Cyberknight: One Path (original novel)

Birds chipped inside the woods beside the airbase. Meanwhile, the clouds in the sky slowly moved away to reveal the midday sunshine. An old Air Force pilot in the field watched as a large gunship landed on the airstrip. As soon as the ship came to a halt, waves of armed soldiers and biohazard handling personnel rushed toward the craft. The old pilot stood up and looked suspiciously at the craft that clearly didn't belong to the Allies. 

Inside the ship, Kadyn still held tightly to Mike's cold lifeless hands. All the memories she shared with him flashed inside her mind as more tears joined the sorrowful lines already present on her face. One thousand stary promises under the night sky, gone at the first sight of daylight. All she wished was for him to come back, to hold her hand once more and to grin at her with that charming expression. She can't believe the reality in front of her... Or more like she can't accept the reality in front of her. Mike, the man who wielded the power to fly above the heavens, the man who she thought could never lose, lay dead in front of her. 

[Kadyn] - "Just wake up... I just need to go to sleep and I'll wake up beside you. This is a dream... "

Whispered Kadyn in a broken voice. 

Kadyn reached her hand forward as she hallucinated Mike's figure in front of her. She let out a slight smile as she imagined Mike reaching out to grab her hand. 

[Kadyn] - "I know this is a dream. The Mike I know will never abandon me. "

However, Kadyn's delusion was broken by the sunlight that suddenly shone into the ship's interior. Waves of CBRN response personnel rushed inside the ship with body bags and immediately began to roll Mike into one of them. After being snapped back to reality, Kadyn was once again shocked by the sight of Mike's body. As much as she wanted the men to stop what they were doing, she was too stunned to even speak. 

The people around seemed to ignore her as if she was none existent. They quickly rushed Ethan and Mike out of the ship before armed men escorted McCree out of the ship. When all was said and done, the ship was towed inside an open-air hangar where it was left untouched for the remainder of the day. All the while, none of the men saw Kadyn despite how she was literally sitting by the entrance. 

When the moonlight eventually shined into the hangar, Kadyn finally snapped out of her stupor. She looked at her surroundings before the voice of reason inside her head ultimately made her reality undeniable. Mike is gone and she is all on her own. 

[Kadyn] - "You can't leave me like this, Mike! "

Said Kadyn as she wiped the tears off her eyes. 

[Kadyn] - "I'm nothing without you! I have nothing without you! I can't realize anything without you! You can't leave me like this! "

Cried Kadyn with pain in her voice. 

The chilling wind of the night quickly forced her to roll herself into a ball in the corner. 

[Kadyn] - "I'm cold. I can't go on without you. Please, not like this, Mike! "

Sobbed Kadyn as wrapped her coat around her body. 

Reality hit her like an iceberg. Cold, unforgiving and harsh. All of Kadyn's life, she was taught to be an assassin. She was never meant to live a human life or to love another being. In fact, the life she shared with Mike was the only thing she knew besides slicing people's throats. Like a lone polar bear introduced to the harsh desert sands, Kadyn could only recoil in fear and confusion as the norm she knew was forever gone. 

[Soldier] - "Hey, you! What are you doing here? Hands in the air, now! This base is a restricted area! "

Screamed a patrolling soldier as he approached Kadyn with his rifle raised at her. 

Kadyn was in no mood to fight back and chose to submit to the soldier's order without question. After being escorted into an interrogation room, Kadyn was forced to sit at a dimly lit table. Not long after, a woman in military attire entered the room and sat in front of her. 

[woman] - "Kadyn... I presume? "

Kadyn nodded her head while fixing her regard on the floor. 

[woman] - "We heard from Agent McCree that you assisted in his escape and were involved in the assassination of Sniper. Is this information accurate? "

[Kadyn] - "It was none of us. It was Mike who killed Sniper. "

Said Kadyn in an empty voice. 

[woman] - "Mike? You mean the dead young man we recovered from your ship? "

[Kadyn] - "Y- Yeah... that's him. "

Said Kadyn while holding back tears. 

[woman] - "That young man is the empire's Grand Knight. Are you sure this is the man responsible for killing Emperor Sniper? "

[Kadyn] - "It's him, alright! "

Said Kadyn in a frustrated tone.

[woman] - "Very well, before we let you go, I want to know where you were all this time. What were you doing before we found you on the ship? How did you avoid detection? "

[Kadyn] - "I was sitting right by the entrance to the ship. "

[woman] - "Well, none of our soldiers saw you! So be honest with us or we are going to have to put you under investigation! "

Yelled the woman in a firm voice. 

[Kadyn] - "It's not my fault you pricks are so blind! Check the fucking camera footage if you don't believe me! "

Screamed Kadyn in frustration. 

The woman grumbled in anger before storming out of the room. An hour later, an agent returned inside the room and released Kadyn from her shackles. 

[agent] - "You are free to go. A car is waiting for you at the entrance. "

[Kadyn] - "I demand to see Doctor Dane first. "

[agent] - "There is no Doctor Dane. Now, get out of this facility and our men will make you sign an NDA. "

Said the agent without considering Kadyn's words.

[Kadyn] - "I know the Allied Forces has a Doctor Dane. Apparently, he is responsible for your technological developments. "

The agent frowned in frustration at Kadyn's stubbornness. 

[agent] - "For the last time, there is no Doctor Dane! Don't make me use force to get you out of here- "

Said the agent before Kadyn abruptly grabbed him by the neck and slammed him onto the table. 

[Kadyn] - "I'm not in the mood to argue, you bloody bastard! "

[agent] - "You are so in trouble now, you bitch! "

Said the agent as he reached for his pistol. 

In an instant, Kadyn's blade disassembled the weapon before its tip appeared above the agent's neck. 

[Kadyn] - "Last warning, asshole! "

[guards] - "Freeze! "

Screamed the armed men at the interrogation room's door. 

The agent on the table watched in surprise as he noticed the minuscule cones inside Kadyn's irises flip before the green glow was replaced by a red one. In an instant, before anyone could react, every guard at the door was left without a head. The agent didn't even notice what happened before a drop of blood fell on his face from Kadyn's crimson-tainted blade. 

[Kadyn] - "Doctor Dane, where is he? "

Said Kadyn as her glowing red eyes burned fear into the agent's soul. 

[agent] - "He... he is in this facility. Level minus 5F, room T-F2. "

Said the agent as his lips trembled in fear. 

As Kadyn began to march through the hallways, the alarm was abruptly sounded by some witnesses. The stress, combined with her recent trauma, caused Kadyn to revert back to her old self. As soldiers and agents rushed in from all sides to confront her, they all immediately met their end before they could even realize it. 

Armed androids soon also joined in the fight but none of them managed to even open fire before they all decapitated by a single swift slice. As Kadyn inched closer to her destination, the amount of soldiers also increased. When she approached a corner, she was suddenly met with a hail of bullets and explosions which temporarily snapped her out of her frenzy. Upon realizing how many soldiers were holding that choke point, Kadyn leaned back against the wall and gazed at her bloodstained hands. 

[Kadyn] - "Please, Mike, come stop me! Tell me I'm not the monster. I just want to be a normal human girl, I don't want to be a murderous monster. "

Whispered Kadyn as her bloodied fingers clawed through her blonde hair. 

An image of Mike's dead body flashed through Kadyn's mind before she remembered the futility of her prayers. With livid eyes, Kadyn stood up and extended her red-stained blades. In an instant, Kadyn appeared amidst the men and with one swift motion of her arms, a row of heads immediately met the floor. The survivors quickly began to flee but like a relentless predator on a hunt, Kadyn caught up to the frightened men before beheading every single one of them without mercy. 

By the end of her rampage, the hallways remained silent with bodies and blood covering every single inch of wall and floor. Kadyn looked at her reflection inside the sea of blood that covered the ground. Her whole body, including Mike's coat, was coated in a thick layer of crimson. The insanity of the situation caused Kadyn to laugh maniacally before the laughter slowly faded into a regretful cry. 

[Mike] - "Kadyn! KADYN! "

Kadyn turned around to see Mike standing in front of her. 

[Kadyn] - "It's not... This is not me! I swear! "

Said Kadyn as she recoiled in fright. 

[McCree] - "Kadyn! "

Kadyn abruptly jumped up from her seat. She looked at her surroundings as cold sweat dripped off her head. To her relief, she was still in the same interrogation room. 

[McCree] - "Jesus, missy, you seemed to be back from hell or somethin'. "

[Kadyn] - "What? I- "

Said Kadyn in a panic before she noticed the shackles around her wrists. 

[McCree] - "You were screamin' and kickin' as if Freddy Krugger was about to gut ya. "

Said McCree as he unlocked Kadyn's restraints. 

[Kadyn] - "I had a nightmare, that's all. Oh bloody hell... "

Said Kadyn with a sigh of relief as she pressed her face into her palms. 

[McCree] - "Well, you'll be livin' a dream life soon. In a good way that is. "

[Kadyn] - "Huh? What do you mean? Is Mike going to be alright? "

[McCree] - "Now, hold on a second. We ain't miracle makers here. That poor boy is still dead but as a thanks for his contribution to the Allied cause, the higher-ups decided to posthumously award him with a triple medal of honour. Something never seen before, I tell ya. "

Said McCree as he exhaled a puff from his cigar. 

[Kadyn] - "Oh... Then whatever... "

Said Kadyn in a depressed voice. 

[McCree] - "Now, hold on, I ain't finished just yet. As for you, the Lady of Honour, they decided to award you with 500 million dollars and a lakeside property with a beautiful view. It also comes with a heavy team of armed guards for your protection. The Allies Forces are in debt to you and your boyfriend's contribution despite the unfortunate outcome of your involvement. Now, if you have any additional requests, don't hesitate to call us. We'll do our utmost to fulfill your demands. "

Said McCree before putting the cigar back between his lips. 

[Kadyn] - "None of this matters... Mike is dead. Life for me has no meaning without him. "

Said Kadyn as she stared at the floor with an empty expression. 

[McCree] - "I'm sorry for ya loss but that's the cruel reality of life. "

[Kadyn] - "So this is the life I have been anticipating... the life Mike died for. All this just so I could be alone in a mansion by the lake. Heh, what a joke... "

Whispered Kadyn in a bitter voice. 

[McCree] - "I know this might be a little insensitive, but I can tell yah, you will forget about him and find someone else. There's plenty of fish in the sea. "

Said McCree with a smug look on his face. 

In a fit of anger, Kadyn abruptly slapped McCree in the face. Not content with getting slapped, McCree tried to hit back at Kadyn but was swiftly blocked before being slapped a second time. 

[McCree] - "Goddamn, missy! Alright, I admit I deserved that. "

Said McCree as he covered his bruised cheeks. 

[Kadyn] - "I'm not a human! Other than Mike, no human can understand me! He is the only person who can separate me from my nature. He is a piece of me. So don't tell me to move on or something because you don't know what is like to lose a piece of yourself. You don't know what is like to lose the last person who ever cared about you. "

Yelled Kadyn in anger.

[McCree] - "Look, I'm sorry about my comment! I didn't know what he meant to you. "

[Kadyn] - "Sigh... I- "

Kadyn pulled Mike's coat tighter around herself.

[Kadyn] - "Just forget it! Can you arrange a meeting with Doctor Dane for me? "

[McCree] - "Is it about Ethan? "

[Kadyn] - "That and I need to give him something from his father. "

[McCree] - "I understand. I'll see what I can do but meanwhile, I think you need to rest a little. A car will drive you to your home for now. I'll notify you when I get a hold of Dane. "

Kadyn gently nodded her head before she got up and headed toward the door. 

[Kadyn] - "Also, just make sure to take good care of Mike's body. Put him somewhere noticeable so I can easily pay him a visit. "

[McCree] - "You don't want to handle him yourself? "

[Kadyn] - "No, I'd rather have people know him for being a hero. I want his soul to see all the good he has done. I want him away from me, so he doesn't see my misery. "

Despite McCree's careless attitude, Kadyn's last words still managed to move him. Despite him not knowing what happened between the couple, he knew through Kadyn's words that there is more than just simple love in their relationship. 

[Mike] - "We are partners in crime. In battle, we are Bonnie and Clyde. Out of duty, we are Romeo and Juliet. No matter the circumstances, we'll always be side by side... "

These words from Mike played inside Kadyn's head as she glanced one last time at the military base behind her. As the car sped forward, the base gradually disappeared behind the dense jungle woods. 

[Kadyn] - "...Yet I'm alone when riding into the sunset. "

To be continued...