KD-552's long shadow was cast into the barrack as she stood by the entrance. As she breathed in the nostalgic smell of the place where she had made so many memories, a feeling of belonging urged her to put down her suitcase. In no time, the three sisters were alerted to her presence as they turned to face the familiar face standing by the door.
[Kadyn] - "Big sis! "
Yelled Kadyn excitedly as she jumped out of her bed.
[KD-553] - "Ahhh... what the hell? "
Groaned KD-553 as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.
In a flash, Kadyn jumped into the open arms of her beloved big sister. Tears filled Kadyn's eyes while KD-552 gently hugged her with the same care and love she used to show. Just as Kadyn's gaze wandered to the side, she saw Mike leaning against the door as he silently waited for the sisters to have their moment.
[Kadyn] - "Mike! You found her! "
Said Kadyn as she approached Mike with an emotional expression.
[Mike] - "She wasn't hard to find once I got hold of the truth. I'm sure you'll be glad to know she was also in very good care during the time she was gone. "
Said Mike nonchalantly.
While Kadyn smothered Mike with kisses, KD-553 also came forward and shared an emotional hug with her long-lost sister.
[KD-553] - "Oh, how I missed you, big sis. "
Meanwhile, in the back, what was supposed to be a wholesome moment of reunion was perceived differently by KD-554. To her, it appeared as if a ghost had shown up on her doorstep unannounced.
[KD-554] - "I... I don't understand... Where have you been? We all thought you were dead. "
Said KD-554 in disbelief.
[KD-552] - "It's a long story. How about I tell you three what happened over some Puer tea and Chinese snacks? "
Said KD-552 as she cracked her suitcase open.
In one swift slam, KD-552 exposed the contents of her suitcase on a table. Instead of clothes, the suitcase was packed to the brim with candies, exotic snacks and drinks. Unable to resist her urges, Kadyn immediately began to stuff her mouth full of sweets while KD-554 watched the scene in confusion and disgust.
[Mike] - "My time is limited, so let's get this over with. "
Whispered Mike over KD-553's shoulder.
With a nod, KD-553 excused herself before following Mike to a separate room. With a delicate gesture, KD-552 placed a set of tea cups on the table before pouring the precious Puer tea she brought into them. While Kadyn watched the scene like an excited little kid in front of a toy store, KD-554 slowly curled her hands into fists below the table.
[KD-552] - "Those are quite exclusive treats from China. I thought I should share with you three, so that's why I brought so much with me. "
Said KD-552 as she brought a cup toward KD-554.
All of a sudden, KD-552 pulled the cup back upon realizing that KD-554 could not consume the beverage due to her body. However, KD-554 was already tired of KD-552's facade as she slammed on the table in anger.
[KD-554] - "Enough with this fake act! You were not like this before! You became just like one of those stupid naive human women in your demeanour. So tell me, what the heck happened to you during all this time? "
Yelled KD-554 with fury.
Both KD-552 and Kadyn were in shock as they stopped to look at KD-554 throw her tantrum. Calmly, with a composed expression, KD-552 gave Kadyn her cup of tea before turning toward KD-554.
[KD-552] - "Sigh... If you really want to know, then I guess I shouldn't hide anything from you. I left. That's all. I left this life behind me. "
KD-554's face went pale as her eyes twitched in response to KD-552's answer.
[KD-552] - "That time I took responsibility for Little Five's mistake, I was supposed to be punished by General Yang of the Imperial Navy but he kinda took a liking to me. He was a young ambitious officer who was too career-focused to find a regular partner but just so happened to meet an unusual girl who could support him in his ambition. I saw a good deal, so I took it. I didn't personally like him but he offered me a type of life I could never even dream of as a KD-series assassin. "
KD-554 slammed her fist against the table before pushing KD-552's suitcase onto the floor. In a burst of anger, KD-554 stood up before KD-552 also got up to stand her ground.
[KD-554] - "So you abandoned us! We cried, mourned and suffered from your absence, yet the truth was you simply abandoned us! You are nothing but a flagrant bastardly cunt, a traitor of colossal proportion who decided to bow like the bitch you are to the very people who oppressed us! "
Yelled KD-554 with venom in her voice.
However, KD-552 was not intimidated by KD-554's attitude as she stared back at her sister with a stern look which stood like an invincible mountain.
[KD-552] - "You can insult me all you want but it won't change the fact that I still loved every single one of you. Maybe I wasn't here to share your struggles but I deserve happiness too. I was supposed to celebrate New Year's Eve with my husband, yet I chose to spend it with my dear sisters. I left without saying a word to him the moment Mike told me I could come to visit you three without facing consequences. "
Said KD-552 in a calm tone.
[KD-554] - "You were the one who said we would share each other's struggles! You were the one who made all of us promise we'd be a family, yet you walked out on us! Now, instead of admitting that you are nothing but a spineless worm seeking the easy way out, you came to us with fabricated justifications and lies! "
Yelled KD-554 before slapping KD-552 across the face.
Although the slap left a deep red mark on KD-552's cheek, she remained calm amidst the storm.
[KD-552] - "I protected every single one of you! Has any of you ever reached out and covered for me just once? Every time one of you got into trouble, I took the punishment for you. Five fucking years, I have stood for you for five fucking years. Have I ever complained to you? "
Yelled KD-552 as she took her shirt off.
To both Kadyn and KD-554's shock, KD-552's body was covered with scars and burn marks.
[KD-552] - "We the KD-series assassins have almost ten times the healing capability of a human, yet they managed to leave damage so severe on me even my healing factor couldn't patch it. Where are your marks, KD-554? All I can see is a shiny new body which from the looks of it, came from a favour directly from our little sister Kadyn. What have you done for us to allow you to spit in our faces like this? "
Said KD-552 as she pointed her finger at the cyberknight symbol on KD-554's new body.
At that moment, even KD-554 was shocked by KD-552's unrelenting attitude. Although KD-552 has adopted a more civil demeanour, it didn't mean she has gone soft when the time required her to be serious.
Now backed into a corner, KD-554 broke down under the pressure as she viewed KD-552's words as an insult, rather than facts. To her delusional mind, those who refused to share her misery are simply traitors who left her behind to find the happiness she couldn't access.
[KD-554] - "Traitor! You are nothing but a traitor! You came back not because you cared, it's because you wanted to rub your fortune in my face! All of you are rubbing your fortune in my face because you had a choice in life due to your flesh bodies. I never had any choice like you two, yet you abandoned me! "
Yelled KD-554 with delusion as she pointed her fingers at both Kadyn and KD-552.
[Kadyn] - "I never abandoned you! I helped you acquire a new body and I even proposed for Mike to find someone who might like you but you refused! "
Said Kadyn, shocked by KD-554's accusations.
[KD-554] - "So I can become someone's sex toy? No sane man would love a machine like me. Because to you fuckers, I'm just a piece of metal waiting to become scrap! You all are just pretending to care! You showed up with foods I couldn't eat, spoke of emotions I couldn't feel and described experiences out of my reach. So what? So you two can pretend to care about me? I don't need your pity! "
Yelled KD-554 before storming off to the shine where she stumped on KD-552's picture.
The loud crunch of glass caused Kadyn to shudder before KD-552 quickly moved in front of her to distract her from the commotion.
[KD-552] - "Here, don't mind her. Just sip some of this tea. It's the best tea you can get on this Earth, I swear. "
Said KD-552 as she presented the cup before Kadyn.
Kadyn quickly nodded politely before taking a sip of the tea with a smile. Meanwhile, KD-552 glanced at KD-554 from the corner of her eye in sadness and disappointment. Suddenly, the crackling of a candy wrapper drew the sisters to notice KD-553 as she took a seat at the table.
[Kadyn] - "So? What has Mike gotten for you? "
[KD-553] - "Hehe... I hit the jackpot. "
Said KD-553 while smirking as she held a picture in her hands.
[KD-552] - "Huh? What did I miss? "
Said KD-552 as she lifted her suitcase back onto the table.
[Kadyn] - "So I asked Mike to find KD-553 a romantic partner... "
[KD-553] - "You mean a personal servant, puppet and sex provider? "
Interjected KD-553 before Kadyn could finish.
[KD-552] - "I'd say money bag, sugar daddy and admirer. "
The two sisters laughed out loud before giving each other a high five.
[Kadyn] - "You two are horrible! These men took a huge risk marrying you despite their status and this is how you view them? "
[KD-553] - "Oh please, if Mike wasn't Mike, I'd bet you'd make whoever that man is a footrest for yourself. "
Said KD-553 in a mocking tone.
[KD-552] - "Awww! Our cute baby sister is a silly little romantic. Come on, tell us, are you two still hand-holding and waiting for marriage before sex? "
Said KD-552 with a teasing smile.
[Mike] - "Nope, I had to change the bed sheet last night. Apparently, the score is set at 10 to 1, so you know she's not as innocent as she appears. Got to go now, ok? "
Said Mike as he dropped by to kiss Kadyn on the cheek before leaving.
Kadyn's face burned red like a cherry while both sisters opened their eyes in shock.
[KD-553] - "No fucking way! "
[KD-552] - "Listen, if you want to share Mike with me, I'm dropping down to my knees and becoming the best wife he'll ever have. "
[Kadyn] - "AAAAAHHH! Shut up! I'm not sharing Mike ever! He's mine alone! "
Screamed Kadyn before burying her head against the table in embarrassment.
[KD-552] - "Hahaha! Don't worry, I'm happy with my current arrangements. By the way, who you got, KD-553? "
Said KD-552 as she unpacked a sausage snack.
[KD-553] - "This guy called Jerry from the Cardinal Cyberknight core. Apparently, he used to be one of Mike's apprentices. He isn't a unicorn like what Kadyn snatched herself but meat is still meat. "
Said KD-553 as she showed KD-552 a picture of Jerry.
[KD-552] - "Damn it, now I'm jealous! Both of you are getting cyberknights for partners while I have an ordinary guy. "
Meanwhile, KD-554 watched the sisters from the shadows. A burning hatred coursed through her veins as even KD-553, who she once considered her only ally, decided to try to find a way out like her other sisters. Instead of staying with her in solidarity, all her sisters have now turned their backs on her in the pursuit of their own path.
*Munich Internation Airport, Munich, Germany
"Flight 209 for Paris, departing in gate 67N in 20 minutes. All passengers flying on board flight 209 for Paris, please make your way to gate 67N. "
Announced the airport intercom.
Amidst the crowd of people going toward their flights, a blonde boy rushed between the adults with his Lego jet fighter. Just as he was about to get hit by a trolley in a rush, his mother quickly pulled him back to safety.
[KD-551] - "What did I tell you about behaving in public, Karl-Emil? "
The boy's eyes sparkled like emeralds just like the ones of his beautiful mother as he showed her his toy figure.
[Karl-Emil] - "Mom, I made Luke Skywalker pilot my jet. Did you see it? "
[KD-551] - "Yes, mommy saw it. However, you need to stay close to Mommy or evil Darth Vader might come out and attack your plane seeing that you are alone. "
[Gustav] - "Honey, Emilia, we have to hurry up or we'll miss the flight. "
[Emilia] - "You heard daddy, let's go, Karl-Emil. "
Said Emilia as she led her son toward her husband who was holding their baby.
During this time, at another spot in the airport, a cardinal cyberknight in a civilian suit eyed the place with caution.
[cadinal knight] - "I suspect whoever we are hunting is probably related to that organized resistance movement the Grand Knight was investigating. "
Whispered the cardinal knight on his radio.
[IEEB agent] - "Knight Vinh does not have any mobility-boosting abilities at his disposal, so he chose to travel by air, which unfortunately for him, we had obtained intel about. If he is truly a part of the Red Prism group of terrorists as you suspected, then you need to capture him before he can exit Germany. "
[cardinal knight] - "Let's get to work then. I shall post as one of the security guards at the security checkpoint. Since you have access to the airport's systems, you just need to signal to me who to intercept. "
[IEEB agent] - "Proceed then. "
As the line at the security moved forward, Emilia breathed nervously as her eyes turned purple. Usually, to avoid being lit up by the metal detector due to her skeletal structure, Emilia would hack the system to shut it up. However, as she moved forward, she abruptly recognized the cardinal knight disguised as a security guard due to her built-in identity recognition.
[Emilia] - "Oh no... we need to back off. He's probably here for me. "
Said Emilia with worry across her face.
[Gustav] - "What are you talking about, honey? We can't back off now, Karl-Emil and I are both through already. "
Said Gustav as he stepped through the metal detector.
At first, the cardinal knight was none the wiser to Emilia's presence but he was soon alerted by the commotion. As Emilia began to back off, the cardinal knight became suspicious of her behaviour.
[cardinal knight] - "You, the young lady with blonde hair, hold it there! "
Emilia tried to avoid eye contact with the cardinal knight as much as she could while he inspected her. After seeing that she was probably a normal civilian, the cardinal knight simply pushed her forward without a second thought.
[cardinal knight] - "Pass through, lady, stop holding up the line. "
With bated breaths, Emilia passed through the detector without any issue due to her override. As she collected her belongings on the other side, she breathed a sigh of relief.
[Gustav] - "Honey, what's wrong with you today? "
[Emilia] - "That man, I thought he was there to hunt me down. "
Said Emilia as she fearfully glanced at the cardinal knight in disguise.
Though Emilia thought she had escaped danger, there was something else she failed to account for. Due to the IEEB's input into the airport's systems, the IEEB agents inevitably saw her skeletal structure on the scanner as she passed through security. Without losing a second, the IEEB agent quickly raised his phone and passed his finding forward to the proper authority.
Emilia's discovery was a pure accident based on a series of misfortunes. If only the IEEB hadn't been hunting for a rogue cyberknight that day, she would've never been found.
Within a few minutes, a report appeared before Admiral McCain who was now the new commander in charge of the KD-series assassins after Tsujinaka's death. Upon seeing the report, McCain quickly issued orders to the units under his command.
- Activated Units: KD-553, KD-554.
- Task: Hunt/Capture/Eliminate
- Description: "Recent IEEB surveillance activities have located the KD-series assassin unit missing in action codenamed KD-551. The task consists of locating the rogue unit using the available information to either attempt to capture or eliminate the rogue unit. The unit was last spotted boarding flight 789 destined for Valencia, Spain. Additional information will be provided by a dispatched IEEB drone model 7B to the location. The rogue unit seemed to work alongside an entourage consisting of a single young male man, one child and one baby. If necessary, the annihilation of evidence and the disposal of the previously mentioned members of the unit's entourage is allowed. [Execution is preferred over capture]. "
- Order activation delay: Immediately without delay.
To be continued...