Katrina dragged me down the darkened hallway, leaving crimson footprints of Mason's blood trailing behind her.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAQXWXXVL0y9
I gazed back at the computer room, where Mason was bleeding out alone.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAdWbAKbuo7X
"Where are we going? Shouldn't I be searching for the Annihilation Code in the database?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAaOTufEtmGl
Katrina laughed. "You must not know much about the way Bionic Corp is run."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAoD5qeqwufc
I crossed my arms defensively. "I was a hacker for them, remember?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAEd0WyWbvg9
"Yeah, but you don't know them like I do. They'd never store something as important as the Annihilation Code in such an obvious spot. It has to be hidden somewhere we wouldn't expect."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAxoJTX7oWc9
I need to put my foot down with her. Katrina is a loose cannon, I have to take what I want while I still have the chance. I took several deep breaths, but it didn't stop the rush of my pounding heart. I didn't know how Katrina would react to being stood up to. "We can go on your little treasure hunt after you take me to Patch."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAeGAZ3pMtCp
Katrina froze. "Um, no. We're getting the Annihilation Code first, then I'll free your uncle."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAsZsByMkT5T
I shook my head. "Patch will be dead soon if we don't save him. The code will still be here when we get back."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAVASDu7MBUM
"How do I know you'll still help me after I give up my leverage? How do I know you won't turn on me after that?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAokGZ8f4SEy
"Because I'm not a backstabbing traitor like you."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAQLVBdVfK05
She flinched, it was very subtle, but I noticed. For some reason, my words had an effect on her. She shook herself out of whatever daze she was in and waved the pistol around haphazardly. "The person with the gun decides what we do next. Everyone knows that, Marisa. So, follow me." She guided me to the room full of newspapers. She flipped over one of the boxes and dumped the contents on the ground. "Don't just stand there, help me search!"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAQSABxeDWjP
I crossed my arms and shot her an incredulous look."You think the Annihilation Code is hidden in a box of old newspapers?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAkLNatdF5Lo
"It's the last place anyone would expect."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAC88bji9Mjo
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe afterward we can check the dumpsters outside."
342Please respect copyright.PENANACAcNgrofM6
"Great idea!" She said, not detecting my sarcasm. She unfolded the newspapers on the ground and began tearing through them for anything useful.
342Please respect copyright.PENANATWOCivVhXF
"Why do you even need me to sift through old newspapers? I thought you needed a hacker."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAwHzmjhMD3C
She shrugged. "You never know what you'll need on a quest like this one."
342Please respect copyright.PENANA3AyqVrn1Lt
"I'm not even that good of a hacker. You could easily find someone better than me at Bionic Corp."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAqtgZpBAA6K
"I know, but you're the best I could do on short notice. Plus, I already have leverage over you."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAG382ncPLtC
"Isn't your boss going to wonder where you are?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAi3FiBNySPU
"Nope. That's what holograms are for. As long as no one touches me, it will look like I'm on patrol. Truly a marvel of modern technology. I don't know how I'd live without them."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAU1QOeEVolR
"Can't they track your cybernetics?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAEY7gs1L8rh
She shrugged. "They can, but they won't unless they have a reason to believe I'm not where I'm supposed to be."
342Please respect copyright.PENANASM4xke1JXl
I knelt beside her and sifted through the headlines.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAnlUAPLaY8U
13 Workers Killed in Accident at Bionic Corp Factory. Employees Protest Unsafe Working Conditions.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAJwDEaNLimg
Bionic Corp's Cyborg Army Recruitment Program Targets Foster Kids and Low-Income Citizens.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAcpt9OeOC7n
Bionic Corp Workers Condemn Grueling Workload and Low Pay.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAKR8AYwjvTI
Bionic Corp Conspiracy to Turn Troubled Youths Into Cybernetic Child Soldiers. Here's what you need to know.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAdbQMDL9IVt
Bionic Corp Ignores Stalking Reports Against Chief Financial Officer. Woman Who Reported Him Found Dead Weeks Later.
342Please respect copyright.PENANA8kxBcPsVU0
Bionic Corp Found Responsible for Toxic Waste Found in Florida Everglades.
342Please respect copyright.PENANA5aa4i67luY
"Have you noticed how these headlines have something in common?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAnjzcSrxpr8
"Yeah, Bionic Corp doesn't take kindly to slander. They sued until these articles were taken off the web permanently. They confiscated what few physical papers existed."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAyXlhwKonV3
"It's not slander if it's true," I argued.
342Please respect copyright.PENANApAFY0Dsqr2
"Sure, but there's not enough evidence to prove it, and our lawyers are vicious. They hardly ever lose." She set down the pistol in an empty gap on the floor between us. She carefully read the names of each journalist. "I annihilated several of these journalists, you know?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAWmzEZ68KpQ
"Why are you telling me this?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAJAIFBC40CC
"Because I'm not allowed to talk about it with anyone. It's one of our rules that we never mention the murder after it happens. We're not even allowed to speak the names of the people we've killed after the deed is done. I'm sure they'd find a way to punish me for even thinking about them if it were possible. Soon they won't be able to afford to hurt me anymore. Once I'm the only person who has the code, I'll finally be safe," she whispered almost to herself.
342Please respect copyright.PENANArJFlybzD2U
Just as we finally finished sorting through the first box, she poured out a second box on top of our previous stack.
342Please respect copyright.PENANABfqMg1WASW
"Katrina! You're making a mess." I scolded.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAp92a4Y9Vu9
"Who cares. Now hurry up, we have a whole room full of boxes to go through.
342Please respect copyright.PENANARTXLIjWw2q
I let out several deep exhalations and relaxed my muscles. It took every ounce of my willpower to stop myself from losing my temper. She was acting like an impatient child, and I couldn't take it much longer. I want to go home. I studied Katrina as she flipped through the pages. Does she actually think the Annihilation Code is here, or is she trying to waste my time? "What are we doing here, Katrina? Why are you making me go through all these papers? What are you really looking for?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAXxyBtz3AHm
"My mother," She spoke, so softly I had to lean in to hear. "She was a revolutionary. She exposed Bionic Corp's shady business practices. She disappeared when I was a toddler. I've searched all over the world for any kind of trace of her, but there's nothing. It's like she never existed at all. I was hoping maybe in here I could find some remnant of her in here somewhere."
342Please respect copyright.PENANARYoroiEwy4
"She'd be disappointed in you."
342Please respect copyright.PENANApOrvzg0XUB
"I know," she said, tears glistened in her turquoise eyes. "but look where all her rebellion got her. She's gone, and the world is no better than when she left it. What's the point in fighting back, Marisa? We might as well make the best of our situation. We can't stop Bionic Corp, no one can."
342Please respect copyright.PENANARxoRjQpDma
I'd never seen her so serious. This version of her was so different from her bubbly persona. Which version was the real her? Is she Katrina Madden, the vivacious rock star? Oblivion, the ruthless assassin? Is she the lonely person I'm speaking to right now? Maybe she's a culmination of all of them. I don't have time to solve the puzzle that is Katrina Madden. Patch needs me. In a split second, I grabbed the gun between us and aimed it squarely at her forehead.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAYJ8GSBlU30
"Katrina raised her hands in surrender. "Woah, woah, woah, calm down. Let's be reasonable here. There's no need to make any rash decisions. We can talk this through!"
342Please respect copyright.PENANA6pc3CWwqLP
"I don't want to talk. I want you to take me to Patch, now." My hands shook as I fingered the trigger. I took deep breaths in an attempt to subdue my incoming panic. What was I doing? This is so unlike me. I don't hold people at gunpoint, I'm not even brave enough to go outside. I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAmcV3OAceEP
Katrina nodded vigorously. "Okay! Okay. I can do that for you, easy-peasy. Just don't shoot me. I haven't gotten my bulletproof steel skull enhancements yet. I can't take it!"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAMO54CnZr4W
My suspicions were correct. She's afraid to die. That's good. She has a weakness I can use to my advantage. As long as I'm holding this gun to her head, she'll do what I ask of her. "It's like you said, Katrina. The person with the gun decides what we do next. I say, take me to Patch!"
342Please respect copyright.PENANA4cA8pNxReJ
Katrina reluctantly nodded and turned towards the door. "It was very rude of you to turn a gun on me after I was vulnerable with you."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAV4ECB5O8p6
"It was very rude of you to shoot my brother."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAH8WggQI2Zn
"Touché."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAfMG7fKScAH
I nudged the back of her skull with the barrel of my gun. "Less talking, more walking."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAguoBIOiuZR
"Okay, okay." She obliged my request and guided me up the stairs and outside the building.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAc3tObwS3Yr
I gazed out at the sea for any sign of Atlas or Chase, but I couldn't spot any trace of them.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAvhE6Pjl7aG
She meandered down the road, glancing back at me every couple of seconds to check if I'd let my guard down. Not today. Not ever.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAp0zf73w4hv
We stopped outside the garbage holding facility.
342Please respect copyright.PENANA1tzzVCT5kK
"Here we are!" She gestured towards the dump like she was the host of a game show and the building was a car I'd just won.
342Please respect copyright.PENANANppEMaHMdl
"You hold your hostages in the garbage facility, of all places?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAn4TyRTVo9p
"Yep, it's the perfect location. No one wants to spend more time here than necessary, much less poke around." Katrina unlocked the door by using a microchip in her wrist.
342Please respect copyright.PENANA6aQML53Chh
"This whole operation feels illegal and unethical."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAe1KVBLB5sx
"Oh, it is. It violates several local laws and The Geneva Convention." Katrina led me inside the facility and locked the door behind us.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAdkhAwYZxqt
I pinched my nose and stared at piles of garbage. "This is where Bionic Corp belongs." I didn't realize I'd said that out loud until I heard Katrina snort with laughter. "What? You're not mad at me for disrespecting your overlords?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAHom91zskV5
She chuckled. "Hell no! I hate Bionic Corp. I probably loathe Bionic Corp more than most people do because I have the inside scoop. I know things the public would riot about if they ever discovered. I only work for Bionic Corp because I was drafted, just like Atlas and Mason and a bunch of others, but no one gives a damn about poor little me. Because I'm the bad guy and everything is my fault. That's what you think about me, right?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAjCCxssoUY8
I didn't respond, but she took that as an answer.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAeXEU8O57ud
"That's right, you think I'm the wicked villainess who's out to steal your firstborn child and make a coat out of puppies. That's how everyone sees me. No one seems to care that I've killed fewer people than Curseword or Vindicator. No one pays any mind to the fact that I was an orphan just like you because I'm Oblivion, and I'm the villain in your narrative!"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAixCbWRYGzs
"Maybe everyone thinks you're the villain because
you are one."
342Please respect copyright.PENANATaAEsiZWeM
"I knew you couldn't understand. You've always had it easy."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAyDNJzO3eUL
I clenched my fists. It took everything in me to restrain myself from punching her. "You think I had it easy? My life hasn't been all sunshine and roses, but I didn't become a remorseless killer like you."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAhLY3xcrkKB
"You don't know what it's like to be me! Your whole life, you've always had someone to take care of you. Your parents, your brother, your uncle, but me, I've been on my own since I was old enough to walk. I had to be violent to survive. I had to learn to relish it. The streets aren't a safe place for a little girl. It's kill or be killed out there. I did what I had to do to protect myself. So, no, I don't feel bad."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAlgOvbNgQqK
"What about all the people you killed for Bionic Corp? That wasn't self-defense."
342Please respect copyright.PENANALG4wVGXPRi
"I'm just following orders, Marisa. If I don't do as they say, they'll kill me and have someone else take my place. If I don't do it, someone else will."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAI9VYzSbFfV
I frowned. "It's still not okay."
342Please respect copyright.PENANA8wtk1nWl1n
"I know, I'm not asking you to excuse my actions."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAUVGdoqrk75
"Then what are you asking for?" It felt like our conversations were going in circles. She insists she's not the villain, and I put her back in her place again and again. What is she hoping to gain from all this?
342Please respect copyright.PENANAxOcdADMM82
Her voice quavered ever so slightly. "I don't know."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAuUfsuc4bnc
I wanted to deliver some kind of retort. I wanted to ridicule her for her lack of conviction. She hasn't seemed to care about anything at all or have any sort of self-awareness. Something held me back from speaking my mind. Maybe it was how sad and pitiful she looked at the moment.
342Please respect copyright.PENANA0E9GFVhBUu
After her brief moment of indecision, she began groping the back wall, rubbing her hands up and down, and applying pressure.
342Please respect copyright.PENANABz3RaHrKu5
I shot her a puzzled look. "What the hell are you doing?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAcWEbcRMhpB
"I know there's a secret passageway around here somewhere. That's where they're keeping Patch."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAfNo5eC1OXn
"You don't know where the secret passage is?" I said, incredulous. "Don't you work here?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAxxQBDTJVVk
"I don't usually slum it with the prisoners, okay?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAb5jrXgcB4u
I rolled my eyes and began feeling the wall beside Katrina.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAs0MAljRSmg
"It won't open for you, silly. You need a microchip to get in."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAeyIsP6djaK
Great. How convenient.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAM9Xrnmmmxp
A small security bot whirred past us.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAOMZzUoouxf
"Hey! You! Where'd the secret passage go? Did you guys move it while I was out?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANA4jsLAaib9C
He scanned her body from head to toe, then spoke. "Hello, Cyborg 11120189141 Call sign: Oblivion." He extended his little robot arm towards the opposite wall. "You're on the wrong side, miss. The passage to the holding cells is that way."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAU8OtJOoIEr
Katrina rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Whoops."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAJCESbxMIyw
The robot scanned me next. "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! This person is not authorized to enter this establishment. Intruder Alert!"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAHyluDFq1A7
I fired two shots directly into the robot's circuit board.
342Please respect copyright.PENANALoA294LhkU
Katrina shot me an approving smirk. "Thank you. I can't stand those little things. They're so annoying, and they're always in my way. I'm constantly tripping over them."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAalT5m8PQmR
"Bionic Corp's top assassin gets foiled by a bunch of tiny security bots?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAzY59pvOl3K
"Hey, I'm a busy woman. I don't have time to look where I'm going."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAijEbyZvec7
I waltzed over to the back wall and motioned for Katrina to follow me. She did as she was told and joined me on the other side of the room. She moved her hand up and down, left and right, until she finally located the hidden scanner and the passage opened up.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAg8w5WVBT6n
We trudged down the long, darkened corridor until we reached a fork in the path.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAg9P8tZau7Q
"Which way do we go?" I asked.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAEgjtKfjRMH
"Hold on, I'm thinking."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAXaqaaXgJAG
"I can't believe you don't know."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAqTcTBT36o5
"It's like I already said, I don't come here often."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAdyLn63uztz
"Halt!" A cyborg dressed in a Bionic Corp security uniform charged toward us with a rifle in hand. "Drop your weapons and identify yourselves."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAomNzVtBWYT
Before I had time to comply, he noticed Katrina and froze. "Oblivion, is that you?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAmFcm26SUEm
Katrina gave a dainty little wave. "Hi, Jordan."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAJn0IOm6wif
He poked her with the barrel of his rifle. A look of genuine surprise flashed across his face when his hand didn't phase through her. "How nice of you to actually show up to work for once."
342Please respect copyright.PENANA6lSRVZnryZ
"Today is a special day, so I've decided to grace you all with my presence."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAU937BJxrLg
Jordan played along with her antics. "What did we do to deserve such an honor?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANA58R35SzD63
"I'm here on super important assassin business. I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." She winked at him.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAFtAb8L0GhF
He didn't look amused. He haphazardly pointed his rifle towards me. "Who the hell is that?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAeVdXEFDj9b
Katrina waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, her?" Katrina glanced at me like she'd never seen me before. "She's from the tech department. She's helping me out with some stuff."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAKarf10CboY
"Well, I'm going to need to scan your IDs. The whole place is on high alert. There was word of an intruder."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAtBoKFQpD5L
"That was me. Whoopsie. One of the security bots malfunctioned while it was scanning me. You know how stupid those little things can be. I don't know why we keep them around." Katrina nudged me in the side, signaling for me to play along.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAYsMbJkZUpQ
"Um, yes. That is definitely what happened. Those dumb little robots were at it again."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAresSp95OWN
"That is the most obvious lie I've ever heard. Care to tell me what's really going on, Katrina?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAqfVFHzrBnd
"Listen, I'm going to cut to the chase, I need to release one of the prisoners."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAeSnV4sNbL6
He folded his arms across his chest. "No."
342Please respect copyright.PENANA28pg1Rv17r
Katrina pursed her lips into a pout, clearly unhappy with hearing the word no. "Come on, Jordan. Help me out. Are we not friends?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANA6H8e8KAf44
"First, I don't have friends anymore, I have colleagues. Second, I can't just defy orders. I'm not you. I can't just do whatever I want with little to no consequences."
342Please respect copyright.PENANALmRYNNwDWQ
"Why does everyone keep talking about the consequences of my actions, all of a sudden? I've never had any before."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAjDApPL3lip
"That's my point, Katrina. Ever since you got promoted to top assassin, you've been able to get away with whatever you want. I don't have that privilege. Bionic Corp is willing to give you extra leniency because of your position, but if you keep slacking off, they're going to take you out and replace you. You hear me?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANA79xbEZvy66
Katrina glanced down and twiddled her thumbs. "That's why I'm here. She gestured towards me. "This little pain in my ass right here won't help me unless I bust her uncle out of captivity. She's even pulled a gun on me, if you haven't noticed. So, I could really use a favor."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAKDtH0NYSNr
He shook his head vehemently. "No. No way. I can't be involved in this. They'll torture me and strip me for parts!"
342Please respect copyright.PENANA9c4uX2M19l
"Only if you get caught."
342Please respect copyright.PENANA3rgJPl7q0U
"What's going to happen after you die?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAbWzhnj0WZl
"Pfffft. I'm not gonna die. Nothing can kill me, I'm too awesome.
342Please respect copyright.PENANABTMPOOMTVq
Jordan shook his head disapprovingly. "This is serious. Everyone dies at some point. What's going to happen when you die, and you're the only one who knows the code? Assassinations will be drastically harder to pull off."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAUnYceacakJ
"Is that such a bad thing?" I muttered.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAKBVmXXmBgr
He pursed his lips in thought for several moments, then said, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAfEBjdBbHOM
"Okay, then." In the blink of an eye, she unsheathed a dagger and sliced open his hand. She extracted his bloody microchip. "If Bionic Corp asks, tell them I forced you to help. Thanks, Jordan!" Katrina grabbed my wrist and dragged me down the shadowed hallway.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAM44cli1G9g
"You're not welcome!" He shouted after us but decided not to chase us down.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAv6IZrfjpDk
I was grateful, I didn't think I could outrun him.
342Please respect copyright.PENANAZXxzpE8EOF
We stopped outside a large steel door. "Is this where you're keeping Patch?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAt36SniWcIN
"I think so. This cell either belongs to him or Chainsaw Pete. He's this crazed cyborg serial killer with chainsaws for arms. Why don't you go inside and check?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANA9u0wBSeYKR
I shot her an incredulous look. "Are you just trying to scare me?"
342Please respect copyright.PENANAwGxxDwRIgT
She grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not."
342Please respect copyright.PENANAQ2G0UuO6v2
Katrina handed me Jordan's microchip, and I scanned the keypad with it. I took several deep breaths and hesitantly slid open the door.
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