Page 48 of Tyton: The Spider and the Dragonfly
“Good girl,” Sesi said reflexively.Her eyes opened wide, and Callie blushed but now was not the time to dissect this.
Sesi unclipped the hatch cover and peeked inside.There was a single guard who, thankfully, wasn’t looking this direction.She pulled the ulu from its sheath and threaded the shaft between her fingers.An expression of horror crossed Callie’s face.
Sesi removed the hatch cover and slipped across the floor like a shadow until she crouched directly behind the guard.Like water, she rose, slipped the ulu across his neck and cradled him gently to the floor.She caught Callie’s eyes, unblinking with her hand clapped over her mouth.Sesi removed a patch from inside her coat and smoothed it over the wound.Leaving the body, she pressed her PalmInter to the Hexaline walls.Small lights revealed the biosig sensors.A few minutes later, they all went dark.
Sesi locked eyes with Callie and nodded.She clambered out of the access port with remarkably less grace than Sesi had.After helping her to her feet, Sesi refastened the panel.
“You killed him!”Callie whispered
“Maybe.The patch will slow some of the bleeding and regulate his heartbeat.If he comes to or his colleagues find him within an hour, he’ll be fine, but his heart rate will start fluctuating in about ten minutes.If they’re perceptive, that’s all we have.”Sesi wiped the blood from her ulu on her pantleg.She caught Callie staring.“It was my mother’s,” she explained.“It’s a bit more modern, and they aren’t usually used for this, but given what happened to her, I don’t feel too bad about it.”
“You don’t feel bad aboutmurder?”Callie hissed.
“A random murder?Sure.But by the time you understand the whole thing, you probably won’t feel as bad about it either.”
Sesi turned to check the hallway.It was clear.But Callie didn’t move.It was obvious that this issue wasn’t going away.This mission was already fucked.
“We have nine minutes until the patch no longer keeps his heart rate steady.When that happens, security will probably notice and someone is going to check on him.That’ll take at least another minute.Then they’ll realise the biosig sensors are down and the building will go on high alert.”
“Uh…” Callie stammered.She wasn’t sure what had just happened or how she had caused it.
“Out with it.Now.”Sesi ordered.
“My last girlfriend was security.For a smaller corp.”Callie said in a rush.“I can’t just murder people.”
Sesi nodded and then strode over to the hatch.She unfastened it.“Keep talking.What happened to her?”
But she heard nothing.Sesi turned and saw another guard at the door.Callie had frozen.
Callie heard two shots and was struck from behind.This is it!I’ve been shot!She started hyperventilating, but then the weight of the wound rolled off of her.The impact had been from Sesi, not a bullet.She lifted her head just in time to see Sesi whirl, slashing the throat of the guard that had shot her.This time, there was no patch.Blood sprayed, eyes vast and horrible in shock as he crumpled noisily to the ground.
Callie scrambled to her feet and dove for the access port with Sesi sliding quickly behind.Callie kept running as Sesi refastened the hatch cover.
Heartbeats slammed against her ribcage so hard that she thought they were going to crack.A crippling headache blasted her forehead and she stumbled.A piece of pipe rang out above her and her vision went dark.There were footsteps.Many footsteps?Shuffling.They were all around.
“Let’s get her back.”
Callie recognised that voice.
The footsteps shuffled away.And then things were silent, save the hum of electricity through the conduits and the ringing in her ears.She felt herself being dragged and propped up against the wall.She tried to protest, but found that she couldn’t.
Callie was jolted awake by a massive metal arm slipping around her waist and pulling her to stand.How long had she been out?She turned to look and saw a giant man, with shark fins coming from his back?She must have hit her head hard.He scared her, but right now, she didn’t care.Nor would she have been able to do anything if she did.
The next time she awoke, Callie found herself prone.She could see a soft light coming from overhead.Boots rested on the side rail of an old medibed.Her eyes followed them to Sesi.She wore no coat, just her tank top.Her arms were probably the size of Callie’s legs.
“You’re staring,” Sesi said.The sultry smile said she didn’t mind.
Callie closed her mouth and willed the room to stop spinning.
“Drink some water.It’ll help.”Sesi held out a bottle.Callie took it and found that her throat was extremely dry.
“I’m sorry,” she croaked.
Sesi shook her head.“There was about a fifty percent chance that mission was going to go sideways anyway.I’m actually more impressed that you lasted that long.”
“Don’t you need…” Callie tried to say, but Sesi cut her off.
“Tell me about this former girlfriend of yours.Itisformer, right?Because Talia is the jealous type.”
