"Oh, really? And what's in it for me? After all, if I hand you over to the corporation once the mission is complete, I'll get much more—and the mission is almost over."
Heh. Since she's bargaining instead of just killing me, she must be hoping to get something out of this. I wonder what? No, I have a pretty good idea—but I won't let her dissect me. Still, I'd gladly submit to less painful… if not lethal… tests. But I shouldn't tell her that, or she'll skin me alive for it, even though she needs my samples herself.
"What will you get out of it?" I said aloud. "For starters—all the credit. You won't have to share it with anyone. A peaceful opportunity to conduct experiments, which I will agree to, of course, in an environment where you won't have to persuade the squad to wait or pacify the monster." I chuckled softly. "I'm talking about myself, in case you hadn't guessed. You have to admit, the chance to study my samples under calm conditions is worth a lot. And your commander doesn't give a damn about that. You, on the other hand, could gain quite a bit out of it."
"Okay," Christine said, still keeping the weapon pressed to the back of my head. "That sounds tempting. But what's in it for you? I'm sorry, but as you yourself pointed out, I don't believe in the altruism of monsters."
"Cover," I replied calmly. "I can't handle all my problems alone. Understanding what I'm made of—you have to admit—even if that knowledge doesn't change anything that's already happened, my curiosity about what kind of creature I am hasn't gone anywhere."
And judging by the data in Vector's suit—among other things, which I won't be sharing.—It was you who infiltrated Birkin's lab and nearly secured the G-virus samples. I need those samples. But finding my way into the lab on my own will be difficult. Vector didn't memorize the route; he focused on threats. Everything else was irrelevant to him. But I'll blame my ignorance on the lack of proper records in the suit—it really only contains voice logs. And I couldn't find anything more detailed anywhere else. Let her think that.
"Weak arguments," Yamata said flatly. "Both in your defense and in what you're offering me."
I could almost feel the seconds ticking down before she pulled the trigger.
"Stop. Wait!" I snapped. "You can kill me—but then what? I doubt the corporation wants a corpse instead of a living specimen. And getting out of here with a body won't be easy. Think carefully: Umbrella is covering up everything that happened here, and you know too much already. But if you join forces with me, you can leave the city—not end up alone, surrounded by monsters, or lying in a ditch with a hole in your forehead."
I felt the hand at the back of my neck tremble.
Time to press.
"And once you're out—with rare specimens, maybe even the G-virus—you won't just be rehabilitated. You'll be able to dictate terms to your former employers. And a grateful partner"—I smiled inwardly—"can help you with that, once we're outside the city."
"That's more interesting," she admitted. The barrel, however, didn't move.
"But taking a monster—even a thinking one—out of the city on my own?" She snorted. "That's not even funny! You know, I don't need a walking carrier of an epidemic that could surpass even the bubonic plague."
"And that's where your genius comes in!" I countered quickly. "There is a way to control my instincts, isn't there? An antidote, or something similar. And if there isn't—who says it can't be made? Besides, I've already tested something myself: I can feed on meat. So you can cross the cannibal issue off the list, if that's what worries you."
I chuckled again. "And I wouldn't advise you to take too long deciding. Your—our—teammates are almost at the exit. Even though they lost Beltway."
"How do you know that?" There was unmistakable suspicion in her voice.
"Once you study me, you'll understand," I replied, deliberately fueling her curiosity. And I could tell she was interested—even without Vector's analytical abilities back there, at the monitoring center.
"Fine," she said at last. "But if you try anything, I'll destroy you myself!" the girl threatened me.
"Oh, no," I answered calmly. "You'll still be useful to me, given the situation I've outlined. But I don't need the rest of the squad."
I watched her reaction closely. But instead of the expected attempts to restrain or protect her people, I felt the barrel finally lift away from my head. A faint snort followed.
"And you'll need my help with that, of course?" she asked—half question, half statement.
Which one of us is the monster now? Hm, I've been asking myself that a lot lately. Maybe I'm trying to relieve stress before what comes next? No—people usually do that differently, not by asking stupid philosophical questions.
"Of course," I said. "But first, let me ask you something. Can you detect me through the suit?"
"Only within two steps," she replied. "As for Ghost—with his longer-range but less specialized sensor—you'll be invisible to him until you make physical contact."
She immediately understood what I was implying.
"That's perfect," I said.
What else was there to add? The important thing now was simple: don't shake hands with Ghost—and avoid physical contact altogether. Better yet, remove him from the equation entirely. As for Foue Eyes, it was obvious to everyone that she was plotting something—but I still needed her. I'd leave the city alone.
For now, the key was not to become unnecessary to her before she became unnecessary to me.
(End of Chapter)
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