What Remains

Violet settled in a corner wiping dust and blood from her face. Above her the ground shook in the aftermath of a potent explosion which had ensured the destruction of most of the prison.

After the ground stopped screaming Violet rose carefully from the corner, she could hear their whispers, their hurried conversations, perhaps ten workers remained. Among those ten there was Anria Petrya, the designer of the prisons and long time genocide supporter. Petrya had spent the better of her life attempting to convince large and small factions of the benefits that killing all those without abilities would bring

"A world without disabilities," she called it.

She had at some point realized that not enough of the world would survive to thrive if they killed everyone who wasn't enhanced, but if they could make their own, selectively so, the problem would be fixed.

That idea had taking fruition through Violet and the several other hundreds they had killed in the process. She was undeservedly so, shrouded in fame because Violet had survived. Her equipment, along with the medication had worked and all that they really needed now was to dissect Violet and find those that shared her same generic makeup.

Violet moved in a flash as a guard rounded the corner, he was being very loud, fleeing she noted, by heavy panic he exuded. "I won't die like this, not for them! They don't even like me, and they're saying it's her. The ugly crazy desperate bitch who kidnapped the prince." A heavy kick to his abdomen, followed by an even stronger kick to just jaw and she landed atop of him like a cat, he opened his mouth to scream as Violet sliced his throat in one move. "First of all, I'm not ugly."

She watched him gurgle in his own blood as she dug through his items. She let out a satisfied hum. "9MM Silenced, not bad."

She eyed her watch, Senrio was very punctual and she now only had eleven minutes.

"At least the trio made it out with Zen's body, now the question is will Kieren kill them for returning without me?"

— — —

"What do you mean she didn't leave?"

They gulped feeling cold sweat form at the base of their temples.

It was true, they weren't lying, nothing had happened to Violet, if anything she has dragged them along battered and bruised, throw them off a turret and shouted something about catching up in fifteen minutes.

They had gingerly peeled themselves off the floor only to be met with a gleaming white door. The three of them had help hands nervously for a whole minute before Alex has finally taken the first step and opened the door.

Ted had been unable to hide his gasp, they were standing before a most astounding space, filled with books, pillars, water, peace…

Peace that had lasted a whole of twenty seconds as their prince came storming toward the door. He made very brief eye contact with any of them, then pushed past to the outer door clearly looking for Violet.

They stood frozen, waiting for the verdict, Kieren turned around and walked back in, "where is she?" His tone and eyes shot daggers of mistrust at them, cold and unyielding. "Did you hurt Violet."

Tom feel to his knees first as tears clouded his eyes, "Kieren, we didn't. We are sorry, we didn't mean to betray you. You know we care for you, and Senrio, he… h-"

"WHERE IS VIOLET, I DO CARE WHAT YOU ARE SORRY FOR, IF YOU HAVE ALLOWED FOR HER TO BE INJURED-"

"Master, Violet's fine," Alex interrupted shakily, also falling to her knees, "she came for us, then ran off somewhere saying she had to get Zen's body. But then she came back like three minutes later and said that there was a slight change of plans, and that we had to leave now."

A tear slid down her cheek, she motioned behind her to the covered body laying on the floor, "Lord, she handed us his body, led us up into a turret then pushed us off. We didn't know what the fuck was going on, but we emerged here, outside. She is fine."

Kieren glared at them coldly, "if she doesn't come back…"

"We will glad accept any punishment from you Lord Kieren, we ask only that you kill Senrio in-"

"Tom, I am not here ro fulfill your dreams, not even at the expense of your own life. You four," his eyes glanced to Zen's body, "are paying the price of your own decisions. Was I aware he was using you? Yes, but despite me showing you all countless time that I was stronger, that I did not care for formalities, that I was real and that I cared, not once did any of you approach me looking to come clean, looking for a way out."

He watched them cry silently, "we all know pressure, but you had a solution before you the entire time and you did not take it. The only thing I can account for you, Alex, is that you knew very well, and even early on what Violet might be, and you kept quiet."

His voice softened, "Zen died protecting me did he? While I do forgive you for all the lies, I do not trust you. Get up, there are showers here, and clean clothes, and you all need them."

He moved past Alex and picked up Zen's body resolutely, "I will lay him to rest and when Violet returns we can cremate him, burying him at this time would be pointless as he's considered a traitor and he grave would be destroyed."

Alex wiped the tears from her face, "Kieren… it's not like we can ask for your forgiveness but-"

"No, Alex, you cannot, nor will I grant it so easily, things are going to spiral out of control and your actions from here to the end will dictate wether I take your lives or not. You are no prisoners here, but I can guarantee that before Violet or myself any form of lies or signs of betrayal will result in your earlier demise. I am angry…"

He turned and looked at them evenly, "but worst of all, I am hurt."

— — —

The 9mm was proving quite useful, Violet was running quickly through the compound, hitting head shots as she approached guards and deserters without sparing them much thought.

She was running out of time quickly, and despite the burning desire to stay and dispose of Dolomine, she was aware that now was not the time. Kieren's face and Alex's words flashed before her mind, "I need to find proof, I need-FUCK!"

Violet slid into the splits while pressing her head against the floor only narrowly avoiding a sharpened slab or concrete that was viciously throw in her direction. She flipped to her side and dodged another thin slab, as it made a two foot gap in the floor. Her assailant, a young woman clad in all black charged again in silence, shards growing as she ran.

Violet tilted her head as she watched the woman charge, there was something unnatural in her stance, in her eyes. She dodged yet again, only in a more delayed fashion so as to properly observe her attacker.

It would be easy to kill her, while her moves were fast and she was aiming to kill, there was something more at play here and Violet felt the growing urge to figure out what that was.

They settled for a cat-mouse chase with Violet playing mouse as she tried to pinpoint what she was sensing.

As the attacks began increasing in complexity and speed Violet realized exactly what the issue was, a single drop of blood from the woman's left eye, the tremor of her eyelashes, an almost unnoticeable sob.

"You don't want to do this, do you? How many people have you been forced to kill?"

She had let out a pain almost silent scream and with a barrage of rocks sharpened to precision leap toward Violet.

Violet let out a soft sigh and began walking straight toward her attacker, she dodged the rocks in slow movements, dancing through the debris, waiting for her approach to be imminent. She turned to her side then flashed forward and place her palm flat against the woman's sternum. "That is one rune I am not fond of, you may rest."

The woman's eyes changed, a destroyed smile, a crack in her emotionless face, "five years I've been a puppet of death. No more. Please… no more."

Violet caught her as they feel to their knees, "Did Petrya do this?"

Upon closer inspection Violet could see the malnourishment, the barley healing cracks in her bones, the fact that without the malevolent rune she would most likely be paralyzed from the waist down, and of course, the never ending scars. "Yes."

Violet nodded sadly, "You look like me, and that is no compliment. You can rest now, I've erased the rune. If you choose to live then all you must do…"

Violet opened a portal, "is take road, time will only heal the external damages, not the internal ones, unless you seek help. I fully release you."

Violet held her up at the waist as the woman cried, "I do not deserve this, all the people I have-"

"I do not care, live with it, or don't, it's your choice."

Violet led her to the edge of the portal and after a moment the woman smiled, told Violet her name, and disappeared past the curtain.

— — —

Killing Anria Petrya was the most anticlimactic battle of all the battles Violet had waged, but she had been expecting that, after all Anria's character was predictable and borderline psychotic.

Violet had killed every remaining human in the prison before heading into the underground lab, where a relaxed Anria stood before several bodies with a mixture of injections at her reach.

There was no surprise on her face when Violet stepped in, if anything she looked quite pleased. "You've come home."

Violet scoffed, "yeah, sure. I'm home, have any more neat injections I can test drive for you?"

"You always were so sarcastic, you must comprehend child! The tests you pioneered will lead the road for the future." Her eyes shined reverently, "our master Dolomine is almost here and together the three of us- what…"

Anria slid to the floor holding her throat, a large needle was sticking out. Violet leaned forward and wiped some of the viscous red liquid trickling out of the side, she held it up to eye level before licking at it. "I remember these, they were very fun, the hallucinations especially so."

She was making weird noises, Violet leaned over and watched her squirm on the floor her mouth agape and foam leaking out. "Is that really all you can take? One shot, you must have sent them at least forty for me."

Violet took several other injections from the cabinet and began stabbing them into her body. No more than twenty seconds later Petrya began seizing as her heart gave out.

Violet took a look at her watch and whistled, "cutting it close."

She did make it out, running past the border of the prison Violet looked back as vehicle approached from the south.

Violet paused behind a large spruce tree attempting to conceal her rage.

For the briefest moment before she disappeared they made eye contact and for the first time in a very long time, Violet felt hope, and Senrio, a small spasm of fear.