Captured by the Yandere Space Pirates

Syn's heart pounded like a snare drum, his bloodied face a mask of terror and disbelief, his hazel eyes wide, locked on the woman who'd stepped aboard—Ila, impossibly alive, her black hair gleaming, her teal eyes glinting with a cruel, amused malice.

Her olive military uniform was pristine, her boots clicking on the metal floor, her presence a nightmare reborn.

"Ila!!?" Syn yelped, his voice raw with fear, his body reacting before his mind could catch up, lunging backward, scrambling to the far end of the car, as far from her as the confined space allowed, his back slamming against the cold wall, his breath ragged, his hands trembling.

How the fuck is she alive?

The question screamed in his mind, a frantic loop.

Is she even the same Ila?

What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fucking Fuck!!!

His thoughts spiraled, his chest heaving, his bloodied uniform sticking to his skin, the scent of sweat and someone else's cologne mingling with the metallic tang of his own blood.

He'd stabbed her, watched her die, her teal eyes dimming, her blood pooling on the obsidian floor, her breath stopping completely.

Yet here she was, her smile as twisted as ever, her gaze piercing him, stripping him bare.

Mia mirrored his retreat, her white hair disheveled, her eyes narrowed, her body tense, poised for action, her own olive uniform torn at the shoulder, blood staining her split lip.

She pressed close to Syn, her presence a fragile anchor, her alertness a silent promise to fight beside him, though her own shock flickered in her gaze as she stared at Ila.

Behind Ila, a small army of Kingdom's guards poured into the car, their olive uniforms identical to Syn's stolen one, their faces grim, their plasma rifles raised.

They barked orders at the passengers, their voices sharp, threatening to kill anyone who resisted.

The few passengers in the car—civilians caught in the wrong place—scrambled out, their footsteps echoing as they fled the metro and then the station itself, their fear palpable.

The doors slid shut with a hiss, sealing Syn, Mia, Ila, and the guards inside, the metro lurching forward, pulling away from the main biome, to it's next destination, the scenery outside the windows blurring into streaks of gray and shadow.

Ila's smile widened, a twisted, psychotic curve that sent a shiver down Syn's spine, her teal eyes glinting with amusement at the raw fear etched across his bloodied face.

She stood casually, one hand on her hip, her posture relaxed yet predatory, her beauty a cruel weapon that mocked his terror.

"You are not Ila. Stop posing as her. Who are you? A shapeshifter?" Syn demanded, his voice unrestrained, raw with desperation, the words spilling out in front of the guards, his fear overriding his caution.

Ila's laugh was a melodic taunt, sharp and cutting, her head tilting as she studied him, her eyes gleaming with sadistic delight.

"I am the real Ila, Syn," she said, her voice smooth, spine chilling, each word a blade. "And now, because of you, more lives will be lost."

Syn's brow furrowed, confusion swirling in his chest, his heart pounding.

Whose lives? His? Mia's?

He glanced at Mia, standing beside him, her eyes alert, her body coiled like a spring, ready to fight, her hands clenched into fists.

He wanted to protect her, to shield her from whatever Ila had planned, but the guards' rifles were trained on them, their faces impassive, their fingers hovering over triggers.

snap

Ila snapped her fingers, a sharp, commanding sound, and Syn's heart stopped as the guards shifted, their rifles swinging—not toward him, but toward Mia.

"No!" he yelled, his voice breaking, his body moving on instinct, lunging toward her, his arms outstretched to push her down, to shield her from the bullets he knew were coming. But before he could reach her, chaos erupted.

Three of the guards pivoted, their rifles turning on their own comrades, their faces blank, emotionless.

Shots rang out, deafening in the confined car, the muzzle flashes blinding, blood spraying as the targeted soldiers' heads exploded, their bodies crumpling to the floor, their rifles clattering, the air thick with the acrid scent of gunpowder and death.

Syn's eyes widened, his breath catching, his body crashing into Mia's, both of them hitting the floor in a tangle of limbs, the impact jarring his bruised ribs, pain flaring through his chest.

"Sorry, Mia," he gasped, scrambling to his knees, his hands shaking as he helped her up, his eyes darting to the fallen guards, their blood pooling on the metal floor, their lifeless eyes staring blankly.

"It's okay," Mia whispered, her voice steady despite the chaos, her pale eyes scanning the car, her body tense, ready to move, her hand brushing his arm, a fleeting reassurance.

Ila's voice cut through the haze, cold and mocking.

"See? They died because of you, Syn." She stepped closer, her boots clicking, her teal eyes locked on his, her smile a razor's edge. "And guess what? All of them were from the Backdrop."

Syn's rage erupted, his voice a raw roar, his hands clenching into fists, his bloodied face contorted with fury.

"You are the one who killed them, you psycho witch!" he yelled, his heart pounding, his vision narrowing to Ila's smug face, her beauty a grotesque mask over her monstrous soul.

"No, it's you, Syn," Ila countered, her voice calm, taunting, her eyes glinting with sadistic glee.

"You know the shapeshifters were a secret, yet you yelled about their presence in front of the others. What could they do? Helpless, they had to die—all because some savior of the Backdrop couldn't keep his mouth shut."

Syn's head throbbed, a searing ache pulsing behind his eyes, his mind reeling under the weight of her words, her twisted logic.

Rage, grief, and guilt crashed together, a tidal wave threatening to drown him, his chest heaving, his hands trembling with the urge to strangle her, to end her again, to make her stay dead.

She was overloading him, pushing him to the edge, her every word a calculated strike to break him, to reduce him to the puppet she wanted.

He'd never felt so angry, so sad, so utterly helpless, his heart a raw wound, his mind fraying at the seams.

Ila tilted her head, her smile softening, mockingly curious.

"Anyway, who's that chick?" she asked, her gaze flicking to Mia, her tone deceptively casual. "Was she one of them who saved you? How did she do that? My memory for the past hour is a bit… hazy." Her eyes narrowed, a flicker of genuine confusion breaking through her bravado, her fingers brushing her temple as if searching for a lost thought.

Syn seized the opening, his voice shaking but defiant. "I killed you, no doubt. How are you still alive?" he demanded, his eyes boring into hers, searching for a lie, a trick, anything to explain the impossible.

Ila's laugh was sharp, carefree, as if his question were a child's whimsy.

"Oh, I'm kind of immortal"