Hope You Feel It Too!
Bwoooong. The hum of the Air Rider's engine.
The stuffy air inside the container.
The gaze of the fixer sitting across from her.
Mosco Bi Chacos had wondered how they'd transport her. True to their billionaire status, they were using a crude but bold method: flying an entire container from a skyscraper rooftop via Air Rider. Right now, high above Cyber City, a single Air Rider was soaring through the sky, container dangling below.
"Hoo..."
A short sigh. The weight of the two pistols in their holsters felt different from usual.
"Nervous?"
"..."
At the fixer's question from across the way, Bi Chacos slowly opened her eyes. The man was arrogant, his face unchanging. It irritated her.
"I figure you get that we're both just getting paid for this."
"..."
"If you fail to assassinate Elric Drwolb here, I'll have to kill you."
"You? Me?"
"Me. You."
Their eyes locked in a clash. A challenging stare asking if he could really do it, met with calm indifference that said it would be easy. As their battle of wills dragged on, the thought that these emotions were being broadcast to the billionaires made exhaustion crash over Bi Chacos's head. No matter what she did, it all became their entertainment—like being trapped in an emotional cage.
"Don't feel hard done by; I warned you beforehand. That's just how this business works."
"I know."
It was laughable. She'd betrayed humanity itself for money, yet here she was harboring hatred for them.
"One thing. I wanna ask."
"What."
"Why'd you take Axis's commission?"
"..."
A quiet sigh. What could she say? That her newly installed prosthetic was defective, her child's body rotting away, needing an urgent replacement? That she had no money to repair the cathedral, leaving the kids exposed to the rain? No matter how much she earned, it vanished into the bottomless pit of their medical bills like water poured into a leaky jar? All bullshit. Any excuse would just sound like justification. She didn't regret it, so there was no need to justify.
"Drop point reached! Opening the hatch!"
With the Air Rider pilot's report, the container doors slid open automatically. A fierce wind rushed in, shoving everything. Below lay Elric Drwolb's campaign rally.
Clack, clack.
Mosco Bi Chacos walked to the edge and murmured back at the fixer shadowing her to the end.
"That's what makes me a mother."
She leaned forward and plummeted toward the ground.
Cyber City's skyline filled her view. This was probably it, the last time she'd see it. Fine by her. No regrets. Even if it meant turning her back on her world, it was something she had to do. She'd protected the kids' world.
'Sorry, Mother.'
I guess I just can't be like you after all.
* * *
KABOOOM!
The impact of her landing shook the flimsy stage, sending banners and balloons flying everywhere. Dust clouds billowed amid screams.
Through it all, Bi Chacos's green eyes flashed.
Oversync.
Her will infused the bullets. A twisted conviction. The final defiance of a woman who'd borne the name "mother" yet fallen short.
"Smoke! It's a smoke grenade!"
"Protect the congressman!"
The smoke grenades she'd dropped with her did their job. But even through the haze, her footsteps advanced steadily toward her target.
Thwung!
A short leap. She pierced the smoke in an instant, landing on the stage.
Elric Drwolb stared at her in shock. His bodyguards surged forward, but it didn't matter. She was certain her oversynced bullets could punch through them.
Her gun barrel rose silently toward his forehead.
Click.
Finger on the trigger. In that instant, sensations flashed through Bi Chacos's mind.
Misery. Rage. Resignation. And liberation.
Emotions streaming straight to the billionaires via S.E.L.
Somewhere far off in a skyscraper, in a lavish room, she could almost hear the billionaires' excited voices.
'Shoot! Do it!'
'Come on, shoot already~!'
'Kill him!'
Fitting for a weed like her. Crushed under a giant's foot. The perfect ending.
"Sorry, Mother."
BANG!
The bullet streaked out, its tail-end glow searing her eyes. No stopping it now. She had to own the consequences.
Yeah, that was—
"...!"
It halted, wild spin ceasing. The bullet hung suspended in midair, then dropped to the ground with a resonant clink.
Telekinesis. A 3rd Floor Awakener was here. One strong enough to intercept even her bullet mid-flight.
'Gotta get out of sight first.'
Caught in telekinesis, she'd be done for. As she calculated, a desperate shout rang out.
"Bi Chacos! Wait!"
Her gaze turned instinctively toward the voice. There stood the matchmaking agency owner, holding a single sword.
"Kim... Juseon?"
"Bi Chacos, lower that gun!"
"If you're here—you—!"
That's why she'd felt a sliver of relief. Because he hadn't severed their faint connection.
"The kids—they'll—!"
"That's why I came—the kids are safe!"
"What?"
The words hit like a brick to the head. She wanted to believe it, and it eased her, but doubt crept in too.
"You sure?"
"Hoo, yeah. I'm positive. I've got way more reliable people watching them."
"..."
"Trust me this time."
Kim Juseon flashed a small smile, and her gun barrel dipped slightly. She felt herself relaxing. He had this weird knack for making people want to believe him. That fake smile? Or his blatant money-grubbing nature?
"This time... I can trust you?"
"Yes. Absolutely."
Just words, but they soothed her. The billionaires probably felt it too. Served them right.
"But why'd you come? We're not exactly the type to look out for each other."
Her tension easing, she slowly lowered the gun. If anything, they were more like enemies.
"The kids asked me to."
"..."
"They miss their mom."
Her eyes trembled just a fraction at those words. Emotion surged, choking her voice—but
"I've done everything I could."
"..."
"I got insurance for their prosthetics that'll cover replacements for life. They can handle themselves from here."
Under Kim Juseon's gaze, Bi Chacos averted her eyes.
"You know you're lying to yourself."
"That's—"
"Because you're a wanted criminal? Yeah, you deserve punishment. No room for compromise."
No death penalty on the 3rd Floor, but this was a Tower terrorism violation. Lazesta Continent and the old martial world executed plenty, so Mosco Bi Chacos was surely doomed.
But.
"You might not know it, but right now, you're a more valuable link than you think."
"...Link?"
"How do you think I got here?"
"That's—"
Thinking about it, yeah. How had a mere matchmaking boss ended up here? A puzzle piece clicked in Bi Chacos's mind. The reason he could be here.
"I pitched hard that you're the one unpredictable betrayer of humanity I could actually talk to."
"...What?"
"I'm proposing a plea deal, Bi Chacos."
A plea deal? Question marks popped up in her head. Her usual cool expression softened at the out-of-left-field offer.
"To me? Sorry, but I got nothing to give."
"Nah, you do."
"Me?"
The chaos around them was settling. Bodyguards swarmed, guns trained on her; Elric Drwolb had evacuated ages ago. But she'd tuned it out. No reason to kill some politician if the kids were safe.
She just wanted to hear Kim Juseon out. A way to save her neck via plea deal. Her one shot at survival.
"A few days ago, you tried the elevator to the 3rd Floor and failed, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Top secret, but each floor has one unique entity that can restrict access."
An entity that could restrict entry. Villancy had said the same. Claimed to be the only one.
"And right now, the Tower Administration is tearing their hair out looking for that guy."
"You mean—"
"Cooperate."
Even hearing the Tower Administration was hunting Villancy, she couldn't respond confidently.
"Sorry, I don't know the location. I was moved in a sight-blocked container."
"But you're connected to it."
Connected?
"...!"
She raised her hand abruptly. Patches of S.E.L stuck to her forehead, wrists, ankles—everywhere.
"We've got pros who can backtrack locations from this. So, team up."
"Pros?"
"Yeah, someone you know—no, a program you know."
Program. She knew instantly who.
"Heard it was scrapped."
"Classified, classified."
Seeing Kim Juseon's grin, Bi Chacos couldn't help smirking too.
"Heh, don't make me laugh. Makes me like you."
"So, you in?"
"Gotta be."
"Okay! Yena! You see that? I—!"
The moment Kim Juseon shouted skyward—
KABOOOM!
A massive whoosh and a crater exploded into the ground. Amid the whipping gale, a hulking fixer raised his head.
"I've already reported in, Mosco Bi Chacos."
His body armored in black plating. A rhino-like powersuit. Monster gear worth astronomical sums.
"If you fail the mission, I have to kill you."
His voice distorted by the suit's mechanics. Intense heat spread like killing intent, raw power surging beyond human limits—but
"Heh—!"
Bi Chacos couldn't hold it in.
"Hahahaha—!"
The laughter kept coming, brighter than it had been in years.
"What the—have you lost it?"
Even as baffled Kim Juseon asked, she had no breath to answer. She just asked.
'How's it feel? You feelin' it?'
Up on the skyscraper. To them, lounging on sofas with pricey champagne.
'You feelin' my emotions right now?'
Like a schoolgirl confessing shyly. Mosco Bi Chacos beamed and asked.
'I'm comin' to kill you all.'
Hope you empathize with this feeling.
