The bloodshed of vengeance, a river of crimson necessary to fuel the monster within. From the moment you took that path, you lost that part of you who used to be a person in exchange for strength. The merciless red burning in your eyes which drowned the green glow of life, was it worth it? After all, this is a battle you were meant to lose. You know it, yet you kept pushing forward toward your inevitable doom.
"Because my dreams have all disappeared. All I can do is stand under this warm and soothing rain and let it wash away the stains of time upon my soul. "
As Kadyn stared up at the sky, she noticed the waves of army drones blended within the endless streams of rain. Meanwhile, on the streets, mercenaries and battle droids patrolled the area, searching for any trace of their target. As one of their drones detected Kadyn's heat signature inside one of the collapsed houses, the thousands of men and their machines quickly converged on the area.
However, unbeknownst to the mercenaries, Kadyn intentionally allowed their drones to find her. None of the men trembling in the rain with their guns knew at that moment, but they were about to find out why the KD-series assassins are one of the deadliest foes on the planet. While the men held their guns with slight tremors, the droids remained steady with their weapons pointed at the entrance to the collapsed building. Suddenly, the drones began to send blurry images back to their command center while the droids on the ground began to shake as their steady hands trembled.
[Kadyn] - "Bloodshed and I are old friends. You people have merely embraced it while I danced with it my whole life. "
Said Kadyn as she opened her eyes, which shined with a bright purple glow.
Suddenly, all drones stopped communicating with their respective pilot while the droids on the ground turned their weapons toward their human counterparts. Before anyone could react, a hail of gunfire ignited the city's every street as the mercenaries were mowed down by their droids. Meanwhile, as the jet pilots attempted to help their men on the ground, many of the drones in the sky locked and launched their anti-air missiles at the jets.
The scene was one of chaos as Kadyn simply sat and watched as all the machines she took over massacred their human comrades. She didn't even need to fire a single shot or swing her blade once before the chaos slowly died down with both sides gradually dispatching each other. Blood mixed into the storm as the streets were stained with patches of crimson before being cleared by the relentless rain. Inside the mercenary company's main base, the pilots inside the tents could only watch in horror as their own drones rained destruction upon them.
Meanwhile, on Kadyn's face, there was no emotion or expression, only the blank stare of indifference. As the gunfire outside gradually died down, Kadyn reached for the coat around her body and sought warmth by pulling it tightly against her body. Though her face could lie, her body easily betrayed her inner thoughts. By the time Kadyn stepped out of her shelter, the streets regained their silence.
As one of the tanks aimed its gun at Kadyn from down the street, she simply ignored the vehicle as a massive explosion suddenly sent its turret flying. As another tank rolled out of a corner, the drone in the sky had already sent another anti-tank missile down. Before it could even stare at Kadyn, a massive fire erupted from its hull as the missiles punched through its side.
[mercenary] - "Freeze, you fucking monster! Ugh! You killed all my men, you bastard! "
Yelled the man in a trembling and distressed voice.
As Kadyn turned her head around, she saw a lone man holding his pistol shakingly. From the looks of it, Kadyn noticed that his aim was so off that he would've missed her even if he had pulled the trigger. However, to the man in his state of fear, he was indeed aiming at Kadyn.
[Kadyn] - "I don't enjoy this just as much as you do. However, the people in this city are beyond saving. Where I used to admire humans for their compassion, I only found endless greed and unfounded hatred. You know you are the prey, yet you point your gun at the predator, for what purpose? "
Said Kadyn calmly without looking at the man.
[mercenary] - "What the hell are you talking about? "
Said the man, surprised that the supposed monster was conversing with him.
[Kadyn] - "I'm talking about your gun, you bloody son of a bitch! You know you won't get a shot off before I cut you down, so why are you holding it at me? Why are you trying to waste your life doing such a meaningless thing? "
Yelled Kadyn angrily at the man.
Shocked by Kadyn's tone, the mercenary backed off while the gun in his hand trembled like a falling leaf.
[Kadyn] - "You have both arms and legs; you can make something of yourself. You don't have a past which imprisons you or a mission you can't walk away from. So tell me, why can't you leave me alone and let me finish my mission? For once, have you thought that the people or the reward you are fighting for aren't worth throwing your life away? Have some dignity, ya bleeding asshole! "
Yelled Kadyn as she turned to face the man.
Unbeknowst to Kadyn at that moment, her eyes were back to their natural emerald green shine. Upon seeing the lively beauty hidden beneath the hood of the monster, the man was compelled to drop his gun. Before Kadyn could say anything else, the man ran away without looking back, with a renewed appreciation for his own survival. Even Kadyn was shocked as a relieved grin briefly appeared on her face.
Continuing her path forward, Kadyn strolled through the quiet streets littered with the bodies of the mercenaries sent to take her down. Though still fueled by fury and rage, Kadyn unconsciously avoided trampling upon any of the dead as she marched. However, a rumble suddenly shook the earth as if a massive creature was walking inside the city. Before Kadyn could investigate the source, a massive mecha shaped like a xenomorph dropped down from the sky and shattered the ground beneath it.
Jumping back, Kadyn watched the towering machine moved with surprising agility as it rained missiles down upon her. Entering her acceleration, Kadyn dashed through the warheads coming her way before jumping up onto its massive left claw and slashing it apart as she moved up. As her acceleration ended, the mecha quickly reacted to her ascent by striking her with its right claw, only for Kadyn to jump onto it as well.
Like a small lice crawling on a giant, Kadyn swiftly damaged the mecha while it desperately tried to shake Kadyn off. With a swing, it shook its claw, sending Kadyn crashing into one of the buildings. Luckily, Kadyn landed inside a room with a bed, which cushioned her crash. However, there was no moment for rest as Kadyn jumped out of the window just as the mecha smashed its claw into the room.
Landing onto the street below, Kadyn dashed forward and swiftly sliced apart the mecha's legs, causing it to collapse with a blood-chilling screech. The ground shook violently as the mecha touched the ground, but the shockwave felt surprisingly a bit too powerful for the machine's weight. Just as Kadyn attempted to take a breath and figure out why, she saw a massive glowing light reflected on the surface of the collapsed mecha. With a lightning-fast reaction, Kadyn slipped away just in time before a massive plasma beam blasted the place she used to stand.
As she came to her senses, she noticed how the blast had disintegrated the massive xenomorph mecha she had fought. Turning around, Kadyn's jaw dropped as a Storm-class titan stood halfway across the city. With how massive the machine is, an entire section of the city was built on its back as it remained usually hidden beneath the soil. Being a relic from the Imperial Liberation Crusade, they were deployed in limited numbers to break enemy sieges with their capital ship-sized armaments.
[Kadyn] - "How the fuck did you manage to conceal this fucking thing under the city? "
Yelled Kadyn in disbelief.
Inside the titan, Martin stood behind Franklin, who was piloting the machine as the captain. With a wave of his hand on the control panel, Franklin directed another blast using the second cannon while the first recharged. By this point, all Kadyn could do was run as the massive plasma blast leveled an entire city block. Barely making it out alive of the blast radius, Kadyn ascended one of the buildings and began to dash between the rooftops toward the massive machine.
[Franklin] - "Fire the refueled main cannon! "
In a bright flash, a beam of orange plasma illuminated the crimson city with Kadyn barely ahead of the blast, which consumed everything behind her. With Kadyn trying to move out of its sight, the massive machine turned around, trampling multiple office buildings below its feet like ants.
[Franklin] - "I'm sorry, KD-555. Forgive me... "
Whispered Franklin under his breath.
[Martin] - "Come on, Franklin, if we can kill her, KD-554 will reward us handsomely! We'll become the most influential company in the entire Allied Empire. "
Screamed Martin excitedly as he shook Franklin's seat.
[Franklin] - "She's too agile for our main cannons. Let's let her get close and use our point defense weapons to take care of her instead. "
Said Franklin as he pressed a few buttons.
[Martin] - "Listen to me, Franklin, if we take her down, I'll pay you enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life and cure your mother's illness for good with the appropriate treatment. "
Whispered Martin to Franklin's ear.
Though Franklin flared up at the prospect of a great life and a cure for his mother's illness, he nonetheless felt remorse for firing upon Kadyn. Inside a city full of evil, she was about the most compassionate and kind person he had ever seen, despite her flaws. However, thinking back, Franklin suddenly noticed the strange way Martin phrased his words about his mother.
[Franklin] - "You knew the cure to my mother's illness? "
[Martin] - "Oh yes, we make medicine after all. Any sickness can be cured at a price. "
[Franklin] - "Yet, you said there was no permanent cure. You made me pay for her treatment my whole life and indebted me to you, made me work for you for free for all these years. "
[Martin] - "Now it's not the time for this, Franklin! This cure was only found recently. "
Franklin's hands curled up into fists, anger boiling inside his mind as he didn't buy into any of Martin's lies. All of a sudden, Franklin stood up and punched Martin in the face, knocking him to the ground without hesitation. Then, leaping over his seat, Franklin jumped onto Martin before pummeling him mercilessly.
[Franklin] - "I worked for you, betrayed my friends for you, killed for you! You were the one who kept my mother sick, so I could serve you forever! I wasted my life, my chances at happiness because you tricked me! "
Yelled Franklin as he savagely hit Martin with swing after swing.
Suddenly, Franklin was pulled off Martin by a gang of henchmen who immediately proceeded to beat him into submission. Wiping the blood off his face, Martin stood up and watched as Franklin was thrown onto the ground before having a gun pointed at his head.
[Martin] - "Hold it! We need him to pilot this machine. "
Said Martin as he held his palm up.
Leaning down, Martin stared at Franklin with a mocking grin before spitting in his face.
[Martin] - "You chose this life, Franklin. You chose to walk into the inner circle of Trump's City's elites, became my enforcer and were chosen to learn to pilot this behemoth among the thousands who volunteered. Yet a year ago, when you told me that you wished to resign and live a commoner's life, I had to find a way to keep you here. You are too valuable to let go. "
Said Martin with a confident smirk.
[Franklin] - "Screw you, you piece of shit! May KD-555 leave you as nothing but roadkill by the time she gets here! "
Yelled Franklin as he stared at Martin with disdain.
[Martin] - "Well, that won't happen since you will be a good boy and sit back onto that chair again and drive this damn thing. Don't forget, your mother's life is still in our hands. You can choose to spite me and do the illogical thing on our road to success, or you can suck it up and do what I ask of you, so we both come out as winners. "
Said Martin with an arrogant grin.
[Franklin] - "Heh! I've seen first-hand what KD-555 is capable of. Trust me, KD-554 might control the city, but KD-555 commands retribution. Heh... I provided her the weapons she was using, and I know for a fact she's bringing the legions of heaven with her. "
Said Franklin through pained exhales.
[Martin] - "Back to your seat, now! "
Said Martin with a grim look on his face.
[Franklin] - "See you in hell soon, bastard! "
Said Franklin as he suddenly pointed a gun under his chin.
In a panic, Martin noticed that Franklin had stolen his sidearm in the skirmish. However, it was too late, as Franklin pulled the trigger and ended his own life in a splash of red. As Franklin's lifeless corpse tumbled before Martin, a look of dread appeared on the bossman's face as he noticed Kadyn reaching the bottom of the titan.
[Kadyn] - "Well, it's your fault for not activating your shield, big guy. "
With a click of a button, Kadyn's pistol expanded, realligning its barrel configuration to allow for a bigger caliber round. Then, calmly, Kadyn chambered a fusion charge into her weapon before attaching a barrel extension. Then, with a calm exhale, she squeezed the trigger and let loose a microscopic sun at the titan. In a bright flash, the titan rocked back violently as a powerful explosion shook its central hydrolic system. However, due to its size, Kadyn had to fire a second round to take the beast down.
As the second fireball soon erupted against its command bridge, vaporizing Martin and his men, the titan was finally brought down as it collapsed back into the crater it rose up from. Below, where Kadyn stood, a dust storm flowed through the streets, kicked up by the death of the colossal machine. As the giant returned to its slumber, the area fell silent once more, with only the sound of the storm echoing across the city.
As Kadyn turned around, she saw the government tower standing above her like a pillar to the sky. The massive central tower was surrounded by a massive sleeve-like building, which served as its bureaucratic center. Meanwhile, the central tower overlooked the city with dominance and power like a monolith of wrath illuminated by the thousands of glowing crimson lights on its reflective surface.
As Kadyn arrived at its main gate with her Guandao drawn on one side and her pistol at the ready at the other, she was unaware of the pair of eyes which observed her from the shadow. With a steady hand, the assassin raised its rifle and aimed at Kadyn's unsuspecting backside. Meanwhile, with Kadyn's focus being solely on the guards standing at the main gate, she was unaware of the assassin who made use of a high-tech camelion coat, which allowed her to blend in with her surroundings.
[Poppy] - "I'm sorry, my friend- I'm sorry I'm such a rotten person. But this city... Made me a part of its design. "
Said Poppy with a tone of pain and regret.
In a flashback, Poppy remembered her time when she was still a teenager in the streets, selling her body to gain a living. However, as she emerged from a motel after murdering another one of her customers, she was abruptly cornered by her victim's allies. Turned out, she had just killed a minor gang leader with relatively powerful allies under his command.
As she was about to be shot after being savagely beaten, a tall blonde woman suddenly appeared behind the crooks and stabbed them each in the chest with her wrist blades. However, the moment Poppy got to have a better look at her saviour, she was both amazed and terrified of her face. On one hand, she owed this woman her life, but on the other, her soul knew she was face-to-face with the incarnation of the devil.
[KD-554] - "Hello there, friend. "
Said KD-554 in a gentle voice as she reached her hand toward Poppy.
Though there was a moment of hesitation, Poppy eventually took KD-554's hand and abruptly pulled to her feet.
[Poppy] - "Who are you? Why did you decide to save me? "
Said Poppy, afraid to make eye contact with KD-554's burning red irises.
[KD-554] - "I'm the mayor of this city, dear. I just so happen to look for people with a lot of potential to serve as my enforcers. Well, as luck would have it, I have found the famous Red-Light Killer responsible for dozens of manslaughter charges. "
[Poppy] - "Why me? What do you want from me? "
[KD-554] - "Because I want people who are raw in their nature. These men kill because it is necessary for their survival. You kill because you are simply following your true nature. Between killers, we understand each other. I feel your pain, and I wish to give you a future you can look forward to. Under me, you can kill without repercussion and never fear again as you walk alone in these streets. So, sister, will you join me? "
Said KD-554 in a compassionate tone.
At that moment, though Poppy's soul understood that it was a deal with the devil, her heart felt a warmth she had craved for her entire life. As she reached forward and embraced KD-554 as her master, she would become forever trapped inside a pact of blood signed out of desperation.
It was no mere coincidence she joined Franklin and Kadyn as their ally soon after Kadyn secured a job working for Martin. After all, nothing inside Trump City escapes KD-554's eyes. From the very start, Poppy knew Kadyn would eventually become her enemy and made many attempts to persuade her to turn to another path. However, her fear of KD-554's omnipotent presence in the city prevented her from saying anything significant to warn Kadyn. In the end, she would even take part in orchestrating Kadyn's downfall.
As a tear rolled down Poppy's cheek, she swallowed her humanity and allowed the killer within her to take over her actions. With a squeeze of the trigger, Poppy's gun rapid-fired five high-velocity shots at Kadyn's back and left shoulder. As Kadyn collapsed to the ground, Poppy immediately lowered her rifle and covered her face in shame and disgust at herself.
However, things were not meant to be, as Poppy suddenly felt a burning sensation in her chest. As she uncovered her face, she saw Kadyn on one knee with her gun drawn at her direction, the barrel already smoking. Staring down, Poppy noticed the gaping hole in her chest caused by a high-fragmentation round. Before she could move, her body tumbled over the edge of the billboard and hit the ground with a wet thump.
As Poppy's body rolled to a stop before Kadyn, she smiled under her mask, knowing that Kadyn had survived her attack. Though she knew she was about to die soon, she was feeling strangely at peace with her fate. At last, she thought, someone had put her out of this tortured existence. However, as Kadyn reached out to expose her face, Poppy used the last of her strength to hold Kadyn's hand.
[Poppy] - "Knowledge is harmful, ignorance is bliss. "
Whispered Poppy weakly before her body went limp.
Though Kadyn recognized Poppy's voice, she respected her friend's wish to remain masked. As Kadyn attempted to stand, she felt an unbearable pain in her arm and back as her flesh was in a dark shade of purple where Poppy's bullets had hit her. Truly, Mike was protecting Kadyn even beyond the grave as the coat she took from him had high perforation resistance, but the force of the impact had still caused her considerable muscular damage.
Using her Guandao as a walking cane, Kadyn gradually stood up as she was approached by the guards at the gate of the government tower. However, instead of aiming their weapons at her, they simply stood in a line and allowed a scantily clad woman to step forward. Despite the freezing rain, she didn't seem to be bothered as she stared at Kadyn with a psychotic look in her eyes.
[Beth] - "We meet finally, KD-555. Let's see who can tear the other one apart first. "
Said Beth before letting out an unhinged smile.
To be continued...