Page 12 of Retaliation

He opened his mouth to answer, but a shrill voice behind her cut him off.

“Ah, look. The two freaks together.”

Poison turned and found Melissa behind her with arms crossed, tapping the toe of her Prada heels.

“Fuck off, Melissa,” she spat, but before she could say another word, Scorpion stepped around her, positioning himself between them. His broad shoulders and imposing presence acted as a shield, and she felt an unexpected sense of comfort in his protective stance.

“You can be glad,” he hissed, bending down to Melissa’s eye level, his voice a menacing whisper. “You can be so glad I would never raise my hand against a woman.”

“But I will,” Poison added, stepping around him. Her fists clenched, the threat clear in her eyes.

Melissa’s mouth gaped like a fish out of water, her bravado crumbling. The elevator dinged behind them, and she took it as her cue to escape, scurrying away with her tail between her legs. Smiling, Poison turned to Scorpion.

“I’ll see you around?” she said with a teasing lilt.

“Definitely,” he promised, stepping into the elevator. Their eyes locked for a moment, and she got lost in the dark abyss of his.

She waited until the doors shut before turning and walking to the conference room. Her heart still pounded from the encounter, but a part of her felt exhilarated.

It was the same stupid, mundane pitch after the next. After an hour of listening to the Normals trying to figure out the next project, Poison fidgeted in her chair. She was bored out of her skull and doodled all over her notepad.

“Sloan?”

“Yeah?” Her head snapped up at the sound of someone calling her.

“Do you have any more ideas likeShadow Strike?” her boss asked from the head of the long table. “We could use another hit like that.”

She still remembered the day she had made the pitch. It was a meeting just as dull as this one. She had just wanted it to end. She mentioned streetfighters, not thinking that they would go for it. Turns out she could be wrong from time to time.

She leaned forward, her gaze steady, but a smile curled her lips. “Actually, I do have an idea.”

The room stilled, all eyes turning to her. She allowed a smile to crawl its way onto her lips. “Imagine a VR game where the player is a doctor who has created a revolutionary machine that can delve into people’s minds. This machine allows you to enter the minds of people, exploring their deepest fears and memories.”

Intrigue sparked in their eyes, so she pressed on, her voice steady. “But here’s the twist. The doctor tests it on mental patients in case it causes the mind to go insane. But the minds you enter are horrendous, nightmarish landscapes shaped by the patients’ traumas and psychoses. And if the doctor dies in the patient’s mind, the doctor actually dies, and it’s game over for the player.”

A few gasps echoed around the room. She could see the unease settling in and continued, lowering her tone for dramatics. “My AI technology can adapt to the player’s choices, creating a unique, personalized horror experience each time. The stakes are real, the terror is palpable, and the player’s decisions will determine their fate.”

She paused, letting her words sink in, outright smiling. “This game isn’t just about survival. It’s about confronting the darkest parts of the human psyche and finding a way out without losing your mind. It’s raw, it’s intense, and it’s unlike anything on the market.”

Silence enveloped the room. She could feel her words causing fear in the room. Finally, someone whispered, “She’s scary.”

Topaz cleared his throat, breaking the tension.

“Anyone else have an idea?”

She leaned back in her chair, masking her satisfaction with a cold, indifferent expression. It was the reaction she had hoped for. They will never ask her for an idea again. She could see the fear and awe in their eyes, the unease her idea had sown. She watched as others pitched their ideas, the safe, predictable concepts that kept the company afloat.

She glanced at Topaz, catching his eye. For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of something—was it interest, or just lingering unease?

Her phone’s screen lit up with a message, and she forgot all about Topaz.

Need a smoke?

She didn’t recognize the number, but for some reason, she knew it was Scorpion. Where the fuck did he

get her number? It shouldn’t surprise her. She’s sure he had his ways, just like she had hers. But still, that was quick. Without hesitation, she typed her response.

When? Now?

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