mia didn’t know what to say to ada. she could keep pleading, keep begging for her life, for the connections to simply forget about her, for the world to forget about her … but ada was so insistent on taking her back, she didn’t know how to turn the tables. they both knew that mia was infected, had been infected a long time, but mia knew the mercenary simply wouldn’t believe that she could harness the power— control it— make eveline weak. the blade shook in mia’s hand. was violence the only way the message could be put across in their world? it always ended up with guns blazing, targets being found, hit, discarded of with a hint of professional courtesy. mia was a target. ada was a target. it just depended on who could hit who first.
but they cared for one another. despite their paths crossing infrequently and often swiftly, a connection had grown between the two which left them forgetting a few orders to benefit the other. it mostly consisted of work on the annabelle, or even in the laboratory that mia had locked herself in for days on end … but they had spoke. had bonded. mia saw ada as a friend, not an enemy. but the crosshair located her friend, remained on her head. perhaps she truly was unstable. perhaps ada could help. perhaps the connections could help. but mia would not believe the propaganda sold to her. she had to fight for herself.
❝ ada. ❞ the woman’s voice dropped, and her hand steadied. would she lunge forward and forget about the facts that were holding her back? or would she remain bound to the horrible curse of not being able to make a decision? either option seemed plausible. but mia could not continue talking, could not make a deal if all the other would do was hold a gun to her face.
❝ you don’t get it. you don’t get why i’m doing this— why i need to stay hidden. why i want to stay away from them. you never will because you don’t know their secrets. ❞ her hand lowered as she spoke. what was she to say? what was she to suggest? there was nothing else for her to do. ❝ if you can’t leave, then don’t. but don’t take me back there. ❞ she tried to be reasonable, tried to craft an argument that both of them would favour, but would ada accept? retaliate?
continuation from X | @redemptioninterlude











