Mortality

Chapter 13: Hell Bent

He slowly removes his hand from her mouth and she remains silent. He gasps and it ends in another wicked laugh. "Perfect! Thank you for your cooperation! You've earned a gold star!" He hisses patronizingly.

She glares at him and tries to remain still against the knife. Glancing down at the handle of the blade, she recognizes it as Cree's. The one that was stolen from him by Jane. And the connection snaps in her mind as she realizes that was probably the knife Jane used to hurt Cree and kill John.

She does her best to stay stern. "Who are you?" she asks, her voice unsteady but firm.

He chuckles and uses his free hand to motion to his uniform. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to deliver you to the super-advanced waffle maker, Alain! You can thank me later." He bows his head and brings it back up with a smirk.

Edith eyes him. "But... I thought Latanya was here to do that..." she questions. He giggles again and boops her on the nose.

"Wow! Very perc... per... Fuck, what's that word?!" He growls and stares at her.

She cocks a brow. "...Perceptive?" she says.

He jumps in joy. "Yes! That's it! Very perceptive of you! Yes, Latte was supposed to do it, but for some reason, she's been takin' her sweet ass time! So, Alain sent me out to check her status and ensure that you're not going anywhere!" he explains gleefully.

Edith goes to study this man but stops as she's already concluded that he's a fucking maniac. Like an evil, less intelligent version of Regan and instead of wielding a pen, he's flailing a knife around and laughing like a lunatic.

She goes to question him further, but is interrupted by a familiar voice. "Fritz, back off. I was the one assigned to apprehend Edith and I'm doing it my own way. No need to concern yourself with her."

Edith and the man, Fritz, look back to see Latanya standing about a meter away with an annoyed look on her face, even with her calm composure.

Fritz groans and rolls his eyes. "Oh, so NOW you show up? Where the hell were you in the time we've been expecting you back at the Citadel?"

Latanya briefly glances at Edith and checks her eyes before returning her full attention to Fritz. "I just told you. I've been here dealing with the issue in the way I find most efficient. Is there a problem with this?" she asks.

Fritz laughs. "Problem? Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you've been gone longer than expected! We had reason to assume you'd been compromised in the short time you've been away! Wouldn't surprise me, though. We all know you're the weakest out of all of us," he snides with a maniacal giggle.

"Physical strength has nothing to do with gaining effective results. My abilities may differ from yours, but that does not mean they are any less efficient. I do what I was designed to do, and you do as well. The same goes for Jane and Kylen." Latanya speaks calmly.

Fritz overdramatically rolls his eyes. "Oooh look at me, I'm Latanya. I know big words and I talk slow because everyone else is too dumb to keep up," he mocks.

She remains unfazed. "In terms of abilities, mentality, and strength, I do not consider myself above nor beneath any one of our order. For me personally, it's a matter of moral high ground. I do what I feel is best. Nothing more," she states. Fritz huffs.

"Whatever. Anyway, you've been quiet and seemingly inactive. Alain sent me to check on what you're doing, and here I find that you've been sitting around with your dick in your hands instead of a gun to Edith's back. How do you justify that, Latte?" he asks.

Latanya sighs, masking her annoyance as best she can. "I've been taking a less violent approach, as it is clear that antagonizing Edith and her friends will only lead them to villainize us. We must show them that we are not looking to cause harm," she explains.