Chapter 65 The Rival’s Hand
The wind screamed in my ears as we fell. My father’s grip was like an iron collar. I looked into his empty eye sockets and felt a coldness that had nothing to do with the night air. We weren't falling toward the ground; we were falling toward the red glow of the building across the street. Redo Media.
"Let me go!" I thrashed, kicking at his chest.
"I can't do that, Eara," he rasped. His voice sounded like dry leaves scraping on a grave. "Loom Media lost the rights to you. My new bosses bought your soul at a discount. You’re worth even more now that you’re 'broken.'"
We slammed through a massive glass window of the Redo building. I hit a thick red carpet and rolled, gasping for air. My father landed on his feet, the rusted chainsaw on his arm idling with a low, hungry growl.
The room was full of people in red suits. They weren't looking at screens; they were looking at me with greedy smiles. They held cameras that looked like weapons.
"Perfect entry!" a man shouted. He stepped forward, clapping his hands. He was younger than the producer, with hair as white as bone. "The fans love a mid-air transition. Welcome to the big leagues, Eara."
I scrambled to my feet, my heart hammering. "I’m not doing this again. I just destroyed Loom. I’ll destroy you too."
The white-haired man laughed. "Loom was old. They liked 'suffering.' At Redo, we like 'revenge.' We’re going to give you weapons. We’re going to let you hunt down everyone who ever hurt you. And the world is going to pay to watch you do it."
I felt a sick pull in my gut. They wanted to weaponize my anger. They wanted to make my pain the main event.
"And if I refuse?" I asked, looking for an exit.
The man pointed his finger at the large screen on the wall. "Then we delete the backup."
The screen flickered. I saw a small, white room. Inside, a boy was sitting on the floor. He looked human. He looked real. He was holding a small piece of paper, staring at it with tears in his eyes.
"Kael?" I whispered.
"It’s the original file," the man said. "The one Loom thought they deleted. If you don't sign with Redo, I press a button, and the boy is gone forever. No virus can save him this time."
I looked at the screen, then at the man. The rage I felt was so hot I thought my skin would melt. They were using Kael as a leash. They knew he was the only thing I had left to love.
"You’re monsters," I said.
"We’re businessmen," the man replied. "Sign the contract, Eara. Become our Angel of Vengeance. Save the boy."
I looked at my father. He stood there, a silent guard, waiting for me to fail. I realized then that I couldn't just run. I couldn't just hide. To save Kael, I had to play their game until I could find a way to flip the board.
"Give me the pen," I said, my voice steady.
The man handed me a red pen. It felt heavy, like it was filled with lead. I looked at the digital contract on the tablet. It didn't mention "Subject 702"; it called me "The Executioner."
I signed my name.
The room erupted in cheers. The cameras began to flash. The white-haired man hugged me, his breath smelling like peppermint. "Wonderful! Production starts now! Get her to the armoury!"
Two guards grabbed my arms, but I shook them off. "I walk on my own."
I followed them down a long, red hallway. I felt Kael’s eyes on me from the screens that lined the walls. I had to get to him. I had to find where they were keeping his file.
We reached a heavy metal door. One of the guards swiped a card, and the door hissed open. Inside, the walls were covered in swords, guns, and suits of armour that glowed with a dark, red light.
"Choose your tools," the guard said.
I walked toward a pair of twin daggers. They were made of the same black glass as the pits of my nightmares. As I touched them, the blades hummed. They felt like they were part of me.
Suddenly, the lights in the armoury turned off.
A red light began to pulse from the ceiling. A siren wailed, but it wasn't the sound of an alarm. It was a scream.
"Warning," a computer voice said. "Unauthorized entry in Sector 4. The 'Failure' has escaped."
The guards pulled out their weapons, looking around in the dark.
"Who is it?" I asked, my hand tightening on the daggers.
The metal door at the end of the room was ripped off its hinges. A figure stepped into the red light.
It was a girl. She looked exactly like me, but her skin was covered in deep, jagged scars. Her eyes were solid red, and she was carrying a sword made of human bone.
"There can only be one lead," the scarred girl said. Her voice was a distorted version of mine.
She lunged at me, the bone sword whistling toward my head. I raised my daggers just in time, the metal clashing with a sound that shook the room.
"Who are you?" I yelled, pushing her back.
The girl grinned, showing teeth that had been filed into points.
"I'm the sister they didn't tell you about," she hissed. "I'm the one they made from all the parts of you that were too 'weak' to keep."
She kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying into a rack of weapons. As I struggled to get up, she pointed her sword at the screen showing Kael.
"And I think I’ll kill the boy first," she said.
She slammed her sword into the control panel, and the screen showing Kael began to dissolve into red static.
"No!" I screamed.
But then, the ground began to shake. The wall behind the scarred girl burst open, and a giant, mechanical hand reached through, grabbing her by the waist.
A voice boomed through the speakers, one I didn't recognize.
"Subject 702 and Subject 703 detected. Initiating the 'Twin Death' protocol."