⁕ Peeling Away The Layers (part 4)

At the old barrack where Kadyn and her sisters used to live, a group of workers went in and began to tear down the old beds and decorations. At Emilia's (KD-551) bed, the echoes of her caring voice, the traces of her compassionate touch and the kindness of her heart disappeared into dust as the workers tore down her bed. Without consideration, the men threw her collection of romance novels and other trinkets into a garbage bag. 

At Julia's (KD-553) bed, the workers were happy not to find much trash to throw away. Though she never was much of a talker, being quite distant from her sisters aside from KD-554, she nonetheless cared for them. The last memory of her existence was torn apart as the workers broke her bedframe in half and threw away her bedsheet into a trash can. 

On the other side, the new generation KD-series assassin's beds were torn down and moved away, the mattresses cold to the touch just as they were still occupying them.

Finally, at Kadyn and KD-552's beds, the workers had to bring a few extra bags due to the amount of memorabilia there was. At first, they emptied the books Kadyn had under her bed before beginning to tear down the pictures littering the walls. From when Kadyn and KD-552 were having fun at an amusement park to when the girls were just being silly with happy grimaces on their faces, all pictures were thrown into the black bag without a thought. 

A moment ago, the workers were still cleaning the barrack, but the next, their new occupants moved in, never aware of what memories the place they occupied represented for others. The table in the middle where the sisters used to chat and gather was now just a footrest for one of the new soldiers in the barrack. There used to be five sisters all with dreams and ambitions, but now, it appeared as if they never existed. 

[KD-552] - "We will share each other's pain. Remember, we are family. Even if the people from the outside treat us wrong, we will always treat each other right. Let us face this world together, alright? "

Said KD-552's voice in an echo. 

A tear streamed down Kadyn's face as she sat at the edge of her bed, still holding her broken arm which couldn't heal since she lacked bone density. 

[Kadyn] - "I thought so too. Never would I thought the reason why I lived was because I wanted to kill one of my family members. For everything, for the people who shared my happiness, I need to at least let you all rest in peace knowing that that monster no longer roam this realm. "

Whispered Kadyn. 

Though Kadyn was sitting in her room, her mind was transported to a scene of carnage. As she climbed above a cliff, she was met with the horrifying sight of an Imperial air carrier burning in a lake of flame. As she looked harder, she noticed the bridge of the ship being completely obliterated by missiles.

[Kadyn] - "No... No! This can't be! You can't do this to me! "

Yelled Kadyn in disbelief. 

Suddenly, a loud explosive occurred at the underside of the vessel as its fusion reactor detonated. In an instant, a blinding light engulfed the area before an earth-shattering shockwave ravaged everything in the ship's proximity. Just before the explosion reached Kadyn, Mike dropped down from the sky and shielded her against the blast. 

Minutes turned into hours as Kadyn opened her eyes to find herself still in Mike's embrace inside his personal room. As Mike tried to let her go, she pulled herself back against Mike, sobbing even harder against his chest. 

[Kadyn] - "Tell me you found her! Tell me she's alright! "

Cried Kadyn as she tightened her grip around Mike's body. 

[Mike] - "Unfortunately, I tried my best to look for her before the reactor went critical. I'm sorry, but I don't possess enough training to properly contain the explosion. "

Said Mike as he tried to comfort Kadyn. 

[Kadyn] - "It's not your fault, Mike. I... I just simply can't accept that she is gone. "

Sobbed Kadyn as her legs grew weak with her sorrow. 

Acting quickly, Mike prevented Kadyn from falling to the floor before transporting her to his bed. With a guttural scream, Kadyn pressed her face against Mike's shoulder before crying her eyes out. 

Earlier that day, KD-552, now going by Ari as her human name, was on the bridge of her husband's air carrier helping him with his role as a military officer as usual. Since the vessel was still under construction, General Yang was simply conducting tests on the bridge, not expecting any danger to occur. However, reports suggested that a few workers have mishandled a cargo of anti-capital ship missiles, causing them to fire into the vessel's bridge. 

By the time Mike arrived hours after the initial disaster, the initial explosion not only took down the bridge but also collapsed the ship's superstructure, causing a raging fire to consume the fusion reactor room in the ship's center. Despite Mike's best efforts, all he ever managed to find was some charred remains which were later identified as belonging to Ari and her husband General Yang. 

Days later, a funeral was held for General Yang with Ari buried beside his grave. While crowds of Imperial officers stood before Yang's grave to pay their respects, Kadyn was the only one standing there to mourn Ari beside Mike. As the crowd slowly dispersed one per one, at the end, there was just Kadyn and Mike standing before the gravestones. 

[Kadyn] - "Mike, thank you for everything. Without you, I could've never reconnected with Ari, let alone share so many happy memories with her. "

Said Kadyn in a calm voice as she leaned closer to Mike. 

[Mike] - "I wish I could've done more for your sister. "

[Kadyn] - "No, you did enough for all of us. With your position, you could've ignored all of us, but you went out of your way to help each of us. Even now, with how busy you are, you took the time to stand here with me in my darkest moments. "

Said Kadyn without taking her eyes off her sister's grave. 

Gradually, Kadyn's silence turned to sobs as she began to whimper in sadness. To comfort her, Mike pulled her toward him and allowed her to cry against his chest. 

[Kadyn] - "All the people I cared about... *sob* Gone... turned into ashes by this bleeding ugly world. Ari, nor KD-553, nor KD-551 deserved what happened to them. They were... *sob* just like me, people dealt a bad hand trying to survive against all odds. "

Cried Kadyn while Mike padded her on the back. 

[Mike] - "We can't hold on to everything we care about forever. Somedays, we must face the possibility that those we hold dear might not always be by our sides until we grow old. For us, those who remain, we must keep striving to wake up every day and bring the memories of those who had perished to face the sunrise. It's our duty to show them light and not let their legacy be lost in darkness. Smile for the moments they brought us joy and cry for the void they left us, but never stop on your track because you are burdened by the impact they left on us. "

Said Mike in a calm voice.

[Kadyn] - "You're right. I must carry on bravely. That's what Ari would've wanted me to do if she was here with me. "

Said Kadyn as she wiped off her tears using Mike's sleeve. 

With a respectful nod, Kadyn held back tears as she stared at her sister's grave for one last time. After Emilia and Julia's deaths at the hands of KD-554, Ari was the last sister Kadyn had left. For another two years, she and Kadyn bounded and enjoyed relative peace as they lived like a pair of normal sisters without having to worry about their assassin duty thanks to Mike's intervention. However, all good things have to come to an end as Kadyn has to say goodbye to her sister for the last time. 

As Kadyn and Mike walked away from the graveyard, Kadyn suddenly stopped Mike by pulling on his arm. 

[Kadyn] - "Mike, can I discuss with you something? "

[Mike] - "Yeah, say it. "

Said Mike as he turned toward Kadyn. 

[Kadyn] - "Someday, when we will have kids, I want them to know who my sisters are. I know they aren't perfectly good people, but I believe their legacy deserves to be known. After all, they were part of the reason I'm here today. "

[Mike] - "I know in your words, you will always properly honour the legacy of the people you know, exposing both their nuances and character as if they were still alive here with us. Your sisters are decent people, so I'm not worried. "

Upon hearing Mike's words, Kadyn smiled joyfully before leaning in to hug him. 

[Kadyn] - "But first I need to carry your legacy if you know what I mean. "

Said Kadyn playfully. 

[Mike] - "Haha! Maybe another time. We're still too young to be parents. "

[Kadyn] - "Aw come on! It'd be lonely for me since you are always busy and away. "

As the distant echo of the couple's banter faded away inside Kadyn's mind, she stared up at the mirror in front of her. Behind her, she could see the memories of all her friends, sisters and most importantly, Mike. Kadyn ignored the fact that she was carrying to legacy of all those who perished before as she looked toward the ground. To her, these legacies felt heavy on her already broken heart. 

Some told her to be brave. Some told her to carry on. Others told her that she matters. Even as the red neon light penetrated her room and illuminated her in a cold crimson shade, the memories around her still retained their original colours without ever being tainted in red. Even as the ugly cries of drug addicts and people in the street invaded her room, the echoes of encouragement from all the people she once knew were all she could hear. For a moment, even a small drop of dark began to appear on Kadyn's crystal. 

[Kadyn] - "I can't do this! All these legacies and promises... They are too much for me! I can't keep going anymore. It's lonely here without any of you guys! I don't need memories, I need someone physical. I need you, Ari, to tell me to be brave to keep going! I need you, Mike, to tell me I matter to escape my hell! "

Yelled Kadyn as the red neon light covering her glowed harder. 

[Kadyn] - "I was made to believe I was safe, I was meant to be a wife and a mother. I lived thinking Mike was different, that he would be there by my side forever. Never I was trained to crawl my way out of hell! I need just a hug from any of you. I just need someone to give me a reason to come back from my one-way trip! I need a reason to come back after I fight KD-554. "

Cried Kadyn as her disorganized hair covered her face. 

Downstairs, a gangster pulled out his gun and began to fire at his opponents. After a short gunfight, one of the bullets struck and destroyed a main power supply wire on the electric pole. In an instant, the entire street lost power, plunging Kadyn into the darkness. 

As the dark washed over Kadyn, she could finally see herself clearly in the mirror. In one of her eyes, there was the crimson glow of her kill mode, representing her motives fueled by revenge and hatred. In the other eye, Kadyn's eyes glowed with her usual emerald green shine, representing her normal and identity. However, a choice must made. You can either choose the monster within or the human outside. 

Earlier, as Poppy concluded a multi-million dollar deal with one of the weapon smugglers, she was presented with a briefcase containing two of the prized KD-series pistols. After loading the spare ammunition and the pistols into her car, she looked back at the imposing government tower not far from her as if she knew something she would rather not speak about. 

Meanwhile, Franklin procured a batch of mercury-titanium poly-alloy from a corrupt scientist working for KD-554. After paying the scientist using the briefcases full of gold from Kadyn, Franklin left with the cargo in his truck. As his truck exited the underground parking below the government tower, Franklin also took a look at the building with a worried look on his face. 

Now, inside Kadyn's apartment room, her heart grew conflicted as time went on. While Poppy and Franklin approached her door with their acquired items, the drop of dark on Kadyn's crystal also grew to cover her crystal in the pure darkness it once sported. It was a battle of time as both sides; Green and red, fought for dominance. 

However, the knocks came to Kadyn's door first before the darkness could entirely take over the crystal's blue colour. As Franklin and Poppy entered each carrying their end of the deal, Kadyn lowered the hand she used to cover her left eye to reveal a crimson glow just like her right eye. Meanwhile, the propagation of darkness on her crystal came to a halt before gradually fading away. 

On the other side, KD-554 stood on her balcony overlooking the city with her wine in hand. She watched as the neon lights in the city became dominated by colours in the red spectrum. As the world below her now mirrored her inner self with its fiery crimson glow, KD-554 abruptly stood up and showed a thumbs down at her city like a Roman emperor at a gladiatorial ring. 

To be continued...