Page 66 of Repossess My Heart

“Reactors are at critical levels, evacuate immediately. Suppression systems failed.”

My eyes dart to Anton as he paces the railing outside, stopping when he feels my eyes on him. I move fast, quicker than I should with the way I’m bleeding. He makes no move to stop me as my hand bands around his throat, shoving his top half over the railing. The rest of his hair falls free from its band, sending the tie falling hundreds of stories down to the system's multiple cores.

“Radiation levels are critical. Evacuate now.” The voice comes again, and my mind is skirting on the edge of sanity.

“What have you done?” I growl, shoving him back farther. Only my hand around his throat is preventing his inevitable fall.

His eyes are crazed, so far from the ones that helped build me, forge me in hatred and pain. I can see now that this was always there, lingering beneath the surface, “I’m giving you two what you wanted.” He laughs again. It goes on for so long I have to shake him to stop it. “It’s all over now. My people are gone, my Everly is gone… I came for the Officials I knew their fucking whore bots would round up everyone that fled after we fixed the reactor there was a chance I could have my life back but-“

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?”

“If you’re leaving Nathan, do it now.”

“Meltdown imminent. Evacuate now, suppression systems failed.” The voice announces again.

“I loved her you know… I loved her-“ his voice is cut off in a gasp as I let go, sending him over the railing.

I can feel my heart pounding in my chest as I run through the flashing scarlet halls. This wasn’t the plan; I don’t have time… how much radiation has she already been hit with? I repeat the code in my head. The only thing grounding me, keeping me sane. My mind screams out to my drone to get her out, but there’s no response. The mind link connection is blank as I try desperately to connect.

“Fuck, fuck, FUCK!” I roar, it all seems so fucking stupid now. In light of the possibility of her getting hurt, or worse, me fulfilling my part of our deal. I can’t happen… not ever but especially not down here. She can’t die in the darkness like the rest.

I can’t fucking lose her.

20

A Way Out

Reverie

“Can you walk?” the Repo Man whispers underneath his breath, his arms are bulkier than Nine’s, the harsh way he held me loosened quickly despite him picking up his pace. I don’t respond, but slowly the world is coming into more focus. Slowly, the ringing in my ears stops, giving way to a pounding whooshing sound as my blood races through my veins. That ache in my chest brings a deep flush to my cheeks, my skin slicking with sweat as I’m sat on wobbly legs.

“Hey, we don’t have time for a breakdown, babe. You need to help me out here.”

I scoff, whirling on him. There’s something else in the symphony of pain wreaking my chest. Something bright that’s barreling to the surface from the swirling of my stomach, “I am not helping another one of you with shit.”

“Huh?”

He barely gets it out when I kick. It’s not my best work with the tech in my spine no longer flooding my body with nanobots but damn if it wasn’t a solid hit to the nuts. The Repo Man stumbles, retching backwards before he launches at me.

Good, there it is. Get it over with.

I won't allow myself to be pulled along, not for another second. The thought of it makes me sick.

When he comes for me, I’m ready. A laugh leaves me and I feel none of the humor in it as I duck low, swiping my leg out underneath his, a move I learned from theassholehimself. You don’t have to be strong, just fast… and smarter. Other Repo Men flood the halls and I’m sure they’re here to help him but they don’t stop, hooting and shouting bits of dismembered bodies draped around them like a morbid garland on a victory run.

A yelp leaves my mouth as the Repo Man at my front grips my hair tightly using it to steer me to the ground, a hiss of not pain but white-hot fucking anger rips into me as his knee finds my spine, “Get on with killing me fuckface, I’m tired of this shit.” I spit. The anger is easier than the pain. So much easier. But as I force my head up off the elaborately tiled floor, I realize my tears haven’t stopped.

I remember CeCe saying something about the people of the old world, that they believed souls were like odd bursts of energy that made us…us.That those souls lived inside all things. That some people could even see the colors of them. I had never questioned before that mine was cast in shades of gray but now? I have no doubt it's painted in a brilliant white, glacier blue and streaks of blood red. I can’t decide if I’m better or worse for it.

“I’m not going to fucking hurt you, but if you don’t cut the crazy off for a bit, they sure as fuck will.” He hisses next to my face and dread again fills my gut.

“Do all Repo Men suck? Is that part of the fucking skill set?”

He pauses, taken aback, before painfully wrenching me to my feet. When I wince, he does too. “Don’t tell him I hurt you. I’m not… used to being gentle.”

What?

Another burst of Repo Men floods the hall. I’m shocked into silence by the faces. None of them especially grotesque as I’d imagined them to be, but certainly none of them as striking as Nine. Their varying shades of skin and varying modifications all splattered and whipped with blood as they celebrate something. When their hungry eyes catch mine, I look away, not out of fear, pretty sure I’m past that but… it feels wrong letting them look at me like that.

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