Chapter 114: The Anomalous Nature of Anabelle Grazhe

  VortexEYE Forum on the topic of ‘Yuzhou Break-in’.

  Barbarionlion: Wtf,Yuzhou’s stocks just dropped and I bought some not too long ago, bullshit. Who are these punks that broke into their damn manufacturing facilities?

  Chainlink: I know about Missy, Mirage and The Iron Devil. If I had to bet, the R0N1N hired them to do some dirty work, have no idea who this Dreadwire guy is tho. But he’s gold.

  Lozt: It’s probably from that Toxin Club MAL then? Can’t imagine anyone else just popping in from nowhere with an Implant like that.

  Barbarionlion: I bet it’s corporate espionage, the R0N1N’s probably just a SynTec agent or something. Maybe Dreadwire is some secret weapon of theirs.

  Chainlink: Oh, his Shardware is all te rage at Little Requiem, I heard that this Skeleton guy really wants to know the details of it.

  Lozt: Mr. Skeleton?

  Barbarionlion: Isn’t that the creepy vendor down in the Gardens?

  Lozt: Mr. Skeleton’s big business, he runs most of Little Requiem, heard he’s got ‘Masa by the balls, and considering how they even attacked a bunch of police on the same day… they have to have been working together with the R0N1N?

  Chainlink: A rumor says that the R0N1N actually went ahead and met with Muramasa. Probably no coincidence they teamed up to fight their common enemy.

  Barbarianlion: Yeah? Well I lost a bunch of fucking money!

  Lozt: I guess you can say you’re glad you didn’t have… the lion’s share?

  Barbarianlion: Stfu. Doesn’t help that my favorite chef just offed himself.

  Lozt: Simon Jugosla? Saw that on the news, wasn’t he involved with like… MAL-flesh trading and human trafficking?

  Barbarionlion: That’s why he was my favorite. I got an appetite like a lion too.

  Chainlink: The bitch that actually did it is the one who had that Gold Implant, y’know? No wonder she went missing. Her bounty was also taken off.

  Lozt: I heard from my boss it was actually Mr. Skeleton who put it on her, why’d he remove it now?

  Chainlink: Idk, you’re the one who said this secret mastermind is controlling Little Requiem and one of the big four gangs.

  Barbarionlion: Ah, who gives a fuck. I want my money.

  September 7th

  Diana

  Dryder had brought me over to what seemed like an old motel at first, but when he said it was his office… I knew something was off about him. Apparently, he was a private detective, but his ‘office’ was just an old motel room he had rented out indefinitely that served as both his living space and working space.

  It reeked of alcohol.

  The first thing he did was, in fact, drink himself to sleep.

  Though, I didn’t blame him after the day we had. He’d dropped off both Anthony and Olivia with a ‘friend of his’, a shady gene-clinic where she’d be stabilized by tomorrow. I’d offered to stay, but Dryder’s place was close enough that I should be able to visit.

  I’d slept for 16 hours straight.

  When I got up in the early morning, visiting Anthony and Olivia was the very first thing I did. Oliva was recovering quickly, according to the scraggly doctor there, and would be transferred to an orphanage for… children like her soon enough. I was reluctant at first, but where else could she go.

  But it was Anthony who got most of my attention once I heard more about his condition.

  “The bleeding stopped, but he has severe brain damage… I don’t know when he’ll wake up, if he ever will.”

  That was all the doctor had said to me. In a few hours, Dryder had managed to get him shipped off to an actual hospital. I went alongside with him, waiting… and waiting by his bed. He breathed normally, his heartbeat was stable… but I’d damaged him. His brain… he was… empty.

  It was his father who came by first to the room, and he was…

  Broken. I didn’t know what to say, but in the end, he didn’t need me to say anything.

  “I blame myself.”

  Those were the only few words he said as he closed the door, and I heard a loud bang on the wall seconds later.

  Soon, the rest of his extended family came, some of them demanded answers that I didn’t know how to give. Some of them just stood by me, thankful that I was there for Anthony, others… they seemed to only stop by as though it was a procedure for them.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  I gripped my knuckles tight. It was later in the day when Anabelle Grazhe entered the door to the hospital room, her face pale and empty.

  “Diana… sorry… Investigator Jones. First of all, congratulations on bringing down Simon Jugosla-”

  I just nodded. Dryder had already filled me in with what bogus report had come in from my ‘mission’. Simon Jugosla was found dead on September 6th in his apartment, he had been farming MALformed underneath an animal sanctuary he had partial ownership of, passing them off with the rest of the harvested livestock to the highest bidder.

  After more than two weeks undercover, I had single handedly taken down his entire operation. However, my identity had been compromised and he had secretly taken Anthony as a hostage and… harmed him. After taking down hordes of his personal guards, I collected the necessary info and pushed him into hiding.

  Where he took his own life.

  “-I just wish we could have brought him in for what he did to Anthony.” Anabelle Grazhe shuddered, I never thought I would see her in despair. Not after I saw how cold her eyes had been when she had bid on me.

  I bit my tongue… Soul Killer was in her head. The question was if she knew that. “Soul Killer, they’re…”

  “The ones responsible for Simon Jugosla’s operations. I know.” She cradled Anthony’s face, grief hung on every word. “I just… dammit, I didn’t think he’d… like his mother… urgh… my head? Sorry, I just need to breath.”

  The lieutenant grabbed her temples, massaging them as I saw red flicker inside her eyes. “What was I saying? Right, Anthony he didn’t… I should have been more careful. If my dad was here he would have…”

  She stifled her silent sobs and sucked her shattered emotions back into place. “Forgive me, Diana. It’s not right for you to see your Lieutenant like this. I… I don’t know how I even let this happen. It was my mistake firsthand, but you did well on this job.”

  “Are you okay, Lieutenant?” I raised my voice, that had definitely been Soul Killer’s influence.

  But when her eyes turned Soulless, I felt my heart drop. “Oh she’s perfectly fine. Just a little tough to control a Psionic Esper, you know. Anyways, I’ve rewritten her memories enough to be coherent. Relax, neither you nor her are going to be punished for this… if you remain at ease, that is.”

  “You…” I stared at Soul Killer once more. “Why are you even like this?!”

  “Why? Is it not human nature to consume and build?” Soul Killer laughed it off. “Anabelle and Anthony are nothing other than humans, one of several billion, their loss is minimal compared to what I’m discovering.”

  “What even is it?”

  “Oh?” Anabelle’s face twitched like trying to hold back a laugh. “I thought you figured it out. I’m merely trying to learn how to control the MAL, how to get closer in becoming more like them… humans draw on Warp Energy from Implants? Imagine what we could do if we cut out the middle-man and were entirely connected to it?”

  “Control the…” I clenched my jaw. “And your first step is controlling humans?”

  “Look at you, my little genius. I only wish I could have seen what you were up to with… SK76.” She tapped her head, as though trying to remember which one. There was something different about Anabelle being under Soul Killer’s influence, she spoke slower and seemed less erratic. Less… overwhelmed?

  Every other Soul Killer puppet looked like they were in pain as they took over, Anabelle looked otherwise completely calm and secure… almost lacking — more human, in a way?

  “You’re different from the other Soul Killers.” I squinted my eyes accusingly.

  Anabelle flinched back, her soulless gaze turning away, enough that I’d known I had hit some measure of truth. “Let’s just say, my agreement with Anabelle is mutually beneficial to my greater self, and her father — and yours. I have exactly the control over her that I require. ”

  The light began to return as her eyes turned gray, and Anabelle continued speaking as though nothing had happened. “We’re not giving up on Anthony, Diana… no one is. I’m sorry for baiting you out at the auction, for Simon himself to purchase you was… unexpected. I know my presence there must have shocked you, but you played your role well. I’ll be more upfront about tasks like this in the future. To prevent… any of this.”

  “I… understand.” I blinked, not sure if I should try to tell her what just happened. In the end, I just blurted it out. “Soul Killer’s in your head, lieutenant.”

  She stared at me oddly, before snorting. “I didn’t take you as the type to joke your way out of times like this. Sure, I occasionally joust at the mythical criminal a few times, but all evidence points out that they never existed.”

  That… didn’t she just say that she knew Soul Killer was…?

  “What about your sister, about… Anthony’s mother?” I squeezed my fists tight, hoping.

  “That’s a sore subject Diana… My sister was remarkable in every way, but I’m sure Anthony already told you we had our disagreements and it ended with her working as a nurse assistant. She left on her own accord, and died treating those whom she cared about. That’s what I remember of my sister, someone who didn’t let her own life get in the way of protecting others… as foolish as it may be.”

  I stayed silent… just sitting as Anabelle whispered something into Anthony’s ears.

  “I know this isn’t the appropriate place to inform you...” Anabelle began once she stood herself up, “but you should be ready to say goodbye to your old squad.”

  “I’m getting transferred?” I glanced up at her.

  “On orders of your father - I doubt we'll be keeping your Gold hidden any longer.” She nodded.

  So I could fall even more under his thumb, it didn’t matter where I went… there was always someone.

  “Ah… okay.” I pulled myself out of the chair. “Just… I need to know, what are you going to do about Anthony?”

  “What do you mean?” Anabelle asked in confusion.

  “That wasn’t a question for you.”

  “Ah.” Soulless eyes glanced back. “Nothing much, he’s a hostage here as much as he was there. I’m sure you and Dryder will be scheming all sorts of things, but don’t worry, Anthony will stay safe… there are… reasons we need him alive.”

  “What sort of reasons?”

  Soul Killer just smiled, then the eyes faded back to gray. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

  “Nothing.” I sighed. “Just… take care of yourself, Lieutenant. And for what it’s worth, I blame myself too.”

  With that, I stepped out of the room, my Neuralink active the entire time. “It’s exactly as you said, Dryder. She doesn’t even know she’s infected. It’s like… she can’t comprehend the thought.”

  “Anabelle’s been under their control for a decade, it’s a deep festering virus. But you're sure about it? You can cure those infected?”

  Walking into my solace, a bathroom, I pulled out a Silver SIM - Kimbley's. The SIM of a Soul Killer Nexus. Holding it, it seemed to almost grasp for the fading presence of Anabelle Grazhe as long as I channelled my Soul Resonance Mutation. I had a way of identifying them now.

  "I’ll do it." My thoughts festered through the Neuralink. "I’ll find a way to cure their infection, I’ll burn every trace of that bastard’s sickness out of this city.”

  ———

  September 8th

  Diana

  “Hey.” Dryder prodded me with his foot, I peeled myself off the sticky mattress of this hotel room to look at him with disdain. He didn’t care much, instead handing me over a laptop that I… identified was the one from my apartment. “Got a new software update installed, covert DataShield and everything… Also, someone's been trying to talk to you. I’m patching them in.”

  Before I could respond, a new voice filtered into my head.

  “Hey, Diana! This is Twilight speaking… you know, one of Ripley’s girlfriends…!”