"Sabine is really going at it," Lynn commented, sipping her coffee and glancing at the TV hanging from the ceiling.
"What's up with the Technocrats? They just dragged away their delegate and brought in another. Neither of them even had the courtesy to introduce themselves!" Chloe fumed.
"Beats me…" I said, sipping my own coffee, which carried a faint taste and scent of vanilla. "Thanks for letting me come to this café. I wouldn't know how to talk in front of everyone right now." I scratched my chin and chuckled, frustrated.
"It might be better that way. We lost all of Fourth Squad," Chloe said, her finger tracing slow circles around her mug.
"You mean Third—we're the Zeros. Mark and his boys were the Threes…" I corrected her.
"First squad also downs its leader." She lifted her mug and then decided against it.
"You gonna miss Chris? You two always tried to outdo each other."
"I outlived him. There's nothing else left to do to underline my supremacy."
I chuckled drily at her comment."Is Clyde going to be alright? It's just you two from the Second squad now?"
"Kira didn't die. She went inside with Lynn, but only you two came out."
"Huh?" My eyes wandered over to Lynn, she only shrugged in response. "Curious. Where were you when everything transpired?"
"Third wave. At first, we only heard screams, and the gunfire went full auto. Suddenly, ahead of us, we saw the halftrack topple over, and the army boys started running. After that, they came streaming out like an ocean tide. They spread into the surrounding alleyways and streets. We were lucky they didn't have a straight line to the gate. Otherwise, they might've just walked through us."
She didn't say anything regarding the fight or how their Mark died. Horrific.
"What now?" Lynn asked.
"Restructuring. We need to be effective and start working again. I propose you join and lead the boys from First Squad, and Second remains understrength until we're replenished."
"What about Jackie? You want her all for yourself?"
I barely suppressed the laughter. "She's not my type, even if I were into red hair. In all likelihood, she'd lower the standard of Second Squad or First. When she dares to help me with maintenance, she's surprisingly dexterous when it comes to machinery. Or maybe she just doesn't mind taking her gloves off when it comes to going inside."
"I see." Lynn said, glancing over to Chloe.
"You sure you can handle that yourself? You're gonna be alone with a Meldier."
"Two, actually. I think I'll be keeping watch over…" I rummaged through my mind. Did he only ever call her Kitten? Had I never heard her real name? "Well 'Kitten,' his second Meldier."
I looked over to the Tv where Maxwealth was still engulfed in questioning Sabine with the citizens' concerns. "How would you explain this, Commissar? Those videos were submitted shortly before I arrived on multiple channels across the networks."
A series of images. Scenes. No this was a fluid transmission, tracking someone blindingly fast. Leaping from wall to wall, descending from above like a predator striking its prey. There wasn't time for a scream, not even one cut short. Before you could blink, the next one hit the ground and then another. It was nauseating to see the camera move that fast. But I knew the perpetrator.
Again, it was hunting one group of insurgents after another. It's breathing, her's. Was faint. Not strained from the activities she indulges herself in. She turned the corner, illuminated by another flash of light. Her slim arm flicked into frame as her dagger flew toward another man's neck. A moment later, she was on top of him, pulling the blade free, already moving to her next target. For the first time, gunfire rang out, and a plea for mercy before silence returned. Then, once more, she was hunting.
Chloe shook my shoulder. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Something worse."
"Huh?" Chloe tilted her head, her blue eyes shining with curiosity.
"We've got to handle this first." I stood up and reached for my wallet.
"Iby?" Chloe and Lynn stood up in unison.
"Look at the TV!" I rushed over to the counter and pulled out Kyle's spare Handler Card.
"Thanks, come again," the clerk said, sliding it through.
"He,y what's the matter!" Lynn said after catching up to me. "That was a bloody stain on the wall!" She exclaimed.I looked too the camera feed was paused on that moment.
"That only could be Gilbert or Kitten, and I put my money and Kitten because that psychotic green-haired bastard thinks he's good for metal!"
Chloe grabbed my hand. "At least tell me what's going on first!"
"Someone let her out!"
"Meldier or not, she's not a domesticated pet! There's no harm in letting her walk around!"
"The problem is not that she walked around, the problem is that someone let her and she can kill manners of things, worst case, the Technocrats have her right now and are picking up testing on her while Kyle is out!"
Chloe cursed under her breath. Lynn took out her phone.
"Call the Commissar. I don't know if he's on this yet, but he needs to look after his foster son for once."