Ultimatum

The footage ended with Mike's abduction by Sniper. There was a single camera hidden in the living room when Sniper executed Mike's parents. By pure luck that day, Mike's real babysitter needed to take an absence leave and called her identical twin sister to cover for her shift for a few hours. That was the small crack that ended up collapsing Sniper's years of cover-up effort.

After realizing what had happened, the babysitter retrieved the footage and lived in anonymity for 16 whole years, waiting for the right time to reveal this crucial piece of evidence. That day in Rome, when Mike failed to cover his face properly, he was immediately identified by his old babysitter. Knowing he could come back, she risked her life spreading the word about her connection to Mike inside her village.

Mike slowly pressed the power button and shut the screen. The whole laboratory was in total silence as all three of them didn't know what to say. This came as a shock to Mike, who finally realized how much of a fool he was for trusting Sniper. The emperor tortured him, put him through training sessions so brutal that there were times when he didn't spend a single day in a year without broken bones.

Darkness reigned over his life, he was nothing but a puppet and a tool for the emperor who never even considered him family. With all these revelations, Mike had to accept that his delusion was what blinded him for this whole time. This is an empire based on lies just like its emperor. For his entire life, Mike has been fighting for the tyrant who exterminated everyone he ever loved.

[Mike] - "Paris, 16 years ago... was that also him? "

Said Mike with a void stare.

[Kadyn] - "That is true. I can confirm that. "

[Mike] - "More than a million dead... I can't believe how naive I was when I trusted his lies. A rogue cyberknight he said, he was the hero who stopped him he said, my destiny was to be a hero he said! "

Yelled Mike in anguish as he began to smash his fists against the desk.

[Kadyn] - "Mike... please... "

Mike suddenly turned around and pointed his finger at Kadyn's forehead.

[Mike] - "You knew, you knew about all this this whole bloody time! You never told me, why didn't you tell me? "

Screamed Mike in an aggressive tone.

[Ethan] - "Enough, Mike! I was the one who told her to keep it a secret. "

[Mike] - "No, no, not even you, Ethan! "

Yelled Mike in disbelief.

[Ethan] - "I think it's damn time for me to tell you about me. "

[Mike] - "I trusted you people, I saw you as a grandfather, Ethan. And you, Kadyn, I thought we loved each other but now you showed your true colours. You probably don't feel anything for me either. You are probably spying on me for Sniper! "

Mike's words were like knives and they stabbed through Kadyn's heart with violence and pain.

[Kadyn] - "That's not true... I... I truly love you, Mike. "

Said Kadyn in a broken voice as tears streamed down her cheeks.

[Mike] - "You are lying! All of you are just liars. I'm just a tool for all of you! "

Yelled Mike with increasing hysteria.

Mike's hatred-filled eyes burned through Kadyn's soul as he stared at her with an expression of disgust. With a swift movement, Kadyn took off Mike's coat and dropped it on a chair.

[Kadyn] - "I don't deserve you... I'm sorry Mike. I just want you to know that I... I... "

Said Kadyn as she sobbed constantly.

Upon reaching her breaking point, Kadyn ran out of the laboratory with her hands around her face. She ran and ran until she found a quiet spot where she curled up in a ball before finally letting her sorrow flow free. Inside the laboratory, Ethan shot Mike a death stare before grabbing a chair for him.

[Ethan] - "Sit down and listen to me. "

[Mike] - "I don't want to hear anything from you. "

Said Mike as he tried to calm himself down with a large swig from a bottle of whisky.

[Ethan] - "Have you not had enough? Huh? Yelling at her like a goddamn lunatic. You think she faked all her years with you? Is this how you treat one of the only people who has ever been decent to you? "

Yelled Ethan with authority.

[Mike] - "Fuck off! Decent... decent for what? I was Sniper's dog for all my life and she didn't even bother telling me anything. All she did was watch me lick the boots of the man who murdered my family in cold blood. "

Said Mike before he took another swig.

[Ethan] - "See? This is why I told her to shut her mouth. Imagine if I told ya a few years ago, what would ya have done? Probably something stupid. You have this impulsivity to jump straight to action without thinking twice. "

[Mike] - "Bullshit, Ethan! This doesn't justify shit about what you two have done to me! "

Yelled Mike as he threw the empty glass over Ethan's head.

[Ethan] - "Sit down already, you little shit! Hear me out first and you can revenge beat me all you fucking want afterward. "

Said Ethan with an unflinching stare in Mike's direction

[Mike] - "Fine, speak! I have nothing to lose at this point, fuck! "

Said Mike as he promptly pulled the cap off another bottle of whisky.

[Ethan] - "I knew more than Kadyn does. I was once part of Sniper's inner circle until he sidelined me for my anti-war attitude. I tried to hide this from you because one, I don't have concrete evidence like that footage to prove my point. Two, I wanted to give you a fighting chance. I knew ya would do something stupid once you knew the truth, so of course I wouldn't have told you when you were like 15. Remember how fucking more naive you were a few years ago compared to now? If you got yourself killed, all of us would've been executed by association. Three, what is the point of resisting? You can't fight Sniper, you can't fuck with the empire by yourself, and you can't bring back the dead. So what's the point, Mike? "

After finding some valid reason in Ethan's words, Mike finally managed to calm himself.

[Mike] - "I have to go meet him in 5 minutes. That bloody bastard wanted to see me. "

Said Mike as he gripped the whisky bottle while trying to fight the burning sensation of the alcohol in his mouth.

[Ethan] - "Mike, my boy, just know that whatever you do, me and Kadyn will always be on your side. No one here has betrayed you. "

Said Ethan as he carefully approached Mike

[Mike] - "Fuck, this feels like a bad bloody dream. "

Said Mike in a drunken voice as he slammed the whisky bottle onto the desk.

[Ethan] - "Calm down alright? Don't let Sniper know that you are vulnerable but also don't do anything stupid. If you need to discuss any future plans, I will be glad to help you. "

Said Ethan as he gently tapped his hand against Mike's back.

As Mike prepared to leave, he suddenly noticed his coat on a chair. With a mind freed from the flame of anger, he reminisced for a moment his time with Kadyn. Was she truthful with her actions? After a short recap of his past, Mike began to feel a sense of guilt for blindly accusing her earlier. Never once when she was with him did he ever feel that her emotions were artificial.

Mike grabbed his coat and stormed out of the laboratory. A sensation of guilt and worry gradually began to rise inside his heart as he desperately looked for Kadyn. After searching around his room, he still didn't manage to find a single trace of her. With time slowly running out before his meeting, Mike finally decided that she was more important than Sniper's orders. For the first time in his life, he defied Sniper's order and began to look for Kadyn.

After storming through all the possible locations and finding no sign of her, Mike's mind was in full panic mode. After leaning against a wall, Mike calmed his nerves knowing that panicking won't help his situation. With steady steps, Mike blended himself into the crowd inside the hallway.

[Mike] - "Don't do anything stupid... don't do anything stupid... I'm coming, Lemon. "

Meanwhile, as Kadyn sobbed, she suddenly heard Mike's voice in her head. She raised her head and saw no one but when Mike's voice sounded again, Kadyn immediately pushed herself off the ground.

[Kadyn] - "Mike? Where are you? "

Kadyn began to run toward the direction of the voice. As she rushed through the maze of hallways, she was unaware of the faint glow that was emanating from her crystal. Mike kept following the crowd with worried breaths until he suddenly bumped into someone.

[Mike] - "Lemon? "

[Kadyn] - "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Mike. Please don't hate me. "

Whispered Kadyn as she cried against Mike's chest.

[Mike] - "Hey, who said I would hate you? I'm sorry for lashing out at you like. "

[Kadyn] - "No, I don't deserve you. You came back for this dirty lying bitch despite what she has done against you. I should've told you, I should've never lied to you. "

Said Kadyn as she pushed herself off Mike.

[Mike] - "You were following orders just like me. Never for a second did I believe you intentionally wanted to harm me. "

Said Mike as he held Kadyn's hands.

[Kadyn] - "Ethan told me to not tell you. I'm not a robot, I truly love you, I can feel it in my heart. I did not pretend to-"

Said Kadyn in a trembling voice before Mike took her in his embrace.

[Mike] - "It's okay, I know. Just don't disappear like this anymore. Stay with me. "

Kadyn nodded her head as her tears of sorrow turned to joy. With a swift flip, Mike covered Kadyn's back with his coat and smiled at her.

[Mike] - "It fits you better than on me. "

Later as Sniper impatiently tapped his finger against his armrest, Mike finally arrived inside the throne room and kneeled at the bottom of the stairs. With an unimpressed glare, Sniper stayed silent to keep Mike in his kneeling position.

[Sniper] - "You are late, Grand Knight. I find this unjustified tardiness quite disrespectful. "

[Mike] - "I had to manage some urgent matter, my lord. Please forgive me for my lack of judgment. "

[Sniper] - "You see, Mike, I'm starting to doubt your loyalty toward me. You seem to take me for some fool with no knowledge of your activities. "

Sniper got up from his throne and began to walk toward Mike.

[Sniper] - "You don't seem to understand how your duty should come before your personal life. When I invoke you, I expect you to arrive on time instead of indulging in your petty little melodramatic romance. "

As Mike tried to refute Sniper's accusations, he suddenly noticed how he could not speak. A dripping sound soon began to echo across the room as Mike reached for his mouth. However, to his shock, his finger only managed to touch his exposed upper teeth. With a sadistic grin on his face, Sniper suddenly released his ability which was constricting Mike's nerves.

An intense wave of pain immediately hit Mike's mind as he coughed a massive mouthful of blood out of his exposed throat. Somehow, before he could even notice it, Sniper destroyed his entire lower jaw. Another sudden cough caused Mike to expel another puddle of blood.

[Sniper] - "This is your last warning, Mike. Next time, I will aim for the head. "

Said Sniper in a cold voice before he began to ascend to his throne.

Mike tried desperately to stop the bleeding but he could do little without a mirror to repair the damage. Before he could stop it, he vomited another splatter of blood which coated the golden staircase in a dark crimson shade. As Mike tried to leave, Sniper suddenly pressed his head into his puddle of blood using his ability.

[Sniper] - "I don't remember giving you permission to stand up or leave. "

Said Sniper with an amused grin on his face.

The gut-wrenching smell of the blood soon caused Mike to gag and expel another mouthful of crimson. At this point, Mike has lost so much blood that he begins to wonder if he'll be able to survive any longer. Due to a lack of experience, Mike couldn't properly close his arteries with his ability since he could end up causing more harm to himself than good.

[Sniper] - "Before you lose your mind, let me brief you on your next assignment. To prove that you are truly loyal to me, I want you to bring me that lab rat of yours. I want to see you execute her in front of me. You will arrive no later than midnight or you will be deemed an enemy of the empire. By then, not even God can save you. "

Using his ability, Sniper lifted Mike's head to face him.

[Sniper] - "Don't test me, Mike. I will not show mercy just because you are related to me. "

Said Sniper with a cruel expression on his face.

However, just as he prepared to let Mike go, Sniper noticed a defiant look shine through the veil of red on his face. Unlike Sniper's other victims, Mike's eyes were fixed on his oppressor's face without an ounce of fear. To Mike, the sensation of Sniper's power didn't even cause him to flinch. If not for his current condition, Mike was ready to jump up there and deconstruct Sniper with a single punch.

[Sniper] - "You are dismissed! "

Said Sniper with a hint of frustration in his voice.

However, Mike's defiant stare has already buried its roots inside Sniper's mind. In a fit of anger, Sniper used his ability to smash Mike's head against the ground and caused him to lose consciousness.

No one was able to resist bowing to Sniper after being defeated by his power. However, Mike's will to resist him became so strong that even the palm of fate struggled to subjugate him. Under Sniper's spiteful watch, Mike's body was removed from the room by two guards.

To be continued...