The Man Inside the Wolf
A Noblesse Fanfiction
What if M-21 couldn't save Sangin?
Disclaimer: As much as I love these beautiful characters, I do not own them!
Chapter 1
Sangin Ahn, bloodied and exhausted from his fight with the Cerberus member Ked, swayed dangerously when a hand lightly tapped his shoulder. The KSA agent looked up, shocked to see a man in a suit and black mask next to him. But the mask could not hide the scar slashing the right side of the man's quiet frown- a scar Sangin had seen only an hour or so ago.
"You are-"
"No time, move."
M-21 slipped Sangin's arm across his shoulders and with a powerful leap left the rooftop. Ked's dreadlocks were the color of white-hot rage as he recovered from the electricity jolt in time to see his opponent spirited away by another obviously modified human. "What the- he has friends?!" Ked gathered control of his powerful form and began his pursuit, knowing his size would trump their speed.
"They're gaining on you." The chirp in M-21's ear sounded with Tao's voice. M-21 could feel Sangin's weight dragging at his arm. I can't speed up, he thought.
"Stupid! You think you can get away from me with that speed?!" They could hear Ked laugh as his hulking dark form grew closer. He would easily overpower them if he caught up to the injured agent and his rescuer.
"Just leave..." Sangin's quiet words caught M-21 by surprise- how could the KSA agent believe they would really abandon him to his death? The chirp sounded again, this time directed at Takeo.
"No. 2, assist No. 4." Almost before the words were finished transmitting shots exploded from Takeo's gun. The sounds were louder than any normal human's firearm, and the bullets far more powerful. M-21 silently thanked Frankenstein and Tao for their genius as his pursuer buckled under the sudden barrage.
"There are more?!" He growled in frustration. More bullets hit their mark. "WHERE ARE YOU HIDING?!"
M-21 could just see the shadowy outline of Takeo on a nearby rooftop, next to his huge gun case that rose like an extension of the tower into the night. He knew No. 2 would also be wearing the mask Tao had given all of the members of the RK-4, their special modified-human task force. He quietly readied himself for the attack command he expected, loosening his stance and relinquishing his support of Sangin.
"NOW!" The chirp had become an electric squeal. M-21 barely registered Sangin's surprise as he launched himself up and backward, twisting himself into an attack position midair. Long gray hair streamed into his face as Tao's smug voice returned to chirp levels.
"No. 4, give the big guy a surprise." Ked's head snapped back in confusion as he latched on to M-21's overhead attack- scar stretched into a dangerous grimace and hands transformed into claws. Sangin could only see the dust from the shattered concrete rising in waves to obscure the result of the attack, but as he watched M-21 lightly sprang from the destruction and landed again beside the agent. There was no sign of Ked. Mind racing with calculations on what he knew about the other modified human, Sangin could only voice one thought. "You had that much power?"
M-21 brushed the dust from his jacket- maybe this would be the first fight he would return from without any damage to his suit. He heard Sangin's awed comment. "No time to explain. Keep moving." He turned away, but stopped as Sangin spoke again, his voice quiet with fear- "No way…"
Looking back, he watched as a furious Ked emerged from the rubble with a force that shook the surrounding buildings. I got him good… am I not strong enough?
The enemy landed heavily in front of them before they had a chance to run again, his clothes torn from his encounter with M-21, but his rage greater than before.
"Damn," he spat, "What are you? Wearing a mask like that…"
"No. 4, calm down. We expected this. He's Cerberus." Tao reminded him through his earpiece.
"I don't know who you are, but this hurts a bit." Ked continued. "This is getting interesting."
Ignoring him, M-21 spoke to Sangin. "We can't run away from this together."
Ked heard him. "Oh. You thought of running away from me?"
"Get away from here." M-21 commanded.
"But…"
"I told you. There's no time to talk. Get the hell out of the way."
Sangin felt his resolve stiffen as this man he barely knew- this stranger- stood ready to fight and possibly die in a war that wasn't even his own, just to save his life. "I'm sorry, but I can't."
Ked, who had stopped his taunting to listen to the last of the conversation, grinned maliciously and decided his time to attack was long overdue. "Wrong choice!" He shouted, and charged. M-21 jumped reflexively, claws out and ready as he met Ked head on. The Cerberus member turned to face the counterattack, but every time he swung his fist or moved to dodge, a stuttering fleet of bullets would crash into him, changing his movements just enough to give the silver-haired opponent the hint of an advantage.
M-21 ducked the tree-trunk arms and slashed at every opening the bullets provided, but Ked's punches were getting closer to the mark each time. One strike that narrowly missed M-21's shoulder crushed the concrete behind him with a deafening crack. It'll be bad if I get hit.
"Calm down." Tao must have sensed M-21's growing unease. "If I rush, he can change the whole situation with just one attack. This formation is for you and No. 2 to slowly damage the enemy. The enemy that faces this formation will think Takeo's gun is an ordinary firearm. The special bullets Boss and I made differ for each enemy. But these bullets damage the nerves. The damage will be minor, but it will build if he keeps getting hit." M-21 knew all this, but Tao's explanation somehow re-centered him as he fought. Tao continued. "These kind of attacks drive the enemy crazy."
Tao was right about that, M-21 realized as Ked again cursed his invisible attackers.
"Just like that. If the enemy loses his mind, then we are at an advantage. We combine the damage No. 4 causes on the enemy with the assistance of No. 2's bullets, and the rage lowers the enemy's combat ability."
M-21 smirked, remembering his own skills at provoking the enemy. Just that small action helped, as Ked growled, "How dare you smile!" M-21 easily dodged the resulting attack. He lost his temper, and his movements got slower. Though I have Takeo and Tao's assistance, a failure like me is fighting this kind of guy right now.
More shots forced a punch to swing harmlessly past M-21's head, barely disturbing his curtain of hair, and Ked roared with frustration. Using the opening to his advantage, M-21 landed another hit, which was quickly followed by more bullets pushing him back away from No. 4. M-21 struck again, the momentum from his leap driving Ked down into the destroyed rooftop. The dust exploded upward, and M-21 quickly cleared it and landed on the next roof, and waited to see the result. When visibility was restored, a small mountain of rubble cluttering the top of the building appeared, imprisoning the Cerberus member. Something shifted. M-21 didn't flinch when a chunk of concrete that should have been too large to be moved manually was flung from the pile of debris and crashed heavily a few feet from him. His warrior's eyes were only for his opponent who had just emerged, fully transformed.