Raven and Alara walked deeper inside the second floor of the library, their rifles raised, ready for use, and steps quiet for maximum stealth. The second floor was dimly lit, lined with rows of tall bookshelves on both sides of the main walkway, the air smelled like blood and body odor. As Alara and Raven advanced, the distant sound of wood gave only a second's warning before four Raiders steped out in front of them two from their left, and another two from their right running out from the walkways of the side book shelves.
Without speaking to Alara, Raven lifted her hand in signal to split their formation up, I will go left and you go right. Alara nodded, her grip tightening on her Ak-203. The pair turned as one Raven to the left, Alara to the right, their pink AK-203s ready for action. Ravens two drones matched their turns as their onboard rifles locked onto the closest targets.
Pew pew pew pew pew. The air echoed with gunfire. Blood mist flew up from the Raiders as the two one Ravens side and the two one Alara's were killed at the same time. But not before one of the Raiders jerked his hand reflexively as he fell his funger, pulling the trigger of his AK-47, discharging a round into the air. The bullet shot towards Raven, hitting her shoulder only to halt mid-air, an inch from her skin. Raven's kinetic magnetic shielding activated briefly, catching the bullet in a ripple of light before it fell to the ground, harmlessly.
Raven lowered her weapon and turned, confirming Alara has already killed her targets. Before they could regroup, a loud CRASH tore through the surroundings. As a massive bookshelf fell forward and slammed into the floor in front of them. Boom.
From behind the fallen bookshelf stepped out crazed Raider, his hand held onto handgun pointed at the temple of a trembling, young woman. Her hands were handcuffed, her face was swollen and bruised from a recent beating. The Raider sneered at Raven and Alara while he remained unaware of the drones still cloaked in optical camouflage around him.
"You stupid bitches! You have ruined everything!" The man shouted. "Our boss is going to have to find a new base now! We just cleared this place of zombies, and then you two show up, killing half my brothers! Put your guns down, or I kill her! And if you don't, my brothers downstairs will kill every last hostage in the basement!"
Raven didn't bat an eye at this threat. In her mind the real-time optical feedback from Mighty Mouse showed images of the freed hostages and the dead bodies of the basement guards.
Raven gave a silent mental command. As one of her drones shifted, position to fly behind the Raider waiting for orders. Raven lowered her rifle slightly and stared at the man saying.
"You should think more about your own skin than your boss," Raven said flatly. "We have already killed most of your people. Do you really think killing that girl will save you now?"
The man hesitated, uncertain of what to do as Raven continued saying.
"Tell me where Adam Carter is. Everything you know about him. Give me the information I want, and maybe I will let you walk out of here alive. That's a big maybe. If the girl lives, good for her. If not, oh well. Because if you don't talk, both of you will die here today."
The Raider blinked in confusion, responding. "Holy shit...lady. Are you the bad guy here or am I? That's some fucked up shit to say."
Raven's voice held firm. "I never said I was a good person. I kill whoever I want and save whoever I want. I'm not here to play the hero. If you're weak enough to get captured, to live as a victim, you're already dead. This world doesn't care about saints. It rewards sinners. And I'm the devil. Or a cat woman, if you ask Alara."
Behind Raven, Alara lifted her head, her eyes devoid of empathy. The hostage began to cry, now sobbing as she said.
"Please! Don't let him kill me! I don't want to die!"
Alara raised her pink AK-203 and fired a shot without a shred of humanity or hesitation.
One shot. Point blank to the head. The woman fell to the ground like a stone into a pond, as the back of her skull burst open when it hit the floor.
The Raider recoiled, staring down at the corpse in disbelief, his expression caught somewhere between horror and disbelief.
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