Chapter Two- Infiltrating the base
The area surrounding the base was vast and silent. The only movements being of the gentle breeze tugging on the blades of grass in this desolate ground. I raised my heckler and koch Mk 23 and fired two singular shots at the two semi-invisible guards flanking the rear of the base. The breeze gave the bullets an increase of speed and the sound of speed became the whisper of their death. They dropped dead within moments and the whole situation seemed surreal to me. Made worse by the thrill i received when taking the lives of others. I had spent far too much time cooped up with those earthlings, it was time to break free. Another sideways glance told me it was all clear and i could move towards my target once again. I edged forward in my stance of crouching and the barbed wire loomed up at me.
"Lessa" she whispered my name, the word floating on the breeze.
"Yes Melanie?" i turned and faced her, pointing my gun downwards. Not that it could hurt her if i fired anyway.
"Your brother awaits you inside" i narrowed my eyes. My brother..he is nothing but a pawn in her game to dominate. No.. i must not feel sorry for him. Part of this is his fault. Melanie wordlessly swiped her hand and the barbed wire before us dissipated.
"I could have scaled the wire you know"
"Lessa, it was no trouble. You still have not replied about your brother" my grip tightened and blood rushed to my palms.
"He means nothing to me, and he is not a factor in this mission. That is unless; he is the only way to obtain the required information. Hopefully it will not come to that"
"Very well, you remember what you are looking for?"
"Yes" of course i do. After all, how could i not. Ever since i had hot-wired my stepfather's car and left behind the place i had been forced to call home, Melanie had sensed a powerful evil residing in another realm. We had no idea whether it was Marissa or not but it couldn't hurt to check it out. Only problem is, how do we get to another realm? Well i'd thought long and hard about it and that's when i remembered my brother. Well was anyway. Another one of the fragmentation's of my past to remember. Certainly not one i held dear to my heart. He was my brother Set, the god of chaos back in the times of when i was princess. He wasn't around for long; he died at the tender age of 11. But being the devious witch Marissa is, she resurrected him so she could continue to use him as a puppet. He is her lapdog and the thought alone makes me want to smash his skull in. I sigh softly and Melanie stands patiently letting me gather my thoughts. He like Marissa must know the way to travel between realms, and that's what i'm here to find out. God knows i hope i don't run into him, there's no telling what will happen then; for good or for bad.
"Alright, its time to commence operation, infiltration" i replaced the magazine and stepped through the remnants of what was a barbed fence. Melanie followed close behind.
"Original name you got there Lessa" Despite my anxiety i smiled briefly. The base itself was comprised of one small checkpoint; situated at the front of the entrance gate, and a 50 floor skyscraper towering high above us. I had done my research ( naturally i just happened to know how to hack, the skills you learn from earthlings these days) and the master computer belonging to my beloved brother was placed on the 50th floor. That if anything, was most likely the only computer to contain the information i needed.
"I hope there's an elevator" i murmured, looking at the height with distaste.
"Would it kill you to walk?" Melanie said snarkily. My smile disappeared. She did love to kill a moment.
"It's alright for you, you can just float up there" i replied angrily. She raised her hands defensively. I sighed exasperatedly. What is it with delinquent goddess's these days; its like she's the teenager, not me. I stalked through the door of the skyscraper contemptuously.
Without warning guards skidded around the corner of the corridor ahead and opened fire upon me. I estimated there was 10 of them; all were useless with their AK-47's. The bullets rained down on me but i remained unfazed. With a simple flick of my hand they all sped back towards their owners. I didn't even need to lift my firearm, they dropped their guns and their bodies fell with a crash onto the ceramic flooring. Only one remained conscious, breathing heavily and clutching his leg. I walked forward slowly, letting each footstep echo his doom. I had no mercy. Lowering to his level of position, i grabbed hold of his collar and slammed him against the nearest wall.
"P-please d-don't hu..hurt me!" he whimpered. I watched him with disgust.
"H-have mercy!" i smirked at him and rejoiced inwardly at the terror in his eyes. Somewhere in the dark recesses of my heart i enjoyed his pain. I have only my upbringing to thank for that.
"..i have no mercy" it was the finality of my words that ended him. He slumped lifeless in my arms. A shame really, that was no fun at all.
"Lessa! you were supposed to ask him where the elevator was" Melanie tutted disapprovingly. I laughed and pointed to the panel beside us.
"I don't need to, its right here" she looked with surprise.
"oh, very well then.. lets go" taking my hand, she tugged me firmly into the elevator and once i stood ground she jabbed the highest button there was; setting us course for the 50th floor. The master computer...i wonder how complex its security system is. The elevator doors slammed shut and my stomach jolted as it flew upwards. At each passing floor it would make a ding sound, similar to one of a doorbell. Minutes passed and still we were only passing the 23rd floor. I took the time to take in the surroundings of the enclosed space. The elevator itself was small, you would be hard-pressed to fit 5 people in it. However the quality of it was astounding, its shiny, glistening metal indicated it was of high technology; the very best their was to offer. Much more advanced than the current earthling tech at present. I pressed my hand to the panel beside me, and blinked at its refreshing coolness.
"Lessa- we're here"
"Huh?" i dropped my hand instantly, ashamed to be caught so vulnerable in my thoughts. I must focus on the task at hand. There was a crackle of a tanoy and i waited impatiently for the doors to slide open.
"You are now at the 50th floor of Set Base 5, this floor contains Sets office and living compartments of employees. Welcome" Melanie's eyes widened.
"Oh dear, it seems your brother is likely to be here"
"Yes, most likely skulking down some corridor if he is anything like he was on Egyptica" Another brief memory etched onto my retina; of all the times he would scare me by stepping from the shadows of the palace. Back then i was so little, my big brother always did his best to scare me; simply because he was older. So typical of earthlings today, i hate to admit it but maybe we're not as different as i thought..No! i am nothing like them!
"Lessa!" Melanie herself was increasingly growing impatient. I noticed the doors were now wide open, introducing the equally glistening maze of corridors.
"Ugh lets just do this" i pulled out my second mk23 and rested both of them on my hips with minimal grip. I was calm..but also expectant of anything.
"Where to?" she asked. I pondered the maze and then faced the 5th entrance of corridors. Down and around the right corner if my memory served me correctly.
"That way" i guestured, making for the entrance with her close behind. As we walked, the thought occured to me; that this was the longest time Melanie had ever been in spirit form with me. I felt a tinge of honour, after all she was a goddess. The corridor stretched on but finally the door was in sight. Screw walking, its time to make an entrance. We barreled through the door and were greeted by more of the suited soldiers, grunting and gasping as they placed all effort into their AK's.
"Tehe, so fruit..less" i licked my lips tastefully and smiled playfully. Maybe more of a challenge would arise out of this one. I cocked my head as one backed away, dropping his gun as he went. I wondered why they still used AK's if they were so high tech. Maybe set liked his soldiers to die so easily. Ohh sweet, sweet fear and such bitter revenge.
"Revenge.." i called softly and laid waste to their bodies with my guns in a rush of speed. It was like a fast tempo dance. A trigger here, a trigger there
"A TRIGGER EVERYWHERE!"
"AHH"
"PLEASE STOP!"
"THE PAAAIN!" so beautiful.. i almost loved them for this thrill.
"What have you become my daughter.."
"Revenge is what i have become" it was over too soon, their fragile bodies littering the now blood-stained floor. Oh well. I stepped lithely between the wasted bodies and as i reached the desk, a laptop became visible. Sat plain in view on the mahogany desk.
"This must be the master computer" Melanie whispered from behind. Finally. I closed the remaining distance and swiped my palm along the laptop's outer case. Something else made of that glistening metal; its texture now embedded in my brain.
"Time to put my hacking skills to use" a hint of a smile crossed Melanie's face.
"I don't think so" a voice answered silkily from behind. I swung around, only to be face to face with..him.
"Brother" i barely contained my rage in voice.
"Sister" he replied, his tone still silky. My fists clenched and unclenched with revered hate. He looked human enough as he stepped gracefully from the shadows, but that didn't mean he was.
"I'm not here to fight you, i just want to talk"
"Talk..?"
"Yes Lessa" what could he possibly have to say to me.
"It could be a trap Lessa" Melanie's words clinched it. the word trap enticed me..if it was a trap then fun could be had.
"Very well set, lets talk"
A good few hours later, we were still sat at that very same mahogany desk, the laptop generously removed by one of his many assistants. It was surprising really but over these few hours we had done nothing but talk, it wasnt even awkward talk. It was nice to finally talk to someone at my own age. Well almost, he was a couple years older than me from what he mentioned. Just like in the old days. We'd had a lot of catching up to do. Did i trust him? no, i dont trust anyone. Perhaps not even melanie had my full trust. He was still evil, it was blantant in the fact he was still marissa's lapdog, but she wasnt here and i was. Brother and sister. A poem from my childhood breezed through my mind. My conscious made a clutch for it, it was successful. I remembered now, the queen, my mother; she used to recite it to me before i went to sleep.
'Bad will always sin, and love will always win,
that's the way its always been'
Well maybe. Doubtful though. He didn't like to mention Marissa's name much though, it was like it was a taboo. We'd had a lot to drink too, probably too much considering i didn't trust him. The wine was excellent vintage, impossible to refuse.
'Lessa?" his voice broke through yet another daydream.
"Yes?" his mouth turned up in a lazy smile, it was almost..sexy. Ugh what am i thinking, he's my brother for crying out loud. Melanie would snort in disgust if she could here what i was thinking right now, actually Melanie would probably care to point out the fact he isn't really my brother. Oh heavens, why am i thinking such carnal thoughts.
"I was thinking, how about you stay the night. its dark out and unsafe" it was my turn to smile lazily.
"Since when did you start to care about my health" he flicked his tongue over his half-full lips, rosy red from his habit of sucking on them. That too made me flush.
"Well..how could i not" fuck, even that sentence sounded hot. His voice was much lower from the amount of drink he had had and a frisson of sexual tension lay between us. Melanie sulked in the corner but it was obvious from her poker-rod stance that she too also noted the change of atmosphere.
"I think your getting me drunk for a reason set" i pressed my elbows onto the table and leaned forward across the table, my chest barely brushing past the table flick of the tongue.
"Well maybe i am.." he too could play at my game and leaned across the table too, nose to nose and elbow to elbow. Maybe it was from the drink,or maybe from curiosity of what sex was really like; but something ignited in my body at his touch. I knew then, that by the dawn of morning; i would no longer be a virgin.