"Who is Angela Kaufmann?" Julia asked curiously, looking at the petrified faces of the others.
"She is a dead woman," Haley replied in a low tone.
"Wait, what?"
"Not very long ago, Caesar and Kai went on a mission to save our most important research project—Swallowtail," Maverick explained. "The project was underway in a secret lab headed by Angela on a lake island. When Caesar and Kai reached the location, they found everyone dead. It was a massacre. The scientists, the agents, and Angela herself were butchered. The Puppetmaster had defiled her body and left behind a cryptic warning message for Caesar."
Claire gulped anxiously. She was one of those who personally knew Angela Kaufmann. "Are you sure it was her body?"
Maverick nodded with a stony expression. "Yes. DNA tests confirmed it. We incinerated her corpse shortly after."
"Then how the hell is she still alive?"
"I have no idea!"
The battlefield was silent all of a sudden. Just minutes earlier, it had been ringing with clashes, shockwaves, and tremors from a fight between two overpowered beings.
Victor retracted his sword and heaved it onto his shoulder. "Angela is dead," he said bluntly to the female assassin. "I saw her dead body with my own eyes."
The woman who resembled Angela raised her surviving arm in surrender. "I know you saw a corpse that looked like me. But it was merely a clone, an identical reproduction. It had every little detail with accuracy down to my DNA."
Victor pursed his lips. His instincts told him the woman wasn't lying. Angela Kaufmann being alive would explain a few things, including Monolith developing Antimatter rays and Super Soldiers. Such technology couldn't have been devised without Angela's genius."
Victor scoffed. "So the Puppetmaster has you on his payroll and leash? Then there's nothing more to talk about. You must die here!"
"Wait!" Angela pleaded. "Let me explain. Please hear me out first and then decide whether you should take my life. Please! For old time's sake!"
"You have a minute," Victor replied begrudgingly.
Angela breathed a sigh of relief. Her suit retracted down to her shoulders. "The Puppetmaster has implanted a remote chip in my head. If I don't follow his orders, he'll kill me instantly."
Victor clenched his jaw in anger. "Then you should die before betraying your friends and your country! Sacrifice yourself! But look at what you've done! Hundreds of people lost their lives through technology developed by you!"
"And I'd do it all over again!" she fired back, on the verge of tears. "Because the Puppetmaster has my daughter!"
Victor's anger dissipated, and his features softened. "Your daughter? But you were never married."
Angela nodded. "Let me tell you everything. I was never really loyal to the New World Order. It was all an act, a part I was forced to play by the Puppetmaster. I met him eighteen years ago as a college student. He was middle-aged but incredibly smart and charming. I fell for him. But when I heard his ideas about world domination, I was scared out of my wits."
"It turns out the Puppetmaster had approached me after reading my working paper on Nanite, which was only theoretical then. He wanted me to develop applications for warfare and terrorism. I ran away."
"But the Puppetmaster found and abducted me," Angela added, tears streaming down her eyes. "I found myself in a dark dungeon, starved for days. He tortured and raped me to break my will. I lasted a few weeks, after which I got pregnant."
"You have a child with the Puppetmaster?"
Angela's eyes moistened. "Yes. A daughter named Amara. He used the baby back then to control me. Now that eighteen years have passed, he continues keeping Amara hostage. I am bound to do his evil bidding. You can kill me for revenge, but I'd do it all over again if given the chance. You wouldn't understand a mother's love."
Victor listened to Angela patiently, trying to judge if she was speaking the truth. "Why is your heart beating so fast? You are hiding something."
Angela smiled bitterly. "Do you have skills to perceive vitals? Of course you do! You're the Peerless Man, after all!"
"Answer my question!" Victor thundered. "What are you hiding?"
The woman shook her head in despair. "Nothing. But as far as my anxiety is concerned, I have an answer. Go and look in the mirror. You barely look like a human right now. You decimated my next-gen technology with raw strength. It would be abnormal if I weren't scared!"
Victor suddenly became conscious of his appearance. Indeed, his skin had darkened to match his pitch-black sword. His muscles and bones had shifted to give him a boost in battle performance. The man was a terrifying sight to behold.
***
"Do you believe her?" Claire asked Haley. "Is she the real deal? You've known Angela for years."
Haley B gulped anxiously. "She looks and talks like the genuine Angela. That much would be impossible to fake. But I never heard of a daughter or didn't even suspect she was affiliated with the Puppetmaster."
"I guess that's what a genius is like. One who can weave lies and truths in such a way that you can't tell the difference."
"What do you think Victor will do, Mav?" Carol asked. "Will he forgive Angela and spare her life?"
Maverick couldn't look away from the screen. "Caesar never takes prisoners," he replied ominously. "Especially when the enemy has killed many of his comrades."
***
Victor was still wary of Angela. Even if she was forced to follow the Puppetmaster's orders, she posed a danger to all humanity. The woman almost killed Valerie. It was necessary for Angela to die on the battlefield.
Victor's eyes were locked with the woman's, trying to find a slip of character, a facial tic or spasm to give away her true intentions.
Just then, an armored car turned from the main road and raced towards the battlefield.
"Lie face down with your hand over your head," Victor told Angela, who followed his instructions obediently.
The vehicle reached him shortly and screeched to a halt. Sebastian Damone walked out, a disturbed expression on his face.
"What are you doing here, Seb?" Victor asked with annoyance. "It's the damn battlefield, and you're no soldier! Go back to Edgar Tower right now! It's not safe for you here!"
Sebastian held up his hands in agitation. "I know! But please… let me talk… I need to share an important piece of information with you…"
Victor sighed. "Go on. Make it quick."