Chapter 11: Right behind you

Rank 2: The Spy

"Gentlemen?"

Travis waited in his room. He was tense. He felt stressed. He knew what was coming. He knew that smug French bastard would be his next opponent. And he was itching to kill him. Itching to wipe that no doubt smug look off of his face. He twitched a little as he sat on his bed. Unmoving, just waiting, waiting for the inevitable. Every fibre of his being was ready to make this kill. Then the phone rang, and he snatched it up.

"Where and when?" he shouted into it.

"Calm down brother. I'm just calling to check on ya." Travis frowned. As if there was someone who could sound smugger than that French bastard.

"What do you want?"

"Wishing ya luck is all. Your next match is all set up. Apparently your opponents one of the best assassins there is."

"I don't give a fuck Henry. He'll die like the rest of them." Travis spat in reply.

"Calm down for Christ sake. Getting angry with me ain't gonna do ya any favours." Travis gripped the phone tighter and took the sharp edge out of his tone.

"Just tell me where he is."

"He's waiting by the river. He says he'll be 'right behind you'." And with that he hung up. Travis put the phone down, snatched up Team Killer, and rushed out the door, leaping aboard his metal steed and heading for the river.

When he arrived, he leapt off Schpeltiger and drew his beam katana, approaching the river bed, ready to attack this guy on sight. He looked around. There was no-one to be seen. Not a person for miles. Travis scratched his head in confusion. The guy was supposed to be here. Had Henry lied to him?

"Travis?" That voice caught him by surprise. That French accent made him assume it was the bastard who'd been calling him. But when he turned, it was Sylvia. Standing there right in front of him. She hadn't spoken to him in days, seen him or answered his calls. But there she was right now. Travis wasn't sure whether to be happy or punch her for her bullshit.

"You gonna explain this to me now? Why you've been avoiding me?" Sylvia looked down as if embarrassed.

"Yes…Travis, I am sorry." Travis raised an eyebrow. Sylvia being straightforward? Something wasn't right here. "You see… when the UAA collapsed and I had to take that job… I felt ashamed to ever face you again."

"But I came and took you away from there." He replied.

"I know…but it scarred me… seeing the shit that happens in places like that. It's…indescribable…" Travis' stare softened.

"I'm still here for you Sylvia. Don't be stupid." She looked up to him, smiling honestly instead of that tricky devious smile she usually wore.

"Travis…" she walked closer to him and let him embrace her, wrapping her arms around him. Travis held her tight, hand stroking through her hair slighty… he spotted a glint in her left hand. What could that be, he though. Holy shit it was a knife! She raised her arm to stab him, but Travis quickly shoved her away before she could strike. That sickly devious smile returned to her face as she flipped the knife in her hand so it could be used in a more combative way.

"Oh you bitch! You complete and utter bitch!" Travis was furious now, she'd been tricking him all along just to kill him. He drew his beam katana. This time he wasn't going to let his feelings get in the way. He raised his katana, uttered a loud battle cry and charged at her, eyes going bloodshot and knuckles going white from gripping his weapon. She just waited for him and smiled. That sickly, devious smile. He was about to strike, when suddenly she whipped out a revolver with her free hand and shot at him. Travis quickly blocked it, but it gave her time to come at him with another stab. Travis side stepped quickly as the knife sliced through the air. Suddenly, Sylvia's face faded and became something different. Something red. Her whole outfit faded into a smart red suit, and her face became a red mask covering a man's face, only showing his eyes and mouth. He stepped back from Travis and smiled. Travis' eye twitched.

"You are easy to fool Mr Touchdown." He taunted. His smug voice made Travis growl at him.

"So…that's a neat trick you can do."

"Indeed it is. Usually makes the battles go by much swifter." He clicked the butterfly knife so the blade was back inside the handle. "Except in your case."

"Why'd you pose as Sylvia?" he snorted at him.

"Because I knew it would get a reaction out of you Mr Touchdown. Make you angry."

"And why the fuck do you want me to be angry?"

"In anger, you lose sight of all sense of strategy and become a wild animal. Powerful, yes, but easy to kill with a bit of thought." He smirked. Travis twitched again.

"Well fuck that, I'm not angry anymore." He said triumphantly.

"Oh you will be. Check that folder by your feet." Travis looked down and spotted a brown folder resting against his leg. How had he not noticed that earlier? He picked it up and flipped it open. Almost instantly his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. There were photographs in the folder. Photographs of Sylvia sharing a bed with the Spy. His teeth ground against each other as he crushed the cardboard folder and the photo's inside. The spy had succeeded in making him angry, but now he was going to die for it. "Mon petit cheu fleur is good non?" And then he snapped. He could hear a part of him break in two as he charged at the spy shouting a single curse.

"Fuck you!" He brought his katana down on the Spy, but when he looked up, he had vanished. There was nothing there. He straightened up and looked around, turning his body in different directions. The spy was nowhere to be seen. He kept his guard up. He had to be here somewhere…

"Peekaboo!" came a voice from his left, followed by a gunshot, as the Spy revealed himself to attack. Travis blocked his first shot, then the following three as he ran at him. The Spy adjusted his collar and then vanished again. Travis swore as his beam katana hit nothing but air. He looked around again, looking for any sign of where the Spy could possibly be.

He spun and slashed behind him as the Spy attempted another backstab. Their blades met and he backed off once again, vanishing. Travis looked around him. He'd slip up eventually. He had to stop him from vanishing. But how? He didn't even know where he was.

"Surprise!" he announced, appearing on his left and firing five shots. Travis blocked four, but the fifth buried in his shoulder. He grunted in pain and put a hand on his bleeding wound, allowing the Spy to get close for another attempt at a stab. Travis grimaced and kicked him in the stomach as he got too close, catching him off guard and giving Travis time to strike back, making a deep gash across the Spy's stomach. The Spy stumbled back, groaning from his wound, quickly disappearing again. Travis swore and kept his eyes open, looking for his elusive foe. Then he spotted it. Footprints. The one thing the Spy couldn't hide from him. They were only there for a moment but he could see them. So…

The Spy reappeared again, but this time Travis beat him to the punch and slashed at him quickly, forcing him to block with his knife. Travis kept on him, hacking away, trying to cut him down then and there. The Spy kept backing up, using his knife to block, then vanishing again. He quickly skirted around Travis to attempt another backstab.

But Travis could spot him now, and was easily able to turn around and stop him. With a strong horizontal slash, he knocked the knife out of the Frenchman's hands. He mumbled something in annoyance and drew his revolver, shooting at Travis while backing away. Travis chased him down, blocking his shots, but the distance between them was growing rapidly. The Spy took another shot and became invisible again, running for it. Travis followed him quickly, keeping an eye on his footprints. Then they reached the pavement. Solid stable terrain that didn't leave footprints. Travis cursed loudly. His opponent had escaped and now he was forced into defence again. Wherever he was, he could get attacked all too easily. He advanced up the stone walkway, continuously looking behind him, beam katana waiting to strike. He felt nervous. He wasn't going to admit it but he was. He didn't know where the smug French bastard was or how he was going to defeat him now. He had the upper hand. Travis sighed and continued advancing, walking past a pedestrian who paid him no heed. His brow furrowed. He had to find the guy soon or…

He felt the barrel of the Spy's revolver press into the back of his head.

"It seems this is game over Mr Touchdown." He said smugly. Travis unleashed a string of curses, letting his arms fall to his sides. How had he let this happen? Then it hit him…the pedestrian… another of the Spy's disguises? "So…do you have any last words?" his revolver clicked, ready to open fire. Travis' brain whirled for a moment.

"Just two…" he mumbled quietly. Suddenly, before the Spy could react, Travis raised his right leg and kicked him in the groin. The Spy cried out in pain and stumbled back, bending over forwards. Travis turned to him.

"Fuck! You!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as he decapitated the Spy, slicing his head clean off. But Travis wasn't done yet. He kicked the body so it stood upright and continued slashing, slicing the Spy to pieces until he was just a small mound of body parts on the concrete pavement.

Travis breathed heavily, relieved to get all of that rage out in one strike. He felt better for besting the smug bastard. Then his mind wandered back to the pictures. Sylvia and the Spy…was that it? Was that why she had been avoiding him? It would make sense in context…

He decided that now wasn't the best time to think about it. He kicked one of the Spy's arms and left for the bar.

Meanwhile on the other side of the city, a bulky man was sitting in his office watching the kill with the help of a street camera. He grumbled as he watched the Spy fall.

"He's at the top match now…" he muttered to the woman watching beside him, who couldn't help but flinch watching the Spy get mutilated.

"He won't win… If your number one is as tough as you say he is then Travis has no chace. And besides, you said you had a special surprise for him.

"I do." he agreed. "But I thought he'd be dead by now. And my guy is a onetime deal, I won't be able to resurrect him again until next year if he loses." He rubbed his nose and his moustache. Sylvia looked at Travis leaving the screen.

"Relax… Travis won't even get to him, let alone defeat him."