“JIX!” I roared, “You still with me?”

“Barely…” he said, coughing into the comms. “Hurry it up, Cypher…these barrels have additives.”

“Additives?” I asked.

“Yes…I can smell the gas…now make HASTE you slow bastard!”

Gas? A Failsafe to burn ‘the evidence in case he’s caught I mused bitterly. Damn it. I proned, keeping myself low so the flames won’t affect my breathing whilst I hunted for Jix. I felt slight relief, for a second…but a wave of heat thrashed against my body armour making my back feel as if lava had been poured all over it.

The smoke had made it difficult to see, somewhat, but my cybernetic eye made it a lot easier. “SAY SOMETHING, JIX. I'M ON MY WAY TO YOU.” I shouted.

“OVER HERE,” He shouted, waving his hand in the air. I barely saw it, but that was enough for me to find him.

My cybernetic eye gauged the distance and it read that he was but five meters away. I got to him quickly, but not as fast as I would’ve liked. The flames were two meters from him, but that didn’t stop me.

Five metal slabs were surrounding Jix, like a crib, trying to stop me from robbing it. Fat chance of me being stopped. I bent the first slab in a second, the second and third in five seconds.

I worked as fast as I could, but the fire got thicker by the second, despite the hole in the roof, the only ventilation available in the entire cinema went up in flames.

That’s what I’d do…to ensure my enemy wouldn’t live.

Jix looked up at me, struggling with the fourth slab, which was bent across his concrete slab, stopping me from pulling it free. “Stop,” Jix said.

“No.”

I grabbed the metal slab with both arms and began pulling it free, feeling the heat from the room melt the flesh away from my hands. I wanted to let go, but my ego wouldn’t allow it.

“Leave me,” Jix added, coughing.

“No.”

The fourth slab was the hardest, it barely budged and I felt as if I weren’t going to get this done, especially with the heat. HEAT!, OF COURSE! I realised, USE IT TO MY ADVANTAGE!

“I SAID LEAVE ME, YOU BASTARD.”

“SHUT UP!” I ROARED. “I’M NOT LEAVING YOU.

I began rolling the metal slab in a circular motion, trying to heat it up more than what it was already. This time, it moved…slowly, but enough, by my tenth turn, I had it at an angle where I could bend the fifth beam out of place.

I began shifting the fifth metal beam to the right and opened myself up to the concrete slab that pummeled over Jix. I bent my knees, and began pushing with all the strength I had…the bastard slab wouldn’t move. Damn it.

“Body Armor Efficiency, 6%…Survival Protocol, initiated. Overdrive Mode, Engaged. Would you like to initiate?” Nova asked. I felt my SMB clutched my brain tighter than usual as my Cybernetic arm bulged, splitting the body armour sleeve around my left arm into five stripes of metal fibres.

“What the hell is this, Nova?” I asked, continually pushing the concrete slab off of Jix. “Based on your blood pressure levels and the heightened heat of the room. I have taken the initiative of accessing the Survival Protocol. However, I cannot proceed without your consent. Do you consent?”

“YES!” I snarled.

“Survival Protocol, Engaged…Warning, as the Survival Protocol has been Engaged. The strain on Stancer Cybernetic Arm will be too much to sustain Neural Operating Valency Artificial…Goodbye, Sir.”

Wait, what?!

The heat from the fire poured over my hand, making my natural hand go numb. I fought the pain through clenched teeth, hoping the pain would stop as I finally budged the damn slab. “Cover your face,” I hissed at Jix.

Fire embers began dripping over the metal slabs and onto Jix’s face. Jix trailed into a harrowing scream, which filled my ears with pain and anguish. I winced momentarily, and lost my grip for a second underneath the concrete slab, but was resilient enough to keep my wits about myself.

Adrenaline poured throughout my body, rivalling the urgency I had to save Jix. I didn’t have any friends, but if I were to name one…it’d be him. I twisted my grip on the slab, rested my back against it and began pushing it up with my knees.

I hooked my ankles into one of the metal slabs by mistake. It punctured my body armour, but not enough to break the metal fibres that protected me. I slid my cybernetic arm down, and slowly pulled Jix free from the slab. Yes! He’s out!

“You fool…” Jix said after I slung him across my back. “…you should’ve saved yourself.”

I turned my head to Jix, watching as he closed his eyes in an instant and fainted before me. I looked around the blazing cinema, with nowhere to go. There were no ladders leading to the roof.

“He had to get out somewhere…but where?” I made my way back to the hall, watching as the flames didn’t fully engulf this area yet. It seemed as though the greenhouse was rigged to blow, but not this particular hallway.

I passed the hazmat suits, jogging to the back, finding a small office of some type, nestled in the far left around a corner. I kicked the door open and kissed my teeth in frustration.

The roof had already caved in, leaving a giant slab in the middle of the room, breaking the desk into two pieces. “Damn it,” I growled, feeling frustrated. “How did that BASTARD GET OUT?”

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Jix mumbled something lethargically, drawing my attention. “Haz…” He said, leaving me confused.

“Rest, Jix, we’re soon getting out,” I lied.

Jixafon willed himself awake, and pointed down the hallway, “Hazmat suits.”

Of Course…Cypher, you fool.

I doubled back to the hallway, noticing the fire was creeping up. The heat of it all was making me lethargic and regardless of how well trained I was, you just couldn’t disobey your body because you wanted to. Hell, I already had a cybernetic arm…that alone was alien enough for it.

I scooped up the closest Hazmat suit, analysing its viability for usage. There were no holes, which was good, but that meant nothing without an oxygen tank to keep us alive once we traversed the fire.

In my frustration, I pounded my hand against the concrete wall sending a jolt of pain throughout my arm.

I surmised the adrenaline I used was slowly wearing off, as my body began to throb intensely from fatigue, especially around the areas I’d been shot.

The evergrowing throbbing of my right palm caught my attention, drawing my gaze towards it. I hesitantly held up my hand for a second, then opened my palm. The embellished warps of my hand seemed as though pus was screaming beneath the second-degree burns based on the pink shade. “Perfect…”I said.

“Doth…at…in,” Jix whispered.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Do that again!”

“What are you talking about, Jix? Rest up…I’m trying to find a way out.”

My Body armour was low in efficiency, which meant that even if I wore the hazmat suit, I would cook inside and with no oxygen available I’d die from asphyxiation.

“Hit the WALL again, Cypher!” Jix snapped, sounding delirious.

Why? I didn’t argue. I pounded the wall with my cybernetic arm and a thawing howl of hollowed steel shrieked into my ears, matching the snaps and cracks of the burning fire that slowly crept up on me and Jix.

The wall was hollow, meaning a possible passageway was on the other side. That’s how that bastard got out, of course!

I let my cybernetic hand glide against the wall whilst I hunted for an incision line, that could be a door. I brushed past at least eight Hazmats suits before finally finding one.

“Found it!” I whispered, I could’ve celebrated, but with the fire a few meters off on either side of me. I couldn’t waste my oxygen.

I banged my cybernetic arm against the hollow wall. The dongs of a bell chimed and dinged as I repeatedly bashed against it, but it didn’t budge.

“Look for a switch!” Jix snapped.

Switch?

I frantically yanked hazmat suits free from the walls and found no hidden switches. The hissing steam of the fire stung the left side of my face. The fire crept onto me. However, there were still hazmat suits to yank free, and I did my best, still carrying Jix on my back…but still no switch. “DAMN IT!”

I retreated down the hallway, hoping to relieve myself from the flames, but the fire still kept its momentum. Finally, I increased the zoom of my cybernetic eye, hunting the hooks for hazmat suits, noticing they were angled at 90°, and all but one. “THAT’S IT!” I shouted.

“Put me do--,“ Jix tried to say, but I wasn’t having his shit.

“NOT. NOW. SHUT UP…WE’RE GETTING OUT OF HERE!” I snapped, feeling the wind seep from my breath, stealing more energy than I hoped, but that didn’t stop me. I scrambled to the 45° hook, and pushed it up, levelling it at a 90° angle hoping my hypothesis was correct.

A gust of wind groaned from the door I once banged and the heat from the fire rushed at it. I charged towards the door, Jix on my back and fell on my ass with Jix crashing to my left. It didn’t take long, but the room regulated the heat within my body, turning it cold instantly, like a freezer on steroids.

I mentally checked my faculties to see what was working, and what wasn’t and luckily, everything was fine as it could be, based on my amputee status.

“I guess we’re alive,” Jix huffed, laughing through his teeth.

“For now,” I said.

The fire still raged at the door, but I spied a red blinking light above what seemed to be a switch to my right. I slapped it down and the door closed faster than it opened and sealed us away from the fire.

“I fucked up,” I told Jix.

“Let’s get out of here,” Jix whispered, ignoring my melancholic words.

“Roger that,” I answered.

I slung Jix around my shoulder. It seems his left leg was crushed, but his right leg was fine. I couldn’t imagine the pain he was in, but he didn’t wail a word of it. I messed up…ROYALLY!

Each step Jix and I made through the metallic tunnel echoed for a few seconds. It was harrowing, especially with the chosen colours of the inside. Pure white, which smelt of plastic, but left a metallic taste on my tongue. The air also smelled of old oil, which was completely different from what I was expecting.

It took me five minutes to drag Jix and myself to the end of the tunnel. I cranked the seal open, which led me directly back to the parking lot. The tunnel was the oval-like pipe we saw at the side of the building.

“He did have a plan,” I whispered. On my right, the ever-growing fire still brewed, and angrily too. I was tempted to go on the hunt for Akatani, but I knew he was long gone.

“Rex! send the Medivac…”

He didn’t respond.

“There’s no need to worry about your associate, Mr Cypher…we have him in good hands,” Mr Black said.

“I don’t have time for this,” I snapped.

“You will…now sit tight.”

The line went dead, filling me with rage and anger and I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I failed to get Akatani…I got Jix injured…Rex is AWOL and now Mr Black has somehow wiggled his way into my life. Again.

Despite all of this…I forgot about Nova. My artificial assistant had burnt herself out, helping me acquire the strength needed to get Jix out. I know Nova took up 40% of the processing power within my cybernetic arm, ensuring the strength balance between my arm and SMB was correlating well, but now, my arm’s reaction speed was lethargic, something I truly didn’t realise till now.

I tried to understand what was happening, but nothing came. No resoluble thought resonated within my mind and I felt stupider by the second because of my arrogance…how could I let this happen? This was complete bullshit and it was all my fault.

I pounded the ground in frustration whilst Jix lay there, unmoving and uncaring.

“I’m trying to rest…ease up,” He said, laughing.

That made me smile. Jix still found a joke in all of this. It helped, but it didn’t bury my fury.

The clopping sound of wind flapped into my ear, a sound I was too familiar with. The sound of helicopter blades slicing wind. It came from the west, drawing my attention. It didn’t take too long for the helicopter to come into view, landing in the street, as if it owned the place.

“He’s still alive,” Mr Black said, kneeling next to Jix. He whistled, tapping his leg. “Gonna have to replace that,” He added.

“Where’s Rex?” I asked, ignoring Mr Black’s pleasantries.

“Mr Zanthe is fine,” Mr Black answered.

A few men crept up to me, assault rifles trained on both me and Jix, forming a semi-circle, ensuring we didn’t make a move on Mr Black.

“Quite an entrance…”

“They’re paid well for such theatrics…”

I let the silence between us dwindle for a moment, knowing full well, that I needed Mr Black’s help, but would he give it so easily? I knew he wanted me for something, but he never said what.

“Save him,” I whispered.

“What was that?” Mr Black asked, sounding confused by the question.

“Save my friend!”

Mr Black chuckled and shook his head, then drew his gaze upon mine. “I’ll help him… but I want one thing from you.”

“…what’s that?”

“I want you to consider my offer.”

“Which is?”

“You’re not ready yet,” Mr Black added.

“Ready for what?”

“You’re not mentally ready, Cypher…look around. You fucked up majorly. You let some bullshit hacker outsmart you. You’re better than this for christ sake! You went under deep cover for SIX YEARS in the Latrina Empire, assassinating Hortot Calisum in the process. I need that Cypher…not this,” He finished, raising his hands, showing me my failure.

“I’m done with that life,” I whispered.

“You can’t be done with that life, Cypher…you know it. Now make a choice, do you want me to save your friend or not?”

As much as I wanted to say ‘no’ to this bastard, I knew I had no choice in the matter. I clenched my fist, feeling as if warts in my hand sang of pain…stomping in my mind as they did so. DAMN IT!

“Save him…and I’ll consider your offer,” I finally whispered.

Mr Black pushed himself up from the level of my eyes and walked over, patting me on the shoulder, then turned around to walk away, black trench coat trailing behind him, “You heard the man…now let's get out of here.”