nothing's for free

"I didn't think you would join the elite squad this soon, but as expected from the best of the best." Rhoin joked, trying to keep up with Atlanta's footsteps.

"You're the one to talk. You basically lack any combat experience, and judging from your look I doubt you've ever been out in the field before."

"Haha! Guilty as charged. I don't have any combat experience, but I can save more lives out there and maybe build some self confidence." He smiled softly. Ever since he was little he had literally been scared of most things, he had a timid personality as he kept to himself but that didn't help him.

Everyday in school he would return home with one injury or another, even though he had an average body he still couldn't defend himself. Luckily as he grew more older the bullying and beatings reduced a bit, but that didn't mean he was safe from the sneers of dangers.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business." She coldly spoke still walking more faster.

"Am starving, we should go get something to eat." He rubbed his stomach gently, causing Atlanta to look at him weirdly, scoffing And averting her gaze.

"Don't you have any other person you can disturb?"

"Not really, you're the only one who hasn't snubbed me yet."

"Trust me I try." Passing by some people, they waved at Atlanta with a smile on their face, some even went as far as to approach her for her autograph.

"That's right, she's the one who single handedly killed a lv4 hunter without any gadgets!" Rhoin shouted hyping Atlanta the more, garning more unwanted attention for the embarrassed Atlanta.

"What are you doing.." she whispered, dragging Rhoin from the little group of crowd that had now gathered.

"What do you think? am making you more popular."

"I told you I don't want to be popular." Atlanta frowned. She was trying to avoid the spotlight, but this pestering trouble maker was drawing attention to her.

"But-"

"No buts, am done with you." She declared storming off to the distance, going past her newly found fans.

"O-ok Atlanta! I'll answer the questions for you, and I'll be in the health department if you need me!" Rhoin yelled to Atlanta, he then continued attending to the crowd before him.

"Dumb boy." Atlanta grumbled, this was the first time in a long time someone bugged her out this much. Sole was the companion she had when her parents died, but now he is also suffering the same fate on the brink of life and death.

She was going through a lot as different emotions clouded her feelings, so her reasoning was somehow clogged.

'Bad things are always happening to the people close to me.' First it was her parents now sole, she feared if she attached herself to other people then karma would repeat itself, that's why she chose to cage herself from everyone keeping a cold shoulder.

Reaching her location she was standing outside the big five office, the same happened as last time the door sliding open with her entering and it getting shut.

"What brings you here child?" Zero was the first to speak. He had his usual calm and settling attitude which lures most people, but Atlanta was resistance.

"Don't act like you don't already know."

"What do you mean Atlanta?"

"I know you have been watching me."

"What are you trying to say girl! are you saying we're spying on you?" Saber angrily spoke, darting his eyes at Atlanta who just stood there with a calm expression.

"We have other important matters to attend to, than to spy on something irrelevant." Faiya chipped coldly chipped in.

[Their heat signature fluctuates indicating their lying.]

'Thanks for the analysis Nexus.' She telepathically said. since Nexus gained the a.p.c they could now communicate inwardly, and her system could also hear her thoughts.

"I know you're all watching me, but I don't care. The elite squad were given a maximum of two days to relax, which means am free for the moment."

"That's ok child, but you didn't have to come all the way out here to tell us." Zero chuckled, gently tapping his fingers to the table.

"I didn't, I did it for myself." Taking a seat Atlanta made herself at home, she could feel saber's threatening gazes directed at her but she didn't care.

"So what am I meant to do now?"

"Nothing." Zero calmly spoke. "You're to remain inactive for the next two days, until your training begins. after all, we don't want to deal with unwanted misfortunes."

'Now why did that sound like a threat.' Atlanta thought zero words were soft and clear, but she couldn't help but sense a hinge of malice.

"If there's nothing else you would like to inform us about you're free to go." Nodding, there was nothing else keeping her here as she was exiting the room.

"Oh! and you all need to do a better job at lying." She stopped turning round and saying those words, she could see hints of surprise on Flora's and zero's face while she exited the room.

"Bam! How dare she!" Saber roared, slamming his hand to the hand of the metal chair denting it.

"Easy saber.. she's just a kid." Gin tried to calm the angry bird down, but he wouldn't listen to him. Saber was always known to have the hottest temper among the people in the big five, so little things makes him flare up just like this.

"K-kid! She just insulted us to our faces and we couldn't do anything!"

"She's just paranoid, it's usual considering what she's been through." Flora butted in, she didn't think Atlanta acted rash in any way considering what she's passed through.

"You pity too much that's why you're weak and vulnerable." Faiya spoke annoyed by Flora's comment. "We're the big five, we're meant to rule with an iron fist but it looks like we're the one being ruled."

"Silence!" Zero slammed the table, cracking it deeply anger clearly visible on his face. This was the first time in a long time they had seen zero angry, as he usually had a smile on his face.

"We're adults, but we're still acting like babies. We all have the same goal, to take down the hunters and bring things back to how they once were, yet we're fighting each other. Despicable!" They all obiediently listened even saber who swas still grumpy, without uttering a single word as zero addressed them.

"We're family whether we like it or not, so I suggest we act like one from now." Zero then shifted his gaze to saber, who still had a frown on his face.

"The girl has a point, we were spying on her."

"But-"

"What she did was irrational I know, but she is still a kid learning and maybe our only hope to win this damn war." Zero grimly uttered, softly tapping his fingers together.

...

Walking, Atlanta had a sly smirk on her face having achieved her aim. Never in her life did she think she would be standing her today, having met with the big five twice and even toy with them a little.

'I can't believe I just did that.' She'd wanted to cause a little ruckus, amongst the group for fun. She already had a plan, but the question was would they take the bait?

Most times, the members in the big five were always calm and not jumping into conclusions early, taking time to resolve a situation except for one person.

"Thank you saber." When she first met saber, she immediately knew he was hot tempered and didn't like her. She also felt the same way towards him, but she was also going to use that in exploiting him.

She threw in the bait and he carelessly followed, and thanks to him her little devious plan went perfectly.

'What should I do now?' There was still some few hours left, before it reached evening and she was basically free.

'Should I go and see how sole's doing? No I shouldn't interrupt doc.' She thought of going to check up on sole, but she was afraid she might interrupt some important experiment or something.

'Please make it out sole.' She had never seen a dead person being brought back and turned into a cyborg, but she had hope. Strange things were being invented and created by the sec, so she believed and had faith in doc. She didn't know him from Adam, but if he's the top doc working directly under the big five in HQ, it must only mean he's the best of the best.

"What a coincidence." Rhoin awkwardly smiled walking towards Atlanta.

"Are you stalking me?"

"What! n-no our paths just accidentally converged."

"Yeah right."

"I-i swear on my life. I was actually going back to the elite squad departments. Wanna come?" He asked with glistening eyes stretching his hand forward. Staring at him with a frown, she was about declining his offer when she heard Nexus voice in her head.

[You should go. I've detected multiple negative emotions from host, due to past experiences. Atlanta, I suggest you shouldn't hold on to the past memories but make new one's.]

'That's really deep. Did you pick that up from the Internet or something?' Atlanta was surprised, Nexus could say something touching like that. Since he was an AI she guessed he wasn't supposed to have any feelings or emotions, but looks like she guessed wrong.

[Surprisingly I don't know. Perhaps it came out from within.]

Thinking about it Atlanta thought about what Nexus said, and thought some of it was through. She had long dwelled in the past, and maybe it was time for her to move on.

"Whatever.." She muttered walking past him, on her way to the elite squad departments.

"Yah! I promise you won't regret it." Rhoin excitedly said, tailing along with a cheerful smile on his face. The journey to the elite squad departments wasn't that much, so it would take at least 15 minutes with their current speed.

As they walked, Rhoin brought up different topics to which Atlanta of course didn't chip in anything, leaving the weird nerd to keep on talking to himself.

'Does he ever stop talking.' she was getting exhausted, just from listening to this boy rant about things he experienced. She tried avoiding most of his chats, but he just wouldn't stop talking bringing up more new things to talk about.

"So what about you? what's the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you?" Rhoin asked. he knew Atlanta wasn't listening to most of what he said but he didn't mind, as far as she didn't avoid him he was happy.

"Weirdest thing huh?"

"The weirdest thing that's happened to me is losing my parents when I was little, and now having to bear more pain with losing my best friend."

"Is that weird?"

"Y-yeah totally.." Rhoin awkwardly said. He didn't know anything about her at all, so what she revealed just now was a real shocker to him.

'I can't believe she lost her parents at a young age. No wonder she's so grumpy.' He thought she'd lost a lot, and she had a lot of built in anger and pain in her, so it was normal for her to be this way.

'How does she do it..'

Reaching the elite squad departments there were still much people there, luckily they were too involved in their own business to notice them. Making their way through the crowd, they headed for a place a bit secluded at the back of the room.

"You fucking shit!" The boy from earlier with short curly brown hair shouted, as Rhoin accidentally bumped into him spilling his drink all over rhoin.

"Shit! am so sorry, i-it was an accident." Rhoin hastingly spoke bowing his head.

"You know.. I can let it slide if you give me all your savings." Jack slyly uttered with an evil grin, stretching his hand forward.

"B-but I need them."

"Well I guess you'll have to pay some other way then." Jack creepily smiled cracking his knuckles, causing Rhoin to gulp in his saliva cause he knew what it meant.

"P-please this is all I have." Rhoin brought out some notes from his pockets, handing it over to Jack. Holding it, he had a frown on his face seeing the insignificant denomination in his hands.

"Are you fucking kidding me, this won't reach anywhere."

"B-but that's all I have."

"It's not enough asshole! Guess I'll have to teach you a lesson."

'Bam!' He punched his tightly clenched fist forward to Rhoin guts, drawing out fresh blood from the latters mouth. The pain was so much, that Rhoin fell to the ground on his knees begging.

"Argh! pl-please am sorry." Rhoin begged, but Jack didn't have any intention of stopping at all.

"Stop? how else are you going to pay for the debt you owe? That drink isn't free you know." He chuckled a bit, kicking Rhoin multiple times in the guts then sending a final kick to his head, sending him rolling a bit.

"Huh?" Atlanta was still walking when she realized the students attention, were slowly being diverted to something behind her. Turning back, that's when she could see Rhoin being beaten mercilessly by the boy with short curly hair.

'What did you do now idiot.' She knew Rhoin was a bit troublesome, but she didn't expect him to do something that would warrant this sort of beating.

[Negative! the boy with the curly hair is at fault.] Nexus suddenly said.

"What do you mean?"

[Displaying playback footage.] A new screen appeared before her eyes, and there she could see Rhoin following her but was cut by Jack, who intentionally bumped into Rhoin spilling the drink on him.

'Fucking bullies.' She hated bullies from the depths of her core, so she naturally hated this boy.

Looking at Rhoin he was bruised and now bleeding, as the crowd watched some even cheering on Jack. She was contemplating whether to help Rhoin or just look away, since she didn't owe him anything and they weren't friends

"Argh! I can't believe am doing this." Already making up her mind, she decided to help Rhoin.

....

"This is fun." Jack smiled, pressing his foot against Rhoin's face who struggled to breath. Raising his feet Jack was about stomping down on Rhoin's face again, before something unexpected happened.

'Bam!" A punch sent Rhoin backwards into a soda machine, regaining himself he looked at who dared to lift a finger on him.

'A girl..'

"How dare you!" He roared charging forward sending his fist to her head, Atlanta simply caught hold of it stopping him in place. He struggled to break free under her grip, but no matter how she tried she was just terrifyingly strong.

"That's enough." Atlanta calmly said crushing his hand a bit, causing him to scream in pain.

"You bitch! stay out of this he owes me." Jack struggled in pain.

"And he's repayed you." She softly said shoving him to the ground, turning she went to help rhoin to his feet.

"For a moment there i didn't think you'd help me." Rhoin chuckled weakly.

"Yeah.. me too." Just as she was helping Rhoin, she sensed something coming at her behind. on instinct she side stepped, grabbing the attacker's wrists spinning him round and headbutting him, knocking him out cold.

"Nothing's for free." she silently muttered looking at the unconscious boy, then proceeded to help Rhoin up taking him out of the room, to the health department.