Seizing
"Cough—!"
Haspoon McTail spat out filthy river water that rivaled the Ganges in its grime and snapped back to consciousness. Amon clicked his tongue at the sight of the revived axeman.
"What part of that looks human?"
To make sure, he'd left the man submerged for hours, but Haspoon was still kicking. It was nothing short of miraculous vitality.
The moment he came to, Haspoon checked his own condition. He was in an unfamiliar room, his limbs disassembled, only his head and torso left bound in restraints.
"So that's the face under the mask. I figured it had some pitiful backstory, but surprisingly, you're pretty handsome."
Even seeing his own state, the axeman grinned shamelessly. He turned to Amon.
"But you sure that's okay?"
"What?"
"The second I went into suspended animation, HQ would've dispatched someone. You good with that, Mr. Hero of Justice?"
Haspoon flashed a confident smirk. He still had no idea what Amon had done to him. Last he remembered, he'd drowned, Amon chanted something, his vision went white, and consciousness faded. No clue what ability it was. In a world full of implants, procedures, and magic, no one could know everything.
But Haspoon had a countermeasure. If his life ever hung by a thread—for any reason, bleeding, drowning, freezing—his brain would enter suspended animation regardless. Theoretically, it could last 72 hours. Before then, HQ would send help to patch him up. That's how he'd cheated death and returned to the battlefield countless times. And this time would be no different, or so he believed without a doubt.
Haspoon stared at Amon with utter conviction. But Amon's expression was utterly bored. Arms crossed, he gazed indifferently at the limbless torso.
Just as Haspoon dismissed it as bluffing, a woman he'd ignored until now spoke up.
"Let them dispatch whoever. Not sure that company has the loyalty for it anyway."
Turning his gaze, he saw a black-haired, red-eyed office lady. Only then did Haspoon pay her any mind.
"And you are, sis?"
"Don't call me that."
Kashi was ice-cold to any man but Amon. Of course, even without Amon, this Haspoon guy would've gotten the same treatment. The man oozed disgust from the start—from his drill horn to the mask still strapped to his crotch. Dismembered limbs made it even worse. She felt revulsion strong enough to avoid speaking, but Kashi pushed through and asked,
"Which company are you with?"
"Hold up, miss? I asked first."
"It's Director, not miss. That answers my question, so your turn."
"Sigh... Feisty women aren't popular with guys..."
Kashi's shoulders twitched. She glanced at Amon.
"Why're you looking at me?"
"Wondered if you think the same as this muscle pig."
"Getting lumped with a perv like that hurts. I'm all about gender equality."
"Yeah. Good enough."
Kashi turned back to Haspoon.
"So, answer my question?"
"Why should I?"
Unlike his looks, he had some company loyalty and refused. But Kashi couldn't care less.
"Fine, just listen then. Haspoon McTail. Security Chief for the pharma company Miller."
What followed wasn't interrogation. It was just confirming what she already knew.
"Dispatched because the supply of clinical test subjects for the new drug project dried up."
Haspoon clamped his mouth shut. But his sealed lips couldn't hide from Kashi's eyes. She kept confirming details from him. Amon watched from the side, recalling what Kashi had said before Haspoon woke.
"The future isn't invincible."
She always emphasized that when talking futures. She could see countless futures and parallels, but if she didn't act, they wouldn't manifest. It applied to opponents too. If they stayed silent across all futures, lied perfectly, or hid flawlessly, her power failed. Fortunately, Haspoon wasn't that caliber. That's why this worked.
"You pulled strings from External Intelligence to get out here 'cause you wanted to fight, right?"
Her confirmations continued. She extracted every scrap from him. Haspoon's mouth only opened when she mentioned company secrets he knew.
"The drug you're testing is a vaccine? New flu strain? Ah, release the virus in Europe after completion for selective culling. Smart—boosts stock, cheap land grabs."
"Who the hell are you, miss?"
"Told you. Director."
With only his neck mobile, Haspoon knew nothing beyond being in a lab-like space. At best, from talk, it was a megacorp. Otherwise, why hadn't HQ rescued him? In a last-ditch bluff, he boasted,
"You sure, Director? This could spark a corp war."
"We're fine. Your name's already gone from the site."
"Lying."
"Believe it or not, it's reality. Think your value's worth them risking war?"
Even that was in her palm. Miller had cut him loose long ago. The moment he transferred to her company, they abandoned him cleanly.
"Urk."
Haspoon couldn't retort. Deep down, he knew. If this was really a megacorp, no reason for them to save him. His secrets as Security Chief were valuable, but worth a corp war? Doubtful. Not that his value was low—the weight of "corp war" was just that heavy. Unless he was the chairman's spouse or the chairman was loyalty incarnate, no war. He fit neither. He was discarded.
Haspoon abandoned HQ-backed negotiations. All he had left was his body as bargaining chip.
"How about hiring me? I lost to that guy, but my strength's nothing to scoff at anywhere."
Her eyes chilled at the offer. Haspoon couldn't fathom the sudden shift. It seemed reasonable, so why?
As the question formed, Kashi spoke.
"Ever heard of the banality of evil?"
"?"
"Yeah, you'd never get it. Short version: cooperate or not, you're evil."
"What're you on about? I know my work's shady. But what can ya do?"
Everyone does it.
Amon's shoulders jerked. His hand drifted to his sword at his waist. Kashi stopped him. Eyes fixed on Haspoon, she continued.
"American soul."
"What?"
"What exactly is this 'American soul' you believe in?"
Why's that coming from her mouth? The doubt flickered, but he ignored it. She'd rattled off facts he never shared. No point questioning now. Haspoon answered eagerly.
"American soul! It's freedom! Freedom to preach your beliefs without regard for others! Freedom to seize what you want, no holds barred!"
Incredible fluency from the silent man. No security issue, and it fit his creed of spreading ideology.
Amon countered inwardly.
That's not freedom; that's licentiousness.
But he stayed silent. No desire to waste energy on a fool.
Kashi asked instead.
"But doesn't trampling others' freedom contradict that?"
"No no no!"
Haspoon puckered his lips, shaking his head side to side. Utterly repulsive.
"Freedom's something you seize and defend. If strong and weak clash, the stronger's freedom takes priority. Obvious, right?"
"I see."
Kashi nodded.
"So you supported all the sacrifices at Miller so far?"
"Yeah! That's the American way—"
Her finger twitched. The spear beside her flew up alone, piercing his open mouth.
Splat!
Flesh sprayed everywhere. Haspoon's head vanished cleanly above the jaw.
Holy shit.
Amon nearly cursed in shock at the gruesome scene. Staring at the jawless torso, Kashi told him,
"No need to dirty your hands. Not worth it."
Her eyes softened on him.
"I'll head up to the office first. Come afternoon."
Amon gaped at her. Boarding the elevator to the surface, Kashi added,
"And that burst on your inner arm—don't hide it thinking regen'll handle it. Sonia won't let it slide if it scars. Get treated before coming."
With that, she closed the door.
*
Leaving Amon behind, Kashi reached the office and first processed the basement intel into company "profit." Pharma company Miller had cut Haspoon loose. Wise for them, foolish against Recetio. To face her, they should've implanted a bomb in his brain.
She contacted Miller immediately.
"I've got some intriguing info."
She relayed the plans from Haspoon. As if anticipating from his capture, they countered with terms.
"You want my silence?"
Money to buy her off. Other conditions if not. But Kashi wanted none of that.
I have to do what those two can't.
The Amon she knew was a powerhouse fighter. Sonia had strength and potential she couldn't match. Frustrating, but Kashi knew her limits on the battlefield. So she chose another path: the nest.
That resolve hadn't changed.
I'll support their dreams my way.
This call was that way.
"Cancel the France experiment."
Stopping tragedy. They pretended not to be saints, but wouldn't ignore real horror. The naive suckers of this world. But she loved that. They wouldn't help her otherwise—and she'd been dyed by it too. So she'd avert tragedy her way.
"Blackmail? No, a deal. Stop the experiment. In return, we'll help you snag factory land cheap."
[...I'll discuss with the chairman.]
The man on the line hedged. But that sufficed. Rationally, no reason to refuse. Not humanitarian— no need for risky virus play. In futures she'd seen, they accepted anyway. Satisfied, Kashi ended the call.
She checked her watch. One hour till Amon. She fixed makeup, changed clothes. The outfit she always wore for solo time with him.
Changing, she thought of his arm.
Always comes back injured from outside...
"Protection" flashed in her mind. The bluebird kept returning hurt—couldn't she make a safe cage for her favorite bird? She loved the free bluebird, chose nest for that. But a cage with a lock only opened when safe...
No, what am I thinking?
Reining in the stray thought, she finished makeup. She shed her suit coat, opened her chest a bit. The dress highlighting her prized thighs...
Right.
She tugged her panty strap for side-slit peek. Could hide it, but knew his gaze went there. Pervert? Whatever. Only one viewer.
She checked herself, ready for Amon. Five minutes early, her phone buzzed with a text.
Kashi startled, nearly dropping the phone, then replied.
She hastily fixed her clothes. Five minutes later, back in plain office wear, Kashi greeted the pair.
"Uh... you guys here?"
Hiding cold sweat down her back. Beside cheerfully greeting Amon, Sonia eyed Kashi's makeup with knowing intent.