Chapter 118: Chapter 110: Don’t follow in my footsteps.

Katriana leaned on the coffin-shaped crate, looking at the immobile figure inside. Zose, still locked in her depowered power armor, gasped for air, waking up after the injection. Vincent smirked at the terrified woman, slipping her finger into the bullet hole and rummaging around the wound's edge, causing the immobile woman to squirm in pain.

"Morning, Zose," She took her finger from the wound, looking at the blood, "What should I do with you, I wonder? Maybe I should just close this crate and bury you in the desert, like you tried to bury me and my men?"

"For G…" Zose swallowed her words, blinking away tears of fear, "For goodness’ sake, Katriana, I was just an officer assigned to Chort! He gave the commands, I passed them down! I never had any combat experience, not close to yours, not to anyone’s! "I had no idea his orders would lead you right into the trap!"

"For G's sake, huh? Zose, are you a believer by chance?" Katriana leaned toward the woman’s face, looking directly into her eyes. "Lie to me, and I will pluck one of your eyes away."

"Yes! Yes, I believe in the Sun God! Katriana, I never engaged in anything that involves slavery, I never hurt any of our citizens! It is just my belief, it’s no big deal…"

"Shhh," Katriana said, pressing her palm against Zose's mouth and pitching her nose, preventing the woman from breathing. Vincent smiled innocently, seeing the animal panic in the woman’s wide-open eyes. Tears showed up anew. Zose tried her best to move her body, finding no strength to lift even a finger. With a fake sigh, Vincent removed her hand, allowing the prisoner to gasp for air. "Breathe slowly, Zose, it will help you calm down. See? Telling the truth makes you feel better already."

"I am telling the truth!"

"Why then did you run from the battlefield all the way here right after Chort’s death?" Katriana tilted her head, playing with her own hair. "Zose, Zose, I never hurt any of my comrades or allowed any rot among my troops. Do not think that I act on some misguided impulse. I pondered for a long time, weighing all of your actions and double-checking."

"I was scared! I was fucking scared, okay?" Zose started crying, sniffing her nose. "My CO died, the fortress fell, I was freaking out at the thought of what Blaguna might do to my troops, so I gave the command to return! I never betrayed anyone, I am not brave or smart enough for this! I can barely manage a small unit as it is! Please, please believe me, Katriana! Don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me…"

"I won't," Katriana said with a smile, enjoying the woman's relief. Almost gently, Vincent reached out, tucking Zose into the cape like a child. Then she stood up in the back of the truck and put a hand over the crate’s lid, "I am simply going to close this lid, then you will end up in the darkness for a while. I recommend trying to sleep, there is a really long road ahead for you. And when the crate opens, you will be met with new friends. From the Cartel," She smiled, savoring the moment when Zose's face shifted from relief to horror as realization set in. "Yes, I am sure you will enjoy working in one of their brothels… For however long you can survive, that is."

Katriana slammed the lid shut with a demonic laugh, securing the locks and ignoring the muffled howling screams and begging from inside. Once she was sure that the crate was secure, she dropped the act, jumping from the track and bowing to the applause of her troops.

They were in one of the secured parking lots meant for civilian use, right below the inner wall. During the siege, Katriana was ordered to mine and collapse this place, but instead she and her people used it to plan their moves, store weapons, and try to convince other soultakers to switch sides. Those who refused were knocked out and locked in an empty warehouse. With the fall of the city, Katriana sent some of her people to escort the prisoners out, taking her time to stage a perfect play for Zose.

"That’s it, people, the show is over. Take her to the prison camp…"

"Not to the Cartel, then?" A new voice asked calmly, making Katriana and her men turn toward the speaker.

A tall, bald woman dressed in a military medic's long coat smashed her fist into the control panel, burying her arm to the elbow, and jamming the gates leading out of the underground parking lot. Noticing the reclaimers’ markings on the woman’s coat, Katriana immediately beat aside the rifle that her second-in-command tried to aim at the newcomer.

"Of course not," Katrina whistled, noticing how easily the medic ripped her hand free from the shattered panel. Electric sparks poured from the shattered device, completely engulfing the woman, hissing and dying on her skin without causing any burns. "Don’t have any contacts with the scum. It’s more of your field of expertise, Hekanta."

"Let the prisoner go." A male voice said, and another medic, a tired-looking man in his forties, came out into the open from the entrance.

"No can’t do, mister Marco," Katriana gave him a nod of respect. "Zose earned a lesson. Don’t worry, she’ll arrive at the prison camp none the worse for wear, aside from maybe a few gray strands."

"And what if she chokes inside? Have you thought of this, bitch?" Hekanta demanded to know, coming face-to-face with Katriana. One of the soldiers tried to push the medic away, stopping when Vincent raised her arm.

"Do not touch the medic, you fool, I told you that she can’t even fight back without dying!" The woman apologized, trying to retreat. Vincent grabbed the soldier, giving her a pat on the shoulder to show that she wasn’t angry, before turning to Hekanta. "All is accounted for. There are holes for air circulation. Little, traitorous Zose has claustrophobia, so of course the rat will need a lot of air. Even now, she freaks out in the darkness, feeling how the walls are about to suffocate her. But no, the sweet release of death is too good for her. She will remember this lesson to the end of her miserable days."

"And if she suffers a stroke from fear? What’s then?" Marco walked directly to the truck, stopping only when two soldiers stood in his way. The medic tried to push beside them, then tried to move them aside. The two soldiers in the power armor only glared at him through their helmet lenses, making no attempt to hurt him.

"Not going to happen!" Katriana smugly lifted one finger up, "I injected the little traitorous bitch with a narcotic that paralyzed her below the neck. And yet another that slows the heartbeat. No, I do not make a mistake when it comes to…"

"So this is what it all boils down to!" Hekanta grabbed Katriana’s shoulders, letting out a chuckle that grew into a laugh. "This is what…" Hekanta collected herself, grabbing Katriana by the cloak and pushing her closer." Scorpio guessed right. You are lashing out. Because your men were killed. And because you blame yourself."

"I am not sure that I…"

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"Idiot," Hekanta pushed her away. The medic tapped herself on the temple, "You're trying to rationalize what happened. You would have never made this mistake. Unless Chort was helped by someone, surely you would have seen the coming trap. Surely you would have saved your people, if only you knew, if only you…"

"Don’t project yourself on me, slaver." Katriana closed on her, grabbing the woman by the throat.

"Touched the nerve, didn’t I?" Hekanta gasped for air, making no attempt to unclench the fingers around her neck. Katriana tightened her grip as she noticed her armored fingers closing in around the pretty, tanned neck of this monster. She took a breath, releasing the hold. Hekanta ran with her fingers around the finger marks on her neck, gesturing to Marco that everything was fine. "You right. Everything you said about me is true, Katriana. I am a slaver, I am projecting myself at you, I know people in the Cartel. People died because of me. Innocent people. I turned people into murderers. And yet," Hekanta looked up at the ceiling, closing her eyes for a moment. "Because of my actions and pride, my original team died, all of them, butchered like kids by Palatine. In the days that followed, I raged and rationalized, blaming everyone and everything except myself. At the end of the day, however, it was I who led them to the Arena. My responsibility. My mistake. Slowly, step by step, I convinced myself that the world is all about eating the weak and that there was no fault of mine in anything that happened. I eventually went even deeper, killing and maiming others."

"Don’t compare me to yourself, slaver." Katriana hissed back in disgust.

"Oh, I don’t," Hekanta agreed easily, taking Katriana by the shoulders. Calmly and steadily this time. "Trust me, you are a far better person than I can ever be. I can’t even fathom how I could atone for all that I did. It is for this reason that I refuse to see you fall. Shit just happens sometimes. We always start slipping with the smallest steps, Katriana. You need to stop now. If Zose is at fault, it will be found during a trial, and she will pay for her crimes. If she is found innocent, so be it. Katriana, it wasn’t you who let the civilians die in Belaz. The one who set up your people is dead. There is no one left to take revenge on, even if Zose did anything, it would have never come to pass without Chort’s decision."

"Let it go, miss," Marco said as he turned to face her. "Ask yourself, are you honoring your soldiers' memories by becoming like Chort?"

"We can simply tie up both of you and open the gates, you know." Vincent said in a suddenly tired voice. She wasn’t sure what had come over her. Just a moment ago, everything was so clear, so… logical. Zose fucked her over, and she was repaying the favor. It had to be her. Anyone else would have warned Katriana and her people… Right?

"Touch a member of our pack and lose a hand," Two red lenses came to life in the darkness of the main entrance. No longer hiding, the wolf hag Bel stepped inside, followed by five of her soldiers. Two more wolfkins came from behind the truck, flanking Katriana’s men. The wolf hag pushed herself between Hekanta and Katriana, positioning the medic behind her armored bulk, "Alpha’s pack always watches over their own, Hekanta. "Go into danger alone one more time, and I'll personally whip all the skin off your ass, Alpha's orders or not."

"I wasn’t alone, moron." Hekanta looked defiantly at the wolf hag.

"You took a male to accompany you. How cute," Bel looked at Marco. "It’s even worse than going alone. A male is nothing more than a deadweight in a combat zone…"

"Love you too, lass. Keep up this attitude, and you'll stay single for life, Bel." Marco shrugged off the insult.

"Not that big of a loss. Males are all cheaters, anyway," The wolfkin looked at Vincent without a hint of aggression, tapping on the shardgun behind her back. "Citizens and soldiers of the state are subject to a set of laws and orders. Choose now, Katriana. Revenge or duty."

Katriana felt her fingers move to the pistols on her belt. This surprised her. Was she really about to draw a gun and shoot? Dooming some of her men to die for the sake of her petty revenge? Was she really about to start a hopeless bloodbath simply because she wanted to see Zose suffer and scream some more?

What the fuck is wrong with me?

With a leer of disgust, Katriana moved her hand away from the pistol, clenching her gauntlet into a fist and smashing herself in the face with all her might, causing her vision to blink a bit from a surge of pain. A cracking sound came next, followed by a stream of blood pouring from her ruined nose. The former soultaker grabbed her nose, straightening it out without a hint of mercy, blowing it out from the blood.

The pain helped a bit. It made her focus, it made Katriana think clearly for once. She sided with the enemy to save lives and not to end them. The fact that she had so callously forgotten about the oath that she swore to her dead comrades was almost unbearable.

She turned around, walking toward the truck. Jumping in it, Vincent tore away the locks, flicking away the lid. Trembling from barely held back rage and anger, both at this bitch and herself, Katriana grabbed the crying Zose by the gorget of her power armor, lifting the woman from the crate.

"Please! Anything, I will do anything!" Zose whimpered, her face covered by tears and a sneeze.

"You are in luck, Zose," Katriana jumped from the truck, taking her under her arm like a sack. "I grew up a little. Come, let’s take care of your wound."

"Correct decision," Bel gave a quick nod, before lifting her paw to the helmet. "Warlord? The situation is resolved. Everyone is alive."

"How long is she going to be like this?" Marco nodded at Zose’s limp body.

"A day or two. I used a double dose to be safe." Katriana grumbled, walking toward the exit, slowly steaming with anger because of Zose’s constant whimpering.

"Then you'll keep the patient clean in the meantime," Hekanta wrinkled her nose. "I can smell the contents of her bowels even from here. To the hospital at once, I need to treat her wound and fix your nose."

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