Chapter 19: "Unshared Plans"

Post your reactions as you read, Losties. Ya'll are gone fishing or somethin'?

First written on: February 6th, 2021

Salma watched Zayn's limp and unconscious body on the operating table. The lump in her throat was literally choking her. She wiped away at her tears with a bandaged hand, ignoring the sharp pain in her wrist, hoping, as she stared at the heart monitor, that it continues to beep. She was absolutely scared that at any given second, the beeping would stop and Zayn would flat-line.

Salma wished she would have told Zayn about the plan, let him in on the purpose and particulars of the staged agreement, so he would not have put his life on the line.

Yet, she had to choose, and she chose not to. On their way back from the cottage, as soon as they had gotten out of the warehouse where they had met Spogmae, they had started working on isolating Zayn for the rest of the night.

"We need to divide," Spogmae had announced, unlocking her car. "Too much concentration means easy targets."

"Pwincess, come with me," Burak said instantly.

"Absolutely not!" Zayn returned.

"Man, you just shut up and --"

"Salma rides with me. The two of you go together." Spogmae resolved the dispute. "And learn to behave yourselves around each other while you're at it."

"Bee stays with me," Zayn insisted stubbornly.

"Not happening," Salma muttered. Opening the car door, she slid into the seat next to Spogmae.

"That decides it then," Spogmae said, taking the seat behind the wheel.

"I'll take the western route down the highway!" Burak shouted as a very annoyed Zayn skidded his car out of the gravel drive way.

"He's angry again." Salma made a face.

Spogmae clicked her seat-belt in place and shifted to drive.

"It's for the best," she muttered. "So what exactly happened at the hideout?"

Salma started telling the Green Coat exactly what went down at the cottage. Spogmae asked a few questions here and there. Once they hit the highway, Spogmae instructed Salma to switch seats. A bit confused, Salma struggled to get into the backseat. She was surprised how easy it used to be when they were kids. Now, she had trouble figuring out whether to shift her torso, or her legs to the back, first. Salma went with the torso, and landed in a very awkward position, with her legs still draped over the passenger seat unceremoniously.

Blood rushed to her face. Spogmae was already intimidatingly awesome, and now she had to witness Salma clumsily sticking her bum up the roof of the car.

"We couldn't have stopped for this?" Salma mumbled into the cushion, embarrassed.

"No," Spogmae replied, eyes on the road and ignoring her less than graceful transfer to the back altogether. "We lack time."

Salma pulled her legs to herself, and pushed herself up.

"You could have told to me get in the backseat at the warehouse," she grumbled.

The car decelerated, coming to a halt on the shoulder of the road.

"Why're we stopping?" Salma fixed her scarf that had revolved around her neck. "I thought we didn't have any time?"

"We don't," she replied.

Salma heard the locks clicking unlocked, followed by the door opening. Burak's tall and broad-shouldered figure folded a few times to fit into the car seat.

"Huh?" Salma blinked.

"Shook him off. Put two guards on his tail to make sure he keeps on track." Burak ran a hand through his hair then turned his eyes to Salma in the rear-view mirror. "Don't mind Pwincess, but I think he's too clingy and suspicious."

"I think he's protective and vigilant," Spogmae countered, checking the side mirror before driving again. "A smart combination, given the circumstance."

"I mean, Zayn's character analysis is great but this is not why we send him off," Salma began, getting uncomfortable with their discussion of Zayn's personality.

"Right, so what's the plan?"

"Exposure," Burak replied.

"Our or theirs?" Spogmae asked.

"Theirs by ours."

"Uh haan?" Salma said. "Now translate."

She felt two pairs of eyes snap to look at her through the rear-view mirror.

"The intelligence we received was vague," Burak began. "We were told their prime aim was to take you away with them but with the attacks that happened, perhaps that wasn't it?"

"So?"

"So, we can't counter an attack that we don't know about?" Spogmae replied.

Salma stayed quiet, thinking over the Green Coat's words.

"We need to find what they are here for then?" Salma asked.

"Other than taking you away? Yes," Burak replied.

A silence engulfed the car. Salma's started feeling uneasy as she listened to the gentle hum of the running engine. Her father had told her to stay out of sight and safe.

"How?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Burak exhaled a deep breath. Resting his arm by the window.

"I can think of only one way," he said, massaging his temple.

"Won't work," Spogmae cut in. "Besides, Commander Rahman clearly did not want her involved."

"We can't contact Atif Lala!" Burak returned. "We don't know what scheme Toryal has laid down. And we don't know how many of us are locked --"

"What's the way out?" Salma interjected.

Again, silence as the two Green Coats turned away from each other, looking frustrated and confused.

"Well?" Salma coaxed.

"The danger is too high," Spogmae replied. "We can't risk it."

"Risk what?"

"You!" Burak replied. The annoyed scowl on his forehead completely vaporized the playful persona he usually carried. He was clearly frustrated with himself. "I swear, if he outplays us this time. I'm putting his blond mane on flames!"

While Salma stared at the Green Coat, completely perplexed, Spogmae snorted a laugh.

"Seriously?"

"I'm serious!" Burak snapped at his colleague.

"That's all that's on your mind?"

"Yes!"

"Staso da dwarhon khu da Spee pishoo da!"

It was a cat and mouse between you two? Salma frowned as her eyes flitted to and fro between the two Green Coats. Between who?

Da cha?" Salma voiced the question, getting irked.

"Him and Toryal." Spogmae laughed, much to Burak's annoyance.

"We were discussing me, weren't we?" Salma asked.

Burak let out an exasperated breath.

"I protect you. He does the opposite," he said, still scowling.

"It's a game between these two," Spogmae provided.

A game? Salma frowned. Then she understood.

"Shame on the both of you!" Salma snapped. "A human life shouldn't turn into a competition of skills and intelligence!"

Burak relaxed back into his seat and shrugged.

"Yeah, sorry," he said insincerely. "Protecting you, I take seriously though. Laughing at his failing schemes isn't too bad either."

"So how do you plan on laughing the last laugh now that he has me, and therefore you, cornered?"

Burak's eyes hesitantly flitted to Spogmae. She shrugged.

"You understand him best," she replied. "I think it's too risky though."

Burak considered for a few minutes before turning to Salma in the rear-view mirror.

"Considering Atif Lala isn't here, I'll treat your opinion as his," he began.

Salma's heart started pounding at a mad pace just by hearing those heavy words.

"I believe we should throw a curve ball," he said. "Let you go to them. Go with their plans and pretend they've won. Let them lower their guard. They'll be making a mistake in their excitement."

"If she agrees to their demands," Spogmae said, "their whole security apparatus in the state will be highly active."

"Everyone is contacting everyone else. Everyone is on the move," Burak completed. "Even hidden and stagnant contacts. Therefore, it'll be easier to trace and map them out."

"Okay, but what of their threats that they're supposedly making?" Spogmae asked

"We'll find out once princess is there to negotiate," Burak said. "They'll definitely put everything on the table to force her to agree to them. Once out in the open, we have a better chance at countering them."

"How far do I continue to pretend this 'they've won' game?" Salma asked. "I hope it's a little before I end up in Tor Mahal."

"Right outside the gates of Tor Mahal, you can stop pretending," Burak said nonchalantly. "It won't be an act at that point. You'll actually be doomed for life. The terror would be real."

Salma turned to him wide-eyed.

"Tufan!" Spogmae gritted her teeth.

Salma was surprised and then ashamed to realize he was kidding. The Green Coat was laughing at her horrified expression.

"It's not funny!" Salma cried.

"Funny for me, it is." He chuckled.

"She has a point," Spogmae turned the discussion back to the topic. "When does the intervention happen? We can't continue to play 'defeat' for too long. We'll actually be defeated if they manage to smuggle her out."

"She doesn't get out of town." Burak replied.

"That easy?" Salma raised an incredulous brow, and Spogmae scoffed.

"Look, you focus on the exposure," he said. "Leave the intervention to me."

"I'm not leaving rescue to you," Spogame disagreed. "You mess up, all of us die."

"Have a lil faith!" Burak cried.

"No," Spogmae said flatly.

Burak grumbled his displeasure.

Salma watched the Green Coats go back and forth over the particulars of the plan. She realized they did not exactly trust each other with taking over any part of the plan completely. Every time Burak wanted to deal with something alone, Spogmae applied brakes on his wheels, demanding access to front.

"Fine." Burak sighed. "Have Atif Lala call shots on the final moves of the intervention."

"Deal," Spogmae conceded.

"You're just picking worms for nothing," Burak complained. "Atif Lala agrees with my blueprints anyway."

"So long as it's him calling shots when his daughter is involved, I don't care whose blueprints he approves," Spogmae replied. She took a left to exit the highway.

"Speaking of which." Burak turned in his seat to face Salma. His piercing hazel eyes still having that strange transfixing effect on her. "Do you actually agree to moving with this plan?"

Salma paused, mulling it over. What she had heard of their plan seem to be the only workable solution so far. Her family seemed to come out of it safe. The Green Coats would extract valuable information and, hopefully, she would be rescued in time too. The only issue was her father's approval of the matter and --

"What about Zayn?" Salma asked. "Where's he headed?"

"Your place," Spogmae said.

"I think I have a few darts of animal tranquilizers."

"You couldn't have used them earlier?" Salma said sarcastically.

"I wasn't sure of his specie." Burak replied. "The doses I have --"

"Buraka, bas-te chup ka!" Spogmae told him to shut up, tired of his jokes.

"C'mon! He'll create a scene at her house!"

"Which is why it's better to keep him with us, so we can keep an eye on him." Spogmae replied, turning to an unfamiliar street on Salma's block.

"Be my guest," Burak replied. "You keep him."

Salma was surprised to see Zayn's car waiting for them by a random house. Spogmae parked her car behind his.

"Alright," Spogmae said, getting out. "We go on foot from here. Stay low. Keep up."

"How did he end up in your car?" Zayn eyed Burak distrustfully.

"Magic!" Burak fooled around.

Spogmae sighed. "I'll explain later. Let's go."

And with that she started making her way to the backyard of whoever's house they had parked outside.

Everything had gone exactly as Burak and Spogmae had planned; Salma's exchange with the Tor Guls, her compliance, the staged move to fly to Sthooriya and the rescue. What none of them had guessed was Zayn taking matters into his own hands. He had involved the local cops to barricade every street leading up to the airport, and gotten Sarah onboard to crack every skull that planned on kidnapping his legally married wife. He almost jeopardized Burak plans for a swift rescue but, in the end, everything fell back in place as hoped, except him. He had ended up getting himself shot.

Salma sniffed angrily. Like I didn't have enough to worry about without his life on the line.

January 1st, 2021

Someone walked up beside her, a consoling hand grabbed her shoulder. Salma turned to two Green Coats eagerly. She needed answers.

"Is he going to be okay?" she sobbed, genuinely panicking at this point.

"Of course," the two said in unison; Spogmae with a gentle reassurance, Burak Kaka with a casual bite out of an apple. He seemed quite pleased with himself at having had one up on Toryal.

He pointed at Zayn as he chewed the apple, his mouth too full to form words.

"He's just shot," he finally said with a shrug. "A bullet wound. Loss of blood. Nothing serious."

He took another bite.

"A bullet wound?" Salma raised her eyebrows at him.

"Mhm." He inspected the apple.

"Nothing serious?" Salma raised her voice.

"Yeah, princess that's what I --"

"Burak!" Spogmae warned.

"What --"

He finally looked up, taking in Salma's distraught appearance and the murderous glare she had fixed on him.

"I -- I mean . . ." He tried to come to terms with the problem at hand. "I mean, he's good. He'll make it out alive for certain. Life's not in danger anymore, you know. He got medical help --"

"I think she gets it," Spogmae said impatiently. "You can shut up now."

"Right." He pursed his lips, trying to look remorseful and miserable for Salma's sake. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry he's such an idiot." Spogmae patted Salma's back. "He's been spending too much time with that insensitive brat."

"Who?" Salma frowned.

"A friend of mine." Burak Kaka smiled. "And the love of her life."

"Stop talking Burak!"

"Did I lie though?"

"Tufan, I swear --"

Spogmae bit her tongue, realizing Salma was still there. Burak laughed.

"She misses him." He mouthed to her.

Spogmae sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"You guys are scary cold." Salma sniffed. "He could be dying." She pointed at Zayn.

"Princess," Burak Kaka began. Salma was strangely aware of him having stopped calling her 'Pwincess'. "For someone who's been literally locked as a target for most of her life, you're incredibly sensitive to violence and injuries."

"Zayn has nothing to do with any of this!"

"He married you," Burak Kaka stated the obvious.

"So it's okay if he's shot?"

"No." Burak Kaka shrugged. "But it's a given it would happen."

"If it happens to me, that's when it's a given," Salma argued firmly. "Not when it happens to anyone else."

Burak Kaka stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face. He had this rueful smile, but his piercing eyes were swimming with sadness.

"You could be his daughter if I didn't know any better," he said quietly.

Salma brow knotted even more. Burak Kaka looked away, his shoulders slumped and expressions glum. He swallowed, before letting out a breath and taking a monster sized bite out of his apple.

"Who?" Salma asked again.

"The love of my life," Spogmae replied, her eyes distant and miserable. "who happens to be his friend."

Burak Kaka let out a resigned chuckle, munching his apple. Salma was about to inquire further when her father rounded the corner.

"Sally!" He rushed to his daughter.

"Dad!" Salma cried in relief, hurrying to accept the comfort of his hug.

As she broke down into tears and her father kissed her hair, Salma did not notice the two Green Coats share a glance.

"Soft," Burak said.

"Like him," replied Spogmae.

Who? Salma wondered, but her father had started talking about being worried sick and that he thought he was too late, and she did not get the chance to ask.

Author's Note:

Who, indeed? Also, turns out Salma wasn't the one who had kept people out of the loop. Rather, she had only kept Zayn uninformed, and he returned the favor by keeping his plans a secret. Except, that he ended up getting shot. Ouch!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Keep me in your prayers.

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Lots of Love

J.