"Good. Glad to hear it."
Bryan caught the flash of discomfort on Dick's face—the fatigue etched into his features—and his brow creased almost imperceptibly. But he didn't press the issue. He simply filed it away, keeping his expression neutral.
"Planning to come home anytime soon? It's been a while. Your mom misses you something fierce."
Guilt clouded Dick's face. He lowered his head slowly. "The professor just started a new research project—something to do with datura. Things are going to be pretty busy for a while. I... I don't know if I'll have time."
"I see..." Bryan sighed inwardly and gave Dick's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm heading over to see your mother later. Anything you want me to bring her?"
"Yes!"
Dick's eyes lit up. He nodded eagerly, said "Wait here," and dashed back into the facility.
About ten minutes later, Bryan watched him come running back out, carrying a small wooden box—and wearing a barely concealed expression of nervousness.
Dick held the box out, his eyes locked on Bryan. "Could you give this to Mom? There are some things inside for her. Tell her she has to keep it safe."
Bryan studied the boy for a moment. Maybe it was his imagination, but the emphasis Dick had placed on "keep it safe" seemed heavier than the words warranted.
"Excuse me!"
Before Bryan could sort out what was going on, the guard he'd bribed earlier materialized beside them.
The soldier's eyes were fixed on the wooden box in Dick's hands. "All items leaving the facility are subject to inspection. Please open the box for examination."
"O-okay."
Bryan heard Dick stammer his compliance and caught the flash of panic in the boy's eyes. His body had started trembling, too—subtly, but unmistakably. The soldier's attention was on the box, which was the only reason he hadn't noticed.
Something was definitely off. Bryan replayed the entire sequence—Dick retrieving the box, carrying it out, trying to hand it over—and his mind raced. Whatever was in that box, it wasn't just letters and trinkets.
Better to take control of this.
Bryan stepped forward and lifted the box from Dick's hands, smoothly positioning himself between the boy and the soldier. He blocked Dick from view just as the kid was about to crack under the pressure.
"Let's have a look, then."
The soldier barely glanced up. When the lid came off, his attention zeroed in on the contents—completely oblivious to Dick standing behind Bryan, drenched in cold sweat.
Inside the small box: several folded letters covered in dense handwriting, and a few handmade trinkets.
Bryan exhaled quietly. At least Dick hadn't been stupid enough to leave anything incriminating in plain sight.
The soldier, on the other hand, looked disappointed. If he'd caught someone smuggling contraband, it could've meant a commendation from his superiors—maybe even a transfer off this miserable guard post, plus a supply bonus.
He rummaged through the contents anyway, then picked up the letters and skimmed them. Just a child's words to his mother—how much he missed her, hoped she was well. Nothing more.
Deflated, the soldier set everything back. Then his eyes narrowed with sudden inspiration. He cleared his throat and assumed an impressively official tone. "While none of this appears to be anything major, security has been particularly tight lately. I'm afraid I can't authorize you to take this out."
Greedy bastard.
Bryan recognized the play instantly. He smiled, reached over for a quick handshake, and palmed a small packet of food into the man's hand. "It's just a kid's gift for his mother. I'd appreciate your understanding."
"Well..." The soldier pocketed the bribe with practiced ease but kept up the act, hemming and hawing for several seconds before relenting. "Alright, I suppose. Consider it my good deed for the day."
...What a fraud.
Bryan and Dick cursed internally in perfect unison, smiles still plastered on their faces as they saw the soldier off.
Once the man had walked a safe distance away, Bryan dropped the smile. He turned and fixed Dick with a hard stare.
Dick wilted under his gaze, the weight of it almost physical. He lowered his head, unable to meet Bryan's eyes.
"Don't ever do that again."
Bryan held his stare for a long, silent moment before speaking. He was angry—not because Dick had tried to smuggle something out, but because the boy had done it without telling him first. No planning, no coordination. He'd just charged ahead. If anyone other than Bryan had been standing there, the whole thing would have blown up in his face.
"I need you to actually think before you act. If you get yourself in trouble, that's one thing. But don't drag other people down with you."
The shame on Dick's face deepened. His head sank lower. "I... I didn't think it through. I assumed they wouldn't check."
"Enough." Bryan ruffled the boy's hair with a rough hand. At the end of the day, Dick was family—practically a little brother he'd watched grow up. He wasn't going to stay mad. "Consider today a lesson. You got lucky that guard was careless. A sharper one would've had us both in a cell."
Without waiting for a response, he patted Dick on the back and gave him a gentle push toward the gate. "If you can manage it, ask your professor for some time off. Go see your mom. And come by my place while you're at it."
Bryan watched Dick disappear through the gate, then looked down at the box in his hands. The sky was already dimming—today's errands would have to end here. Visiting the others would have to wait until tomorrow.
Back in his quarters at the military base, Bryan sat on the living room couch and set the wooden box on the table.
He opened the lid. The same letters and trinkets stared back at him. He removed every item, then ran his gaze across the bottom of the box. There—along the edge—a hairline seam. His expression shifted to one of grim confirmation.
He went to his bedroom, retrieved a razor blade, and carefully inserted its tip into the seam. Slowly, methodically, he cut along the line.
When the cut was complete, he set the blade aside and reached in. The bottom panel of the box lifted free, revealing a hidden compartment beneath.
He'd noticed the discrepancy almost immediately—the box's exterior depth didn't match its interior. And the technique was one he'd shown Dick himself, years ago.
The hidden compartment had been divided into a three-by-three grid using paper inserts, keeping the false bottom stable. Each cell contained a small sealed plastic bag. Bryan picked one up. Seeds. The label identified them as something rare—a medicinal plant, by the look of it. Every bag was the same: different species, each one apparently valuable.
Bryan shook his head. He genuinely couldn't understand why Dick would risk his neck for a handful of seeds.
Smuggling anything out of the facility was a serious offense—get caught, and you'd be sentenced to hard labor until you dropped dead. Then again, on the black market, these might actually fetch a decent price.
He returned everything to its place, sealed the box back up, and stowed it in a storage cabinet. If Dick wanted these badly enough to take that risk, Bryan wasn't going to second-guess him. He'd deliver them to Daphne and make sure she kept them safe.
With that done, he returned to his bedroom, flipped the writing board face-up, and found yesterday's portrait of the middle-aged stranger. He picked up a pen and wrote beneath it: Surveilling the power station.
He hadn't expected to identify the man's objective this quickly—discovered him just yesterday, and already had a lead. Lucky break. The question was why someone would be watching the power station.
"Bryan! Are you in there? Get out here and help me!"
Sarah's voice came suddenly from outside the door, snapping him out of his thoughts. He glanced at his watch and blinked in surprise.
He hurried to the entrance and opened the door. Sarah was standing there, arms loaded with bags and bundles—looking for all the world like she was in the middle of a move.
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