As the door slid open in front of Vincent and Maya. They were met by an almost entirely empty room. Just the remnants of some empty food packets left on a tray, that had been pushed in the far corner.

Vincent immediately realised that neither his friends nor Sam’s family were inside as he had hoped. “Damnit!”

The gang member closest to the pair, started laughing as he heard Vincent’s response to the empty room. They both turned back to face him.

“You’re too late!” The man continued to chuckle.

Vincent walked over to where the man lay. “What do you mean? What was inside?”

He didn’t give a response. He seemed to realise that the pair didn’t already know, what had been inside and guessed that they had only raided their hideout on the off chance, that they would be able to find something.

Vincent glanced over to Maya. “Give me a hand?”

She smiled. “Certainly.”

The man tried to shuffle away from them. It was almost comical to watch, as he flailed about with his injured limbs. As Maya reached the man, she stepped on his right wrist and pinned him to the spot.

She leant over. “I believe that he asked you a question. It would be in your best interest to answer it.”

He looked up and smirked. “Do your best. Nothing you can do will be worse than what the boss will do, if he finds out I told you anything.” The man tried to sound defiant.

Maya just looked up and glanced towards Vincent. He gave her a nod in response. Seeing this she crouched down next to the man and whispered in his ear.

“That was the wrong decision.”

She grabbed his wrist and with her free hand she took hold of his index finger. Then slowly but surely, she begun to pull it. The man only bore with it for a few moments before he cried out in pain and begun to beg.

“Ah fuck me. Please, please, just stop it. Shit it’s fucking broken already…”

She didn’t stop. She kept on slowly pulling the finger further from the hand. The man let out a shrill scream, as the skin begun to stretch. There was a popping sound as the finger dislocated from the joint and the tendons tore apart. The skin finally split as she gave it one final yank, cleaving it unclearly off. Blood splashed over the floor and the man, as the vessels split open and severed. The man’s voice had become hoarse from wailing at the top of his lungs.

“Hold it there Maya. I’ll ask again when he calms down a little.” Vincent told her.

Once the man’s cries quieted down Vincent stepped over him and peered down. “Now tell me, what was inside that room?”

The man was rolled up into a ball whimpering when he looked up. “Please stop… I-I can’t tell you anything.”

“Look, you’re going to tell me what I want to know. Either now, or after she has finished. I don’t know this boss of yours, but I can assure you that anything he can do to you, it won’t be worse than what is about to happen. Answer me.”

“I can’t!”

“Maya, you’re up again.”

The man squirmed. “No, no, no! Alright, alright. I’ll tell you, there was a boy and girl kept inside. They were captured a day ago.” The man said in panic.

Dwight waved at Maya to stand back. “Where from?”

“Some strange community. They lived inside this overgrown chamber… I don’t know what it was called.”

They were here!

“Where have they been taken?”

“They were taken to the doc. I don’t know what for though.”

“Where can I find this doc?”

“I don’t know.”

Vincent nodded at Maya again. The man screamed in agony, this time it was because she was slowly pressing one of her fingers through his forearm.

Vincent signalled for her to stop. “Where is this doc?” He asked again.

“I-I told you, I don’t know. I wish I did, cos I’d fucking tell you.” The man whimpered.

“What do you think Maya?”

She tilted her head. “His heart rate is elevated, but I don’t think that’s because he’s lying to you.”

Vincent turned back to man. “Hmm okay… Where can I find someone that does know?”

The man nervously glanced at Maya. “The boss would know, but you wouldn’t be able to get to him. Not even with her.”

“Where can I find your boss?”

“I don’t know where he is right now, but if you hang around in town, he’ll eventually come to the bar. I don’t recommend it though.”

“Thank you. Now, one final question. Were you part of the group that attacked the settlement?”

“I-I was, but…”

BLAM. The man was cut off by a single round from Vincent’s handgun.

Maya stood up from next to the man’s body and brushed her clothes down. “Was that a good idea? He might’ve been able to tell you more.”

“Yeah. We can ask the others on our way out. We know the boss will visit the bar and I know someone that can take me there. I’ve got another idea too.”

The remaining gang members were subjected to the same questioning technique, while the pair made their way out of the hideout. They weren’t told anything that the first man hadn’t said already. They all seemed to only be low ranking members of the gang. They left the remaining men alive, only because they had no connection the raid and the deaths of Vincent’s friends. By that point though, they were probably wishing they had been killed like the others.

“Where to now?” Maya asked as they stepped back out into the corridor outside.

Dwight looked surprised. “You’re coming with me?”

 She nodded. “Yes, for now at least.”

“I could do with the help, so thanks I guess, but why?”

I doubt I’d have a chance otherwise.

“Part of my job is to ensure your wellbeing.”

“That was when I was on the crew. It doesn’t count anymore.”

“I’ve decided that it does. Just in case you decide to come back one day.”

“Sure, well I won’t complain now… We’re going this way. There’s someone I need to pick up, before we head into town.”

The pair headed back up the corridor towards the place that Vincent had left Sam.

“So, what was this other idea you had?” Maya asked as they walked.

“I was hoping that with your access to the system, you might be able to trace my friends.”

“It’s hard enough in these zones with the patchy sensor arrays and considering these friends of yours probably aren’t registered passengers, I doubt it.”

“I thought you might say that. They aren’t registered, I don’t have any samples of their DNA that we could use and there will be no trace of their family by now. We’ll see what happens in town, but there’s someone else we might be able to get to help us.”

“Who?”

“You’ll see in a moment.”

They walked back up the corridor, passing the unfortunates still passed out at the side of the street as they went. The poor souls had no idea that they were likely to face a disruption to the supply of drugs they relied on. This place isn’t going to look pretty once they all start to withdraw. There was little Vincent could do for them, and he wasn’t about to synthesise drugs for them. Perhaps there might be a doctor nearby that would be able to help them, but he doubted they would accept it. They would more than likely find a new source. That was if they didn’t have one already. This isn’t why we’re here. Vincent had unconsciously slowed his pace.

Maya seemed to have sensed his disquiet. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re worried about these humans?”

“Of course, I am.”

“I doubt that they want your help.”

“I know that… Come on.”

The pair soon reached the place that Vincent had left Sam to wait. There was no sign of him. I’m sure this is where I left him. There were three streets that led off the main corridor close by, Vincent looked around the closest one, not seeing Sam he called out.

“Sam!”

Maya looked down the next corridor along, seeing it empty she turned back. “Were you supposed to meet here?”

“We were. I told him to wait for me.”

“He doesn’t appear to have listened.”

“I can see that.”

Maya suddenly spun around, towards the branching street behind the pair. She had heard something, and the particle rifle was already trained down the corridor. As she did a large shape stepped out of the shadows.

A cough came from the shape as it entered the light. “I see you’ve noticed me.”

He was a giant of a man. Inside one arm he was cradling Sam, his spare hand was holding a pistol that was firmly pressed against his head.

Sam recognised Vincent and called out. “I’m sorry, he crept up on me!”

The man pressed the gun against his head, harder than before. “Shut up. I’ll spread your brains across that wall.”

Vincent needed to calm things down. “If you do that, you won’t have anything bargain with. You want something from us, don’t you?” He asked.

The man sneered. “I saw Sam here had picked up a new friend. I watched you enter the hideout and heard the commotion from outside. I was going to follow you in, but then I realised I could pick up our friend here and make things a little easier.”

“So, what do you want?”

“You’re going to come into town with me. I’d bet that you carry the gene and there’s no doubt your missy there does. The boss will be happy to have two more. Consider it payment for the mess you made back there.”

“What if we don’t want to come with you?”

“Then I empty this one’s head out right here. Then yours.”

Vincent lifted his hands up. “Okay, okay. We’ll do like you ask.”

“Now drop your weapons on the floor and kick them away.”

Maya lifted her weapon up a fraction.

The man’s trigger finger twitched. “I said fucking drop them. I’m not messing around!”

Without shifting her eyes from the man for a moment, she casually spoke. “Is the one he’s holding, the friend you mentioned?”

Vincent nodded affirmatively. “He is, so let’s just do as he asks.” He slowly moved to place his gun down on the floor.

The moment he did a dirty grin appeared on the man’s face and his eyes naturally followed Vincent’s movements. As they did Maya pulled the trigger. His eyeball was pierced and boiled, the beam from the rifle exited the back of his skull, melting the wall’s surface behind. The giants grip on Sam loosened and Sam stepped to the side on instinct. As he did the man’s dead body fell and slammed into the ground with a loud thud. The smell of toasted brain and burnt hair wafted along the corridor.

Vincent straightened up, then turned to Maya. “What are you doing? He could’ve led us right to them!”

“It seemed too risky. We would have to leave our weapons behind, and there was no guarantee I could ensure your safety. Besides, he mentioned taking us into town. There’s a high probability that he would bring us to the same place, that we’re already heading to.”

Vincent placed his hand on his face and sighed loudly. “But you don’t know that!”

Sam had pressed himself up against the wall. His eyes were darting between the man’s corpse and Maya. “W-who is she Vincent?”

“This is Maya, don’t worry she isn’t going to hurt you.”

Maya finally let the particle rifle hang slack on its strap.

Vincent then offered the wobbling Sam his hand, as he stepped over the dead man. “We should probably get away from here before we attract any more attention. Come on Sam.”

“Where are we going? What happened inside?” Sam asked.

“There was no sign of my friends nor your family, I’m sorry. But we did manage to get some information, although not much more than you already guessed. We’ll head into town and find their bar. We should be able talk to their boss there.”

“Right… And you’re going to bring her? She’s exactly the kind of person they’re looking for. You heard what he said.”

“Yeah, well you saw how she can handle herself. You don’t need to worry about her.”

Sam gave Vincent a worried look. “I did and don’t mean it like that. Her uniform, her looks alone are enough to grab attention. We’ll never get there without them knowing something is up, not with her wearing that.”

Vincent looked at Maya. “You’re right… Maya can you do something about that?”

She paused for a moment. “Wait here.” Then left the two men and walked down the corridor that Sam and his assailant had emerged from minutes before.

“What is she doing now?” Asked Sam.

“Changing. She’ll be back in a moment.”

Just as Vincent had said, Maya was soon back. She had changed out of her conspicuous uniform, only now she was bound to draw attention for an entirely different reason. She had changed into tight fitting, short black dress, the fabric barley thick enough to hold her curves. For some reason she had decided to change into heels too.

If he didn’t know any better, Vincent would have worried how they might affect her agility. “You didn’t have anything that, I don’t know, might blend in better?”

She glanced down at her attire, then tilted her head almost quizzically. “No.”

Maya bent over and picked up the pistol from the dead man’s corpse, the view almost giving Sam a heart attack. “Here, you should take this.” She said offering him the weapon with a smile.

Sam tried not to look as he took the weapon. “Oh uh, thanks.”

Vincent shook his head. I suppose I shouldn’t have expected any better. “Come on we should leave.”

Maya skipped over the body and stood alongside Vincent, wrapping her arm around his. Her chest pressed against his arm.

He almost instinctively pulled away. “What are you doing?”

“We’ll look more natural this way.”

Vincent didn’t even bother trying to question her logic. This is why she’s trouble. He relaxed and turned back as they started walking. “Come on Sam.”

The pair headed towards the sections exit. The slightly confused and rather flustered Sam soon followed behind them.