Impossible odds

KD-554 threw a knife at a picture of Kadyn on the wall. Her glowing red eyes sparked with excitement as her knife struck Kadyn's face right in the centre. 

[Engineer] - "Please, miss, stop moving so much. I need you to stay still while I attach your new arm. "

Said the engineer as he drilled into KD-554's shoulder socket. 

[KD-554] - "I need you to add a knife launcher to my new arm as well. "

[Engineer] - "I can't! You can only fit so much into an arm and I've already pushed its limit by building a gun into it. "

[KD-554] - "Then build the fucking gun into my abdomen! "

Said KD-554 in a threatening tone as she raised the engineer's chin with her wrist knife. 

As the final pieces were lowered into KD-554's abdomen, the engineer began to work on installing the weapon. As he stopped to grab some tools, he noticed how many gadgets were sticking out of KD-554's body structure. 

[Engineer] - "I personally don't think it's the weapons that matter, miss. "

[KD-554] - "Then what is it then? "

Said KD-554 with a frustrated tone. 

[Engineer] - "I worked on every single KD unit like you when I served the empire. You were the last unit I ever worked on before KD-555, the final model, was introduced. I believe they may have introduced better technologies on her part- "

Before the engineer could finish his sentence, he was abruptly grabbed by the neck by KD-554. The force of the pull was so powerful that he smashed his head against KD-554's metallic chestplate. Blood poured out of the engineer's head as he stared at the ground with a frightened expression. 

[KD-554] - "Are you saying I'm inferior to her? Are you saying that I'm an old rust bucket compared to that whore? "

Screamed KD-554 with a bloodthirsty look in her eyes. 

[Engineer] - "I have the parts to upgrade your systems too! Please! I didn't mean it like that! "

Pleaded the engineer with a tone of terror in his voice. 

[KD-554] - "I don't fucking need your upgrade! My body is superior to her in any way! I was the pride and joy of the KD program! She's nothing more than a downgrade from me with a body meant to suck dicks! In fact, I don't need her body anymore! I just want her dead and I just want to rip her to pieces with my bare hands! "

Yelled KD-554 in a frenzied rage before she heard a series of cracks. 

When KD-554 released the engineer, his body fell limply to the ground. Blood slowly leaked from the engineer's mouth as he stared blankly at the wall with his bloodshot eyes. 

[KD-554] - "Oh great, you are dead. Why are humans so fragile? "

Said KD-554 in frustration. 

[Astroboy] - "You might want to consider keeping her children alive if you wish to end her. "

[KD-554] - "Oh, the great Astroboy is feeling empathy for the children of a bastard and a whore. What a fucking fever dream! "

Said KD-554 in a mixed tone of evil and sarcasm. 

[Astroboy] - "These kids might not just be the offspring of some bastard. The Mike she was referring to, when you fought her, was not just a random guy. "

[KD-554] - "Oh please, as if I have any interest in sparing them because their father is the president of Ethiopia or something. "

Said KD-554 as she tore off some of the wires attached to her.

[Astroboy] - "Mike, the Grand Cyberknight, does that ring any bell to you? "

Madness and rage immediately filled KD-554's eyes as she heard these words. Jealously was like an erupting volcano inside KD-554 as she struggled to accept how a man like Mike took Kadyn as his wife. 

[KD-554] - "Impossible! KD-555 is nothing but a born whore! A man like Mike should've chosen someone like me! It should've been me and not that stupid whore! "

Whispered KD-554 to herself while trying to contain her anger.

[Astroboy] - "Oh, I thought you knew. It seems like no one told you how Mike treated her like a princess. It is also humoured that Mike disobeyed lord Sniper just to protect her. "

Said Astroboy in a taunting tone. 

With a guttural scream, KD-554 jumped up from her operating bed before beginning to savagely attack anything in sight. Like a wild beast let loose, KD-554 cut and slashed the machinery and the walls before shooting up the place with her abdomen-attached gun. By the end of her rampage, several doctors and nurses were left mutilated in the halls while the operating looked as if a hurricane passed inside it. 

With a surprisingly calm demeanour, KD-554 reentered the room and arrived in front of Astroboy. 

[KD-554] - "Change of plan, I still want her body as mine. "

[Astroboy] - "I thought you just called a whore and her man a bastard. "

[KD-554] - "Well, I can put all that aside if I know what kind of future I can secure for myself. Mike's offspring are the perfect bargaining chips for a position of power inside the empire. With time, I can even become empress with you as my personal knight. "

[Astroboy] - "How about a better deal? I become the emperor and you are my empress. Why keep that fool of a husband of yours around when we are the rulers of the empire he serves? "

[KD-554] - "Agreed! Then, I'll have that simp taxidermized as my footrest. "

Said KD-554 with a psychotic look in her eyes. 

[KD-554] - "Get me some new staff members in here! I need my upgrades ready and this time, I will get her for good. "

Meanwhile, inside the collapsed remains of a building, McCree tapped his hand against a broken lantern a few times before the light began to glow. He quickly hung the only source of light in the middle of the corner where they all sat. All three of them were starving but they could rarely find anything to eat. 

After fumbling around inside his bag, McCree discovered a protein bar deep inside the main compartment. He immediately tried to devour the snack but he thought about Kadyn who was also starving in the corner. McCree turned to Senju who gave him a nod of approval before he unhesitantly handed the bar to Kadyn.

[McCree] - "Hey partner, eat this. Yer kids will need them nutrients. "

Kadyn took the snack but she instead cut it into three equal pieces with her wrist knife. 

[Kadyn] - "We are in this together. "

Said Kadyn as she handed a piece to both McCree and Senju. 

After hungrily showing her part into her mouth, she continued to sow the cuts on Mike's coat. Even in her weakened state, she stayed focused on both the needle and her fingers. Every single stitch was made with passion and care all the while an almost unnoticeable smile lingered on Kadyn's face. 

[McCree] - "I think ya should rest a little. After everything you went through, you need some rest to heal. "

Said McCree while munching on his piece of the bar. 

[Kadyn] - "I need to patch these holes first. "

Said Kadyn without raising her gaze. 

[Senju] - "I'm curious, why are you so obsessed with this coat? "

[Kadyn] - "It keeps me warm when I'm cold. "

[Senju] - "We are in the middle of summer, I don't see how you could feel cold enough to need a coat. "

[Kadyn] - "I meant the type of cold that doesn't mind the season. "

Said Kadyn with a smile as she discreetly tapped her finger against her heart. 

Senju looked toward McCree for an explanation but McCree simply shrugged his shoulders. Senju frowned and gave McCree a look that meant: "Bruh! ". McCree then responded with a set of signs that spelled: "How the fuck do you expect me to know! ". 

[Senju] - "I think she's cold because she has a fever. "

Whispered Senju to McCree. 

[McCree] - "Oooh! That's genius! You can catch a fever at any season. "

Whispered McCree while nodding his head. 

[Senju] - "We hope you get well soon! "

[McCree] - "Yeah, no worries, we can get ya some med for that once we bust outta here. "

The context of McCree's comment caused Kadyn to throw a confused glance at the two before going back to what she was doing. Time went on as they took turns to observe the outside for drone presence. Unfortunately, the whole day passed by without a single minute where there weren't any drones in proximity to their hideout. 

Soon, the night enveloped the city in complete darkness as the last of the electric facilities were destroyed during the incendiary purge. Meanwhile, the drone presence didn't decrease just because it was night. After eying a few stationary drones for hours, McCree retreated into the depths of the hideout in defeat. 

[McCree] - "Those sons of guns just won't move. We need a better way of pullin' ourselves out of this darn mess. "

Said McCree before sitting with the rest. 

[Kadyn] - "She won't let us go unless she gets me. If this goes on, then our only hope is for me to confront her again. "

[McCree] - "No! Nada! Absolutely no fucking way! We ain't leavin' without you! Besides, you reckon even if you manage to defeat her, that bastard Astroboy is still roaming this place. "

[Kadyn] - "I'll distract him while you guys make your escape. I'll find a way to get out afterward. "

[Senju] - "I'd rather die fighting than live in shame knowing my survival cost the lives of a mother and her children. "

[Kadyn] - "Don't try to be heroes! "

Yelled Kadyn with a look of stern determination on her face.

McCree and Senju fell silent.

[Kadyn] - "I can't watch people I care about being killed again. Don't try to be heroes, please. This life is hell. I used to be happy, I used to have hope, and I used to believe some things are eternal but I was wrong. Mike told me that fighting for freedom is better than hiding like rats. He gave his life for me but look where I ended up. I would prefer to live like a rat a billion times over losing him. You people did so much for me, and I don't want you people repeating the same mistake as Mike. So let me do the right thing! "

[McCree] - "What about your children then? "

[Kadyn] - "There is no future for them. As long as Jagger is alive, there is no future for them. Fate has won and we are nothing but sleeping slaves under its chains. " 

Kadyn dropped Mike's coat on the ground before beginning to remove her bandages. 

[Senju] - "Kadyn, this plan is madness! You need to calm down. We will find another way. "

Said Senju as he tried to stop Kadyn.

[Kadyn] - "How many days can all of us still live without water or food? Think, Senju, think! "

Yelled Kadyn while pulling her arm away from Senju. 

As much as McCree wanted to intervene, he was too starved to even stand up. As Senju and Kadyn argued, McCree gradually leaned against a wall before losing consciousness. 

[Senju] - "If you go, I'm going with you! I won't let you act like a sacrifice like last time! You have no idea how ashamed of myself I was when I allowed you to confront her. I'm done acting like a coward! "

[Kadyn] - "Senju, listen, I'm not worth risking your life for. I'm not even a full human, I'm just a laboratory experiment. Senju, stop resisting my decision. There is no hope for me but there is hope for you in this world. You have family waiting for you and I don't. "

[Senju] - "But you are family! We are a team, remember? You inspired me to push myself harder instead of being stagnant. If you didn't break my blade that day, I would never be the way I am today. Kadyn sensei, please, I beg of you, give us one more day to figure out a plan. "

Said Senju while he bowed with a gassho gesture at Kadyn.

[Kadyn] - "I'm not... "

Kadyn knew there was no way to convince Senju otherwise. With a compassionate look in her eyes, Kadyn conceded by hesitantly nodding her head.

Later that night, Senju tried his hardest to stay awake to make sure Kadyn didn't sneak away. But as starvation kept sapping away at his energy, Senju soon also lost consciousness like McCree. With both of them asleep, Kadyn took one last moment to think about everything. 

She closed her eyes and pictured herself sitting with Mike under the sunset on the beach. The two of them didn't possess any cybernetic parts and they looked like regular people. Kadyn didn't have her fox ears and Mike didn't have a pair of mechanical arms. While the waves caressed their feet, they watched the beautiful sun fall below the horizon.

[Kadyn] - "So this is where we meet afterward. As normal humans without any convictions, free to live the life we choose. "

[Mike] - "Yeah but this isn't us. "

[Kadyn] - "What do you mean? "

Said Kadyn as she turned toward Mike. 

[Mike] - "I'm Mike and you are Kadyn. We had different experiences compared to these two people. They may love each other but do they love each other the same way we do? "

Kadyn found herself standing behind the couple as the person she was in the present. 

[Mike] - "The man over there won't call that girl "Lemon" like I did. That girl over there won't possess the same dream and ambition as you. "

[Kadyn] - "But that's our souls. That's us again, you and I. "

[Mike] - "A soul is unique to the experience that person accumulated. Your soul is what makes you, you. But when you start anew, is that girl and guy over there still the Kadyn and Mike you know? He won't be the Mike you loved, and she won't be the Kadyn I loved. "

Tears slowly rolled down Kadyn's cheeks as she tried to raise her palm to slap Mike in the face. Just as her hand approached Mike's face, she stopped and began to sob. 

[Kadyn] - "Why are you saying all this? Why are you crushing my hopes like this? "

[Mike] - "Because this isn't you. I want my Kadyn to still be the Kadyn I loved. I know you want to join me in the afterlife but is giving up something Kadyn would do? I might not be here with you but my soul has always been there with you. You remembered enough about me for my soul to stay instead of moving on. I want you to be courageous, I want to see you win, and I want to see you succeed where I have failed. "

[Kadyn] - "But how could I win? Astroboy and Jagger are invincible. "

[Mike] - "If you can only picture an infinitely tall wall, then you will never be able to climb over it. But if you picture yourself with infinite will and power, then no wall in real life can stop you. That's how the crystal works. "

Said Mike as he gently tapped his finger against the crystal on Kadyn's upper chest. 

Kadyn wiped her tears away and nodded at Mike.

[Kadyn] - "Is there a way to bring you back? I miss you so much you have no idea. "

Said Kadyn as she tried to reach for Mike. 

[Mike] - "Not to my knowledge but no matter what, my dear Lemon, don't ever give up! "

When Kadyn's fingers finally touched Mike's body, she suddenly woke up in real life with her hands pressed against Mike's coat on the floor. A line of sunshine illuminated Mike's coat and felt to Kadyn as if the coat was smiling at her. With newly found determination, Kadyn put on the coat and began to climb her way out of the hideout. Just before she left, she looked back one last time at her friends. 

[Kadyn] - "I'll be back, guys, don't worry! "

Whispered Kadyn before she snuck through the exit. 

To be continued...

*Bonus: 

KD-555 model tissue damage recovery:

Due to the advanced healing factor of Kadyn's biology, any wounds inflicted on her, as long as they are not fatal or irreversible, can be healed at a rate of 10 times that of any mammal. Her cells have been engineered to reproduce at a rate that surpasses even cancer cell growth if activated by an injury. Initially, the fast-growing cells will be somewhat irregular like cancer cells but they will not grow out of control like cancer and they can also partially imitate the functions of a normal cell. In the following days, the body will then slowly replace the irregular cells with regular normal growth-rate cells. 

While it takes a healthy human about a week to completely close a small scratch, Kadyn's cells can completely fill the connection between a detached limb and her body in a single day. In case of heavy injuries, her thixotropic skeleton can form stitches on spots that have received damage. However, due to a lack of precise control over her skeletal structure, this method of damage control can often cause more harm than good while being extremely painful. As a result, Kadyn almost never uses it.