Zoe stared at the soldiers and wondered what was going on. Claire and the others seemed upset more than frightened, but that didn’t ease any of Zoe’s mounting fear.

“What’s going on Kyle?” Zane asked the leader of the soldiers.

“Zane, just keep quiet,” the soldier replied. “If you speak again, we’re going to gag you. You know it’s just the job.”

Zane started to speak, but snapped his mouth shut after Claire shot a look at him. Zoe guessed she might have also sent a message.

“Don’t send anymore messages to each other either,” Kyle warned.

“Sir, the director will be here in a moment,” one of the other soldiers stated.

“Good. I’m ready for this shitshow to be over,” Kyle said.

“Why did you take the assignment if it’s a shitshow?” Bill asked.

“Gag him,” Kyle ordered. A few seconds later, the nurse was gagged and cuffed.

“Problems Captain?” a feminine voice asked from the doorway. Zoe thought the voice sounded vaguely familiar.

“Nothing we can’t handle ma’am,” Kyle answered. The rank meant nothing to Zoe as she scanned the soldiers and started plotting how to take them out. Her Angel screamed a warning just before cold metal kissed the back of her neck. Zoe started to shake as she knew by the shape that it was a gun.

“Why don’t you be a good girl and stop that. Nod if you understand,” another female voice said from behind Zoe. Zoe nodded her head as she stopped her Angel from defending her.

“Good work corporal,” Kyle said. If the woman gave a response, Zoe didn’t hear or see it as she kept her eyes straight ahead.

“Is this the thief?” the woman in the doorway asked. Zoe looked in that direction and her eyes widened.

“Yes Director Rockford, this is the thief. These others are the clinic’s staff,” Kyle answered. Cynthia Rockford entered the lounge and frowned.

“I recognize that girl. She’s a courier,” Cynthia said as a second, younger woman entered the lounge behind her. The second woman spoke.

“The data we received from CyberBionic matches what the captain’s unit has ma’am.”

“Thank you, Fay,” Cynthia replied as she walked toward Zoe. She lashed out and slapped Zoe hard. The courier’s head snapped back. “Her skin is tough. What kind of implants does she have?”

One of the soldiers read off a list of Zoe’s implants he had gotten from the clinic’s records.

“Thank you for keeping such good records Doctor Brown,” Cynthia said. “Captain, break the courier’s arms and legs.”

“Ma’am?” Kyle questioned. He knew an example was to be made of the courier but had not expected brutality to be part of it.

“You can’t do that!” Claire exclaimed.

“That’s torture!” Sonya shouted. Bill tried to scream something, but nobody could understand him since he was gagged. Zane started to stand only for three soldiers to level their guns at him after another hit him in the kidneys with the butt of his rifle.

“Zane!” Claire screamed.

“Silence!” Cynthia screeched. Then in a calmer voice continued, “I can do anything I want! I am the director of the Corporate States of America and as the saying goes, this is a corporate world, and it is ours. It’s high time you rabble learn your place.” She spun to face Kyle. “Captain, follow the order I just gave you or I’ll have you shot and replaced!”

Kyle looked around the lounge. He noticed two of his men looked excited at what was going on. He grunted as she suspected they weren’t exactly on his payroll, but someone else’s. Kyle motioned to them and then to Zoe. “Todd, Sean, you heard the director. Do it.”

“Yes sir!” the two men replied, not even trying to suppress the grins on their faces.

“Someone record what is about to happen,” Cynthia demanded. “I want to use it as a warning to others that think they can steal from their betters.”

“Yes ma’am,” another soldier replied.

“No, no! Please! I’ll pay back what I took,” Zoe cried as she tried to back away from the two men. She prepared Glue Trap and Shocker. The soldier behind her cocked her pistol and Zoe froze as the other two approached her.

“Ah. You’ve been a naughty girl,” Fay said. “Mrs. Rockford, the courier has robbed the Purity Church and has one million credits in her accounts.”

“Halt,” Cynthia instructed. “Tell me girl, where is the rest of the money?”

“There isn’t any other money,” Zoe replied.

“Don’t lie to me!” Cynthia screeched. “I know that church was worth a lot more than a million credits.”

Before Zoe could say a thing, Fay spoke up. “Ma’am, check the news feeds.”

“You gave away all the rest?” Cynthia screamed. Zoe grinned in answer. “Put half of the million in my investment account and divide the other half between yourself and the good captain’s unit.”

Todd grabbed Zoe’s left wrist. “Yes director!”

“Right away ma’am,” Fay replied as she did as her boss instructed.

Todd began to squeeze Zoe’s wrist, and she screamed in pain as the bones shattered. Fay and Kyle winced as Sean did the same to Zoe’s right wrist. Zoe passed out from the pain as the two men proceeded to break every bone in her arms.

“Thank God she passed out,” a teary-eyed Claire whispered. Sonya, Bill, and Zane were openly weeping as the two men moved on from Zoe’s arms to her legs.

“What about her spine?” Todd asked with a smile on his face. He seemed to really enjoy what he was doing. Sean wore a matching smile. Kyle made the decision to quietly kill them both.

“Zoe’s spine has already been replaced with Alimpetinum Bone,” Zane said.

“Fuck,” Todd said.

“It’ll take more than us to break that,” Sean said.

“Fine. There’s just one last thing to do,” Cynthia said turning towards Zoe’s broken body. “Make sure this gets recorded as well.”

“Yes ma’am,” the soldier recording replied.

The new director of the CSA pulled a small pistol from her purse and stepped closer to Zoe. She pulled the trigger and shot the younger woman in the chest.

“No!” Claire, Zane, and Sonya screamed. Bill tried to scream as well. Hands grabbed them to keep them from lunging after the director.

“Director, you’ll need a larger caliber if you’re going to penetrate the Subdermal Weave,” Todd said. He held out a large caliber handgun. “This is a .50 cal. It should work.”

Cynthia took it and shot Zoe in the left side of her chest. The woman’s arms flew up from the recoil and the pistol smacked her in the face. Cynthia fell onto her backside. Several other soldiers quietly snickered at this. Cynthia stood up and glared at them until they shut up.

“Someone make sure my nose isn’t broken,” Cynthia demanded. Fay stepped up and handed her boss a handkerchief. “Thank you…what are you doing?”

“Just my job. Mr Raven thinks you're a disgrace to the company, so you must pay the price,” Fay replied as she shot the other woman in the eye with the small pistol she held. The soldiers didn’t so much as stir as Claire and the others flinched. “Captain, release your captives.”

“Yes ma’am,” Kyle replied and signaled his unit to let Doc Brown and her team go.

“Mr Raven, it’s done,” Fay said. She listened for a moment. “And the Cyberdoc and her team?”

“What is going on?” Bill asked after the gag was removed. He and the other nurses rushed to Zoe.

“Let’s go,” Fay told the soldiers. She turned to Claire. “Mr Raven has taken over as the CSA’s new director. He wants you to know your lives now depend on your silence regarding this… matter.”

“I understand. It wouldn’t look good that the CSA’s recently appointed director was shot in my clinic before she could assume her post,” Claire replied as she held the other woman’s eyes. Fay nodded and left. Kyle and his team followed her.

“Claire, the bullet missed Zoe’s heart,” Zane said.

“Get her to surgery!” Claire ordered.

*

Claire and the others worked on Zoe for several minutes.

“Fuck! We’re losing her!” Zane shouted.

“Get another pint of Synthetic Blood!” Claire said. The EKG signal went flat.

“She’s flatlined!” Bill shouted.

“Clear!” Doc Brown screamed just before shocking the body on the operating room table. She tried again a moment later.

“No change,” Sonya whispered.

“Fuck!” Claire exclaimed as she slammed her hands into the table. “Use 12:22 as time of death.”

“Sure Doc,” Bill replied as Zane pulled Claire into his arms.