CODE X 777

C O D E 1 3 D E L E T E

Jimmy walked out of his room, yawning and stretching his arm. His shoulder was still not completely healed but the pain was much less. He decided to make some coffee but there was no one in the bar except Mr James. He found it odd and went inside the basement. Lupin was sitting there in front of his computer.

"Lupin! Can you detect her signals?" Slaine asked on his earset. Lupin turned towards Jimmy, who now stood beside him. Jimmy's shoulder was wrapped up in bandages. Lupin shook his head.

"Not yet," Jimmy replied on his behalf.

"Jimmy?" Axel and Slaine said together.

"Yo!"

Axel was walking through the streets with Elron following him. Slaine soon met up with Axel. Out of the blue, Jimmy felt a sharp pain on his wound which Asselyum had given him the first time they met. He saw a vision of Asselyum fighting someone—But he couldn't see who it was. At that moment, he felt unexplainable anguish. A deep well of panic filled his heart—A fear that had no source whatsoever.

"Guys, come back." He groaned.

"What are you saying?" Slaine asked.

"Don't go after her—She'll handle it. Just don't go guys, please. Come back."

"Why are you being such a p***y now?" Slaine asked.

Lupin looked at Jimmy and typed something on his computer. A computer-generated voice then covered their headsets.

"We should listen to Jimmy. He is the only one among us who is connected to Asselyum."

Slaine looked at Axel and the latter shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright then. I'll be there."

"Wow, Lupin. You're really good at controlling Slaine. He barely listens to anyone!" Jimmy exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Asselyum walked through the underground sewage system of New York which opened inside a treatment plant in Manhattan. All she could hear was the sound of gushing water and air bubbles. She looked at one of the water channels which had turned a bit reddish in colour. She jumped inside the water and looked around through her night vision.

She examined the walls. They were deposited with animal fat, which was most likely human tissue. She scratched out a piece of it and kept it inside a box, back into her pocket. Then, she swam out of the water and stepped back on the platform near the streams of sewage water. She heard something and quickly turned back with her g*n in her hands.

"Hello, Asselyum." It was Delete. She stood there with a French umbrella and high heels with that same fancy frock. Asselyum shot at her but the bullet stopped in between them and hung in the air. Asselyum shot few more shots but all had the same fate.

"It's futile," Asselyum concluded.

"Pretty frustrating, isn't it?" Delete smiled. Asselyum looked at her.

"It's very bold of you to challenge me at one of my strongest fields." Delete smiled.

"All you can control is water anyways."

"Well, that seems like an understatement so I'd be glad if you take it back."

But Asselyum ran towards her and went straight for her head. The water surrounded her and created a miniature tornado around her. Asselyum's eyes glowed electric blue as she jumped out of the tornado and pressed the g*n on Delete's wrist. She shot without hesitation and Delete moved back with her broken hand.

Asselyum was ready for another attack and so she jumped towards her. "It hurt, you know." Soon, the manholes burst open with a huge gush of water which stood up like a wall between Delete and Assleyum. Asselyum could see her battery had dropped to 11% so she needed to stop. The wall disappeared, so did Delete. Asselyum decided to walk back home as flying would consume more power. 

Meanwhile, Slaine had reached the bar and was sitting on his bed while cleaning his skateboard.

'He is the only one among us who is connected to Asselyum'

"So, he's special? Why would she discriminate among her own teammates? Yeah well—He might be connected to her but I understand her better!" As he cleaned his grip tape, he realised how stupid he sounded, "So many women out there and I have to sulk over a robot who is gender rebellious...What are the odds."

"Asselyum!" Jimmy shouted and Slaine looked out of his balcony. Asselyum stood in front of the bar with Jimmy and Lupin. He ran down with his skateboard still in his hands and looked at her. She looked back at him. "a*s—Ugh!" He gagged "You stink! Were you on a garbage hunt again?"

"Yeah, something like that." She sniffed herself "I wonder if this is how human teen smell like when they become active,"

"I'm sorry but I'm allergic to bullshit,"

"It's human s**t,"

"UGH!" Slaine gagged and turned back.

"By the way, where were you?" Jimmy asked.

"Just somewhere. Jimmy come with me." She grabbed him by his hand and walked towards the stairs.

Slaine stared at them as they left. He got on his skateboard and went away, "I'm going out for a while." He told Lupin. He went to the skatepark and there he met Riley and that kid who always followed him around.

"Hey, Slaine. Perfect timing." Riley got down from his board and walked towards him.

"What is it?" Slaine asked as the little kid approached him.

"Remember I told you about the match?"

"Oh yeah. Is it today?"

"It is right now. That guy is heading over here. Check your board and the bearings, we're going gangsta in a few more minutes."

Slaine looked at the little kid.

"You're here again, kid? You shouldn't hang out with these people."

"I came here to see you."

"Me? But why?"

"I want you to teach me how to skate like you!"

Slaine got up on his board "Sorry kid, I just hate kids in general, no personal enmity."

"So, you won't teach me?"

"Go home." Slaine went up the ramp and as he tried to do a flip, someone stepped on his board. He stood before him.

"So, you are Slaine?" He asked "Your name is quite infamous among the skateboarders of NYC. And why wouldn't it be for a murder and a pe—"

Slaine brought his board dangerously near his eyes "Do your crap and leave." He glared at him.

"Wow, scary."

Meanwhile, Jimmy and Asselyum sat opposite to each other. She was just staring at him for the past five minutes.

"Are you going to speak?" He was beginning to feel awkward.

"I've got bad news."

"What is it?"

"I met one of the fifth oblivion today. And at your current level, I think you might die if we fight her...And I want to fight her but I don't want to lose you."

"I see." He got up and started removing the bandage, "Then, I guess it's time to level up."

-To be continued