DIVISION 52 - BOOK I

CHAPTER XV

– M A K A Y L A –

It took all of my self control to make sure the gun didn't shake in my hand.

I was as good as dead if I showed even an inch of weakness now. It's incredible how much of a turn the day had taken. One minute I'm seething in the confines of my craft awaiting etiquette lessons from a stuck up Sector 1'er. Now I'm levelling a gun at the most dangerous person in Merridian and I'd do anything to get back in that craft and have a boring existence again.

The heavily tinted windows gave nothing away on the outside. But I was sure with a gun to her head, Scorpion, wouldn't do anything stupid...

The interior was tense. The five guards inside held their hands close to places where weapons were no doubt concealed and ready to fire at the moment of opportunity. Scorpion did no such thing. She simply watched me with an emotionless expression.

Was she angry? Betrayed? Maybe just surprised. It seemed like whatever moment we had at the ball the other night was long gone. There was a different woman in place here; a killer.

I felt the craft slow and drop in height preparing to land.

I flexed my finger on the trigger and maintained aim between her eyes. Scorpion remained seated and even leaned back to place her arms across the seat backs. It was infuriating that she wasn't even taking this seriously...

"Well?" I demanded after a moment of silence.

She watched me and said nothing. Then she jerked her head towards the door.

"Go. No one will stop you." She said with a small smirk. "You have my word."

I eyed her with suspicion. Then flicked my eyes towards the mahogany panelled door. A guard opened it for me and I stared in disbelief. She's really letting me go after that stunt?

Outside was bright and I could only make out a rooftop on the building we perched on. I kept my gun trained on her as I backed out of the door. "If anyone moves, you'll be the first to know..." I warned as I continued my retreat.

She barked a laugh and leant her head back. My feet hit the ground of the rooftop. I felt like there was a hideous joke that I wasn't in on.

"And the moment you set foot away from that rooftop, you'll be the first to die." She stated with an uncaring expression and a challenge in her eyes.

I balked at that and flicked my eyes around.

This was definitely not Sector 1... It was the most intimidating landscape I had ever seen. Plumes of dark smoke shadowed every inch of the surrounding buildings and the thin slits of windows in the other towers mimicked prison windows.

"Where have you taken me?" I couldn't stop the shake in my voice now. My hair whipped around my face in chaos as the fusion engines began to fire up and climb in height.

"Oh, no where in particular, princess!" Scorpion called down to me as the craft continued to rise. She stood in the open doorway and gazed down coldly. Yet she was still stunning with the mask of a predator back on and her hood shrouding those golden eyes.

"A little place called Sector 52! Perhaps you've heard of it?" She shouted with a savage grin.

My god. No.