⁕ The Line Which Divides Us (part 1)

While Kadyn entered acceleration and dashed through the hallway at incredible speed, the lights around her were suddenly shut off. In an instant, the entire facility was plunged into a sea of complete darkness. During this time, Kelly slowly emerged from the generator room with both of her wrist blades extended. Upon spotting a group of off-duty soldiers, Kelly immediately jumped toward them but was stopped by Kadyn at the last second. The soldiers quickly stepped back as a massive wave of sparks flew off as a result of the two assassins' blades colliding. In a swift motion, Kadyn pushed Kelly backward. 

[Kadyn] - "Run, ya wankers! Stop standin' around there like idiots, run! "

Yelled Kadyn to the terrified soldiers.

[Kelly] - "You! Traitor! "

Said Kelly as she got a better look at Kadyn. 

The entire base was suddenly submerged into red emergency lights which painted their surroundings crimson red. 

[Kadyn] - "What the hell are you doing here? "

[Kelly] - "Why are you asking? You already knew the answer, you simpleton! "

The base's alarm system suddenly went off as general quarters were called upon everyone. During this time, outside, as soldiers peeked out of their barracks to see what was going on, they could only see their comrades being dismembered by an invisible enemy. Chaos soon overtook the entire facility as gunshots were fired in random directions while bodies kept dropping in the dozen. 

Soon, a tank rolled out of the warehouse and began firing at random toward where the crew suspected their target to be. However, their presence soon became everyone's biggest threat as KD-556 hid behind a jeep and turned her irises purple. In an instant, the crew lost complete control over their vehicle as the tank began to unleash destruction upon its allies. 

[Sergeant] - "Retreat into the bunker, now! "

All survivors began to rush into the safety of the underground base while others who were left behind became KD-556's helpless prey. While the massive bunker doors were closing, KD-556 grabbed a rifle from the ground and shot a few of the men still visible to her. 

[Sergeant] - "Everyone in, get out of the door's way. "

A wave of bullets suddenly silenced the sergeant and a few of the men with deadly precision. Out of the 25 rounds fired, all the bullets found the head of a person. While the massive metal doors slammed shut, KD-556 proceeded toward the entrance as if the door didn't exist. Meanwhile, inside the base, communication officers desperately tried to contact nearby Allied bases for support. 

[officer] - "Base Delta, do you copy? We've got a KD-unit assassin on the loose, we require Devil-Eater squadrons on the scene, now! "

[KD-556] - "This is the Devil-Eater squadrons, we can't hear you because all our heads are separated from our bodies. Please try again later. "

Said KD-556 through the intercom.

The officer's hands trembled in shock before the radio system broke down completely. 

Meanwhile, Kadyn and Kelly battled against each other basked the dim red light. However, just as Kelly tried to strike at Kadyn, her hand was suddenly forced to stop by her own mind. 

[Kelly] - "Huh? "

Seeing the opportunity, Kadyn sliced forward and took off one of Kelly's hands. 

"Why did she stop? Why did she fumble like this? "

Thought Kadyn as she raised her blade.

"Directive 2, set by The Grand Knight, you might not harm KD-555 under any type of circumstances. "

Said the words displayed in Kelly's eyes. 

[Kelly] - "Fucking son of a bitch! These mother fuckers didn't update my system! "

Now left with one hand, Kelly began to back off while struggling to defend against Kadyn's attacks. While Kelly focused on her defence, Kadyn's system had already calculated a new attack pattern. Using her environment, Kadyn stabbed her blade into a pipe which immediately sprayed hot steam on Kelly's face. This distraction allowed Kadyn to slash her opponent through the chest but Kelly dodged just in time to only receive surface damage. 

As sparks flew all around them with every clash of their blades, Kelly used her mutilated arm to peel off the burnt flesh mask on her face. Upon revealing her real face, Kelly's system immediately put up an escape plan. 

[KD-552] - "Stop, Kadyn, stop this! "

Said KD-552 as she tried to distance herself from Kadyn. 

KD-552 put up a distressed expression on her face while she pleaded for Kadyn to halt her attack. Just as expected, Kadyn halted her relentless strikes as she stared at KD-552 with a surprised expression. 

[KD-552] - "Look, it's me, KD-552! I know I was wrong, so please, just let me go! "

Said KD-552 as she slowly backed off. 

[Kadyn] - "I can't! I can't let innocent people die because of you! "

[Audrey] - "Kadyn! Hold on, I'm here to help. "

Said Audrey as she rushed up from a hallway to Kadyn's left. 

[Kadyn] - "Stop where you are! I can handle this myself! "

Audrey quickly paused in her steps before pulling out her pistol. 

[Kadyn] - "Don't try to trick me! I know you are not the KD-552 I knew! "

Yelled Kadyn as she turned her head toward KD-552. 

[KD-552] - "What if I am? What if I somehow came back from the dead? "

Kadyn suddenly saw a soldier behind KD-552 peeking out of a corner. 

[Kadyn] - "Nooo! Don't show yourself! "

The soldier ignored Kadyn's order and rushed out of the corner with his rifle raised at KD-552. In an instant, KD-552 had the soldier held by the neck with her wrist blade buried in his neck. 

[KD-552] - "Stay where you are, Kadyn! One slight move and my blade will sever his jugular and spine. "

Blood quickly pooled onto KD-552's blade and then arm. 

[KD-552] - "Just gotta let me go and nothing bad will happen to the man. "

Said KD-552 as she backed off toward the next turn in the hallway. 

Kadyn could only watch as KD-552 disappeared out of sight before pushing her hostage back into view. Just as the young soldier breathed a sigh of relief, a gunshot rang in the air as the man dropped dead on the floor. 

[Kadyn] - "That bloody bastard! "

Yelled Kadyn in anger as she rushed up the corner but saw no trace of KD-552. 

Left with an intolerable amount of frustration and shame, Kadyn began smashing her fists against the wall and yelling obscenities. Audrey quickly rushed to the scene and checked the poor man executed with a gunshot wound to the head. 

[Audrey] - "Shit... he's dead. "

[Kadyn] - "Why can't I just not think about it? Why can't I just fucking kill that bitch? "

Whispered Kadyn before she slipped to the ground and pressed her face against the wall. 

[Audrey] - "Look, you tried your best. There is no need to- "

Said Audrey as she padded Kadyn's shoulder. 

[Kadyn] - "No, I haven't! Mike would've never hesitated like I did. I allowed a killer to escape and caused an innocent man to lose his life. What kind of bloody emotional moron am I? "

Cried Kadyn as she pulled tightly at her coat. 

During this time, outside the base, scattered groups of survivors moved to hide around the area. A group rushed toward the gate and tried to escape to the outside but were immediately shot into red mist by the hacked gun turrets. Meanwhile, another group moved toward the plane hangar but were suddenly met with the gun barrel and machine guns of the previously commandeered tank. 

A group of five men half-dressed in tanktops heard the distant explosion of a tank round before a deathly silence reclaimed the night. They quickly snuck behind a bunch of supply crates situated behind a barrack. 

[soldier 1] - "God, I don't want to die! I promise I'll never do drugs or drink ever again if I survive! "

Cried the frightened man.

[soldier 2] - "Shut up, you are going to get us killed. "

Suddenly, a gentle whistling broke the silence and sent a chill down the men's spines. One of them peeked through the crates and saw the silhouette of an armed soldier approaching. 

[soldier 2] - "Ok, on three, we all jump out and identify whoever is there. We shoot if that's the enemy, cool? "

The others reluctantly nodded their head knowing they didn't have much of a choice either. As the five men suddenly jumped out of cover and aimed their weapons forward, they suddenly found no one in their sight. 

[KD-556] - "So I suppose you five were the last ones left. "

Said KD-556 as she sat atop the crates. 

The men immediately raised their weapons but found that their guns were already all cut in halves. 

[KD-556] - "Ah, don't get so excited. I just gave your guns a circumcision after all. "

One of the soldiers immediately reached for his sidearm but was immediately executed by KD-556 with her pistol. With a playful expression, KD-556 blew the steam off her gun before moving her gaze toward the four remaining men. Finally, thanks to the moonlight, the men were able to get a better look at KD-556. With almost the same look as Kadyn, her short blonde hair flowed in the wind with noticeable stains of red on them. She was just as alluring as dangerous as she presented a warm smile to the men. 

[KD-556] - "You, with the hat, pull out your pistol and kill two of your friends and I'll let you live. "

The soldier didn't hesitate as he pulled out his gun but instead, he aimed it at KD-556. 

[KD-556] - "Wrong answer! "

Said KD-556 as the soldier's body suddenly fell apart from the middle. 

Finally, one of the men had enough of the psychological torture as he abruptly used his pistol to execute his two friends. 

[Soldier] - "There, happy now? Am I allowed to live? "

Shocked, KD-556 jumped off the crates and walked toward the man with intrigue in her eyes. 

[KD-556] - "Humans are quite interesting, I have to say. All of you are so different, so bizarre and sometimes, so illogical. "

Whispered KD-556 to the soldier's ear. 

[soldier] - "It's better to spare them the torture. I did this so you couldn't get to them. "

Said the soldier with a straight pale face. 

[KD-556] - "Why didn't you shoot yourself then? "

[Soldier] - "If I'm going to die anyway, I would like to request to see your breasts since I have never seen a naked woman before in my life. "

Said the young soldier while trembling in fear. 

Intrigued by the man's outrageous words, KD-556 approached the man until she pressed her body against his. 

[KD-556] - "Oh? So you like me? Does my body excite you? "

[soldier] - "Yes, I do like you. Yes, your body does excite me! "

The soldier was acting purely out of instinct and was not at all thinking about what he was saying. 

[KD-556] - "Hmm... You know, I never understood why KD-555 liked humans so much. I suppose you can be my learning partner and teach me a thing or two, so I can understand humans better. "

Said KD-556 as she allowed the man to grab her body and kiss her. 

Meanwhile, Kadyn and Audrey walked around the base looking for any trace of KD-552. Suddenly, even the emergency light went off and plunged the base into complete darkness. 

[Kadyn] - "Shit, she must have cut off the emergency power as well. "

Said Kadyn as her irises turned dark blue for thermal vision. 

[Audrey] - "How are we supposed to catch her like this? "

Said Audrey as she activated the flashlight on her pistol. 

[Kadyn] - "If she cut off the emergency lights, it means that she's not done with her mission. She might have only one arm but that's more than enough to fill a sea of blood. "

[Audrey] - "I'm sorry that I have to ask this but you seem to know her pretty well. Is she like one of your sisters or something? "

Flashes of her past suddenly overtook Kadyn's vision. As the gory details began to come back to haunt her, Kadyn abruptly smashed her fist against the wall to snap herself out of it. 

[Kadyn] - "She's not my sister. She's a placeholder for someone who used to be my sister. The real KD-552 quit the life of a butcher and became a normal human woman. "

[Audrey] - "But you were speaking to her as if she was KD-552. "

[Kadyn] - "She just looks like my sister, alright? "

Snapped Kadyn with a look of distress on her face. 

Kadyn leaned against the wall and wiped the tears off her face. With an understanding look, Audrey comforted Kadyn by giving her a hug. 

[Kadyn] - "I'm sorry for acting like this... But I don't want to remember. What happened back then, I kept it even from Mike's knowledge. All KD-series assassins you will see are not the same as me or my sisters. "

[Audrey] - "What happened to your real sisters then? "

Kadyn turned her head away from Audrey which made her understand her unwillingness to answer. 

[Kadyn] - "Anyways, no time for grief. Mike would've never stopped to cry like I did. "

Said Kadyn as she continued down the hallway. 

Meanwhile, outside, the young soldier breathed with his head pressed against KD-556's. Slowly, KD-556 lowered her legs from the man's shoulders before pushing him off her. 

[KD-556] - "You said you can show me love, passion and pleasure, human. Yet, I don't feel any of these feelings. "

[soldier] - "Huh? I thought you were enjoying it too. "

[KD-556] - "The mere biological response of my body did nothing to stimulate my mind. I have not gained justification nor understanding as to why humans would demonstrate loyalty due to "love". "

Said KD-556 in a cold voice. 

The previous facade on KD-556's face was no longer present as she showed her true nature as a cold-hearted killing machine. 

[soldier] - "I can follow you back to your base. I will join your side if you wish. I like you and I want to be with you. "

KD-556 simply stared coldly at the soldier while leaving her entire body exposed with any sense of shame or awareness. To KD-556, the cold logic in her head only states that she has no more use for keeping that man around. Without blinking, KD-556 stood up and emptied her entire magazine on the man's body before throwing the pistol away. 

[KD-556] - "Nothing more seems intriguing about your behaviour anymore. In conclusion, all humans are the same at the core. The differences between them are simply the result of their ability to pretend. "

KD-556 raised her stare toward the base's entrance and noticed heat signatures emanating from the people inside. 

[KD-556] - "I find your lack of initiative and proficiency to be very disappointing, KD-552. "

Said KD-556 as her irises turned purple. 

[KD-552] - "I require your assistance! KD-555 intercepted me and I was unable to engage due to protocol nb.2 which has somehow not been removed from my system. "

Whispered KD-552 inside a ventilation duct. 

[KD-556] - "You are like a worthless worm, KD-552. I will move to assist in the annihilation of personnel inside the base but your failure will be reported to the IEEB. "

Said KD-556 as she moved toward the blocked-off entrance. 

With both of her blades, she sliced a circle in the metal before moving a few steps back. The men behind the door panicked as they quickly moved in position to fire at the entrance. Suddenly, the tank under KD-556's control appeared before the entrance before ramming its barrel at full speed toward the circle. In an instant, the portion of the door fell out of its circular frame. 

[Lieutenant] - "Fire! Blast that beast into smithereens! "

A gust of wind blew through the entrance as KD-556 was already walking down the hallway with blood smeared all over her blade. The men guarding the door didn't even realize that they were already dead as they turned around only for their heads to fall off their necks. As KD-556 realized that she was still nude, she reached down and dressed herself in the coat, pants and boots of a random dead soldier. 

During this time, Kadyn and Audrey were rushing toward the entrance area as she had earlier intercepted KD-556's communication with KD-552. As Kadyn turned around a corner and came within view of KD-556 separated by a few hundred metres, the assassin suddenly let out a smile as to mock her opponent. 

[KD-556] - "It seems like KD-555 has intercepted our communication as I had expected. KD-552, you will move deeper into the base and begin cleaning up any survivors. "

To be continued...