SENTINEL 555: WAR ✔

23 HELL

The female wing of the compound looked similar to the male, the only difference being the longer length of the opaque glass doors. Oni wasn't sure why he expected it to be somewhat decorated. It wasn't.

It was clean though, and therefore, the blood stood out.

A massive crowd gathered, but no one moved towards the two staggering girls clutching their sides.

Shock stole much of the onlookers' ability to react. Others, head cadets in particular, looked impressed if not entertained.

Five of the seven sisters stood with the crowd, blubbering like babies. In the center, Mercy huffed and puffed but it was Pleasant who drew the focus of all eyes.

She was also the one Sen rushed to but paused. Oni broke through the onlookers. He wished he hadn't. Blood gushed from Pleasant's temple. Slash marks lined her arms, but the way she clutched her gut was a bigger concern.

A head cadet defrosted from holding her arms out, keeping her own crew from interfering, and rushed to explain, "They haven't authorization for a life-line. And their crew leader ignored all distress calls. We could—"

"Only watched them for entertainment purposes." Sen swiveled his head to face her. The shame in her eyes didn't dull his disgust as he scanned the crowd. "It is like that for you lot, isn't it? We just chop each other up for protocol. Then we take part in that chopping indirectly as spectators, all safe in the knowledge that it's all excusable."

No one moved. He geared up to say more but Pleasant swooned and her sisters rushed her.

Mercy's gaze directed their way made them freeze.

Oni blinked himself awake.

In this instance, he realized something he'd been too stupid to notice all this time. Pleasant wasn't in charge.

From the way Sen stared her down, perhaps he knew.

It was the briefest of instances that Oni had seen some humanity in Sen, when the boy glanced down at his matrix, Oni prayed that wouldn't dull.

Otherwise....

Pleasant still managed to stay on her feet but she wouldn't for long.

Oni debated if he'd help her. It wasn't that he didn't want to. He simply didn't know how. Other than a few field dressings, medicine was never his forte. Still, he could make some good stitches but would that be enough?

As he considered just what his options would be, Sen stepped past.

He hooked his matrix to his hip. "Can you walk?"

Oni's jaw dropped at the absurdity. Of course she couldn't.

Pleasant gave him a nod and he told the crowd, "Or are you lot looking to see what a dead body looks like?"

The head cadet to approach him debated responding.

"Get back to your damn rooms!" Sen's bellow left the halls humming.

One by one they left, then faster. The crowd dissipated, leaving Mercy and her minions.

Sen stared her down. Mercy glanced past him to her sister. Her eyes were on Sen again, however, when she sauntered to Pleasant, hacked and spat before walking on.

The five sisters lingered until Mercy turned to yell at them to follow.

For the first time, they hesitated as a collective.

Pleasant, still clutching her stomach, nodded. It was brief, but it was enough for the girls to follow the de facto leader.

In minutes, the hallway was deserted. Sen didn't move with the same urgency as he'd come with. He seethed.