The rest of the evening was relatively uneventful. I made sure to watch my tracker incase Evelyn reappeared, but she never did. Delilah made space for Evan on the couch, as he actually needed sleep, and I chose to sit upon the rooftop for the time being. It was dark, but the city lights still allowed things to be seen. Due to the quietness, I could actually hear Evan and Miguel breathing in their sleep, though Delilah must have still been awake as her breathes were more active. It strained me to listen in so closely for too long, so I gave up my efforts and laid across the rooftop. The wind blew pleasantly and helped to calm me down as thoughts of my mission and Evelyn flashed through my mind. Whether or not she realized, Delilah had just ordered me to kill the closest thing I had to a friend and then my so-called sister. Although, eliminating Evelyn wouldn't be all that difficult for me to get over.

I pulled out my phone to help my pass the time and saw another missed call from Max's number. He knows he shouldn't be contacting me, once I am sold to the next bidder, I usually cut off all involvement with my previous employer. I checked my phone again and realized that the missed call occurred only in the last few minutes. I sighed and convinced myself that calling Max would be the best way to find him, and then I called his number.

"Eve? Where have you been? I have been trying to contact you since you left." Max replied almost immediately. His voice seemed more serious and much more exhausted than normal.

"You know I couldn't keep in contact with you Max, for many reasons. Did you need me for something?" I asked directly.

"Always straight to the point, but yes I do need you. Can we talk in person somewhere? There's a lot to discuss."

"Yes, there is. Meet me near Washington park within the hour." I stated, trying my best not to think about my orders. The park was about halfway between my location and his apartment, so it would not take too long to get there. Besides, it was a quiet, empty area which was useful in case Max fought back if my orders made me eliminate him now.

"Sure, no problem. Hey, isn't that the park where we-" he started to say.

"Yes, I am aware of what happened there, but that's not why I chose it," I quickly interrupted him,

"We just need privacy, as you said there is much to discuss." I stated and hung up before he could comment further. Since I was no longer under his family's employment, it was best to keep things direct and professional. This would also help make the fact that my orders were to find him and kill him slightly easier to carry out.

I made my way across town with my bag over my shoulders and my hood pulled up. I also had my tracker with me, in case Evelyn tried to attack again. She was still a wildcard to me. I understood she wanted my command key, that was nothing new, but for what purpose was still unclear.

Despite it being so early in the morning, the city was already waking up. As I walked through the streets I saw them slowly become more crowded. People were already on their way to work and to start their day, either by walking or driving, and it seemed to make the city come to life. I couldn't help but think what it would be like to be one of these people. They were all quite lucky and didn't even realize it. They weren't made as an experiment, as a weapon. They could have normal lives, they could have jobs, hobbies, friends, and families. I have done many wrong things since being awakened, but I was not born to be a killer. I did not choose this. Why was it I who could not have any of those things?

It was not long before I arrived at Washington Park. There were random strangers spread throughout the area, some cleaning the grounds and some appeared to be living there. It had been sometime since my last visit here, but it still seemed familiar and pleasant. The last time I was here I had spent most of the day with Max, he had managed to convince his father to let me have basically a day off. It was a good day that I still played back in my memory bank from time to time, but I was not here for pleasantries this time.

"Long time no see, Eve." Max's voice said from behind me. I was surprised he was able to sneak up on me, but even more surprised by how he looked. His outfit was the same as usual, but his hair was a mess and his eyes were heavy. Quick internal readings confirmed my theory that he was exhausted.

"Hello, Max. It has certainly been a while. You look...different." I stated, my bedside manner had improved but even I knew that it wasn't quite up to par yet.

"Yeah, suddenly taking over my fathers criminal empire wasn't as easy as I hoped. Which is partly why I wanted to talk to you." He replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I need to know who has your command key, Eve. There's only a few people left who could have it, but I don't want to go around killing randomly or trying to bribe the wrong gangs. It would be so much easier if you told me so I could buy it from them."

"What makes you think you can afford it?" I asked. He brought up a good point and my brain had already begun finding ways to use this to my advantage. If Max paid Delilah, then she would have enough to retire with her son and it could resolve my mission. The only problem would be I would not be promised my freedom, and Evelyn would eventually find me along with Maximum.

"I have made some deals here and there, sold some property that used to belong to my father. Isn't this what you want, Eve? If I know who has the key, then I can get it from them and you can be back with me."

I had to admit, that did sound somewhat tempting. However, I was not made to give in to temptations. Something about his word choice alerted my sensors and my mind began analyzing his words.

"You have made deals...and you're trying to get my key. I am sorry, Maximum, but I can't help but jump to conclusions, it's in my programming. The logical conclusion is that you're not doing this for me, but for someone else who is working with you to get control over me." I stated plainly.
"However, by all means please try and prove me wrong."

I could not read the expression on Maximum's face, it changed several times within a few seconds. It was also much harder to figure out his intentions as he no longer had time to answer.

"Get down on the ground, now!" I heard a demanding voice say from behind me. Suddenly there were a dozen police officers armed in SWAT team uniforms surrounding Max and myself. I cursed silently as I realized I had not done a perimeter check or kept my long range scanners running. I had become too trusting, partly due to the fact I had spent most of my time with Delilah and her child recently. If my scanners were active, then not only would I have picked up on the officers, but I would have also realized that the random strangers I saw when I first arrived were not as innocent as they appeared.

As soon as the officers drew their weapons, the gardener and several others all pulled out their firearms seemingly from out of nowhere and opened fire. Bullets flew all around me and the familiar sound of gunfire echoed loudly. Within seconds the peaceful park had become a war zone. I heard some shots actually hit their targets, but then I realized this was all a diversion to cover an escape. Maximum was already gone.

I cursed and dodged bullets as they flew past me and hid behind a nearby tree. This much potential damage could be a lot to heal from and I wasn't sure if I had the time with Evelyn showing up at random. I looked around and scanned the area and saw Maximum being escorted away towards a car. I knew I couldn't let him get away, for multiple reasons. There were many unanswered questions now, and besides that my mission had to be carried out.

"Don't move." A heavily armored officer ordered and aimed his gun at me.

"Look, you don't understand." I said and slowly approached the officer. Maximum was leaving and I needed this man's gun to stop him.

"I said freeze!" He fired at me and was instantly shocked as the bullets bounced off of me and fell into the dirt. That's when I realized these were rubber bullets the officers were firing, which lead me to conclude several things. My main conclusion was that the officers were told not to eliminate their targets for whatever reason, as rubber bullets would be used for apprehending someone and not ending a situation. However, they would suit my purpose just fine.

"I heard what you said, but I need the gun." I replied and quickly lunged for his weapon. We grappled with it for a few seconds before the officer decided to reach for another weapon on his belt. I could not let that happen and forcibly punched him in the chest and jumped to kick him in the head.

Broken clavicle, bruised ribs, unconscious

My analysis was quick and efficient, although most people could have given a similar response by looking at the man. I knelt by him and took his gun and reloaded it.

"Thank you for your cooperation." I stated before running after Maximum.