Sorry." She stepped back and combed her hair that covered her eye behind her ear, she was a little embarrassed but meanwhile extremely hyped as Nicholas Watson came to visit her. her emotions almost carried her away, but she had the gift that kept herself rational, "Why are you here, Nikki?"

"I'm here to help." The British shrugged.

Velika O'Sullivan rose her eyebrow and turned to Daniel Heinrich, who did the same thing as she did, and he said:

"True, this nerd is here to help."

"He's not a nerd."

"I'm not a nerd."

Daniel Heinrich was surprised that Velika O'Sullivan and Nicholas Watson said the line simultaneously. They knew each other very well. Somehow, he had a weird feeling going on in his heart, it seemed he disliked the fact that Velika O'Sullivan defended for Nicholas Watson. Nonsense, he told him to leave this feeling behind.

"Understood." Said him sourly.

She looked at him questionably, he avoided eye contact with her: "What's that supposed to mean, Heinrich?"

"Nothing," He said arrogantly, took her joking words seriously, "It's just a comment."

Velika O'Sullivan threw her hands in confusion, wanted to say something back but Nicholas Watson interrupted, first shook his head speechlessly, then he sighed and finally said: "Okay, I may look a bit nerdy but please, I'm a field operative, the glasses don't represent anything. And for god's sake, be mature, wouldn't you, we are on fire now!"

"Yes, sir." Said Velika O'Sullivan, curled her lips and Daniel Heinrich saluted him, "Take a seat and tell me everything."

At first, Nicholas Watson said a lot of irrelevant things, like what danger he would be put in to help Velika O'Sullivan to fight against Astoria Leontes, how generous and how selfless he was. Daniel Heinrich became impatient at his tedious, interminable speech but Velika O'Sullivan did listen because she knew perfectly there was no way to ask Nicholas Watson to speed up. Finally, when Daniel Heinrich was on the verge of falling asleep, the so-called field operative reached to the point that how Astoria Leontes' plan would work.

Dean O'Sullivan and Clarabelle Lewis would disguise as two maintainers that checked the vent system of The Sinking Boat regularly. With fake IDs, they could easily get into the company, then one of them would get into the vent to place the explosives, then after they evacuated, they would trigger the bomb and complete mission.

"Sounds like them." Velika O'Sullivan curled her lips again, "And simple."

"This is only the start." Nicholas Watson smirked, "You didn't get to the tricky part yet."

"The tricky part?" Daniel Heinrich lifted his eyebrow.

"You know Leontes framed Velika for Braddock's death, but," Nicholas Watson paused, "What if Velika worked for Companion."

"What?!" Now the former partners said simultaneously.

"Yes." Nicholas Watson seemed satisfied with their expressions, he smiled proudly, "And what if Braddock was alive?"

"Just tell us what you know, Nikki," Velika O'Sullivan started rubbing her temples, "Stop beating around the bush, your said we are on fire."

"Fine." He glared his friend and said reluctantly, "You thought Braddock is dead, but no, he's well alive. Leontes took him and locked him up in a secret base that only she knows. After O'Sullivan and Lewis blow The Sinking Boat up, you'll be framed to this as well, as an operative of Companion. Then it's the time that Braddock returns to the public sight again. He had no clue of what had happened as the information given him was claiming that 'The CEO of Companion is missing'. So, the great game begins."

"Well, if Braddock was released, he can tell the public what happened to him." Velika O'Sullivan held her arms, "Astoria can't guarantee that."

"I think she can," Said Daniel Heinrich slowly, "She recently contacted a specialist, I overheard the phone call, about a micro bomb that could insert in the human brain."

Velika O'Sullivan bit her lips and turned away to the window, she knew Astoria Leontes could do anything to get her way, and she knew how ruthless that woman was, but little did Velika O'Sullivan expect that she would insert some kind of high-tech bomb in the human brain, that was absurd and ridiculous, as well as a maniac.

"Sure," She frowned, kept rubbing her temples, "If they want to frame the explosion on me too, they need proof, and what will they do about this if I wasn't there?"

"Technology," Nicholas Watson snapped his finger, "They'll hack in the camera and transform your image onto Lewis, then there you go, another crime of the cruel assassin, Velika O'Sullivan."

"Braddock will show up at this moment," Daniel Heinrich deducted, "A puppet of Leontes, The Sinking Boat will strike back but Companion can't afford the loss, and Leontes will come in between, claiming O'Sullivan is a rogue agent and trying to bring Natural down, she'll hunt you and murder you, and your death will bring the peace."

"That's a brilliant plan," She squinted her eyes, "But, what about if I went into The Sinking Boat as well, defuse the bomb and tell everyone I'm innocent and someone else is behind the curtain."

"How?" Asked Nicholas Watson, "You can't just go to the public, you are charged with murder."

"I need a little help of yours, Nikki," She smirked, "You can hack into their computers, or at least the screens in the operation, can't you?"

"Yes, of course, wait…" Her friend stopped before he finished his sentence, he knew exactly what she was up to, typical Velika O'Sullivan, he smiled, "Velika, you are putting me to a dead end."

She did nothing but shrugged.