Do with them? Why the fuck was he asking her? Her voice was still sharp as she spoke, âJust have them fucking stand there all day, I donât know. Youâre the one whoââ She stopped in her tracks upon seeing them standing there, frozen. Even knowing they were safely under XANAâs control, it was still unnerving to see them. All black padded armor and guns strapped to their chest.Â
She felt her breaths shorten as she stared at the men more intently. Three faces stood out to her. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the side of the bridge. Three of the men that were in this crowdâ they had been there on that day.
Mme. Hopper, we need to speak with you.
Itâs Schaeffer. Mme. Schaeffer.
Right, terribly sorry. Mme Schaeffer, we need to speak with youâ in private, if you donât mind. The man with the curly blond hair, the hooked nose and smile on his face. He had introduced himself as M. Abel, right? The one who had seemed professional but kind, the one who had made her let her guard down in the first place.
"Kill them." The words came out as a hiss, a command more than a suggestion. Her earlier rage towards XANA was long forgotten now. Blood was pumping in her ears. Her hands were twitching, aching for a trigger to pull, a fist to swing.
You donât need to start a fight, we donât want to hurt your daughter, just come with us. You know too much, and thatâs a problem. M. Samuel, he had called himself. All dark eyes and a bored expression. This was just work to him, nothing more. Anthea was nothing more than some bother, some mess to take care of.Â
Anthea took a step forward, carefully grabbing one of the guns that was on the ground near one of the guardâs feet. She tested itâs weight, lifting it up to aim at the man in front of her. The third man, the violent one.
Where are you taking me? Where is my daughter? Aelita! Aelita, run! Anthea had started screaming, trying to find traction in the fresh layer of snow. Trying to fight them off.
That man, the third one, the tall one. He hadnât said a single word. But he had been the one that picked her fully off the ground and shoved her into the grey car. Then when she had tried to fight back, tried to fight to get out of the car, he had been the one that had grabbed her by the hair and bashed her head against the carâs frame until everything faded away.Â
She felt her lips pull into a smirk. Was there a hint of laughter in her voice? âYou can either kill them or make them hold still while I blow their brains out.â
She shook her head. No, no these monsters deserved more than that. Take them out slowly, right? Slowly and painfully. Arms, legs, gut. Let them bleed out, make them drown in their own blood. A headshot was too quick. They didnât deserve that.
How much time would she have until another round of troops showed up? Would they show up? Did it even matter to her right now, as bloodthirsty as she was?
She turned to XANA again, lowering the gun. Â âWhen youâre possessing them, how much can they actually feel? How much can they tell whatâs going on around them?â