I felt Chase reactivate our cerebral link. I was getting used to the feeling of having someone else in my brain. I sensed waves of distress coming from him. "Chase, what's going on?"
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Chase sounded winded. How could he be hyperventilating inside his brain? "Oblivion is here! Well, kind of."
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"What do you mean, kind of? Is Oblivion here or not?"
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"The costume is here. I suspect the person within isn't far away."
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"Where are you?" I asked.
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"I'm in an office, nine doors down, in the right-wing."
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"I'm coming to find you." I sprinted down the corridors, almost plowing into several party-goers, but I didn't care, Chase needed me.
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"This is going to sound crazy, but I think Aunt Marjorie might be Oblivion. Why else would she have the costume in her house? She has a special place for it and everything!"
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"You think your elderly, billionaire aunt is an assassin?" I couldn't keep the incredulity out of my tone.
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"It's possible," Chase argued.
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"She doesn't seem like the type to do her own dirty work. Doesn't this seem beneath her?"
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Chase scoffed."The only thing beneath her is the ninth circle of Hell."
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I rolled my eyes. "She doesn't seem spry enough to pull that off.
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Chase thought about it for a moment, then muttered, "I hate it when you're right."
186Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3j0tgEeIw
I fought back a self-satisfied grin. "She may not be Oblivion, but it is highly suspicious that she has the costume and gear in her house."
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"I've been trying to tell you, she's no good!"
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I slid to a halt when I reached the office door. I withdrew my knives and kicked the door open.
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Chase let out a relieved breath when he saw me. "There you are! What took you so long? If this were a real emergency, Oblivion would've tried to turn me into flesh soup by now."
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I pursed my lips in an exasperated expression. "Well, good thing this wasn't a real emergency."
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Chase crossed his arms. "Don't look at me like that. I know you'd be inconsolable if your best friend was turned into flesh soup."
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My eyebrow shot upward. "Are you implying that you're my best friend?"
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"Of course I am! Who else would it be? Patch? Gabriel St. Martin? Your cat?"
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I wanted to argue, but he had a point. I was lacking in the close companions' department.
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The loud sound of heels clacking against the granite floors rapidly approached us. I dove behind the desk, pulling Chase behind me. The size of the desk, combined with the darkness of the room, should be enough to shroud both of us from view. As long as Chase's sparkly disco ball of a jacket doesn't blow our cover.
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The sound of clicking heels grew louder as someone entered the office. "Do you want to explain yourself?" The voice belonged to Marjorie Spoketon. It sounded like she was talking to someone on her Holowatch.
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"Not really." The person on the other end of the line replied. I recognized the grating, raspy voice on the other end of the line. Oblivion.
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Chase and I shared an anxious glance.
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"I'm not asking, I'm ordering you to tell me why you let them escape with a piece of the map! How careless can you possibly be!" Marjorie shouted.
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"Relax, you old hag. I have a plan."
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She slammed her fists on the desk. "I'm growing tired of your disrespect, child!"
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"Why don't you replace me then?"
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"I'm seriously considering it," Marjorie said.
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"Ha! No one can do this job as well as I can!"
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"Curseword could do this job twice as well as you can!"
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Oblivion growled. "Well, why don't you make him your attack dog instead!"
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"Oh, he will be, one day, but for now, I'm stuck with you," Marjorie said, her voice dripping with disgust.
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What was she talking about? I'm never going back there! I can't! I'd rather die! My entire body went numb, and my heart racked so violently that it felt like my chest was going to tear open. I tried to count backward, but at that moment, all language escaped me.
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Chase rubbed my back in a soft circular motion, easing my panicked mind. He must have sensed my pain. "That won't happen. I'll burn Bionic Corp to the ground before I let them harm you again. Just get me some gas and matches, and I'll torch those suckers alive." Chase said, through our cerebral link.
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I doubted Chase could take down all of Bionic Corp single-handedly, but I appreciated the sentiment.
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I'll be seeing you around, Marjorie." Oblivion said.
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"Don't you dare hang up on me! We have not finished this conversation!" Her words were futile, Oblivion had already hung up. "Insolent child!"
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I heard Marjorie drop her purse on the desk. She rummaged through it, frantically searching for something.
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I held my breath and stayed as still as a statue. I closed my eyes and prayed she wouldn't spot us. I felt something cold press against my forehead. I opened my eyes to see Marjorie holding a pistol to my head. She pressed a matching pistol against Chase's forehead.
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A look of terror flashed across his face. He mouthed the word, help.
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I sent him an apologetic look. There wasn't anything I could do at the moment. I raised my hands behind my head in surrender.
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Marjorie smirked. "Smart boy. You should try to be more like him, Charles."
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Chase grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath, but he reluctantly put his hands up.
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A satisfied expression spread across her face. "Maybe you're not completely stupid after all."
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"What do you want?" Chase snapped.
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"That's the question I should be asking you. You are the ones who broke into my office after all."
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"We didn't break in, we got lost on our way to the bathroom," Chase lied.
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I scowled at him. Don't tell obvious lies to the lady holding a gun!
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Marjorie let out a forlorn sigh. "I can't believe you'd betray me, Charles. After how kind I've been to you."
186Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlGWq11dQY
Chase stifled a snicker. "Yeah, you've treated me so well over the years. It's not like you sent an assassin after me or anything."
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Someone pounded on the office door. "Miss Spoketon, I need to speak to you."
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"What is it? I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment!" Marjorie said, through gritted teeth.
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A security guard opened the door and dragged Katrina in behind him. "We caught her sneaking around upstairs."
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Katrina squirmed in the man's arms. "Release me, rapscallion! You have no idea what I'm capable of!" She spat on the guard's shoes.
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Marjorie rolled her eyes. "Leave her there. I'll deal with her in a minute."
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Katrina tried to make a run for it, but the security guard lifted her like she weighed nothing. She dangled helplessly in the air, trying to wriggle free. "I'm going to sue you for this!"
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The guard appeared unmoved by her spectacle.
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Eventually, Katrina accepted her capture and quit thrashing. That's when she noticed us. "Hey guys, did you get captured too?"
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"Um yeah, we're being held at gunpoint if you hadn't noticed," Chase said.
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"Well, at least we were apprehended as a team," Katrina said.
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Marjorie turned her attention to us. "Is she with you?"
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Chase glanced at Katrina, then nodded.
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Marjorie pursed her lips. "Is there anyone else working with you?"
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I shot Chase a pleading look, begging him to not divulge Marisa's location.
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Chase glanced back and forth between me and the gun. "Umm. No."
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Marjorie scowled. She turned to the guard. "Scour the place for the girl with the pink hair, who arrived with them, and keep your eyes open for anything suspicious."
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The guard nodded, then locked the office door, trapping us inside.
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Marjorie stared at my wrist. "That's a nice Holowatch you have there."
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I didn't dignify her with a response.
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"May I see it?"
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I clutched on to my Holowatch and shook my head.
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She tightened her grip on the pistol. "I am not playing around, young man."
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Neither was I. I met her glare and refused to waver.
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Her eyes shot daggers at us. " I know what you have on that watch, I want it back.
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Chase tried to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about. There's absolutely nothing on that watch. Right, Atlas?"
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I nodded and played along.
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"You don't want to go through that thing. All he does is read tasteless fanfictions on it," Katrina said.
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I shot her a quizzical glare.
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She giggled in response.
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Marjorie wasn't amused. "You knowthat map has been causing loads of trouble ever since it was stolen. I've been trying to retrieve it without causing any suspicion, but unfortunately, my assassin is going through a bit of a rebellious phase of is intentionally defying my orders. "
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"I'd like to offer you a trade, Mr. Contreras. "
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"You don't have anything that I want," I signed.
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"Are you sure about that?"
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She carefully placed one of the pistols on the desk, then pulled open one of the squeaky drawers. She reached inside and pulled out a Holopad. She pulled up live camera footage from a darkened room. I had to squint to make out exactly what I was seeing. It was Patch! All of my cybernetic parts had been stripped away, and he was restrained to a chair. His hair was greasy and matted, and his entire face was covered in bruises.
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Marjorie leaned into the microphone. "How's my favorite prisoner doing?"
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"Go burn in hell, you conniving old crone!"
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"You should learn to mind your manners, Pedro,"
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Patch winced at the sound of his given name.
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Marjorie continued speaking. "Especially, since I was kind enough to prepare a surprise for you."
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"I don't want anything from you!"
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"Oh, I think you'll like what I brought you." She angled the microphone towards me. "Say hello, Curseword."
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I crossed my arms and glowered at her.
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She laughed. "I forgot, you can't." Instead, she turned the camera in my direction.
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When Patch saw me, an expression I could quite decipher flashed across his face. It looked like a mix of shame and sorrow. "Hey, kiddo," He whimpered.
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I instinctively reached out towards the screen, I wanted to comfort him like he'd comforted me so many times in the past, but I couldn't reach him, I didn't even know where he was."Are you okay?" I signed.
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"Do I look okay?"
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Not in the slightest. I shook my head.
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He let out a halfhearted chuckle. "It feels worse than it looks." He scanned the background for Marisa. "Where's your sister?"
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"She's not here right now." I didn't want to share the details of Marisa's location while Marjorie was listening.
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Patch gave a relieved sigh. "At least she's safe."
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That wasn't exactly true, but I didn't correct him, I was more worried about him at the moment. "What happened to you?"
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"I tried to book passage off Ikigai II, but before I could escape, I was jumped and kidnapped by a band of Bionic Corp goons."
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I paused. "Wait. Why were you trying to leave Ikigai II?"
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Patch looked up at me with tears in his eye. "I was a coward. I ran away at the first sign of trouble. I didn't think about you or your sister. I only cared about self-preservation."
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I stood frozen in shock. How could he? I trusted him! I loved him! He was going to abandon his family because he was scared? I've never wished I could scream so badly.
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"I'm so sorry, Atlas. You deserve so much better than this. I wish your mother was still here; she never would've left you."
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I fought back tears. Rage coursed through my entire body. "You promised you'd take care of me!" I signed.
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He shook his head. "I know I did."
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"You lied!"
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"I know."
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My eyes welled up with tears, but I refused to let them fall. "You were going to abandon us without a word?"
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He nodded remorsefully. "Yeah, I was. I'm sorry, kid. You deserve to know the truth about me, I'm a fraud and a coward. I run away when things get hard. It's what I've always done. I've never told you about this side of me because you always looked at me like I was your hero, and it felt good to be revered for once."
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I turned away. I couldn't look at him. It hurt too much.
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"That's enough chit-chat. I'm here to make you an offer, Curseword. Your uncle is a criminal and a deserter. He deserves to be tried for his crimes, but I'm willing to release him in exchange for the map," Marjorie said.
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"Don't do it, kid! Forget about me!"
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I fiddled with the clasp on my Holowatch and stared up at him with a wistful expression. "I can't forget about you."
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"Don't be stupid, kid! This is bigger than you or me, this is about cyborgs everywhere!" Patch shouted.
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I glanced back and forth between Patch and the Holowatch. My gaze landed on Chase. I reactivated our cerebral link. "I don't know what to do."
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He rested his hand on my shoulder. "I'm on your side, no matter what you decide."
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His reassurance gave me the strength to say, "I'm keeping the map."
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Marjorie clenched her jaw. "I'm sorry to hear that." She redirected her attention to the Holopad. "Break his ribs."
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A cybernetic fist plowed into Patch's chest, causing him to double over in pain. He let out a wince and coughed up a smattering of blood.
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I squeezed my eyes shut, I couldn't watch.
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Marjorie grabbed my face. "Don't you dare look away from that screen! I want you to see the consequences of withholding the map from me. I will torture him for as long as it takes for you to hand over that map, you hear me?"
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I nodded ever so slightly.
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"Keep going," Marjorie ordered.
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The cyborg pummeled the other side of Patch's body, this time I heard a loud crack.
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"Don't you dare give it to her! I can take it!" Patch cried.
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Before I could respond, the lights flickered and then went out completely. Then our Holowatches short-circuited.
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"What the hell is going on here? Are you behind this?" Marjorie demanded.
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"Not that I know of," Chase replied.
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"Freedom!" Katrina shouted as she dashed towards the window. Her brilliant escape attempt was thwarted when someone blocked her way. Vindicator crept through the open window and slunk into the office. It was so dark that all we could see was his pale silhouette in the moonlight, but there was no doubt, it was definitely him. I knew it was just a trick of the light, but he looked like a vengeful spirit come to torment me. I felt him peer at me through narrowed eyes. "You didn't seriously think you'd gotten rid of me for good, did you?"
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"I mean, I was hoping that was the last of you," Chase said.
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"Unfortunately for you, I'm quite resilient." Vindicator trudged towards Marjorie and knocked the pistol out of her hands. "Where's the last piece of the map?" He shouted.
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"You wouldn't harm an old woman, would you?" Her voice quavered.
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"If the old woman is you, I don't have any qualms." He lifted her by the neck and throttled her. "You ruined my life, now I'm going to ruin yours. How long do you think you can keep your cyborg army in line without the threat of the Annihilation Code. An uprising is imminent, and when it happens, we will destroy you for what you've done to us." He threw her against the wall with a loud crash. "Tell me where you're hiding it!"
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"In the middle drawer," She croaked.
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Vindicator tugged at the handle. "It's locked!" He dug the heel of his boot into her face.
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"There's a key in a locked box under the desk. The password is 6502."
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I heard each button click as Vindicator punched in the numbers. He fiddled with the lock and key until it finessed open. The drawer squeaked open, and Vindicator pulled something out.
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The final fraction of the map illuminated the pitch-black room.
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Vindicator shoved it into his pocket, then stomped towards me. "Are you ready to be torn apart again, Curseword?"
186Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4usYoScQkE
No! My heart pounded with every step he took toward me. Despite my almost paralyzing fear, I wound up and punched him square in the jaw.
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He didn't flinch. He grabbed my arms and held me down.
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I tried to wrestle free, but he was much bigger and stronger than me. I felt like a kid again. This time, instead of tearing me apart, he yanked off my Holowatch. "Thanks for retrieving the rest of the map for me, Curseword. You're a real pal."
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"I'll get you for this!" Katrina pounced at him, but she missed and went sliding across the floor.
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Vindicator cackled. "Nice try."
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"Stop!" Chase shouted. "We know who you are now! We can report you to the police!"
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Vindicator froze for just a moment. "You know who I am?"
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"Yeah, we know all about you."
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Vindicator took a step closer, so he and Chase were eye to eye. "Then tell me, what's my name?"
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"Well, um, I don't know that, but I know other stuff about you."
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"You may think you've got me all figured out, but you've barely scratched the surface. There's still so much you haven't discovered about me." Vindicator ran towards his escape. He stopped and paused at the windowsill. "I'll kill you later, Curseword." Then he disappeared into the night.
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