Operation: Extermination

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: two weeks into past

      Valencia strode across a rooftop, her strides confident as she neared the door. As promised, a man waited there for her.

      "Valencia 704," he greeted her with a dip of her head.

      "It's Val, Krell, keep up," she brushed past him, "Target's here?"

      Krell followed her down the stairs, adjusting the tie to his suit, "Not yet. But an opportunity like this, he won't miss. It's certain he will show up."

     Krell 47 was a cyborg. He was human, with mechanical parts, and also worked for Enigma Enterprises. He was Val's follower and assistant, designed to help her in her mission. He had a ruggedly handsome appearance, with black hair spiked up, deadly blue eyes, and a boyish smile. He was younger, sixteen, while Val was estimated to be around nineteen.

      "Tight," Krell commented, tugging at his tie around his neck with an agonized look, "I hate events like this."

      "You're my eyes," Val said, sliding down the railing to land beside him, "It's a party. Look happy. You're enjoying yourself."

      "And being suffocated."

      "Just get down there," Val carted him to the elevator, then used his shoulders as a springboard to launch herself into the vent above them, "Remember- spot him, you let me take care of him."

      "Yes, ma'am."

      "It's Val."

     "Yes, Val ma'am."

     She rolled her eyes back as an expression of annoyance, then resealed the vent. She army-crawled through the dust, her black outfit collecting the gray tufts as she wormed through. The shiny metal space was just large enough for her to fit through with only a small struggle. Her breathing echoed into the tunnel in front of her, and she let the red lease slide over her eye.

      Below her was the enormous ball room, packed with people in beautiful dresses and expensive suits, each person obviously very wealthy. The decorations must have been set up by a millionaire- ridiculously gaudy in its elegance and bright colors. The collaboration of antiques and tech provided an interesting texture to the room, and Val rolled her eyes. Rich people.

      She could locate Krell's signature in the ballroom below her, and was annoyed to see him flirting with a brunette woman in a blue dress. "Krell!" she hissed into the headpiece clipped to her ear, "Eyes for the target!"

      "But she's so sweet!"

       "Krell!!"

        "Sorry, sorry... I'll take her to the dance floor! Then I can look and have fun!"

       Val would have face-palmed if her arms hadn't been forced in front of her, "I don't care as long as you're keeping to the plan!"

      "I am, I am..."

       Val rolled her eyes back, crawling further forward. She didn't have much to do until Jaden Castillo was spotted. She had already rigged the sprinkler systems to explode at a press of a button, and she searched the area for the alert signal.

      She slid the red lens over her eye again, watching Krell twirl with a beautiful young woman across the dance floor. That boy was lucky. He was human, despite his mechanical parts. He had a chance at a normal life, if he ever got away from Enigma Enterprises.

      Her eyes wandered the dance floor beneath her, and she felt a prickle of jealousy. They were all so... happy. How could they live without a purpose? No ambition, no quest...