Chapter 15: I Have a Bodyguard Now, But She Hates Me More Than My Enemies1. Pain, Betrayal, and Really Bad DecisionsI couldn’t breathe.

  Mikasa’s punch nded hard.

  Like, get-hit-by-a-truck hard.

  I was on my knees, arms wrapped around my stomach, trying not to vomit up my entire existence.

  "Whhhyyy…" I wheezed.

  Mikasa cracked her knuckles.

  "You agreed to the deal."

  No, I didn’t!

  The hacker girl did!

  I gred at her.

  She just grinned like a mischievous little gremlin.

  "Totally worth it," she said.

  …

  I hate everyone.

  2. Welcome to the Worst Partnership EverI managed to stand up.

  Barely.

  "Okay," I croaked. "Can we talk about the actual pn now?"

  Mikasa just stared.

  The kind of unblinking, cold stare that made me very aware of how much she still wanted me dead.

  Then, she spoke.

  "Fine," she said. "But I’m not doing this for you."

  I nodded quickly.

  "Of course not. You hate me. You want to throw me into a pit. I get it. Totally normal. Very reasonable."

  Mikasa didn’t deny it.

  Instead, she turned to the hacker girl.

  "So. What's the pn?"

  The hacker girl just shrugged.

  "No idea."

  …

  I closed my eyes.

  Took a deep breath.

  Then—

  "WHAT?!"

  3. We’re All Gonna Die (And It’s Not Even My Fault This Time)Mikasa’s eye twitched.

  "You made me agree to this, and you don’t have a pn?"

  The hacker girl shrugged again.

  "It’s not my job to have pns," she said. "I just make problems go away."

  Mikasa and I stared at her.

  Silence.

  More silence.

  Then—

  Mikasa turned to me.

  "She’s still the worst."

  I sighed.

  "I know."

  4. Pnning While Avoiding Sudden Death"Okay, fine," I said, rubbing my temples. "Let’s figure this out before Nexus drops another murder cyborg on us."

  Mikasa nodded.

  The hacker girl was already typing away on her phone.

  "Best guess? Nexus has already located your st known position," she said. "So we need to move."

  Mikasa frowned.

  "Where?"

  The hacker girl grinned.

  "Somewhere even Nexus wouldn’t dare touch."

  I frowned.

  "What does that mean?"

  She turned to me.

  "It means we’re going to break into one of their own research facilities."

  …

  I stared at her.

  Then, very calmly—

  "ARE YOU INSANE?!"

  5. Mikasa is Scary When She SmilesMikasa, on the other hand—

  She grinned.

  Not a happy grin.

  Not a friendly grin.

  A cold, sharp, terrifying grin.

  "...I like this pn," she said.

  …

  Oh no.

  6. Why Breaking into an Evil Super Lab is a Bad Idea"Wait, hold on," I said. "Do we really have to do this?"

  The hacker girl nodded.

  Mikasa cracked her knuckles.

  "Unless you want to keep running forever," she said, "this is the best option."

  …

  Damn it.

  I hate that she’s right.

  7. So… How Do We Break Into an Evil Super Lab?The hacker girl started typing again.

  "There's a Nexus facility about thirty kilometers from here," she said. "Mid-tier security. Still dangerous, but not as crazy as the top-secret ones."

  Mikasa nodded.

  "Good. We’ll hit it fast, grab whatever intel we can, and disappear before they even know what happened."

  I blinked.

  "Wow," I said. "That almost sounds easy."

  The hacker girl grinned.

  "Right?"

  …

  I don’t trust her.

  8. Step One: Steal a CarWe needed transportation.

  Mikasa didn’t even hesitate.

  She stole a car.

  Just like that.

  Broke into it in three seconds, hotwired it in two more, and we were gone before anyone noticed.

  …

  "Should I be impressed or concerned?" I asked.

  "Yes," the hacker girl said.

  9. Step Two: Try Not to DieWe drove fast.

  Night air.

  Empty roads.

  Tension so thick I could barely breathe.

  We were really doing this.

  We were really about to break into Nexus.

  And if we got caught—

  We were dead.

  …

  I really hate my life.

  10. The Moment Before Everything Goes WrongWe reached the facility.

  A huge, cold metal structure, hidden in the middle of nowhere.

  Mikasa parked the car.

  Then she turned to us.

  Her eyes sharp.

  "From this point on," she said, "we have one chance."

  The hacker girl nodded.

  "Got it."

  I swallowed.

  "…Right."

  We stepped out.

  The cold night air bit at my skin.

  The wind whispered through the trees.

  And in the distance—

  A single red light flickered.

  Watching us.

  Waiting.

  Something felt wrong.

  Very, very wrong.

  And then—

  The arms started bring.

  To Be Continued…Next Time:

  "The Moment Victory Became a Nightmare"