Moving through blinking lights and sheer darkness, V walked at a steady pace not tripping on anything despite the constant debris the recent energy outburst had caused. Her steps were precise, and she knew exactly where she was, and where she needed to go. That was her power. But was that really all there was to it? She wasn't certain why, but she knew she could do so much more.
It didn't take long for her to reach the first floor. However, the very room where she had seen that familiar face laid now vacant. She realized it had been actually foolish to think the person would stand still after the commotion. Yet seeing that face had stirred something in her mind. After having ponder about it all the way up to this room, she was certain this person was a link to her past, and perhaps something to help her unlock her sealed memories.
Resigned, she decided it was time to leave this facility. It didn't take her ability to realize the structure of the building had been compromised. She turned around, and left the room. She took two steps, and then stopped. In the eye of her mind, she could clearly spot the horde of zombies marching through the only available way from this point -if her memory didn't fail her, and she recalled the map in her head correct- she believe led to the outside.
She walked calmly forward, and the horde didn't take long to notice her. She probably wouldn't be able to fight at her full potential, she surmised, but she would be able to defend herself. She had some small cuts, and her back hurt from the previous encounter with zombies, though her main concern at the moment was not to exert herself and go blind mid-battle again.
She tensed her body, and got ready to take them on, but something odd happened. The zombie army stopped dead in their tracks. One of them walked forward, leaving the rest behind, who stood still. The lone zombie walked towards V and stopped at talking distance.
The zombie then slowly started to change its appearance, as if what she had seen before was merely a mirage. Illusions didn't work against V because she didn't use her eyes, so it surprised her that this creature was actually morphing into a different shape, and this was no mere visual trick.
A tall asian guy with spiky hair stood before her. He had a tight vest, and pants, and was very lean. He smirked at the sight of V. "Cassandra," he called in a thick foreign accent. "久しぶり".
The foreign language took V by surprise. Her head started to hurt. It all seemed familiar, somehow. The language. This man. Yet, the more she pondered about it, the more her head hurt. Her face writhed in visible discomfort. She felt something welling up inside her. Words inside her mind wanted to come out her mouth.
"誰だ、おまえ?" She found herself saying.
The asian guy blinked a few times, the burst out laughing.
" 何が面白い?" V added in a angry tone, then shook her head as if snapping from the very words she was saying. "What's so funny?" She was back to her own self--the self she didn't know.
"You joke," replied the asian guy in broken english. "I thought you no tell jokes."
V felt the headache gripping back her brain. The more she thought about the person in front of her, the pain got more intense. "I... do I know you? I don't remember anything. I... 何も覚えてない." Once again, the words came out without her trying. She certainly knew this language, but she wasn't asian. Or was she?
"マジ···?" He replied surprised. "You not joking?" He glanced skeptical for a moment, then his face changed as if he had become aware of something. "Ah, yes. Yes. That!"
V raised an eyebrow. "That...?"
"You not belong here," he explained. "You dangerous but useful. So, they erase memory, you not dangerous anymore. If you not know who are you, they can use for their 目的."
That makes sense. If they somehow erased my memory, they might be able to use me, for whatever goals they have. It isn't a fail-proof plan, but it might work for some. "So who am I...?" She asked tentatively.
"You... " He started but abruptly ended his sentence. His eyes shifted one side and the other as if he was looking at something that was only visible for his eyes. "They moving. I go. 時間がない."
The asian guy morphed back into the lifeless zombie, just as the rest of the horde started regaining motion again. Ignoring V, they walked in a different direction.
V felt she was forgetting something very important, but she couldn't recall anything yet. She headed towards the exit. "Cassandra... Cassandra... Cassandra." She kept repeating the name in her head even though her it wouldn't stop hurting.
-----
Number IV had searched for survivors of his party, but aside from I's crushed corpse, the rest appeared to have fled to safety, or at least had died somewhere else. Though slightly concerned by the recent damage to the facility, he still searched intent, unaware of a party of four or five that stalked him from the dark. They were wearing light padding armor, and all of them looked to be in top shape. They all had the same apparel, and the same weapons as well: a gun, a sword in the back, a shotgun, and a bunch of tools tucked into a belt. There clothes were black, and they were could easily pass for a modern-day ninja.
One of them took the lead, and from his belt he grabbed a thin metal pipe, and a dart. He carefully placed the dark in the pipe, and aimed at Number IV. He blew the pipe, and the dart quickly traveled through the air, stopping at IV's neck.
"Ouch, that stung!" He complained while instinctively reaching for the dart. He held it in his hand, and stared at the direction it had come from. "Who the hell... is... there?" His words somehow got harder and harder to pronounce, his vision blurry, and his head fuzzy. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was a group of shadows approaching him.
-----
"Quickly, scan the boy!"
A single man from the group of five took the lead, while the rest stood behind, at a safe distance, readying their weapons. From his belt he took out a device that looked like a sewn-off pistol. He raised IV's arm, and searched for something while having the scanner ready in his other hand. He kept searching, but apparently he didn't find what he was looking for.
"What are you waiting for?" Called one of team members in a hush.
The one with the scanner let the arm fall to the ground and turned to face his teammates. "He... doesn't have a number."
"What?"
The teammates warily approached their target, and carefully glanced at his right arm, using a small flashlight to see clearly in the dim light.
"What does this mean?" Asked one.
"They are not registered. It's that simple," explained another one confident. He took out the gun and shoot IV in the head with no hesitation whatsoever. Another one in the group took out his sword, and cut through IV's neck cleanly, beheading him.
"How would they not be registered, commander?" Asked the man with the scanner casually.
"There are two possible reasons for this," started the commander. "Either they were kept in the dark from the moment they got their powers, or he probed to be a troublesome one before he got the label. See those robes? He was probably kept in cryo until they figured what to do with him." He kicked the head. "No matter anymore. But it does concern me: he probably wasn't the only one. We got enough trouble dealing with the registered ones.
"Troublesome, eh...?" Mused another.
"Yes," affirmed the commander. "Either they had a rebellious attitude, or their powers were unstable or troublesome to deal with."
"Oh, you mean like Lilith...?" Wondered another underling.
"Don't call her name outloud! Bad mojo, man. Bad mojo," said another one.
"No, A021 it's a different matter altogether. Numbers 015 to..." He suddenly ended his explanation. There had been a noise not too far from their position. "Let's move."
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