Aurablade

14

There is only one place safe for me, and it's the place all wanted criminals and individuals go. Inside the Market Tavern, I spot someone who might be able to help me.

Rivya sits alone at one of the central tables. She smiles as I approach.

"Aurablade."

"Rivya." I sit across from her.

"Thanks for the gold."

"I have some information worth far more than that." Rivya quirks an eyebrow, and I slide a pod across the table, microchip already loaded inside.

Her slender fingers brush the surface of the screen, her eyebrows drawing together. The crease deepens between them, her finger scrolling faster. Finally, she looks up.

"A plot... to eliminate the Elyminai?"

"And take over the city," I add. "It's a multi-stage plan, one that will take years until Argon can seize total control over the city. For now, he must eradicate the single greatest threat to his governing power: us, the rogue criminals. He's creating a force of cyborgs to infiltrate all sectors, from businesses to private homes, rooting out all illicit activity."

"So he can tighten up control and commit his own criminal acts to further Gang One, not fearing retribution from smaller actors." Rivya blinks away her daze, a trace of a smile edging her lips. "Well, we're not going out without a fight."

A fight to continue malicious deeds. A fight of criminals against the government.

Is this really the side I should be fighting for?

It is now. I chose to be an Elyminai, even if my intentions were initially to simply see my sister more often in the underworld. And now, I am a target. I must pay the price.

"Do you ever... want out?" I ask. Rivya cocks her head. "You know, out of this business? Go straight?"

Rivya smiles. "Do you?"

I swallow. "Yes. I want a normal life. Being an Elyminai was only supposed to be temporary, a way to..." I trail off. Rivya may not be as malicious as the other Links and Elyminai, but I don't want to strip away all the walls I've built.

"Make ends meet?" Rivya nods. "It's tough out there indeed."

"Indeed." The buzz of other conversations slips between us. Rivya downs the final drops of her drink. "What are the odds of getting out?"

"With Gang One's new plan, none."

I nod. Once an assassin, always a threat.

"But if they were stopped..." Rivya's eyes glitter in the dim light. "I know what you're thinking. We're criminals. Maybe we all should be stopped. But Argon's plan goes beyond rooting out us smaller actors. It's a way to control private citizens, create a mind-controlled army that has no choice but to follow his whims. Is that method better than ours? How long until they turn in anyone who opposes Gang One? How long until he eliminates anyone who stands in his way of total power?"

I nod, my gaze trained on the side of the table.

"I'll make sure you disappear afterward," Rivya says. "If that's what you want. But we both know that Argon's plans must be stopped."

A smile tugs at my lips. "I know." And as hypocritical as it feels to stop Argon, a sudden thought occurs to me. If not for Argon and his false promises to Stellae, she would still be here. I wouldn't have been driven to this point in which I kill just for a trip to see her again. How many other families has he torn apart, taking captive their loved ones' minds? How many more will he destroy?