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esp_dragonFandom: Noblesse
Summary: In the middle of a standard mission, BLX-3 discover something.
Rating: PG-13
Contains: Swearing, violence
Notes: Written with Key!
Genre: Action
Word count: 5,232
Status: Work in progress
"Shit," Lex hissed, dashing over, Xeno already at her side. He crouched opposite Xeno.
"I can still hear her heartbeat," Xeno said, his fingers pressed to her wrist anyway, "but..." He peered at her before shaking his head. "I don't know what happened."
"You think I do?" Lex growled. It could have been a number of things: the Union having viruses, or their firewalls had shut her down. Fuck, for all they knew, it could have been their fucking target locking onto th-
"Fuck," he said, glancing at the window.
"What's wrong?"
Lex glowered, clenching his hands into fists. "Our target." He'd only been looking out the window; they could have been surrounded on the other sides, or their target had tracked them down through the channels B-01 had been using.
"Wh - Ah."
Lex got to his feet. "We need to get out of here."
Xeno nodded and picked B-01 up in his arms, resting her head against his shoulder. Hn, it would be better if Xeno carried her, if he was still recovering from the fight. Not that Xeno would admit to that unless he'd really been badgered.
Lex grabbed her backpack, putting it on his back, and they left the building the way they came, their footsteps echoing around them as they went down the corridors. No-one was waiting for them outside from what Lex could see but he couldn't help his soft growl. He could see well enough at night, but that wasn't enough. Not when there could be snipers he couldn't see at the windows or rooftops. He could take regular bullets no problem, but those rounds… They would slow them down and they couldn't afford that.
B-01 would have been able to tell them if they were surrounded in a couple seconds.
He hissed, making one last sweep of the area around them and then started dashing down the street. There wasn't anything they could do but wait for her to regain consciousness.
No-one jumped out at them, and there was no retort of guns either; in some ways, that was fucking worse, not knowing if they were about to be attacked.
"How far do you think we should go?" Xeno murmured.
"Anywhere that isn't fuckin' here," Lex said, leading them in the opposite direction they'd came. They could move away fast enough, but that meant fuck all if their every move was being tracked.
"I think we should find somewhere with outlets, in case she needs to charge," Xeno suggested.
Lex was too busy scanning the area to stare at Xeno. "The hell would she need to charge?" She'd been fine before she'd collapsed.
"It can't hurt, can it? If she used up too much energy keeping track of all the decoys and then hacking into the database…"
Lex sighed. "Right." They'd give it a shot. They were still far too close to their hideout though. The streets were nearly completely empty, only one or two people dotted around. Lex kept his eye on them anyway as they passed, in case they were other agents. The people didn't seem to give them any attention.
"I think she's rebooting," Xeno said a couple minutes later, and Lex nodded.
"Good." Hopefully that meant whatever had happened hadn't done any permanent damage.
The further they went and nothing happened, Lex started to relax. If their target had come after them, they would have been attacked by now.
Lex turned his head when he heard Xeno hum. There wasn't any warning to it, and Xeno was eyeing the building they had stopped next to while Lex checked if the coast was clear.
"What?"
"This building," Xeno said, leaning as close to it as he could with B-01 in his arms, "I think it's empty."
Lex nodded, trying to see if there was an entrance they could use that wouldn't draw attention.
When he looked up, there was a small open window, about two floors up. For a regular human, that would have been too high a jump, the flat wall unscalable, which was probably why it had been left open in the first place; neither he or Xeno were regular humans.
"Hey," he said, jerking his head upwards. It took one bound to reach the window, and he grabbed the sill with one hand, resting his feet on the wall as he checked what Xeno was doing below him.
Xeno nodded, but then indicated B-01, lifting her up slightly. Hn, right.
Lex pulled the window open as far as it would go, glad it didn't make a noise, and slipped inside. It looked like he was in a dining room, one big table away in the corner with chairs around it, pictures and useless ornaments dotted around the place. Why the hell did people buy this shit? The place smelled of cigarette smoke and pungent fake flowers and Lex wrinkled his nose.
He heard Xeno jump to the window by the slight scuffle and soft exclamation. B-01 was over his shoulder now, Xeno keeping her in place with a hand.
"Here," Xeno said, giving her to him, and Lex pulled her in. Xeno grabbed her feet before they thudded to the floor as he hopped in.
While Lex adjusted how he held her so she was properly in his arms, Xeno started going up to the walls, peering behind furniture.
"Ah, found one," Xeno said, gesturing to an outlet that was on the other side of the room and Lex went over to him, setting her down on the floor, putting her backpack down next to her.
Xeno crouched on B-01's other side, tilting her head to face Lex; he tugged her charging cord out her collar and plugged her in.
Her irises flickered and then finally stabilised, staying a solid blue. While Lex was watching her, she blinked, and Lex huffed, relieved at seeing her react. Her eyes moved, centring more, and she blinked again. "Restarting core functions." She sounded…completely lifeless.
"The fuck does that mean?" he hissed, jerking his head up to stare at Xeno, who was frowning. Why the fuck would she be-
"It's just as she says – she's restarting her core functions."
Lex scowled at him. "That's fucking useful." He'd just repeated what she'd said!
Xeno ignored him, his entire attention on B-01. "Lex, her heartbeat..." Xeno leaned closer to her. "It's getting weaker."
Her heart – Lex checked her plug, but it was still in the outlet and it had been working before. There shouldn't be any reason why her heartbeat was getting weaker.
"C-code…1050…" B-01 stuttered, sounding like she could barely understand the words she was saying, her eyes going unfocused. "Initiating life support."
"Code - dammit," Xeno hissed. "Lex, the keys - the usbs! Take them out!"
The fuck for? But Lex yanked them out anyway, watching B-01 for a reaction.
"Battery cell charge at twenty-five percent," she murmured, her eyes dimming again.
Xeno didn't tear his eyes away from her. "Her heartbeat's... Yeah, it's steady now." He leaned back on his heels as he let out a long sigh, tugging on his braid.
Lex frowned at the keys in his hand before pocketing them. He knew shit all about technology apart from the basics, so for all he knew, if B-01 tried to access them again, she'd end up in the exact same position, but they might hold information they needed. They could be useful later on.
B-01 took in a deep breath, and her eyes tracked him before they snapped to a blood red. Lex waited, frowning. He'd only seen her eyes go like that once, and that had been in the middle of a fight. Her eyes flicked back to their normal blue after a second. "Identified: Lex, aka, L-68, Lexate." That was a little weird, but she recognised him.
She turned her head towards Xeno. After a few seconds she said, "Identified: Xeno, aka, X-87."
Xeno smiled at her. "How are you feeling?"
"My body is not responding."
Lex frowned, sweeping a look over her body. She'd had worse damage before; that shouldn't have affected anything. But he hadn't seen anything that could make her shut down like that either.
"Ah," Xeno said, but his smile didn't falter, "your systems rebooted, so I think everything is catching up."
"I see," B-01 said. She looked between them and then at the room. "This is not our hideout."
Lex snorted, getting to his feet and going back over to the window. "We had to bail when you dropped on us." He peeked out the window, trying to see if there was anyone out in the street. There was a drunk pair stumbling away from the building, and he could hear their loud conversation about football with exaggerated gestures and that was it. He watched them anyway, trying to listen out for any other sounds.
"...'Dropped'?"
"Mm," Xeno said. "You shut down suddenly. We weren't sure if you had been caught by the Union or if our target had tracked us down so we thought the best thing to do was to leave, in case we were about to be attacked."
"Understood."
There was a pause. "B-01..." Xeno said slowly, "can you – ah. Persocom status report."
"Data... Analysing... Analysing voice command. Xeno. 'Persocom status report.'"
Lex narrowed his eyes as he listened to the conversation behind him, crossing his arms. There wasn't anything he could do here; Xeno was the one who'd been trained on the command functions for bios.
"Status: updates from the main server were downloaded but not installed. Recovery of previous data is underway."
He turned away from the window to look at her, frowning. Why the fuck was she getting updates from the server now? Xeno looked as concerned he felt, his lips a thin line. It seemed too much of a coincidence to Lex.
B-01's hand twitched, and so did her opposite foot, and Lex watched them. She was getting control over her body back, at least.
Lex eyed her. "Why did you need to update?"
"Lex. 'Why did you need to update.' There were updates available for installation; updates are customary to ensure full efficiency."
He snorted. He'd heard that enough times already.
"B-01, recount the events of the last...hm, approximately forty minutes," Xeno said.
"Recounting... B-01 accessed the main Union database and discovered BLX-22, BLX-28, BLX-54, and BLX-95 all received the same classified mission. BLX-95 succeeded; BLX-22, BLX-28, and BLX-54 failed their mission, resulting in death. Saving data. Data is saved. Discovered malicious recode virus. Activated automatic systems shut down to prevent further damage."
A fucking what virus? He glanced at Xeno to see how he had reacted, but Xeno was focused on her, his brow creased.
"Relocation by teammates. Unsure of current location. Recount complete."
Lex stared at her, still trying to process what she'd said. "She shut herself down to save herself?"
Xeno nodded. "Looks like it." He pursed his lips. "A recode virus..." He let out a breath. "That doesn't sound too good."
Lex snorted. "Stating the obvious. What's it do?"
"Going by the name..." Xeno sent him a small smile and Lex glared at him. The fuck did he have to tease all the time? The smile disappeared as Xeno looked at her again. "She doesn't sound like it's affecting her anymore, at least."
"Recovery complete," B-01 said, her hands fully clenching into fists and then relaxing. Her eyes closed. "Activating persocom."
Lex watched her, hoping she'd be the same as she was before.
"'Crickey'," was the first thing out her mouth before she'd even opened her eyes, and Lex let out a relieved sigh. She opened her eyes, and they were their regular blue, glowing normally. "'That was a close one'."
Lex turned back to look out the window.
Xeno chuckled. "Yeah, it was. Are you back to one-hundred percent?"
"Affirmative," B-01 said. "Battery cell charge: one-hundred percent." He heard her sit up, and Lex turned to them, frowning.
"Oi. What're you doing?"
"I am sitting up," she said, and Lex rolled his eyes, sighing. He should have expected that answer.
"So," Xeno said as he reached over to the outlet and unplugged B-01, "what should we do? Do we stay here or do we keep moving?"
"We are leaving," B-01 said, and he and Xeno nodded. She pressed something on her collar and her power cord zipped back in.
Lex ducked through the window and stood on the sill, using one hand on the top of the frame to stay there while he waited for the others. Xeno followed him, staying on the other side. Lex peered through the gap in the curtains when B-01 didn't appear. "Oi, are ya-"
B-01 dived out the window, landing on her feet.
Xeno chuckled. "That was little too much effort, B-01."
"'Ten'," she said, before turning to them. Her collar was gone, and she was carrying her backpack. "I wanted to make sure everything was still in working order."
"And you say I need to be more fucking subtle," Lex muttered before he jumped off the window sill and landed next to her. She took one large step forward, did a small jump and then nodded.
Xeno landed behind them, and they started moving instantly.
Lex looked around. The sky was starting to brighten, revealing clouds that looked like they would promise rain. "So where do we go from here?" He grimaced at the thought of going back to the lab, but they were going to have to go back there eventually for one reason or another.
B-01 didn't say anything for a few seconds. "The lab wants us to report back."
"Ugh, fuck." They were out of the re-evaluation zone; why were they being re-called?
"They want us to meet with someone at their rendezvous point."
…That was a little different, but if that meant they weren't going to the lab or being evaluated, then he was fine with that. But…when things changed, there was usually a reason.
"Where do we meet them?" Xeno asked.
When B-01 didn't respond, Lex frowned and glanced at her. "Oi."
She blinked, looking at them. "Ah, my apologies. It is this way," she said, leading the way.
They didn't say anything for a few minutes as they followed B-01.
"I may be in a 'spot of bother' now," B-01 said.
Lex hissed, his eyes going wide. What? …Fuck. "They know you hacked into the database already?" It was the Union –they had eyes everywhere- but shit. That was too fucking quick.
"I am hoping it does not come to that," B-01 said. "Perhaps they wish to speak to us about our performance."
He grimaced as he hooked his thumbs into his pockets. "Our shitty one." It hadn't made a difference in this mission, but if their target hadn't known they were coming, he would have cost them it. If they were called back to the lab because of him…
"I did my best to remain as discreet as possible. But..." B-01 trailed off. "Hm. Hopefully this will not be mentioned."
Xeno studied her for a couple of seconds. "Hey, you okay?"
"Of course," she replied. "I am perfectly fine."
"Liar." Xeno smiled, pointing to his ear when B-01 turned to face him. "Your heartbeat is pretty fast, B-01. You sure you're not freaked out by anything?"
Lex snorted. "What, you think we'll tell the Union you're worried?" Why the hell would they tell the scientists anything? There was no need to, and if they did, it would mean re-evaluation, and no way would they ever make any one of their own go through more than they had to.
"Not at all," B-01 said. They turned down into another dim alley, untouched by any streetlights or moonlight and after a second, a soft blue glow emitted from B-01's eyes, helping them see better. "I am not worried."
Lex glanced at Xeno, wondering if she was lying again. He could never tell if B-01 was lying (he didn't even know if she could lie – hold information back, yeah, but not actually lie) when her expression hardly ever changed, her face usually blank.
Xeno caught his look and shook his head.
B-01 turned around, facing both of them. "I am fine. I assure you both."
Lex huffed, and then let out a soft laugh. "Fine. Hearing all this repetitiveness is getting boring." He looked around at their surroundings, trying to see if there was anyone else in the vicinity. "Let's get this fucking meeting over with." He didn't know how far they were from their meeting point, but he'd rather keep their contact with the Union to the minimum.
"Right," Xeno said. "You're right, B-01. You're – you're fine."
Lex raised an eyebrow at Xeno, who did the same back. What the hell? There was awkward, and then there was Xeno. And eugh, he wasn't going to say the same thing as Xeno. Lex turned his head away again.
"A little bit more and we are there," B-01 said, as they started walking up an incline. They were entering a more residential area, shops and offices giving way to apartment buildings. At the top of the hill was an entrance to a car park.
Lex eyed it. "Are you fucking serious." It was another car park?
"Yes," she said, pointing at something that was standing next to the door. Lex had thought it was one of the ticket dispensers but it was probably a scanner that would only let certain people in.
The security door started to rise once they were a couple of metres away from it, and Lex hunched his shoulders, steeling himself as he followed her inside. It looked like a large scale car park, nearly all the spaces taken. Lex glowered at all the cars. Everything was brightly lit, none of the lights flickering, the only shadows cast by the pillars and cars.
He almost walked into B-01's back when she stopped suddenly once they were halfway across the floor. "B-"
"'Hold your horses'," she said quietly.
Lex shut his mouth, scanning the area. The door shut out the wind from outside when it finished losing behind them, not with the rattle like other security doors. Xeno jerked a look over his shoulder when it did; it was probably sound proof, then. Lex couldn't see anyone, but with the multiple levels, whoever it was would probably be a few floors up.
When B-01 hurried over to a pillar, Lex clenched his hand, feeling the back of it itch as fur sprouted there, and then he ducked to go hide behind the body of a car, glaring at it. He saw Xeno go a little further right than them, keeping in sight.
Fuck. They couldn't have walked into a trap – B-01's orders came straight from the Union – unless someone had hacked them to give B-01 false orders… No. That was impossible. But then what the fuck was it? Unless this was exactly what the Union wanted.
B-01 gestured to both of them not to move and they nodded.
"Hello, sir," B-01 said, and Lex twitched, not expecting her voice to echo like that. It didn't sound like her voice was coming from her either, more like from the other end of the car park. Why was she – right. So it'd be harder to pinpoint where exactly they were. "It is nice to meet you."
"Oh, for the love of-!" Lex heard from somewhere above them. It wasn't a voice he recognised, but the scientists usually rotated every once in a while.
"Not to worry," someone else said, sounding amused. "It's perfectly fine.
"Won't you come out?" the second voice continued. "It's such a shame to think that I'm that scary."
Lex narrowed his eyes, feeling himself bristle. The guy was part of the Union, and probably a scientist. And he sounded like Doctor Limbourg, always fucking smiling and sounding cheerful even when he was pissed.
"It is unfortunate that I should choose this way to talk to you, sir," B-01 replied, still throwing her voice. "But I have come to distrust car parks a little."
Lex couldn't stop his snort, eyeing the distance between them and the exit. The door was flimsy enough that one hit would crumple it, but they'd been given orders and they were pushing it, even now. And if the door could completely block off sounds, it was probably thick.
"Oh?" the second voice said, drawing the sound out, the end lilting up like it was a question. "That sounds like some story."
"May I call you Yuri, sir?" B-01 continued and Lex frowned, throwing Xeno a look. The fuck did she know who he was talking to by his fucking voice? Lex hadn't recognised it, but maybe different scientists oversaw everything when she was being re-evaluated.
Xeno's wince said otherwise.
'Who's that?' he signed to Xeno.
Xeno mouthed 'Yuri', signing it at the same time, and Lex rolled his eyes. Xeno signed, 'glasses'.
…He was a fucking scientist; how the fuck were glasses supposed to be a fucking distinctive feature? Half of them wore them!
Xeno covered his face with a palm. 'Later.'
Lex sighed, turning his attention back to the conversation.
"-in my position? But I would like to address you by something more…official, if you do not mind," B-01 said.
A chuckle. "You may call me by my name."
"Thank you," B-01 said.
"May I ask yours?" Yuri asked and Lex narrowed his eyes, growling softly. What the hell? They had been called here because of them! Why the fuck was he asking?
"The scientist beside you knows my name, Yuri," B-01 said. "You had instructed him to tell me to bring my cell here. I am not capable of breaking regulations-"
Lex huffed, smirking. Huh, so she really had learned to lie.
"-so I came."
"Rude little-" the first voice muttered under his breath.
Yuri chuckled. "How cute of you, B-01. That is your name, isn't it?"
Lex scowled, clenching his hands. What the fuck was this asshole playing at? He had all the fucking information, so why was he dragging it out like this?
"It is."
"And your teammates are L-68 and X-87?"
"That is correct."
"And your cell number is BLX-3?"
"Pardon my interruption, Yuri, sir, but I would like to know why this is necessary. According to regulations, I am not to shut off my signal traces. Therefore, all of this information should be accessible to you."
…What the hell were signal traces? Lex glanced at Xeno, wondering if he knew, but Xeno had closed his eyes, his head facing them. Must be for listening better.
Yuri chuckled again, and Lex was starting to hate that fucking sound. "You know the regulations better than I do, B-01."
"'Course she does, you fuckin' asshole," Lex muttered under his breath. She was a bio – following regulations was literally in her fucking code. The only reason why she hadn't beem following regulations recently was because her personality matrix was developing enough that she was starting to think past blindly following the Union's orders - or that was what Xeno had thought, when Lex had asked him.
Xeno stiffened, and his eyes snapped open. His hands whipped up. 'Six heartbeats.'
Shit. Lex hissed, straightening. What were they there for?
'Not moving.' There was that, at least, but it didn't make Lex feel better.
"I will ask again," Yuri said, and Lex tensed, hearing the hard edge in his voice. They were pushing it too close now. "Your cell number is BLX-3?"
"It is," B-01 responded.
Why the hell did that asshole want to know so bad? He knew everything, so why was he wasting their time making her confirm?
Lex flexed his hands, nudging his transformation further, his nails lengthening into claws.
"Thank you for your co-operation," Yuri said. "You can go."
…That was it? Lex took in a deep breath, trying to steady his thoughts when he just wanted to snarl at the bastard. What was the fucking point doing of all that? They'd called them over just to confirm who they were? What the fuck?
He glanced at B-01 and Xeno. B-01 hadn't moved, and she signalled to both of them not to either. Lex nodded, Xeno doing the same.
"Thank you, Yuri," B-01 said, and then threw her voice in a different direction, making it sound like they were leaving.
"Just one more thing," Yuri said and Lex narrowed his eyes. Something was off about all this. What were they trying to find out?
Movement caught Lex's eye, and he caught Xeno signalling, 'Four targets moving.'
Fuck. The bastards were trying to get them while their backs were turned.
"Yes, Yuri? How may I help you?"
"We have recently had a breach in security."
Lex froze, his eyes going wide, his breath caught in his throat. It had been less than an hour, and the Union had found out they'd been hacked into and tracked them down? Shit.
"We think it was just a glitch," Yuri continued, "but if you know anything that could help us in our investigation, it would be quite helpful."
Lex flexed his hands, his fur growing on his arms. He didn't know why Yuri wasn't outright ordering them to tell him information, but maybe it was mind games – he knew the scientists like doing shit like that just for their own amusement.
"Of course," B-01 said. "The Union's servers must be protected at all times. However, I do not know anything about it."
One side of Lex's mouth curled up.
"Under regulation section five, subsection ten and twelve, we are required to inform the Union if we become aware of a breach and apprehend those responsible."
"Thank you, B-01," Yuri said, his tone softer. "Your cooperation has been…stellar."
"No," B-01 said, "I must thank you. It has been an honour."
Lex snorted. She had definitely learned how to lie.
'Four targets, coming closer.'
Motherfucking-! Lex placed his hand on the car, hearing his claws scrape the body as he prepared to launch himself in whatever direction he needed to.
"Forgive me for pointing this out, but do you have company, Yuri? My team is becoming quite anxious."
"'Quite'?" Lex repeated under his breath. That was an understatement.
"Was there an evaluation I was not informed of?" B-01 asked.
"No, not at all. You may go."
"So we can show our backs to you?" Lex muttered. "Fuck you, asshole."
"Not when I am forced to believe that my cell is in danger, Yuri," B-01 said. She made running noises.
B-01 signalled next, 'Cover your ears.'
Fuck. Lex knew what she was going to do next, and he grimaced, doing as she ordered. But if it was painful for him, he didn't know what the hell it was like for Xeno – but then, he had special earplugs just for that.
Even with the warning, Lex still flinched, the shriek still beating his head, reverberating in his chest as he hunched over. He thought he maybe felt some thumps coming up from the ground, and he peeked at B-01. She signalled that they should leave first.
Lex dashed away as soon as he saw that, not sure how long she would be able to keep screaming; even with her nanotech helping her, she could only hold so much air in her lungs.
Two seconds after B-01 stopped screaming, the security door started opening and Lex had to avoid smacking his head off the bottom of it.
A bullet whizzed by Lex's arm and he snarled, seeing four guards positioned around the exit. Shit. He could hear Xeno and B-01 coming up after him and Lex bared his teeth at the soldiers, slashing downwards.
The attack took out one solider, and made the solider beside him scramble out the way.
It was enough, and Lex dashed through the gap he'd created, not bothering with the other soldiers – it would take up time and every second they wasted meant there was more chance of being hit with the specialised tranquiliser bullets.
It didn't take them long to round enough corners so the bullets were no longer a threat. Lex and Xeno followed B-01, since she could see the safe routes they could take, but they didn't stop, not when the Union could have put more soldiers in front of them to wait.
When B-01 slowed to a stop, Lex did the same as he narrowed his eyes, glancing at Xeno. Xeno stopped as well, but he shook his head.
"Can't hear anything that well at the moment," Xeno said, his words punctured with deep gasps.
"There are five soldiers coming towards us from ahead," B-01 said, and Lex growled. Now that B-01 had told them, Lex could hear the stamp of heavy boots coming their way.
"Xeno," she continued as she turned to face them, "transform and launch us up there." B-01 pointed straight up.
Lex followed where her finger was indicating and then grimaced. Ah, fuck. He hated doing this, but it would get the soldiers off their tail for a bit.
"Hah, okay." Xeno nodded, transforming his arm. The black tentacles condensed around his fist, making it look more like a club.
While B-01 jumped up onto Xeno's arm, Lex kept an eye and ear out. The footsteps were getting closer and Lex pulled out one of his knives, twirling it between his fingers as he eyed the end of the alley.
"Lex."
"Right." He jumped up and landed on Xeno's outstretched arm, and Xeno launched him up. It felt like his stomach had been jerked down to his knees, and he landed next to B-01. He looked over the edge, in case Xeno needed back-up.
One black-clad soldier rounded the corner and Lex buried the knife in their head, dropping them instantly. Xeno leaped up, landing next to him, and they threw themselves back just as the bullets whizzed past them.
"Haaa, fuck," Lex said, eyeing the gouges in the concrete for a second before following the others as they bounded to the next rooftop.
"So," he said, "where we going?" The soldiers would take too long to follow them up there, but he'd rather not hang about.
"Do you mind camping outside in a temperature that may drop to minus fifteen celsius?" B-01 asked, looking at both of them.
"If it keeps us away from the Union for longer," Lex said, snorting, "no." There was no way they'd be able to keep themselves hidden for long, and they were making things worse for themselves, but Lex didn't give a fuck. The less time spent inside a Union building, the better.
"Ah, I don't mind," Xeno said, his head turned towards where the soldiers were.
"Very well," B-01 said. "There are many cellphone towers in this city – I need to get near one."
Lex eyed her. "More hacking?" That was why they were in this situation in the first place.
"Not at all," B-01 said. "They only know where you two are through me."
…Fuck, really?
"If I disappear, then so do you. I want to be near a cellphone tower to block my signal frequency. A radio tower might suffice, too."
"Heh," Lex said, smirking. "A little temperature drop's fine."
"Then 'let's ride'," B-01 said.
"B-01, we're running there – we don't have - argh, whatever," Lex said, hearing Xeno's soft chuckle afterwards.
Summary: In the middle of a standard mission, BLX-3 discover something.
Rating: PG-13
Contains: Swearing, violence
Notes: Written with Key!
Genre: Action
Word count: 5,232
Status: Work in progress
"Shit," Lex hissed, dashing over, Xeno already at her side. He crouched opposite Xeno.
"I can still hear her heartbeat," Xeno said, his fingers pressed to her wrist anyway, "but..." He peered at her before shaking his head. "I don't know what happened."
"You think I do?" Lex growled. It could have been a number of things: the Union having viruses, or their firewalls had shut her down. Fuck, for all they knew, it could have been their fucking target locking onto th-
"Fuck," he said, glancing at the window.
"What's wrong?"
Lex glowered, clenching his hands into fists. "Our target." He'd only been looking out the window; they could have been surrounded on the other sides, or their target had tracked them down through the channels B-01 had been using.
"Wh - Ah."
Lex got to his feet. "We need to get out of here."
Xeno nodded and picked B-01 up in his arms, resting her head against his shoulder. Hn, it would be better if Xeno carried her, if he was still recovering from the fight. Not that Xeno would admit to that unless he'd really been badgered.
Lex grabbed her backpack, putting it on his back, and they left the building the way they came, their footsteps echoing around them as they went down the corridors. No-one was waiting for them outside from what Lex could see but he couldn't help his soft growl. He could see well enough at night, but that wasn't enough. Not when there could be snipers he couldn't see at the windows or rooftops. He could take regular bullets no problem, but those rounds… They would slow them down and they couldn't afford that.
B-01 would have been able to tell them if they were surrounded in a couple seconds.
He hissed, making one last sweep of the area around them and then started dashing down the street. There wasn't anything they could do but wait for her to regain consciousness.
No-one jumped out at them, and there was no retort of guns either; in some ways, that was fucking worse, not knowing if they were about to be attacked.
"How far do you think we should go?" Xeno murmured.
"Anywhere that isn't fuckin' here," Lex said, leading them in the opposite direction they'd came. They could move away fast enough, but that meant fuck all if their every move was being tracked.
"I think we should find somewhere with outlets, in case she needs to charge," Xeno suggested.
Lex was too busy scanning the area to stare at Xeno. "The hell would she need to charge?" She'd been fine before she'd collapsed.
"It can't hurt, can it? If she used up too much energy keeping track of all the decoys and then hacking into the database…"
Lex sighed. "Right." They'd give it a shot. They were still far too close to their hideout though. The streets were nearly completely empty, only one or two people dotted around. Lex kept his eye on them anyway as they passed, in case they were other agents. The people didn't seem to give them any attention.
"I think she's rebooting," Xeno said a couple minutes later, and Lex nodded.
"Good." Hopefully that meant whatever had happened hadn't done any permanent damage.
The further they went and nothing happened, Lex started to relax. If their target had come after them, they would have been attacked by now.
Lex turned his head when he heard Xeno hum. There wasn't any warning to it, and Xeno was eyeing the building they had stopped next to while Lex checked if the coast was clear.
"What?"
"This building," Xeno said, leaning as close to it as he could with B-01 in his arms, "I think it's empty."
Lex nodded, trying to see if there was an entrance they could use that wouldn't draw attention.
When he looked up, there was a small open window, about two floors up. For a regular human, that would have been too high a jump, the flat wall unscalable, which was probably why it had been left open in the first place; neither he or Xeno were regular humans.
"Hey," he said, jerking his head upwards. It took one bound to reach the window, and he grabbed the sill with one hand, resting his feet on the wall as he checked what Xeno was doing below him.
Xeno nodded, but then indicated B-01, lifting her up slightly. Hn, right.
Lex pulled the window open as far as it would go, glad it didn't make a noise, and slipped inside. It looked like he was in a dining room, one big table away in the corner with chairs around it, pictures and useless ornaments dotted around the place. Why the hell did people buy this shit? The place smelled of cigarette smoke and pungent fake flowers and Lex wrinkled his nose.
He heard Xeno jump to the window by the slight scuffle and soft exclamation. B-01 was over his shoulder now, Xeno keeping her in place with a hand.
"Here," Xeno said, giving her to him, and Lex pulled her in. Xeno grabbed her feet before they thudded to the floor as he hopped in.
While Lex adjusted how he held her so she was properly in his arms, Xeno started going up to the walls, peering behind furniture.
"Ah, found one," Xeno said, gesturing to an outlet that was on the other side of the room and Lex went over to him, setting her down on the floor, putting her backpack down next to her.
Xeno crouched on B-01's other side, tilting her head to face Lex; he tugged her charging cord out her collar and plugged her in.
Her irises flickered and then finally stabilised, staying a solid blue. While Lex was watching her, she blinked, and Lex huffed, relieved at seeing her react. Her eyes moved, centring more, and she blinked again. "Restarting core functions." She sounded…completely lifeless.
"The fuck does that mean?" he hissed, jerking his head up to stare at Xeno, who was frowning. Why the fuck would she be-
"It's just as she says – she's restarting her core functions."
Lex scowled at him. "That's fucking useful." He'd just repeated what she'd said!
Xeno ignored him, his entire attention on B-01. "Lex, her heartbeat..." Xeno leaned closer to her. "It's getting weaker."
Her heart – Lex checked her plug, but it was still in the outlet and it had been working before. There shouldn't be any reason why her heartbeat was getting weaker.
"C-code…1050…" B-01 stuttered, sounding like she could barely understand the words she was saying, her eyes going unfocused. "Initiating life support."
"Code - dammit," Xeno hissed. "Lex, the keys - the usbs! Take them out!"
The fuck for? But Lex yanked them out anyway, watching B-01 for a reaction.
"Battery cell charge at twenty-five percent," she murmured, her eyes dimming again.
Xeno didn't tear his eyes away from her. "Her heartbeat's... Yeah, it's steady now." He leaned back on his heels as he let out a long sigh, tugging on his braid.
Lex frowned at the keys in his hand before pocketing them. He knew shit all about technology apart from the basics, so for all he knew, if B-01 tried to access them again, she'd end up in the exact same position, but they might hold information they needed. They could be useful later on.
B-01 took in a deep breath, and her eyes tracked him before they snapped to a blood red. Lex waited, frowning. He'd only seen her eyes go like that once, and that had been in the middle of a fight. Her eyes flicked back to their normal blue after a second. "Identified: Lex, aka, L-68, Lexate." That was a little weird, but she recognised him.
She turned her head towards Xeno. After a few seconds she said, "Identified: Xeno, aka, X-87."
Xeno smiled at her. "How are you feeling?"
"My body is not responding."
Lex frowned, sweeping a look over her body. She'd had worse damage before; that shouldn't have affected anything. But he hadn't seen anything that could make her shut down like that either.
"Ah," Xeno said, but his smile didn't falter, "your systems rebooted, so I think everything is catching up."
"I see," B-01 said. She looked between them and then at the room. "This is not our hideout."
Lex snorted, getting to his feet and going back over to the window. "We had to bail when you dropped on us." He peeked out the window, trying to see if there was anyone out in the street. There was a drunk pair stumbling away from the building, and he could hear their loud conversation about football with exaggerated gestures and that was it. He watched them anyway, trying to listen out for any other sounds.
"...'Dropped'?"
"Mm," Xeno said. "You shut down suddenly. We weren't sure if you had been caught by the Union or if our target had tracked us down so we thought the best thing to do was to leave, in case we were about to be attacked."
"Understood."
There was a pause. "B-01..." Xeno said slowly, "can you – ah. Persocom status report."
"Data... Analysing... Analysing voice command. Xeno. 'Persocom status report.'"
Lex narrowed his eyes as he listened to the conversation behind him, crossing his arms. There wasn't anything he could do here; Xeno was the one who'd been trained on the command functions for bios.
"Status: updates from the main server were downloaded but not installed. Recovery of previous data is underway."
He turned away from the window to look at her, frowning. Why the fuck was she getting updates from the server now? Xeno looked as concerned he felt, his lips a thin line. It seemed too much of a coincidence to Lex.
B-01's hand twitched, and so did her opposite foot, and Lex watched them. She was getting control over her body back, at least.
Lex eyed her. "Why did you need to update?"
"Lex. 'Why did you need to update.' There were updates available for installation; updates are customary to ensure full efficiency."
He snorted. He'd heard that enough times already.
"B-01, recount the events of the last...hm, approximately forty minutes," Xeno said.
"Recounting... B-01 accessed the main Union database and discovered BLX-22, BLX-28, BLX-54, and BLX-95 all received the same classified mission. BLX-95 succeeded; BLX-22, BLX-28, and BLX-54 failed their mission, resulting in death. Saving data. Data is saved. Discovered malicious recode virus. Activated automatic systems shut down to prevent further damage."
A fucking what virus? He glanced at Xeno to see how he had reacted, but Xeno was focused on her, his brow creased.
"Relocation by teammates. Unsure of current location. Recount complete."
Lex stared at her, still trying to process what she'd said. "She shut herself down to save herself?"
Xeno nodded. "Looks like it." He pursed his lips. "A recode virus..." He let out a breath. "That doesn't sound too good."
Lex snorted. "Stating the obvious. What's it do?"
"Going by the name..." Xeno sent him a small smile and Lex glared at him. The fuck did he have to tease all the time? The smile disappeared as Xeno looked at her again. "She doesn't sound like it's affecting her anymore, at least."
"Recovery complete," B-01 said, her hands fully clenching into fists and then relaxing. Her eyes closed. "Activating persocom."
Lex watched her, hoping she'd be the same as she was before.
"'Crickey'," was the first thing out her mouth before she'd even opened her eyes, and Lex let out a relieved sigh. She opened her eyes, and they were their regular blue, glowing normally. "'That was a close one'."
Lex turned back to look out the window.
Xeno chuckled. "Yeah, it was. Are you back to one-hundred percent?"
"Affirmative," B-01 said. "Battery cell charge: one-hundred percent." He heard her sit up, and Lex turned to them, frowning.
"Oi. What're you doing?"
"I am sitting up," she said, and Lex rolled his eyes, sighing. He should have expected that answer.
"So," Xeno said as he reached over to the outlet and unplugged B-01, "what should we do? Do we stay here or do we keep moving?"
"We are leaving," B-01 said, and he and Xeno nodded. She pressed something on her collar and her power cord zipped back in.
Lex ducked through the window and stood on the sill, using one hand on the top of the frame to stay there while he waited for the others. Xeno followed him, staying on the other side. Lex peered through the gap in the curtains when B-01 didn't appear. "Oi, are ya-"
B-01 dived out the window, landing on her feet.
Xeno chuckled. "That was little too much effort, B-01."
"'Ten'," she said, before turning to them. Her collar was gone, and she was carrying her backpack. "I wanted to make sure everything was still in working order."
"And you say I need to be more fucking subtle," Lex muttered before he jumped off the window sill and landed next to her. She took one large step forward, did a small jump and then nodded.
Xeno landed behind them, and they started moving instantly.
Lex looked around. The sky was starting to brighten, revealing clouds that looked like they would promise rain. "So where do we go from here?" He grimaced at the thought of going back to the lab, but they were going to have to go back there eventually for one reason or another.
B-01 didn't say anything for a few seconds. "The lab wants us to report back."
"Ugh, fuck." They were out of the re-evaluation zone; why were they being re-called?
"They want us to meet with someone at their rendezvous point."
…That was a little different, but if that meant they weren't going to the lab or being evaluated, then he was fine with that. But…when things changed, there was usually a reason.
"Where do we meet them?" Xeno asked.
When B-01 didn't respond, Lex frowned and glanced at her. "Oi."
She blinked, looking at them. "Ah, my apologies. It is this way," she said, leading the way.
They didn't say anything for a few minutes as they followed B-01.
"I may be in a 'spot of bother' now," B-01 said.
Lex hissed, his eyes going wide. What? …Fuck. "They know you hacked into the database already?" It was the Union –they had eyes everywhere- but shit. That was too fucking quick.
"I am hoping it does not come to that," B-01 said. "Perhaps they wish to speak to us about our performance."
He grimaced as he hooked his thumbs into his pockets. "Our shitty one." It hadn't made a difference in this mission, but if their target hadn't known they were coming, he would have cost them it. If they were called back to the lab because of him…
"I did my best to remain as discreet as possible. But..." B-01 trailed off. "Hm. Hopefully this will not be mentioned."
Xeno studied her for a couple of seconds. "Hey, you okay?"
"Of course," she replied. "I am perfectly fine."
"Liar." Xeno smiled, pointing to his ear when B-01 turned to face him. "Your heartbeat is pretty fast, B-01. You sure you're not freaked out by anything?"
Lex snorted. "What, you think we'll tell the Union you're worried?" Why the hell would they tell the scientists anything? There was no need to, and if they did, it would mean re-evaluation, and no way would they ever make any one of their own go through more than they had to.
"Not at all," B-01 said. They turned down into another dim alley, untouched by any streetlights or moonlight and after a second, a soft blue glow emitted from B-01's eyes, helping them see better. "I am not worried."
Lex glanced at Xeno, wondering if she was lying again. He could never tell if B-01 was lying (he didn't even know if she could lie – hold information back, yeah, but not actually lie) when her expression hardly ever changed, her face usually blank.
Xeno caught his look and shook his head.
B-01 turned around, facing both of them. "I am fine. I assure you both."
Lex huffed, and then let out a soft laugh. "Fine. Hearing all this repetitiveness is getting boring." He looked around at their surroundings, trying to see if there was anyone else in the vicinity. "Let's get this fucking meeting over with." He didn't know how far they were from their meeting point, but he'd rather keep their contact with the Union to the minimum.
"Right," Xeno said. "You're right, B-01. You're – you're fine."
Lex raised an eyebrow at Xeno, who did the same back. What the hell? There was awkward, and then there was Xeno. And eugh, he wasn't going to say the same thing as Xeno. Lex turned his head away again.
"A little bit more and we are there," B-01 said, as they started walking up an incline. They were entering a more residential area, shops and offices giving way to apartment buildings. At the top of the hill was an entrance to a car park.
Lex eyed it. "Are you fucking serious." It was another car park?
"Yes," she said, pointing at something that was standing next to the door. Lex had thought it was one of the ticket dispensers but it was probably a scanner that would only let certain people in.
The security door started to rise once they were a couple of metres away from it, and Lex hunched his shoulders, steeling himself as he followed her inside. It looked like a large scale car park, nearly all the spaces taken. Lex glowered at all the cars. Everything was brightly lit, none of the lights flickering, the only shadows cast by the pillars and cars.
He almost walked into B-01's back when she stopped suddenly once they were halfway across the floor. "B-"
"'Hold your horses'," she said quietly.
Lex shut his mouth, scanning the area. The door shut out the wind from outside when it finished losing behind them, not with the rattle like other security doors. Xeno jerked a look over his shoulder when it did; it was probably sound proof, then. Lex couldn't see anyone, but with the multiple levels, whoever it was would probably be a few floors up.
When B-01 hurried over to a pillar, Lex clenched his hand, feeling the back of it itch as fur sprouted there, and then he ducked to go hide behind the body of a car, glaring at it. He saw Xeno go a little further right than them, keeping in sight.
Fuck. They couldn't have walked into a trap – B-01's orders came straight from the Union – unless someone had hacked them to give B-01 false orders… No. That was impossible. But then what the fuck was it? Unless this was exactly what the Union wanted.
B-01 gestured to both of them not to move and they nodded.
"Hello, sir," B-01 said, and Lex twitched, not expecting her voice to echo like that. It didn't sound like her voice was coming from her either, more like from the other end of the car park. Why was she – right. So it'd be harder to pinpoint where exactly they were. "It is nice to meet you."
"Oh, for the love of-!" Lex heard from somewhere above them. It wasn't a voice he recognised, but the scientists usually rotated every once in a while.
"Not to worry," someone else said, sounding amused. "It's perfectly fine.
"Won't you come out?" the second voice continued. "It's such a shame to think that I'm that scary."
Lex narrowed his eyes, feeling himself bristle. The guy was part of the Union, and probably a scientist. And he sounded like Doctor Limbourg, always fucking smiling and sounding cheerful even when he was pissed.
"It is unfortunate that I should choose this way to talk to you, sir," B-01 replied, still throwing her voice. "But I have come to distrust car parks a little."
Lex couldn't stop his snort, eyeing the distance between them and the exit. The door was flimsy enough that one hit would crumple it, but they'd been given orders and they were pushing it, even now. And if the door could completely block off sounds, it was probably thick.
"Oh?" the second voice said, drawing the sound out, the end lilting up like it was a question. "That sounds like some story."
"May I call you Yuri, sir?" B-01 continued and Lex frowned, throwing Xeno a look. The fuck did she know who he was talking to by his fucking voice? Lex hadn't recognised it, but maybe different scientists oversaw everything when she was being re-evaluated.
Xeno's wince said otherwise.
'Who's that?' he signed to Xeno.
Xeno mouthed 'Yuri', signing it at the same time, and Lex rolled his eyes. Xeno signed, 'glasses'.
…He was a fucking scientist; how the fuck were glasses supposed to be a fucking distinctive feature? Half of them wore them!
Xeno covered his face with a palm. 'Later.'
Lex sighed, turning his attention back to the conversation.
"-in my position? But I would like to address you by something more…official, if you do not mind," B-01 said.
A chuckle. "You may call me by my name."
"Thank you," B-01 said.
"May I ask yours?" Yuri asked and Lex narrowed his eyes, growling softly. What the hell? They had been called here because of them! Why the fuck was he asking?
"The scientist beside you knows my name, Yuri," B-01 said. "You had instructed him to tell me to bring my cell here. I am not capable of breaking regulations-"
Lex huffed, smirking. Huh, so she really had learned to lie.
"-so I came."
"Rude little-" the first voice muttered under his breath.
Yuri chuckled. "How cute of you, B-01. That is your name, isn't it?"
Lex scowled, clenching his hands. What the fuck was this asshole playing at? He had all the fucking information, so why was he dragging it out like this?
"It is."
"And your teammates are L-68 and X-87?"
"That is correct."
"And your cell number is BLX-3?"
"Pardon my interruption, Yuri, sir, but I would like to know why this is necessary. According to regulations, I am not to shut off my signal traces. Therefore, all of this information should be accessible to you."
…What the hell were signal traces? Lex glanced at Xeno, wondering if he knew, but Xeno had closed his eyes, his head facing them. Must be for listening better.
Yuri chuckled again, and Lex was starting to hate that fucking sound. "You know the regulations better than I do, B-01."
"'Course she does, you fuckin' asshole," Lex muttered under his breath. She was a bio – following regulations was literally in her fucking code. The only reason why she hadn't beem following regulations recently was because her personality matrix was developing enough that she was starting to think past blindly following the Union's orders - or that was what Xeno had thought, when Lex had asked him.
Xeno stiffened, and his eyes snapped open. His hands whipped up. 'Six heartbeats.'
Shit. Lex hissed, straightening. What were they there for?
'Not moving.' There was that, at least, but it didn't make Lex feel better.
"I will ask again," Yuri said, and Lex tensed, hearing the hard edge in his voice. They were pushing it too close now. "Your cell number is BLX-3?"
"It is," B-01 responded.
Why the hell did that asshole want to know so bad? He knew everything, so why was he wasting their time making her confirm?
Lex flexed his hands, nudging his transformation further, his nails lengthening into claws.
"Thank you for your co-operation," Yuri said. "You can go."
…That was it? Lex took in a deep breath, trying to steady his thoughts when he just wanted to snarl at the bastard. What was the fucking point doing of all that? They'd called them over just to confirm who they were? What the fuck?
He glanced at B-01 and Xeno. B-01 hadn't moved, and she signalled to both of them not to either. Lex nodded, Xeno doing the same.
"Thank you, Yuri," B-01 said, and then threw her voice in a different direction, making it sound like they were leaving.
"Just one more thing," Yuri said and Lex narrowed his eyes. Something was off about all this. What were they trying to find out?
Movement caught Lex's eye, and he caught Xeno signalling, 'Four targets moving.'
Fuck. The bastards were trying to get them while their backs were turned.
"Yes, Yuri? How may I help you?"
"We have recently had a breach in security."
Lex froze, his eyes going wide, his breath caught in his throat. It had been less than an hour, and the Union had found out they'd been hacked into and tracked them down? Shit.
"We think it was just a glitch," Yuri continued, "but if you know anything that could help us in our investigation, it would be quite helpful."
Lex flexed his hands, his fur growing on his arms. He didn't know why Yuri wasn't outright ordering them to tell him information, but maybe it was mind games – he knew the scientists like doing shit like that just for their own amusement.
"Of course," B-01 said. "The Union's servers must be protected at all times. However, I do not know anything about it."
One side of Lex's mouth curled up.
"Under regulation section five, subsection ten and twelve, we are required to inform the Union if we become aware of a breach and apprehend those responsible."
"Thank you, B-01," Yuri said, his tone softer. "Your cooperation has been…stellar."
"No," B-01 said, "I must thank you. It has been an honour."
Lex snorted. She had definitely learned how to lie.
'Four targets, coming closer.'
Motherfucking-! Lex placed his hand on the car, hearing his claws scrape the body as he prepared to launch himself in whatever direction he needed to.
"Forgive me for pointing this out, but do you have company, Yuri? My team is becoming quite anxious."
"'Quite'?" Lex repeated under his breath. That was an understatement.
"Was there an evaluation I was not informed of?" B-01 asked.
"No, not at all. You may go."
"So we can show our backs to you?" Lex muttered. "Fuck you, asshole."
"Not when I am forced to believe that my cell is in danger, Yuri," B-01 said. She made running noises.
B-01 signalled next, 'Cover your ears.'
Fuck. Lex knew what she was going to do next, and he grimaced, doing as she ordered. But if it was painful for him, he didn't know what the hell it was like for Xeno – but then, he had special earplugs just for that.
Even with the warning, Lex still flinched, the shriek still beating his head, reverberating in his chest as he hunched over. He thought he maybe felt some thumps coming up from the ground, and he peeked at B-01. She signalled that they should leave first.
Lex dashed away as soon as he saw that, not sure how long she would be able to keep screaming; even with her nanotech helping her, she could only hold so much air in her lungs.
Two seconds after B-01 stopped screaming, the security door started opening and Lex had to avoid smacking his head off the bottom of it.
A bullet whizzed by Lex's arm and he snarled, seeing four guards positioned around the exit. Shit. He could hear Xeno and B-01 coming up after him and Lex bared his teeth at the soldiers, slashing downwards.
The attack took out one solider, and made the solider beside him scramble out the way.
It was enough, and Lex dashed through the gap he'd created, not bothering with the other soldiers – it would take up time and every second they wasted meant there was more chance of being hit with the specialised tranquiliser bullets.
It didn't take them long to round enough corners so the bullets were no longer a threat. Lex and Xeno followed B-01, since she could see the safe routes they could take, but they didn't stop, not when the Union could have put more soldiers in front of them to wait.
When B-01 slowed to a stop, Lex did the same as he narrowed his eyes, glancing at Xeno. Xeno stopped as well, but he shook his head.
"Can't hear anything that well at the moment," Xeno said, his words punctured with deep gasps.
"There are five soldiers coming towards us from ahead," B-01 said, and Lex growled. Now that B-01 had told them, Lex could hear the stamp of heavy boots coming their way.
"Xeno," she continued as she turned to face them, "transform and launch us up there." B-01 pointed straight up.
Lex followed where her finger was indicating and then grimaced. Ah, fuck. He hated doing this, but it would get the soldiers off their tail for a bit.
"Hah, okay." Xeno nodded, transforming his arm. The black tentacles condensed around his fist, making it look more like a club.
While B-01 jumped up onto Xeno's arm, Lex kept an eye and ear out. The footsteps were getting closer and Lex pulled out one of his knives, twirling it between his fingers as he eyed the end of the alley.
"Lex."
"Right." He jumped up and landed on Xeno's outstretched arm, and Xeno launched him up. It felt like his stomach had been jerked down to his knees, and he landed next to B-01. He looked over the edge, in case Xeno needed back-up.
One black-clad soldier rounded the corner and Lex buried the knife in their head, dropping them instantly. Xeno leaped up, landing next to him, and they threw themselves back just as the bullets whizzed past them.
"Haaa, fuck," Lex said, eyeing the gouges in the concrete for a second before following the others as they bounded to the next rooftop.
"So," he said, "where we going?" The soldiers would take too long to follow them up there, but he'd rather not hang about.
"Do you mind camping outside in a temperature that may drop to minus fifteen celsius?" B-01 asked, looking at both of them.
"If it keeps us away from the Union for longer," Lex said, snorting, "no." There was no way they'd be able to keep themselves hidden for long, and they were making things worse for themselves, but Lex didn't give a fuck. The less time spent inside a Union building, the better.
"Ah, I don't mind," Xeno said, his head turned towards where the soldiers were.
"Very well," B-01 said. "There are many cellphone towers in this city – I need to get near one."
Lex eyed her. "More hacking?" That was why they were in this situation in the first place.
"Not at all," B-01 said. "They only know where you two are through me."
…Fuck, really?
"If I disappear, then so do you. I want to be near a cellphone tower to block my signal frequency. A radio tower might suffice, too."
"Heh," Lex said, smirking. "A little temperature drop's fine."
"Then 'let's ride'," B-01 said.
"B-01, we're running there – we don't have - argh, whatever," Lex said, hearing Xeno's soft chuckle afterwards.