The smell of sweat, metal, and disinfectant prickled the air, a rough sting that clung to the back of the throat.
''I don't know'', Tisha said, her voice catching on the last word, as if she'd swallowed a fur ball.
''This really does feel like a hospital,'' she muttered, lifting a hand to steady herself. ''Only it stings more, like metal and ozone, which is really annoying.''.
''Quiet'' he said in a hoarse voice. '' no one asked for your opinion''.
''But seriously, it gives me the chills, all the pipes dangling from the ceiling, it kinda feels like an abandoned basement'' she continued, not heeding his previous statements.
''Do you remember when we were little, how we were forced to stay in the dark room, for who knows how long... and...'' she suddenly stopped.
''That's enough'' the young man said while retracting his index finger from her lips.
''Let's focus on what we're here for. ''Okay, he said, still calm. ''Mmm'' she replied, putting her fingers on her lips in a playful way and nodding childishly.
'She's adorable,' he couldn't help but think, in his mind, off course, he wouldn't want that getting out.
''We here,'' he said ''we go in find Ruska, no attracting attention'' he continued.
''And we drag her over to our side'' the violet-haired said while nodding, fists pressed to her palms.
Pulling down on the doorknob, the young man suddenly paused. ''Anything wrong?'' She asked with eyes wide, truly shocked by his abrupt pause. She couldn't help but ask in a tone of concern.
''Before I forget, I need you to act serious, no fooling around'' he said, ignoring her worried look. ''You don't have to worry about that'' she said in a playful, sardonic tone.
''Krr-chk''
The doorknob clicked as he turned it.
ACCESS GRANTED.
A mechanical voice cut in, surprised at the sudden voice, " HMM, this pile of trash still works," the violet-haired lady said in a mocking tone.
"I thought I told you to shut up," the man snapped, biting his lip, while glowering at her, gaze sharp and cold.
"Let's just go," he said with a sigh.
Almost as if he'd lost all hope.
They stepped into what they had imagined to be a locker room, cramped with bodies. Unexpectedly, it wasn't; instead, what they saw was a very large and spacious hall.
Bright lights threatened to blind them, workers in white lab coats, large machines operated by individuals in coats, fixing up the broken part of the competitors. A huge screen about seven inches wide displayed the ongoing matches.
The sound of machines cutting metal could be heard.
Something else that piqued their interest was the way the fighters that had been out there, trying to end their lives, were chatting with each other like nothing had happened, at least most of them.
"Arrgh!" Someone cried out in pain.
*Grrrzzz.* The sound of a saw cutting through metal and flesh echoed off the walls.
"Huh," the violet-haired lady couldn't keep in her shock, with her mouth wide open.
"Tisha, keep your mouth shut," he muttered with a hint of annoyance. "Oh, my bad," she replied, using her hand to cover her mouth, feeling a little bit embarrassed.
With quick strides and no thoughts of turning back. He headed for the most likely place to find Ruska. 'He left me, he is really not stopping.
'Tisha thought, with slumped shoulders, while looking at the broad back of the man whom she had come with.
'He really does have some balls. ' A playful and mischievous glint appears in her eyes,
tapping on her chin thoughtfully, a small smile playing on her lips, then suddenly shouts out, barely audible. "Hey, slow down," she runs after him. She giggles, imagining his reaction when she carries out her thoughts.
"Finally," he muttered under his breath, with a kin gaze, he looked at Ruska, who sat on the far end of a bench. Turning around, he realized he had not heard Tisha's voice for some time, "Shit!" He grunted, clinching his fist as his gaze fell on Tisha, "Don't do that," he said with a relieved look.
"Do what?" she asked, seemingly shocked.
"Do..." He paused. His eyes dimmed as he saw a group of four cyborgs coming in their direction, and a serious look appeared on his face.
Sincerely stunned by the change in his facial expression, she followed his gaze, her own breath hitching as the figures approached.
"Uh oh, we got company," Tisha said softly, noting that the cyborg's eyes were fixed on them, not just passing by, but sizing them up as if they'd become part of a dessert course.
"What should we do?" she asked, turning toward him to get an answer, but she was shocked to see him walking away, as if it wasn't any of his business.
"You know where to find me," he said to her, nonchalantly, with his back turned.
'The motherf**ker actually left me again.' She thought to herself, but she didn't have all the time to think, as there was a storm that needed to be dealt with.
'She should be able to deal with that,' he thought, though he wasn't sure she'd understand what he was doing, 'they shouldn't be much of a hassle, at least I'll be able to work without her pestering me.'
He seemed to have met Ruska just in time, bending over and putting her stuff into her worn-out backpack. Approaching her, he asked, "Are you in a hurry?"
"Yes," She replied, not minding to look up at who was speaking. He didn't press; he stepped back. Letting the silence stretch like a held breath. Then he asked, still not budging, "Can I have a minute, if that won't be a problem?"
He stood as he watched her pack her bag, while also waiting for an answer. But as he expected from a strong-headed person like Ruska. She stood up, looked him dead in the eye, and said, "No, I don't have a minute to waste with trash like you." She shrugged as she put her backpack on one shoulder, while glaring at him with a side eye.
"Move," she said to him while using her shoulder to shove at him. With a smirk on his face, he budged a step aside and let her pass intentionally, although he could have stood his ground.
Standing with a smirk plastered on his face, he looked at her retreating image.' She's really a handful,' he thought, shaking his head as he imagined how much of a headache she would be in the future. ''I have to get her'' he thought to himself. Luckily for him, Tisha had put herself to good use and had managed to get useful information on Ruska.
An ever-growing smirk rode his face, the kind that threatened to turn into full-blown laughter.
He called out to Ruska, who wasn't far off. "Anya," but instead had used her given name, which wasn't something that she usually used.
Ruska, who had been walking with such confidence, suddenly paused. "Did he just call me?" she thought, her expression startled. Her shoulders slumped inward in utter disbelief, as if cold water had been poured over her.
A moment passed. Composing herself, she shrugged off the feeling and turned to him, curiosity shining in her eyes. "What do you want?" she asked, fully aware that someone who had obtained such information was someone to be treated with caution.
He stood there, watching her with a calm, unhurried expression. The room hummed around them with the sound of vents sighing, metal clattering, and light reflecting off surfaces. He took a moment to absorb it all. This was his goal: for her to understand that she needed to be careful around him.
Not everyone knew that specific piece of information about her; those who did were all dead. He anticipated that it would come as a shock to her.
After what felt like an eternity, he answered in a tone that left no room for doubt, slowly closing the distance between them. "I'm recruiting you."