This chapter has a few similar situations with the anime (Episode 11&12).
Chapter 2: The Meteor Shard
Hua ran a hand through her hair. It was now long and was a deep auburn shade. She changed into the uniform that had been prepared for her. She had just gotten in and reported to the section as a cleaner. She watched her surroundings as she listened to what the lady-in-charge had to say.
"The syndicate will be sending a contractor in," Amagiri said the night before when he had come to brief her on the final details. "Be on your guard at all times. This contractor is one of their best. We cannot have you killed in there."
I know how to look after myself. Hua thought. She didn't like the fact that Amber loved to treat her like a little kid. Even though she, Hua, was already 19 years old and Amber was only three years older.
"That will be all for today," the lady said. "Go have lunch and then go back to your rooms. Tomorrow is when your real work will start." Then, the lady went off.
Hua sighed. She had to start getting to work soon. She could not risk staying in PANDORA too long and also, she had no wish to run into another contractor, especially when that contractor is one of the top contractors of the syndicate. She had a quick lunch before going off to find what she could about the item that Amber needed.
Hei leaned against the slide, looking up at Mao. The other contractor was curled up and looked as if he was taking an afternoon nap. After awhile of Hei staring at him, Mao said, "Could you please look elsewhere? Your stares are disturbing. I can't take a nap if you continue staring like that."
"Huang wanted to meet us here," Hei said. "I think it would be better if you were wide awake to listen instead of lying there sleeping." He climbed up onto the platform and sat down at the head of the stairs.
"He wants to see you," Mao muttered, turning onto his back. "Not me. Anything he says this time does not really concern me."
At that moment, Huang appeared. He walked towards them and then sat on the slide. Hei looked over his shoulder at him before looking ahead of him. Huang said, "The syndicate wants you to get into PANDORA's research facility."
Mao sat up at the last remark and said, "Are you serious? That place is right next to the Gate! When a contractor gets close to either one of those gates, they run a risk of losing their control on themselves!"
"Yeah… I know that…" Huang muttered.
Mao looked at Huang. "Besides, I doubt he can even get past the first security check."
"Still, the syndicate insists that Hei must go in."
Hei turned to look at Huang. "What do they want me to do?"
"Recovery," Huang answered.
Hei and Mao looked at each other before Mao asked, "Recovery?"
"There was an explosion at the facility two weeks ago," Huang replied. "Two security guards were caught in the blast and died. The investigators in PANDORA treated it as a malfunction in the electrical systems. But a few days ago, a spy in the CIA said that the accident was caused intentionally in order to steal a material from inside the gate called the Meteor Fragment."
"And it still hasn't been taken outside the walls?" Hei asked.
"The syndicate sees it that way," Huang answered. "You'll recover it and bring it to them." When Hei did not say anything, Huang said, "Don't worry." He slid something across the platform between him and Hei. "Just do as you are told, like you always do." He got to his feet.
"What about the girl?"
"It's like a side mission now. Just kill her whenever you find her." He walked a little further away and then said, "Remember, Hei. This mission is top priority."
Then, Huang left. Hei got up, saying to Mao, "Protect Yin while I am gone. There are many people who would get rid of her at any chance they can get." Then, he left Mao to get ready for his next mission.
Hei looked about the place, in awe. He had never been inside the PANDORA research facility before. So, this was all new for him. He wondered where in the facility could anyone have hidden the Meteor Fragment. He needed to find it quick and then get out. Being too close to the gate was not going to do him any good.
"Are you paying any attention?" the man in charge asked.
"Yes, sir," Hei said. "I am sorry, sir."
The man nodded to the room behind him. "That's the only room we don't have to clean." Hei could see that the entire room was filled with telescopes and remembered about the one he used to own before it had been smashed up.
"Why is that, sir?" Hei asked.
The man grabbed Hei by the neck and said, "Because the guy in charge of the room is a nuisance." At that moment, someone behind them said, "Excuse me."
The man released Hei and turned around, looking a little shocked. He addressed the man who had talked as Section Chief Sergei and pulled Hei from the path of the man and the Indian girl who was with him, saying, "Out of the way, fool!"
Hei did not protest. He watched as the guy walked pass them and then spotted a girl further down the corridor. She also wore a janitor's uniform and had long auburn hair. But she looked a lot like Celine and even had the same eye colour as Celine's. He took a step forward and bumped into the Indian girl, making her drop the books and papers she carried.
"Why don't you watch where you are standing, you clumsy oaf?" the man in charged demanded. To the girl, he said, "I am so sorry, madam." He rushed over to help her and noticed that Hei still stood in his spot and he growled at Hei, "Don't just stand there! Help her pick up her stuff!"
"Oh… Yes, sir!" Hei murmured, bending down to pick up books and paper.
"I will meet you inside," Sergei informed her, going into the room.
"O-of course!" the girl said, quickly gathering the rest of her things. Then, she got to her feet and the other man got up as well. He snatched the file Hei held and passed it to the girl.
"I am really sorry, madam," the man said. "You didn't hurt yourself did you?" Hei noticed a small piece of paper on the floor and picked it up, quickly slipping it into his pocket.
"No. Thank you." Then, she rushed into the room after Sergei. The man glared down at Hei, while Hei looked up at him.
"I am sorry…" Hei said. The man huffed and then said, "Moving on." He turned his back on Hei and lead the other janitors to another place.
Hei looked up at where he had seen the girl with auburn hair and noticed that she was gone. He frowned, wondering whether he was seeing things. Then, he reached into his pocket and read the note left for him by the Indian girl before running after the other group of janitors.
Hua leaned against the wall, panting from her run. Why was Li here? she wondered. She had not expected a human she knew to be in this place. She had to quickly get her mission over and done for. She could not afford to be in this place any longer. She walked back to her room slowly, sitting on the side of the bed. She decided to take a nap, knowing that tonight, she would need to search even harder for the fragment. She had been in the facility for over a week already and still she had not manage to get any information on where the fragment could be hidden.
She closed her eyes, falling into a dreamless sleep. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked at the alarm clock beside her bed and decided to get up. She changed into black, turtle neck shirt and black skinny jeans. She took off the auburn wig she wore to reveal black hair that barely brushed her shoulders. She tied her hair back with a thin black string. She wore on her mask and then black sneakers. Then, she strapped two long, thin swords to her back. One had a white handle while the other had a black handle.
She climbed into the air ventilation shaft above her bed and crawled through it. It was wider than what she had expected. She finally reached an exit and looked through the cracks, seeing no one about. She opened it and dropped silently onto the ground. She saw a security camera aimed looking at another way and swiftly cut the wire before running down the corridor.
She saw light coming from a room and heard voices coming from the room. She crept up to it, wondering whether there were people there who were talking about anything useful. She peeped around the side of the door and saw Li talking to Nick Hillman. Her eyes narrowed. On her arrival to the facility, she had not trusted Nick Hillman at all. There was something about him that made him suspicious. Were Li and him plotting something?
She heard them talking about the telescopes and real stars. Knowing them to be innocent enough, she crept off. She didn't have time to waste now. She needed to find the fragment soon. She not afford staying inside that place any longer.
A few nights later, she was again creeping about the place when she saw a flashlight going up the dark corridor. She frowned and disappeared back to where she came from, looking around the corner, seeing the owner of the flashlight walk pass her. It was the girl, Corinna, who saw ghosts. Hua followed her, wondering where the girl was going to. She saw the girl go into the room filled with telescopes. She watched the girl dismantle one of the telescopes, muttering to herself.
Hua frowned. Her head jerked up when she heard the sound of footsteps. She ducked into a room across that room, peeping through a crack in the door. She saw someone in a white lab coat go into the room, walking silently. Is that person going to murder Corinna? she thought. She got out from the room and was about to rescue the girl when she saw a flash of blue light and heard the girl scream. She knew she was too late and turned to flee. She went back to her room and decided to sleep.
The next day, while she was walking about the facility with her mop and bucket, Isabella Pierre, someone she had met on the way to the facility, ran up to her. She looked excited and said, "Come! I just spotted this really hot guy on the facility! You have to see what he looks like! Come on, Celine!" She dragged Hua without listening to her protests. "A pity that there are people who think he killed this crazy girl... But I still think he is hot and sexy!"
Soon, they stood outside a large room that had many of the researchers. Hua saw Li sitting among the group of people in the room. All of them had some weird machine strapped to their shoulders and heads. She could not hear what Sergei said, but all them had the curious look on each other faces. All except Li. He had this blank sort of the expression, as if he had no feelings. As if he were a contractor! her mind screamed at her.
She looked over him, not being able to believe what her mind had just told her. He could not be a contractor. He was so nice to her. He could not be a contractor. Could not! She turned around and walked away from the room. At that moment, she saw Nick Hillman walk pass her. She stopped and turned about, studying the man. Her eyes widened when she realized that he walked the way the person who murdered Corrina did. She turned around and walked back to her room. She was certain that the man had the fragment that she needed. She will have to start planning in order to take it from him.
Nick went around the room on the wheelchair. His plan worked out well. But he needed to collect the fragment tonight in order to leave the facility. He was finally going to be able to see his sister. He was going to be able to make his dream come true! Even though this was not the way he had wished to achieve it.
"Forgive me, sister," Nick murmured. "I just want you to be happy."
Hua perched on top of a branch of a nearby tree. She watched as Nick entered a deserted building. She felt a little more alive now that she was near plants. Even though the plants inside the gate behaved strangely. It was as if they had a mind of their own. But she had easily controlled them.
A man's scream of pain drew her attention. She saw again the blue light before it faded away. She saw a man in janitor's uniform walk towards the building. She was not able to see who it was since the man's back faced her. She saw the man walk into the building and decided to stay where she was and watch. There were voices before a blue light flashed from the building.
Then, she saw Nick appear from the building. She could see that he was holding a gun. Following closely behind him was the man in the janitor uniform: Li. She stared at Li, wondering what he was doing here. Was he a contractor as well? She saw both Lee and Nick duck behind pillars, keeping an eye on each other.
Suddenly, she saw Li get to his feet and walk towards the middle of the road, as if there was something in the middle of the road. She saw Nick get up from his hiding place and then aim the gun at the back of Li's head. She jumped down from the tree and went towards Li, wanting to save him.
Suddenly, both Li and Nick started glowing blue and something circular in Nick's pocket begin to glow. The ground started shaking. Some sort of instinct told her to move away from that place. At first, Hua didn't want to listen. Then, she suddenly found herself unable to control the movements of her body. Something made her turn around and flee back to the tree she had been sitting on. She saw her shadow stretch out long and thin in front of her as she jumped back onto her perch. She looked at where Li and Nick were, seeing the light in Nick's pocket glow brighter and brighter until both men were engulfed in the light. She had to close her eyes and use her arms to shield her eyes from the light.
She heard the sound of a gunshot and wondered whether Li was hurt. Then, there was the sound of a loud explosion and then the light disappeared. Hua opened them to see a huge hole in the ground. The buildings close to the hole were all destroyed. She saw Li climb out of the hole. Nick was nowhere in sight.
In Li's hand, he held an object that had a rainbow sheen to it. She recognized it as the Meteor Fragment she had been sent to retrieve. She was thinking about fighting Li for it and then realized that he was exhausted to the point where she could have easily just taken it from him. But Hua decided against it. It was against her morals to just take an object from someone that was unable to fight back. She preferred them to be strong enough to fight her before she claimed the object as hers, a rightful claim to the prize she wanted.
"I will leave you alone for awhile, Li," Hua murmured before taking off into the night.
