Chapter 16

Shadow looks through the one way glass at May, handcuffed to the table. For the most part she's untouched, but that's cause Shadow is going to interrogate her.

Shadow is trying to figure out how to start. Ashe bursts through the door and shuts it softly behind her.

"Get out of here Ashe, you don't want to see this."

Ashe walks over to her, "I wasn't sure if you went in already, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Leave."

"No."

"Ashe, this won't be pretty."

"It wasn't pretty what she did to you either. I'm staying."

"Ashe, please leave. She's gonna scream."

"I'll try my best to hold in the joy I feel."

Shadow snorts, Ashe was there that day, she heard it all. Shadow sighs, "Fine."

Shadow walks to the door and walks in the room, May straightens.

"You're all pathetic, torture me all you want."

Shadow tilts her head, she walks over to the table and leans down on it. Where does she start?

"Really? A creepy stare? That's all you got? Like I said, you're pathe-guh!"

Shadow had quickly braced and kicked the table. May's chair slides and clatters to the ground beside her, the handcuffs yank and cut into May's wrists as it stops her from dropping.

She let's out a small yelp. Shadow walks over and punches her hard in the face, May grunts loud. Shadow lifts her mask for her to see. May looks at her, it takes a moment, but her eyes widen.

"Y-your alive!?"

Shadow pulls her mask down again. "That's what you are concerned with? You tortured me, for a long time. You should be worried about the grudge I hold. I'm willing to go a lot farther than most to get you to talk."

May laughs and smiles, "It shows how pathetic you are! You're useless! You're going to die! Just like everyone you loved! I enjoyed the looks on their faces when they died, but the look on yours, that was priceless!"

Shadow grabs May's shoulder and feels around. "What you think I'm wired?! GAH you are so stu-"

Pop!

Shadow had found the pressure point, she lifted her lift and threw it down. May yells out as her shoulder is dislocated.

Shadow grabs May's hair and slams her face into the table twice. But not hard enough to knock her out, only hard enough to break her nose.

May groans and falls back but the handcuffs catch her again. May shakes her head, trying to snap back as she keeps groaning.

"Despite being the one to torture you May, not that this will mean anything to you, I don't enjoy it. I'm not the monster you are. I never will be. But I will shatter every bone in your body to get you to speak."

Shadow sets the chair up and sits May in it. "Take a minute to gather yourself, I want you to really feel this next part."

****

Atlas smiles, "This is incredible..."

Harvey smiles at him, "It's so dark and quiet." Atlas continues,

Harvey takes a breath. The dark night allows the stars to shine so magnificently, stars, something Atlas hasn't seen so brilliantly since his childhood.

The Cresent moon even tries it's hardest to shine bright for him. "It's definitely something else."

"I love coming to the surface, away from city." Turner says,

George shrugs, "Eh I grew up in the city, I like it."

They all smile, "It's okay guys, Tinker's just special."

"No! Atlas please don't start calling me that."

"Calling you what?"

George death stares Atlas, "Frick you man."

Atlas smiles and looks out the view point again. "So the watch tower, is in the mountain?"

"Yep, right on the side of it. The mountain's about 3600 feet."

"It's literally perfect."

"I know right? You get the killer view outside, and we keep watch but nothing ever happens."

"Ah, so that's why you guys go hard in training beforehand?"

"Yup, but we never, ever spend more than half our energy. We can just relax up here, but always prepared, you know?"

"You're pretty smart Harvey, you're a good leader."

He grins, "Eh, nah I'm smart but these two right here, we are great because we got each other's backs."

George and Turner and Harvey smile at each other. "You guys have seen a lot together huh?"

"Oh heck yeah. There's no separating us."

"With you guys until the end." Turner says,

Atlas grins, they are truly, truly, brothers in arms. Atlas admirers how unbreakable their bond is. And they except him so willingly as a friend. These are friends he will have and remember forever.

****

"Uh...Neo?"

"Sup?"

"Come look at this."

Neo sighs and walks over, she frowns and narrows her eyes, "Whoa."

"Yeah, this is something big."

"Yeah it's got to be. Uh send it back to me, I'll decrypt it."

"Okay."

Toni does as asked and sends the large case of files to Neo's computer.

"Uh....okuh-got it."

It almost an hour but she finally breaks in. "That's weird."

"What?"

"Each file has a decryption of its own."

"Really?" Toni asks, depression flowing in her voice,

Neo smiles, "Relax, these are easy. But. What are they hiding in so many files?"

Bang.

Toni looks up at Neo and walks over to look at the screen. "What was that?"

"Look at this-watch this."

Bang.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. Let's find out."

Toni after watching it a few more times they spend the next hour looking into the person in the video. Then the next hour.

"Okay uh, Toni?"

"Yes?"

"Do me a favor, go get Shadow, only Shadow."

"Oh, are, are you sure?"

"Yeah, go! We need her." says in an aggrivated tone,

Toni nods and walks out. She finds the observation room for the interrogation room and walks in to Ashe and Shadow talking. May has disappeared, but there's a small spot of blood on the table.

The two stop and look at her. "What is it Toni?"

"Uh, we need your help Shadow, just YOUR help...sorry Ashe."

"What?! Why not me?!"

Toni shrugs, "Sorry, it's a little confidential right now."

"It's fine Toni, Ashe, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, whatever."

Toni follows behind Shadow, Shadow quickly catches on and waits for Toni to catch up to walk beside her.

Toni looks at Shadow, like she's expecting to get scolded or a threatening lecture.

"I'm sorry Toni. I haven't always been the Kindest to you."

"W-what?"

"I'm not repeating it. I just...I admire you Toni."

Toni stares in shock, 'Did she really just say that to me?' Toni thinks to herself,

"U-uh, thanks, Shadow."

"Please don't tell anyone I said that."

Toni smiles, "Your secret is safe with me Selina." she whispers,

Shadow looks at her quickly and sighs, "I forgot you knew about that." Shadow mutters,

Toni smiles, they stay silent the rest of the way to the elevator. "For the record? I like the name." she whispers to Shadow,

Shadow doesn't say anything, she's glad Toni knows, but she can't open up, not even to Toni. That stuff needs to be buried forever.

The elevator door opens and they walk out. "Hey Shadow?"

"What's up Neo?"

"Yeah, take a look at this."

Shadow walks over to the screen and looks at the young girl, anger and hatred marked on her face. She looks at the pistol the soldier holds.

Bang.

The girl falls to the ground and the video ends.

"What is this?"

"One of 43 case files, all of them were hid behind three walls of level 5 security."

Shadow looks at Neo and back to the screen. "Play it again."

Neo taps the space bar.

Bang.

"What's so important about this video?"

"Are the other files Videos?"

"The ones I checked yeah, but I haven't searched them yet."

"This isn't the poor district."

"No, the houses are way too spaced. This girl, I can't find her anywhere. No birth record, death record, school ID, I can't find a dentist appointment this kid made. She doesn't exist."

"...Okay, what about this guy?"

"Agency member."

Shadow and Toni look up at Neo in surprise. "You can tell right here, see the red bandana on his bicep? Their high ranking officials used to wear them everywhere. They stopped because we noticed."

"So how old is the video?"

"Old, you see how it cracks and fuzzes up like that? Like an ancient freaking TV. This is got to be from when I was somewhere between 8 and 11 years old."

"Why would they have this so encrypted? Go to another video." Shadow directs,

Neo does as asked and pulls up the last file she checked. She presses the space bar.

They all stare in shock. "Are you fricken kidding me?"

"The kid's slaughtering them."

The video ends and they watch it again. Neo stops the video and rewinds half a second.

"Is that Harvey?" Toni asks,

"Holy crap."

"Play more." Shadow says,