Before the Fall

Chapter Nine - Relocation

Li

I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy the pain of others.

Watching two of my biggest enemies wallow and writhe in their own suffering practically made me tingle with excitement.

I hated this couple.

They fought me at every turn. Nothing I did went without their meddling.

Money can get you everywhere.

Especially my money.

So, no matter how hard they fought me, all I had to do was wave a bit of green under some pathetic politician's nose and voila, I had exactly what I wanted.

But what is a villain without his nemesis? What is a hero without an enemy?

Bored.

So I let the Presley's continue with their little research and plans to annihilate my company.

I scoffed at their attempts.

The online articles, which I had blocked from every search engine, or the protests, which I infiltrated with my own people.

They had no idea I was cutting them off every time they turned.

I had my people stalk them, just for no other reason than to plant the seeds of extreme paranoia.

I monitored their phone records, emails, nothing was private or sacred.

The folder on my computer that's labeled "AX" is one of my favorites.

But like every pest, they eventually have to be dealt with.

I allowed them to survive the Extinction.

By all rights, they should be dead, rotting away in some mass grave somewhere or turning to ash in my incinerators.

But I let them live, only because I wasn't finished having fun yet.

I'm still not.

For me, the fun is only just beginning.

* * *

Aster

I must have blacked out at some point.

After throwing up everything in my stomach, which wasn't much, I found myself on the floor and that was the last thing I remembered.

I wish I could forget what happened prior to that.

I wish I could forget Xander's words and admissions.

I wish I never knew my husband had betrayed me.

But did he really?

I was with Xander every hour of every day.

If he was planning something with Li, I would have known.

I needed to think about this all rationally.

But thinking was not a luxury afforded to me at the moment.

I had to find a way out.

Checking the one door in the room, I found it securely locked.

The only light was from the other side of the glass, where Xander's chair now sat empty.

I leaned my forehead to the glass, tears burning in my eyes.

I will find you, Xander.

I said it more to convince myself.

Convince myself that hope would prevail. That right would win.

But one never fully knows.

One can hope and dream, and still only know loss and disappointment.

Because life isn't perfect.

Nothing is ever easy.

* * *

Narrative

"Where are we supposed to put her?"

"Put her? More like send her. Instructions are for her to be shipped to the BCU."

"BCU? Seriously? Does he hate her or something? I mean, I know this chick is not a friend, but to send her straight to the BCU? That's harsh."

The two guards walked towards the room their prisoner was being detained in. When they opened the door, they were not surprised to see her sitting dejectedly on the floor.

"Already lost your fighting spirit?" the big man said. He leaned down and ran a ringer across Aster's jawline and chuckled when she didn't even flinch. "They'll have fun with you at the BCU."

The smaller man clicked his tongue. "Still seems harsh. That place isn't a place for a woman. They'll crush her."

"Isn't that what they're bred to do?"

"Well, yeah, but still. I feel a bit bad for her." The smaller man lifted Aster to her feet and secured her arms behind her with two thick zip ties. "But whatever. I just do what I'm told. She doesn't sign my paychecks."

Both men laughed darkly and each took hold of one of Aster's arms.

"True. I'm just hoping to earn my augmentation soon."

"Me too. I'm sick of being normal. It's time to ramp it up."

"What branch are you hoping to get?"

"Canine. But I hear the applicant list is about full."

"Yeah. It's hard. I'm looking to get into the arachnid unit."

"Gonna be the next Spidey?" The smaller man laughed loudly.

"Sure, make jokes. We'll see which one of us is whining with our tail stuck between our legs at the end of the day."

A string of curse words came from the smaller man and his friend merely laughed. As they neared the door that led to the outside, their chatter quieted and they braced themselves for the gusts from the waiting helicopter.

Two medics met them, ducking low to keep from being blown over. "We'll take her from here," one of them shouted to the guards.

"She's all yours!"

The medics took over Aster's arms and drug her to the helicopter. Once inside they slid the doors shut and one pulled out a syringe.

Aster looked at it sadly and turned her face away. Whatever awaited her couldn't be as painful as what her heart was feeling at the moment.

Even when the needle pricked through her arm, burning liquid shooting through her veins, she barely even flinched. She had no fight or energy left. As her eyelids became heavy and drifted closed, all she could see what her husband, smiling, speaking abominable things, and staring straight into her eyes.