Cyberknight: One Path (original novel)

[Kadyn] - "Sometimes, I ask myself why. Why couldn't real life be like fantasy? Why couldn't some people get their happy ending? "

Said Kadyn with teary eyes as she rubbed her bruised cheek. 

Entry 1

I thought I could bring you back from the dead. I thought, for once, I could be useful to you instead of causing you trouble. Why is my dream so far despite being so close? When I thought it was you, I was met with a different man who was wearing your face. When I tried to call out your name, you responded by calling me crazy. When I reached for your hand, you violently slapped me in the face. He isn't you, so where are you, Mike? 

Entry 2

I should've doubted what they were doing to you. I should've never trusted Dane or any of these fuckers who were desecrating your body. I wonder if it was my fault, maybe I should've listened to you when you told me to prevent them from reviving your body. What have I done... Not only I have been nothing but a problem for you, but now I did something I could never forgive myself for. Maybe I deserved that slap. 

Entry 3

No, I must finish what I have started. I'm responsible for what happened to you. I know you are still alive somewhere buried deep in that mind. I will stay and figure out a way to save you. This is my promise to you and I shall not leave until I have brought you back to my side. This is my purpose, this is my reason to live. No matter what, I will stay and fight for your freedom. No matter how impossible, I will fight for you because you would have done the same if you were in my shoes. 

[McCree] - "Howdy, missy. Welcome to the team. "

Said McCree as he guided Kadyn into the barrack. 

After a short application process, Kadyn was recruited into the Allied Special Operatives with McCree's help. Although Kadyn felt no loyalty toward the Allied Forces, she had to find a way to keep an eye on Arthur and hopefully find a way to bring Mike back. 

[McCree] - "Now, we've got a few members already. First, here's CT, short for Cut-Throat. Our team's hacker and assassin. She was a French agent who served with us ever since France's capitulation a few years ago. "

Kadyn exchanged a stare with a slim goth woman whose arms were both cybernetically enhanced with all types of bladed weapons. After seeing Kadyn's innocent appearance, she rolled her eyes and went back to applying oil to her weapons. 

[McCree] - "Second, there's CK, short for Comrade Skull. He's a devoted communist from Transnistria and our team's demolition engineer. "

[CK] - "Why you recruit tiny girl for adult job? " 

Said CK with a mocking grin.

[McCree] - "Hey now, you don't want to mock her. This pretty lady almost done turnin' me into sliced ham once. "

[CK] - "Oh! Is that so? Anyone who can kick McCree's ass is friend! "

Said CK enthusiastically as he reached to shake Kadyn's hand. 

As Kadyn reluctantly shook CK's hand, he abruptly began to add pressure to his grip. His large mechanical fingers suddenly began to crush Kadyn's hand while he smirked as if nothing happened. Suddenly, CK saw a red glow appear in front of his eyes before a blade appeared against his forehead. 

[Kadyn] - "Nice knowing you. "

Said Kadyn in a cold voice before she pulled away from CK. 

A metallic thud hit the ground as CK saw his severed hand on the ground. 

[CK] - "Oh! That's dangerous lady, haha, I like her! "

[McCree] - "I told ya ya shouldn't mess with her. "

[CK] - "And I do not regret it. "

After catching up to Kadyn, McCree introduced her to the last member of the team. 

[McCree] - "So here, my childhood friend Senju. Arrogant, ill-mannered and pretty darn useless on the battlefield. "

[Senju] - "You dare call me useless when your college girlfriend left you because you were useless in bed. "

[McCree] - "Ah fuck off man, why do ya have to bring that up now? "

[Senju] - "I should be asking you why you are bringing a rookie into the team. "

Said Senju as he stood up with his samurai sword over his shoulder. 

Senju immediately scanned Kadyn from head to toe before showing an arrogant smirk. Sensing a build-up of tension in the air, McCree quickly tried to mediate the situation.

[McCree] - "Now, now, no fuss. How about we tidy things up with a handshake and make things peaceful between us? "

With good faith in mind, Kadyn slowly raised her hand toward Senju. However, with a careless slap, Senju pushed Kadyn's hand away with an arrogant expression on his face. 

[Senju] - "I'll greet you properly as an equal once you have reached my level. "

Said Senju as he walked away. 

[McCree] - "Sorry, he's like that sometimes. "

Kadyn frowned with frustration before retiring to her bunk bed. 

[McCree] - "Rest well, y'all. We have a mission tomorrow. "

During the whole afternoon, Kadyn remained in her bed wrapped comfortably in her blanket. The thought of her encounter with Arthur still haunted her. To think that a different person was in control of Mike's body is truly a nightmare come true. Suddenly, Kadyn trembled in fright as she remembered the slap she received from Arthur. During all these years she spent with Mike, not once did he raise his hand at her. 

The sleep soon came and it didn't hold back when it tortured Kadyn with bad dreams. There were dreams where she was nothing but a helpless girl without the power to fight back. There were also dreams where she was blamed by Mike's angry spirit for desecrating his corpse. Eventually, the dreams proved to be too much for Kadyn as she woke up with cold sweats on her face. 

After rushing into the bathroom, Kadyn washed her face with fresh water before taking a few breaths of relief against the mirror. 

[CT] - "Nightmares? "

Said CT behind that stall. 

[Kadyn] - "Sorry, I didn't know you were there. "

[CT] - "Don't worry. I just wasn't expecting you to be the one with problems. "

[Kadyn] - "Because I look so fucking jolly all the time, is that it? "

Said Kadyn as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

[CT] - "Yes but I seem to have misjudged you. "

[Kadyn] - "What are you doing here anyway? "

[CT] - "Taking a shit, obviously. "

[Kadyn] - "Oh, right, sorry. "

[CT] - "Look, don't think too much about it. You can talk to me if it bothers you too much. "

[Kadyn] - "Huh? Oh, no thanks. I'll be fine. "

[CT] - "Sure. Sleep well, we have a big day tomorrow. "

Kadyn breathed heavily before leaving the bathroom without saying a word. After slipping into bed, Kadyn wrapped Mike's coat around her body and quickly found sleep. This time, as nightmares came, Mike took her in his arms and protected her in her dreams. Thanks to this, Kadyn woke up in the morning relatively rested despite the short sleep hours. 

[McCree] - "Getty up, everyone. We've got a mission from the United Council. "

Said McCree as he barged into the barrack. 

[CK] - "So what is mission? "

Said CK as he put on his massive coat. 

[McCree] - "Alright, imma brief y'all once. Don't make me repeat myself now. "

McCree arrived amidst his teammates and pulled a holographic projector from his pocket. A strange imperial facility abruptly projected from the device.

[McCree] - "With the empire in disarray followin' that buster Sniper's death, we are conductin' our first phase of offensive operations against their forces. We aim to clear South America of imperial presence, so our first mission will be targeted at weapon depot point Alpha situated in Northern Brazil. Our goal? To light them sons of bitch on fire. "

Said McCree while pointing out the path which his team will take.

[CK] - "Is facility heavily defended? "

[McCree] - "Yeah, expect heavy enemy presence. "

[CK] - "Hell yeah! Finally some fun! "

Yelled CK with enthusiasm. 

[CT] - "Do we know how strong is their security system? "

[McCree] - "Excellent question! I have no damn clue! "

Said McCree with an awkward grin. 

Just as Kadyn tried to ask a question, Senju suddenly barged in front of her.

[Senju] - "Why ask all these pointless questions? Let's get going already. "

Said Senju in a frustrated voice.

[McCree] - "Well, are we ready to do this then? "

Kadyn reluctantly lowered her hand and pretended to be ready. 

Time flew by like a speeding bullet and before long, the team was dropped into the jungle by a futuristic helicopter platform. As they made their way toward the facility, Kadyn quickly noticed the unusual silence that befell the place. Upon arriving about a hundred metres away from the depot, the group split apart with CT going into a secluded area to provide technical support for her team. The rest waited for an opportunity to move toward their entry point. 

[McCree] - "Security's pretty darn light. It ain't like the report I received. "

Said McCree in a doubtful tone as he stared through his binoculars.

[Senju] - "They are probably retreating. These are pretty much rear-guard units. "

Said Senju in an arrogant tone as he peeked over the bush.

[CK] - "No matter. As long as we can tear apart enemies, I'm happy with it. "

Said CK in an enthusiastic voice while cranking his weapon. 

While the three men surveilled the enemy position, Kadyn felt a sense of unease as she observed her surroundings. To her, it almost felt as if eyes were fixed on her from the many blind spots around her vision. To confirm her doubts, Kadyn abruptly turned her irises black and cooled her visual system which activated her eyes' thermal vision setting. 

[Kadyn] - "Don't move! "

Whispered Kadyn as a shocked expression appeared on her face. 

[Senju] - "Shut up! You aren't the one in command here. "

Kadyn frowned with frustration but on the other hand, CK and McCree were quick to notice her concerned expression. 

[McCree] - "What did ya find? "

Whispered McCree while trying to keep his movement at a minimum.

[Kadyn] - "We are surrounded on all sides. "

Whispered Kadyn while her wrist blades extended out of her arms. 

In Kadyn's vision, uncountable white glowing masses were lying below the bushes and dirt around the facility. Kadyn and the rest of her team were being followed from the moment they landed in hostile territories. Unphased by this revelation, CK immediately raised his arms and discharged 4 canisters into his surroundings, which immediately detonated into balls of fire. 

[Kadyn] - "What are you... "

Yelled Kadyn in surprise. 

[CK] - "We are going to fight them anyway. "

The ice was broken and no side was holding back anymore as gunfire instantly lit up the entire area. CK immediately shielded Kadyn from the immense volume of incoming fire while Senju shielded McCree with his light but durable body armour. 

[CK] - "Gotta be careful, pretty lady! "

[Kadyn] - "I'll be fine. "

Said Kadyn as she rushed out of cover. 

With deadly precision, Kadyn dashed below the bushes and slashed her blade through the heads of three concealed soldiers. Meanwhile, McCree began to blast on full automatic fire with his pistols at anything that moved in the bushes. 

[McCree] - "Fuck, is this what Vietnam feels like? "

Said McCree as he stood back to back with Senju. 

[Senju] - "Well, you don't get air support with this one, that's what's different. Could really use a napalm right now! "

Yelled Senju as he blocked bullets with his sword. 

CK immediately unleashed a swarm of heat-seeking bullets from his armour's rear compartment which took down a wave of enemy soldiers. However, no matter how many enemies they shot at, more seemed to emerge out of nowhere. Eventually, McCree's luck ran out as a few bullets hit him in the arms and legs. 

[McCree] - "Son of a bitch! We must be fightin' against an entire goddamn division here. Retreat, the mission is a failure! "

Senju quickly helped McCree to his feet while CK shielded their back from the gunfire. 

[McCree] - "Damn it, where is CT? "

Screamed McCree in agony.

[CK] - "I didn't see her. She's not responding to calls. "

[Kadyn] - "I'll go check! "

Said Kadyn as she took cover behind a tree. 

[McCree] - "No, it's too damn risky! We gotta leave this place now! "

In the blink of an eye, Kadyn disappeared into the thick jungle woods. After dashing through a small noticeable path, Kadyn arrived at CT's location where she found two imperial marines holding CT hostage. Before the men could even turn their heads, blood suddenly gushed out of their mouths as Kadyn jabbed her blades into both of their hearts. 

[Kadyn] - "Come on, get out of here! "

CT looked at Kadyn with a stunned expression but her limbs complied with her orders. As CT began to run, she suddenly noticed Kadyn bending over to pick up her laptop from the ground before running in the opposite direction. CT quickly stopped in her tracks and ran after Kadyn with a confused look on her face.

[CT] - "Hey, where are you going? "

[Kadyn] - "Get out of here, go join the others! "

Upon reaching the facility's walls, gunfire immediately lit up Kadyn's surroundings. The intense flashes forced CT to dive into a bush for cover while she observed Kadyn under the hail of bullets. To her amazement, Kadyn dodged every single bullet with grace and precision before disappearing into thin air. 

After landing on the other side of the massive walls, Kadyn proceeded forward toward the objective while time seemed to flow at an extremely reduced rate. After jumping into a massive spinning vent, Kadyn swiftly slashed herself a path through the fan blades before proceeding forward. Due to the fact that she used to be an imperial assassin, the layout of almost every imperial facility is contained in her memory. With brutal efficiency, Kadyn slashed and dashed through the ventilation systems and hallways until she reached what seemed to be an ammunition depot. 

Without losing a second, Kadyn planted the laptop amidst a pile of tank shells. Suddenly, the laptop turned on by itself as soon as Kadyn's irises turned purple. While programs began to run by themselves, Kadyn slashed a few shells open and poured the gunpowders onto the laptop and its surroundings. After pilling enough powders on the laptop, Kadyn immediately began to rush toward the exit. 

Once outside, soldiers immediately began to swarm her but her blades ran instantly between every single one of their necks. Before even a single shot was fired, Kadyn was already covered in a layer of red. When she got far enough away from the facility, her crimson eyes immediately switched to purple again. However, this time, the purple glow was quickly hidden below the reflection of a massive explosion. Just a few seconds ago, Kadyn's virus overloaded the laptop's system and caused its battery to explode under the extreme heat. This, in return, detonated the gunpowder and set off a chain reaction which caused the entire facility to go up in smoke. 

Finally, Kadyn breathed a sigh of relief. However, upon realizing the amount of blood that covered her, Kadyn began to hyperventilate. Vision of her past flashed inside her head where she used to brutally cut down anyone that got in the way of her missions. With shaking hands, Kadyn wiped some of the blood off herself using the plants around her before wrapping herself in Mike's coat. 

[Kadyn] - "I'm not a machine! I'm not a murderer... "

Whispered Kadyn as she buried her face into the coat.

[CT] - "Hey, are you ok? "

CT's words snapped Kadyn out of her manic episode.

[Kadyn] - "I'm fine. I'm just a little shaken up. "

Said Kadyn while putting on a fake smile. 

[CT] - "You... earlier... did you take down that whole facility by yourself? "

Said CT with a shocked expression on her face. 

[Kadyn] - "It's a casual job. I used to deal with things that were way more hardcore than this. "

[CT] - "You are not a human, aren't you? You can't be! That agility, reaction time and Conagher system usage. You... you are a machine. "

The word "machine" left Kadyn with a feeling of resentment in her heart. By hugging Mike's coat tightly against herself, Kadyn began to march forward without looking at CT. Later that night, the two were picked up by an Allied ship sent to search for them. 

To be continued...