I get out of the Fix chamber feeling almost as miserable as I did before. The only thing it did was replacing the sharp pain with strange, numb feeling all over my body and indescribable fatigue. I can hardly put my new clothes on and I feel like blacking out again soon.
At least all the injuries, including the bullet wounds, are gone.
As soon as I receive the vitamin shot which should temper the fatigue a little, the two Wardens who got me here approach me. The woman, apparently some kind of officer in command, scans me with her bionic eye; it's not easy to recognize one, but I can notice the pupil and iris looking slightly odd, almost like a camera lens.
"Where are the vials?" I shout at them.
"Woah, calm your temper, mate," the male officer says. Now I notice he has dark skin - a black Castaway isn't a common sight. He's rather athletic, with a shaved head and prominent nose. The woman looks quite plain. Her wavy brown hair is tied into a ponytail and she already has some wrinkles on her pale face.
I take a few deep breaths to get back on the track again. "Sorry," I utter, "but I stole the serums literally before Nightingale's eyes and went through hell to get them here. So I suppose I have a bit of right to decide what will happen to them next."
"They're in good hands of the Wardens," the woman replies curtly.
"Yeah, good hands," I sneer. "Listen up, I was one of Nightingale's bitches. And I've seen countless Wardens defecting to her side! All it takes is one corrupted Warden and the serums are gone. And I risked my fucking life for nothing." I feel anger growing inside me in reaction to these condescending Wardens who treat me like shit. Without me, in the first place, they wouldn't have the vials at all.
"So what do you suggest? Giving them to you?" the man raises his eyebrows.
"Exactly. If you haven't noticed, I carried them all the way from Bifröst. And besides, there's one person who knows the best what to do with them. And I want to give her the vials personally."
"Are you talking about Tempest?" the woman asks.
I nod. "She deserves it. Her Neoclash partner was the man who invented these serums, and I'm indirectly responsible for his death. Returning the vials where they belong is the only way I can redeem myself."
"He's getting sentimental, we better comply," the man sneers.
At this moment, I stand up and poke his chest with my bionic finger; I have about ten percent of my usual power left, but it's enough to make the Warden step back. "Okay, now listen up, mate," I try to sound as menacing as possible. "If you didn't get it by now, I am the one who snatched these bloody vials from Nightingale's clutches. All I ask for in return is some respect. So let's make it clear - either you stop treating me like shit, or I'll take these vials by force, just like I did a few hours ago."
"God, calm down, you hothead!" the black Warden. "Okay, okay, you're the boss now. I think we can come to an agreement, but you have to stop acting like a goddamn lunatic."
I sit down again, glad that I won't have to fight for now. "Okay, do you still have the serums?" I ask.
The woman shows me a small metal strongbox while observing me with a keen eye, like she suspects I'll snatch the box and run away with it. Luckily for her, I can barely walk, the less run.
I nod. "All I ask you is to take me to Tempest - once she appears again. I will give her the vials; you can watch if it makes you happy. Actually, she's a Warden, too, so it will stay with you once she gets it. Please. It's really important to me."
"I guess it can be done," the woman says after thinking about my request. "You see what can happen if we don't act like wild animals?"
"I still don't trust this guy," the male Warden utters, but I see his resolve getting weaker.
"He has a point," the woman shrugs. "He really brought the vials and if everything will go well, it can turn the tides of this goddamn war again. We should be grateful."
I'm in my private apartment in the AVIA Tower, accompanied by two mechanics who are working on fixing my artificial legs. That damn Isaiah caused some serious damage on them when he crashed the car. I am also heavily bruised from my fight with him, but that's no big deal.
"You. Bring me my casual proths," I command one of the engineers. "I don't have all day for this."
Before she returns with the lifelike bionic legs, I launch a sequence which detaches my damaged combat legs from the amputated stumps. Luckily, it's still working. A quiet buzzing sound is followed by strange numbness as the proths turn off the synthetic nerves which connect the legs with the rest of my biological body. Then, I hear a click as the legs disconnect from the skin-colored sleeves attached straight to the end of the stump which blend with my skin so perfectly they almost can't be spotted.
I sit on the bed, the stumps dangling from the edge. The engineers continue working on my combat proths, now disconnected from my body. Being in this divided state makes me feel insecure. Helpless. It reminds me of the years spent as the hideous Birdie who needed countless plastic surgeries to be finally beautiful.
I should be the one who laughs last. The disgusting Birdie grew up to became Nightingale, a famous and feared Castaway leader. But for some reason, I can't feel satisfaction right now. Is it because Isaiah defeated me and escaped? Why do I care so much about this pawn? He's probably dead by now anyway.
Finally, the technician brings me the casual proths which look completely like limbs of a healthy human. I insert them into the sleeves on the stumps and launch a connecting sequence. The numbness is replaced by a tingling sensation as the nerves are being connected this time. Finally, the legs connect with my body completely and allow me to walk again.
It looks so good nobody would guess these legs are just artificial.
To clear my mind, I use the elevator to go down and leave the building. Some of the bruises caused by Isaiah hurt like crazy, but I try to ignore it. A sight of my new empire soothes me. So what Isaiah is gone? I still have thousands and thousands of followers. And more are to come since I have my Flicker serums.
As I step outside the AVIA Mall, I encounter Roxanna (who still refuses to completely let go of her Champion nickname "Scarlet Sparrow") walking towards the building at a fast pace. When she spots me, she runs her hand through her short, black-and-red hair. "Valentina..." she mumbles.
"Is something the matter?" I smile at her.
"Yeah. It seems that Isaiah escaped."
"Wait," I say as my smile quickly turns into a cold glare. "So you're saying he managed to get through the gate and ride to safety? What about the aircrafts I sent after him?"
"He called Wardens to help," Roxanna explains. "And... well, they came. They destroyed our forces sent after Isaiah and carried him to safety. Isaiah was almost dead when they rescued him, but he should be alright after a Fix. I'm sorry to break it to you."
"How do you know it happened like this?"
"One of our people escaped the Wardens and came back here on foot. He returned just a while ago."
It shouldn't bug me so much that he escaped, but still, I can't help but see it as a personal failure. He was merely a pawn with an unstable mind, but still, he managed to successfully break free. He gives me an ominous feeling of not having things in my hands. That just one mistake can lead to my downfall.
"Should we try to hunt him down?" Roxanna asks.
I consider this option for a while, then reply: "No. I can't risk any more people just to bring back one defiant nutcase. I have to let him go. He was useless to me anyway, so why bother? Maybe he will try to reunite with his beloved Zoya and then kill her in a beserker rage," I smirk.
Roxanna doesn't seem to like this scenario. Damn her nostalgia - Zoya used to be her student, but times are changing. She chose her side. And Zoya is standing on the opposite one.
Then, Dimitri approaches us. Our lead scientist with a metal jaw looks just as stressed out as Roxanna - he can't even look me straight in the eyes. "Valentina," he starts. "Well, I... I have heard that Isaiah managed to escape the city and that he was rescued by Wardens."
"That's true," Roxanna and I chant in unison.
"Well, there's a... problem," Dimitri says and makes a subconscious step back, like he was afraid I'll attack him. "Today, one of my people found out there are two vials missing from the testing lab. The anti-Flicker serums. One cure and one vaccine."
I freeze on the spot.
"No..." I mumble when I realize what happened. When I realize that I gravely underestimated Isaiah and his capabilities. I should have realized it sooner. Now it's too late.
Isaiah has the vials and he's already out of our reach.
"Fuck! FUCK!" I scream and my two subordinates step back. I could easily blame them, especially Dimitri for he left the vials unguarded. I could easily just vent my anger on them and a hundred other people in this city. But I realize it would be pointless since most of the blame goes to me.
I should have realized who Isaiah is. That his devotion never truly belonged to me. That he's much smarter than I thought he is.
What now? If the opposing side gets the cure, I will lose most of the Castaways who are only here because they fear for their lives. These two goddamn vials can easily turn the tides of the whole war.
"We have to start with the final phase as soon as possible," I utter.