She was bent over, her back facing him. Her shoulders were shaking ever so slightly, and her hands were on her face. She drew one over her eyes as if to wipe away some tears. Then she abruptly stood up. Silas hid behind the tree, pressing his back into it as if he could hide away in its bark.
Silas heard Rekka's footsteps as the thundered up to the tree. A moment later, they stopped. Then, he heard a short thwump, followed by a gasp of pain and anger. Rekka drew her fist back after making abolsutely no impact on the rock-hard bark. She shook it, regretting her decision.
Silas quietly absconded from the situation he was certain he was not supposed to see. He arrived back at the tree just as Saya was finishing up. She put her filthy hand around Silas' shoulder as they walked back to the others together. Silas tried to shrug her off without her noticing, but of course she noticed anyway. Her face was barely hiding disappointment, as if she'd expected him to peek at her while she was using the restroom.
Disgusting. Silas paled at the thought. Everything about her is disgusting.
But he didn't feel angry for some reason. He wondered why that was… and if Saya could hear his thoughts right now.
When they arrived at their new temporary camp, Rekka was already there, pacing back and forth. She was locked in deep conversation with the other members. However, she was the only one standing and looked down upon them with an intimidating and unrelenting stare.
Well, at least she's trying, Silas reasoned. He hoped Rekka was feeling better. If that angry punch was directed at him, he'd be running for the hills right about now. The last thing he wanted was an angry Rekka yelling at him.
"You're back," Rekka announced, like she'd been waiting for them the entire time. "We need to talk about the monsters after us. It's not a matter of if they will find us, but when. That's why we need a plan to deal with them when we arrive. Fortunately… we have one." She looked around at everyone, and Julia and Macy nodded in approval. Sensing that she'd struck a chord with the other members, she sat down on a stump, crossing her legs aggressively in a way only Rekka could do.
"We'll set a trap."
.
.
"Poor girl," a petite figure stood by a large glass window that served as a transparent wall. Her hood was well over her eyes, shadowing them, leaving nothing but small lips to be seen.
"You do know that she is your age, right?" Charybdis said, sidling out from a corner. Her arms were folded around a large book on her chest. The title read, "Mysteries of the Human Mind, Vol 24." A small coffee mug decorated with small images of feral cats levitated next to her. Using her magic, she brought it to her mouth absentmindedly and took a sip.
"Physically, yes. Mentally? I don't think so. Still green. I remember my first traumas well. I can imagine her pain… growing pains, I call them."
"Well said, Ms. Redd," Charybdis said, satisfaction dancing on her wet lips. She licked her serpentine tongue across their red surface. "I take it you want to speak with her before your mission? Scylla told me to expect you."
"She shouldn't have done that," Redd said curtly. "Always expect the unexpected. Your enemy knows you're coming, and you've already lost."
"Ah, color me impressed. You're wise beyond your years… but remember she is still your superior."
Redd gave a small harumph. "I apologize. The wolf in me seems partial to howling today. As always, before a mission."
"Well," Charybdis chuckled. "If you'd like information, you've come to the right place. But please, do be gentle with her. She tells me she's had quite the experience. If only… I was in her shoes…" she trailed off under her breath. Redd gave her a piercing stare, but shrugged and entered the room as Charybdis whistled and punched in a code.
"W-who are you?" Wicke asked the second Redd stepped into the room. She'd seen her outside the door talking to Charybdis of course, but now that Redd was up close and coming towards her, she couldn't help but feel intimidated.
Wicke was lying on a large white mattress, covered in light grey weighted blankets. Her arm was wrapped in bandages where Rekka had extracted the tracking device. Screens monitoring her brain activity surrounded her. As she had requested, several stuffed monsters lay littered around her body and on the floor. She was holding a handkerchief in her hands and drew it close to her as Redd entered.
"I'm Redd. Doubt you've heard the name. The Silver Devil, though. Does that ring a bell?"
Redd pulled off her gigantic fur jacket that was a few sizes too big for someone her size. She hung it on the coat rack that sat beside a small leather bench. She plopped right on that bench and crossed her legs expectantly, raising her arms.
Redd's arms were covered in giant gloves, the folds of which draped around her small wrists and forearms. The gloves were so big they ran down to her elbows. Inside each of the fingers was enough space for Redd to fit her entire hand.
Suddenly, the gloves stiffened, and giant claws shot out from the ends of each finger, each one as long as a kitchen knife. Wicke nearly jumped out of her bed, and the monitors around her beeped at the sudden rush of adrenaline inside her brain.
"Haha, yes. The werewolf girl. I've heard so much about these nasty humans. Did they hurt you, dearie?"
Wicke nodded, too afraid to disagree at the sight of those lethal and vicious claws. Redd retracted them into her gloves with some unseen mechanism, but it didn't make Wicke feel any more comfortable.
"Well, let's just say that for every time they've laid their filthy pink hands on your body…" the claws came out in one smooth motion as Redd sliced hungrily through the air around her. The blades were so sharp Wicke could swear they could cut atoms.
"A-are you going to kill them?" she asked. "I-thought Ms. Charybdis wanted them back in one piece…"
"Oh yeah," Redd said, as if she'd forgotten. "But after Chara's done, I'll be free to tear them to pieces."
Redd licked her lips, giving Wicke a wolfish grin that was meant to be reassuring. Wicke curled up into a ball, hugging her knees.
"Here's what I want to know. What did they do to you that stopped you from resisting? How did they find you? I want to know everything."
"I… I don't want to talk about it," Wicke mumbled. Just the thought of Rekka in her mind made it feel like she was still there. She never wanted to hear that voice again, to feel completely out of control…
"I'm so sorry, dearie, I didn't quite catch that," Redd said, stalking up to Wicke's side. The last whispered syllable was like poison in Wicke's ears… an authoritative voice that she could not refuse… She was being manipulated… again…
"I… it was awful," Wicke blurted out, unable to contain the memories. "I… felt like I didn't exist. I felt like I had died and was watching my corpse. I wasn't in control… of anything. I couldn't barely even think or feel. I didn't even know if I was alive…"
"I see…" Redd made no move to comfort her but rubbed her chin in deep thought.
"I didn't even feel like a monster… as if I had no personality, like the Wicke under her spell wasn't really me…"
"Go on."
"…I hate being manipulated. I hate being told what to do. I hate it when people try and use fear to control me…" Wicke whined, tears starting to well up in her eyes. She balled her fists. Redd put her gloved hands on the edge of the bed, crossing them and tilting her head up at Wicke's shivering body.
"…because it always works. It always FUCKING works!" Wicke screamed, punching the mattress weakly. It barely made a sound, drowned out by the numerous beeps resonating from the monitors. Redd remained emotionless, and suddenly Wicke put her hands to her mouth.
"Oh. Oh, I swore. I'm so, so sorry. I've never done that before."
"And how exactly were they able to take control of your mind?" Redd pressed, ignoring Wicke's heartfelt apology.
"I… don't know. Well. I do. It's because I'm weak. It's because Rekka's thoughts entered my head and were louder than mine. I was so stressed, and scared… she was easily able to take control. I was weak. I am weak. Why did I have to be the one that… survived?"
"Why not Double J? He was so strong, and brave. He took on the bristleback. He faced it head-on so that I could escape. And Slick was smart and clever. He fought back as soon as it appeared. He didn't waste any time. And what did I do? I did nothing. I stood there and watched them get blown to pieces. And then they all found me and I STILL did nothing."
"And now I'm stuck here in a bed while strong and powerful monsters like you take care of the mess I started… why can't I do anything right? I just wanted to have a good first mission. But now I get this. And as soon as I recover you'll fire me, won't you? How will I tell my family? They were all so proud… so proud…"
Redd put a hand on Wicke's shoulder.
"I remember when I used to be like you… nervous, naïve, and stupid. It wasn't Rekka who got to you. It was yourself. It was your emotions, your fear that let her take control. You know what I've learned, dearie? Over the years?"
"W-what…?"
"Emotions are useless. Especially if you want to work for this organization. You have a job. You need to do it. Emotions get in the way. They sidetrack you, distract you, and stop you from doing your job. I was trained to be a killer. It's not the cleanest or the nicest job, but in order for society to prosper, humans need to die. This job is necessary. So is yours."
"So stop whining. Stop crying and complaining. Shut up and do what's asked of you. And then, and only then, once it's all over, you and I can have a nice cup of tea and you can cry all you want. But now is not the time, you hear? I need information, not your life story. Save that for later, dearie."
"I s-suppose you're right," Wicke acquiesced.
"Were you still able to retain memories? When you were under her control, were you able to get a glimpse of anything that might come our advantage? Weak links, weaknesses, etcetera?"
"No, they… they tied me to a rock in a dark cave with really strong leaves… it was so dark I couldn't see anything. I didn't even know what time it was. I only was with Rekka and sometimes this other girl… I don't know her name, only her voice."
"So… nothing," Redd said, disappointed. "Then this was largely a waste of my time. If you have nothing to give me, you might as well have said it up front. These humans are on the run, and any second we waste is just giving them a second head start. Don't forget that."
Redd turned abruptly and walked out the door without even looking back. Wicke held her breath until Redd had disappeared through the glass wall, then picked up the nearest stuffed monster and pressed it against her chest, sniffling.
"How's our little bat friend doing?" Jayken asked Redd by the entrance to the facility. The glass double doors were on the fancy side of modern entrances. Beside two rows of reception desks, Jayken leaned on a pole, holographically projecting the time with his watch.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't extract anything of note, Mr. Hial." Redd replied curtly.
"I asked," Jayken said with genteel grace, "how our little bat friend is doing."
"She's… fine."
"Good. Let's make her proud. And earn some money on the side, of course," Jayken proclaimed.
"Rematches are even better than first encounters," Yona quipped, wrapping her forearms with new, freshly bought bandages.
In addition to Yona and Jayken, Hydra, Scylla, and Charybdis had all collaborated to commission a team of 15 bounty hunters, assassins, and scouts. They were to all meet up and go over their plans at the border of Lachlan, where their base of operations was located. Lachlan was the city-state closest to the oasis Last Stand had stayed at, and the one Silas had seen from his treetop vantage point just a few days prior.
Since the semispherical shield around the entirety of the city was magical and designed to keep radiation out, any monster could easily just walk through it. However, borders were constructed all around the perimeter to prevent monsters from being exposed to the exterior toxic radiation.
The city of Lachland had four different border gates, directly in the four cardinal directions. Yona, Jayken, and Redd stood at the North Gate. Wraith, since his wing had been injured, had been left in the medical wing with Wicke.
The other operators from PSEF were a young and lively bunch, for the most part. Redd was still the youngest by far, though. Regardless, it became clear that she was the most powerful and the most respected. She took charge immediately as if she was used to it.
Yona absentmindedly drew out a small packet from her vest pocket, tearing off the top with one single clawed hand. She dumped a white powder into her mouth and swallowed. Condensed myconid purification magic. It helped operators who were on long mission to somewhat mitigate the effects of the radiation over time.
"Alright," Redd announced. "If we're all ready, we've got no time to waste."
The border patrol agents were to give special clearance to PSEF members… they were in on the secret. They willingly looked the other way as they did their private business. The gate opened automatically, its great metal doors sliding open with one fluid motion. They stepped into the Badlands. The hunt was on.