Chapter 1.3 - Kill or Die
I take out my phone and check out Sato Roland’s lab location. It is not that near… But I am sure with Black’s sprinting ability; she could be there in less than a minute.
“Black, I know you are really fast.” I say in consideration.
Black nods and immediately continues, “I know I would have to wait for you at least. How about we go together? Do you want me to carry you along? Piggyback ride? Or I could princess carry you…” Black smiles playfully.
“Neither.” I reply coolly. What is she thinking? PRINCESS CARRY? PIGGYBACK? No way! “We will be going with my bike.”
Black looks at me slightly disappointed. “If I can’t carry you… At least I get to drive… right?”
“No.” I walk towards the door and open it. I look back and smile coolly, “You won’t be able to handle it.”
Black follows me out and I whistle. Black laughs at my whistling because she couldn’t hear a thing. I didn’t bother telling her I whistled at a frequency normal human couldn’t hear.
In a brief moment, a black bike appears. Black is shock beyond words. I smug. “This is Aries; my bike.” The engine roars, as if to respond to her introduction.
Black’s jaw drops. I have an impression that it dropped way down until it touches the floor. I can’t help but to laugh at her expression. Although she is noisy, she is hilariously funny at the same time.
“Come on up, or you will miss the chance of your lifetime to have a ride with me.” I half-smile at her as I get onto my bike.
“Wait… Is that thing safe?” Black eyes Aries suspiciously. “I think I am better off running.”
Aries roars again as if to protest.
Is she scared? That thought quickly form in my mind. I smile at her brightly. “Do you want to get into my way?”
Black quickly shakes her head. She doesn’t know me as much as I know her. She knows that fully well and knows that is best not to mess with a senior. She holds her breath and get onto the bike.
“Hold on tight.” Without giving her a moment to adjust herself, I speed up and drive towards Sato Roland’s lab.
Black grabs my waist out of a sudden which sent a shiver down my spine.
“YOU DO NOT HOLD ME BY THE WAIST!” I shout. The sound of the engine and the wind made it hard for communication.
“BUT THIS IS TOO FAST FOR ME!” Black shouts back. What? WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT? THIS IS TOO FAST?
“I HAVE MOTION SICKNESS!” Oh I see… So she has motion sickness… No wonder she wants to drive.
I speed up even more knowing she have motion sickness. It’s fun to tease her. Her grip on my waist tightens as Aries got faster and faster. We reach around some bushes hidden in view from Sato Roland’s lab but also a place where we can spy on in less than 5 minutes. It’s 0000 sharp. Mission commenced.
“There are two guards up front you could easily bypass with your speed. Do not use the elevator. It is in lockdown. The moment an unauthorised person pressed the button, it will set off an alarm. Run up using the stairs to the fifth floor. There will be a huge room down the hallway. To get in, you will need a key card. To get the key card, you must steal it from the guards in the security room on the second floor.” I take out a paper and briefly draw a plan of the building as I start explaining what Black have to do in the mission. Black, still pale with the motion sickness take deep breaths while listening intensely to my plan.
“Avoid fighting… We do not kill innocent people. After getting the key card and entering the room on the fifth floor,” I hand her a USB flashdrive. “Use this and back up all his files. Then, you are to destroy his files by keying in a virus. Of course, you could always destroy them by force… Your choice entirely.” I give her a disc that has a skull image drawn on it. “I made this virus… So far there aren’t any antivirus systems or firewall that could stop this virus from spreading.”
She takes both items and stares at the disc. She laughed out loudly when she saw the skull image.
“THIS. IS. JUST. AMAZING.” I give her a confused look.
“This is priceless. What would be more suited to be portrayed as virus than a skull image?” She smiles brightly. “You are so cute.” She said teasingly.
I raise an eyebrow in question but ignore her last remark. “It is easy to understand. I think a skull image is better than to just write the word ‘viruses on the disc.” I snort with irritation. “At any rate, we are wasting time here. Get moving already.”
“Wait… What are you gonna do then?” Black looks at me puzzled.
“I get the fun job. I get to kill Sato Roland.” I smug. “Now go. After mission accomplished, you may return to report without me.”
“Why?” She tilts her head curiously.
“Because your mission is to back up and destroy the data, while mine would be to finish off Sato Roland.” I answer her coldly. “There is no need to wait for each other. That would be a waste of both of our time.”
Black looks at me with slight hesitation but nods.
“Kill or die. Let see whose luck runs out first.” I smile and ride Aries towards the building next to Sato Roland’s lab.
It is under construction and there are tower cranes parked there; waiting for the workers to continue their work the next day. I see the opportunity of using one of the long crane runway as a ladder to go up to the roof of Sato Roland’s lab. I ride Aries up one of the crane and leap off into the air and safely landed on the top floor of Sato Roland’s lab.
I look around my surroundings and find an entrance to the stairs. I use my see-through ability and see that there are two guards guarding the stairs. I guess the roof is as good as nothing if you can’t access the stairs. I open the hatchway as quietly as possible and throw both of my daggers in the neck of the two guards and kill them stealthily. I jump and land lightly onto the ground and retrieve my daggers. I run ahead knowing where Sato Roland is as if I made an appointment to meet him.
There are however very few guards on this floor. I feel slightly alarmed. Why isn’t anyone guarding Sato Roland? However, I will not shame myself by running away because of some small issues that might not be an issue at all.
When I reach Sato Roland’s door, I know that he knows that I was coming. I can see that he is sitting down on his big armchair, smiling smugly, waiting for me to enter. Why? How can he possibly know? I didn’t use any route that might be captured by the security camera. So how? It is too late to turn back now. Suddenly, I feel a hard object touching the back of my skull. Immediately, I know that it was a gun. I could easily get out of this situation but I am curious of how Sato Roland knows that I am coming.
I knock before entering with manners.
“Come in.” I could hear the laughter in his voice. He must have thought that he got me cornered by having a gun pointed at my head. It’s not good to underestimate your enemy… Let alone underestimating me.
I walk in quietly and try to hear the footsteps that walk in with me… Four different types of footsteps could be heard. So there are four enemies behind me. What a party this will be. I half-smile in my heart.
I fake a scared face to please him, all to find out how he knows that I was coming.
“H-How did you… know?” I speak in terror. I could see that he shows confidence on his face. He thinks that he is winning. He have fall into my trap now.
“Simple.” He turns the monitor screen towards me. I could see Black in the program room, trying to backed up the files. THAT IDIOT. I AM SO GOING TO KILL HER.
“Your… Friend here… You see… She wasn’t as careful as you… The moment I saw her going for the program room, I knew that someone would be coming for my head as well… I purposely clear a route for you. I lead you right here into my trap.” He smug.
Right… Right into your trap, my ass. Right into MY trap that is. I have decided to toy with him since he is so confident with his… trap. This is what you get when you try to toy with me.
Without a moment to lose, I quickly crouch and kick the guy behind me. He lost his balance and falls down. I pick up the gun and quickly disassemble it. The other guard sees this and went into shock for a second. I quickly step on the guy that fell on his chest’s pressure point and he faints.
Four of us eye at each other warily, waiting for someone to attack first. One of the guards couldn’t stand to wait any longer, runs toward me and tries to shoot me with his gun. Luckily for me, I am faster than a gun. The bullet went through my hair but misses Sato Roland which was behind me sitting comfortably on his armchair. Easily reading his move, I dodge left and hit him on the neck with my hand. Now facing Sato Roland, I could see that he almost wet himself since his own man almost sent a bullet flying right through his skull.
“What are you two doing? GET HER!” He screams out with frustration. The two saw what happened and they rush at me together at once. I read that the one on the left would be kicking me from below trying to make me jump so that the one on my right could surely land a bullet at me when I jump.
Knowing what my enemies would do, I take a quicker measure to seal off their movement. I use an inhuman speed dash towards the back of the man on my left and kick him. He went flying and hit the guy who is on my right. Right before they could react, I pick up the gun on the floor and aim at them. “Don’t test me. I could make this bullet fly straight through both your head at the same time.”
They quickly raise their hand and I tie them up. Sato Roland is now pointing a gun at me. He is shaking in fear and panic. I smile at him. “Do you really think you could hit me with that toy?” I can read that he wants to shoot me. All of a sudden, Sato Roland smiles confidently.
“We will see.” Instead of pulling the trigger, Sato Roland did not act according to his thinking. He suddenly presses a button on his desk. Suddenly the alarm is ringing. I dash towards him to finish him off but suddenly, something hit me. A guard rushes in because of the alarm. He must have saw his opportunity from the security footage playing on his monitor. I didn’t realise because the alarm ringing hides away the man’s running sound.
“Damn.” I am starting to lose my consciousness… I think I have been paralysed… Is this the end?
I use the last of my strength to strike the man with my dagger. He dodges away easily. I shall show no more mercy to my enemy if I ever get to live pass this day.
Weaken by the drug that was injected in me, I start to slide down against the wall… I could blurry notice Sato Roland is laughing hardly while pointing the gun at me. I feel so unsatisfied. How could I die like this?
“Good bye.” He slowly pulls the trigger. I close my eyes ready to welcome death.
The loud sound of the gunshot never came. I struggle to open my eyes. A blurry face starts to form in my retina. A beautiful face. So white that it looks like it is made of porcelain. It’s Black. What is she doing here? I told her she could leave after her mission is done. I don’t need her to save me.
“Looks like you’ve hurt my partner a little too much.” She says as she pats on my head. I struggle to keep my eyes open. Black, now facing Sato Roland; I can’t see her expression. However, seeing the faint thoughts of Sato Roland, I guess she must be making a scary face. Black with a scary face… How I wish I get to see it…
All of a sudden, Black disappears and reappears behind the man who shot me. What speed… She is really fast. Vaguely, I see her hugging him from the back. His eyes widen in shock. Slowly, she traced his face with her nails; long sharp nails that draws out a bloody trail along his face. He struggles to get away from her. She stretches open both of her arms and blood splash out from the man’s body. The man screams in pain and terror. The amount of blood isn’t enough to give him an adrenaline rush. She is torturing him. Faint screaming and panting could be heard even after she releases him and he slides down onto the floor. Slowly but certainly, dying.
As I am starting to lose consciousness… I faintly hear that Black and Sato Roland are talking about something. I try hard to keep my eyes open.
…
When I feel my consciousness returning, the first thing I notice is that I am being carried. I slowly open my eyes and I see a white face with red lines decoration in closed up. I blink and realise it is Black… And the red lines are blood of her victims. The last thing I remember before I blacked out… Is that gorgeous woman with red pattern decorated on her face, licking the blood off her nails.
What the- What is she? A psychopath?
I must have slightly move and she immediately realise I am awake. “Good morning, beautiful.” She says cheerfully.
I roll my eyes at her greeting and I struggle to make her drop me. I know it is still during the night time when I first opened my eyes. I roughly guess that I must have passed out for an hour or two judging from my body condition.
“Whoa-whoa-whoa there… Careful dear, we don’t want more injuries now, do we?” Black laughs out.
“I have already reported back to the organisation. Mission well accomplished. Do you agree?”
Is she mocking me? Knowing that I am a proud assassin; getting injured and nearly dying… Saying that this mission is “WELL” accomplished. IS. SHE. TRYING. TO. GET. A. PIECE. OF. ME?
“I would not thank you.” I say stiffly. I try to escape and now her grip on me gets tighter. “If you have avoided the security camera, he would not have known I would be there.”
I know that excuse is lame, unprofessional excuse with millions of loopholes. To my shock and some part of me already knew, she didn’t penalise me. Instead, she just smiles warmly and nods.
All of a sudden, I feel weak yet annoyed. It is as if I am played right into her hands.
She brings me to some grassland and lays me down. The wind blows and the scent of grass could be smell. I look up and the view was breathtaking. Millions of stars lined in the sky. For a moment, I have forgotten that I was Nezumi; the proud and arrogant assassin. I have forgotten that Black is my partner… The partner that I detest because of my own selfishness…
“Isn’t this place beautiful?” Black says softly. I nod as I close my eyes and blend in with the nature. “I found this place when I was doing some touring in the city.”
I furrow my brows. Can she not speak and enjoy the nature? I didn’t reply. “Look! I can trace the horoscope stars.”
The more I silent myself, the more she speaks.
After a while, I got use to it. I just sit back and close my eyes. Her presence slowly becomes less annoying. Slowly, I relax myself a little more and more. Slowly… I fall asleep.
Hate to admit it… Despite her enthusiasm, her voice is like a lullaby. Her presence from an annoying brat changed into a soothing companion. Almost like a guardian… Accompanying the lonely me. A little like a fireplace warming up the cold air after a heavy rain.
For the first time since forever, I have a dreamless night.
I open my eyes, a part of me know it. Everything is too good to be true. If the accident never happen I will not encounter all this. If so, what will my life be then?
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