"Go," I said. "Save him."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUg1tCpu9e
"But I promised him I'd take care of you," Chase said.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8GmBXm3KX
My heart felt as though it was about to burst. Atlas told him to protect me?
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtb80CKJWip
I motioned for him to leave. "Go! I can handle myself!" That wasn't true. I couldn't defend myself against Oblivion. I certainly can't fend off Vindicator alone, but Atlas is dying. I couldn't live with myself if he died, and we could've done something to stop it. It would be selfish of me to keep Chase here if there's any chance he can rescue Atlas.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8tdh2JURB
Chase nodded and sprinted out the door and up the stairs.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlT6ibJ9XL
"There, there. It's time for you to get back to work finding that code." Vindicator grabbed my shoulders and squeezed. It wasn't the comforting kind of touch, it was the threatening kind. It wasn't a suggestion, it was a command.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpIrr9JGNg
I let out a quiet squeak.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSEEVRUNsu
He scowled at me.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXq5PedcsdQ
I took several shaky breaths. If you do what he asks, he won't hurt you. I repeated that mantra over and over again as my fingers glided across the keyboard. I can't stay in the system much longer. Their firewall is cracking down on me. I increased my typing speed, desperately trying to prevent myself from getting kicked out.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eKrsXQi3I
Vindicator glared at me with his piercing green eyes, as my typing became more intense. "What's going on?"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRW1BHx3kud
"They're throwing me out. I can't keep up with their security. It's a miracle I lasted this long."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VaC1GVfRo
He leaned in so close I could feel his hot breath on my face. "Well then, I suggest you start hacking faster," He barked, through clenched teeth.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJm8P9bdYMI
"It doesn't work like that! I'm just one person, I can't compete with Bionic Corp!"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2lqgO1drb
"Are you not one of the best hackers Bionic Corp ever had?"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXafOvSjr7
"I'm not," I confessed. "I'm just me. I'm an average, boring person. I don't know who told you any different, but they're wrong." A notification popped up informing me I'd been kicked out of the server.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeL2tRtpet6
He let out an enraged scream and threw the keyboard at my head.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfTriMhbzC
I ducked, just barely missing it.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7EXlT1KjQ
"Hey! That's no way to treat a lady." Katrina leaned against the door frame and sharpened her claws with a nail file.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxFp4DP0ha
"Get out of here, Bionic Corp scum! This has nothing to do with you." Vindicator snapped.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0iXsKfOsk
Katrina just rolled her eyes, then smirked at me like we were part of some inside joke.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBkBUSmB7r
"You look like hell," I deadpanned as I examined her torn clothes, tousled hair, and bloody face.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡencqVHXY89
She ran her fingers through her tangled mass of curls. "Well, I did just fall out of a window, so."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Wc9WYpYu9
I stood there and scowled at her.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoUxOScdCQ
"What? Are you not happy to see me?"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzb0OGy3gmC
"Take a wild guess."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WDlkgrBV6
"Yes?"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunoANjgNOb
"Guess again."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8TYcHINIw
Oh, you're mad about the whole me being a Bionic Corp spy thing."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTzMGM8rMG
"I trusted you!" I spat through gritted teeth. "We all trusted you!"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS94wZG8ynw
Katrina picked at the blood in her claws. "Why? I never gave you any reason to. All I did was hang out in your general vicinity, and you all trusted me with your secrets. It's not my fault you put so much faith in me."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDD3ipSAVV
"I'll never forgive you for betraying us."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVFVYXzp27
Katrina raised her shoulders in a half-shrug. "That's fair. You should know I'm just doing what it takes to survive in this cruel world. I didn't choose to be an assassin any more than Atlas did. I'm doing the best with the hand I was dealt."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8257Kn2fx
"I don't care why you did it. Your motivations don't change the impact of your actions. You've hurt me, Atlas, and countless others.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZwSaL2PAp
Katrina shot me an appraising smirk. "Listen, I have orders to kill you, but I'm feeling nice, so I'll give you the chance to stay alive if you do what I say. I'm doing this because I like you, and I'd hate to be the one to kill you."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OnSGK3lca
"No. You need my hacking skills. You don't care about me, you only care about what I can do for you." I spat.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbwmUCF7Dj
"You don't have to say it like that. You make me sound terribly shallow. You're not entirely wrong, I do need your help, but I see this as more of a symbiotic relationship. You give me something I want, and I'll give you something you want."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMc2UJXDmcZ
"I don't want anything from you, you treacherous bitch!"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeioaM6JLBn
"Rude."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8OD9nIl72
I stood tall and spoke with false bravery. "I'm never going to help you."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjuZ3IdduG
Katrina put on a fake frown. "Why all the animosity, Marisa? I thought we were friends."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLKSdhJS7n
"Are you joking? You attacked me and threatened me in my own home."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3YM6uv4ry
Katrina crossed her arms. "Yeah, but I bought you mozzarella sticks afterward, so we're even. Those weren't cheap, you know? You didn't even bother to say thank you."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaCyt08mTn
"You shot my brother!"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppik68mbVm
She resumed picking at her claws. "That is true. You got me there. I aimed for the hip. It was a warning shot. He should be fine as long as he doesn't drown, bleed out, or get eaten by sharks. Hey, did you know sharks can smell blood from over three hundred meters away? Pretty cool, right?"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5PAplvIES
"I've heard enough, I told you to leave! Now go!" Vindicator shouted.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKf5dMcmRd
Katrina rolled her eyes. "No, I don't think I will."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClBun9TWYU
Before anyone had time to react, Vindicator grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the wall. "You're going to need to find your own hacker. This one here is mine! Do you hear me?
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYdSCOL3BB
"She doesn't belong to you, creep. You don't own her. She can help whoever she wants. I think she'll find working with me far more compelling than working with you. Because all you have are threats of violence. I have something she desperately wants, something I think she'll do anything for."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hyFs7o6Ju
"So, you're just going to steal everything I've worked for right out from under me? Is that how this is going to go?" Vindicator shook her, sending her head thumping against the wall.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtK5UzFIn3
"It doesn't have to go that way, Mason. Think about it, I want to destroy the code, you want to destroy the code," Katrina pointed at me. "she wants to destroy the code. Together, we can't fail."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdXLtnlWU5
He paused to consider her offer. "What will you do once the code is destroyed?"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrO0U26YAX
"I'll continue living life, with my title of World's Best Assassin permanently intact. If I'm the only one who knows the Annihilation Code, I can never be upstaged."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1JnsHOeN4
Vindicator smashed her head into the back wall, he didn't like that answer. "Tell me, how does it feel to be a traitor to your own kind?"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYCWTUAsFX
Katrina scratched at him, tearing open his leather armor, exposing the pale flesh underneath. "I don't have a kind, I've always been alone. Why should I care for my fellow cyborgs? They never looked out for me!"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKzWcd2Owy
Vindicator tightened his grip. "I'm going to kill you and avenge your victims."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2okzDjAVG9
She dug her claws into his face, leaving bloody, red gashes from his forehead to his chin.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM647Q5LPWl
Maybe, if I'm lucky, they'll kill each other. Two birds, one stone. Well, I guess in this scenario, the birds are hurling rocks at each other.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRDnLSCJW7
"If you're not with me, then you're my enemy," Katrina said.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvF8abCvIV
"You've always been my enemy. You're the antithesis of everything I stand for. You're the embodiment of Bionic Corp's cruelty and society's indifference towards the well-being of cyborgs. You repulse me."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhX4r6AoeT
Katrina scanned the area. "You know what repulses me? This interior decor. This whole room is terribly gray. It could use a pop of color. Maybe some red. Your entrails would look great splattered over here. We could make a beautiful accent wall."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwd3GSqwKPZ
"Is that a threat?" He said, shooting her an appraising glare.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlxFrrug9T
"It's a warning. Stay out of my way." Katrina mauled his face again, this time aiming for the eyes.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXytWgZmfi
He keeled over and clutched his eyes, giving Katrina the chance to break free. Rivulets of blood and sweat poured down his face, and he let out a soft whimpering sound.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREkNf8YvYJ
My heart swelled with sympathy for him, despite my better judgment. I hope his eyes were cybernetic, if not, there's going to be some serious damage.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMhvSbYRuq
You're wrong.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZJ1IZLk2L
Katrina linked her arm with mine. "Come on, bestie. Let's get out of here."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYncNi76Bk3
I jerked away from her. "Who said I'm going with you?"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6u7LTgu6q
She giggled. "Don't play hard to get, Marisa. We all know you're going to join me in the end."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCw2EA8jfH3
She shrugged. "Okay, whatever. Let your uncle die. I don't care. By the looks of it, he has..." She glanced down at her Holowatch. "Eight hours left to live, and you still have no idea where he is. Face it, you're helpless without me."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZr84diM9F
"We'll figure something out," I stammered.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkCSbydadk
She laughed at me. It was a dry laugh without any real humor behind it. She was mocking me. She knew I couldn't do it alone, and she wanted to know how much I was willing to bargain for Patch's life.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DCgGEsSdH
I wrapped my arms around myself, hugging myself tightly. "Why should I believe you'll take me to Patch?"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kHmdWdO45
She shot me a toothy grin. "You shouldn't, but you don't have any other options. You need me, and I need you. So, I say we call a truce." She extended a hand for me to take.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMoCBAgbrf
Joining her would be a risky endeavor. She would most likely betray me whenever she got the chance, I fingered the shock device in my pocket. I had a secret weapon to use against her, and she required my hacking skills if she wanted any chance of finding the Annihilation Code. Despite everything in me telling me this was a bad decision, I firmly shook her hand.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsNtZfmUN4
A wicked smirk spread across her lips. "That's a deal. There's no going back on it now."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiYCkCefUN
I sense of dread clawed at my chest. What had I just agreed to?"
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPZdQcU5Vq
Vindicator stood tall in the doorway, with his arms out. "You're not going anywhere. I won't allow it."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3LUIKwOqR
Oblivion pulled out her pistol and fired two shots into his heart. "I don't need your permission."
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloYfV3Eh9P
He collapsed to the ground and clutched his bleeding chest.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJJCPtVsjl
I glanced down at his crumpled form.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIW6GjMtAn
His breathing became slow and labored. Tears welled up in his beautiful jade eyes. "Please help. I'm not ready to die," He rasped.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9cJWYLidl
I reached down to offer him my aid, but Katrina wrenched me away. "Ignore him. We have more important things to worry about." She dragged me out the door, stepping on Mason in the process.
303Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXwjvrnlu4
I was beginning to suspect that I'd made a terrible mistake.
ns3.21.44.134da2
