Sweet Venom – Rebroken

BANG-BANG 

 

BANG-BANG

 

BANG-BANG

 

Plasia pushed her fingers under the plastic rim of her prosthetic with a soft pop, just managing to curl her finger to a particularly persistent itch. Her eyes rolled back and a soft sigh escaped her lips as she finally managed to scratch where the fabric had been irritating her.

 

BANG-BANG

 

BANG-BANG

 

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG

 

She sat, perched in the corner of the gym, on some stacked metal crates. She was dressed in a simple but thick, white cotton gown, tied around the waist. Although her amputated leg had already started to grow back some, Leech had found her an adaptable prosthetic leg, which was able to bridge the gap between stump and floor nicely while she was still recovering. Plasia was able to hobble around at a reasonable pace now, but the damn thing didn’t half itch around her rapidly-healing stump.

 

“Now, watch. I don’t know what the hell this… corruption did to us exactly, but if you swing your whole shoulder into the punch…”

 

BANG

 

“…We can fold meta-steel plates with our fucking fists. Meta-steel! With our fists!”

 

Cherry stood a few metres away in a pair of boyish gym shorts and a tank top, her skin sparkling with sweat as she showed Plasia the damage. She pulled the zip down on the side of the punch bag and pulled out a metal plate, which was heavily battered from the Controller’s assault, bent and cracked. Cherry wore an almost uncannily happy grin on her face as she fit her knuckles into the plate like a puzzle.

 

“You thrown many punches before?”

 

“M-Me? No, not so much…” Plasia replied, staring intently at the plate.

 

“As soon as you’re off that prosthetic, I'm gonna show your blueberry ass how to knock someone out.” Plasia’s round eyes widened in fear as Cherry slammed her fists together. “Then, I'm gonna show you how to kill someone.”

 

Plasia began to vibrate nervously on the crate, her eyes rapidly flicking between the dented plate and Cherry’s friendly, if intense gaze.

 

“Oh, don’t be so nervous! It's a good skill to know. Everyone should know how to throw a decent punch. If I can teach Plum to do it, I can teach you.” She tossed the plates in the opposite corner of the gym and unhooked the punching bag from the ceiling, carrying it comfortably with a single hand. She stopped in front of Plasia, and dangled the bag out in front of her. “Don’t get up, just throw a punch. I want to see your form.”

 

“M-My form?” Plasia stuttered, still lost on the kill component of Cherry’s training. She could almost hear police sirens in her head at the very thought.

 

“Yeah! What your body looks like and what it does when you punch. Show me.” Cherry smiled, her blossom-pink eyes meeting with Plasia’s nervous gaze. “I’m not gonna shout at you or anything, I just need to know where I'm starting your training from.”

 

The blue Controller gathered her might, sucking in a warm mouthful of gym air, and threw a weak punch forward. Her fist glided across the battered fabric. A previous lifetime of writing poetry and painting landscapes had not prepared her for this in the slightest.

 

Cherry narrowed her eyes, her face in deep contemplation.

 

“Raise your fist again, but don’t throw a punch.”

 

Plasia recoiled her hand as she had before, but waited as asked. Cherry leaned forward, still holding the bag up, and gently adjusted Plasia’s posture to a more suiting position with her free hand.

 

“Before you throw the punch, I want you to take note where you’re aiming. Don’t aim for the bag, aim through it. Imagine you’re trying to punch my tit behind the bag.”

 

Plasia’s eyes darted desperately between the bag and Cherry’s heaving tit. Her body was still vibrating all over, but she threw a second punch. This one connected with the bag solidly, shuddering its entire body.

 

“Fuck yeah! Look at that! Solid connection, good power! Atta-girl!” Cherry seemed genuinely hyped, doing a little fist pump with her free arm before motioning the bag towards her again. The buzzing blueberry threw another punch, and then another and another into the bag inspired by Cherry’s infectious energy. Although, she was very uncertain if aiming for Cherry’s bust was a good idea.

 

“Really, Cherry? The poor girl’s been through hell these last few months, and you’ve got her trapped in here, shouting ‘punch my tits!’ at the top of your voice?” Plum’s soft, silken voice echoed into the room as the Controller appeared in the gym’s entrance, a way’s behind Cherry.

 

“She’s enjoying herself, aren’t you, Plasia?” Cherry asked sincerely. She didn’t turn around, instead remaining focused on Plasia, and pulled the bag back from her.

 

“I kinda am, actually.” Plasia smiled back, shyly.

 

Plum was dressed in a much more sexual attire than the other two. She was currently rocking a black pair of latex high-thighs, a pink miniskirt which just barely concealed her manhood, and a corset that pushed her cleavage up most deliciously. The latex creaked quietly as Plum sat down on the crate, next to Plasia.

 

“Well, don’t let her boss you about! She’ll have you training all night if you let her, and you’re supposed to be resting.” Plum sighed gently but smiled, flicking her long dreadlocks over to the side as she raised her voice to address both the Controllers. “Bubblegum is just finishing up with her Marks, she won’t be long. We can grab a bite to eat after that if you fancy.” 

 

“I do fancy! I am fucking famished.” Cherry was busy adjusting the punching bag for Plasia, when suddenly she glanced up with a smirk. “How many faces d’you sit on today then, Plum-bum?”

 

“...A couple. For a bit.” Plum replied, smoothly. “Why? You want a go?”

 

“Oh, I dunno. They still alive after that?” Cherry laughed as Plum glared playful daggers across at her.

 

“Shush now, or I will sit on you.” Plum fidgeted slightly, seductively where she was sat, then flexed gently and stretched out her back.

 

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, gorgeous. You know fully well that I can bench that ass of yours no problem.”

 

“Cherry!” Plum rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. “Honestly, I am waiting for the day someone actually kicks your ass, and puts a little humility into you. You think my butt is big, it's got nothing on your ego.”

 

For all the banter that was going on between the two of them, Plum was genuinely happy - if not a little surprised by - Cherry’s mood. It was strange, Plum thought, as usually Cherry was so defensive and standoffish around new people; even before their corruption, Cherry had been the protector of their little group, and was extremely hesitant to let anyone else get close. Stranger too was that Cherry hadn’t even wanted to rescue Plasia, but here she was, friendly, playful and patient, seemingly intent on taking her under her muscular wing.

 

And, although Plasia hadn’t known them for very long, she seemed to have picked up on it too. She smiled as the two Controllers jested and laughed, but couldn’t shift the sinking feeling in her chest.

 

“W-Why are you being so nice to me?” Plasia asked, genuinely. She couldn’t make contact with either of the Controllers, staring ahead instead at the punching bag with such intensity, that it might suddenly wake up and become part of the conversation.

 

Cherry and Plum glanced at one another quizzically, before Cherry replied. “Why not?” She asked, pulling the bag away from her. “You make a nice change of pace from tentacle mcfuck and her jolly green girlfriend.”

 

“Plasia,” Plum said softly, “We’ve… we know what it's like to be at the whims of those who truly, do not give a rat's ass about you. Sometimes, a little kindness goes a long way.” There was a hint of sadness in her reply that she couldn’t quite conceal, but she didn’t give away any more details than that. Plasia could see that she was hiding some genuine pain though. “We thought that if there’s any chance you’re not as psychotic as the others - your, uh, other half excluded of course! -” Plum added quickly, “then we should stick together. This place is crazy enough with Moltezz calling the shots, and it's only going to get crazier.”

 

A cold shiver shot down Plasia’s back.

 

Moltezz.

 

She wasn’t sure what Moltezz was exactly to the others. A leader, yes, powerful, most definitely, and maybe even a source of inspiration… but she was Plasia’s worst nightmare. If Barru X was her hell, then Moltezz was her keeper.

 

“You… don’t like her?” Plum asked gently, noticing Plasia’s shift in demeanour.

 

“She… She doesn’t like me.” Plasia replied, shakily. “Y-You might not want to be my friend if you knew how she felt about me.”

 

Plum and Cherry exchanged a concerned look between them, before both turning to face Plasia again.

 

“All the more reason to learn how to land a good punch, then!” Cherry smiled warmly and threw the punching bag across the gym behind her. Then, she offered the palm of her hand to Plasia. “C’mon, hop-along. Let's get some food, I'm starving.”

 

Plum placed a supportive hand against the small of Plasia’s back as she accepted Cherry’s hand, and wobbled to her feet. “You know Cherry, you go on about me and my ass, but it's you that's always got the chefs working overtime.” 

 

“I am a machine that turns meat and carbs into broken punch bags and gaping holes. I need the intake.” Cherry replied, matter-of-factly.

 

“Cherry, that's nasty! Have some decorum, for god’s sake!”

 

“Says the latex-clad face-breaker.”

 

“THEY LOVE IT, CHERRY!”

 

The three of them made their way out of the gym together, Plum and Cherry bickering on either side of Plasia the entire time as they supported her. Plasia couldn’t help but smile. There was a genuine friendship between them, and after months of isolation, it was warming, just to feel like a person again.

 

But that anxiety was creeping in…

 

No amount of training with Cherry would prepare her for Moltezz, and there was only so long she could avoid her. She needed a plan. She needed to escape.

 

Again.

 

*

 

“Oh, will you stop pouting, Mook? Honestly. The sooner we crack these, the sooner you can get back to fucking Kross.” Leech rolled her eyes dramatically. She was sat at the head of the table, dressed in a shredded tank top which showed off her cleavage, and a dark pair of skinny jeans. The jeans creaked and dug uncomfortably into her skin with even the slightest movement, which only caused her to move and fidget about even more. Leech was desperate to get out of them, and into literally anything - or anyone - else, but she couldn't, not yet; there was work to do. Her arm stub had grown back to the forearm, but was still bandaged up. Ever the inventor, she had wedged a lollipop into the wrappings, making the best of her current situation.

 

Her little crew, consisting of herself, Mook and Kross (a human girl, one of the Imprinted Marks) had taken over one of classier bars on Barru X, which had actually been one of Mina and Tani’s favourite places to relax. Currently however, the bar sat in an organised chaos, with various bits of DA technology strewn over the tables, booths and seats.

 

Behind Leech, in the corner of the room sat the server cube they’d looted from the XITD space station. Still stained with Ink’s wet, thick black goo, the cube had hundreds of wires pushed into its various slots across its surface, including a couple of thicker power cables that ran into the sockets on the wall. 

 

Mook and Kross sat side by side, just over from Leech, also nibbling on lollipops and hard at work on the laptops they’d brought in to crack the data cube. Kross wore a subtle but undeniable grin on her pretty, if scarred face, partially because of her success in breaching the DA’s data protection so far, but mostly because these two gorgeous, intelligent women had come to her specifically, for her help. There was a dizzying amount of cleavage on offer, but as her eyes kept flickering across to the display in front of her, she couldn’t help but note that this was the most casually dressed she’d ever seen the Controller.

 

At the other end of the table, leaning so far back in her chair it might as well have been a bed, Ink was bored.

 

The room fell into another concentrating quiet as the three girls tapped away at their laptops, frowning at their respective screens as they pondered the puzzle in front of them.

 

Suddenly, Kross snapped her fingers and reached across the table, grabbing a seemingly random chunk of tech and wrangling some wires to connect it to her gear.

 

“I may have it…” She said softly, her slavic accent still strong through her quiet tone.

 

“FINALLY!” Ink grunted, the chair creaking under her as she pushed herself upright with her tentacles.

 

“Ah - no.” Kross cleared her throat nervously, purposely avoiding Ink’s piercing gaze as the Controller’s eyes fell on her. “This is just us breaching the security. We still need to sift through the data. So we’re not actually done yet.”

 

The giantess sighed dramatically and immediately recoiled back on the chair, straight back into her resting position, staring up at the ceiling.

 

A few seconds of furious typing later, and the server cube behind them softly bleeped. And with that, they all now had access.

 

“Fuck yes! Well done, Kross!” Leech went to clap but instead flung the lollipop out of her bindings, on account of her entire hand being missing. “For fuck’s sake, I hate this fucking -”

 

A quiet giggle from Mook broke her train of thought, and a scheming grin grew over the Controller's face as she stared the dragoness down.

 

“Well, if you’re going to laugh. You can go get my lollipop, bitch.”

 

“Awh, come on, Leech!”

 

“Don’t make me puppet you.” Leech tutted, nodding towards the lolly.

 

The Node did as she was asked - she knew better than to mess with Leech already - but made a point of huffing as she did so. She stood from her seat and swiftly fetched the treat from the floor. She ducked behind the bar and quickly ran it under one of the taps to wash it clean before returning it to Leech, who had been watching and grinning the entire time.

 

“Good girl.”

 

Despite themselves, both Kross and Mook felt a shiver tremble down their spine at the Controller’s words. But before too long, the group resettled on the task at hand.

 

“Right. What exactly are we looking at?” Leech mused aloud.

 

“Staff records, meeting minutes, some project work.”

 

Leech’s eyes drifted from the screen as she leaned back in her chair. As undeniably intelligent as she was, computer hacking and cyber security weren’t really her forte, and she was struggling to remain focused. As if it wasn’t difficult enough, Ink was not-so-subtly pushing her mountainous tits together and blatantly playing with them in a deliberately provocative manner, doing her damndest to steal Leech’s attention. 

 

I get it, you lil’ shit. You’re bored and horny. But this would go much quicker if you’d stop making the blood go to my dick instead of my brain!

 

Despite the ever growing arousal in the room, Leech pushed on. “Who was the cunt torturing Plasia, Mook? Let's find his profile.”

 

“Scyler Kagvar. Piece of trash.” Mook spat, unable to contain her venom at just the mention of his name.

 

“Righteo, let's look up the putrid pus pot, shall we?” Leech tapped on her laptop, a little slower than usual thanks to her missing limb, tilting her head slightly as his details popped up. “Busy one, ain’t he? Ugly fuck.” She pulled a face and fake dry-heaved as his official XITD portrait popped up on-screen. She quickly scrolled down the page. “Let's see… He’s a half-breed, fired from the RMD earlier this year, blah blah blah - wait wait wait! He was caught watching redacted material on work hours? What you reckon? Porn?”

 

“Definitely porn.” Kross nodded. “I might be able to find what it was… hold on…”

 

“WHY DO YOU CARE?!” Ink moaned loudly. “WE’RE WALKING PORN, WHO GIVES A SHIT?!”

 

“Because it’s funny, you grumpy fuck. You know, you don’t have to be here!” Leech snapped, her eyes purposely glued to her screen. “I told you you’d find this boring!”

 

“He was caught watching ‘public sex’ videos. Specifically sex at work.” Kross stated.

 

“Watching ‘work sex’ at work. Mhm. Subtle, isn’t he?” Leech giggled, snorting quietly.

 

“Wait. They’ve covered something up, he was caught watching something else too, but someone amended the record. Evangeline Caizer? I’m guessing she was the boss?” She looked to Mook for clarification.

 

Mook threw her head back in disgust. “I swear to Chance, all the XITD’s do is cover things up! They’d cover up their own breakfast if they thought it would impact their lunch!”

 

A sweet, if condescending smile grew over Leech’s face, as she turned to face Mook directly.

 

“Well, that is just diddly-dandy! You little sweet pea!”

 

“W-What?”

 

“You're just so, so cute… Even when you're angry and calling someone out, you're cute! If anything, you're even more cute when you're angry.” There was admiration in her eyes but a mocking tone in her voice, the combination of which left Mook feeling both confused, and oddly aroused. “Are you afraid of cursing, little Mook?”

 

“N-No! I just don’t need to curse all the time! F-Fuck you! See!”

 

“Hmm, I’m getting mixed signals now.” Leech laughed, and popped the lolly in her mouth. “But I like the cut of your bacon.” She winked at Mook as her tongue rolled slowly around the sticky sweet, then leant back in the chair.

 

“Leech, there's more.” Kross said softly from the other side of the table. “This Scyler guy, his data… there is a live connection.”

 

“A live connection? Live as in, we can directly connect to him?” Mook and Leech rolled over on their chairs towards Kross’s screen, huddling around it.

“Look - We have access to his personal account, his live personal account.”

 

“What?! How?! The servers are completely disconnected!”

 

“WHO GIVES A FUCK! JUST LOOK AT IT!” Ink sighed loudly, her chair creaking under her as she lay even further back, her head mere centimetres from the ground now.

 

“Mhm, she’s got a point. What we looking at?” Leech asked. The agitated flicking of Ink’s tentacles caught her gaze, but she quickly snapped it back to Kross' screen.

 

“It goes deeper- he’s got a tunnel of his own.” Kross frowned. “We’re connected to him and he’s connected to someone else. It looks like it was activated only a few hours ago. I don’t understand how we have a live connection though. We’re working from a disconnected server cube! He must have modified his gear...” She tapped across her keyboard, the room falling silent as all three of them stared intently at the screen. “...Here we go. Someone in the ‘Royal Military Division?’ Commander Jace Koa?”

 

Mook pushed in front of Kross, her eyes scanning the screen carefully as her heart pounded in her chest.

 

“T-That was the guy I was supposed to contact about Plasia!” She shuddered. “Is he working with Scyler?! He asked me to get proof that Plasia existed and, well…” She gestured to herself dramatically.

 

Kross accessed the tunnel and began scanning through the Commander’s files. “No correspondence was sent to your work C-add by this Koa. Looks like he never received your message either.”

 

“Commander Koa… never received my message? Then who replied to me? It couldn't have been…”

A slight pang of guilt hit in the stomach as she thought of Theo, but she quickly shook her head, a rage re-enveloped her chest. “Could it… have been Scyler? I mean, he's obviously hacked into the DA network -” She gestured to the laptop screen - “C-Could he have found out, become suspicious…” Mook's voice trailed off.

 

“Wait a minute!” Leech interrupted, wrestling the mouse from Kross. She quickly navigated back to Scyler’s profile again, doing a smaller fake dry-heave without even thinking as his portrait appeared. “I recognise this slimy fucker! He was the one who infiltrated my lab back in the dungeon! My security footage was a little grainy, but that's definitely him. And then he was on Barru X… Plasia said that she changed after she put on the protective suit they forced her to wear...” Leech growled, feeling her own temper rise. “He had my research notes. My samples. He knew about Plasia's… condition. Oh my god, the fucker targeted her.”

 

The computer mouse began to creak under her tightening grip, and the laptop ‘bu-duumed’ in protest. Kross quickly disconnected the device and offered the cable to Leech, who promptly ripped it out of the poor thing and threw it across the room.

 

“Boohoo. Someone did something bad. Can we move on please? Lets just find him and rape him or whatever. Who cares? But not right now.” Ink huffed, as stiff as she was bored by this new revelation.

 

“Fuck it! Can you hide us from this Scyler git? This - this… vomit-inducing… ass-kissing… paid-by -the-wank absolute fucking cuck.” Leech spat, completely ignoring Ink's whining, and reaching for a second computer mouse to crunch. “A-And keep the connection open?”

 

“Certainly.” Kross responded calmly, only tapping a few keys this time. “Done and done. We’re invisible, so long as the tunnel stays open.”

 

“Good. I want to know everything this fucking drip is up to. I don’t care if he’s ordering a flat-packed girlfriend or a year’s supply of boner pills, keep the line open and record everything.”

 

“Great! Can we go now?” Ink asked once again, kicking her legs back and forth.

 

“Ink, I swear on your dick-hole, button it. You can wait half-an-hour. We’ll all go for a fuck soon.” Leech sighed, exasperated. “God, you’re such a brat when you’re bored.” She muttered under her breath.

 

Ink grumbled back, leaning somehow even further back in the chair, her tentacles pressing against the floor to keep her from falling completely.

 

“So, what's the Koa guy about?” Leech continued, trying to temper her anger. “Shall we have a poke around his messages? Wonder if he’s been wanking on DA hours too.”

 

Kross tapped on the laptop again and quickly brought up the Commander's latest messages.

 

“Lots of messages here. Busy guy.” Kross noted. The sheer number of messages in Jace’s inbox sent an uncomfortable shiver down her spine. “At least he has it organised. Shall we start at the latest, maybe?”

 

Leech shrugged and nodded, doing her best to keep her eyes on the screen and away from any further crunchable devices.

 

“According to his calendar, he had a court hearing just a few hours ago. Latest outgoing message is timed not too long after that. Something about the release of an indentured servant…”

 

“Politics? Bleugh. Boring. FINE! Ink, you win! Let's go sate the urge for a few hours.”

 

“FINALLY!” Ink bolted up-right as if she had been possessed, the chair flying backwards behind her.

 

“You are in so much trouble for acting like a little twat this whole time, you understand? You -”

 

“- Leech!” Kross interrupted, tugging gently but firmly on Leech’s hand as the Controller went to leave the table. “You might want to read this.”

 

Begrudgingly, the Controller turned her attention back to the laptop, the feisty grin on her face slowly fading as she took in the text on the screen. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned in towards the screen.

 

“What's the hold up now?!” Ink demanded, already stroking herself in frustration.

 

“Kross! Change of plan, I need you to monitor EVERYTHING that comes through BOTH of those tunnels! Anything that comes through them, record it and notify me immediately.” Leech bolted upright, adjusting the waist on her jeans as she made for the exit. Her expression was thoughtful, but concerned. “ I-I need to go. There's someone I need to talk to. FUCK!”

 

*

 

“C'mon you twat, tighten that shit!” Leech grumbled to herself, her face pressed up against the window panel of the door. Her hand hovered over the door’s release, ready to push it open the very second she could.

 

She was peering into the medical bay, watching Plasia fasten a blacked-out gasmask to her face. 

 

“C’mon-c’mon-c’mon-c’mon! Hustle, blueberry!”

 

Plasia fumbled about with the mask for a few more seconds before feeling for a chair to sit in, and giving Leech’s approximate location a thumbs-up through the glass.

 

“FINALLY!”

 

The toxic Controller practically fell through the door in her haste. She waved at Plasia silently, double-checking that the girl couldn’t see - or smell - her. As expected, Plasia didn't react, her eyes and mouth completely shielded by the mask.

 

“You still you?”

 

“Y-Yup. Still me.” Plasia replied softly. “Why did you want to meet up?”

 

“I… There’s something you need to know. About Diego.”

 

“D-Diego?” Plasia visibly sank in her chair at the mere mention of his name.

 

“Yeah. Um…” Leech scratched the back of her head and shuffled about on her feet. “Well, he's not dead!” 

 

“W-What?” Plasia's cry was muffled slightly by the gasmask, but the emotion behind it was obvious.

 

“Yep! Good news, muffin. You didn’t kill him!”

 

“H-How can you possibly know that?!” Plasia snapped suddenly, her fingers clawing at her arms.

 

“Because we have a live connection to the DA network.” Leech eyed Plasia's agitated hands, and the long pink streaks that were appearing on her skin. “We’re connected to a ‘Commander Jace Koa,’ and he’s just ordered the declassification of Diego’s auction profile, as of about two hours ago.” Leech watched as the girl's body language immediately shifted, from stultifying self-hatred to a cautious curiosity. “He was kidnapped on Barru X by the same people who attacked the dungeon. But he's still alive. That I'm sure.”

 

“Y-You’re absolutely sure?”

 

“Sure as I can be! The message literally references this place!” Leech gestured broadly to the room around them before rolling her eyes at herself. She’s fucking blindfolded. “Barru X! The time-line matches up and everything.” Leech nipped across the room and placed a hand on Plasia’s shoulder, but quickly retracted it as the girl flinched violently at her touch. 

 

Not there quite yet, Leech.

 

“Fuck. Sorry! I don’t mean to scare you.” Leech laughed nervously. “But yeah, he’s alive! You didn’t kill him, Plas. The DA lied to you. We’re monitoring the fuckers now, and if anything happens, I promise you'll be the first to hear about it.”

 

Plasia was silent, save for the sound of her breath, whistling through the mask’s filters. Leech watched her closely as, slowly, her shoulders straightened out, and an overflowing feeling of relief washed through the room. Her chest began to shudder as she sobbed into the black mask.

 

“You uh… you let it out.” Leech cleared her throat, and took a step away from the weeping girl. “I just thought you ought to know, and from me. Didn’t feel right dropping that on you through a call or a message.”

 

“T-Thank you! I don’t even - I don’t know what to say! I just… Oh my god…” Plasia collapsed back in the chair, letting her head hang over the back, as if a great weight had been taken off her shoulders. Her chest felt… clear. For the first time in months, beyond the torture and hell she’d been through… this was it. Her head swam with so many thoughts and emotions, it was impossible to pick and identify any one of them.

 

Well, maybe, just maybe… there was hope. 

 

But her moment of respite was not to last. Plasia's mind was quickly snapped back into focus as, within the darkness of the mask, she could feel a rising heat.

 

Suddenly, the doors slid open again and a thudding, heavy, hot presence entered the room.

 

“No! She’s not ready! S-She’s still recovering - ” Leech’s stammer was cut off as a sudden crash sounded around the room. Plasia flinched and scrambled to her feet as a familiar tightness squeezed her chest. A tightness that long predated the DA…

“Enough, Leech!” Moltezz snarled, the room flushing with a dry, angry heat. “I don’t tell you how to run a lab. Do not tell me how to discipline a traitor.”