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...
Val streaked a finger through her hair. The black had seemed drab and resigned, as if she had fallen into a gloom for working with the company. So she had bleached it as white blonde as possible, and the waves fell down her shoulders. The lighter hair made her feel more like a bright individual than a chained victim.
"Val!" Krell's voice echoed through the earpiece, "I see him! South entrance, black suit, and a purple tie. Blah, the purple really clashes, don't you think?"
"I don't care about his fashion choices, I care about his head," Val grumbled, "But this will be a piece of cake." She slid out of the vent, dropping out onto the top of a staircase leading down into the ballroom. She dusted off the gray flakes clinging to her, and she pressed a button on her bracelet.
Her black armor transformed flawlessly into a sleek, black dress. It even supplied her with gloves, which she pulled snugly over her fingers. She needed them to hide her whirring gears on her wrists.
"Play nice," Krell advised, "Try not to kill him in front of everyone. Liza wouldn't like it, and I think that would ruin our dance. Take him to a back alley or something."
"How am I supposed to get him into a back alley, genius?" she hissed into the earpiece as she strode down the stairs. Her timing was perfect: without breaking stride, she fell into perfect step beside the man. Excitement coursed through her wires. She had finally found him- Jaden Castillo!
He looked just like his picture- dirty blond hair smoothed back with a few flyaway strands in golden eyes. His jaw was strong, his scar long, and his smile confident. He walked with almost a strut, his hands loosely stuffed into the pockets of his neat, black jacket.
He was here to steal parts from an exotic robot showing happening in the next few minutes, to do something with them that was apparently 'classified' material.
"Hello," Val faked a girlish grin as she beamed up at him, "I've heard a lot about you, big guy!"
Jaden's eyebrow arched, "Have you?"
"Of course." The grin was gone, "I know a lot about you. And I have some highly important information I'd wish to divulge. Presuming you even want it, of course."
"Who are you?" The question bore a hint of an accent, sounding rough but refined.
"They all call me Val," she replied, twirling a finger through her white blonde hair, "At least, my friends do. But you call me whatever you want."
"I'm gonna need more than that to trust you."
"You don't have to trust me. You just have to listen to what I have to say," Val smiled, offering him her hand, "May I have this dance?"
"I'm here for the robot showing. I don't have time for a dance."
"Don't you? I doubt you'll get far without the code on the restriction of access for the showing container. I'd love to see you try to covertly steal something while triggering every alarm in the system."
Jaden gritted his teeth together, then took her hand, "Then dance we must. Assuming you know the code?"
"Of course I do. I could steal it myself if I had any inclination to do so," Val replied silkily, her hand gripping his black gloves as she tugged him onto the dance floor.
"And what do I need to do to obtain such a code?" Jaden pressed, lifting his eyebrows.
"Listen to what I have to warn you about," she replied, "But I can't talk here. There are people... listening."
"Of course," Jaden lifted his head, scanning the area, "That boy over there," he tilted his head to indicate Krell, who was still dancing with the brunette, "He's a cyborg. Probably from Enigma Enterprises."
"How could you tell that?" It wasn't hard to give him an impressed look as she led him towards the back door as they danced. "Or have you been tipped off already?"
"His movements are fluid from his torso down. His left arm moves in a more conformed pattern, as does his left ankle," Jaden replied, "He keeps looking at us out of the corner of his eye, and the fluidity of his movements could only be from Enigma Enterprises. That company is the most advanced in the robotics division, and any other cyborg would move like a robot, not replicating the swift and controlled movements of a human."
"Good eye," Val smiled at him, then something flashed in the corner of her vision. It was a red light, and she realized its meaning instantly. Abort mission. Her smile vanished. She had spent weeks tracking this man, and now when he was just at her fingertips, they were trying to cut her off!
"Are you okay?" Jaden asked, his head cocking to the side, "Is there a problem?"
"Yes," Val drew back her blonde hair to reveal the side of her face and the earpiece hooked to her ear. She let the wavy strands fall back into place as his eyes narrowed, "I just got a tip off. If I am to tell you anything, we have to do it now. If I don't leave now, I will be killed."
"Who's after you?" Jaden demanded, breaking away from her as they hurried towards the northern exit, "Who are you hiding from?"
"I'm a leak. Leaks must be mended," Val replied, sliding out of the large door and into the cool night air. She took a deep breath, faking a smile at a man who nodded to her as they passed, then she pulled Jaden into the alleyway, "Listen closely, because I can only tell you this once."
He stepped forward to hear her low voice, "What is it?"
"Never trust a woman who wears a black dress to a party," she clicked a button on her bracelet, and her dress transformed into the form-fitting armor as she brought a foot curving up and into his face.
Jaden was knocked back into the wall, and her forearm caught on his throat as she forced him into the brick. The knife slid out of her wrist, slicing through her black gloves as went straight for his throat.
With inhuman strength, Jaden pried her off of him, and she lost her footing. She crashed hard into the wall, but instantly gathered her feet beneath her to spring at him. She knocked him off of his feet, but he caught her wrists. She grabbed his knuckles beneath her fingers and began to crush them. His mouth twisted into a grimace, but he surged upwards, pinning her against the wall.
"Who are you?" he demanded, but she slid down between his legs, spinning around behind him to land a kick to the back of his head. He spun around, catching her ankle. "Tell me."
"Give me one good reason!" Val brought her foot down to the ground, pulling free from his grip suddenly enough to through him off balance. She slammed her fist into the side of his head, but to he shock, it didn't knock him out. He whipped around, catching her by the throat and pinning her against the wall.
"You're a cyborg?" He sounded startled as stared at her, "You're too strong to be human, too coordinated to be a robot-"
"I am Valencia 704," she said coldly, "I am neither human, robot, or cyborg. I am one of my kind, designed to exterminate Jaden Castillo. That is my mission. My purpose."
He lifted his eyebrows, "Are you now?"
She broke free of his grip, thrusting her head into his gut. He fell back, but she grabbed him by his jacket, jerking him forward to bash her head into his. His eyes blinked rapidly, but it didn't knock him out. The jacket tore at the sleeves from the sudden rip, and Jaden twisted to the side, kicking her in the jaw as he rolled away.
Val went rigid, staring at his shoulders. Each shoulder was covered with whirring black gears that spun as he raised his arms in front of him in a fighting stance. Her eyes darted up and down his body, the red lens sliding in front of her left eye. He was mechanical- like she was. No living readings except... there was a tiny portion of a living brain in his head amongst circuits and wires.
Jaden ejected knives from his wrists that cut through black, fingerless gloves of his own, but as he lunged towards her, she pulled off the armor plate on her shoulder to reveal her black gears whirring wildly.
He paused, his knives slowly lowering. Then his eyes flashed with disgust, "So they did try again."
"You're a robot too!" Val backed away, stunned, "Th-they told me I was the only one of my kind... but you're a robot with human thoughts and motions!"
"Why were you sent to kill me?" Jaden demanded, his eyes glowing now, and his body tense for a fight. But Val barely considered attacking him again.
"I-I don't know," she stepped back again, startled, "It was what they told me to do... but they said you were human!" She met his gaze, which was sympathetic, "And I'm supposed to kill you!"
"You're a newer model, you probably could," Jaden told her, but the knives in his wrists retracted, "But once I'm dead, what will you do? They told you it was your life's goal, correct?"
"I-I'm sure they'll have other assignments..."
"I'm going to tell you something, and you'd better listen. It could save your life," Jaden stepped forward, his eyes narrowed dangerously, "They call it your life's goal for a reason. Once they don't need you, they'll wipe your memory and shut you down. They say you're the first of your kind, but you're really the only one remaining they haven't destroyed because the others have gained independence."
Val shook her head, finding her back pressed against the brick, "What are you saying?"
"Once you're not under their control, they wipe your memory and wake you up again. If you hack into your database, you'll find this isn't your first mission. You must be newer, or more submissive, because you're still around. They will wipe you sooner or later, telling you that they're only checking your 'brain compatibility'. But then you'll be out like a light until they wake you up again, no memories, and a new purpose."
"Is that what happened to you?"
There was a shout behind the building, and the red light in her vision flared again. They were coming to sweep her out. She hadn't followed their orders.
"Don't trust them," Jaden said quickly, his eyes scanning their surroundings as he pressed a tiny computer file into her hands, "This is a file containing important information. Memories they've wiped from the other experiments. Don't give them a reason to wipe you. If they try to check for 'brain compatibility', they're wiping you. Now I've gotta go." He backed away, and Val didn't protest.
She heard footsteps behind her, and she slid the computer file into the compartment hidden beneath the skin on her forearm as a group of armored men rushed around the corner.