Kadyn's eyes twitched slightly before she opened her eyelid to meet the blinding light of her hospital room. With a rhythmic jerk, Kadyn abruptly sat up in a cold sweat. Before her memories slowly returned to her mind, she thought that she was in the custody of imperial forces. Yet, as her mind adjusted to the place, she soon noticed she was in an Allied care facility with Audrey sitting by her bedside.
[Kadyn] - "Ugh... What happened? "
Said Kadyn while rubbing her eyes.
[Audrey] - "Oh! You're awake! Thank God... I was worried there for a second. "
Said Audrey as she breathed a sigh of relief.
[Kadyn] - "Why... Why am I here? Where is this place? "
Said Kadyn, confused.
[Audrey] - "Relax, you are in a care facility. You were quite bruised up after what that son of a bitch Arthur did to you. "
[Kadyn] - "No, but... I remember I was with Doctor Dane before I passed out. Is he alright? "
Said Kadyn, a concerned look in her eyes.
[Audrey] - "Sigh... He's doing fine. He's the one who brought you to this place after you fainted. Then, when I rushed here, he simply told me that he found you like this near his office. "
[Kadyn] - "And? "
Said Kadyn, a worried look in her eyes, considering what she was trying to do to Dane before she fainted.
[Audrey] - "He didn't say anything, honestly. I don't know what you were expecting, girly. "
Kadyn looked at Audrey, a look of relief and guilt in her eyes. In her heart, she truly felt bad for her action. Judging by Dane's sorry state and the fact that he brought her here to be cared for, even after she tried to kill him, it was clear now to Kadyn that the doctor was innocent. The creation of Arthur might truly not be his fault.
In one dry stroke, Kadyn pulled the needles out of her veins and detached the sensors attached to her chest and limbs.
[Audrey] - "Hey! What are you doing? You need to heal up before you can– "
Exclaimed Audrey before her words abruptly stopped.
Audrey looked in surprise as Kadyn's bruises and wounds all seemed to have healed with barely any scars left.
[Kadyn] - "Don't worry about it. There's a reason why many don't consider me human. "
Said Kadyn as he grabbed her clothes from the coat hanger.
In front of Audrey, Kadyn casually stripped away her hospital attire and exposed her nude body. With a shocked face, Audrey began to feel her cheeks grow red while a flush of heat passed through her body. Kadyn's body was hypnotic, with a near-perfect ratio on all her parts and skin as smooth as silk. A single description would not have done her justice, as she radiated sensuality, beauty, and femininity simultaneously with one pose.
[Kadyn] - "Oops, I forgot you liked girls. My apologies, haha. "
Said Kadyn nervously as she quickly covered her parts.
After quickly dressing up, Kadyn then wrapped Mike's coat around her with a smile as the lingering fragrance hit her nose.
[Audrey] - "You know, your husband is really lucky to have you. I'm feeling a level of jealousy I've never experienced before this day. "
Said Audrey, half-jokingly.
[Kadyn] - "Haha, don't worry. If anything, I'm the one lucky to have him. "
[Oltevin] - "Comrade! "
Screamed Oltevin as he excitedly rushed through the room door.
Like a pair of good friends, Oltevin ran toward Kadyn and hugged her in his big arms.
[Oltevin] - "These two were so worried for you, comrade! But not me, I knew comrade Kadyn was strong enough to shrug off such puny injuries. "
Said Oltevin as he hugged Kadyn with the strength of a bear.
Though Kadyn was initially taken off guard by Oltevin's affection, she quickly felt a rush of happiness go through her mind. For the first time in her life, a person had seen what she was capable of and not only did he not call her a monster, he embraced her like an old friend. With a joyful expression, Kadyn then hugged Oltevin back with full strength.
[Kadyn] - "You know me too well, comrade! "
Oltevin quickly pulled back, surprised by the strength exerted by Kadyn's arms.
[Oltevin] - "Comrade, you are strong! How could this be? You are just normal girl with so little muscle. "
Said Oltevin in a mix of awe and confusion.
Oltevin then quickly grabbed Kadyn's hand and invited her to wrestle with him. Though his massive hand and muscle should've made the matchup one-sided, Kadyn surprisingly held her own against him.
[Oltevin] - "How could this be? "
[Kadyn] - "I told ya, there's something posthuman beneath this jolly exterior. My muscles have nearly three times the strength compared to those of a normal human. Which means that what I have on my arms is possibly more than those bundles on yours. "
By forcing her arm, Kadyn began to push Oltevin's hand to the side. Before long, Oltevin forfeited and pulled his bruised hand backward. For a moment, as he shook his strained arm, Kadyn had a worried look in her eyes, as she feared that she might scare him with how inhuman she is. Yet, instead of a negative reaction, Oltevin began to laugh.
[Oltevin] - "Hahaha! Comrade, you know how long I had waited for someone of your strength to show up? These weak little cubs in team can't even hope to match me. From today onward, would you be my gym buddy? I needed proper spotter for weight lifting after all. "
Said Oltevin, as he enthusiastically reached his hand toward Kadyn.
[Kadyn] - "Heck yeah! Gym comrades for life! "
Said Kadyn with enthusiasm as she dabbed her hand with Oltevin, their strength producing a sound loud enough to rival an explosion.
[Audrey] - "Eh? Wait, I wanna go to the gym as well! I wanna be Kadyn's gym buddy too! "
Said Audrey, not wanting to be left out.
[McCree] - "God damn it, I feel as if I'm air to ya people. "
Said McCree in an annoyed tone.
Turning toward the door, Kadyn smiled awkwardly as she noticed McCree being there this whole time, but was ignored by the rest.
[Kadyn] - "Oh, hi, Cowboy, what's up? "
[McCree] - "Don't call me that, we ain't that close yet. Anyways, Missy, Doctor Dane has stuff to show us later. He told me to gather all of ya in the afternoon, so don't be late. "
Said McCree before strolling away.
[Oltevin] - "We've got a few hours to go still. Want to hit gym now, comrade? Workout helps you get back in shape after days stuck in bed. "
[Kadyn] - "Gym it is, comrade! "
Said Kadyn as she smiled proudly.
Later in the gym, Kadyn and Oltevin competed to see who could lift more weight than the other while Audrey watched jealously on the sideline with a mini dumbbell. As Oltevin flexed his massive chest and muscles like a bear, Kadyn matched him by presenting the look of an aggressive wolf mother. Then, as the session came to an end, the group of friends returned to their communal living quarters.
[Oltevin] - "You know, comrade, I have a feeling. I feel like you have a certain aura to you, like I feel like you are family, like distant family, like a cousin I never knew I had. Your mannerisms, vibe, and looks remind me of people at home. "
Said Oltevin while wiping the sweat off his head.
[Kadyn] - "Haha! You act like a bear, but you have the flair of a bear as well. My gene mother is Japanese and my gene father is Russian. So in a sense, yes, we both have Slavic blood in our veins. "
Said Kadyn with the enthusiasm of a child while walking beside Oltevin.
[Oltevin] - "I knew it! Maybe I should start calling you 'comrade little sister' from today onward. "
[Audrey] - "What about France? Do you have any French links in your family as well? "
Said Audrey as she caught up to Kadyn's side.
[Kadyn] - "Awww... Not really sure. Even the information about my gene parents came from Mike after he viewed my secret dossier. Being born in an incubation tube really doesn't leave me room to ask my parents about it. "
Said Kadyn, a curious look in her eyes as she tapped her chin.
[Oltevin] - "She clearly isn't the type to raise the white flag, so probably not, haha. "
Said Oltevin jokingly.
[Audrey] - "It was one time! At least France held out for 36 hours at the start of the Cleansing Crusade. Moldova surrendered before the Imperial fleets even reached it. "
Said Audrey in frustration and mockery.
[Kadyn] - "35 hours and 37 minutes. Sorry, I was there when it happened, hehe. "
Said Kadyn while making a silly face.
Audrey frowned and stared at Kadyn with an unimpressed expression as she just had to add insult to injury.
[Oltevin] - "Let's take shower and go to that meeting. "
[Audrey] - "Ugh... Agreed. I'm all sticky from this sweat. "
Said Audrey as she made a disgusted face.
As each of the team members retreated to their respective quarters, Kadyn went for a shower in the communal bathroom. Yet before she even fully stepped inside the room, a hand suddenly grabbed her. Before she could react, Senju pushed her against the bathroom wall with his sword raised against her neck. Then, with his foot, he closed the door to cover up any noise that might escape.
[Kadyn] - "What the hell are you doing? "
Yelled Kadyn, a look of shock in her eyes.
[Senju] - "Don't fucking pretend you don't know! I knew from the first day that you were up to no good. Yesterday, I followed you and saw you trying to kill Doctor Dane. "
Said Senju, his eyes staring with contempt at Kadyn.
[Kadyn] - "I didn't do anything to him. I admit I was in the wrong mindset, but I never went through with it. "
[Senju] - "I don't know what prevented you from going through with it, but you're unstable. You are not mentally well, you witch! "
[Kadyn] - "You're the one yelling at me with a sword to my neck. "
Senju pressed harder against Kadyn, bringing his blade within inches away from her artery.
[Senju] - "Shut up, you witch! I don't know what you want from us. You are here, with an objective that makes no damn sense, while hanging with people that has nothing to do with you. You almost killed Dane, and the next thing I know, you will be covered in the blood of my teammates. "
[Kadyn] - "Yeah, I'm hanging around, but I'm also willing to help. Besides, Audrey and Oltevin are my friends. "
[Senju] - "I don't care! Whatever you say, you are not human. You are a monster created by the Empire to do evil. I'm not blind, witch, I've seen what you can do back on the ship. No matter how you pretend, violence is in your nature. "
Yelled Senju, his eyes burning with spite.
Senju's words hit Kadyn in a place that truly hurt her.
[Kadyn] - "I'm not a monster... "
Whispered Kadyn with a dejected look in her eyes.
[Senju] - "Stay the fuck away from my teammates! Go back to where you came from, or else I'll have to take matters into my own hands. "
Said Senju as he pressed his sword further.
However, as his sword inched closer, its blade accidentally sliced into Mike's coat. At that moment, as if being hit by a trigger, Kadyn's scared expression abruptly vanished. Being unfamiliar with Kadyn's strength, Senju abruptly felt a powerful push that shoved even his mostly cybernetic and armoured body backward.
[Kadyn] - "I'm not a monster! Maybe to you, but not to them! Who are you to decide for them? "
Yelled Kadyn, a spark of anger burning inside her eyes.
[Senju] - "So this is how you want to settle this, huh? Finally showing your true colours? "
Said Senju as he prepared himself for combat.
[Kadyn] - "Your Parkinson-laced sword cut my husband's coat. This is the coat of a man who values justice and who is not afraid to remind assholes like you of their damn place. "
Said Kadyn with gritted teeth.
[Senju] - "Who asked you? "
Said Senju in a mocking tone.
At that moment, the jolly, nice side of Kadyn broke as a fuming look appeared in her eyes.
[Kadyn] - "Get out of the bathroom before I deal you a shame worth one hundred seppuku. "
Said Kadyn in a murderous voice.
[Senju] - "Tsk! Go to hell, you abomination. "
Mocked Senju with a confident look in his eyes.
Without warning, Senju struck forward with his sword at an incredible speed. Though he only aimed to cripple Kadyn's arms, his strikes ended up only hitting the ceramic wall. His mind could barely process Kadyn's presence before his blade would end up striking the wrong target. As Senju swung his sword around, Kadyn simply dodged with ease while keeping her blades still retracted.
[Kadyn] - "I've seen men in the Auxiliary Force fight better than you, and they aren't even trained swordsmen. "
Said Kadyn in a mocking voice.
Senju angrily struck at Kadyn, but she was already gone while her image was still lingering in his vision. Suddenly, a splatter of shampoo splashed onto Senju's visor before Kadyn casually tapped him on the head with the bottle. At this point, shame was an understatement for Senju as his anger compelled him to go for the kill instead. In his bloodlusted state, Senju swung wildly without stopping wherever Kadyn appeared.
[Kadyn] - "How many years in the dojo, little boy? Who's your master? Steven Seagal? "
Said Kadyn mockingly before squeezing soap into Senju's armour joints.
[Senju] - "Fuck you! I'm going to shut your damn mouth, you witch! "
Yelled Senju in rage.
Kadyn suddenly jumped onto Senju's blade, her weight causing him to lose his balance while trying to hold onto his weapon. As Senju tried to recover his stance, Kadyn decided that she had played with him long enough. In a flash, Kadyn extended her wrist blade and slashed Senju's sword in half. While Senju was still processing the sparks flying off his sword, Kadyn casually sliced three more times. By the time Senju realized that his sword was cut in half, his blade had actually been shattered into four pieces instead.
However, instead of giving up, Senju then immediately pulled out his secondary shoto blade. But Kadyn was tired of playing this game as she surged her own blade forward and, in a vertical motion, passed it across the length of Senju's sword. In an instant, the weapon in Senju's hand was eaten up by the hungry teeth of Kadyn's anti-material blade, leaving only a burst of spark for his brain to process.
[Senju] - "What the hell? "
Said Senju as his eyes widened in shock and confusion at the leftover handle he held.
As a final gesture of humiliation, Kadyn then grabbed the sword handle from Senju's hand and smacked it against his visor, breaking the glass. Now disoriented and panicking, Senju immediately opened his helmet, exposing his face.
[Kadyn] - "There is a guy underneath after all. I thought you were just a clanker. "
Said Kadyn mockingly.
As Kadyn calmly sat on the washing basin, Senju's mind was finally able to grasp all that had occurred so far. Looking at the ground, his main sword was in pieces, while his shoto sword was practically vaporized except for the handle. Senju had been defeated and humiliated so thoroughly, it took him another minute or so to finally let out a gasp in response. Senju realized that he had lost so utterly, he could feel the rumble of all his ancestors rolling in their graves.
[Senju] - "That's... Not possible. How the fuck... No, this can't fucking be real. "
Babbled Senju in disbelief.
Yet it was all real. As he looked up, he could only see Kadyn's legs swinging playfully as she looked down at him from the basin. Then it hit him, the complete shattering of his pride and prowess as a warrior. All he could sow was the scent of soap and shampoo that was dripping all over his armour. The difference was simply too great between the two warriors. While one was born to assist the Grim Reaper, the other was born as an average boy.
[Senju] - "You... Just finish me off already. What are you waiting for? "
Said Senju in a defeated voice.
[Kadyn] - "Sigh... How many times do I have to tell you, dude? I have no malicious intentions against you or anyone around you. I just want you to show a bit of respect for my husband's legacy. "
Said Kadyn as she analyzed the cut Senju left on Mike's coat.
Senju tried to pick up the pieces of his shattered sword, but kept dropping them as his hands kept shaking uncontrollably.
[Senju] - "Just fucking kill me already! Fuck, what the hell is this? Fuck, I can't live like this. I'm a failure as a human being. Oh God... "
Said Senju as a traumatic look overtook his face.
[Kadyn] - "Seriously, just get out. I'm not going to kill you. I'm trying to take a shower here. "
Senju abruptly jumped up and tried to grab Kadyn by the collar, but his body refused to even touch Kadyn out of instinctual fear.
[Senju] - "Fuck! Oh God, fuck! I can't live like this, I'm ruined. You fucking ruined me! "
Yelled Senju in a frantic voice.
[Kadyn] - "Geez, calm down! "
Said Kadyn as she tried to reach toward Senju.
In a jolt, Senju backed away in fear, his body recoiling from Kadyn.
[Senju] - "No! My name is ruined, my life is ruined. Just fucking end me already. I dedicated my life to this, and it's gone. All of it is gone. Nearly two decades, and that's all I have left. "
Said Senju, tears streaming down his face like a lost boy.
At this point, even Kadyn felt bad for the man's sorry state. Even though he tried to kill her just a moment ago, she still felt sympathetic toward his situation. In a way, Kadyn felt guilty for assassinating his character by reducing all his worth to ashes.
[Kadyn] - "Bloody hell, just get a hold of yourself! "
Yelled Kadyn as she grabbed Senju by both his shoulders and held him still.
There was a look of utter terror in Senju's eyes as he instinctively tried to cover himself. To him, despite being encased in a cybernetic armour, his fear of Kadyn made him feel naked.
[Kadyn] - "Listen to me, dude. I'm sorry. We are just too far apart in terms of enhancement and skill. It's not your fault that you can't fight me. "
Though Kadyn tried to be sincere, her words came out as more humiliation, which made Senju tear up like an abused kid.
[Kadyn] - "Urgh... No one has to know what happened to you today. Listen, you are not a bad warrior. If you give up now, won't that make you an even bigger coward? "
Said Kadyn in a kind voice.
Senju breathed a few times before finally managing to calm down. As a gesture of goodwill, Kadyn then bent down and picked up all the shattered pieces of Senju's weapons and handed them to him.
[Kadyn] - "Here, I'm sorry for destroying your stuff. Just please, let's be friends and not enemies in the future, okay? "
Senju reluctantly accepted the pieces into his hands and began to walk toward the door. As he exited the bathroom, he peeked at Kadyn one last time and saw not a face of disgust but a face of compassion. At that moment, Senju's mind changed. Though he won't admit it just yet, he understands that Kadyn is a good person at heart.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Kadyn breathed a sigh of relief before being confronted with the sight of an unusable bathroom destroyed with hundreds of slash marks left by Senju.
[Kadyn] - "Pfft... Just when I thought I could shower in peace... "
Whispered Kadyn, with an annoyed look on her face.
To be continued...