Deadly

Chapter 9

Mia's days were spent mostly in the warehouse with Rebel, her father, Hunter, and Scarlett. The latter were a couple, both thieves, and also new to the Underground. When she wasn't in the warehouse, Mia was the Council's personal assassin. It gave her a place to stay, as long as no one asked how she killed.

She became known as the Black Rose.

The warehouse had no actual rooms; it was just a big open space with some old curtains separating different areas. Currently, the Council was in session, so only Rebel, Hunter, and Scarlet were home when Mia stepped inside. The warehouse was old and dusty, and smelled of dead animals, but it was growing to be a home of sorts. Mia dropped her bag in her area, which consisted of a faded blanket and a small bag of possessions. She then headed to the kitchen.

The Council employed people of all different professions, so they had managed to get running water in the warehouse. Mia heard the trickling sound coming from the kitchen area, and headed that way. What she found was no surprise. Rebel sat on the kitchen floor, covered in blood.

"Again?" Mia asked incredulously. The girl had a habit of getting herself into trouble, and always tried to cover it up.

"I tried to stay calm like you told me, but it didn't work!" The little girl's eyes shone with fright.

"It's okay," Mia told her, keeping her voice calm. "I won't hurt you." She began scrubbing the blood away, using some of the warehouse's limited amount of soap. "What method did you use?"

"I tried countin' to ten, but I forgot the numbers!" Mia had learned that Rebel was eight, and her lack of education often surprised her.

"How about you try thinking of a pleasant place?" MIa offered a different approach. She had finished wiping off the blood, and was now applying a cloth to the cut. It was the closest thing she had to a bandage.

"Like my room? It's the only place where nobody hurts me."

"Yeah, think about your room."

Rebel focused on her room, but was shortly distracted. "Mia, why d'ya always wear gloves?" she asked. "Don'tcha get hot?"

"I suppose I do." Mia had been expecting the curious girl to ask that question sooner or later.

"But why d'ya wear them then?"

Mia smiled at her. "That's for me to know and you to wonder about."

"That ain't fair!" Rebel called out as Mia finished bandaging her leg and stepped out of the room.

Mia smiled at the girl's energy. But right now, she had something she needed to do.

-

"She's killing people!"

"Why can't we take her in already?"

"You see, this is why I'm in charge." Doctor Owen placed his hands on the table as his accomplices pleaded. "You guys should know by now that the Underground has it's own methods when it comes to the law. We can't arrest her while she's there."

"But there must be something we can do!" the woman called out. "Why can't we say we're taking her in for research?"

"I know you want to do something, but we can't act yet." Doctor Owen told her. "I'll tell the police to keep an eye out for her, and to bring her to me if they find her. But for now, I have a little more research I want to conduct."

He stood up, and his comrades did the same. The man eagerly walked out, but Doctor Owen held up his hand before the girl could follow.

"Tell me daughter," he said as he turned to face her. "What lengths would you go to for science?"

Her answering look was one of confusion. "What do you mean?"

He put a hand on her shoulder, and locked eyes with her. "Would you be willing to die for science? So that your research could be completed?"

Her confusion turned to disgust. "I'm willing to go to great dangers for this research of yours father. I'm risking my life. But I don't want to die."

"Wrong." He pulled his hand away. "If you want to be a part of this, you must be willing to make sacrifices. Your partner blindly follows, but you, my dear, have a conscious. Do you understand?"

"Yes Father. I want to be a part of this, and I am willing to risk my life."

"Very good." He patted her on the back. She turned to leave, but he wasn't finished.

"And dear,"

"What?"

"Don't come together next time. We only need one person to give me reports, and your partner is a huge pain in the ass."