Blake lifted his head to the sky in time to catch the setting sun. They sat around a small fire that B had managed to put together.
The yellow light from the flames made the barren, red soil look almost orange.
B sat on the opposite side and lingered for a moment before speaking, "When we wake tomorrow, I'll deliver you to the access point within an hour."
Blake turned to him and furrowed his eyebrows. 'There seems to be a sudden urgency.' Though it made sense, the gala he was meant to infiltrate would be starting soon.
He looked at his tarnished clothes. From all the fleeing and barely surviving two major encounters, it had been dirtied and reduced to rags.
On the other hand, B's clothes still maintained their quality, save for the tears from when he grew wings and detached his arm.
Blake looked at the other's body. 'How many times exactly has he had to do that to himself?' He imagined that having a boss like 024 would require him to be in almost constant danger.
'I really hope that if I do awaken an ability, it should be something as useful and diverse as his.'
Without further thought, he tapped on his watch:
[User: Blake Hiro]
[Class: Null]
[Mutated Cell Count: 34%]
[Cell Stability: 77%]
[Gene Ability: Empty]
[Legacy: 3rd Level]
[Gene Purity: 32%]
Blake's face twisted into a scowl as he read his details. 'My Cell Stability has dropped by 1 in such a short time. I really need a stronger serum.'
The scowl intensifies into an awful frown. 'But I can not ask Big! That fat tyrant went ahead to betray someone who can protrude tentacles from his body and has a worker that can literally turn people into paste!'
He couldn't understand the logic behind such behavior.
After mumbling more swears to himself and cursing Big, he eventually lay down on the bare ground and drifted off to sleep.
***
Blake felt a slight shove and he jumped to his feet, scanning his surroundings before his eyes landed on B.
The latter was standing over him with his hands in his pockets. He shifted slightly, "Get up. We need to move." Then he walked away.
Blake threw his head back and groaned a little before pushing himself to his feet. The first thing he noticed was that both the burn on his throat and the scrape were gone.
His eyes landed on B in the distance.
'Did he heal me?'
The more he learned about B and the applications of his power, the more confused he became about his situation. 'There is no doubt. He at least has a B-tier ability with clearly a higher potential... so what is he doing working for a criminal organization?'
Blake followed him from a distance. 'And 024 himself seems quite capable so what is going on? I am sure if any of them wanted, they could have far more comfortable lives. Does this have to do with why he showed me that city?'
More questions were piling up and no clear answer was in sight. It was quite frustrating.
'Answers...' His eyes widened a little. With almost being killed, he had forgotten about a crucial piece of information.
According to 024, the reason why he was here was that he was a legacy. 'But how does that affect anything?'
He stopped following. 'What if the hosts find out who my father is? Will they not let me go? What of his enemies, will they waste the opportunity?...'
With each thought, Blake saw less of a reason to continue going along especially since Big was going to pay, for betraying them, with his life.
As though sensing his hesitation, B also stopped walking and turned to him.
The two of them stared at each other for a minute but B eventually broke the silence. "What?"
Blake shook his head, "It's nothing. Just still in shock." He smiled awkwardly and prayed that he believed him.
Perhaps actually buying it or not caring, he turned around and continued walking.
Blake let out a shaky breath and continued following.
An insidious thought slithered into his mind. 'And what is stopping them from "convincing" me to join another operation if this one is successful?'
Even if he did awaken an ability, it would only increase his potential value to them because there was simply no way that a criminal organization would let such fresh meat go.
The reality of things slowly started to sink in. 'Since meeting Big, this trap had been sprung. One way or another, I would've been swallowed by the criminal world.'
He clenched his fists and chewed the inside of his cheek. 'In that case, how am I any different from the average thug?'
Blake inhaled deeply and let out a small smile. 'No! I am different. I am being forced down this path and will die if I try to leave. They chose that path... we are completely different.'
He quickly caught up with B and they walked in complete silence.
After an hour filled with constant rejuvenation from B, they came upon a strange tunnel erected above the ground.
The downward-sloping concrete entrance hinted at its direction.
Blake tilted his head as he stared at the marvel of construction. The only reason he knew what it was was simply that his dad had made a point of not forgetting about the world of old.
But that begged the question. 'What is a tunnel doing in the middle of an internment zone?'
Unlike him, B didn't seem at all surprised by his presence. In fact, he seemed a little reassured by it.
"Boss?" He called out into the dark tunnel. The single syllable echoed through the darkness for what felt like forever.
The silence that followed left Blake feeling a little on edge. After the encounter with the wolf, he had the right to be scared of anything that didn't feel normal and a tunnel wasn't normal.
"There you are, I was wondering when you'd show." 024's voice replied from the darkness and a figure stepped into the light.
Still wearing his shades but with a clearly new suit, 024 stood before them.