“Strange, strange, strange.”

Grey whistled, looking back from the steering wheel. Every second, he feared that their target would wake up from her slumber to turn on them. They’d been warned, and the task had been too easy in comparison. But nothing—not even a stir came from the girl’s limp body.

“Strange,” Grey muttered, looking forward again. “Domeel, maybe you dosed her too much? She isn’t dead, right?”

“Focus,” Domeel answered, his arms crossed over his chest. The man was of few words, but his professionalism was top-tier—if they were even considered professionals. While Grey knew he could trust the cool man, Domeel was also extremely reluctant to admit his few mistakes. A perfectionist to the extreme.

“It felt so simple and easy,” Grey continued, wanting to make small talk. “She’s supposed to be the target. Could you check her vitals?”

“She’s asleep,” Domeel replied. “Don’t worry.”

Questioning him more would lead to something unpleasant, so Grey shut up and continued to drive. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the planned location. Grey was the stronger one, and he carried the girl out of the small vehicle, slinging her over his shoulder. Grey couldn’t help but feel nervous from the man’s treatment of a potential catastrophe waiting to happen. But the man was confident, and most of the time, he was right.

They headed into an abandoned building, moving up a flight of stairs. They were in the old or partially constructed part of the city; the Supervisor had wanted minimal damage in case it happened. The building was only a skeleton, and once they were at the top, it was easy to see outside—or more importantly, be targeted from the outside. While there were walls and a ceiling, there were plenty of openings for bombs to be shot into.

The job would be over in an instant at this rate, and they would earn their freedom.

Grey glanced at the girl, who had been placed on the floor. Her face had been covered with a suppression mask. As long as she had it on, she wouldn’t regain her consciousness. Though it only lasted for a few hours, which was why they had decided on a more permanent setup.

“Unkillable, aye?” Grey commented, remembering what they had been told. “Extreme regeneration and super-durability. Sounds like something out of a movie.”

Domeel didn’t speak but instead began to prepare the machine. Knowing that he would be pissed if he didn’t help, Grey quickly set out to do what he’d mastered for today.

“I can do it,” Grey told him with a thumbs up. “You should contact Army.”

Domeel nodded once, heading to the side of the room. Grey immediately went back to work, his nimble fingers flying over the cables, switches, wires, and chemical bags. Within minutes, the machine was ready to go.

“Alright,” Grey muttered. “Better do this quickly.”

After briefing with Army, Domeel came to help, lifting the girl and placing her on top of the machine. Each second would be precious now. They quickly stripped her and threw her clothes aside. Just in case, Domeel injected another vial of tranquilizer into the girl before taking off her mask.

“You got a problem?” Domeel asked, his eyebrow twitching once.

“Ah, no,” Grey coughed. “Let’s finish this.”

Grey felt his heart sink. He hadn’t expected his target to be this beautiful. She was just his type—the kind of girl he wanted to settle down with. With a heavy heart, he covered the girl with a transparent membrane made of super rubber. It would be impossible to escape now. A normal bullet wouldn’t leave a mark on the material.

Flipping a switch removed excess air from the space that held the girl, compressing the membrane onto her body. Before Domeel gave him a weird eye, he flipped another switch, and the membrane began to be filled with fluid. Now, they just had to wait.

“This is it, huh?” Grey sighed, sitting down. “It was good knowing you.”

“Mission isn’t over yet,” Domeel reminded him coldly.

“It basically is. Target is in the pod, no other abnormalities are happening.”

Since Domeel didn’t reply, Grey pressed on his earpiece to contact the rest of the team.

“Hey, how is everyone?” he said cheerfully. “We’re done on this side.”

“Proud of ya, Grey,” Vandel said over the comms. “Did ya have fun?”

“Er, no.”

“Vandel, please refrain from making vulgar jokes,” Army’s stern voice buzzed. “Grey, any difficulties?”

“None. It was almost too easy. I’m a little nervous, to be honest.”

“That’s okay. Keep a cool head. We’re heading your way. Domeel, please keep watch while we arrive.”

Domeel got up, lifting his sniper rifle. He headed down the stairs, leaving Grey alone with the girl in the pod. Grey remained sitting, his heart thumping audibly from unease.

They were so close.

Maybe this was what inmates felt before getting out of prison in the past. The excitement, the anticipation alone was enough to make him dizzy. He breathed in deeply, calming his nerves. At times like this, it was good to think about what he would do once he was back outside.

“Reinforcements heading your way. Don’t worry if you see foreign signals on your radar,” Crusha told them. “There will be many.”

“From the Supervisor? That’s surprising.”

“There are no civilians nearby, so yes. Currently no active signs of corpses according to Bone’s drones.”

“Shooter, do not aim at the corpses,” Army barked.

“Th-This operation has been more boring than everything we’ve done so far!” Shooter complained, his voice quiet as a mouse’s squeak.

“I would like everyone to remember that this is part one of the mission,” Army said solemnly. “You do not want more action, because more than one of us will not make it out alive.”

“Who cares about death,” Shooter whispered, but he didn’t speak any longer.

At least the trigger-happy man hadn’t dived in like he sometimes did. They all knew the seriousness of the situation, and it proceeding smoothly wasn’t enough to make them let down their guard. They’d seen the footage and destruction. It was a miracle that nothing had happened so far. Everything was according to the plan.

The pod had been completely filled with fluid by now, the girl’s body floating in the middle. He flipped some switches to finalize the process, setting it to stabilize. Once they waited a couple of days for the liquid to dissolve the girl’s body, they could extract her nervous system, and everything would be complete. If the girl, however, regained her consciousness…

He shuddered at the thought. That was impossible. The fluid was saturated with suppressive agents. They were as good as done. But just in case, they would stand guard around the place, defending it from potential attackers.

He doubted that a teenage boy could do anything against them. Besides, he was supposed to be locked in by the Supervisor to avoid casualties. All in all, everything had been a major success from the moment they’d knocked out the girl with sleeping gas. It had been her demise to enter an underground facility with ventilation blocked off.

Grey looked at the floating girl within the pod. She was so beautifully shaped, like a sculpture meticulously fashioned by inhuman hands. It had been love at first sight—a short moment, but he now knew what to ask for when he gained his freedom. The virtual was fine as well if it was with someone like her.

He hummed. The sun was bright and the breeze was pleasant.

The girl was bewitching, her eyes dark as polished obsidian.

“Grey.”

“Huh?”

Grey looked at Domeel, then back at the inanimate girl. Had he been hallucinating? Her eyes were closed. Grey got up, stepping towards the pod.

“You forgot to set the cameras.”

“No rush,” Grey replied, placing his palms on the pod. He intently peered through the viscous liquid, wondering if its slight translucence had messed with his perception. Strange, strange indeed. He could have sworn to have seen those enchanting eyes.

“I’ll do it now,” Grey said, feeling Domeel’s glare on the back of his head. The man had no room for the smallest ounce of carelessness. Grey’s hands moved quickly, and he glued the cameras onto the walls, inside and out. It wouldn’t matter once Bone arrived, but nothing could go wrong with extra precautions.

“Army, do we go with the bomb plan or no?” Grey asked, pressing his earpiece.

“No need,” was the reply. “Stay away from the room for now. The cameras are enough.”

“Guess it’s time for a break,” Grey muttered.

Domeel was the first to head out while Grey cleaned up the area. Just when he was about to turn around and leave, he saw a movement in the corner of his eye, and he jerked his head around, looking straight at the submerged girl.

Again, nothing. He rubbed his eyes. The girl was staring at him, directly into his soul. A jolt of electricity ran down his back, and he slowly raised a hand to his ears, using his other to take his tablet out.

“Everyone. Are you seeing this?” he said, unable to break eye contact. “Check your cameras.”

“Be more specific,” Army’s voice instructed.

“The girl—her eyes are open.”

He immediately heard footsteps from the stairs, and while he backed away, Domeel jumped out, his rifle aimed in front of him, finger over the trigger. A few uneasy seconds passed, and Grey was baffled when Domeel lowered his weapon, giving him a look of contempt.

“Grey, I know you’re happy because we’re close to being finished, but this isn’t time for jokes,” Army said bluntly. “The girl has been inactive since the time the cameras were activated.”

“What do you mean? She’s looking at—”

Grey lowered his eyes to the tablet, accessing his cameras.

The girl’s eyes weren’t open. But when he looked up, they were.

Domeel had left already, and Grey wanted to follow—but his emotions didn’t let him. He wanted to stay.

“I’ll double-check to see if there’s anything wrong,” Grey said through the comms.

“Take it slowly, kid,” Vandel told him. “Don’t get too nervous.”

“Thanks,” Grey muttered.

He lowered his hand from his ear, walking carefully towards the pod. The girl continued to look at him, and reviewing the camera footage told him that her eyes were indeed closed.

“What the heck are you playing at?” Grey said in a low voice once he was directly before the pod membrane. “What are you doing to me?”

The girl only looked. Then suddenly, Grey saw something like golden threads emerge from the center of her chest, flowing out—seeping through the membrane. He wanted to step away, run away, but he was a moth trapped by wondrous light. He wanted to accept it.

The threads touched him, and never had he felt so much joy and satisfaction before. Tears rolled down his eyes, and he wiped them away, wanting to prostrate on the floor. This was the meaning of life, the answer that everyone sought—

He slapped his face, and pain brought him back to his senses. The threads immediately retracted, and he glared at the girl, who watched with unblinking eyes.

“What was that?” he demanded, looking at his tablet. Again, nothing had been recorded.

“Love.”

Grey nearly dropped his tablet. The voice was not one that had been spoken, but transmitted. The voice of an angel.

“How?” Grey asked. His curiosity and wonder were growing by the second, and he could see why the Supervisor had wanted her alive.

The girl closed her eyes, and Grey was—

“Are you okay, Grey?”

It was Bone who had spoken, and she rarely spoke over the comms. Grey rubbed his eyes, looking at one of the cameras.

“Yeah,” he said, doing a thumbs up.

“I never knew you were the type to cry,” Vandel whistled. “Must be damn lonely to cry after seeing a naked girl.”

“Not everyone is horny as you,” Grey rebutted with a sigh. “I’m heading down. The heck were you doing, looking at us?”

“Got anything better to do, huh?”

“Watching the perimeters,” Crusha suggested sarcastically. “Not your job to keep their eyes on the cameras. My job.”

“The heck was Bone doing—”

“Vandel.”

“Fuck.”

Grey chuckled. It was always satisfying to hear Vandel shut up after Army’s command. Giving the girl one last uncertain glance, he headed down the stairs to where their ride had been parked.

Now, it was time to wait.

The others arrived soon enough with the armored vehicle, and Grey and Domeel headed inside to resupply and eat. Bone and Crusha would look after things now and alert them if anything was amiss. Technology was much more advanced than human senses.

Noon passed. It was peaceful, but Grey was still uneasy. He had a cold towel over his head when Bone came to talk with him.

“What’s up?” he said, getting up. “Did something break?”

“Nah,” Bone smiled. “Just small talk. It’s not fun looking at drones the whole day.”

“Fair enough,” Grey nodded. He moved aside so that she’d be able to sit.

“She’s pretty,” Bone commented, and Grey realized that she was talking about the girl.

“Yeah, she is,” he agreed.

“It’s sad that she’s getting dissolved now,” she said, her shoulders lowering. “I can’t believe someone like her would be a threat.”

“Oh, believe me, she definitely is,” Grey assured. “I think she played mind tricks on me.”

“Mind tricks?”

Grey shrugged. “Just kidding. She’s asleep. There’s no way she could get out.”

“I saw you crying,” Bone whispered, leaning closer to him. “I didn’t know you were the kind of person to cry.”

“Oh, right. It’s—call it sympathy.”

“It’s good that we have at least one humane person in the team,” Bone smiled, leaning her head against her hand. “But I guess it won’t matter since we’re almost done. What are you planning to do after this?”

“Get married, I hope,” Grey joked.

“Oh. With?”

“Whoever.”

“Hmm. Sounds sudden.”

“And you?”

“I’ll go see my parents. I don’t know about my friends. Do you think they’ll view us as monsters?”

“Not if they don’t know.”

“You know that’s impossible.”

“There are SPCs,” Grey suggested.

“Hmm. I was thinking…maybe we could stay as friends outside?”

Grey looked at her, his eyes widening. “You’d like to? I thought you hated everyone here.”

“Well, there are exceptions,” Bone shrugged. “So? What about it?”

“I’d be delighted.”

Grey was genuinely surprised because Bone had had a history of being assaulted in real life, and her assailant would have been in her position had he not been brutally mauled by her dogs. She had developed a fear for romance. For her to be surrounded by criminals, she would have wanted to escape as soon as possible. But here she was, offering him to stay as friends even after everyone was over.

Bone laughed softly, placing her hands together. “I know—”

Her tablet began to beep, and she frowned, bringing it up. Her gentle face turned into one of horror, and she ran to the side of the vehicle where her station was, breathing, “Uh-oh.”

Grey jumped up, heading to the wheel. Likewise, everyone rushed to their positions.

“Report,” Army ordered.

“A mass horde of corpses are rushing towards us,” Crusha said, hands flying over the screen. “ETA twenty minutes.”

“How many?”

“T-tens of thousands,” Crusha gulped. “Estimating thirty thousand. We won’t have enough ammunition.”

“The target?”

“No response from her,” Crusha answered. “Still as a corpse.”

“How do we know she isn’t the one controlling them?”

“We don’t. The sensors show nothing.”

Army’s forehead creased. “If her regeneration can counteract the suppressing agents, we’ll have to go with Plan B. The cameras show that she isn’t responding, but she could be faking it.”

“What if we leave for now?” Vandel suggested. “Cut off the power and let her rot in there.”

“We have orders to capture her alive, only to kill her when it is deemed impossible,” Army said. “We need someone to confirm if she’s behind the horde’s movement.”

“Gotcha,” Grey said, getting up. “I’m the expert.”

“And P3. We need the best right now.”

The young teen nodded. The kid could go toe to toe with a tiger and make it out with a kill.

“Take the comatose injection. If she’s awake, it will be our only option before killing her.”

Praprapra took the syringe kit, placing it inside of his pocket. Grey donned his protective jacket with its weapons attached. Bone sent him a worried look, and he responded with an okay sign.

“We’ll be back. Let us know if there are movements,” he said, jumping out of the vehicle, Praprapra guarding him.

Grey jumped three steps at a time, reaching the room in an instant. Everything was as he had left it, and he approached the girl, P3 behind him, placing his hand on the switches.

“If you’re awake, this is going to hurt,” Grey said, flipping a switch.

A low hum filled the room as the sac was electrocuted, and the girl’s body contracted—or it should have. Despite the chilling sound of static, the girl showed no signs of being affected, floating in the liquid as before, though a few bubbles formed around her, quickly vanishing. Grey switched it off, then repeated the process. Still, nothing.

“Well then,” Grey muttered, his hands moving over the controls. Two thin mechanical arms emerged from the bottom of the machine, surrounding the girl. They had sharp fingers, and Grey positioned them in front of one of her eyes, using them to open the eyelid.

Her dark pupils were staring directly at him. They constricted from light, and Praprapra raised his weapon, aiming it towards the girl.

She smiled.

“Army,” Grey reported, “the girl is conscious. I don’t know how, but she is.”

“Use the injection.”

Praprapra, still aiming his gun, took the syringe out of its container, holding it within his hand. Without a moment’s hesitation, he plunged it into the membrane, discharging its contents within the liquid. Grey let out the breath he had been holding when the girl’s eyeballs rolled upwards, her eyelids closing shortly after.

“She’s as good as dead now,” he muttered, feeling slightly underwhelmed. The shot would have permanently cut off her mind from the rest of her body, and she’d remain in a vegetative state until she died. Everything—her memories, thoughts, personality—would be erased.

It wasn’t ideal, but at least she was alive. They waited a few minutes before Grey used the arms to make sure she was unconscious, and it was time for the extraction.

“P3, would you do the honors?” Grey asked.

“Yeah.”

The boy reached for a knife on his belt, holding it before the membrane. With a good plunge and slice, a deep gash was formed, and Praprapra made another slash perpendicular to it, letting the liquid flow out in a large stream. It was fairly thick like oil, and they stepped back to make sure none of it would get on their skin. It was safe, but it wasn’t pleasant.

Once the liquid was emptied, Praprapra widened the hole enough for the girl to fit through.

“I’ll carry her,” Grey offered. Praprapra was the guard, after all.

The boy nodded, and Grey reached down, putting his arms into the membrane, grabbing the girl’s arm. He pulled, and found it impossible to breathe, as the girl had grabbed his throat, lifting him as he clawed her arm, digging his nails into her soft skin.

One shot from Praprapra’s weapon released him, and Grey crawled back, stunned, gasping for breath. He coughed violently, tears forming in his eyes while his eyes were filled with gunshots.

“Run!” Praprapra yelled, unleashing a violent volley of bullets upon the girl, whose upper body had emerged from the sack. Blood splattered around the room as her bone was exposed, skin flying off as lead bored holes through her arms, chest, shoulders—though strangely, she didn’t fall. No—she continued to emerge.

A deadly silence overcame the room when Praprapra’s magazine ran out. The boy reloaded within seconds, though he didn’t shoot. Grey got up and watched from the exit, unable to tear his eyes away from the flesh that began to mend, skin forming skin, covering the bone.

The girl lowered her arms slowly, looking at them—looking at him.

“You must be who Ilnam talked about,” she said casually. “That hurt, but I am willing to overlook it. Give me information, and I will let you live.”

“Get out of there, now!” Army roared through the earpiece.

She was looking at him. Grey froze as the girl began to walk towards them. She was beautiful, and he forgot what to do. He wanted to fall before her and submit.

“GREY!! P3, get out!”

His body was jerked backwards as Praprapra yanked him by his shirt, almost dragging him down the stairs just as something burst through the wall, covering the building in dust and smoke. The sound of metal splattering against concrete and flesh grew duller each second they descended, and once outside, they were running towards the armored vehicle while explosions thundered behind them.

Domeel was already on the wheel, and the car rushed forward right as they got on. Grey sank on the floor of the vehicle, panting and sweating. Bone handed him a towel, which he took thankfully, wiping his face.

“What were you doing?” Army demanded, standing before him. “Why did you stand there?”

“You will not believe this, but I think the girl can mind control, or something like that,” Grey panted, taking in deep breaths. “She’s supernatural. I don’t get it either, but it’s like she came out from an Otherworld.”

“He’s right,” Praprapra said, wiping his face. “She did it to me too. But I managed somehow.”

“Remote paralysis? He didn’t tell me about that,” Army said, wiping his mouth with his hand. “However, we’ve confirmed a few things from this. Anesthetics don’t work, even the comatose agent is useless. I doubt other chemicals will at this point.”

“Isn’t the Supervisor taking her out right now?” Grey asked, getting to his feet.

“If he could do it by himself, he wouldn’t have asked us,” Army muttered.

“Why are we being used anyway?” Vandel groaned loudly. “If his fucking drones can’t do it, there’s no way we can!”

They were all silent from Vandel’s remark, because as unsensible as he was, he was correct. Even Army, who always knew what to do, had a deep glower on his face.

“I will answer that.”

They all looked up at the screen, which had flickered on to life. The face of a familiar man came into view.

“The target has a hostage, a boy of Praprapra’s age,” Ilnam said. “You know by the protocol that harming civilians is not possible for the drones.”

“He’s not here at the moment if you’ve not fucking noticed,” Vandel growled. “Kill her now.”

“That is impossible.”

The screen switched to the view from the cameras inside of the room. Mechanized suits were flowing in, their claws brandished at the girl, who continuously tore them apart with her bare hands over and over. The bullets shot towards her were being deflected by something dark and smokey, like a shadow.

“Even a Type 3 WL Missile was not enough to kill her,” Ilnam continued. “That was before she had consumed thousands of people and gained this. The shadow, or a materialization of her will.”

“A materialization of her will,” Army said. “You could have told us this sooner.”

“It’s hard going against an enemy beyond your imagination,” Ilnam said. “To destroy her, at least a CL Detonation will be required.”

“You want us to die in the process,” Grey said in horror.

“No.”

They looked at Army, who had a hand on his forehead, his eyes closed. “He wants an unexpected civilian casualty so that there will be no obstacles when using a CL Detonation.”

Ilnam didn’t answer. The silence was confirmation.

“But—if we kill a civilian, there won’t be second chances,” Grey said, “for the whole team. That’s why we practiced so much.”

“You plan on keeping us locked up forever,” Domeel observed from the front.

“I can guarantee your freedom,” Ilnam said. “As a Dient, you will be able to do everything you’ve wanted to do.”

A Dient.

“No other punishments? We’re free to roam the Otherworlds?” Vandel asked.

“Yes.”

It wasn’t a bad offer. Had they not been selected for the mission, they would have become Dients already, though without the freedom they were being promised. It would be the same as living normally, with the exception of reality.

“This was your plan all along,” Crusha said, distraught.

“It is a generous offer, given your circumstances,” Ilnam replied.

“Committing murder?” Army growled. “Was this your definition of justice?”

“No. It is only a possible outcome I have predicted,” Ilnam said, “not an outcome I wish for.”

Army scowled deeply, though he didn’t speak. Grey wondered what the others thought about this. Domeel was blank, Vandel had his arms crossed, Bone looked worried, Crusha looked perplexed, Shooter was distracted, and P3—he didn’t seem to care.

He wouldn’t have minded becoming a Dient himself had the offer been made to him a few hours ago. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

“It’s not like we have any other choice,” Praprapra said bluntly. “We do what we have to do.”

“No,” Army said. “We do have another choice. If we separate the boy and take him far away, then the target can be dealt with.”

“That is a possibility,” Ilnam agreed. “But it will be difficult.”

“I know,” Army said.

“Hold on a second.”

Grey pressed his fingers into his head, trying to calm the erratic thoughts that ran through his mind. “The girl—she mentioned that she knew Ilnam. She knew you. She knew we were coming.”

He glared at the screen. “You knew all along, didn’t you? That we would fail. Did you send us here to die? Army, did you know this?”

The older man’s expression hadn’t changed. Grey clenched his jaw. Had he known this already?

“Hold on, what the fuck?” Vandel spoke, rising from his seat. “You knew? You informed her that we would be coming after her?”

“Calm down,” Army said.

“Do you think—”

“I said, calm the fuck down.”

Veins had popped out on Army’s head. Grey had never seen the man so furious before. The cool, calm, reliable man was staring at the screen like he wanted to kill the one behind it. Vandel closed his mouth and sat back down. The others knew not to talk further.

“I knew,” Army said. “And I shared everything I knew. What he didn’t tell me was that she’d be immune to the substances he’d prepared. Do you want to know why she knew? Because she would annihilate us otherwise. She knew because he told her not to wipe us from the face of the earth the moment we encountered her. But us—none of us can afford to hold back. It was information that wasn’t necessary.”

His exhalation sounded like angry gas coming out from a steam engine. “What now? If you wanted to kill us, you would have done it sooner. You can’t kill civilians. Your purpose was for us to kill the boy all along. The girl can only be killed with a CL Missile, and had you been able to evacuate the boy, you would have done it. But no, you couldn’t.”

“As I’ve said, it is not an outcome that I wish for,” Ilnam replied.

“Cooperation,” Grey blurted. “We can befriend her. If she hasn’t killed us, it must mean we have a chance, no matter how small it may be. Why is the boy there in the first place?”

“Befriending her will not be enough,” Ilnam said. “You must convince her to become a Dient. She must be restrained. You have heard how she has annihilated a whole city.”

“Let’s just kill the boy and be over with it,” Vandel said. “What, you still have attachments outside after being here for so long?”

“Not everyone is like you,” Bone muttered softly, refusing to look at the man.

“It will be a suicide mission,” Domeel observed. “We would be throwing away everything we’ve prepared. Our lives would be in her hands. She killed a city—what stops her from killing us?”

Grey recalled the wonderful sensation he’d felt.

“Love,” he said.

Vandel frowned. “What the fuck?”

“Uh, sorry. What I meant was, there is a reason why the boy is traveling with her. I don’t think he’s being forced to.”

“He’s on his way towards her,” Crusha observed.

“Exactly. Maybe the Supervisor put him there so she would become more...passive?”

Silence. Grey thought for a moment that he’d said something wrong.

“Why the fuck would anyone volunteer for that?” Vandel said.

“Because she’s pretty?”

It was Praprapra who’d spoken. The boy blinked. “She is beautiful.”

“There are better lookers in the Otherworlds,” Vandel said.

“Is this something you can tell us?” Army demanded to the screen.

“I cannot,” Ilnam answered. “It is private.”

“He must have reasons, like us,” Grey guessed. “Maybe he is a criminal as well, like us.”

“We will need more information,” Army said. “Can you provide us with some?”

Ilnam shook his head.

“The decision lies with you.”

The screen flickered off.

⤙ ◯ ⤚

They’d had an intense discussion afterwards, some wanting the easy route of killing the boy, others wanting to convince them instead. But until they had more information on the girl and the boy, they would remain undecided.

Grey’s heart still shuddered when he thought about how close he’d been to death. He touched his neck, remembering the girl’s fingers.

He remembered the wonderful emotions he’d experienced within the few seconds he’d been before the girl. So wonderful, so fulfilling. Like drugs, but it had filled him, made him whole again. Love, she’d called it. Why had she shown it to him? Had she been trying to tell him something?

“Hey, are you okay?” Bone asked.

He looked up at her clear eyes. “Oh, yeah. I’m okay.”

“I don’t know. You seem a little off.”

“Do I?”

She took a seat next to him, placing her hands on her lap. “It was our first real battle today. I know the other guys are trying to be tough, and maybe you are too. But it’s okay to feel scared. I’m scared out of my wits.”

“Yeah, it was scary. I was inches away from death.”

“You’ve helped me a lot. I don’t know, if you want some consolation, maybe I could help?”

She was fidgety, twiddling with her thumbs. She was more scared than him—he could see that. There was a reason why she’d been assigned to take care of the drones and machinery. Why such a person had been sent here, Grey could only wonder. The system was far from merciful when it came to fatal events.

That system would likely strip their target of her consciousness, confining her into a container where it would carry out experiments. When had he begun to care about her so much?

“Thanks,” Grey smiled. “Give me a hug?”

“Okay.”

She wrapped her arms around his back, giving him reassuring pats. She was a good girl.

“That was nice,” Grey admitted after it was over.

“Yeah,” Bone agreed, slightly flushed. “I, uh, need to get to the drones. I got a notification.”

“Of course, go ahead.”

She left, and he checked his tablet to see what the commission was about. One of the cameras had survived the chaos that had ensued in the building, though a crack had appeared on the screen. It was still perfectly viewable, and a new individual had entered the building, rushing to the girl who lay on top of the machine.

Why was she lying there?

He saw the boy pick her up and carry her out carefully, and both of them went out of view. Other cameras would keep sight of them.

He clenched his heart.

Maybe he was a little envious.