Emmett gave her a slight nod, "Keep going. I know it's on your mind. Tell me what happened."
She stopped in the middle of the hall, moving away from his hand. She could still feel the imprint on her lower back. The heat radiated through her soft skin, and she tucked a small stray hair behind her ear. "I staked out this guy’s house for a few days, and I knew he had some good stuff. He also had a beagle. I didn't see the dog after a day or two and the guy stopped coming outside. I didn't think nothing of it, because his car was gone, I thought he just up and left." She leaned her back against the cool wall and tried her hardest to keep from making eye contact. "I broke in, there was blood everywhere. A few things were a mess, I may be a thief but I'm not a bad person. My first thought was to find him and help him."
Emmett nodded for her to continue.
"It was too late. He had already changed, and he was my first of many kills that night." She lowered her head, her shoulders sagged. "I had to kill my own—" Mina stopped, Minerva wasn't her mother. She was man-made. A weapon of mass destruction.
A thing.
"I had to kill Minerva. She was bitten and turned. I had no choice. I didn't want too…" She was already hesitating, feeling uncomfortable spilling her guts, "Can we just go? I'm sure Ace is waiting for me at the range."
Emmett was still watching her carefully, "Myrna, you're more than just a weapon. You are a person you know. You bleed, and you hurt. You have emotions too. Earlier today when you were being interviewed, I saw the nervous ticks. The uneasiness with our receptionist and each time Ace is brought up. You feel. Those things that you killed, didn't have any. And your sister, Nadine, was just like you."
The sound of her sisters’ name made her heart clench. "Yeah…but she lost her mind. The last dosage they gave her sent her body—"
"Sent her body into turmoil. I know. I read her file. If they hadn’t pushed her, gave her that last dose…she would still be here." He let his arms hang at his hips. "There was no physical way an antidote would've made her human, but her blood could've made many antidotes that could have saved the world. It's why we took as much as we could out of Ace, and you. Myrna, you're not a monster. I promise you."
She snapped her attention back to him, staring into his eyes. Her upper lip lifted in a half snarl. "How the hell can you promise me something like that? You didn't see what I could do, I'm not like you, Ace, or that fucking woman upstairs. I wasn't born like you."
"I understand your pain." Emmett tried again.
This time she did bark out a harsh laugh, "tell me a better joke, would you? There is no other person like me out there. I'm the last, and only one of my kind, because apparently, I'm some sort of fucking superhuman. I don't want to do this; I don't want to be this—"
He kept nodding at each word she said, "But your abilities could save this world."
"Who the fuck asked me what the hell I wanted to do?!" She roared in his face. Her anger touched her tone, and she stood on her tiptoes to yell. "Who the fuck asked me, if this is the life I wanted to live? Looking around every corner, and pretending like I'm a normal girl? I wish I had never found out a single thing about myself. It's fucking unfair."
He raised his right brow before crossing his arms over his chest, "Believe me when I say I understand Myrna. This life isn't easy, and it's not going to be easy. You will soon become attuned to the world around you, and you wouldn't have to be watching every corner. You will have the strength to defend yourself without being activated. What we are going to teach you here, will help you have a normal life."
The frustration and will to fight left her face, she rocked back on her feet and rubbed her face. "I lost my sister, and damn near lost the one person I love…Captain Normandy, please understand. Everyone I befriend or try to help, ends up dead. Soon, you'll be dead too."
There was a glint of humor in his eyes as he leaned down looking into her own. "I dare them to try, because Mina, I'm hard to kill."
◆◆◆
She stood in front of the shooting range; her hand grabbed the handle. The sounds of gunfire echoing throughout the hall. "What are you waiting for kid? Get in there and show me what you have." Captain Emmett's voice crawled over her back and made her hair stand up. She pushed the handle down and walked in.
The smell of gunpowder lingered in the air. The men who were shooting their weapons stopped and stood upright to face Emmett. Ace came from the far end of the range, his eyes lighting up as he saw her, but a deep jealousy ran deep when he saw Emmett put his hand on her shoulder. "This is Myrna Locklear; she is our new recruit. Ace, give her the standard. I want to see what we have to work with."
Ace grabbed his own side arm and handed the gun to her. She took it and felt the comfortable weight in her hand, her thumb rubbed the butt of it and could feel the familiarity come back to her. Emmett gently pushed her to the nearest cubical.
The world melted around her, and her eyes hyper focused on the dummies down the shooting range. She placed the gun down and took hold of the ear coverings. When she put them on, she picked the weapon back up, checked it. And made sure there was a bullet chambered.
With a deep breath, she raised the handgun and aimed down the sights. The lights dimmed and the range was covered in deep shadows. Her brain brought her back to the streets of Crusa. Her nerves calmed, and she breathed in through her nose and out of her mouth—
One of the dummies moved.
Her eyes snapped to the shadow, and she flipped the safety of the gun off and pulled the trigger. The shadow collapsed, another moved. Over and over, she watched each of the shadows move and fall with each pull of her finger. Calm down—
Another! She moved—
"Captain do you really think—?"
"Hush Wilder." Emmett snapped.
Their voices meant nothing to her—
Something else moved, something that wasn't supposed to be there. Her heart skipped and her breath hitched. She dropped the empty clip on the ground and brought a new one up from her side. The glowing face moved closer, and she pulled the trigger three times in a row.
Black fluid fell from the eyes and mouth—
"Simulation off."
Lights turned back on, and Mina came back to earth. She placed the gun down on the table next to her and pressed on the bridge of her nose. She had managed to tap into her abilities without being activated. How…?
"Who is the new girl?" One of the other men spoke from the darkness.
She relaxed her muscles and turned to look at the crowd that came around her, Ace was in the far back with Emmett, who was whispering something to him. She brushed her hands down the front of her shirt wiping off the sweat that decided to coat her hands. Calm down.
Ace was the one who spoke, "Her name is Myrna, and she's going to be with us. Calm down boys."
She turned and could feel her nerves calm down at the sight of him. Right next to Ace, was Emmett, who had an impressed look on his face. "You're going to be with me new girl, you and Ace both." He uncrossed his arms, the deep glow of his eyes returned. "There's something about you that’s odd." He relaxed his shoulders.
"Sir?" Confused, Mina's brows came together.
Ace kept his face stoic while looking at her, though the emotions were running high in his eyes. His jaw was tight and uneasy, before he could reply Emmett spoke again, "Everyone else clear out. I need to speak to Myrna and Ace alone."
The soldiers didn't waste a second, they listened to Emmett cleared out of the shooting range. When the three of them were alone, Emmett walked around her, eyeing her up and down. "You were able to control yourself without Ace saying your code word. Why is that?"
"I don't know sir, it just—"
"How do I know you're not going to step out of line and attack our men?" He stopped in front of her, his interest in her rising. "Are you going to turn on us?"
Ace stepped in between them, face to face with Emmett, "Don't you dare talk to her like that. If she says she has control over herself, she has
control. You didn't see her back in Crusa, not like I did. If she was going to lose control, she would have killed me along with those creatures."
Emmett scoffed, "Do you understand what we have at stake here Wilder? Do you?" He got closer to Ace, his eyes staring into his. "We're missing a sister out there, and she's with her creator."
Mina winced at the jab.
"And you, Wilder, better not get in my face again, or I'll put you on the floor." He nodded to the door, "Get her to the training yard. I want you to make sure she's in peak physical condition before we get called out to the field. You said she was a quick learner? Let’s hope she learns fast." He pulled away from Ace and left the firing range.
Mina kept trembling in place, her heart hammering hard enough against her ribcage for it to hurt. Her bladder had shrunk to the size of a pea. Sure, she saw action and she wasn't 'human’, but she still had emotions like one. She wasn't a cold, heartless creature.
She felt…
And right now, she was terrified and confused at the turmoil inside her. Mina lowered her head, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "I didn't ask for this, I didn't even want to join this…this damn Scarlet Corp. I just wanted us to go back to normal…" Her voice trembled threatening to break.
Ace's body relaxed as he faced her, he cupped her face and gently caressed her cheeks. "He's a hard ass Mina, but he's not going to hurt you, or separate us anymore. I promise." He started to lean down, and she met him halfway, taking his lips against hers.
His lips were warm, and his breath hot. Ace still held her face in his hands, "I love you."
◆◆◆
Emmett couldn't believe it, they set up the simulation and she saw right through it. Myrna was something other than the creature the Company made. She took all the targets out with ease, even when she didn't strike a headshot, she got a definite kill shot.
In the chest, or a kidney. She was just about as good as—
Emmett shook his head, now wasn't the time to think about her. But every time he looked at Myrna, all he could see was her. Agatha. His little Aggie. Ace had the same look in his eyes when he looked at Mina, that he had with Agatha. Loving your partner is a death sentence.
He had moved from the shooting range to the locker room. Emmett kept pacing back and forth. Myrna's power, her strength, and the will in her eyes. Her stature, the way she shoots. Her height and weight. The differences are minimal. Did the Company make Myrna just to get back at me? Emmett ran a hand through his hair, his frustration growing. She has spunk…but she's terrified. This is a jump she never thought she would see. She lost her sister in this mess, and now I'm forcing her to find the man who caused all of this.
He groaned, the anger boiling deep underneath his skin. The very moment he saw her on top of the police department's roof, something inside of him begged to take her away from Ace, to hide her and make sure no one else would ever hurt her.
She was covered in blood, her body black and blue…and the hatred for Ace was born. He should've been protecting her, making sure nothing like that would've happened to her. Myrna was a strong woman, yes, but he should've done something to help them get out sooner.
He sat down on the bench in the center of the room, a headache starting behind his eyes. Ace loved Myrna, he could see that, and he was her handler. But…
But I could be so much better. I can protect her; I can make sure nothing hurts her. I'll make sure what happened to Agatha won't happen to Myrna. She may be our ticket to the Company, but she's still…still…what?
Rubbing his face, he groaned. There was so much going on through his head it was hard to grasp it. One minute Agatha was gone, the next her twin was in front of him. Seeing Myrna for the first time made his body become ignited, and he almost—almost—felt himself fall into those big bright eyes of hers.
If she had asked him if she could go home, he would let her. Working for Scarlet Corp isn't easy, and she was going to have to make sacrifices she won't like. And Emmett knew how deeply in love Ace was with Myrna, when they go out on the field, he won't leave her side.
I don't understand my brain. Agatha has been gone for almost three months now…the pain of loss came back just as bad, as the first day he heard Agatha was gone. Seeing Myrna put that pain on the back burner, and there was a deep relief that ran through him. I've lost so God damn much because of Alfred. But so has she. Her file read it all.
Myrna truly was a no one. She was made in a lab, placed in a fake womb that functioned like a real one. Brainwashed into believing she was human. A sister randomly popping up, and the hatred turn love for her. The protection of a big sister to a little one. The loss of a dear family friend who she saw as a father figure.
The truth of her actual father and mother coming out.
Finding out you were created to destroy. How would someone react to that? He rubbed his face again. I lost Aggie, how does that compare to her? How? The darkness of depression clawed at him. She literally killed her own sister…put her down like she was a sick animal. She almost lost Wilder…
A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he hung his head. He hadn't had a moment alone with his mind in so long, everything else around him was constantly on the go. Moving and moving, never stopping.
Myrna made the world stop.
Myrna made him stop and breathe.
He met her today, but he knew she had all the potential in the world in her. If she wanted to move the city, she could. If she wanted to put an end to the Company? She could.
Myrna was an empty slate—a deadly one—but one that could do anything she had ever wanted to. She became a good guy, from a cat burglar. What more could I ask of that? He felt a smile tug at his lips. What would Aggie think? Me, Emmett, finding another woman attractive enough to fight another man for her?
The locker room door opened and closed. Another solider had come through, paused, and saluted him. He gave him a wave, dismissing him. Emmett tried keeping it even in his troupe when it came to gender. Ever since Agatha was taken however, made him question everything.
He didn't want his men to fall in love with their partner, only to have them die on the field, or worse…
For the first time in months the thirst for whisky didn't rear its head and scream. He was rather calm—depressed—but calm. It wasn't fair to anyone, not to him, not to his men, and most importantly not to Myrna. He ripped her, and Ace away from their normal lives to serve them.
To put an end to this horror.
He stared at the tile floor, what am I going to do? He groaned inwardly; it was hard for him to think about everything at once. Myrna…you have no idea what you're getting into, and I have a feeling you will soon.
◆◆◆
"Push it Mina! Push it!" Ace bellowed.
Her hands gripped the monkey bars, her muscles screamed at her to stop but she kept swinging her body. She happened to look down and saw her feet were about ten feet off from the ground and her stomach tightened in worry. If she fell from this height, she could easily break an ankle or leg. Then don't look down, keep pushing yourself. For Ace, for Naddie.
She gripped the bars tighter and swung her lower half. She skipped a few as she reached the other side. Her feet struck the metal rung as she climbed down. Sweat rolled down her face. I'm only three days into the training and everything already hurts. Jesus Christ…the shooting range was easy, mathematics, and schematic training was even easier.
So was the bomb training.
This was difficult for her, she was tired, but she had to prove to them. To all of them she could do this. She had to show them she was worth the time.
She picked up her pace, jogging to the large rock wall. There were deep indents in the cement wall. Mina didn't know how high the wall was, but she took off at a sprint and jumped to the firsthand hold. Her body bounced off the wall, but she brought her other arm up and grabbed onto another hold.
You got this Mina…you got this.
"Come on Mina, you got this!" Ace shouted from
next to her.
Mina's arms shook and trembled as they pulled her weight up. Her boots found the footholds and she scaled the wall, shirt plastered to her body from sweat.
Hand over hand, foot over foot. She never looked down but kept looking up. The harder she pushed the closer the edge came. Do it for Nadine. She breathed out, her fingers were raw, and her nails cracked and broken down to the nailbed.
Her foot slipped from underneath her.
She lost her grip.
The top started to slip away from her.
No!
She grabbed onto the nearest hole and felt her entire body jerk. Everything hummed in overexertion. She just wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep. Jesus this is harder than Crusa…letting out a tired breath, she opened her eyes and pushed herself to climb again.
"That's my girl!" Ace howled from underneath her.
She was only a couple of feet away from the top—
Mina risked it, she used all the strength in her legs and jumped. Her hands caught the edge of the top and she hoisted herself up. She basked in the moment to take a breath. But now that she had the chance she looked down. Her stomach went right up into her throat. She was much further from the ground then she had thought—
Don't think about it! Just jump and roll!
Her brain was telling her one thing, but her body…her body just refused.
"Mina, you have ten minutes!" Ace shouted. She still stared down, her heart beating hard. Ace came around the wall and looked up at her, "Come on, jump and roll. Don't be a chicken shit."
She swallowed hard, closing her eyes she let herself fall. Letting herself land, she rolled on her shoulder and came up on her feet. Though she could've landed a lot smoother, her teeth hurt from the shock and her body kept shaking from the adrenalin. Sweat drenched her arms, legs and back. Ace was right beside her, pushing her along the way.
Myrna Page 14
