Her hands lay on the table, unrestrained, but a pistol pointed at her head from a distance. Lieutenant C’s eyes were yellow, under Joshua’s control. Madam Bourget ate her food calmly, cutting the egg into slices as she took a bite. Joshua also cut his food, but in a perpendicular shape compared to her perfect parallels.
His eyes looked upwards towards her, swallowing his food, and his mouth rose to speak.
"Way too much of an awkward silence; should I get straight to the point?" Joshua asked.
"I thought you were going to kill me, but that attempt would be rather futile, as you should know.” Madam Bourget replied.
"Yeah, I know that all too well,” Joshua said, touching his cheek. As he did so, a scar popped in, glitching out before his face went back to normal.
"Well, Madam, I know that you know that you can't take us both at once, so it's better if you let us talk to you and you continue on and finalize a report about us.” Joshua continued.
Madam slightly grasped her hand, tilting it and pushing it upwards, releasing a slight clunking sound.
"Okay, what do you have to say, murderer?"
"Harsh Words,”
"I can say worse.”
Joshua raised his hands to the air and slid the dish away, the robot butler coming quickly to pick it up and take it to the dishwasher, and a droning sound zoomed across.
"I want entry to Caldera. Safe entry.”
The madam chuckled. She continued slicing the eggs on her plate and grabbing a few quick bites, swaying her fork towards him.
"That is impossible; ask for something else.” Madam Bourget giggled.
"Well, that's the only thing I do need, because I have worthy information to trade.”
Madam Bourget immediately tilted her body forward, puckering her lips.
"What is it?" she said curiously.
"Information about the kingship, given to you, means you give it to your leader, which gives it to the republic, meaning Caldera gets some good press, and you especially." Lieutenant C started to tilt his head in unnerving directions as the yellow glow started to fade away slowly, and Joshua leaned back to see how far until he was going to go back to normal.
"Lies"
"Truthfully, this information is pretty worthwhile too.”
"Why should I believe you?"
"Why should you not? You know damn well I’m born there, and it's already hard enough to find my sort of intelligence, '' Joshua said confidently, wrapping his legs around each other.
"Remember, you can try capturing me, but you already noticed your chances of winning are very slim, so just accept the deal and take the smaller threat. I should be dealt with by the inter-space forces. You guys are too small to contain me, so pick the smaller option and live on with your life; you may even see me captured soon.” Joshua said, trying to gaslight her into believing there were no options.
The madam paused, looking at her arm. She let out a slight grin.
"Maybe, but wouldn't it be more useful if I killed two birds with one stone?" She replied.
Joshua gulped and anxiously smiled back, saying, “What do you mean?"
"I'll get that information no matter what.”
The madam quickly ate the last bite of her food, and suddenly her eyes darted towards the pistol Lieutenant C held. Her hand grabbed the butter knife, and it flew past Joshua's cheek, cutting it slightly and bouncing the gun off Lieutenant C’s hand.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The bounty hunter quickly fell to the floor as he slowly crawled and went into an upward position, scrambling to grab the weapon.
"Yes, I analyzed the situation; that’s the right plan.” She laughed; her face was more grotesque, but the features stayed the same. She laughed, and tears fell down her eyes as she left an uncanny grin on her face.
She pressed her arm deeply, and suddenly the arm's flesh was pulling away. She gritted her teeth as her fingers stuck together and became a sharp blade; her arms whirred and gears shook as she winced in pain. Suddenly her arm skin melted off, falling slowly onto the floor, and her endoskeleton protruded.
She pulled her arm blade towards her tongue, licking the few drops of blood from her past enemies. She rushed quickly towards him.
Joshua had no time to react as he dodged backward at the last minute. His earpiece was cut off, and suddenly his scar was shown, crossing over his eye.
"Should I give you another scar, just like I did all those years ago?" She laughed.
"That stupid perfectionist idea is gone right now; I've changed.”
A few gunshots fired towards Madam Bourget; she quickly sliced the bullets mid-air as Lieutenant C’s control faded even more, grabbing his head.
"That was years ago, Franz; your death is inevitable now that the threat to my homeland is here, and your arrest will mark the beginning of my era.” She announced.
Joshua laughed as his eyes kept focusing on her.
"Make sure to not die.” Joshua directed Lieutenant C.
Suddenly Madame Bourget rushed towards Joshua, her blade stretched forward. As the tip touched the Adam's apple, it was quickly swatted away by the bounty hunter's dagger.
Joshua spun himself downward as he let out a high kick, blasting through her chin. Quickly, her head jerked downward, facing him.
Joshua's mind suddenly filled with doubt as his other leg lifted to attack once more.
"Easy,” Madam Bourget thought, quickly pushing her blade towards his other leg. Joshua's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly pushed himself backwards, leaving the blade cut across the bounty hunter's chest, and green ooze spilled everywhere.
"I never knew you could battle like this, Lieutenant C,” Madam Bourget energetically exclaimed. She quickly pulled her blade backwards, ready for a finishing blow on the bounty hunter.
His eyes, which had just turned white from the hit, in a flash turned to a reptilian form, and his face changed repeatedly and his tongue stretched quickly.
"A chameleon, a pussy species, very sneaky, and very annoying.” Madam Bourget analyzed, laughing.
As her eyes started critically thinking, Joshua landed a flying kick towards her face. Her cheeks smashed into one another as her blade swung across to attack him.
She was tough once her head was turned towards him, her skin wrapped around her, and her blade was stuck in place. The madam kept struggling and turning her body, but the bounty hunter's grip was too thick. His green blood landed on her face as she screeched in anger.
Suddenly Madame Bourget's blade retracted back in her arm, and she moved freely, and her blade quickly faced upwards.
"Checkmate."Madam Bourget thought before her blade rose up and stabbed the bounty hunter through the chin, and he lay lifeless, slowly releasing his grip.
Her blade had not penetrated fully, and he slowly fell to the floor as Joshua could only watch.
"What the hell just happened?" Joshua's mind raced. Madam Bourget walked closer and closer to him as her blade stretched forward.
Joshua drew his pistol at immense speed and faced it at her, the firearm glowing.
"So disappointing, a man who murdered the entire Jom-Suttur family, worthless in front of me; truly, how did you do it?” Madam Bourget asked.
"I could, but if I did," Joshua lowered his weapon and said, “You would have to die.”.
Joshua spared her, quick firing into her shoulder. He saw the mechanics break apart as she saw the pieces fall onto the floor. Before she could react, Joshua smiled at her before her throat was crushed suddenly. Now Lieutenant C faced her, coughing up green ooze.
The madam’s face slowly went silent as she fell to the floor in defeat, and Joshua rushed to Lieutenant C’s aid.
"Hey man, you alright?" Joshua asked.
Lieutenant C was unresponsive, but now the control had almost faded fully, and he was murmuring different words.
Joshua looked at the unconscious Madam Bourget; her eyes rested as Joshua sighed, wondering what he was going to do with her.
–
A splash of water crashed onto Madam Bourget’s face. Her eyes lit up as she gasped for air. Her eyes rolled upward, meeting Joshua in front of her.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way; the deal is off, so I must forcefully take your identification needed to enter Caldera freely.” Joshua ordered.
Madam Bourget's mind rushed as she looked around the room. Empty except for a singular chair, where the reptile was sitting. Her mind went from critical thinking to despair as she lowered her head.
"I'd rather die than give it to you.” She laughed.
"So you’re playing psycho; I also have your friend here who will do all the dirty work for me.”
Suddenly Madame Bourget’s eyes closed in on her left hand, which was missing, and her fingers were trapped with separate braces.
"C'mon, please. We made a deal, and I don’t want to hurt you, so just offer me this information, please. I promise Caldera will live.”
She gritted her teeth, staring at Lieutenant C. Whether he was a reptile or not, she needed to save him.
"Never.”
"Fine,” Joshua said angrily.
Before Joshua could react to stop, a knife flew and slashed across two of Madam Bourget's fingers as she screamed in agony.
"I'LL MURDER YOU FOR THIS!” She screamed.
Joshua wondered why Lieutenant C did it. His eyes were slightly open, and he let out a deeply unsettling grin. This time was Joshua, or him in control.
Joshua looked behind him to see Madam Bourget gasping for breath. Muttering “2-0-9-2.”
"I'm going to cover the wounds; let me know what is in the safe.”
"That's not going to happen.”
"What do you mean?” Joshua replied when suddenly a gun was cocked to his head.
"You are delusional, murderer.” Lieutenant C, no longer in his control, asked, “What in the world did you make me do?" he told him in an angry tone.