⁕ The Line Which Divides Us (part 3)

Throughout the years, although Kadyn has almost never been on a mission with Mike. However, there was a rare time when the two accidentally crossed paths during their individual mission. It was a rainy day. Kadyn had just eliminated her target and was walking out of the hotel where she had committed the deed. Upon feeling the heavy rain on her palm, she immediately decided that she would instead wait a moment for the storm to pass. 

Suddenly, out of the blue, Mike walked out of the mist while holding a large dark umbrella. 

[Mike] - "Well, may I take your hands, miss? "

The two walked casually under the rain but no matter how hard the wind blew, not a drop of water ever managed to reach them. It was one of the rare times when Kadyn witnessed Mike's ability at work with her own eyes. Normally, any usage of his ability would just happen spontaneously without any visible effect but today, it was clear that a shield was pushing the rainwater away. 

[Kadyn] - "I wasn't expecting you... I'm glad you showed up. "

Said Kadyn with a joyful smile as she pressed harder against Mike.

[Mike] - "I was just passing by, saw this beautiful lady waiting under that rain and decided, why not shoot my shot? "

[Kadyn] - "Hmm, well, it looks like your trick worked. However, we are not heading toward any restaurant or hotel right now, are we? "

Said Kadyn with a playful expression on her face.

[Mike] - "Unfortunately, we have more work to do. The man you just killed received his information from a rogue cyberknight who I'm chasing right now. "

Said Mike in a serious tone.

[Kadyn] - "Oh... so you were not here for me. How long do we have after your deed? "

Said Kadyn in a disappointed voice.

[Mike] - "Approximately 5 minutes, no more no less. "

[Kadyn] - "Another time maybe... "

Said Kadyn as her look dropped toward the ground. 

As Mike approached the area where the track was emitting its signal, Kadyn suddenly felt the rain hitting her back like a bat made of ice. As she looked around, she noticed how the rain was now making both her and Mike wet. 

[Kadyn] - "Mike! Why are you- "

Before Kadyn could finish, Mike abruptly put a finger to her lips. 

[Mike] - "Shhh! Do not make a single sound. "

Mike's eyes glanced at the mirror from a parked car and noticed how there were only garbage cans inside the alleyway. Mike slowly turned into the alley and retrieved the tracker which was hiding inside one of the garbage cans. Suddenly, a gust of wind passed by Mike and Kadyn before a red slash mark appeared on Mike's cheek. Blood quickly poured out of his wound onto the ground below while Mike somehow lost his usual calm demeanour. 

Upon seeing the usually calm and collected Mike panic, Kadyn also began to feel anxious. 

[Kadyn] - "What kind of enemy are we dealing with? "

Said Kadyn as worry began to show on her face. 

[Mike] - "Our enemy is extremely dangerous. He is a senior cyberknight with three sets of abilities, granting him speed, invisibility and lethality. I can't see or catch him... this is bad. "

Said Mike in a panicked voice.

A muffled laugh was echoing in the air as another gust of wind passed by them but this time, slower than the previous time. Again, Mike was struck but this time in the heart as he gasped and fell back. Kadyn immediately tried to go after whoever attacked Mike but Mike held her back. 

[Mike] - "No, there is no need for direct violence. That bloody bastard is already done for. "

Said Mike as he abruptly showed his signature grin. 

Looking carefully, Kadyn noticed a shape in the air which was covered with droplets of water. In contrast to the gust of wind before, the man was moving as slowly as an old man on a stick. With a swipe of his finger, Mike dragged the mass onto the ground before the man slowly revealed himself. He was gasping for air as his ability deactivated with his slipping consciousness. 

[Mike] - "I didn't randomly choose a day to hunt him. The rain was a setup. It's really what you don't see which is the most dangerous. I can't catch him since I can't locate him and I can't attack him either because of his speed. By manipulating the rain particles once I'm sure he is around, it's only a matter of time before he covers himself with rain which has the same property as a glue under my ability. However, to make him stay longer inside my trap, all I have to do is act as if he has a chance to take me down. "

Said Mike as he walked toward his prey. 

With a snap of his finger, Mike destroyed both of the man's arms and crystals. Then, with a swipe of his finger, the man was pinned and trapped against the wall with no possibility of movement. 

[Mike] - "Now, Kadyn, if you ever find yourself facing an opponent who can easily outclass you, going head-on is never the proper answer. Cause I know you love charging head-first into fights with a cut-first, think-later mentality. Instead, reverse engineer your opponent's attacks into your opportunities and control the situation by taking steps back. "

Said Mike as he suddenly made the rain stop at a gradual pace. 

[Kadyn] - "Why would I need to think? Just cut and slash and all problems will go away. "

Said Kadyn as she shook the water from her dress. 

[Mike] - "A machine will think that way but you are no machine, aren't you? "

Said Mike with a grin as he extracted all the water from Kadyn's dress. 

Kadyn looked at Mike not knowing how to respond to him. 

[Mike] - "If you think, then you are. So, you know the answer already. "

Back in the present, Kadyn quickly moved Audrey out of KD-556's reach and watched as her opponent struggled helplessly against her restraints. Earlier, after thinking about Audrey's ability and their opponent, Kadyn remembered the words Mike told her: "It's really what you don't see which is the most dangerous. ". By telling Audrey to increase the friction between the particles which composed her uniform, Kadyn essentially created the best invisible trap for her opponent. 

Later, while KD-556 struck through the uniform, the friction of a thin layer of fabric couldn't stop the anti-material blade from penetrating but as soon as her arm punched through, she was basically stuck if she tried to pull out. Like the principle of a Chinese finger trap, when she tries to remove her arm, the punctured fabric now stacks against itself and forms a powerful frictional force which becomes inescapable. Since KD-556 was dragging the entire uniform's frictional force against the air, she couldn't escape the scene either. 

[Kadyn] - "An act combined with a trap invisible to the eyes and I never even drew my blade. I doubt any machine like you can solve a problem using anything else than violence. "

Said Kadyn as KD-556 struggled in vain to free herself. 

In desperation, KD-556 tried to push her arm deeper but quickly found that her movement alone was not enough to break through the frictional force of the uniform's thin fabric. 

[KD-556] - "You stinking sneaky piece of shit! I'll fucking gut and eat your heart when I get out! "

Yelled KD-556 in rage. 

However, despite the hatred in her voice, her face seemed to only portray a cold and unwavering expression which didn't match her tone. Finally, as her acceleration time was running low, KD-556 tried slicing her arm off to free herself. 

[Kadyn] - "Oh no, you don't! "

Yelled Kadyn as she blocked KD-556's other blade with her own. 

Now fighting on fair ground with one arm versus one arm, Kadyn was easily able to throw off every single one of KD-556's attempts at dismembering herself. Finally, their acceleration came to an end as KD-556 finally made a strike which dealt enough damage for her to pull her shoulder apart. However, just as she was about to flee, her movement quickly slowed down until she was no longer able to move. 

[Audrey] - "Going so soon, sis? Why don't you stay for coffee and croissant? "

Said Audrey as she held her hand toward KD-556. 

[Kadyn] - "Good work, Audrey. We got this bitch! "

Said Kadyn as she took a few laboured breaths. 

[Audrey] - "Geez, it's seriously uncanny how she looks like your lost twin. "

Said Audrey as she pointed her flashlight toward KD-556's face.

Kadyn turned toward KD-556 and had another proper look at her clone.

[Kadyn] - "Yeah, one of those psychotic twin sisters you wish you never found out or knew about. "

Said Kadyn as she pointed her blade toward KD-556's face. 

[KD-552] - "Release KD-556 at once, KD-555 or your friend here dies. "

Yelled KD-552 all of a sudden. 

Audrey didn't even realize that a cold metallic object was touching her neck. 

[KD-552] - "Make a sudden movement and you'll lose your head. Keep your eyes forward. "

Whispered KD-552 toward Audrey's ear. 

[Audrey] - "Don't listen to this bitch, Kadyn! Cut that cunt down and you'll be able to deal with this one without issue. "

[KD-552] - "Heh! I doubt she'll do that. Humans, their biggest weakness is their mind after all with these useless moralities which make simple dilemmas the worst obstacle in their lives. "

KD-556 quickly produced a malicious grin as she began to calculate how to strike Kadyn the moment she becomes free. At that moment, Kadyn knew that thoughts and intellect were her only tools accessible in this situation. Despite everything Mike has taught her, in the end, one's intellect depends on the person. 

"If you think, then you are. "

Mike's sentence echoed inside Kadyn's mind as she analyzed her situation and the psychology of her opponents. Finally, with a calm and collected spirit, Kadyn was ready to put her plan to the test. 

[Kadyn] - "Cogitos Ergo Sum, I think therefore I am. I'm not like the rest of you and my weapons aren't only limited to my blade or my body. "

Kadyn suddenly placed her blade against her neck and even caused a massive cut to form.

[Kadyn] - "If you kill Audrey, then I will kill myself too. Her death will be the catalyst of my demise, KD-552. "

Said Kadyn in a calm and collected manner as blood poured down her neck.

[KD-556] - "She moved her blade away, do it, KD-552! "

Yelled KD-556 in triumph. 

However, KD-552's blade didn't bulge and no matter how hard she fought, her programming seemed to always win over her impulse. Audrey let out an expression of shock as she was amazed by the ingenuity of Kadyn's plan. Meanwhile, Kadyn began to slowly approach Audrey and KD-552 while keeping her blade planted in her wound. 

[KD-556] - "You shameful spineless rat excrement! Fucking do it, you worthless dog-water born piece of shit! "

Yelled KD-556 as her voice grew frantic. 

[KD-552] - "Don't come any closer or I will... "

KD-552 could've totally ignored her preset commands but she lacked the consciousness or the ability to think above what is considered logical in her mind. The line which divides a machine and a human is the ability to think above the established rules and make conscious actions outside of what is permitted. 

[Kadyn] - "You will what? Taking her life will cause me to lose mine, you don't want that, don't you? "

Said Kadyn with a confident expression on her face. 

Finally, Kadyn stood right in front of KD-552 who immediately began to show an expression of fear on her face but not in her eyes. 

[KD-552] - "Sister, please, don't do this! I'm doing this for your own good, we'll find a way to get the empire to pardon you for your crimes. "

[Kadyn] - "These words can easily convince a machine but I am no machine. "

Said Kadyn before suddenly slicing off KD-552's arm. 

In a swift move, Kadyn grabbed KD-552's severed arm and launched it toward KD-556's face. 

[Kadyn] - "Hasta La Vista, terminator. "

In an instant, that blade on KD-552's severed arm pierced through KD-556's skull and split it in half. Subsequently, like the terminator, KD-556's green eyes slowly extinguished and left nothing but a pair of dark irises behind. 

[Audrey] - "Can I release her now? "

[Kadyn] - "Do it, she's dead. "

With a loud thud, KD-556's bloodied body fell to the ground while Kadyn and Audrey breathed a loud sigh of relief. 

[Audrey] - "Jesus... I can't believe we actually won. Now, what about her? "

Before Audrey could react, Kadyn stabbed her blade into KD-552's chest before dissecting her through the neck and head without hesitation. Just like her sister, KD-552 immediately fell to the ground with bloodied gargles before soon falling silent. 

[Audrey] - "I thought we should've taken her prisoner and questioned her or something. "

Said Audrey with a shocked look on her face. 

[Kadyn] - "It's time I do things my own way. She and her sisters were exactly the same as me and my sisters except for one area; The brain. Her batch had the part of their brain responsible for emotion and empathy severed so that they could not develop a conscience or hesitate when killing. "

Said Kadyn as she stared empty-eyed at KD-552's corpse.

[Audrey] - "But they did show emotions earlier when we fought them.

[Kadyn] - "All their emotions are artificial as they could not feel it. That's why oftentimes, their facial expressions will not correspond with the tone in their voice. It's a bloody shame, really, since these parts of the brain could be reconnected and they'll be just like me and my sisters instead of savages lusting for carnage. "

Said Kadyn with a tone of regret in her voice. 

[Audrey] - "Then why did you kill her? We could've saved her and given her a second chance at life. "

[Kadyn] - "I thought about it but I am not Mike. Mike would've tried everything he could to save her if he was in my shoes. However, I don't have the ability to save her like Mike does. If we were to capture her alive, the Allied Forces would've put her through the same thing as they did to Mike. Also, I wish to deny sick bastards like Dunkel the ability to replicate my kind. Weapons like my kind should not exist if we want to make the world a better place. "

Said Kadyn as she slowly peeled KD-552's eyes shut. 

[Audrey] - "I understand your reasoning. However, about the weapon part, you meant weapons like her kind should not exist if we want to make the world a better place. You are different, you are just like us, a human. "

Kadyn let out a warm smile of acknowledgement before moving to drag KD-552's body. 

[Kadyn] - "Can you help me? Take the other body and follow me. "

For almost an hour, the two women dragged the dead bodies of their foe through the eerily empty base which remained pitch black. The two remained silent all the way to the main exit to pay respect to the dead. At that moment, they weren't aware of the real toll of the carnage committed by KD-552 and KD-556 but they will later learn to their shock and horror that around 6579 people had lost their lives with none injured. For the lucky 782 who survived thanks to a lockdown procedure which trapped them in section D, it wouldn't be until two days later that were finally freed by a rescue team. 

Outside, Kadyn pushed the two bodies together before covering them in gasoline. With a strike of her blade against the fuel, a spark immediately turned into a large fire which engulfed the two bodies. Later, after recovering the remains which cannot be destroyed by fire, Kadyn and Audrey chose a place outside of the base where they buried everything. 

In the cold night, alongside the onset of severe blood loss, Kadyn began to shiver. Upon seeing her friend in this state, Audrey handed back Kadyn Mike's coat so she could stay warm. There was a troubled expression on Audrey's face as a heavy smell of iron was blown toward her by the wind from the base. As the adrenaline in Audrey's blood finally subsided, the reality of the situation suddenly hit her like a freight train. 

[Audrey] - "Hey, warm yourself up in the guard's cabin. I need a smoke if you don't mind. "

Said Audrey with a blank expression on her face.

Kadyn nodded her head and stumbled into the guard's cabin where she sat down and rubbed her hands together. 

That day, after making sure that his target was well concealed and confined in a crafted cage, Mike turned toward Kadyn who looked upset. 

[Kadyn] - "Why are you so slow? You wasted 4 minutes out of the 5 you promised me! "

Yelled Kadyn in frustration. 

[Mike] - "I said 5 minutes... if I was just an apathetic asshole who didn't value you. All I gotta say is that it took longer for me to capture him and there you go, we got three days all to ourselves. So? May I now take the lady to a proper date? "

Said Mike with a smirk. 

Kadyn's frown immediately turned to a smile as she jumped onto Mike and kissed him on the mouth. Later that afternoon, Mike and Kadyn sat together on the top of a skyscraper while eating ice cream and watching the sunset. 

[Kadyn] - "I'm thinking, Mike, I have never saved anyone's life and I have only taken lives away. I'm starting to believe that maybe I'm a bad person. "

[Mike] - "There are countless people who lived their entire lives without ever saving another being's life, yet they are not bad people. It's just coincidence combined with one's empathy and power. Meanwhile, some lives can be saved, others cannot. I too have taken many lives or have failed to save many but what matters, in my opinion, is that if a person does not deserve death, then I must preserve that person's life with all my strength. Evil or good is simply not part of the equation. "

[Kadyn] - "I wish I had a rule to live by just like you. "

[Mike] - "She's not simply going for a smoke. "

Kadyn suddenly opened her eyes and pulled herself up from her slumped-up position against the desk. She felt confused as she didn't remember Mike saying that phrase. 

"Blood and gore hits differently for you compared to her. "

This sentence played inside Kadyn's head as if Mike was speaking to her. As soon as Kadyn realized what Mike meant, her blood ran cold alongside a chill which travelled down her spine. Without losing a second, Kadyn began to run following the path taken by Audrey. While Kadyn became desensitized to blood and gore throughout her years spent in bloodshed, Audrey, like any other sane human, would be broken by the sheer trauma of seeing that macabre carnage. 

Kadyn arrived just in time as Audrey brought a gun to her temple. In an instant, Kadyn smashed the gun out of Audrey's hand before grabbing her by the shoulders. 

[Kadyn] - "What are you doing? "

Yelled Kadyn with shock all across her face.

[Audrey] - "I can't! This is too much! The smell of death and the amount of bodies in these hallways... There is no God! The tragedy and sheer carnage... only possible by the hands of Satan! Let me end it all, I won't be able to live with this! "

Yelled Audrey as she kicked and trashed frantically. 

[Kadyn] - "Shhh! Don't think about it, Audrey. It's just a very bad dream, you are just waking up from a very bad dream. Just don't think about it... "

Said Kadyn as she began to cry.

The two abruptly hugged each other before letting out all their pent-up emotions in a flurry of cries and tears. Despite their earth-shattering sorrow, the forest remained silent and dead. That morning, the sun didn't rise as the sky remained grey with a thick mist and a gentle rain. 

To be continued...