Chapter 17 An old dear friend

Sweat beaded on Daniel's forehead as his fingers flew across the keyboard. The system firewall pulsed red, a virtual fortress mocking his attempts. A timer on the corner of the screen ticked down – 10 minutes until their window of opportunity slammed shut."Anything?" Emerlda's voice broke the tense silence. She stared out at the imposing prison gates, her face unreadable except for a flicker of something in her eyes when Daniel mentioned Leo."Almost," Daniel muttered, frustration gnawing at him. "But these prison networks are a maze."One of the heavily armed men tossed a police uniform to Emerlda. It fit snugly, a stark contrast to the oversized one Daniel fumbled with, its ill fit making him feel like a child playing dress-up."Think this'll work?" he asked, a tremor in his voice.Emerlda smirked. "Only one way to find out."As they approached the gate, a guard with a bored expression waved them through. But then, he stopped. His gaze lingered on Emerlda, a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

The stench hit them like a fist. The sewage tunnel was barely wide enough for them to squeeze through, its grimy walls threatening to close in at any moment. Muffled shouts and the staccato of gunfire echoed from above, a grim soundtrack to their desperate crawl."Ugh, this is worse than facing down a dragon," Daniel choked out, his voice muffled by the grime covering his face. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a crushed granola bar in disgust."Save it," Emerlda grunted, her voice strained but resolute. "We might need that later."A thunderous boom rattled the tunnel, sending a shower of debris cascading down. Emerlda cursed under her breath, but didn't lose her focus."There should be a ventilation shaft a few meters ahead," she rasped. "We need to find it, get some air, and…"Another explosion cut her off. Daniel gagged, his stomach churning. He stumbled forward, accidentally landing on a particularly…ripe…section of the tunnel floor.A choked sob escaped his lips. He looked at Emerlda, expecting her to roll her eyes, but instead, she offered a grim smile."Welcome to the party, rookie."

.

The acrid smell of disinfectant mingled with the metallic tang of blood. Emerlda's movements were swift and deadly as she subdued the two unsuspecting officers, their bodies collapsing silently with a sickening thud.Daniel watched, his stomach churning despite the scalding water cascading down his body. He glanced at his tablet, displaying the prison layout and a blinking red dot marking their position."Two hours," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the hiss of the shower. "Two damn hours waiting for those guards to finish their rounds."Finally, the signal on his tablet flickered. The hallway was clear. Leaving a trail of bodies behind them, Emerlda and Daniel moved like phantoms through the sterile corridors, the security cameras rendered blind by Daniel's hacking.As they reached Leo's cell, a wave of nausea washed over Emerlda. He wasn't just choking, red welts marred his skin, and his body was contorted in a way that spoke of a violent struggle. But the most shocking detail was the unmistakable sheen of semen glistening on his pale skin.Leo's eyes, glazed with fear, darted between Emerlda and Daniel. His voice, raspy and desperate, croaked out, "Just…just get it over with."Emerlda didn't flinch. But a flicker of something – perhaps recognition, perhaps a deeper emotion – passed through her steely gaze for a fleeting moment. Daniel stared at Leo, the carefree playboy he once knew reduced to a whimpering shell. Drugs had ravaged his body, but the fear in his eyes spoke of something far more sinister. Their mission had taken a dark turn, and the question now hung heavy in the air: what had they gotten themselves into?

Emerlda squatted beside Leo, her usual stoicism cracking for a moment. "Here I was thinking you were some kind of prison kingpin," she said, her voice laced with a bitter edge.Daniel fidgeted, his eyes glued to the tablet. The security feed remained blank, but the silence stretched thin.Leo, his voice trembling, choked out, "If my father…""Forget your father," Emerlda snapped. "What happened to you, Leo?"A flicker of recognition crossed her face, a momentary glimpse of the carefree boy she once knew. But it was quickly replaced by a steely resolve.Leo attempted to stand, his body wracked with tremors. "Just as I suspected," he mumbled, collapsing back onto the floor. "My body is powerless… Thank you for trying…"Emerlda's fist clenched. "We all make mistakes, Leo," she growled. "But some things can't be undone."Before she could explain further, the cell door clanged open. Three hulking figures filled the doorway, their faces etched with sadistic amusement. The leader, a man with a shaved head and a scarred neck, spat on the floor."Well, well," he sneered. "Looks like the little runaway decided to throw a party."Emerlda's gaze darted between the guards and the trembling Leo. A flicker of something – fear? Regret? – crossed her face."Who did this to you, Leo?" she demanded, her voice a low growl.Leo, his face pressed against the wall, mumbled a single word."Master Borstov."A collective gasp filled the room. Emerlda's eyes widened in shock. Even Daniel, his loyalty tested to the limit, couldn't help but stare in disbelief.The leader of the guards threw his head back and laughed, a booming sound that echoed through the sterile cell block."Looks like someone forgot who runs this little zoo," he chortled. "Now, how about you three have some fun before we take you back to your little…experiment."The guards surged forward, their eyes gleaming with malicious intent. Emerlda lunged for them, but Daniel grabbed her arm, his face pale."We have to go!" he hissed. "The cameras won't stay frozen forever!"Emerlda hesitated, her gaze locked on Leo's terrified face. For a fleeting moment, it seemed she might defy reason and fight. But then, with a snarl of frustration, she ripped her arm free and bolted past Daniel, towards the exit.Daniel had no choice. He followed, leaving Leo behind to face whatever horrors awaited him. As they fled down the sterile corridor, the chilling laughter of the guards echoed in their ears, a grim reminder of the price of their failure.

Emerlda ripped the arms of her police uniform, the fabric tearing with a satisfying rip. Her eyes, usually calculating, blazed with a feral fury. "And you will never see me again…Daniel, I'll meet you outside. Take Leo with you!"The guard blocking the way sneered. "I give orders around here…"His words died in a choked gasp as Emerlda's knee slammed into his groin. He crumpled, his body tumbling out of the cell door with a sickening thud. The other guards, momentarily stunned, reacted with a flurry of rage.One charged, wielding a makeshift shiv fashioned from a shard of metal. Emerlda danced around him, the confined space of the cell turning into a deadly ballet. Her dagger, a blur of silver, deflected blows and found purchase in flesh with sickening thuds.Sweat beaded on her forehead, mingling with the blood staining her face. She knew she couldn't hold them off forever. Through the din of the fight, she caught a voice on the comms unit."Emerlda, the prisoners are out. They're causing a distraction, but the guards are calling for backup. You need to get out of there!"Daniel's voice fueled her resolve. With a final, bone-crunching kick, she disarmed another guard, sending him sprawling. Taking a deep breath, she leaped over the fallen bodies, her gaze scanning the hallway for an escape route.Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the corridor. A section of the ceiling, weakened by the previous explosion, gave way, showering debris down onto the guards. Through the dust and confusion, Emerlda saw a narrow opening in the floor above.There was no time to hesitate. She sprinted towards it, ignoring the searing pain in her side. As she hurled herself through the opening, a guttural scream tore from her lips. It wasn't the pain, but the agonizing sight that met her eyes…Daniel and Leo were nowhere to be seen. In their place stood a horde of heavily armed guards, their faces etched with grim determination.

Emerlda's voice crackled over the comms, her command laced with a chilling desperation. "Open the cells, Daniel! Make sure Leo's safe!""Are you crazy?" Daniel roared back, his voice strained with frustration. "Get out of there!"Ignoring him, Emerlda glared up at the leader on the second floor, his face a mask of cruel amusement. "Leo deserves better than this," she snarled, her voice hoarse. "He was my only friend. Open the doors! It's an order!"A cacophony of cheers and screams erupted as the cell doors hissed open. The weight of hundreds of imprisoned men surged forward, a wave of desperation and rage. Emerlda, a lone island in the chaotic sea, drew her dagger and steeled herself for the coming storm.The first prisoner reached her, a hulking brute with fear twisted into his features. He swung a makeshift weapon with wild abandon, but Emerlda was a blur of motion. Her dagger flickered, finding purchase in flesh with a sickening thud. The man crumpled, another casualty in a growing pile of bodies at her feet.But the fight was far from over. More prisoners surged towards her, a tide of desperation fueled by years of confinement. Each one she cut down added to the growing chaos, but a cold knot of guilt twisted in her stomach. These were men, desperate for freedom, not soldiers in a battle she didn't understand.Suddenly, a shrill alarm echoed through the prison. One of the guards, quicker than the rest, had managed to trigger the lockdown. Emerlda cursed, her eyes darting towards the security cameras. Daniel, bless him, had frozen the feeds, but how long would it last?Then, a new wave of attackers crashed into her. This time, they weren't the desperate prisoners, but a group of heavily armed guards, drawn by the sounds of the carnage. Panic clawed at her throat. She couldn't fight both sides and escape before the entire prison was swarming with guards.

he stench of blood hung heavy in the air, a metallic counterpoint to the strangled cries echoing from below. Emerlda pushed open the final door on the second floor, her boots leaving bloody tracks on the polished floor. There he was, the man responsible for Leo's state - a man who seemed far less imposing without a posse of guards at his back."You," she growled, her voice raw with barely contained fury. Emerlda was a whirlwind of controlled chaos, her face a mask of blood and grime, the only clean spot the glint of her cybernetic arm. Her regular dagger was gone, replaced by a fearsome blade incorporated into her bionic limb.The man, fear twisting his features, stammered, "Wh-who are you?""Someone who doesn't appreciate seeing a friend broken," Emerlda spat. "One chance. Why shouldn't I leave you a bloody stain on this pristine floor?"The clatter of boots on metal stairs cut through the tension. Police reinforcements were ascending. Emerlda's eyes flickered to the nearby cell, where Leo lay unconscious on the floor. No time for explanations, no time for hesitation."This is for Leo," she declared, her voice devoid of emotion. In a flash, the bionic blade whipped out, a blur of lethal steel. The man's scream was cut short, his lifeless body crumpling to the floor.Without a trace of remorse, Emerlda grabbed a nearby metal mug and used it to scoop up the severed head. Her gaze fell on Leo's cell door, a grim resolve hardening her features. She shoved the head into the toilet bowl, a symbolic act of revenge.The sound of heavy boots hitting the landing broke the silence. Emerlda was a phantom, vanishing through a hidden service hatch moments before the first policeman burst through the door.The Chief Commander, a weary man with deep lines etched on his face, surveyed the scene. Dead guards littered the corridors, some prisoners lay still, others whimpered in fear. He sighed, a sound that spoke volumes of resignation. "I'm calling it quits," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the din.A cursory search of the cells revealed only the living and the dead. The rioters who opted for escape had either vanished or paid the ultimate price for their freedom. The prison was a gruesome tableau, a testament to the silent fury of a woman known only as the Ghost of Borstov's Past. The identity of the mastermind behind the carnage remained a mystery, a chilling whisper in the prison's dark history.

Daniel threw Leo on the back of the car, he wanted to return to help Emerlda. Looking at the stars Leo said, "I thought they were only rumours, how can a frail little girl return as a devil in flesh…" Daniel gritting his teeth responded, "Those men will kill her, stay here…God dammit she cut the connection!" Leo could see the desperation in Daniel's eyes, he said, "You should have left me in my cell…" With all his anger Daniel punched Leo to silence him up, "How selfish can you be? If anything happens to her I will kill you…" Leo had long vision his death, with a despiteful smile on his face he replied, "Be my guest, maybe you can chock me whilst we are having sex…"

Emerlda roared the motorcycle to life, weaving through traffic with practiced ease. Sirens wailed behind them, and the glint of flashing lights painted the back alleys they navigated. A stray bullet pinged off Daniel's bazooka, leaving a scorch mark."They're gaining on us!" Emerlda shouted over the engine's roar. A grimace flickered across her face, revealing a bloody gash on her arm."Hold on," Daniel yelled, firing off another shot from the bazooka, taking out a pursuing police car.Leo, surprisingly calm behind the wheel, gritted his teeth. "Looks like we're all in this together now."Just as the remaining police car nudged their back tire, Emerlda swerved into a narrow alley barely wider than the motorcycle. Bullets rained down behind them, peppering the brick walls."Who were those guys you were with?" Daniel yelled, his voice strained."Special Forces," Emerlda gasped, "They were supposed to extract me. Something went wrong."The alley opened into a deserted warehouse district. As they sped past a towering building, a figure silhouetted in the window raised a sniper rifle. The shot rang out, shattering the back window of the police car behind them, sending it careening out of control."Who the hell was that?" Leo exclaimed, eyes wide.Daniel didn't answer. He had a feeling he knew.Daniel's return with overflowing grocery bags provided a welcome distraction from the heavy weight of their conversation. As he unpacked, the clinking of cans and hum of the refrigerator filled the sterile motel room, a temporary haven far from the chaos of their escape. Emerlda caught Leo's eye, the remnants of unshed tears glittering in their depths."Your little friend," she began, the playful glint in her eyes struggling against the undercurrent of empathy, "sincerely apologized before I left."Leo, tracing the rim of his coffee cup with a finger as if to etch away the memory, let out a humorless chuckle. "A sincere apology from the great Daniel? Wonders will never cease. My father must have suffered a huge loss for you to be here. I can't help but wonder what my mother offered up on the altar of her reputation to incite such a drastic measure."Emerlda set her own cup down, a furrow etching itself between her brows. "Leo," she interjected, her voice laced with concern, "what has happened to you? This isn't the path I envisioned for you. Why were you in jail?"His gaze drifted out the window, momentarily lost in the anonymous flow of traffic. "Met a woman at a bar," he began, his voice low and gravelly. "Overdose. Apparently, her father happened to be the General. They pinned it on me, of course. This time, I was truly innocent. Just a grieving fool, drowning my sorrows in the bottom of a glass after Sam's death."Emerlda felt a pang in her chest. Leo's infatuation with Sam had been an open secret, a love as bright as it was tragically short-lived. The pain in his eyes spoke volumes more than his words ever could. The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating almost, punctuated only by the rhythmic fall of tears Leo couldn't contain any longer."It's a living hell," he choked out, voice thick with emotion. "Every day is a battle against the suffocating desire to just…end it all. In his eyes, I'm nothing but a source of disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I miss him. Seeing him cut down like that…it replays in my nightmares like a cruel movie on repeat. I should have been the one to take the bullet."Emerlda sighed, her gaze drifting towards the flickering neon signs outside the window. "We all have our demons, Leo," she said softly. "You wouldn't believe the messed up situations I've found myself in." Her voice trailed off, a veiled reference to her own dark past."But no matter how shitty things get, I always try to face them head-on. Because that's the only way to move forward. That's what life is all about, picking yourself up and taking another step, even when your legs feel like lead."A flicker of surprise crossed Leo's face. He hadn't expected such depth from Emerlda. He opened his mouth to reply, but the sound was cut short by the creak of the motel room door.Daniel stood framed in the doorway, the grocery bags forgotten in his hands. His expression was unreadable, but a flicker of something in his eyes – curiosity, concern, or perhaps a hint of anger – sent a jolt through Emerlda.Had he been there the whole time, listening to their conversation?Leo's outburst hung heavy in the air, a raw wound exposed. "Sam could've been alive if you just cooperated!" he shouted, his voice thick with a grief that bordered on rage. "You should've let me take him into my crew! Why'd you have to kill him?"Emerlda's smile faltered for a brief moment, but it quickly returned, tinged with a hint of sadness. "You're an ass, Leo," she said, her voice surprisingly gentle. "Joining forces with other gangs was never an option. It would have been a slow death. Besides," she added, her gaze hardening slightly, "busting you out of jail cost me precious time in my hunt."The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. Just then, a knock on the door startled them all. Daniel entered, balancing a stack of takeout containers.Leo, his earlier outburst forgotten, eyed Daniel with suspicion. "Who's the muscle, birthday girl? Can I keep him?" he quipped, a feeble attempt to lighten the mood.Emerlda chuckled, a dry humor that didn't quite reach her eyes. "He's spoken for, Leo," she said, popping open her takeaway box. "It's past midnight anyway. Happy birthday, old friend."Daniel watched the exchange, his face an unreadable mask. Did he catch the veiled threat in Emerlda's words? Was he aware of the darkness that swirled beneath her seemingly carefree exterior? As they sat down to eat, the silence was punctuated only by the clinking of utensils, each sound echoing the unspoken questions hanging in the air.

Twenty years ago

A choked sob drew Emerlda's gaze to the edge of the garden. There, huddled amongst the rose bushes, sat a boy no older than her, tears streaming down his face. A pang of sympathy tugged at her heart.She knelt beside him, gently pulling a perfect white rose from the nearby bush. "Hello," she said softly, offering the flower. "I'm Emerlda. What's your name?"Leo, his eyes red-rimmed and puffy, sniffled and mumbled, "Leo.""What's wrong, Leo?" Emerlda asked, her voice laced with concern.He hesitated, wiping his tears on a grimy sleeve. "They forgot my birthday again," he mumbled, his voice thick with a mixture of sadness and anger. "They remembered Michael's, but not mine."Emerlda's heart ached for him. This wasn't a simple birthday oversight; it spoke of a deeper neglect."Hey," she said, a determined glint in her eye, "I won't forget your birthday. It'll be a day we'll always remember."A small smile flickered on Leo's lips, a spark of hope battling the despair in his eyes. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the only sound the chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves in the breeze.Suddenly, Emerlda shot up, her hand flying to her knee. A gasp escaped her lips as she stumbled backward, a grimace contorting her face. She'd fallen, scraping her knee and cheek on the rough ground.Leo rushed to her side, panic momentarily replacing his sadness. "Are you alright?" he stammered.Emerlda winced but forced a smile. "Just a little clumsy, that's all." Hurrying inside, she reappeared moments later, a lopsided cupcake balanced precariously on a chipped plate."Happy birthday, Leo," she declared, her grin wider than ever.As they sat munching on the sweet chocolate treat, a stolen moment of happiness amidst the chaos of their lives, a strange feeling bloomed in Emerlda's chest. A sense of connection, a glimmer of hope that perhaps, amidst the darkness, a spark of light could still ignite.