Asylum

A Personal Score

Elektra

It didn't take long to figure out who else was in that car besides Cerberus. The one who aligns with death? That's the Reaper, undoubtedly; the same woman who brought me into Asylum in the first place. She came after me in Russia, now she's hunting me down in America. There's no question in my mind that she knows who I am. I wonder if I motivate her to come after us. Let me tell you why.

First, I need to buy my ticket. At the vender, I hand over my passport, fake ID, and a ton of cash. "One-way ticket to Japan, the flight leaving at ten-thirty," I request. Though I get a strong glare from the woman working, as well as an intensely scrutinizing glare at my photos, I'm handed a ticket and pointed to a terminal, where I sit and wait.

And remember. I remember the time before I was in Asylum, but after I was captured.

I was transported to Italy, where I would be determined if I could contribute to society. To do this, I would endure days of interrogation. I played the catatonic game; acting like I was deaf, never blinking, never speaking. I sat in one position, pretending my joints were frozen and my mind was traumatized. In reality, I was listening to the guards and making a mental timetable of their daily routines.

A man, Agent Elwood, didn't buy my act. He was the main man who tortured me. The electrocution chair didn't have much effect on me. If anything, absorbing all the shock with nowhere to direct it made me stronger. Next it was physical beating – tying me to a chair and having the daylights kicked out of me. Still, I never spoke a word. I never told them about my childhood, how I was introduced to gangs, or how I had escalated the range of my power. Then, it was near-death experiences – drowning me in rooms that slowly filled with water, using me as a target for marksmanship, tying me by a noose and only giving me an inch off the ground. They used me as a ragdoll.

I had wondered: why me? I knew for a fact that they never pushed a prisoner this far, so what was the big deal about me? Why didn't they just kill me? It was pretty damn clear that I wouldn't be speaking to them or succumbing to their tortures, so why was I so special?

This question has always followed me around, but I've managed to ignore it. However, I wonder if the reasoning has something to deal with why she's so persistent now. And if I can't figure out an answer, then maybe I can get it out of the Reaper. I think the two of us are evenly matched in a cage fight, and I'm sure that she can respect that both of us come from a no-nonsense, no-emotion, all-or-nothing environment. If anything, maybe we could split and become our own team.

The Reaper and the Flash of Death, working together to get rich, get power, and get respect. The idea is sudden in my head, but I don't reject it. I mean, really, how long did I plan on staying with Kya and Co.? Did I expect to form a little family with them and live together in Ren's dojo? The idea is childish and unrealistic. However, when I acknowledge this, I feel a bit saddened at thinking of our departure. Perhaps I'm mistaking sadness for a feeling of debt. They helped me escape Asylum, so I owe them a favor in return.

Yes, perhaps that's it.

I begin to delve deeper into my thoughts, but before I get anywhere, an exhausted Leo and Sarah come running. "Elektra!" Leo shouts. "The plane tickets are all booked for the ten-thirty flight. Ren and Kya either had to take the next flight out later tomorrow or take the one boarding now. And we can't exchange our tickets."

"Which flight did they pick?" I inquire. As quickly as I ask the question, I realize the answer is obvious. Ren and Kya barely last 30 minutes together, let alone a whole night alone together. "Never mind. Are they going to pick us up then?"