9 - Sam
S AM ROLLED OVER SO THE first thing he’d see was Nico.
It was his first Valentine’s Day with an actual valentine, so he was blowing off school.
They were getting Friday off anyway, which made it a four-day weekend ahead.
A nice way to go out if it was going to be the end of the world.
He pushed that thought away, because it reminded him he’d promised to go in to the thirteenth floor, which meant he wouldn’t be with Nico for a couple of hours.
Focus, Solomon. It was Valentine’s Day, and he was determined to start it out right!
But when he blinked his eyes open, Nico’s side of the bed was empty. Not I’m in the kitchen making you a surprise breakfast in bed kind of empty, just plain never slept in.
“Arhhh!” Sam whipped the pillow out from under his head and thwapped it down where Nico should have been. He grabbed the burner phone and started to text:
Really? Where are you?
Sam’s finger paused over send. He took a deliberate breath, then deleted the message letter by letter.
One Good Thing
Don’t be so freaking needy.
He better show.
All that work making those chocolates, and then cleaning up so Nico wouldn’t suspect anything when he got home.
What’s the point of a perfect surprise if he isn’t here to get it?
Okay, just screamed into my pillow. And no, I don’t feel any better.
And to top it off, I’m late for the 13th floor.
Happy Fucking Valentine’s Day.
0947 Midtown Manhattan NY
Sam had spiffed up and was feeling Bond-level dapper as he crossed the lobby in his black Tom Ford knitted-sleeve bomber jacket, the same as Daniel Craig wore in Spectre .
He was trying to walk with magical penis swagger, but when Sam turned into the elevator bank area Noble One was waiting for an elevator too, and Sam lost the groove of it entirely.
Noble One was holding a bouquet of flowers.
Red carnations with white baby’s breath and only three actual roses—the kind you get from some guy on the street selling last-minute Oh shit, I totally forgot it’s Valentine’s Day and my sweetheart is going to kill me if I show up empty handed gifts.
Such minimal effort.
Sam felt a little bad for whoever Noble One was going to give them to. Then again, the guy was a jerk, so maybe his sweetheart deserved a sad gift.
“Should I wait?” Sam asked as one of the eight elevators dinged.
Glancing at his watch, Noble One said, “We don’t have time for this. Get in.”
Sam did, and let Noble One do the code on the elevator buttons.
They rode up in uncomfortable silence.
“Those for anyone I know?” Sam asked.
Noble One straightened a fold in the cellophane. “Not your business.”
Technically true. But since Sam was kind of a spy now, he was going to find out.
1448
Sam was working on a new list on his office wall:
POSSIBLE DEFENSES
VIRUS
COLDS
BACTERIA
SPACE IS FREEZING
HEAT ? SUN ? BURNING UP ON ENTRY ?
He sighed. There were so many possibilities, so many logic rabbit holes to fall into.
He needed a break.
He wanted to go downstairs so he could check if there was a text from Nico, but that would be giving over too much power. He told himself he had to have some self-control and self-respect.
He decided to go the kitchen area, see if he could grab a snack. It would give him a chance to walk around a bit, maybe see what the other folks on the thirteenth floor were working on.
One problem with everything being secret was that spy work—at least this kind of analyst stuff—was pretty lonely.
Sam headed down the corridor, taking the long way. Every office had its lights on. No days off for anyone here.
He made the left turn in the corridor and passed an area he hadn’t seen before. Fire hose cabinet on the right. Then, on the left, a bank of three service elevators.
Brigadoon turned the far corner on his rounds. Sam tried to nod hi as they passed each other, but the guy didn’t seem like he was going to be won over by friendliness. Maybe Sam had to try harder.
He kept walking, and the corridor went back to the dark glass-walled offices he recognized.
Just before the next left turn in the corridor a voice said, “I heard there are donuts. Bring some back!”
Sam made the turn and nearly bumped into a statuesque Black woman coming out of an office—the person who had spoken was inside.
“Oh, sorry,” she said to Sam. She was in her early twenties. He hadn’t really seen anyone much older since he’d gotten there. It was kind of nice. Not like school, where everyone in charge seemed ancient, or at least his parents’ age.
“No worries.” Sam felt a little wistful. Why did they get to work as a team while he was all alone? He glanced in but couldn’t see the person who had spoken. The video screen in their cube displayed an Egyptian pyramid. Weird. What are they working on?
She closed the door, blocking Sam’s view.
“Donuts?” Sam asked, like he hadn’t noticed anything.
“That’s the rumor,” she said.
“I’m S—” Sam stopped himself. He’d almost introduced himself!
“Yeah,” She pursed her lips, amused. “We don’t do that here.”
Sam’s mind raced to come up with something that started with s . “I’m… someone who likes donuts,” he covered.
She put out a hand to shake. “I happen to be someone who likes donuts as well. Shall we?”
Sam gestured her forward to the kitchen.
1458
“I better get back to it.” The woman he’d met in the hallway had made a neat stack of three donuts in napkins. Did she have two people working with her?
Sam felt a little jealous. And lonely.
“Nice to meet you, Donuts,” she said, and headed back.
He took a second bite of his chocolate glazed. “Right back at you, Donuts.” He scarfed the rest, and grabbed a glazed plain one just in case he saw Brigadoon on his way back. Peace offering.
Sam walked toward Keahilani’s office, up ahead on the right. No Brigadoon. Well, if he didn’t see the guy, Sam could always eat the extra donut.
The doorway to her outer office was open.
No one inside.
Sam walked the five steps in and pressed on her inner office door. Also empty.
There, on Keahilani’s desk were the flowers! The ones Noble One had in the elevator, set in an I heart NY mug. Which meant Keahilani and Noble One were a thing . What else might that mean?
“We absolutely need to make that happen.” Keahilani!
Sam hustled to the outer office—too late!
Keahilani was just heading in and saw Nico. Her eyes narrowed. “Let me know when you land,” she said into her phone, and disconnected the call.
“Knitter?” Keahilani wasn’t pleased to see him. “What are you doing in here?”
“Sheesh. Not a lot of trust.” Sam made light of it and held up the glazed donut. “I just came by to say thanks for the donuts. Nice Valentine’s Day gesture.”
Keahilani didn’t look convinced. She took a swig from her giant thermos and her eyes checked her desk for anything off. Luckily, he hadn’t touched anything.
“And to let you know I’m off to make my own,” Sam told her. “Valentine’s gesture, that is. By the way, how come your cell phone works in here but mine doesn’t?” Sam figured her phone had some signal-boost tech that overrode the damping effect of all the copper.
“I’m the boss,” Keahilani said, like that made perfect sense.
“You keep telling me that.” Sam took a bite of the donut as he headed out, thinking that if aliens really were going to attack, the last thing he needed to care about was this spy job.