Level Fourteen

Chapter One: Kyiira

The bar was enough to give anyone a headache. With it's ear splitting racket called music and the absurdly flashing lights. A young female weaves her way through the crowd which smelt of body odor and cheap alcohol. Many of the tables were occupied by drinker men and scantily clad women. She was lucky to find a vacant one. Sliding into the chair she surveyed the room, keeping her senses alert and muscles tensed.

Quite soon, a middle aged man slid into the chair across from the woman. He was wearing exquisite clothes and expensive looking glasses, shaded a dark black. Raising his hand to the side of his head, the glasses dissolved into a small, finger-sized chip.

Fyonnaian technology. He was wealthy.

"Kyiira Monsoon, I presume?"

She dipped her head in acknowledgment.

He slid a holophone across the table to the her. It projected an image of an older man, grey hair blue eyes.

"Your target," the man lowered his voice. "Kill him and take care of the evidence. Make it look like an accident. I don't want anyone to know it was an assassination."

Kyiira studied the image. Then looked back at the man. "You want me to kill the Senator of Level One?" She chuckled and leaned back in her chair.

"You'll do it, won't you? I though Kyiira Monsoon was the best, I thought she could take down anyone." The man sneered.

"Oh I'll do it." Kyiira flipped a knife out of her vest and began cleaning her nails. "But it will cost you. A lot."

"How much?" The man growled.

She grinned, "Twenty thousand chips."

"What?" The man exploded. "That's way too much!"

Kyiira clicked her tongue. "You hire the best, you pay the best." She flicked her eyes to him. "So what's it gonna be? Your choice. But you might want to keep in mind that I now know you want the Senator of Level One assassinated... Derek? I think it is?"

The man paled. "How do you know my name?"

She let out an amused laugh, "Oh I know everyone and who they are. You can't keep a secret from me."

The Derek blinked and he knew he was caught. "Fine." He muttered.

"Excellent, he will be dead by 0/13/68." Offering her employer a wicked grin, she rose from her chair and left the bar quickly, clutching the holophone in one hand.

The Senator of Level One. Perhaps her biggest target yet. After the Failure, when the world's governments collapsed and the planet plunged into chaos, a new way of living was introduced. To avoid the same failure happening again, all around the planet, cities were made up of Levels ranging One to Fourteen. One, being the wealthiest and likewise, Fourteen, being the darkest and dirtiest. The lower levels had no senators or peace keepers, for they were afraid to set foot down here. It was where the assassins, bounty hunters and nastiest killers hung out, Kyiira included. Many in their life never stepped foot past Level Seven; as they are unwilling to leave the fresh air, comfort and safety of the rich world.

The man she had just met with, Kyiira mused in her head, must have been at least a Level One or Two. That tech pretty expensive.

Level Fourteen was getting pretty dark now, of course it's always dark, as it is deep under the planet's crust. The streets were growing silent and only those who lived here knew why. It was prime work time. Many of the bounty hunters and assassins were all leaving now, heading out to dispatch their targets or meet with a future employers as Kyiira had done.

Suddenly out of the darkness of an alley way; a hand shot out and clamped down on Kyiira's arm, dragging her off the street. Once in the alley, the hand released its hold, and she saw it belonged to a large, burly man. Strange tattoos covered his arms and a single wire going into his ear. Two other men stood behind him, also with wire attached to their faces.

Cyborgs.

"Ello' Sweetie. Yer gonna fetch us a damn good price." He chuckled.

Kyiira smiled that dark and sincere smile, that her acquaintances grew to fear. "Oh and what's that for?"

Grinning like a child, he produced a poster. It was a photo of her face. It read:

WANTED FOR MURDER

Bounty hunter and assassin

Kyiira Monsoon

100,000 CHIP REWARD

Well this was new. Facing the men she sighed, like a disappointed parent. "If I'm one of the most wanted people in the Levels, did you really think you'd be able to just pull me off the street and take me in like that?"

His smile faltered.

"Didn't think so."

In one fluid motion both of her energy pistols were out of their holsters and in her hands. Ducking one punch from the first man and firing a shot into the second's man's leg, Kyiira sneered. The man screamed and clutched it, falling to the dirty ground. She stepped out of the shadows. "Whose next?"

"Y-your crazy man, I'm outta here!" Scrambling the two men hightailed it out of the alley. They left the third, lying on the ground.

"Wait! Guys don't leave me here! She's insane!" The man twisted to look at her.

"Not insane... Just smart." she smirked and stepped over his now crippled leg. Grasping the reward poster and shoving it into her jacket pocket, she walked the remaining two blocks to her apartment, as there were no air taxis in Level Fourteen. If there were, well, the drivers probably would have been murdered.

Kyiira's apartment was on the top of the block, with a flight of metal stairs leading to the hatchway. Long ago she had programmed it to only open to her voice, finger and retinal scan. It might seem a little much, but being Level Fourteen's best, many people wanted to break into her home.

"Finger scan please." The monotone computer voice spoke.

"Retinal scan please."

"Voice password please."

She lowered her voice and spoke the password, a date.

"2/2/55"

The door slid open with a hiss.

Kyiira had always thought her apartment was nice, as nice as something could get on Fourteen. It held a kitchen, living quarters, a single bathroom and a sleeping chamber. Well, and of course her armory, which was hidden behind a false wall in her chamber.

Kyiira, wisely, had not eaten anything at the club. Half the food there was bound to be rotting or poisonous. Setting her holsters and guns on the counter, she pulled a meat pocket from the fridge and some flat bread. She turned the cooking counter on an set a pan atop it. Slowly flipping the meat in the pan, she sliced the bread into small pieces. A few moments later the meat was done and she mixed it in a bowl with the bread.

Kyiira sat down at the table to eat, and pulled the crumpled WANTED poster from her pocket. She smoothed it out and set it on the counter.

She reread again the words. Wanted for murder. Everyone down here knew Kyiira was the best of the best. They knew who she was, what she did. But in the upper Levels, nobody did. People were assassinated all the time; they just disappeared or were found dead.

The question was, how had they found out her identity? She was clean, and precise in her kills; never left any evidence. No, it was not her fault, some one had ratted her out.

Kyiira finished her meal and placed the dishes in the cleaner. Taking her guns and jacket into her chamber, she pressed her hand against the far wall. It slid back revealing her armory.

Rows and rows of guns, knives, gadgets, ropes, combat clothes and much more. Kyiira placed her guns back on their shelf and exited the armory. She collapsed onto her bed and fell fast asleep.

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First chapter done guys!! Comments are greatly appreciated. Please remember I'm writing this as I go and it is NOT YET EDITED.

THANKS;).