“Clear,” A soldier called out. “Clear.” Another said. Shit…

I wiggled my way back, then squeezed some warmth into my length hand. My X-Ray Sight showed me, that five men were on the fifth floor and all of them were prodding towards me. I had one chance at this…or alert the entire campsite.

Dust traces trickled into my mouth, leaving a gaunt alkaline taste on my mouth as I inhaled. I breathed slowly, trying to slow my heartbeat, but the situation wouldn’t allow it.

I snapped out cover with a thud, planting my right foot on the ground. Two men standing side by side, behind the three walking towards me. The burning beam from their tactical lights was trained pointed at the ground. I know I had two seconds to get this right…or die.

A burst round went into the commander’s head. Half a second. I squeezed my trigger twice, strafing my aim on the second burst rounds, hitting the man to his left and right. Two seconds. Their Assault rifles slowly straffed up, as they aimed at me. I buried three rounds in one of their shoulders, then took out the other with three bullets to the head, I shifted my left leg for a mere second, pivoting and releasing one final squeeze.

Blood. Gore. Matter. All of it spilt out onto the floor for the final assailant. Three seconds. I sprung towards them, not waiting to see if anyone heard, knelt to the commander, patting him looking for his comm.

I took the comm for his ear and darted down the pathway, submachine gun raised. I scanned the floor below me, noting no one was there with my X-Ray sight and came back the way I came.

This building had the best cover out of the seven I scaled to reach here. However, it was the noisiest out of the lot, based on each step I made, hollowed through. Luckily though, around me was as noisy as it got, so a few bodies dropping and silenced shots firing, was perfect. However, the flashes from my suppressor was a concern for me as I know my pistol lit up like a bad sparker.

As I exited the spiralling staircase, I was met with rubble and a broken shredded metal beam croaking in the middle of the path. I had trouble passing it, so I opted for another option.

Exiting the window.

I turned right, following the moonlight that sprayed across the rubble, noticing that the moon was soon gone and dusk was upon us. Shit! I have to get to the campsite quick!

“How far have you gotten?”

“49%”

“Good…I just killed five more men. Rikor’s gonna probably come for you soon. I suggest you stall.” I whispered. “I’m in charge!” She hissed. “Not for long…Rikor’s gonna make his move now. So make your decision, either you claim the lineagecube as yours or watch your people die.”

“I just need a couple more minutes.”

“…and I can’t promise that. The odds are against us.”

“SAVE MY PEOPLE!”

“I’m trying…but you’re gonna have to distract them for a moment, at least allow me to slip in, unnoticed. The camp is on high alert!”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“…Good.”

I slipped out the cracked wall, using the window as my leverage. I felt the ridges of the windowsill and felt as something prick me. Damn it I said to myself, I'm gonna need a tetanus shot when I get back!

The roaring winds of Devil’s Reach pounded against my back as I slowly manoeuvred to my left. Another ruined building about three feet away from this one, on the other side of the building.

If the wind wasn’t so ferocious, I would’ve been there by now, and to think the majority of the buildings on top were at the bottom of a crater behind me. Something I hadn’t noticed whilst I soared around the stadium

I tried my hardest, not to look back or down, whilst I slowly traversed the side of the building. I had to ensure that each grasp I could take, was a metal beam, because after centuries of hurricanes and storms battering it. It still holds up...for some reason.

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My real challenge was not just the metal beams but ensuring they wouldn't dislodge from the weight. It's not like I weighed 120lbs, not that the metal beams didn’t support me, enough, but they did. However, my concern was with the lack of touch sensation my cybernetic arm and hand lacked. If I guessed wrong. That would be it for me.

The moon’s beam hit my eye, at an angle I didn’t expect, making me close my eye, and fidget for a good hold, whilst I descended.

After finally making a good lengthwise down. I peered behind me, ensuring no one was on this floor. The waves of sounds fluttered around me, as people slowly began to move out of the build.

I planted both my feed on the metal of the building, gauging the only available ledge. I started my count down from three as soon I got a good centre of gravity from the wall. The kicked off the metal beam, feeling the wind’s cold embrace snuggle me as I floated in the air.

My fingers sank into the concrete ledge as if it were a brick. Only thing, my hand sithed through it like paper. The god damn concrete turned to powder. Shit, I quickly flicked my right hand out, grabbing a steel beam that stencilled out of the concrete slabs of the floor.

The weight of my equipment, cybernetics and god damned body began to pull me down, as the metal beams began to slowly shrink from the weight.

I tuck my knees into my chest and lunged forward, hitting the side of the building. The wall split slightly, as I left my cybernetic arm embedded into the wall, along with my thumping heart. This is bullshit I complained.

“Cypher…Weitson is pissant angry here. It’s like he knows something amidst in Devils’ Reach. Rynord and Stelig are threatening him but he isn’t letting him. You don’t have to break radio silence, but if you don’t we’ll assume you’re dead.” The Captain said firmly.

I would’ve called it bullshit, but the problem was, I’d miss the deadline to radio back in. So Naedon’s assessment was fair, I should’ve “saved” Elhisia by now. However, according to Colvolt…I should’ve brought him his cube.

Colvolt’s in contact with someone inside the Camp, but who? Is the Rikor? No…he’s in contact with whoever’s called Valeon. Vice-President Unar Nillon? Fuck…this is such bullshit. I moaned to myself.

“I’m gonna need you to cover for me, distract Rikor or something,” I told Elhisia.

“Why!?” the girl hissed. “I’m at 66%!”

“It won’t matter if Rikor stops you. I don’t know how, but your father seems to know about what’s going on in the camp.”

“What, HOW?”

“I don’t know, but it isn’t Rikor, he’s in the comm room talking to someone called Valeon.”

“What?! Are you sure you heard the right fucking name?”

“Of course I did!” I huffed, why does it matter?”

“Valeon Epin, he owns Gartheon Defence Services. Rikor used to work with him till I bribed him to take some of Valeon’s men.”

So that’s where I knew his name! Valeon was supposed to work The Auction security, but because he didn’t have the manpower to work it. Colonel Levisay got the job instead, but if Rikor’s on the comm with him, that means he never left…FUCK!

“Assassin are you there?”

“I’m here,” I said softly.

“I can hear the gears of mind turning…you know something?”

“I don’t know if I do, but it depends on your answer, how did Rikor get this job, did you approach him…or did he approach you?”

“I approached him.”

“I see…anyone told you about him?”

“No. Whenever my father met with Valeon, he was there…I approached him discretely.”

“Not discrete enough,” I said bitterly. “Rikor’s still in contact with Valeon, does Valeon and your father have a good relationship?”

“They do.”

“You fucked up princess…Valeon is Rikor’s man, he knows everything. So does your father…Rikor’s feeding Valeon info, which funnels down to your father.”

Elhisia went silent, and this time I could hear the gears of her mind churning, decipher what I just told her. I could only imagine what was going through her head. This little rebellion of hers was already perceived by father, he just needed a third party to make it look real.

A third party in the form of CSS.

I pulled myself up the ledge, looking around. I was met with metal pillars and chopped concrete blocks littered around the entire room. It was purely bones and nowhere for me to walk, except the beams that kept the building up. “…keep it simple,” I told Elhisia, trying to calm her down. “…ask him his plan for the negotia—“

A loud gunshot off in the night, and the sound of men shouting, broke the dead of the night. This is complete bullshit! “Forget that…quiet your people. I fear that they’re about to be herded. I’ll try to get to the armoury. As fast as I can!”

“I can’t do this.” Elhisia wept through her coms.

“Do you want your people to die?” I asked her.

“No!”

“Do you want to see Zanton die? Because if we don’t play Rikor. He’s gonna kill him in front of you…I guarantee you that. Save. Your. People. Now. Before something happens!”

The heiress finally stopped her sobbing with a short snort. I nodded like an approving father and made my first step onto the metallic beam. “There’s a red button on your comm. Press it five times to raise your mic.” I said.

“Why?”

“Take the comm out of your ear and put it in your top left pocket, I’ll be able to hear everything, but u won’t be able to hear me. That way the feedback from the comm won’t be heard.

“Why are you telling me this.”

“Because if shit gets troublesome…you don’t want him to know I’m here. I’ll stop what I’m doing to come and get you.”

“…and what about my people?”

“I’m working on it, focus on yourself.”

“You’re only doing this for the credits aren’t you.”

“…as you are doing this to save your people. Now shut up and go to Rikor!”

The heiress went silent, and I continued on my way, trying the best way to make it across this death trap of a floor. Another gunshot bellowed through the air, and the only thing that came to my mind was fury. It’s going to be a long night I thought bitterly. A very long night…