The Liberal Assassin

A Long Night (2)

I turned around and a middle-aged man was looking at me. "Um… I'm supposed to go to a certain place but I'm already lost."

For a moment I was tense. Nobody would believe me when I seem so suspicious and out of place. Instead of grilling me for answers, the middle-aged man broke into a wide grin and slapped me hard across the back, causing me to stumble forward.

"I see how it is! You're new, aren't you? Don't worry about it. My name is Shanks, we have a lot of newbies here but you're one of the youngest I have seen. So, where are you heading?"

Unable to believe my luck, I stuttered the cryonics. Shanks raised an eyebrow and my heart died a little. "That's odd. The cryonics can only be accessed by one person. Are you sure you're looking for the cryonics?"

I nodded, trying to keep the panic at bay. "I'm not sure exactly what Mr Satchel wants but he told me to head to the cryonics. I have the access too. He said something about specimens?" Pulling my best clueless look, I observed how Shanks was conflicted.

"Very well, if the man himself said so then I suppose I could bring you there. Be warned, it isn't going to be a pretty sight."

I smiled brightly when Shanks offered to take me there on a floating platform, thankful that Shanks wasn't going to question any further.

***

I could now understand Spencer's reason for selecting Helenos for the job. That man was paranoid! When Shanks dropped me off, I spent a solid three minutes getting past the first door. The second door was harder to get through and I wasted five minutes there. Time was of essence! There was only so long Spencer's butt would stay on that seat before he starts poking his nose into my business.

The moment I got through the second door, everything was a breeze. I knew where the security cameras were so the light bending gadget came in handy. Making a beeline to where I saw the cryonic chamber, I slowed down as I neared what appeared to be Mia's body. With heart pounding in my ears, every step became harder to take as I approached the chamber.

I wasn't ready for this.

Mia's body was in a much worse condition from what I saw back at Helenos' apartment. No amount of mental preparation could have prepared me for this heartache. The damage done to her body was more gruesome than anybody could have imagined. Nobody deserved this kind of fate. Whoever did this was nothing more than a monster! At that very moment, I swore to make all who were responsible pay in blood.

Her lifeless eyes greeted me and it was hard to hold back tears. Mia had the most expressive eyes that reflected her no longer beating heart. Pulling away from them I cringed at the innards threatening to fall out of her mid-section. There was crimson everywhere in the places that shouldn't be. Those gentle hands that held a needle with grace were now stiff and bent at odd angles.

Using Horus to take a snapshot of the body for analysis later, I noted with surprising calmness how the wounds were not made by sharp objects. The hole in her abdomen was made by an explosion from the inside. It wasn't until I walked around that I notice the fine pinprick marks on the back of her neck that couldn't be captured by the camera before.

Drugs? It had to be. The pinpricks were so numerous it was hard to miss. While some were almost healed, others were still raw. The evidence of needle marks gave me hope. I was right about this! It went deeper than the underground society… I had to let Nash know.

Getting to work as quickly as I could, I whispered to Kevin, "Give the green light to the droids. Report to me the situation."

"Roger that, sir!" It did not take long before Kevin reported to me the droids were spotted with many Patrol Guards giving chase.

I studied Mia's lifeless body. The youthful beauty was now an empty husk. The usually well-groomed hair was now tangled and clumped together with traces of dirt and blood. The smile that I never saw her without was gone. She looked so alone in that glass chamber and guilt ate at my heart.

"Sir. The second droid is activated but there is still no sign of Spencer leaving his desk. What is your plan?"

For the second time tonight, my plans were thwarted. I tasted the blood in my mouth as I made my decision. "Get Cain to buy me one minute from Spencer. I want his systems down."

"Roger that, sir. Cain is on standby at your command."

"Start the countdown." My voice was so hoarse I barely recognised it. I felt the nails dig into my gauntlet as I tasted more blood on my tongue. Surely I had broken skin from the way I bit down on my lips. It stung badly when I knew that I would have to leave Mia behind. It was the only logical thing to do at this point even though it felt so wrong. It felt as if someone had stuck their hand inside me, crushing my lungs.

"I'm sorry, Mia. I really did want to take you home…"

Mia did not answer. The glass felt cold against my palm as I tried to reach for her. "I'm so sorry Mia. Please forgive me."

"Ten seconds to systems are down, sir."

Quickly, I placed a kiss on the glass where Mia's cheeks were before placing the explosive in place. The bomb clicked into place on the glass' surface and I backed off. As if a trigger, the shattering of glass had me scrambling to my feet. With precise movements, I extracted stem cells from various parts of Mia's damaged body. Her brain, muscles, blood, bone and ruptured organs are crucial clues to what might have happened.

Without even having time to tuck the vials into my belt, Kevin reported with urgency that Spencer had countered Cain's virus. I glanced at the time and cursed. It had only been thirty seconds, far sooner than I anticipated.

With only fifteen seconds to get myself out of the warehouse before the Patrol Guards surrounded the place completely, I shut down the emotions threatening to break me. It was logically impossible but I had to do it for Mia, whom I left behind, and the sake of all the other victims.

The lockdown was faster than I had anticipated but I managed to breach the security of the inner door. At the second door, my jumpsuit got caught. Without wasting another second, I pulled out a pocket knife and cut the fabric loose before hopping onto an empty floating platform heading for the exit. Tampering with the speed limit caused it to trigger the system's alarm.

"Goodbye, Mia," I choked amidst the chaos as the platform crashed into the secret lift entrance. Letting go of my hold on the platform, I felt myself free falling. The landing was rough but I'll survive with the pile of empty carton boxes below helping to cushion the impact.

With the system alarm triggered and a freak accident, it didn't take long for everyone to scamper around in a haphazard manner. I took that opportunity to use their air vents to escape. That should buy me some time from Spencer.

The Chief of the Patrol Guards didn't disappoint. They were already nearing the warehouse when I had gotten out.

"How long?" I whispered to Kevin.

"I'll say less than a minute before they are in sight, sir."

That was ample time. Already throwing the beige jumpsuit and donning the Night Walker gear, I did a pat down out of habit. All my weapons were still in their respective pockets so I had one less thing to worry about. Pulling out the charged orb from my hoodie's inner pocket just in time to hear the iconic wailing of sirens, I teleported away to Area Eleven.

It would be surprising to see someone in the business district so late at night but not uncommon. I regretted not asking Kevin to check for a clear before jumping to the coordinates. I might have picked the location devoid of cameras earlier but humans or droids could have compromised everything.

Cursing my haste and carelessness, I was so sure things would go downhill the moment I teleported. Imagine my surprise when no one was in sight! I guess Lady Luck is feeling slightly generous tonight. Things started off on a really bad note but I suppose not everything has gone off the deep end.

Yet.