The Industry by Rose Foster
"Kirra, I know you don't want to do this, but..." I started"If you know I don't want to do it, you'd know that I'm not doing it, Desmond! I have a bad feeling about it!" she complained. Kirra was acting like a toddler throwing a tantrum and I did not want deal with her right now. I get that she has trauma and all, but that shouldn't have led to her acting like she was 12 years younger than she actually was."Your 'bad feelings' always seem to kick in at the least dangerous times. You were totally fine around that Milo guy and he's tried to kill you twice since then! The Headmaster did not pay multiple million dollars for your Retrieval just for you to refuse to translate anything! Stop whining and lets go!" I yelled. She reluctantly got off the couch and went to get changed. I stepped out of my room for some fresh air and Mel approached me. "Translator giving you a tough time, huh?" she asked. It became obvious that she had heard me yelling from next door. "I'm sure she'll come around eventually." I replied. Mel had a smile on her face, presumably laughing at my misery as she walked away.
I went and get into my gear, bringing along my guns too. Kirra stepped out of her room in her uniform and a pen. I chucked one of the guns that she knew how to use at her and we headed out. Once we got to the core of the building, Kirra stepped up to the Spencer code lock and hesitated for a few seconds before putting the code in. She steps back and I open the door. I take a look inside to find it empty, aside from a single black USB on the floor. I reached down to grab it and tuck it safely into my pocket. When I turned back around, Kirra was gone. This couldn't be happening again. A high pitched screech echoes through the hallways, which is instantly matched by a beeping in my pocket, alerting me that Kirra had pressed the panic button.
I sprinted through the halls in a frantic search for Kirra. Once I found her, I was shocked by the sight before me. Mel was standing next to Kirra, holding a bloody knife in her hand. "Mel? Why would you do this?" I asked, trying to distract her. "Don't you see, Desmond? She's disrupting everything. She killed Damian, and she's even killing you." she replied in a tone that sounded like she was in the right and I was crazy.
"Damian died on a mission, and what do you mean, 'she's killing me'?" I questioned her, intrigued by her odd statements.
"Damian wouldn't have been on that mission if it weren't for Kirra and you—you've changed so much. The high and mighty Desmond Rall is now being reduced to a mere babysitter. The old you would have disarmed me without a second thought. You aren't you anymore." I sighed at her outrageous conclusions.
"Look. I loved Damian as much as you did, and it's sad to see him go. But it would've happened eventually. Damian knew that his life was on the line when he chose to go on that mission. Our job is dangerous, and people leave us all the time, we're only humans after all." I reasoned. In the time that it took me to finish talking, Kirra jabbed the knife out of Mel's hand and stabbed her in the neck using her pen. "It's sad to say you'll be leaving us too." I finished as I pointed the gun at her writhing body on the floor.
