Rats under the bucket

Kadyn stared at her wrist blade which glowed like a diamond under the limited sunlight. She remembered how back then, she used to be revolted at the sight of blood. Now, slashing open the throat of her enemy became a norm. Somehow, no matter how many gallons of blood were splashed on her face, the feeling of disgust never came back. 

All this bloodshed in order to save the ones she loved. All this violence to bring back the peace she once knew. Kadyn caressed her abdomen and noticed the slight bulge that had formed over the months. There are only 4 months left while she has a lifetime of problems to bury. 

Just as Kadyn closed her eyes and relaxed a bit, a massive earthquake shook her right toward the ceiling. Acting quickly, Kadyn flipped around and used her feet to push against the ceiling before reversing around to land on the ground. This saved her from any major concussion but McCree wasn't so lucky. While Senju landed harshly but felt almost nothing due to his armour, McCree hit his face against both the ceiling and the ground. 

[McCree] - "Ah son of a bitch! What the fuck was that! "

Mumbled McCree in anger while holding his bleeding nose. 

[Senju] - "Are you alright, Kadyn? "

[Kadyn] - "I'm fine, what about you? "

[Senju] - "Composite material, good at absorbing hits. "

Said Senju proudly while padding his chest. 

[McCree] - "Ye god damn son of guns, not even asking if I'm alright. Ugh! "

Mumbled McCree in frustration while blood dripped through his fingers. 

[Senju] - "Oh no, do I need to call momma to give you a bandaid? "

[McCree] - "Ah fuck you! "

Said McCree with a smirk. 

Senju reached out and helped McCree get off the ground. 

[Kadyn] - "We better get going now. We still have a long road ahead of us. "

The three of them gathered at the building's entrance and observed the environment outside. 

[McCree] - "Is it me or did the city become a tad bit dusty? "

[Senju] - "That makes no sense... how could an urban area be hit by a dust storm? "

[Kadyn] - "We'll concern ourselves with that later. Let's focus on the objective. "

Said Kadyn as her irises turned red. 

[McCree] - "Coast seems clear boys, let's move! "

Just as McCree began to rush out of cover, Kadyn immediately held him back by the sleeve. 

[Kadyn] - "Stop being so careless, damn it! "

Said Kadyn as she pointed at the sky. 

McCree looked up slightly to see a drone flying past the building. Luckily, he found himself right under the drone's blind spot. 

[Kadyn] - "For fuck's sake, these weren't here yesterday. "

Meanwhile, on the other side, KD-554 oversaw the entry of construction vehicles and trucks filled with construction materials into the city. At that moment, Dan slowly walked up beside KD-554. 

[Dan] - "You wanted to see me, boss? "

[KD-554] - "Indeed, Dan, I need your assistance in a hunt. "

[Dan] - "I saw there was an insurgence attack on your headquarters last night. Was this to catch one of the escaped insurgents? "

[KD-554] - "The attack last night was something I allowed to happen. Thanks to their effort, Astroboy was able to kill all those who opposed my rule. "

KD-554 turned around and walked up to the edge of the wall which overlooked the city. 

[KD-554] - "Let's not waste our time, shall we? "

Dan activated his ability before a block of condensed air appeared before KD-554. Upon stepping on the block of slightly fogged air, KD-554 began to descend gradually from the massive wall. Meanwhile, Dan followed behind her on another block of air. 

[Dan] - "What kind of target are we talking about, boss? "

[KD-554] - "A blond girl who looks almost identical to me. I want to face her alone, so I simply need you to separate her from her allies. Or, actually, I prefer them dead. Execute at medium rare, you know, splattered like Kennedy on his Limouse. "

Said KD-554 in a casual voice. 

Dan frowned at the bizarre instruction.

"How the fuck am I supposed to do that? "

Thought Dan as their platforms hit the ground. 

[KD-554] - "Like the rats inside a hole, they will have to come out for food eventually. We just have to wait for a drone sighting or a radio report from patrol. "

Said KD-554 as she started marching through the broken streets. 

[KD-554] - "Now, dear sister, how would I move around the city if I were in your shoes? "

KD-554 looked at the sky before an idea suddenly flashed inside her head. The city is currently kept inside a dome created by Dan's ability. In ancient times, a form of torture consisted of placing a rat inside an upside-down bucket on a convict's abdomen, then a torch was applied to the top of the bucket, which would cause the rat to look for a way to escape. Unfortunately, the rat's only escape path was through the convict's abdomen. 

Kadyn is trapped inside a dome just like the rat trapped under the bucket. In this case, the abdomen would be Dan and he will be the bait to lure her out. KD-554 smirked with a devilish expression before turning toward Dan. 

[KD-554] - "I could wait for her to naturally come out of hiding but I don't feel like waiting any longer. "

[Dan] - "Then what is the plan, boss? "

[KD-554] - "Call in the fire brigade. This city requires an overhaul anyway. "

[Dan] - "Huh? But, boss, there are still a few million people living in this city. "

KD-554's irises suddenly started to glow with a crimson-red light.

[KD-554] - "Don't start getting sentimental, now, Dan! Do you personally know anyone of these civilians? "

Said KD-554 while she burned the fear into Dan's soul with her demonic eyes and sharp smile. 

Without a response from Dan, KD-554 smirked with satisfaction. 

[KD-554] - "Fire brigade, NOW! "

Said KD-554 with authority. 

Reluctantly, Dan picked up the portable radio and called in order 37. 

Soon, heavily armoured men arrived inside the city armed with massive flamethrowers. While the armoured torch squad started to set fire to the building around them, another group of men arrived behind them with mortars and began firing napalm bombs into the city centre. 

Not even a few minutes afterward, the entire northern sector of the city was engulfed in a sea of flames. Refugees began to run out of the ruins with their hair and clothes on fire while screams of pain and terror filled the streets. During all this, KD-554 watched afar without a single ounce of sympathy. As the fire consumed all the buildings in front of her, KD-554 extended both of her hands in the air.

[KD-554] - "Bow before me as I am empress, queen, her Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal KD-554, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of all Empire in the world in General and The United States in Particular! "

In a corner, Dan observed the burning city with a feeling of guilt hanging inside his heart. Upon seeing the way KD-554 was behaving, Dan started to question his loyalty to her. How much longer does he have before she uses him or Beth as a cannon fodder? Is the money really worth what he is doing? 

Meanwhile, Kadyn, McCree and Senju all ran through the city in a frantic dash to find cover. The intense fire was spreading like a plague through the city, engulfing everything in its path. By the arrival of night, the city was lit brighter than it was during the day. The three of them quickly jumped into a pile of garbage and avoided a drone which passed overhead. 

[McCree] - "What in tarnation is going on inside this hellish place? "

[Kadyn] - "It's her, she's losing her patience. "

[Senju] - "This is insane! She's killing thousands of people just to find us? "

[McCree] - "Yeah, since when did we become such celebrities? " 

[Kadyn] - "This has to stop. I can't let a few thousand more pay the price with their lives just because of me! If she wants me, then let her come get it! "

Kadyn suddenly crawled out of her cover and shot at the drone with McCree's pistol. She intentionally missed so the drone would notice her. Upon turning around, the drone's camera immediately focused on Kadyn and began to podcast the footage to KD-554's channel. 

[Kadyn] - "I know you can see me, sister! Tell your men to stop the fire and I will willingly follow this drone to you! "

[McCree] - "What the hell are ya doin'? Get down! "

Yelled McCree in a panic.

[Kadyn] - "Sooner or later, she will find us. I'm going to confront her and you guys will go find whoever is keeping the dome active. I'll join you guys as soon as I can. "

Said Kadyn as she threw McCree's pistol back at him. 

[McCree] - "You can't do this! She'll kill yah! "

Screamed McCree as he attempted to reach Kadyn with his hand. 

[Kadyn] - "You can't always run without confronting your demons. Roads are limited but the chase is endless. Mike chose to confront his demon instead of running away and so will I. Don't bother coming back for me if you succeed, I'll be fine. "

Said Kadyn with a smile. 

[McCree] - "Come back here! You can't win against her, we'll find another way! "

Yelled McCree as he attempted to pull himself out of the garbage pile. 

[Senju] - "McCree, that's enough! It's the only way. "

Said Senju as he held McCree back. 

Before McCree could free himself, Kadyn jumped off the pile of garbage into a puddle of dirty water. The stained droplets splashed against Mike's coat but they quickly dripped back into the puddle, unable to hold onto the fabric. 

The drone immediately began to fly away at a slow pace with Kadyn following right behind it. As Kadyn walked, she turned around and showed her still-hidden friends a smile of gratitude. McCree clutched his pistol in frustration before putting it back into his holster. 

[McCree] - "She's goin' to her doom, yah know. "

[Senju] - "But what other choices do we have? That's the only way. "

[McCree] - "Mph, that's all you can say. I reckon your body isn't the only thing that became metal. Your heart must be cybernetic as well. "

Said McCree in a cold voice as he jumped out of the pile of garbage. 

Without waiting for Senju, McCree began to walk in the same direction Kadyn took. 

[Senju] - "Where are you going? "

[McCree] - "Followin' her. If she's goin' to an important place, that dome fucker must be somewhere near. "

Senju quickly caught up to McCree. 

[Senju] - "Didn't know you had a brain. That's pretty smart coming from you. "

McCree wasn't in the mood for jokes, so he simply shrugged off Senju's remark. 

Inside the city, the fire was still ongoing but no more flame was added to the blaze. Just like a rat trapped inside a bucket, Kadyn is forced out of hiding and will soon have to tear through blood and flesh in order to survive. 

To be continued...