"Compound V…"
Zaire's voice rumbled through his helmet once again.
"Second question: where can I find this compound?"
However, upon hearing his inquiry, the brown-haired woman tilted her chin ever so slightly.
Through tear-streaked features, a faint smirk began to form.
She slowly raised her hand, lifting her middle finger toward the central laboratory of the facility.
"In that sealed lab," she sneered, "you'll find independent samples of Compounds One through Five. A backup Roxxon Industries kept… for humanity's 'future.'"
Her voice abruptly halted.
Her trembling middle finger shifted ever so slightly, pointing closer toward Zaire.
But he paid her no mind, his helmet bowing slightly.
In a low, almost indifferent tone, he asked:
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Suddenly, the ear-piercing wail of an alarm blared through the corridors once more!
The bright lights flickered and shifted to a foreboding red, signaling danger.
"Heh… you won't be taking anything with you!"
The woman's lips curled into a cold smile.
With a defiant cry, she raised her middle finger higher and screamed hysterically:
"Did you think I spent all this effort talking just to save myself?!"
"No, fool! I was buying time for someone else!"
"You men… you all love your wars, don't you? Your killing sprees?!"
"Now… Test Subject 1101 will take care of you! It will help us!"
Before her words fully settled, David, Zaire's AI companion, reported grimly:
"My lord, a hidden medical staff member has manually opened the central lab's containment area. A humanoid entity has been released…"
"Forgive me, my lord. This oversight was mine."
But before David could finish, Zaire shook his helmeted head slightly.
Raising his plasma pistol, he fired without hesitation.
Bzzt—
A searing plasma round erupted from the barrel, instantly vaporizing the woman and her remaining colleagues into ash.
"David, this isn't your fault…"
Zaire murmured, watching a lone lock of brown hair curl into embers.
"Expecting the majority of humanity to act rationally… remains a delusion."
The next moment, a screech of twisting metal tore through the air.
A short human scream from the corridor's crimson-lit end followed swiftly.
Zaire ceased his communication with David, reaching back to sheath his gore-streaked chainsword.
In its place, he pulled out his precision-crafted bolter, its weight reassuring in his grip.
Soon, from the far end of the corridor, a small figure began to emerge.
It was a boy, no older than eleven or twelve.
The child, clad in a hospital gown, appeared almost fragile.
His bald head reflected the flickering red lights, his pale skin taut against delicate features.
Only his vivid blue eyes betrayed a spark of curiosity as they darted around the corridor.
But this seemingly innocent boy dragged half of a mutilated human corpse with disturbing ease.
Behind him, a thick trail of crimson blood smeared across the ground.
"Huff—"
Zaire exhaled sharply, narrowing his eyes.
The armored titan began to move cautiously forward.
The boy's sharp eyes locked onto Zaire's massive frame, his expression shifting from apathy to delight.
"Ah!"
The boy discarded the corpse like a broken toy and spread his arms wide.
He surged forward, his bare feet slapping the floor with alarming force.
The ground beneath him cracked with every step.
Zaire halted, plasma pistol raised.
"Stop! This is your only warning!"
The boy ignored him entirely, an eerie, almost joyful excitement growing as he sprinted closer.
"Oh! Oh!"
The boy's cries echoed as he swung his slender arms, creating audible shockwaves in the air.
"Tch."
Without hesitation, Zaire pulled the trigger.
Boom—
A plasma ball streaked through the air, hitting the boy dead center.
The explosion enveloped the child in a searing, molten glow.
"Sorry, kid… You asked for this."
Lowering his pistol, Zaire turned to leave.
But then—
"RAAAAH!"
A guttural scream ripped through the air as the plasma cloud dissipated.
The boy emerged unscathed, his skin glowing an ominous red from residual heat.
A murderous snarl twisted his features as he charged once more.
"Hmm?"
Zaire swiftly drew back, holstering the plasma pistol.
Gripping the bolter tightly, he aimed and fired.
Boom—
A thunderous explosion blasted the boy off his feet, sending his small body tumbling across the corridor.
Zaire advanced methodically, firing round after explosive round.
Each shot forced the boy down, grinding his body across the bloodstained floor.
Boom—
Another round shattered the ground beneath the child as he tried to rise.
Boom—
And another, the relentless blasts pinning him down.
Despite his uninjured body, blood began to leak from the boy's nose and mouth.
When Zaire finally stood over him, the boy glared defiantly, his movements reduced to feeble thrashing.
"Don't blame me, kid…"
Zaire whispered, staring into the boy's wild blue eyes.
"…This is for your own good."
Lowering the bolter to the boy's head, Zaire squeezed the trigger.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
The corridor remained bathed in red light, the bolter's deafening roar punctuating the silence.
.................................................................................
If you want? You get to read the next chapters before anyone else! Just go to pateron get chapters in advance: patreon.com/THE_INDRA_