⁕ Peeling Away The Layers (part 2)

The shining lights of the neon-filled city illuminated the entrance of a dark underground network of tunnels. By design, the tunnels were divided into sections, just like the insides of a ship, with heavy steel doors to seal off different compartments. On top of these security measures, traps and heavily armed guards littered the hallways, making sure no one could get in and survive. 

As a pair of guards strolled through the hallways, they were startled by the wind of a movement in front of them. As they raised their gun to investigate, they felt a cold wind passing between them alongside a hot stinging feeling around their neck. As the guards tried to speak to each other, they realized that no sound exited from their mouths. Before they could find out why they became mute, both guards' necks fell apart, as their terrified eyes stared at the cold, hard floor, where their heads landed. 

A few minutes later, the shift replacement guards arrived only to be shocked by the sight of a massacre where the hallways were littered with dead bodies without a single shot being fired. Not a single one of the 135 guards in total sounded the alarm and not a single guard received more than a single lethal cut on their bodies. It appeared as if a ghost had infiltrated the facility and gutted everyone standing in their way. 

As the new swarm of guards filled the facility, they were horrified to find their bossman being murdered in his office. Somehow, the killer had cut through the thirty centimetres thick steel door which protected their leader. However, a strange sight greeted the men as they investigated the dead boss and his personal guards; Instead of a clean fatal cut like the guards in the hallway, each man was slain by a series of gunshots. 

[Guard] - "These shots... They are from our standard issue sidearm. "

Said the guard as he grabbed a spent bullet casing from the ground. 

[Guard 2] - "Yeah, whoever did this somehow decided to steal the pistol from one of the boss's guards. This poor bastard here is missing his weapon. "

Said the second guard as he loomed over his dead comrade. 

[Guard] - "Must have something personal against the boss. Instead of granting him a swift death like the others, whoever did this either wants to make him suffer or send a message. "

[Guard 2] - "Ah, whatever, for all I care, these dead bastards are the lucky ones. "

Said the guard with regret in his voice. 

[Guard] - "Why? You want to die? "

[Guard 2] - "Under him, we have a safe, steady guard duty job, away from the junk and ugliness of the city. With him dead now, it's only a matter of time before we die a worse death than our fellow guards. "

Said the guard as he stared at the boss's corpse. 

[Guard 2] - "If whatever killed him can crack the safest bunker in the city like a can of beer, then how long can we survive working for another organization, not to mention other dangers? Or would you rather starve to death working an honest job? "

Said the guard as he looked at his friend with despair. 

Not knowing how to respond to such raw truth, the first guard could only stare at the floor where a puddle of spent bullet casing lay before him. 

Meanwhile, outside, Kadyn breathed heavily out of exhaustion. As she walked, she retracted the pitiful bit of her blade that remained back into her arm before tossing the pistol she stole into a random pile of garbage. Emerging from the quiet alleyway, the main streets bustled with activity as Kadyn put on a hood and disappeared into the crowd. 

Later, Kadyn revisited her favourite bar where she drowned herself in the melancholic smell of alcohol. This time, however, Kadyn drank every single glass of liquor with a relieved smile on her face. As her vision blurred and her mind became clouded, she saw a figure in a dark dress and carrying a scythe taking a seat beside her. Though the coloured lights shone directly into his hood, an endless fog of darkness seemed to mask his face against all logic. 

[grim reaper] - "It's soon time to go. "

[Kadyn] - "Took you long enough. My glass was empty for a while now. "

Said Kadyn as she stared defeated at her empty cup. 

Suddenly, Kadyn was pulled out of her dream by a hand on her shoulder. As she sprung around, Poppy grabbed a seat beside her and slammed a briefcase onto the table. 

[Poppy] - "Another good job well done, miss... "

[Kadyn] - "KD-555. "

[Poppy] - "Right, miss KD-555. Here, three hundred pure gold coins with 6 more briefcases in my truck. If you need a lift, me and Franklin could drop you off at your home. "

Said Poppy as she discreetly showed the shine inside the case to Kadyn.

[Kadyn] - "Just give me time to drink a little more before we go. "

Said Kadyn as she threw the bartender a gold coin. 

At this point, Kadyn became somewhat of a celebrity to the staff at the bar. A single gold coin she threw at them was enough to ensure they won't starve for a month. For this, every bartender treated Kadyn with the care destined for royalty. 

[Slim] - "Ladies, may I present you with something exclusive and of high quality? Here's a bottle of Highlander Scottish whisky dated 1980, valued at 8000 dollars a bottle. "

Said Slim as he professionally carved a piece of ice into the shape of a diamond. 

With a delicate spin of the glasses, Slim served Kadyn and Poppy with a full cup of each of the whisky. As Slim was about to walk away with the liquor, Kadyn grabbed his arm and pried the bottle out of his hand. 

[Kadyn] - "You have been a good bartender, Slim. You never question me and only serve me what I ask of you without hesitation. "

Said Kadyn as she reached into Poppy's briefcase. 

Without looking, Kadyn grabbed a handful of gold and shoved it into Slim's palm. 

[Kadyn] - "Use this money to make your life a little better, you deserve it. "

[Poppy] - "Hey! What are you doing? Do you realize what'll happen when you expose wealth in front of all these shitheads in the bar around you? "

Said Poppy as she pulled the briefcase back and slammed it shut. 

[Kadyn] - "I don't give a fuck! If anyone dares come at me, then come at me. I'll clean out the entire city if I want to! "

Yelled Kadyn as she stood up in a drunken stupor. 

[Poppy] - "Jesus! Isn't there anything more than bloodshed in your entire life? "

Said Poppy while pulling Kadyn back onto her seat. 

[Kadyn] - "It's my nature. I'm nothing if I don't do what I'm born to do. "

Said Kadyn before gulping down her glass. 

[Poppy] - "No, like, seriously. You don't engage in any gambling, you don't do drugs, you don't fuck with people and you don't even make use of any of that money you earned. You do realize you have enough money to retire 10 lifetimes over? "

[Kadyn] - "The last time I fought my nature, my action killed more people than I can count. I wanted to be happy, to be a normal girl living with my beloved man, but fate had other plans. If killing is what I did best, may it define my last moments as well. "

Said Kadyn with an empty stare.

[Poppy] - "So this is going to be your life? Killing day and night, never stopping to do anything else than drink and sleep? I'm just like you, a pro in this profession, but even I have to have sex, take drugs and have a good time with friends. I don't get concerned for people, but you are a seriously weird case! "

Said Poppy with concern in her voice. 

[Kadyn] - "Does all this money, pleasure and vice make you feel any better though? Every bloody piece of gold is cold without the touch of a person. Every bloody sexual encounter is full of heat without ever bringing warmth to your corpse. Alcohol is the only damn thing which brings you close to death without ever dying. The blackout effect on your mind, it's peaceful since you don't have to react or think. "

Said Kadyn as she poured more whisky into her cup.

[Poppy] - "You have some burden you want to drown, I know how it feels. But look at you, you can easily start your life over. I may not know your past, but you should consider letting it go. You are rich, young and beautiful. It's not like you have no more path to take. "

Said Poppy as she placed her hands over Kadyn's.

[Kadyn] - "No man can ever take his place in my heart. I either leave with him or die alone in this hellhole. "

[Poppy] - "Well, if you are down, I could offer you some company. "

[Kadyn] - "And no woman as well. "

Said Kadyn as she pulled her hands away. 

Later, Kadyn rode with Franklin and Poppy back home, relatively more sober than she is any other day due to Poppy urging her to leave. With her mind clearer than usual, Kadyn remained more aware of her surroundings than usual as she noticed a body bag in the back of the truck. 

[Kadyn] - "What's with our extra guest today? "

Said Kadyn as she referred to the body bag. 

[Franklin] - "A victim of Poppy. Why don't you tell KD-555 more about yourself since we are all the same type of scum of society? "

Signalled Franklin to Poppy at the back of the truck. 

Poppy's face remained in the darkness of the truck's back as she lit up a cigarette. 

[Poppy] - "It's a woman I slept with. I suppose there is no point hiding it since you must've noticed more than once, dead bodies in the truck before. "

Said Poppy as she puffed on her cigarette. 

In truth, Kadyn never even noticed the macabre sight before as she was passed out drunk every time she rode with the two. 

[Poppy] - "Since you finally decided to ask, yes, I'm a serial killer. I sleep with men and women before I butcher them for fun. These rich scumbags think I'm just some prostitute, but when they allow me into their car, the fun usually doesn't last long... For them. "

Said Poppy in a casual tone. 

As the truck rolled into a popular night district, the neon light began to streak into the car, illuminating both Poppy and Franklin in a shower of colours from the different signs. 

[Franklin] - "Yeah, Poppy was born in this city. She was sold into prostitution at 8 by her mother, and ever since she developed those traumas, murder has been her way of coping with her wounds. "

[Poppy] - "And Franklin, he's a dirty scumbag as well. This son of a bitch is a debt collector who didn't hesitate to shoot entire families dead for failing to pay on time. However, he didn't have a choice since he needed the pay from his job for his mother's hospital bill. "

Kadyn was shocked by these revelations as she turned her head away and stared out of her window. As the truck resumed its trajectory on a highway, the streetlight positioned to the right illuminated Kadyn's face in a mellow gold shine while Franklin and Poppy remained in the dark. 

[Poppy] - "Hey, it doesn't mean we can't be normal people too. The monster which resides in us is not what defines us as a whole. Earlier, I was genuine when I asked to share a bed with you. Whatever tragedy made you who you are today must be something worse than the abuse I endured, so between you and us, friend, let us not hide anything. If you need any help, just call us and we'll arrange a solution for you. "

Said Poppy with a smile. 

[Kadyn] - "No thanks. I'm fine by myself. "

Said Kadyn while trying to hide her discomfort.

[Franklin] - "No one in this city is clean, even the children. Every single soul can only wait for their retribution, their day to face death following the choice they made. "

Said Franklin in a grim tone.

[Kadyn] - "And the mayor does nothing to help? "

[Franklin] - "The mayor? Barely anything knows their name, even less who they are. "

Said Franklin in a mocking tone. 

[Poppy] - "Come to think of it, I've heard her name before. I think she's called KD-554... A bit similar to your name, KD-555. Could you and her have some type of shared history? "

Memories suddenly flashed inside Kadyn's mind as a chill ran down her spine. Images of her two sisters' corpses came back to haunt Kadyn's mind. The people who were her only flesh and blood in this cruel world were nothing but rotten husks of decomposing flesh by the time the authorities discovered them. It was a horror show which haunted Kadyn's dream, made worse by the fact that KD-554 was discovered to be the one responsible for slaughtering them. 

In an instant, Kadyn gripped her fists tight as she resisted the pain of her tormented past. However, no matter how hard she tried, the picture of discoloured flesh rotten with maggots and pus would keep forcing their way into her mind. As the truck came to a stop in front of her apartment, Kadyn jumped out of the vehicle before taking in deep breaths of fresh air. 

[Franklin] - "Hey, are you alright? "

[Kadyn] - "I'm fine. Just go, I need to deal with some personal issues. "

Said Kadyn as she kneeled on the concrete sidewalk, desperate to cleanse her mind of the morbid memories. 

Though concerned, Poppy put Kadyn's briefcases of gold on the sidewalk before slipping back into the truck. 

[Poppy] - "You sure you don't need any help? "

[Kadyn] - "Just go! I'm just a bit drunk. "

Said Kadyn as she got up from the ground. 

[Franklin] - "Hey, if you need anything, you got our contact... Friend. "

Said Franklin before driving away. 

As Kadyn began heading into the building with her briefcases, she stopped as she saw the landlord shot dead against the first-floor elevator. Though alarmed, Kadyn soon noticed sounds coming from her room where the door was clearly busted open. With a cautious stance, Kadyn dropped her briefcases and advanced to her door where she noticed men pillaging her room full of gold. 

As one of the men laughed before biting one of the coins, he suddenly felt the cold touch of a weapon against his temple. Before he or anyone could react, Kadyn pulled the trigger, splashing blood all over his fellow crooks. While all the other bandits tried to fight back, Kadyn grabbed a pen from her desk and stabbed another man through the eye into his head. As the rest opened fire, Kadyn entered acceleration and kicked each man into the firing arc of the other. In a short second, all the bandits were gunned down with only one remaining. 

As Kadyn grabbed a gun and shot him, the bullet simply bounced off his skin like a toy. After getting a good look, Kadyn immediately realized that this last bandit was fully armoured with synthetic skin and a Sandivester system, a copy of the Conagher system. As she entered acceleration, the man did as well as he grabbed Kadyn by the neck and pressed her against the wall. Though Kadyn tried to fight back, without her wrist blades, she was helpless against such a foe. 

[bandit] - "You'll pay, you stupid bitch! "

Yelled the man as he tightened his grip around Kadyn's neck. 

At that moment, Kadyn figured that maybe her time had finally come as she prepared to face death. All this torment is finally nearing the end as she can finally be freed of her tortured confines on this earth. All her actions, and everything she did led to this moment where she would finally die fighting. Closing her eyes, Kadyn embraced her fate as darkness consumed her vision.

However, the thought of KD-554 still being alive after everything she did caused Kadyn to suddenly regain her consciousness. Though Jagger had tarnished Mike's face and legacy, he was an evil created because of Kadyn's actions. On the other hand, KD-554 had murdered KD-553 and KD-551 without any justification in cold blood while Kadyn and her sisters had cared and loved her with all their hearts. It was simply impossible for Kadyn to accept that maybe KD-554 was still alive and even ruling over this city.

In an instant, Kadyn slammed her arm against the man's armoured body, causing it to break apart due to her low bone density. Then, with reckless abandon, Kadyn drove her sharp exposed bone into the man's chest, breaking through his skin like butter. Though mortally wounded, the man kept his grip tight around Kadyn's neck as the two stared hatefully into the other's eyes. It was a battle of endurance to see whoever could survive before the other perished. However, now armed with the fury of vengeance in her heart, Kadyn drove her broken bone deeper into the man's chest, causing him to finally let go and collapse to his death. 

After refilling her lungs with air, Kadyn looked up at the towering structure in the middle of the city from her window. Now, the picture is clearer than ever as Kadyn felt the presence of her mortal enemy in front of her eyes. It was as if her passion was reignited by her desire to live and seek her enemy's destruction. For the first time in months, Kadyn finally showed genuine emotions on her face. A flash of red neon light streaked into her room as Kadyn's eyes burned with a hungry desire for violence. 

[Kadyn] - "I'm not done yet! Not before I rid this world of you, you treacherous monster! I'm going to make you pay for everything! Death can wait for an eternity as long as you are not dead by my hands! "

Yelled Kadyn with her teeth clenched at the government tower. 

As Franklin put some flowers onto his sick mother's nightstand, his phone suddenly rang. Not wanting to be distracted, Franklin handed his phone to Poppy before continuing to care for his mother. As Poppy stood before the window with the phone, she was surprised to hear Kadyn's voice on the other side. 

[Kadyn] - "Poppy, I need your help. Remember how anything is accessible as long as you pay enough money for it? Well, I need a few items which might require some effort to acquire. "

[Poppy] - "Well, name them for me. We'll discuss the price afterward. "

Said Poppy as she pulled her notepad out of her pocket. 

After writing down a few items, Poppy stared at the list with a perplexed look on her face. Many of the items were things she never even heard of. However, detecting the determination in Kadyn's voice, she knew Kadyn was ready to pay any price for them. 

[Poppy] - "Let me repeat again. So you want around 4 litres of... Mercury-Titanium poly-alloy, two KD-series Imperial pistols and as many of the different types of ammo for these guns as possible, three to four Imperial neutron charges and painkillers? "

[Kadyn] - "Yes. Money won't be an issue, but time is of the utmost importance. I need them quickly and without leaving any trace. "

[Poppy] - "Why do you need these? Even I have never even heard of this stuff and... "

[Kadyn] - "Just get them! I need to settle with some unfinished business from a long time ago. And tell Martin to not bother me with any task while you gather my list of items. "

As Kadyn hung up the phone, she picked up the pieces of gold on the floor, now no longer worthless junk decorating her room, but her access to her new goal and purpose. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Kadyn, KD-554 was watching her from her balcony atop her skyscraper while sporting a devilish smirk full of eagerness. 

To be continued...