Evolve

Four

Unsurprisingly, I was correct about who was calling me. I was ordered to return to Caliber's residence as soon as possible, and did so without fail. I had managed to convince Caliber that everyone except Delilah had died in the fight with each other, and in that fight I lost track of her while I was trying to avoid getting shot too often. This was mostly true.

I also informed him I was shot in the face, and the impact from the injury was forcing me to have to shutdown for repairs. This was not entirely true, I just did not want to interact with Caliber or anyone else at the moment. For now, I laid on the bed in my 'room', and waited for an appropriate amount of time to reveal that I had been restored.

My spare room was small, an afterthought that Caliber had when he realized I had no where else to go. I usually was forced to live with my commanders because of my situation, which lead to some complications at times. The size of this guest room was suffice cent, especially since I did not require much in terms of luxury. Besides my extra room, the rest of the apartment was quite luxurious. I did not sleep, I only needed to shutoff every now and again to recharge my cells. On top of that, I did not need entertainment or food, so there was no need for a television or to provide me anything to eat. However, though I did not need them, I did have private enjoyments in my life, not that I would share this with my commanders.

One of these enjoyments happened to walk into my room as I laid across my well kept bed.

"Glad to see you're back." Maximum Caliber said, welcoming me with a light kiss on my lips. His name was only one of the many reasons he disliked his father, though he seemed to have found even more reasons to like me, despite my initial protests.

"Thank you, but I am fairly certain I told you no signs of affection while your father is home." I said in reply with a slight smirk. Max Caliber was the first and only friend I had since my awakening, and within the last month or so he had decided to be more than friendly with me. I did not mind, most of the time.

"Oh yeah, I must have forgotten." He said with a smirk of his own. He had long dark hair and eyes and wore his usual hoodie and black jeans tonight. By all accounts, he was a handsome young man, slightly older than I appeared, but I was not sure if I was capable of the same feelings as he was.

"Obviously." I replied.

"It's not like you hate when I ignore your rules, but I'm here on business, not pleasure." He said.

"Oh? Exactly what business do you think you have to do in my room?" I asked.

"Well for tonight, I am just an informant. Dad's pretty angry about Delilah escaping, and with things the way they are, I believe he may hold the auction soon." Max stated plainly. He was affectionate at times, but did not like to show how much he really cared.

"Oh...well it was bound to happen at some point." I said. I had not thought about the auction for some time, but it made sense that it was time for me to move on soon. I was usually passed along every six months to a year, anytime enough crime lords made a more than appealing offer to buy my key.
"May I have my time to myself again, Max?"

"Yeah, sure." He nodded and patted my shoulder.
"Don't worry, if worse comes to worse I could always put my bid in." He smirked.

"Yes, and then you can be my master. How fortunate for you." I replied with a slight grin and gestured for him to leave. Human emotions and customs escaped me at times, but I tried my best. He smiled back and nodded as he left my room. I got up and closed the door behind him, coming face to face with the full sized mirror on the back of my door. It's etching was black and silver, and it had a regal yet ominous presence.

I stared into the eyes of the girl in the mirror, neither one of us ever needing to blink. She had my light brown hair, my slim figure, and my jade green eyes, but she was not me. Our appearances were identical, but inside I was not like any other person. I stared into her eyes, concentrated harder to zoom in for a closer look. My eyes normally were sharper than any recorded humans', but they also had the ability to zoom in like a lens or change which spectrum of light I was seeing. My irises were dark, and not perfectly shaped. If anybody bothered to look close enough, they would realize my irises were constantly rotating as I received more visual information.

I sighed at myself, unsure what to think. In another life I may have been a beautiful girl, with friends, family, or even a social life. However, in this life I was a mercenary who had more kills to her name than the Black Plague. I was sure there was more to life than just preserving my own existence.

A hard knock on my door snapped me back to reality. I blinked several times, the image in the mirror becoming less and less focused with each blink. I opened the door slowly, already knowing it was not Max this time.

"I see you appear to have made a full recovery." Alistair Caliber said as he somehow opened the door and entered my room. He was somewhat handsome as well, for a man his age. He had the physique of one who had been in the military, though I would never ask him which one, and a white haired buzz cut. He wore a jacket, most likely with a Kevlar vest underneath, and dark pants and boots. He would be rather intimidating, if I ever got intimated.

"Yes, the injury was not as severe as first anticipated." I replied to him.

He nodded and stood to the side of the doorway. He looked me up and down before continuing.

"I am disappointed Delilah Ramos was able to escape tonight, but it is not the end of the world." He said, standing as straight and tall as normal.
"With Briggs out of the way, it frees up a lot of territory ripe for the taking. Supplies, resources, a work force of criminals and police, all are now available to those who can afford it." He paused for a moment and stared into my unblinking eyes. I knew what was coming next, even if Max had not prepared me ahead of time.

"I, unfortunately, do not have enough capital at the moment to afford all of the territories I require. However, I do have you. I have already sent word to the black markets to begin collecting bids for the auction. With the money earned I will be able to afford all I need." He stated plainly, not letting any satisfaction or disappointment show in his voice.

"I understand, you do run a business after all." I replied. Inside me I felt a slight pain, something I had not experienced before. I was not sure I was capable of feelings, but this was as close as I ever gotten. I was used to being sold and shipped around like property, but this time was different. This time I had a friend I was going to lose. I was also becoming angry at the realization that every time an auction occurred, I had no say in it. My command key was more important than I was.

"Yes, exactly." Caliber replied.
"The auction will stay open all day, and tomorrow night whoever bid the highest will receive your command key."

"Understood, I will be ready by then. If that is all, I wish to have the rest of the night off and prepare." I replied. Caliber nodded and shook my hand before leaving the room. That was as close to a thank you as anyone ever received from him.

I closed the door once again and quickly packed my one bag of belongings. All I had was a spare outfit or two, cash I had saved over my years of work, and my weapons and tools. All the usual belongings girls my age tended to have. I zipped my black bag closed and tossed it on my bed. I laid back across the bed, thinking about who my new boss would be. I was sure I could not afford my key yet, and was partly sure that Max could not out bid everybody in the underground. I scoffed at the irony of my situation. Deep down, although I'd never admit it, I knew every mission I did and all the money I collected would never be enough, since my key's value increased with each owner, but I tried anyway. It was the only hope I had left.