"Oblivion is in the building."
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"Where?" I reached for my knives, preparing to strike. I scanned the room and tallied the exits and entrances. One door and two windows. I'll have to keep close tabs on those.
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"She's with you right now. Atlas, Katrina is Oblivion."
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I fought to keep the surprise off my face. If what Chase is saying is true, I don't want to show my hand too quickly. "How did you find that information?"
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He didn't respond.
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"Chase? Chase?"
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Still no answer.
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I shifted my gaze toward the door. If Chase and Marisa are in danger, I have to go help them! I fingered the hilts of my knives and prepared to charge out the door to rescue Chase.
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Katrina caught me staring at the open door. "What are you doing? Vindicator was a hologram, remember? He's not here. "
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I snapped myself back into reality. "Sorry, I'm a little distracted, that's all."
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I studied Katrina from a distance as she scoured the lab for anything that could be useful to our cause. She still had the pistol she'd pulled out of her boot. Now it was hanging loosely from her belt. Where'd she learn to use a weapon like that effectively? I could tell by her aim, posture, and the way she handled the recoil that she was familiar with firearms. We'd been friends for quite some time, but what did I really know about her? Not much. She's never mentioned any family or friends. I don't know where she lives or where she comes from. She's never told me anything about her personal life. We always speak of mundane things like what's for lunch and so on. Occasionally she'd ask me about my art, and I'd ask her about her music, but our conversations never went much deeper than that. I'd never wanted to press further because I wasn't ready to open up about my own traumatic past. Perhaps I should've asked more questions, maybe then I'd have a better idea of what kind of person I'm dealing with. Maybe I was so desperate for a friend I missed the red flags. I forced down the lump in my throat. I'd been double-crossed so many times this should hardly phase me, but deep down I felt an inescapable feeling of betrayal. She was my friend. Did she care for me at all, or was it all an act? Was she just spying on me for Bionic Corp this whole time? Was any of it real? I took a deep breath. We don't know for certain that she's Oblivion. It could all be one big misunderstanding.
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Katrina caught me staring and giggled. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a malevolent sea ghost."
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I forced a smile. "Everything is fine," I signed. Everything was not fine, but I couldn't let her know I was on to her.
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"I know you're lying. Is there something you're not telling me?"
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I stared at the wall to avoid her cold, scrutinizing gaze. An overwhelming sense of dread grabbed a hold of me. I closed my eyes and counted down, alternating languages every time. Veinte, Nineteen, Dix-huit, Siebzhen, 十六, पंद्रह, أربعةعشر, Тринадцать, Doze, じゅういち, Dieci. Why do panic attacks always happen at the most inopportune moments?
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"Atlas? Hello? Earth to Atlas." She waved her hands around, trying to get my attention.
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"I said I was fine!" I signed with more ferocity than necessary.
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"Woah, calm down. I don't know what's gotten into you."
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"I'm sorry, I'm just stressed out about Patch, and we still haven't found the code. I'm distraught."
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She gave an understanding nod. "Don't worry, we'll find it. Even if we have to scour every inch of this place. We'll leave no corner unsearched."
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"I don't know. I think it's time to throw in the towel. I think I drew the map wrong. We should just leave."
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She grabbed my wrist and squeezed so hard I feared she'd leave a dent in it. "No! I'm not leaving without that code!"
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She stepped right into my verbal trap. I needed to know how much the Annihilation Code meant to her. Judging by her grip on my arm, I'd say it matters a lot to her. If she cares about it so deeply, why did she give us the piece of the map from Harv's shop? It doesn't make any sense. What's her endgame here?
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She took several deep breaths, most likely trying to conceal her rage and keep her cover. "Listen, Atlas, I'm sorry I yelled. It's just that finding the Annihilation Code is very important to me. I'm a cyborg too, you know? Let's talk this through, okay?" There's no need to quit so soon."
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I took advantage of our proximity and swiped the pistol away from her and slid it across the floor. It ricocheted off the wall and landed on the furthest side of the room.
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"What the hell did you do that for?" She hissed, her tone laced with venom.
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Oh well, I guess the jig is up. I pried her fist open, breaking free from her grasp. "I think you know, Oblivion."
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A wicked smirk spread across her features. "Oh man, I can't believe you figured it out! Who told you? Was it Chase?"
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I didn't dignify her with an answer.
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She didn't seem to mind my lack of response. She kept on talking. "It was definitely Chase. He must have poked around in my file. Hasn't anyone told him snitches get stitches? I'm going to kill him for this."
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"You're not killing anyone else. Not on my watch."
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She shot me a condescending look. "That's cute. I'm Bionic Corp's top assassin, remember?"
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So was I. I unsheathed my knives and charged toward her.
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She dodged without even thinking. At first, she remained mostly passive, blocking and sidestepping out of my trajectory, with the occasional counterstrike. I know what she's doing. She's trying to tire me out, so I'll be easier to kill, just like a persistence hunter. I needed to change my tactic. I swept my leg and sent her tumbling to the ground.
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She let out a vexed grunt as she rose to her feet. She extended a sharp set of metallic claws on her cybernetic arm.
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A stinging pain tore through my chest as she slashed through my clothes and gashed my skin. The pain wasn't enough to incapacitate me, but it was enough to piss me off. I grabbed a glass flask and smashed it into her face.
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Rivulets of blood trickled down her face. A couple of glass shards remained lodged in her skin. She smiled a familiar smile. It was the look she would make whenever she was impressed by something I'd made."Nice shot. I didn't see that one coming."
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She aimed a brutal left hook toward my cheek. I barely managed to duck out of the way. I clutched my bleeding chest. The pain was starting to catch up to me.
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She swung again, this time aiming for the right side of my face.
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I was too slow to dodge this time, she delivered a devastating blow, sending me staggering backward. That was going to leave a nasty bruise, and possibly a black eye as well. You know what they say, an eye for an eye and a face for a face.
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She rushed towards me with her claws bared. She was aiming for my stomach this time.
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I swiftly picked her up and threw her over my shoulder, sending her crashing into the giant vat of liquid with a loud thud. To my surprise, the vat didn't shatter. It didn't even crack.
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Katrina sprung to her feet, furious this time. She pounced, and tackled me into one of the shelves, sending everything on it clattering to the ground. A waterfall of glass shards cascaded onto us from the shattered vials.
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I pinned her to the wall and pressed the edge of my blade to her throat. Small drops of blood began to bubble up along her pale skin. I wonder how she would feel if she could never sing again. I think being voiceless would drive her mad. She was never particularly good at shutting up. I pressed the knife harder. Maybe it's time this chatterbox learned a thing or two about silence.
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I would be no better than Vindicator.
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She took my moment of indecision as an opportunity to strike.
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She drove her claws into the side of my neck forming thin gashes along my skin. I felt a stream of warm blood drip down my neck. It stung, but I refused to release my hold on her.
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She kneed me in the stomach, causing the grip on my knives to loosen. She used that to her advantage and knocked the blades out of my hands. She rammed me in the stomach one more time for good measure. I stepped backward and doubled over in pain.
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Katrina scrambled to the corner of the room and picked up the pistol with a triumphant look on her face. "I'm sorry it has to end like this, Atlas."
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She didn't look sorry.
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Her revolver can hold up to seventeen bullets. She used one on Vindicator's hologram, which means, unfortunately, there are still sixteen bullets for her to use against me. Not good.
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She sauntered towards me with the pistol in hand. She pressed my body against the large glass window. "Goodbye, Atlas. I'll see you in hell one day." With those parting words, she fired a bullet into my abdomen and pushed me out the window, sending me plummeting to the ground.
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I grabbed a tight fistful of her shirt and dragged her out the window. If I'm going down, she's coming with me.
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My cybernetic reflexes kicked in, and I landed flat on my feet. At that moment, I was thankful for my cybernetic ankles. Human bones would've snapped with that impact.
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Katrina tucked and rolled, landing without a scratch. She brushed herself off and laughed. "That was a dirty trick, Atlas. I love it. You should pull stunts like that more often."
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I clenched my fists and prepared to fight. If I can wrestle the gun out of her hands I'm pretty sure I could take her down. I tried to fight, but the searing, burning pain from my bullet wound, and the rapid blood loss and caused me to collapse.
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She slammed the back of my head into the pavement. "Stay down." She grabbed me by the scarf and dragged me down the road toward the island's edge.
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I tried to struggle free from her grasp, but all it did was worsen the pain in my abdomen.
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The backstreet was completely desolate except for three mice feasting on an old slice of pizza. No one was coming to save me. Even if I could scream, no one would hear me. It can't end like this! Patch needs me! Marisa needs me! Chase needs me! I tried to wrestle free one last time, to no avail. She wasn't going to loosen her grip anytime soon.
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Once we reached the end of Ikigai II, she hoisted me up and lifted me over the railing. Without a moment of indecision, she threw my body over the edge, and I plummeted into the cold ocean below. I fought to keep my head above water through the crashing waves. The saltwater made my wound burn like the fire of one thousand suns was pouring into my skin. I reached out toward Chase through our cerebral link. "I'm so sorry, Chase. I wasn't strong enough to stop her. It's up to you now. I'm sorry," Atlas said through our link.
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