The trio had been on the eastern side of the compound and from what Kate could remember, the delivery bays were on the opposite side of the facility. This meant she had a long walk ahead of her down winding corridors as her route snaked across the web. Every junction she came across was blocked off with more steel shutters save for the route that had been picked out for her. Eventually she arrived at her destination, a couple of guards wearing bullet proof armour waiting for her at the entrance. To her surprise, they made no effort to disarm her, instead opening the door for her and escorting her inside, the rat remaining in the corridor. They did however carry large machine guns which were kept trained on her at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She found herself inside a large warehouse where the majority of the floor space had been cleared save for several large stacks of shelves to her right. Two identical petite blonde women in lab coats stood waiting for her here. They smiled on her entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh, Ms O\u2019Donnell,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo glad you could join us,\u201d they said one after the other giving Kate pause. There was something decidedly off about these two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t really have much of a choice, did I?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, not,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cReally. You are obliged to do as we say now that,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe own you,\u201d the blondes admitted. Kate\u2019s features settled into an annoyed glare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t own a person,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh, but you forfeited your right to,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPersonhood the moment you stepped onto our grounds with,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOut our permission. If it was not for our guest then,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou would have been put into stasis and became,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnother test subject just like what is happening to Mr McCracken as,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe speak. Although we have to admit, you piqued our curiosity far more,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThan your partner,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd why\u2019s that then?\u201d she asked, attempting to keep a poker face. Kate suspected that these two had told her of Doug\u2019s supposed fate purely to try and get a rise out of her. At this point she was just glad that they were not intending to kill him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou are an enigma. There is plenty of,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInformation to be found on Mr McCracken. PSF field reports,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMedical reports, psychiatric reports. The PSF keep detailed records on,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTheir soldiers. We already know all there is on his,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPsychological profile. There is however nothing on,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou. You supposedly died age eleven. Even the reports Salmanic has on your,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cActivities are mostly hearsay. You would be far more interesting to,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStudy than McCracken,\u201d The Sisters explained. They began to circle her, one clockwise and the other anti-clockwise. They were studying her as they did so, their gazes sweeping up and down her body. Kate couldn\u2019t help but feel that they would have started performing tests on her right there and then if they had the relevant equipment to hand…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have access to PSF and Salmanic files?\u201d Kate queried, her interest peaked. Why would a random genetics lab have access to confidential files from unrelated institutions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe like to keep tabs on,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny one that may prove to be a nuisance if allowed to proceed about their business,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnchecked,\u201d the Sisters had a sly look about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHmm. Fine then. Who\u2019s this VIP that wanted to see me? Was it you two\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh no, that was our aforementioned,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGuest. We believe you,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHave met him before\u2026\u201d they trailed off. There was a spike in the room temperature, the heat collecting in the centre of the room. As the temperature rose, a vortex erupted between Kate and the Sisters as they returned to their starting position, flames rising from the floor and then dissipating as suddenly as they had arrived. A man now stood in its place. Kate had flinched at the sudden display of magic, a hand finding its way to a pistol as she recognised the new comer; a tall man in ruined crimson robes, his hair a dirty blonde that was lank with grease and the left side of his face twisted with burn scars, his eyes wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAbaddon\u2026\u201d the gunslinger muttered, alarmed. His mutilated face twisted into a mad grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh, so you recognise<\/em> me. Good<\/em>,\u201d said the mage. The Sisters stepped forwards, beginning to cross the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe will leave you two to,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCatch up. Please try not to make too much of,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA mess of our warehouse, thank you,\u201d Kate did not dare take her eyes off of Abaddon as the women left, taking their security guards with them. There was a click as the door closed behind them, Kate now alone with the mad mage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat the hell do you want?\u201d she asked, taking a cautious step backwards. Abaddon could clearly see that the woman was attempting to calculate her odds of survival in any kind of altercation between the two of them. He found himself chuckling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow now, Kate<\/em>, no need to be so hostile,\u201d <\/em>Abaddon sneered, his wicked smile glinting in the light of the warehouse like a rack of knives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t get to call me that. Only people I like get to call me that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut Kate, you<\/em> told<\/em> me that was your<\/em> name when we first met,\u201d <\/em>he chuckled, his mad eyes staring at her with an intensity that could bore into a person\u2019s soul. Kate was now confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?…I don\u2019t-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cR<\/em>emember<\/em>? How surprising<\/em>! I would have thought that day would have been burnt<\/em> into your memory considering that was the last<\/em> day you ever saw your father<\/em>…\u201d he let the statement hang in the air like a lead balloon. Kate\u2019s eyes lit up with the bulb of understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026No\u2026 it can\u2019t be…\u201d a memory unfolded in her mind like unravelling origami, a long forgotten pearl hiding inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eleven years old, her long hair in pigtails as she pulled on her favourite flannel shirt that she had just fished out of the laundry. She became aware of her father talking in the kitchen but the voices of those carrying on the conversation were unfamiliar. Curious now, she approached the kitchen door.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook, I already told you people over the phone that I\u2019m not interested in selling. I know you guys think I\u2019m some feckin\u2019 thick culchie bastard but I don\u2019t care what my ranch is built on; this is our home! You can tell Victor Salmanic to shove his offer up his-\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do understand your reluctance, Mr O\u2019Donnell. This is a wonderful home you have and I hear the horses you raise here have a wonderful reputation in the horse racing scene in Galmanoc but you need to see this as an opportunity. Would your business not benefit from moving closer to your buyers?\u201d this voice had a silken quality with an air of pretentiousness to it as though the voice\u2019s owner felt they needed to talk down to everyone they spoke to. The kind of voice where even uttering a simple \u201chello\u201d sounded like a proclamation that they were better than the listener.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t know the first thing about raising horses, do you? They\u2019re grazing animals! How much prime grasslands are out in the bloody desert?\u201d Dad sounded angry. Kate reached the kitchen door and tried to sneakily peak into the kitchen through the tiny opening between door and frame where the entryway had not been shut properly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHmm, maybe so but what of your children?\u201d the speaker had his back to Kate but she could see he was wearing a black suit. Dark hair slicked back covered the scalp but Kate was unable to see any other details.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat about my kids?\u201d There was a suspicious edge to Dad\u2019s voice now, O\u2019Donnell detecting the tiniest hint of malice in the other man\u2019s words.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSurely it will be more beneficial to their future if they were closer to a more\u2026 civilized area? Galmanoc has a number of prestigious schools for them to attend,\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMight also see their life expectancy rise <\/em>dramatically,\u201d a third voice chimed in. Kate adjusted herself to spy the additional person. There was a man in the corner of the kitchen, also suited and with dirty blonde hair. His features were sharp, strong cheek bones and a smooth jawline. He looked to be in his early thirties and was clearly unused to wearing such a fine suit, the shirt badly tucked and the tie loose. He was playing with something in his hand, a small jet of flame dancing above his thumb intermittently as he turned it on and off.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The atmosphere turned tense, O\u2019Donnell stepping away from the counter he had been leaning against and moving forward so he was now blocking Kate\u2019s peep hole, his fists tightly clenched.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs that a threat you feckin\u2019 arsewipe?\u201d he growled. Kate could see things were about to take a turn so she flung the door open and hurried to her father\u2019s side, grasping his arm.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDad! Don\u2019t!\u201d her father turned in shock, some of the hostility leaving him at the sight of his little girl.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPoppet? I thought you were going to check on Buttercup? You shouldn\u2019t be in here now-\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNah, let her <\/em>stick around,\u201d sneered the blonde man, \u201cwhy don\u2019t you make yourself <\/em>useful, kiddo, and fetch us all some drinks?\u201d he raised a glass to indicate that it was empty. Kate held onto her father a little tighter as she tried to stare the man down.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy name\u2019s Kate,\u201d She uttered in defiance. Her father began to usher her out, Kate trying to keep eye contact with the blonde man as she was steered out of the room, her angry yet fearful gaze slowly being pulled down to the man\u2019s hand where a new flame sprouted forth from his thumb. A small detail that had escaped her that day came rushing forward through the intervening 16 years to nail itself to the present Kate\u2019s recollection.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026there wasn\u2019t a lighter\u2026\u201d she muttered, the image of the small flame dancing above the thumb on an empty hand burning across her mind\u2019s eye and what that potentially meant. Abaddon chuckled to himself as he recognised the signs of realisation dawning on the woman\u2019s face. He clicked his fingers, a small flame blooming above his thumb just as it had done long ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo<\/em>, there wasn\u2019t<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was you\u2026you killed them\u201d her features tensed into a frown, Kate glaring at the mage now, \u201cYou\u2019re one of the arsonists\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. I was only<\/em> an amateur<\/em> back then, doing a favour for a friend<\/em>. Even so, I took pride<\/em> in my work. The fact that we couldn\u2019t find you was most displeasing<\/em>. I never did like a loose end…\u201d<\/em>the way his lips curled into an ever widening smile as he spoke put the red head on edge, her spine curling as her posture tensed. She took another step backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo what? You want us to duel so that you can finally have everything neatly tied up?\u201d this caused a laugh to escape the mage, his eyes sparkling evilly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDuel<\/em>? No, you\u2019re going to run,\u201d<\/em> he turned his palms to face her, two fireballs igniting in their centres as his arms spread out at his sides, \u201cand I\u2019m going to seek<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The trio had been on the eastern side of the compound and from what Kate could remember, the delivery bays were on the opposite side of the facility. This meant she had a long walk ahead of her down winding corridors as her route snaked across the web. Every junction…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[59,32,111,128,103,120,119,108,9],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-mercenaries-tale","tag-abaddon","tag-blaise","tag-flashback","tag-forest-canyon","tag-genetix","tag-kate-odonnell","tag-polaris","tag-the-alexandretta-sisters","tag-the-mercs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}