Zero Day

shoot at her head, where she had no protection.
She heard a ping again, and this time the pressure was on her backpack.
The noise of boots on the stairs became louder.
“Hurry!” Kelvin barked.
“You’re telling me?” Yona held onto the handrail with one hand as she took two steps at once, knowing that the crumbling cement and tiles on the old floor weren’t reliable.
In the daylight, this was probably some glorious stairs.
In the night, it was a death trap.
“One more floor.” Kelvin leapt onto a landing.
Yona heard footfalls and boots on the stairs right behind them.
Without warning, something sudden and hard hit Yona’s backpack and she lurched forward directly into Kelvin. He lost his footing, and went down.
They toppled on top of each other, twisting, turning, and tripping down the stairs. Jack and Jill tumbled down the last flight of stairs, shoes kicking each other’s face, and both trying not to scream, as they performed their impromptu flight of fancy all the way down—
Landing on top of something squishy.
And headless.

Chapter 5
Gunfire.
“Run!” Dario’s voice came from above. “Get up, you two!”
More gunfire.
Someone running down the stairs.
Kelvin pushed himself off the dead body. Glanced over to see Yona sitting up on the harlequin floor, holding her head.
Is she real?
“Yona?” He helped her to her feet, but realized that something was wrong with his elbow. He touched it. No bones sticking out. But it was starting to hurt just as something sticky flowed down his arm.
She groaned. “I’m going to be black and blue in the morning.”
“Anything broken?” Kelvin peeled back. Didn’t want to touch her.
Three years before, he would have tried. In fact, he had asked her out on a date one day when they had a lull in their work. However, Yona was one of those people who kept her work separate from her personal life.
She said no.
Kelvin understood why, though. Yona was a busy observer in Project Pericarp, and Kelvin was busy keeping the systems running so that Binary Systems and Ulysses could do their work.
Kelvin dared not ask her again. Not even for coffee. Or tea. Whatever her preference.
Someone jumped off the last step. Dario de la Cruz, whose path Binary Systems had crossed many times. He was alone, which told Kelvin this wasn’t a CIA operation. The only time Dario wandered off the beaten path was to rescue Binary Systems hackers, of whom Kelvin used to be one before he took over the system administration of the network.
“Everyone okay?” Dario asked, glancing back.
Yona nodded before she let out a hiss. “My ankle.”
“We’ll take a look later. We need to get out of here.” Dario turned on a small flashlight. Pointed to the front door.
“Where’s your entourage?” Yona limped.
Dario drew a deep breath. “We’ll talk later. Let’s get to the safe house.”
As Dario talked on the phone, Kelvin avoided looking at Yona. He had nothing to give her now. And he had no dignity to keep for himself.
His life was ruined. It might as well have been over.
They stepped outside onto the sidewalk, with only a distant traffic light providing low visibility.
“This way.” Dario pointed.
They rounded a corner, and a black van pulled up to the curb. The door opened.
Leland Yang-Joule yelled from the driver’s seat. “Get in!”
Dario helped Yona, who continued to limp. Then he swept her up in her arms and carried her into the van.
Kelvin’s heart fell through the floor. He knew he could never be Dario. Brave and buff.
Dario put Yona in the front seat.
Kelvin entered the van on his own strength. He tried not to make eye contact, but he knew he had to say something to Leland, the co-owner of Binary Systems, Inc., his employer. Technically, he answered to Cayson Yang, Leland’s cousin and Chief Operating Officer, but Leland could fire Kelvin at any time as well.
Kelvin scooted to the other end of the bench seat, as Dario got in the van and closed the door.
“Put on your safety belt.” Dario made Kelvin buckle in. “We don’t want you to die now that we’ve rescued you from Aspasia.”
“What does Aspasia want?” Leland asked from the driver’s seat.
Nobody answered her.
“Let me see your wrists,” Dario said.
“What?” Kelvin saw the large cable tie in Dario’s hand. “You don’t trust me?”
“I don’t want anyone to accuse us of not taking a modicum of prevention.” Dario tied up Kelvin’s wrists.
“Kel,” Leland said quietly as she drove in traffic.
The way she said it sounded like she was disappointed.
Kelvin didn’t reply. Too ashamed, he was.
“He’s pouting,” Dario said. “Let him be.”
Dario didn’t seem to show his feelings. Then again, his job at the CIA as a protector agent didn’t require a show of personal opinions. In this face, Kelvin figured Dario’s job was to keep him alive.
That meant the CIA wanted something. Maybe Kelvin could use it as a leverage to get reduced sentencing. He was quite sure he was going to get court-martialed for what he had done. He wasn’t sure they’d pick and choose what they wanted to charge him with. And he couldn’t afford a great lawyer.
Sitting in the back, Yona said not a word.
It was better for her not to say anything than to go against him. He had plenty of enemies already, thank you.
Then again, Kelvin hadn’t worked with Mossad in four years. Why was a Mossad agent here?
Kelvin had so many questions. He leaned back on the headrest. If Yona wanted to slice his throat, this would be the time for her to do it.
Kelvin waited.
Nothing happened.
“What does Aspasia want?” Leland asked again.
Instead of answering, Dario scolded her. “I told you to stay in the safe house.”
“The internet connection was bad. We took the van together closer to the building.”
A realization struck Kelvin. “Why did you come for me?”
“You were waiting to die, and we can’t let that happen to you.” Dario handed out handwipes.
Handwipes? Kelvin had to laugh.
“Who were those people who came with you?” Kelvin said. “Are they Dmitri’s men?”
“Were. I’ll need to talk to Dmitri about that. I don’t think they