A deal

Emma's gaze was icy as she looked at me, but behind the steel in her eyes was a storm of memories, each one heavier than the last. I could tell she was deciding whether to trust me—just how much to reveal.

"Chat…" she said slowly, as if just saying her name called something painful to life. "Yes, I'm looking for her. But it's not what you think. I didn't get into all this for power or control… at least, not at first."

Her voice had lost some of its cold, practiced authority, softened by something deeper, something raw. Her hands twitched in her lap, restless, as though trying to keep herself from falling completely into memory.

"We weren't always like this," she murmured, eyes narrowing as they fixed somewhere beyond me, as if watching ghosts from her past. "Chat and I… we were just two girls, struggling to get by. No family, no place to belong, only each other."

Emma let out a soft, humorless laugh. "We got into trouble, the small kind, at first. Pickpocketing, some minor cons. Chat always hated it, but she stuck with me—she was loyal, maybe too loyal. But then came the night we tried for something bigger. We didn't mean for it to go that way. But that night… that night changed everything."

I listened in silence, watching the flicker of her expression, the way she clenched her fists and kept her voice steady even as the pain of memory leaked through.

"We were just going after some big shot who looked like easy prey. He was rich, bored, and ripe for the picking. But when we crossed his path… that's when we found out who he really was. Bakuto."

I'd heard the name before. Bakuto—one of the leaders of The Hand. Ruthless, patient, and as unforgiving as a blade.

Emma's hands balled into fists, her knuckles going white as she continued. "We didn't even get close. He saw us coming from a mile away. At first, we thought it was just bad luck, that we'd been sloppy. But we never even stood a chance. I felt something—pressure, darkness—closing in on us before we could do a thing. I'd never felt fear like that. I didn't know it then, but that was when my telepathy began to wake up, spurred on by sheer survival instinct. And still, it wasn't enough."

Emma's voice dropped, her face grim as she went on. "Bakuto's men closed in fast, surrounding us. Chat grabbed my hand, and whispered to me to keep calm, that she had a plan. And she reached out—she always had this gift with animals, you see."

Her lips curled into a bittersweet smile, her voice momentarily softening. "Animals loved her, followed her wherever she went. She could sense their emotions, and communicate with them in a way that always amazed me. When we were kids, she would sit in the park and have flocks of birds perch on her arms, raccoons scurry from the shadows to greet her… and that night, she called them to help."

Emma's eyes grew distant, and it was as if she were seeing it all unfold before her again.

"I'll never forget the way she stood there, completely still, completely calm, as I felt her calling out into the dark. Suddenly, they came. Stray dogs, alley cats, and even crows from the rooftops, all answering her call. They poured in from the shadows, snarling and screeching, a force of sheer chaos. I watched as they swarmed around Bakuto's men, biting, clawing, and tearing at them with an intensity I'd never seen before. She was like a conductor of some wild orchestra of nature, holding them back just enough to give me a chance to escape."

Her voice trembled, just for a moment. "But I was too slow. I… I wanted to pull her with me. I was shouting her name, but she wouldn't come. She just kept telling me to go. 'Run, Emma,' she said. 'I'll keep them back. Just run!'"

Emma's face hardened as she clenched her fists. "I was still green, a fledgling with a power I didn't even understand. My telepathy had barely sparked. I tried to pull her with me, but… Bakuto was stronger. He came at her like a shadow, slipped past the animals somehow, and reached her. I barely remember it; everything happened so fast. There was a flash, and then—darkness. When I woke up, I was alone in an alley. She was gone."

The silence that followed was thick, filled with a kind of dread that only deep loss could bring. I watched Emma's expression, her gaze hard as stone, yet hiding the pain she thought she'd long since buried.

"I spent weeks looking for her," Emma whispered, her voice raw, betraying how close this wound still was to the surface. "Every night, every lead, I followed it. But no matter where I went, The Hand always stayed two steps ahead, leading me in circles, making sure I was lost. Eventually, they started to send messages. They told me Chat was still alive. That they had her… but only if I did what they said. They dangled her life in front of me, taunted me with glimpses of hope, and I was too powerless to fight back."

Her jaw tightened, her eyes blazing with anger and grief. "That's when I found Shaw. He was ruthless, cunning… a man who promised power, who gave me the tools to keep fighting. I joined him, worked under him, and did things I never thought I'd do. All to gain a foothold in this world, all for the power I needed to go back and rip The Hand apart from the inside out. Shaw knew I had my own reasons for joining him, and he let me use his resources because I was useful to him. And in exchange, I played along. This club, this whole setup—it's a farce. A way to build the power I need to find Chat. I'll tear it all down if it brings me even a step closer to her."

She turned to look at me, her gaze intense, full of a fire that hadn't dimmed since that night. "So now you know. My goal isn't to rule over anyone or get wrapped up in this underworld. This whole act… it's just one more layer of armor I wear to get what I need."

She stopped, letting her words settle. For a moment, her eyes softened, as if the storm within her had calmed, if only just enough for her to look at me with something other than suspicion.

"But now Shaw's dead. His connections, his leverage… gone. And without him, my path just got a whole lot harder." Her eyes searched mine, a mix of doubt and a faint glimmer of hope. "So, why help me? Why offer to give me what Shaw never could?"

I took a breath, keeping my own voice steady. "Because I'm not here to play Shaw's games or take over his world. I'm here to put things back where they belong, starting with myself. I need my original body and answers. And for that, I need someone who knows this world, who can lead me to those controlling it. So, I help you, you help me. That's simple, right? We both get what we want—and maybe, we both get what we need."

Emma stared at me for a moment, her gaze searching my face, as though she was still trying to decide if I was telling the truth. I could almost see her weighing the decision, considering the possibilities, before finally giving a slight nod.

"Let's say, I tell you everything you want to know. How are you going to find Chat? I tried to find her for three years, and all I got were dead ends and traps. The Hand has connections everywhere, and if they have her, they won't be easy to get to. If you're planning to start a war with them, you'd better bring your A-game," She said.

"I know someone who can pinpoint Chat's location. Someone with the power to find people, and the tech to narrow it down," I replied.

Emma arched a brow at that. "Who?"

"Wanna find out? Come with me," I stood up.

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