Phantom Assassin (2015 version)

Chapter 11

There was someone. Something living inside of him other than himself. How could he have been so stupid as not to see it?

His heart ached for something. Tears eroded his eyes. What was going on? Was he going insane? Had his emotions been mysteriously tapped into?

It was like a separate entity was scratching itself out of him, itching to reveal itself.

Mission Report #3, start.

~~~~

Trace woke with a start in the dark room he'd visited before, but he was all alone. His breath was visible in the room, a sign of the cold atmosphere. He sat up, puzzled, that he was force-teleported here.

"Trace," a grave voice sounded from behind him. It was heavily Russian and female.

He instinctively twitched around, only to see nothing. A ball of saliva clouded his throat, but he quickly swallowed it. There was nothing to be afraid of, right?

The woman appeared before him. "Trace." She repeated his name, as if trying to make him understand something. "Are you confused about forced teleport?"

Trace nodded nervously, breathing heavily. What was she trying to make him understand? He dreaded to know exactly what...

A devilish smile crept across her lips. "Good. I think what you did was confusing as well."

Trace's eyebrows curved inward, confused. What had he done that was confusing? "What do you-"

She hushed him with her inclined hand. "Trace, I have been watching you carefully. You're a death machine. That's how we programmed you. Yet, somehow, you've managed to retain human feelings. How is this possible? We don't know. All we know is that you feeling anything for anyone is terrible dangerous thing." She walked across the room, flicked on a random switch, and slowly made her way back to the center of the room to stare at Trace.

It was too late before Trace noticed the switch activated a random strap system that held him into his chair. He struggled for only a few seconds before giving up. The restraints were far too readily adjusted for him to have any chance of escape.

"So, please bear with the pain. I'll remove your Modifier and replace it with new gadget. It's called a Refiner. To tell you the truth, I'm little hesitant to use it on you. It's new experiment, so it's very possible you may die. However, we've strongly refined the device. You'll be able to work efficiently."

Trace wanted to complain. Could he? Could he reject her offer, or was it being forced on him?

He sharply contoured face glowed in the dim light, and her smile never faded. It was evil. No good would come out of anything she did.

"Now close your eyes. This'll pinch little bit," she laughed, whizzing around him. He couldn't turn around. The chair held him in place, and whenever he struggled it tightened, getting closer and closer to crushing his bones to pieces.

Trace squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain to arrive. It's coming. It's coming.

~~~~~

The little girl smiled up at Trace, her rosy cheeks shining wondrously in the bright sunlight. The meadow was filled with daisies and lilies, and they reflected the sunlight brilliantly.

The girl's hair was light brown, but in the sun it looked blonde. Her skin glowed, her eyes sparkled, and her crystal-white teeth looked almost too perfect.

Trace reached down and stroked her soft cheek. She shut her eyes gently and reached up to hold his hand.

He got on one knee, and, tears pouring out of his eyes, he planted a warm kiss on her small forehead. She giggled and pulled away from him to spin in circles. He laughed and started spinning as well.