"I didn't take you for the type who keeps an innocent woman locked in his basement," Ada spoke turning from the muddy wall she was staring at, looking at the guy who entered.
"Let's go."
"Can I at least ask why I'm being treated like this? You know I had nothing to do with the people who attacked you."
"South, east, north, or west," Sasuke asked as he walked, leading the way. "Pick a direction around central Atlanta you'd prefer."
Ada shrugged. "Anywhere that's not underground would be nice."
She knows that any more words will be mere blabber now, her chance will come when they are alone in the vehicle they will travel on.
She followed him into the tunnel, counting her steps, keeping mental notes of every turn, and trying to memorize everything. But at some point, she realized that her sense of direction was gone.
Every count, every breath pattern she'd been tracking had vanished. She blinked once, and the air had changed, they were no longer amidst the damp stony underground, but in the cold open space.
She blinked once more as her eyes got used to the light.
The tunnel, the walls, and the prison were all gone.
Now, they were suddenly standing on an empty two-lane road, and a black SUV was parked nearby.
'He's dangerous, just like they said...' She took a deep breath, glancing at the man who was walking toward the parked car.
Ada was sure they were still walking in that tunnel, And it was all real, yet now, a mere seconds later she was standing in the middle of the road of unknown town.
'easy, we still got this.'
she smiled faintly regaining her composure and followed after him. "You really like dramatic exits,"
"You talk too much." Yet, Sasuke was focused on something else, tracking its reactions.
He opened the passenger door for her "Get in." and sat behind the wheel.
Ada sighed, part of her hating the asshole who kept going off-script yet she kept that sweet smile and obeyed his •orders•, sitting with her hands casually resting on her lap while her thoughts stirred, going through everything that happened and linking the new information she picked up.
"So you know about me," and Ada froze...hearing the first words from the man that weren't an order.
"Why are you asking?" she said carefully looking at the passing trees, playing the ignorant.
"Let me guess, you've been investigating me for some days now, digging through every post I may have left a trace on, and well...no one would sit next to a guy who casually took them through a fantasy space jumps. That tells me this isn't your first time seeing something unnatural." He glanced her way briefly.
"By the way, I didn't take you for the type to prefer cute tactical shorts."
The last part made Ada think for some seconds before catching up on what he meant, turning to him with raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, I found the duffel bag holding your supplies and clothes."
And that explanation from him only made her more tense, especially being this near to him.
Ada tilted her head, feigning amusement. "I told you, I meant no harm." She even leaned in, her gloved hand tracing from his jaw to his collarbone down to his chest.
She shot him a teasing smile seeing how he glanced her way. "Why not believe me?" and retreated to her seat crossing her hands.
"impressive fingers' dexterity you got there, but, you might want to take a second look at what you took." Once again, her muscles spasmed for a moment hearing his words, and she sighed in defeat.
gazing down at her fingers by her side that twitched involuntarily seeing the strand of hair she just picked nowhere to be seen, even though she was pretty sure that she retrieved it successfully.
"So what was it that you were after? My DNA? For cloning? Or simply cell studies? You don't strike me as the studious type though...Or is it just your weird idea of a keepsake?"
"You're not doing anything to me even after catching me, why?" Ada said softly testing him. "Did I grow on you already?"
Sasuke ignored that and clarified, knowing she was most likely not the mastermind.
"You and whoever backs you up aren't getting any results even if you took that. But congratulations—you've got my attention now."
"And what happens to the women who catch your attention?" She asked with a faint smirk unaware that the shinobi had already gotten his last piece of the puzzle.
"I'm talking about the wrong kind of attention."
"I'm still curious tho, what happens to women who get the bad kind?"
"Ada, right? By any chance...are you aware that you've been leaking something?
Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of something. 'Leaking? No. Impossible. It's four days later'
She twitched resisting the instinct to stretch her hand down to verify.
She closed her thighs trying to sense what she thought he was talking about, and turned to him with a frown.
"Well, mister, that's one rude way to tease a lady."
And Sasuke rolled his eyes, catching on to where she jumped at.
"I don't tease ladies that makes the air feel like it's vibrating."
"Excuse me?"
She froze seeing him pointing at her own throat.
"You might want to check that, whatever you're hiding there, it's being activated."
Ada touched her neck lightly. Beneath her skin, the faintest warmth pulsed once… twice…
Then a tiny sound began.
Sasuke tapped his fingers on the wheel in rhythm with the beeping that even Ada found it difficult to track, and he slowed down the car. Looking at her trying to act composed "Well, you didn't have that before. Is that device you are keeping in there supposed to beep?"
Ada quickly thought of a response.
"It's… a failsafe. Tracker beacon," she said, keeping her tone calm even though she started taking measures cursing inwardly as she swore to kill the asshole who made it "you know, in case something happens to me."
"Is that so?" Sasuke tilted his head slightly, keeping his Sharingan under control. Yet his anger wasn't, especially about what he just sensed.
"Then why does it start •leaking• chakra?"
She didn't caught on to the meaning of the last word which made her frown.
Especially about what he said, the device wasn't meant to •emit• anything perceptible. It was a triple-function unit only.
Locator, amplifier, trigger. Nothing more.
Ada had known she was the bait, that was the plan, but the proximity trigger was never supposed to activate this early.
She tightened her fist, knowing she got discovered already. "You can see it?"
"I can feel it." Sasuke looked at the forest on the sides of the highway, chakra enhancing his senses, and he braked, halting the car.
"What are you doing?"
"It got too silent, and something is coming." The few birds in the area suddenly went silent.
He grabbed his Kusanagi and glanced at her.
"Move away and you die; we still have something to discuss." And right on cue.
There was a low rumble sounding by the forest from the side of the road, so faint it was almost covered by the engine's sound.
And the beeping from her throat quickened then came to a sudden stop, Ada put two fingers and shove them down her throat retrieving a small piece and tossed it on the dashboard.
Seconds later she recalled a scene, one of her peeking through into a carrier that was transported.
"That's not possible…" Her eyes showed clarity as she finally understood what was happening.
She hastily turned to unfasten the seatbelt.
Sasuke who just got out from the car heard a furious roar that shattered the stillness in the area, it was loud and close,
he turned to its direction curious if this is what his insticts had been awakened for.
Seconds later he saw a few trees ahead torn apart. Then, A pale and hulking silhouette emerged from the forest, its chest split with pulsing red seams. Some parts of its flesh seemed to be unnaturally fused with weird objects.
Its head tilted toward them, then it focused on Sasuke with unmasked hunger to the point it started hyperventilating.
"Alright, this is a new kind of bullshit..." Sasuke sighed, seeing the behemoth of sewed flesh striding toward him, each step sounding like a damn thunderclap.
He brought his scabbard forward, guarding his body from the huge fist that slammed into it, sending him skidding back on the asphalt.
"Impressive, it's been a while since someone pushed me back." He cracked his neck coming to a halt and unsheathed his blade, walking calmly toward the incoming behemoth, who swept another fist once he was in front of him.
Sasuke ducked easily under it, slashed at the shoulder then kicked at its ribs, sending it reeling back.
Ada who was hesitant whether she should slip away couldn't believe her eyes, seeing the way the monster was kicked away, and winced at the severed arm that dropped on the windshield, black blood oozing from its cut part.
The thing's scream sounded like a beast's howl as it thrashed around.
Sasuke who saw the blood hindering her vision ran toward the behemoth who was getting up to its feet, his eyes morphing into the Sharingan; he poured the whole 140 threads of Chakra into his blade, fingers making a one-handed seal.
A faint crackle sounded accompanied by few blue sparks, and he jumped evading the rush tackle, spun in midair, and slashed 7 times before his feet met the ground again.
Sasuke huffed, wiping the dark splatter on his cheek, hearing the thwap sounds behind him.
He swept his blade aside to clean it from the reeking blood and sheathed it then deactivated his Sharingan and turned, looking down at the mutilated abomination.
He raised his head glancing at the stupefied woman standing beside the SUV whose knee shook from meeting his gaze.
"I thought I told you to stay still."
"W-what are you?" This isn't what she was told she will be dealing with...not the ugly monster, nor the FUCKING monster.
"Your friend?" Sasuke pointed at the behemoth as he walked past it.
The giant •walker• got his limbs and neck severed, his waist cut into two, and the severed parts cauterized due to the weakened version of the Chidori blade he used.
Ada took a deep breath getting a hold of her emotions back and tried to smile.
"Too ugly to be that," she said. "I don't mind if it's you, though. Interested? I can be very helpful..." And Ada closed her mouth seeing him halting one step away from her, looking up at him and secretly thinking about the best angle to kneed his balls if necessary.
"Any last words?"