The projection in front of me went black, cutting off my connection to Atlas. I lowered my head and silently grieved. How could I have left my kids behind? I know why I was a coward. I was so afraid of what Bionic Corp would do to me that I didn't stop to think about what Bionic Corp would do to them.
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A cybernetic fist pummeled into my face. "God, you're so pathetic. I expected so much more from you." The cyborg soldier taunted me.
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"How could you know what to expect? You don't know anything about me." I said, through labored breaths.
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"No, I've heard plenty of stories about you. You're the infamous cyborg army deserter, Pedro Carrasco, or do you prefer the alias Patch Contreras? Either way, I've heard hushed whispers about you, the first cyborg to ever escape. Bionic Corp forbade us from ever speaking about it, but I heard plenty of gossip. You inspired plenty of comrades to try the same stunt you did."
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I glanced up in surprise. "They did? What happened to them?"
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He punched the other side of my face. "They're all dead because you put stupid ideas in their heads!
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"Don't blame me, blame Bionic Corp. They're the ones who killed your friends, not me."
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He kneed me in the stomach. "Shut up! They never would've had the gall to attempt something like that if it weren't for the legends of the unstoppable Pedro Carrasco. After everything, I knew I needed to meet you, that's why I volunteered to torture you, I needed to know what made you so damn special."
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I tried to stare him down, but my vision was so disoriented I couldn't tell exactly where he was, so I glared in his general direction.
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He spat on me. "Turns out, there's nothing special about you. You just had dumb luck on your side."
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"Not just dumb luck, I had good friends watching my back."
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"Where are your good friends now, huh? It looks like they left you to rot here."
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"We had a little falling out. We're not on speaking terms right now."
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"I understand completely, I haven't spoken with my friends in years. It's probably because they're decomposing in shallow graves right now, because of you!"
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I gave up and turned my head away from him. This conversation wasn't going anywhere. There's nothing I could say to change his mind right now. There's so much anger inside him, but it's not his fault, he's only a boy. A boy who was damaged by the same corporation that damaged me. We're not that different deep down.
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"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Oblivion sauntered out of the shadows.
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"Where the hell have you been? I've been stuck covering for you for days!" My tormentor said to Oblivion.
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"I was stuck in line at the DMV." Oblivion drawled.
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"This isn't funny! Marjorie is furious with you!"
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"I'm not scared of her."
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"You should be. She's vicious, and she'll kill any of us if we get too far out of line."
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Oblivion lowered their voice to a whisper. "Not me, I'm about to become irreplaceable."
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Before anyone could ask them what they were talking about, Oblivion waved their dismissive hand. "You can leave now, Jordan. I'd like some alone time with the prisoner."
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"Fine." He muttered curses under his breath as he stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
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"Hello, Pedro. Are you feeling comfortable? "No? Good!" Oblivion chuckled to themself as if they'd just said something hilarious."
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I would've given Oblivion the middle finger if I still had a middle finger. My fingers were confiscated, along with my arms and my legs. They probably would've taken my organs too if I could live without them. "Do you need something, or are you just here to boast?"
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"I'm just here to boast." They confirmed.
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I rolled my eye. Great. "Do you want to tell me your evil plan too, while I'm a captive audience?"
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Oblivion let out an amused sigh and shook their head. "Nice try, but I'm not that dumb."
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I shrugged with what remained of my shoulders. "Eh, it was worth a shot."
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I could sense Oblivion's smile under the mask. "You're not scared of me, are you."
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"You haven't really given me a reason to."I glanced them up and down. You look like you weigh, roughly a hundred pounds."
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Oblivion glanced down at themself self-consciously."I have a fast metabolism."
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"Bionic Corp has gone downhill. Back in my day cyborg soldiers were terrifying. You're nothing but a scrawny goth teen."
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"I have my own methods of intimidation." Oblivion bared their cybernetic claws and jabbed them into my one remaining eye.
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To my surprise, the claws fazed right through me. "You're a Hologram!" I spluttered.
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Oblivion laughed. "Of course I am. Do you think I'd waste my precious time slumming it with you? I'm on an important mission, right now." They lowered their voice to a whisper. "Just don't tell my boss, she thinks I'm here."
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I shot Oblivion a menacing glare. "Why the hell did you come here? What do you have to gain from talking to me?
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On a screen in the darkest corner of the room, Oblivion pulled up a video of Atlas and Chase fleeing Marjorie Spoketon's mansion. "I want to know how it feels to abandon the people who depend on you most."
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I shook my head. "It's the worst feeling in the world," I said honestly.
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"You know, Atlas truly surprised me today, I was convinced he was going to surrender the map for you. I'm surprised, I thought he loved you more." Oblivion shrugged. "That was a slight miscalculation on my part."
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"He made the right choice."
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"He did," Oblivion agreed. "You're nothing but a useless shell of a man who deserted his family, I wouldn't trade a pile of refuse for you."
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"You're right, I left my family and I deserve whatever happens to me now."
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I could sense Oblivion's frown. "It's no fun when you don't fight back."
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"Sorry to disappoint." I stared down at the ground in shame.
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"I have to go." Oblivion slid open the cell doors and waved. "Enjoy your last twenty-four hours alive, Pedro."
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