Welcome to the sequel of A New Adventure and Once a Hero…

The Outlaws

Kai

"You expect me to believe that lie?"

"I swear... I don't remember anything!"

"You were at the top of your game... You were killing off every enemy to just about anyone that was anyone... And you expect me to believe that you don't remember anything?"

I slammed my forehead against the table, rolling it side-to-side as my bound arms screamed. I was never this flexible. I was never so scarred. I was never so marked up. Who was I? Who had I become? How...?

"Do you remember him...?" A picture was shoved in my direction. A red-eyed man stared back, hugging onto a brunette.

"No," I said dryly. "I've never seen him in my life."

ooo

I leaned out of my window, examining the beautiful Atmos before me with bright eyes. I lent a smile to the world as the wind struck my face. I reached out, grasping a handle to my left on the outside of the bunker.

"Don't fall," my lovely roommate joked as I kicked my feet onto the windowsill, crouching in the 3-by-4-foot window.

I glanced over my shoulder and laughed; she provoked a challenge. I jumped from the window, catching my feet on a small, nearby ledge. I propped up my weight on my right foot, hanging from the building by my left hand. I examined the world around me, provoking stares and glares from passing pilots. Skimmers and rotting Heliscooters flew through the air—some rich, some poor, but people sat among them just the same.

I was still a mutant, still a freak—unmistakably identifiable in a crowd of one million. I'd grown to accept it… I'd grown to love the oddities that made me, me. I'd learned to make a living off of what I knew, spending my time hunting down targets—I was an outlaw, a gun-for-hire, a bounty hunter, and a damn good one at that.

I smiled as a familiar face entered my view—once an enemy, now a comrade; I'd stooped to his level. He was right all along.

"Need a ride, Miss Fury?" he laughed, brushing his hair from his eyes.

Fury was the name I'd grown so fond of, caught from a crystal I stole on my last adventure as a Storm Hawk.

I released the handle on the wall, diving head-first through the clouds. I kicked my feet over and flipped mid-air, landing precariously on the wing of his Switchblade.

"Showoff," he accused with a wry laugh.

As he picked up speed, flying through the clouds once more, I stepped lightly on the surface of the wing. "You're one to talk, Ace." I took my place behind him, wrapping my arms around his torso. For someone so inhuman, his skin was warm to the touch, and that brought me back to reality every time.

Much to his dismay, every invitation he'd sent, asking me to join his team, had been outright denied. I was content earning my living killing off insignificant and problematic people. I was a neutral being—I held no reserves about who was right and who was wrong. As long as someone paid me, the job would get done, no matter how brutal… no matter how immoral…

I mindlessly picked at a string hanging from his jacket.

"Where am I taking you today, Kai?"

"Botagon… I have to pick up job specs."

"And crunchies?"

"…And Botagon crunchies…," I laughed, pressing my cheek against his back.

Ace spoke quietly and hesitantly, "Does… Lora know you're gone?"

"She knows I left, but not with whom I left."

He sighed. Lora had always been a sore spot for him. I'd frown to learn more about his insecurities, his hobbies, interests, strengths, and his weaknesses. Lora, by far, hit his heart the hardest. You could see it in his red eyes—no matter how much time had passed, he would always love her. It was the one thing he wouldn't lie about, although that fact was due mostly to avoiding the topic altogether…

"How long do you plan to be?"

I removed my right hand, counting my money. "I might stay for the festival."

"I have a job out by Lynn. You can join me if you'd like, but you'd have to be quick about your business."

"Or you could skip out and join me…" I linked my arms back around him, fiddling with the string once more.

"It's a strenuous job. I'm going to be gone at least a week."

I'd begun to rely on him for more than just transportation. He'd become my reluctant friend, and a source of both companionship and entertainment. Even though I lived with Lora, she resented my involvement with the Dark Ace. We were silent enemies, Lora and I, but vocally we were good friends. However, our argumentative personalities had us butting heads more often than not.

"I'll bum a ride off someone."

"Dangerous… Sounds fun! Don't you have enough danger in your life?"

"Never enough," I spoke contently. "It's never enough."

Ace took his Switchblade into a nosedive and I clung to him tighter. The second he landed, I stepped off his bike; I was in dangerous territory.

"Call me if you ever drop by Neon," he winked, taking off back into the skies.

I stepped forward and onward, pulling a thin cloak out of my satchel. I draped the hood over my head and pulled my braid over my shoulder, fiddling with the weaves. I was to meet with the head of the Raptors, Repton, along with his goons. I knew who I was after, but not where I would find him; an intense financial discussion would surely follow.

The Raptors rather liked getting rid of small annoyances, rather than the important business men or other Sky Knights, so my jobs with them were always easy, but reluctantly profitable.

"I don't like this place, Kai…," Torch whined, looking around with shifty eyes. "I never feel safe here."

"I haven't died yet," I spoke slyly. I stepped through the terrain, though I was quickly greeted by a reptilian man. His tongue slipped through his teeth, tasting the air. He didn't trust me—smart lizard.

"You look so serious," I laughed.

The man remained silent, leading me through an odd building. I faced another man, who spoke with distain, "He'll be at the festival."

"What? No physical description?"

His tongue slipped through his teeth in repulse as he eyed my every move. "You're an ignorant little girl, aren't you?"

My expression fell flat and emotionless. I watched his eyes begin to grow wide with curiosity as my skin lit up with crystal energy. Torch shifted in the air with the rising tension. "I'd give up the information I came for if I were you…"

"You know what you want," he spoke nervously, reaching for an envelope. "I admire your perseverance. No complaints. So you'll do it?"

I ripped the envelope from his scaly claws, rifling through the contents. I removed the picture and laughed. "He's fifteen! You're going to make me kill a child?" With a slight pause, I stuffed the picture between my teeth and the envelope into my bag before removing the picture and speaking again. "Five. I want five, or the kid is your problem."

He raised a brow. "Three, and you get to keep that precious hair of yours."

I charged forward, my hand around his neck in an instant. His goons lurched forward, but backed off in a moment. They weren't unfamiliar about who they were dealing with. "Ten, and you live."

He gasped and scratched at my hand, his scales losing color with each passing moment. I could feel the energy rising within me—I had starved for his anger and anguish, and it would fuel my every move evermore.

"Eleven…!" he squeaked.

As I dropped him to the floor, he collected himself, regaining his balance and breath. "You… drive a hard… bargain… Miss Fury…" He rubbed his neck, a nonchalant nod signaled his comrades to see me out. "Connor is a rich man… As partial payment, and collateral, kill him and take what he has on him. You will receive the rest when I see my proof. I expect complete honesty, as always…" With another nod, he left.

"Hey, hey! Don't touch me, you fools!" I yelped, leaning away from their grasp. "I'm not stupid, I can find my own way out of this damned place." I shrugged off their hands, readjusting my cloak and hood. I kicked the door open and my eyes went wide. I stood in silence as the large door shut behind me.

Five Raptors lay unresponsive on the ground, unmoving as I stepped forward. Quiet footsteps behind me caught my attention, and I spun on my heels; the familiar face didn't surprise me.

Ace laughed as he stepped from the building, scratching at the metal clinging to his forehead. "Eh… So, I changed my mind…" He held out a partially empty carnival bag. "Crunchies?"

"Ace, you dumbass…"

"Why are you here again?"

"I have to get some rich brat…"

"What, you're not going to have any fun?"

"It's Botagon… You can't have much fun in this murderous, scaly place."

He laughed. "You forget who you're talking to… You give me so little credit!"

I shoved him to the side. "You're the Dark Ace. The least you could do is start acting like yourself."

"Am I not allowed to have friends?"

"No!" I laughed. "No one expects you to… You're supposed to be dangerous. No one expects you to actually have a life outside of Cyclonia. Kinda like teachers…"

"Did you just compare me to a teacher?" he asked, laughing. Ace began to count off the differences on his fingers. "I'm not overweight, I'm not old, and I'd much rather spend my time not teaching ignorant brats."

I smiled. "Well, you are old, and you have to train the talons… So, you're more than half-way there!"

"Not funny," he grumbled, chucking his empty snack bag over the edge of the terra.

"You are getting kinda mushy, too, Talon…" I removed the hood before poking at his stomach.

Ace leaned forward, his arms guarding his torso. "Hey! Don't you have anything better to do?"

"To be honest, no."

"You're not gonna have fun killing some brat? Come on, where's the Kai I know?"

I looked down. I'd never been a fan of killing kids. I'd done it, yes, but reluctantly. Murder was something I'd constantly try to avoid. I was a bounty hunter—I picked kids up, not kill them. But on occasion, I was a gun-for-hire… I was still human, no matter my exterior looks. I always felt remorse…

"She's tired," I spoke quietly, rubbing my nose.

"Can you pick up some crystals at the festival?"

I nodded. "But first, I have to find that kid…"

We continued onward toward the nearing festival, weaving through the mobs of Cyclonians and Anarchists. Suddenly, Ace flinched—his grip on my shoulder tightened and he froze in his tracks.

"What's wrong?"

"We should leave…"

"What?" I laughed. "Is Acey scared of something?"

"Yes, I'm scared of you. Now, let's go."He reached out, grasping my arm. Ace knew full-well what the dangers were of touching me.

"Why?" I protested, ripping my arm from his hand. "I want to be here!"

Ace continued to back up. "Promise you won't turn back around…"

He knew I broke that promise before he even asked. I spun around on my heels, and I knew it was better to listen. "He won't recognize me," I lied. I hadn't grown an inch in any direction in the last five years… And he wasn't one to miss details. "Let's go," I demanded.

Ace was far from my reach when I searched for his hand. I wanted to show I was over everything that had happened. I skipped forward a few steps, leaning close to Ace. His hand reached around my waist, pulling me closer.

And when I glanced over my shoulder, the red-headed boy was looking down, fiddling with his straw. His eyes sadly glanced over—he'd already seen me. He grabbed the blond's arm and slowly walked away.

Revenge never tasted so horrid.

"I'm sure he didn't see us."

"I'm not…"

ooo

"Red one."

"Blue one!"

"….Red one!"

"FUCK!" I hid behind the window, crouching down as far as I could go.

Lora looked down, flicking her hair from her eyes. "Do you enjoy living your life in hiding?"

"Yes! Now leave me alone!" I pressed my ear to the bunker wall, calming my breathing. "Second time this week… Have you been monitoring the radio like I asked?"

"Yes. No signals from them."

"What the hell is Blondie doing here, then?" I looked up.

Lora laughed, waving to someone beyond the bunker.

"Don't bring him here!" I whined.

There was a moment of silence before Lora yelped. "Fuck!" She quickly joined me behind the wall.

"Welcome to the club," I laughed. I stood up, glancing out of the window. "Him? He's…"

"Go," Lora sighed. "I'm out of here, anyway."

I nodded, climbing out of the window.

"Does your friend not like me…?" Ace laughed.

"Fuck off, you ungrateful bastard," Lora sneered, slamming the door on her way out of the bunker.

"Personally… I find it hilarious that you're living with my ex…"

"I don't," I said, stepping onto the Switchblade's wing. "We're all connected; we stand together—we fall together." I walked elegantly across the surface toward him.

"You're going to get me in trouble, Miss Fury."

"No… This? This is training… Manage to keep your hands off me and you'll survive just about anything…"

"So confident…" Ace smiled.

I took my seat behind him. "Confidence?" I laughed as I wrapped my arms around him. "You know you can't stand it… You have had trouble keeping your eyes and hands off of me since I was fifteen…"

"You make me sound so horrible…"

"You make yourself sound like a pedophile. It's not my fault."

He smiled. "Well, your ass is legal now…"

"Keep flying, you creep."