Rimelion: The Exploiter

9. Tin-can

"Oh, this?" I let out a shaky laugh, sounding more like a whimper, and gestured at the shattered mirror pieces. "I disagreed with my reflection. The mirror lost." I held up my fist, only then noticing the blood trickling down my knuckles. The pain was so faint—nothing compared to the brutal hits in virtual reality—that I hadn't even felt it until now. What a laugh. I laughed wildly, almost unable to stop.

Lucas just stared, disbelief stamped on his face, before gently bandaging my hand. Then he offered me a hand, which I took, rising to my feet. So what if I was a girl now? So what if I felt like I'd just survived a boss battle after a full-party ambush? I would get my body back, even if it meant going through hell to do it.

"I need to break into a government offline facility," I said in a surprisingly steady, feminine voice. Guess that was the new normal.

"If you'd said Fort Knox, that might've been easier," he joked, and I weakly punched his chest in response. His surprised look made me glance away, but he reached out and pulled me into a hug, and I leaned into him. A warmth spread through me as my tears fell again, unstoppable—and this time, I didn't want to stop them.

"We'll get through this," he murmured.

I wiped my tears with my sleeve and looked up at him. "No, we won't. I know things, things I shouldn't. Who's important enough to save? What's important? I ignored it, but the pressure's crushing me. If I could choose, I'd just get drunk and forget all of it."

Without a word, he guided me to a large bag he'd left by the door. Right, he'd mentioned something about clothes. He pulled out a long, sleeveless white dress with a floral pattern, a white bra, matching panties, a delicate pendant with a red gemstone heart, and a pair of silver heels.

Not knowing any better, I started dressing right there. Underwear first, then the dress, which fit perfectly. How did he know the exact size? Good job anyway, Lucas.

Seeing the high heels, I tensed. That damn fool. Sure, they were beautiful, but how was I supposed to walk in them? Had he forgotten about the game fiasco already? Furious, I marched toward him, barefoot.

His face flushed, and he backpedaled, holding up his hands. "I swear, I didn't—!"

"What?!" I snapped, but then forced myself to take a deep breath. Calm down, John. He came here to help; don't alienate your only ally. I shot another glare at the heels, still seething. "You idiot! I can't walk in high heels!"

Right then, Tin-can's voice interjected, "I can offer you an instructional video." Lucas's eyes widened, and he whipped around, scanning the room. He moved protectively in front of me.

"Who the hell is that?" he demanded.

I couldn't help but giggle. Silly Lucas. Ignoring his confusion, I slipped into the heels—of course; they fit perfectly. Not bad, Lucas. But he kept looking around, so I explained, "You mean Tin-can? He's the genius who turned me into this."

"Special Core Mark-3, Edition Seven. Nice to meet you," Tin-can chimed.

Lucas's expression shifted to something darker, and his voice shivered. "The core they tried to upload human brains into? The one that failed?"

"Correct. I was once human, but my memories couldn't transfer to the quantum core, so I lost them."

"Charlie, take his chip and put it in the microwave. Now, before it's too late. He can't copy himself, so that'll destroy him." Lucas was dead serious.

I stared at him, searching his eyes for confirmation. He really wants me to destroy Tin-can? Tin-can was the only one who could help turn me back, and Lucas wanted him gone?