Malice

Chapter One

"I'm back," I said as I entered the government's main building. Three and thirty men in black suits got up from their places and pointed their guns at me. "Now this wasn't the sort of welcome I was expecting. Don't you guys remember me? I used to work here, or did I get the address wrong?" I said and looked around for emphasis.

"What are you doing here traitor?" one of them said as he slid up behind me and held a knife to my throat.

"Look I'm trying to be polite here but if you move that knife 1 millimeter closer to my throat, I will tear you apart. As for the traitor part, I have no recollection of the past two years so you won't get any confirmation from me. Anyhoo, take me to Mr. Zane I have some words to exchange with him." The men lowered their guns staring in wonder. I tapped my foot rapidly and snarled "Don't keep me waiting you sorry excuses for guards. Seriously I was gone for two years and this is the state this dump has come to. What is that Grace doing? The two of us are going to have some catching up to do."

The men reluctantly put their guns back in their holsters and the man who, oh so subtly, sneaked up behind me walked through one of the many doors leading out of the circular lobby I was currently in.

He returned a good five minutes later and said "The boss will see you. Come this way." As I walked by, he grabbed my shoulder and said "You think you're fooling anyone with that act of yours sweetheart, think again." I turned around and looked him straight in the eye "Remove your hand or I will rip your arm off and beat you to death with it." He jerked his hand back and continued towards the elevator, still smoldering.

We rode to the top floor of the building and entered into the one room on that floor. A huge man was sitting behind the official looking desk. He was huge not in the way an elephant is huge but in the way a tiger's presence is huge. The scar over his eye gave him the appearance of someone in the mafia. He wore a neatly pressed suit and a watch studded with diamonds.

"I finally see a familiar face in this shithole." I said and sat in one of the chairs at the desk. I put my boots up on the pristine desk. I'm probably the only one, other than Grace, who he wouldn't kill for messing up his desk. I cleared my throat and said "Personally I liked the previous guys better. Where are they?" The man smiled, a wicked thing, and said "They were hoarding food to help someone leave the facility so they were all killed."

The man who led me to the boss' room blanched. He was probably wondering whether Zane would kill him or ignore him. Either was possible with the man in front of me. I picked up a grape from the fruit bowl on the table and tossed it before catching between my teeth and eating it. I grinned wolfishly and said "I'm kinda sorry I missed that. Were they tortured?" Mr. Zane's smile widened "By Gretchen actually." I frowned at him "Gretchen? Looks like that useless waste of space is still kissing your ass after all these years." Mr. Zane frowned slightly but an instant later the smile was back "It's good to have you back Aleysha. So, what happened all the time you were gone."

My frown deepened and I said "See that's the thing, I can't seem to recollect anything after that last mission of mine. My memories start again at that shrine and the facility. They put me in there with a bunch of people who were supposedly the same as me. To be honest though, they made me sick. All of them prissy, goody two shoes. But I followed the advice you gave me all those years ago and pretended to be like them. I made friends with them and I'm pretty sure I broke one of their hearts. After they got their memories back, and I got a bit of mine up until I was fifteen, they broke out of the facility and headed for the resistance. Once there I couldn't contain myself any longer so the very next day, I went to the head's office, took out a gun and shot him. That old bastard was still quick so the bullet missed its mark and hit him in the leg. His assistant came in and before she could do anything, I shot her too, in the leg that is. Then I jumped out the window, cleaned up a bit and came here. In case you don't believe me check the report that will come in right about ......... now."