Cyberknight: One Path

⁕ The Lynching Game (part 8)

"I swear to God, I'm innocent! "

The memories of Oltevin's bloodied body flashed inside McCree's mind. The image of Jerry's smug face as his ability unleashed senseless violence onto his friend irritated him.

"I did nothing wrong! I had nothing to do with the Empire or anything they stood for! "

The pictures of the aftermath of the Appalachian Disaster flashed inside McCree's mind. Despite knowing how millions died, the scene of the devastation barely left any remains to be buried or even identified. The inhumane nature of the massacre sickened McCree to his heart.

"Please, man, I was just here to see my family! My wife... my wife she gave birth to our son. I asked for a few days of leave just to be by her side. You can see all the proof, I wasn't lying to you at all! "

Frustrated with the man's desperate pleas, McCree abruptly smacked him in the head with the butt of his pistol. The rage inside McCree's eyes burned all the reasons out of his vision. He only saw an Imperial Agent who refused to confess his crimes.

[McCree] - "I'm sick and tired of your excuses! I won't rest until every single mother fucker responsible is caught. "

Said McCree before walking out of the room.

[Dunhill] - "So? Did you get a confession from him? "

[McCree] - "The bastard won't talk. "

Said McCree with a frustrated expression.

[Dunhill] - "Maybe we need more convincing methods. Want me to send in a priest or a butcher? "

[McCree] - "Send in both until that son of a gun talks. "

Said McCree before coming to a stop before a different door guarded by two men.

Slowly, the bloodied man chained to the steel table looked up in fear as McCree stepped in. Before the man could protest, the door was slammed shut behind McCree. As the minutes passed, the only sound in the hallway was the muffled yell of agony from that room.

Meanwhile, Audrey silently looked at the small chip Dane gave her. So far, she has been refraining herself from watching its content due to fear of espionage. She was aware that the chip contained incriminating information about something or someone. However, in the current climate filled with suspicion and injustice, it would be wise for her to learn of its content in a safer environment.

After shoving the chip into her pocket, she sat back on her bed where her girlfriend slept. Just as she prepared to sleep, a random thought came back to her head. She thought back to the night when Kadyn had a mental breakdown and noticed that Kadyn had a massive bruise around her left eye. The more she thought, the more wounds she began to notice on Kadyn's face, and the more she suspected that maybe Jagger was lying about Kadyn's situation.

Considering her history with Kadyn, Audrey knew her friend would never simply go crazy out of the blue. After all, not even the sight of KD-556 and KD-552's massacre made Kadyn flinch, so how could a person with such a stable psyche suddenly break down with no apparent cause? Even if it was cyber-psychosis, the signs of the disease would start presenting themselves early.

As the pieces clicked together, Audrey suddenly stood up in shock. That night, Kadyn seemed to be angry and afraid of something or rather, someone. The way Jagger treated Kadyn like a plaything, the way Jagger dismissed their concerns for her, and the way Jagger kept everything under wrap; All indicated that Jagger was abusing her in some way and was trying to keep her silent.

Without losing a second, Audrey got dressed and stormed out of her room in a hurry. In the past, Audrey has been in a few abusive relationships, so she knew without a doubt that something bad was happening to Kadyn. Audrey won't sleep tonight or tomorrow unless she gets to the bottom of all this. After all, without Kadyn's help, she won't be alive today.