"I'm sorry, Darius, but you are now my enemy." Shinji's voice was a stark, unwavering pronouncement.
The room fell silent, the tension so thick it was a physical weight. Zen, ever the observer, leaned toward Rose. "Now that was cool," he whispered, a smirk playing on his lips. Rose ignored him, her focus locked on the scene unfolding before them.
"What are you talking about, Shinji?" Darius's voice was a disbelieving plea. "Reed would have never wanted this!"
Shinji didn't waver. His hands drifted to the hilts of his twin short swords, the polished steel glinting under the harsh overhead lights. "Sign the contract, Darius, or walk out that door alive."
"Shinji, you're leaving me no choice," Darius retorted, his face hardening with a desperate resolve. He took a staggering step forward, his injured leg trembling. "Reed taught me that any comrade of a Rift Walker is a threat to humanity. I guess there is no other way."
Cole, who had remained silent, now gripped his guns. "Darius, you can't even stand straight. Your leg is still injured."
"And it's just the four of you versus the 18 of us," Darius countered, a flicker of his old bravado returning.
"Shinji, Cole, stand down! That's an order!" Director Yamato's voice cracked like a whip.
"But Director, you would be..." Shinji began, his voice laced with concern.
Yamato cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry, Shinji. There is nothing they can do to me." A disappointed smirk crossed his face. "I had high hopes for you, Darius. What a letdown."
Darius and the agents behind him slowly walked past Shinji and Cole. "Let's see how much longer you can remain cocky," Darius muttered as he passed, his eyes full of seething hatred.
As Darius neared the Director, Yamato's smile widened. "Now, let me formally introduce to you all the Rift Walker Clean-up Crew Combat Unit, led by Commander Screw."
The heavy metal door at the back of the room hissed open. Commander Screw strode in, followed by two men and a woman. All of them wore pristine white work suits with black safety shoes. Robin was a lean, athletic man, his face a chiseled mask of concentration.
The other man, Kaido, was a mountain of muscle, his broad shoulders and thick neck promising brute strength. And then there was Ruby. She moved with an effortless grace that seemed to defy her uniform. A cascade of fiery red hair was pulled back in a tight bun, but a few stray strands framed a face with high cheekbones and full lips. It was her eyes, a startling, icy blue, that held a terrifying beauty.
"Okay, Director, how many are we cleaning up this time?" Screw's voice was a low, professional growl.
"Okay, squad one, let's finish this off fast before more garbage men show up!" Darius roared, his voice ringing with a mix of fury and fear.
Ruby's icy blue eyes narrowed. She shot an annoyed look at Screw. "Commander, please allow me the pleasure of cleaning up this time."
Screw just nodded. "Okay, but finish this fast. Try not to spill blood everywhere."
Darius, fuming at being ignored, roared, "Okay, men, get ready!"
Screw, Kaido, and Robin positioned themselves in front of the Director, their bodies a human shield. Ruby began walking toward Darius, the only sound her slow, deliberate footsteps. "And who did you call a garbage man?" she asked, her voice dangerously soft.
Darius laughed, a wild, desperate sound. "Okay, guys, kill the little girl first!"
As the words left his mouth, Ruby lunged, a blur of white and red. Darius instinctively dropped to the ground, the air above him whistling as Ruby passed. She dropped to the floor behind him, her movements seamless, and delivered a powerful kick to the face of the nearest agent. The man's head snapped back, and he crumpled to the floor with a sickening crunch. The other agents opened fire, a deafening cacophony of bullets flying at the blur of Ruby's form.
She moved with almost supernatural speed, a dance of destruction. She dodged, wove, and ducked, the bullets tearing through the air where she had been a moment before. Her hands and feet were a blur of motion. One moment, an agent was raising his gun, and the next, Ruby's foot was connecting with his jaw, sending him flying backward. She grabbed the wrist of a firing agent, twisting it with a sickening snap. The agent screamed, and the gun fell from his hand. Ruby caught it mid-air, her motion fluid and practiced.
Now armed, she became a force of absolute carnage. "KILL!" she roared, her voice echoing with a primal fury. She fired with lethal precision, each shot finding its mark—the head, the neck, the hearts of the agents. The room filled with the sounds of grunts, cries, and the rapid-fire succession of gunshots. The metallic smell of spent gunpowder filled the air, mingling with the scent of blood.
The remaining agents, panicked and disorganized, returned fire blindly. A stray bullet grazed Ruby's cheek. She flinched for a moment, a thin line of red appearing on her porcelain skin. The small scar only seemed to fuel her rage.
In a few short, brutal moments, Ruby was the last one standing, her uniform now stained with blood. All that was left was Darius, who was scrambling to his feet, pulling out his short sword. He saw his opening and lunged, his blade arcing through the air.
Ruby, however, had already dropped the gun. As Darius moved to fire, she spun on her heel, her foot connecting with his hand with a sharp crack. His gun went flying, clattering uselessly against the far wall.
He roared in frustration, raising his short sword, but Ruby was already on him. She dodged his desperate lunge and then delivered a brutal combination of blows—a swift punch to the gut, another to the jaw, and finally, a devastating uppercut that sent him flying backward. He slammed into the wall, a groaning mess of defeat.
Ruby walked over to him, her face a mask of cold fury. Darius was on the floor, dazed but trying to push himself up. She knelt and delivered a powerful punch to his jaw, the sound of the impact echoing through the silent room. She followed with two more savage blows to his face, his head lolling from the force. "And who did you call a garbage man?" she hissed, her voice low and full of menace.
She grabbed him by the neck, her fingers digging into his flesh, and dragged his limp body across the floor. The sound of his uniform scraping against the concrete was a brutal finale to the fight. She dragged him past Shinji and Cole, who watched in silent horror. She stopped in front of Commander Screw, dropping Darius's body in a heap.
"I have cleaned up all the dirt," she said, her voice a low, satisfied purr.
Yamato's voice cut through the tense silence. "Great job, Ruby. Marcus, for attempted murder on a director of the SSD, put Darius in the SSD prison."
Marcus, a stoic figure with a face like chiseled granite, began putting handcuffs on the almost unconscious Darius. The metallic click echoed in the sterile air of the room.
"Director, was that even necessary?" Rose's voice was a blade of disapproval. "There were other options."
At the sound of Rose's voice, Ruby's cold fury vanished. The predatory gleam in her eyes melted away, replaced by a childlike innocence. A bright smile, too wide and too sweet, spread across her face as she scampered toward Zen, her arms thrown wide. "Zen, did you see that?" she whimpered, her bottom lip trembling. "Those guys were bullying me! They called me a garbage man!"
Zen offered a tight smile, trying subtly to step away from her outstretched arms.
"Who was bullying who, exactly?" Cole whispered to Shinji, his eyes wide with confusion. "And what's with the personality change?"
Ruby continued to pout, ignoring them. "They were bullying me!"
"To me, it looked like you were the bully," Rose said, stepping forward. Her gaze was steady, unwavering, a challenge in her dark eyes.
Ruby's expression hardened. Her hand shot forward in a blur, a straight punch aimed for Rose's face—a sudden, terrifying flash of the killer she had been moments before. "Don't disturb me when I'm talking, girly," she snarled, the sweet innocence gone.
Rose, however, was faster. She grabbed Ruby's wrist mid-swing, her grip firm and unyielding. "Watch where you throw that hand of yours," she said, her voice dangerously calm. "Someone might get hurt, and that someone isn't me."
Before Ruby could react, Zen quickly stepped between them, placing a hand on each of their chests. "Ruby, this is my new guardian," he said softly. "If you still value our friendship, let this one slide."
Rose let go of Ruby's hand, and Ruby's demeanor shifted yet again, her face softening into a small, playful smile. She backed away, her movements fluid. "There won't be a next time, girly," she said, her voice now a low, seductive purr. Her eyes found Zen, her cheeks flushing. "Call me when you're free, okay? You owe me."
Zen gave a single, small nod, and Ruby finally walked away, her hips swaying slightly as she rejoined her team.
"Okay, Shinji and Cole," the Director said, his gaze sweeping over the room. "Now that everyone is quiet, sign these contracts."
As they began to sign, Marcus stood up, pulling a groaning Darius to his feet. He began to lead him away.
"Look at this, Shinji!" Darius's voice echoed from the doorway, raw with fury. "This is the side you choose! They are going to make the monster who killed Reed walk around freely!"
The Director's face remained impassive. "Marcus, take him away now."
Darius was quickly dragged out of the room. The heavy metal door hissed shut behind him. The Director then looked at Shinji, his eyes narrowed. "Have a change of mind?"
Shinji's pen didn't hesitate. He finished his signature with a flourish. "No. The SSD before everything else."
"Good," Yamato said with a satisfied nod.
He then turned to Screw. "Okay, Screw, where is my new Squad Zero member?"
Everyone's attention turned to Screw, who slapped his forehead. "Oh, I'd forgotten! King, how long are you going to hide out there?"
As he finished speaking, the heavy metal door began to open with a slow, grinding hiss. A tall figure stepped into the room. All of his injuries were now healed.
The Director looked at him with a grin. "Okay, King, that's your name, right? You live and work by my rules now, you hear me?"
"I am an Elite Riftborn Noble," King replied, his voice a low growl that seemed to vibrate in the very air. "I do not take orders from mere humans. I only recognize power, and the only person I will obey is that guy."
He pointed a gauntleted finger directly at Zen. "The guy who managed to defeat me."
The Director looked at Screw, who nodded once. "Did you put the nanochips in?" Yamato asked.
"Yes," Screw replied, his voice flat.
"Okay, King, freeze," the Director commanded, his voice sharp and clear.
King's eyes widened in alarm. "What's going on? I can't move my body!" he shouted, straining against an unseen force.
Yamato walked over to him, flicked him on the forehead, and whispered, "Fall."
King's body suddenly went limp, and he fell to the ground with a heavy thud. The Director stepped on his chest with his right foot, a triumphant smirk on his lips. "Listen, King," he whispered, his voice dangerously soft. "The moment you were beaten by Zen and became unconscious, and my team placed nanochips in your system, was the moment I became your king."