I sauntered down the staircase with Marisa by my side. Where were we going? I don't know. What were we looking for? The Annihilation Code, I guess. I'll be honest, I don't really know what we're looking for here. Isn't the Annihilation Code a song? How do you find a song? I'm so confused. I'm still fairly sure we're in a normal spa, but if searching this place gives Atlas peace. I'm willing to do it.
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"So, what do you think we'll find down there?" I asked Marisa.
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"I don't know," she muttered as she hugged herself tightly.
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"These are a lot of stairs. Why the hell do they have so many stairs? They should install an elevator."
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Marisa just nodded along.
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"Do your legs hurt? Mine do. Well, I guess I only have one leg now, but it hurts." I stopped talking when I realized she'd come to an abrupt halt. "Hey, are you okay?"
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She shook her head, and tears welled up in her eyes.
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Oh, no! She was crying! I don't usually do well dealing with people in emotional distress but spending time with Atlas had given me some practice.
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I patted her head. "There, there. Don't cry."
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She sobbed louder.
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Okay, I needed a new plan. I tapped my toes in a repetitive motion as I tried to come up with something to say. Then I remembered I had an infinite amount of knowledge at my fingertips. I typed, How to console a crying person? Into my cybernetics. I pulled up an article on the topic and began skimming. Step one: Witness their feelings. What the hell does that mean? "Um, I witness your feelings."
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She glanced up at me through tear-soaked lashes. "What?"
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I returned my attention to the article. Step two: Affirm that their feelings make sense. "Your feelings are valid."
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"What would you know about my feelings?"
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"Nothing," I confessed. "I don't know anything about how you're feeling." I sat down on the stairs and patted the space next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"
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She chewed on her lip anxiously as she eyed the space next to me. She reluctantly slumped down next to me.
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I closed the article so I could give Marisa my full attention. 'Now tell me what's wrong."
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She buried her face in her hands. "Atlas hates me."
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I rubbed gentle circles on her back. "What are you talking about? Where would you get a crazy idea like that?"
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She didn't look up. "I can tell he's furious with me for talking to Vindicator. I don't blame him. I know it was the wrong choice, but I was scared, and I didn't know what else to do. He made me feel so stupid."
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I gave a sympathetic nod. "He could've been less harsh."
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Marisa shot me a quizzical look. "You're not going to make excuses for him?"
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"Nah, he's responsible for his outbursts. I understand why he's upset, but that doesn't give him the right to be an asshole. Just because we're friends doesn't mean I have to excuse everything he does."
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She wiped her tears away with her sleeve.
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"I know he doesn't hate you. He adores you." It was true, I could sense Atlas's feelings through our link. His affection for his sister was unmatched.
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"How do you know that?"
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"I can sense it," I said before remembering Marisa didn't know about our cerebral link. "Because I'm... um... an empath." I decided to roll with it. "Yeah, I'm an empath, and by using my mystical empath powers, I can say with absolute certainty that Atlas adores you."
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"I know Atlas formed a cerebral link with you." She said.
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I chuckled nervously. "What? No. We would never do such a thing. That would be irresponsible and annoying. Who wants someone in their head all the time? Not me!"
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She crossed her arms and shot me a dubious look.
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"Okay, fine! I'll admit it. We formed a link. It was his idea."
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A wistful smile spread across her face. "I'm not upset.
I always hoped, when he finally opened up about his trauma, I'd be the person he'd talk to."
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"I'm sorry."
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"Don't be. It's just that we were so close as kids. We told each other everything. Ever since joining the army, I feel like I hardly know him. It's like he's an entirely different person." She stared down at her empty hands. "I want my little brother back."
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I gave a sympathetic nod as I listened. "I get it. You miss the person you grew up with. I can't imagine how hard it is to watch someone you love, change before your eyes."
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"I still love him, you know? He's so different now, I don't know how to connect with him anymore."
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Let me just say, as someone who has connected with Atlas recently, the Atlas I know is pretty amazing. He's smart and compassionate and so talented." I rolled up my sleeve to proudly reveal the seagull painted onto my arm.
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The smallest trace of a smile formed on her lips. "You're a good friend. I can see why Atlas likes you so much."
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"Of course, he likes me. I'm flawless and everyone adores me."
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"Thank you for listening to me." She tried to wipe away the remainder of her dripping makeup with her sleeve.
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I rifled through my pockets for a handkerchief I could offer her. I was still wearing my outfit from the top party. Everyone else changed before coming here, but I got distracted and lost track of time. I felt a piece of paper brush against my fingertips. I took it out of my pocket and unfolded it. It was the charcoal drawing Atlas had done of me.
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Marisa caught a glimpse of the sketch in my hands and let out a soft gasp. "Did Atlas make this?"
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I nodded.
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"It's beautiful! His art has improved so much! He captured all the details perfectly. He has a gift, doesn't he?"
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I nodded. Her pride for her little brother made my heart swell. I knew it wasn't too late to mend their relationship. Unless Bionic Corp kills us before they get the chance. I thought glumly.
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Marisa promptly stood up and dusted herself off. "That's enough crying. Let's keep moving."
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I rose to my feet and followed her downward.
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After descending several flights of stairs, we found ourselves in a pitch-black corridor. The cold, dank air raised goosebumps along my skin. Marisa grabbed a flashlight out of her pocket, and I activated my night vision. There were three doors along the hallway. One to the left, one to the right, and one at the very end.
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Marisa and I shared a wary glance as I reached for the doorknob to the first room.
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"Wait!" Marisa said in a hushed tone. "We shouldn't be snooping around here. This is probably just an ordinary small business, and we're trespassing. Let's just go."
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She had a point, but I was too curious to leave now. I pushed open the door and looked around. The room was filled with metal shelves with cardboard boxes stacked on top of them. I grabbed one of the brown boxes and rummaged through it. It contained a large stack of books and newspapers. "Who the hell still reads newspapers?"
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"See? There's nothing here!" Marisa said.
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"We've still got two more rooms to check."
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She rolled her eyes so hard; I think she caught sight of her brain. "Fine, but make it quick."
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The second room contained nothing but a series of beige file cabinets.
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We promptly moved on to the third door. I tugged on the handle, but it refused to budge. "It's locked."
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"Can we go now?"
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"Nope." I used every ounce of my strength to rip the door off its hinges. I tossed the crumpled remains of the metal door aside. Thank you, cybernetic enhancements!
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Marisa let out an exasperated sigh. "I guess we're adding property damage to our list of charges."
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"Don't worry, I have spectacular lawyers. They've gotten me out of tons of sticky situations."
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"I don't have lawyers!"
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"I'll lend them to you."
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The third room was pitch black except for the faint glowing blue light from a large computer screen. We hesitantly tiptoed towards the computer. As I scanned the room, I noticed a tiny red blinking light in the top corner of the room. I zoomed in with my cybernetic vision, to try to identify the light's source. It was a security camera! I hid my face from the camera's lens, then crushed the device with my cybernetic fist. I released my grip and the debris clinked to the ground. I smirked. "Not today, Bionic Corp."
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Marisa approached the computer and examined it. "This is one of the fastest and most expensive computers on the market. This model can store over one hundred sixty terabytes of data. This is the same type of computer Bionic Corp used to use when I was in the army."
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"Do spas typically have computers like this?"
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Marisa shook her head. "No, they do not."
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"So, Atlas was right to suspect something suspicious was going on here?"
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"I guess so." Marisa sat down in the leather office chair and tried to access the computer. A notification popped up on the screen, demanding we enter the password.
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"Do you think you can hack in?"
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"I can try. This is a newer model than I'm used to working with." She cracked her knuckles and got to work. Her acrylic nails made a clicking sound as she tapped on the keyboard.
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"Are you okay with being out of the house this long? I know it's anxiety-inducing for you."
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She kept her focus glued to the screen. "Nope, I'm not even remotely okay, but I have to keep going. Hacking is a good distraction."
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I admired her tenacity. "Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"
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"Yeah. Can you face the wall or something? I can have people staring at me while I hack.
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"Yeah, I can do that." I pressed my forehead against the wall and stared at the chipped paint. I'm already bored. I counted every cobweb in the room several times, then slumped down in the corner. I wonder what Atlas is up to. I hope he's found something more interesting than this. He hasn't contacted me through our cerebral link, which probably means there is nothing to report.
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"I'm in!" She threw up her arms triumphantly and leaned back in her chair. "Their firewall is pretty tough, so we don't have a lot of time."
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"Great job!" I moved next to her so I could have a better view of the screen. "What are we looking at?"
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Marisa studied the screen. "It looks like a database." She skimmed the files. "What would you like me to look for?"
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"Search for the Annihilation Code!" I suggested.
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Marisa typed the words into the search bar.
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０RESULTS FOUND
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"Dammit! I was hoping it was here. Atlas is going to be devastated."
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"Don't lose hope yet. Bionic Corp wouldn't leave the Annihilation Code lying around, listed under its own name. They'd most likely encrypt it somehow."
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I nodded. "Good thinking." I wouldn't have thought of that. "Where should we begin searching?"
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"I have no idea." She confessed. "We may have to go through every individual file to find it."
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"Fun," I said in a monotone.
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Marisa clicked on one of the files to open it.
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Cyborg: 1052652512 Call sign: Abyss
Cyborg: 2391419201514 Call sign: Ace
Cyborg: 2652 Call sign: Adrenaline
Cyborg: 139121 Call sign: Aftermath
Cyborg: 54231184 Call sign: Alchemist
Cyborg: 38114412518 Call sign: Alpha
Cyborg: 5221 Call sign: Alpine
Cyborg: 41149 Call sign: Altitude
Cyborg: 1122524 Call sign: Ambush
Cyborg 101145: Call sign: Ambrosia
Cyborg: 114208151425 Call sign: Anaconda
Cyborg: 21715 Call sign: Angler
Cyborg: 815182119 Call sign: Anubis
Cyborg: 10211291 Call sign: Arachne
Cyborg: 18525331 Call sign: Artemis
Cyborg: 71857151825 Call sign: Apparition
Cyborg: 75145 Call sign: Astro
Cyborg: 41131514 Call sign: Avenger
Cyborg: 1491 Call sign: Avalanche
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Marisa let out a quiet gasp. "It's a record of every cyborg soldier that's ever worked for Bionics Corp!"
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"Can you scroll downward? I'll tell you when to stop."
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She nodded and began scrolling. She paused when we reached Cyborg: 3118121519 Call sign: Curseword.
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I shook my head, and she kept scrolling. That's not who I'm looking for. We continued to skim through the list for what felt like an eternity. All the names and numbers were beginning to blur together. "Stop!" I shouted.
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Marisa froze.
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Cyborg: 451291 Call sign: Nightshade
Cyborg: 149381512119 Call sign: Nocturnal
Cyborg: 1259121 Call sign: Nyx
Cyborg 11120189141 Call sign: Oblivion
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I pointed to Oblivion's folder. "That one."
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"What are you looking to find in there?"
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"I don't know, maybe they've got a weakness we can exploit or maybe a family member we could threaten."
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"Chase!" Marisa scolded.
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"What? Oblivion isn't afraid to play dirty; why shouldn't we do the same?"
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Marisa hesitantly clicked on the file.
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Oblivion
Duty: Assassin
Name: Katrina Madden
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Holy freaking fudgeballs! She was playing us the whole time? That can't be right, can it? It doesn't add up! Either way, I need to warn Atlas. I activated our cerebral link and reached out to him. "Atlas, are you there?"
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"Yes, I'm here. What's going on? Did you find anything downstairs?"
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I let out a long sigh of relief. He was safe. For now, anyway. I let out an anxious sound that resembled a chortle.
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"Um, okay."
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"Oblivion is in the building."
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"Where?"
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"She's with you right now. Atlas, Katrina is Oblivion."
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I felt a cold metal fist close around my neck, cutting off my air supply. "What do you think you're doing here?"
ns3.131.160.145da2
