It didn't take long for the ninja to spill her guts. Not literally, but damn near close. After Kabal had already ripped out her first eye and moving on to her second, she had already begun screaming, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" Kabal had to admit he was impressed. She didn't pass out from shock of having an eye gouged out and she was sensible enough to give directions.
If only they'd met under different circumstances.
And here he was, standing in front of such a nondescript, one-story building that would make your house look like a mansion in comparison. Figured Anarky would set up shop in the least likely place anyone would think, and the East End was defiantly one of those places. It was were Kabal patrolled most regularly, as there was more crime here than all of the other districts combined.
He wasn't able to rescue everyone, especially with how much filth there was here. But it was a start, and that's all he could hope for. Just like being led here. There was probably little that he would actually find. The chances that Anarky told this ninja character everything, or at the very least his location, was slim at best.
After the ninja had told Kabal what she knew, he grabbed her and dropped her out a window. It wouldn't kill her. Well, it shouldn't. He really didn't check up on her when he exited that apartment building. All those Anarchists were shaking in their boots. You could see each and every individual sweat drop. It was truly magnificent.
Kabal had reapplied some bandages soon after he ripped out the knife lodged in his shoulder. He was in no condition to get into a real fight, but he doubted Anarky would pose that large of a threat. Physically, he meant. Technologically, he was a problem. The mask wearing terrorist was the head of this machine he had built.
What better way to end this than cut off the head?
And that was exactly what Kabal was going to do. He walked up to the door, pulled out a sword, and kicked it open… finding a woman giving herself a manicure at the front desk. You know those stereotypical secretary's you see in movies?
This woman was the spitting image of one.
She looked up lazily at Kabal. He, in return, gave her a tilt of his head. "You here for Anarky?" Wow. She even had a thick Brooklyn accent. A nod. She pointed to a wall. "He's in there."
Kabal turned to face the wall she pointed at. It seemed non-descript enough. The vigilante walked up to it, placing his hand on a brick. Maybe If he… a panel pushed in, causing Kabal to step back in surprise. That worked? Huh. Okay then. He turned back to face the secretary, who continued manicuring her nails. A roll of his eyes later, he stepped into the elevator.
This was it.
No turning back now. Oh, he was going to kill Anarky, there was very little doubt about that at this point. But his minions? Could he possibly get to Anarky? Yes. But could he get out alive? Less certain. Still, he was going to do his best to try.
Once the elevator go to the bottom floor, Kabal pulled out both swords and got ready for a fight. And was he surprised to see not a single person standing in his way. An eyebrow raised beneath his mask. He looked down to see a trail of blood. Couldn't have been twenty minutes old. Maybe even less.
"So… you made it," Anarky's voice sounded throughout the hall. "I'm sooooo thrilled. You want to know where I am, don't you?" Kabal took a step forward. "Oh, I know you do. You want nothing more than to take that sword of your and stab me in the heart with it."
"I'm going to do far worse," Kabal replied, walking forward.
"I'd expect nothing less." Up ahead, a light flared to life. "Follow the light. Don't worry. You're not dying. Not yet, anyway."
Kabal did as he was instructed, stepping towards the adjacent hallway. "That's right, almost there. Just take a left, walk towards the end of the wall, and then take a right."
Damn, this place was huge. Kabal did as told, again, before ending up in front of a large door.
"Just turn the knob, step into the door, and wait for me."
Kabal took a deep breath. This was obviously a trap. Any idiot could see it. So, why, then, was Kabal stepping through the door?
Once he entered, he was met with black. His footsteps echoed throughout the area, giving Kabal a sense of unease. Suddenly, the lights flared to life, blinding Kabal for a split second as his eyes adjusted. When he could finally see, he saw that several cameras were facing him. Okay, now he had a really bad feeling about this.
On the large screen in front of him, Anarky's image flared to life. "Oh, you look so small down there. You know, I just realized we've never met face to face, have we?"
"How about you show yourself so I can rectify that," Kabal growled, tightening his grip on the sword.
"In due time, my psychotic vigilante, but first, I need to make a brief announcement to all of those fine people of Deacon City." Anarky's image nodded to something off screen. He then cleared his throat. "I know, I know, Deacon City. You really didn't want to see me again, did you? Don't worry, there are no threats of explosions, death, or destruction today. That comes later.
"No, I have something far worse in mind. You see, I've been doing some research on your vigilante problem, and I have made some startling discoveries. First, he has a name, a face, and a life outside of killing the criminal underworld that infests this city. It's Kabal, for those of you who are wondering," Anarky mentioned, almost offhandedly. "His address is 250 52nd street, apartment number eleven. Oh, that's right, Mr. Forden, you've been harboring a vigilante in your midst, how exciting.
"I know what you're thinking. 'Anarky, why should we care? We don't even like this guy!' That's not really important. You see, there are people out there saving your lives every day. A solider whose name you couldn't care less about, a doctor who saved a dying man, or even a police officer whose trapped in a sea of corruption. These are real problems in the word, Deacon, and you've chosen not to take action, but to sit and let it fester.
"I truly pity you. Enough to the point where I'm taking the initiative and destroying this city myself."
"What!?" Kabal stepped forward. Anarky claimed he wanted to heal this city. Kabal never agreed with his methods, but there seemed to be a genuine concern for the wellbeing of this city.
"I've never wanted to help this city," Anarky stated, hearing Kabal. "Ever since the day I was born I've wanted to burn it to the ground. I have the resources to do such a job. Even now, you're crippled. I've left the last few buildings needed to maintain this city. But soon, I fear, they might be gone. Unless, of course, this vigilante stops me."
Anarky's image was replaced with Kabal's. So, that's what the cameras were for. The psycho wanted to broadcast the fight to the entire city. "Believe it or not, this man is your last hope. For you see, I have attached to my chest…"
The hacker returned onto the image, showing this strange device attached to his coat. "…a heart monitor. Every beat of my heart charges a battery. What's that battery connected to, you ask? Oh, just enough explosives in the DCPD, the Empire State Building and Wall Street to blow them all sky high."
In order to prove his point, the screen split into three sections, showing tons and tons of C4, each undoubtedly connected to each of the three buildings he mentioned before. Kabal felt a bead of sweat fall down his cheek. That crazy son of a bitch was actually going to do that.
"'How on Earth can we stop this monster!?'" Anarky put his hands on his face in what could only be described as faux-concerned. He then let his arms fall. The cameras turned back to Kabal. Anyone could hear the smile in his voice. "You can't, morons. But this man, Deacon's Last Hope, can. If he succeeds, you'll owe your lives to a vigilante, a criminal. Kabal, in order to beat me, you have to kill me. If my estimates are correct, you have five minutes to do so."
A door to the right of Kabal opened. In full form, Anarky stepped through, arms folded in front of his chest. "Think you can do it?" His voice sounded different. Like it had an electric buzz behind it. Must be the mask.
Without wasting a single second, Kabal charged the villain, ready to bring down his sword. But when he did, Anarky moved to the side with little effort, slamming a knee into the vigilante's chest. Kabal staggered back, gaining some distance. This didn't help at all as Anarky was in his face in seconds. A fist connected to Kabal's face, cracking the other lens.
He fell to the ground, clutching his head. "What the hell…?" he groaned.
"You made your first big mistake," Anarky replied, kicking him in the shoulder. Kabal's eyes went wide as he grabbed ahold of the previously injured appendage. The next kick was aimed for his chest, which sent him across the ground. "You underestimated your opponent."
The kick cause Kabal to slam into the opposite wall, leaving a rather big crack. Anarky grabbed his by the neck and hoisted him up. "To come this far," he growled, punching the vigilante in the gut, "Only to be beaten like a dog. A useless." Punch to the gut. "Stupid." Another punch. "Inbred." Punch. "Dog!" A punch to the face sent Kabal sprawling on the floor.
Anarky then put a hand over his mouth. "Oh, that was a little rude, wasn't it? To be honest, you're one of the best fighters I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with." Some blood dripped from the openings of Kabal's mask. "You thought I was going to be a weakling, weren't you? I can see it in your eyes, you did. You really did. That's why you shouldn't underestima-ARGH!"
Kabal had used the time Anarky spent talking to slide a knife from his boot and plunge it into his leg. He then kicked Anarky's feet out from underneath him, sending him to the ground. Kabal scrambled to his feet, pulled out his remaining sword, and slammed it onto the ground. It was aimed for Anarky's head, but you can't win every battle.
The hacker pulled off a kip up with a grace that Kabal just didn't have at the moment. The vigilante was still able to pull off a mean swing, though, and used this to his advantage. Every time Anarky tried to advance, Kabal swung his sword as hard as he could. There was very little finesse being displayed here by "Deacon's Last Hope," as Anarky described him.
After a moment of swinging, Anarky grabbed Kabal's arm and removed the sword from his grasp. A kick to the chest sent Kabal away. Examining the weapon, Anarky stated, "This is a rather different design." He knelt down next to the fallen form of his enemy. "Tell me, how did you even get the idea for such a weapon?"
Kabal got to his hands and knees. "Give it back and I'll show you…"
"Cute," the hacker mumbled. He got back to his full height while readying the sword. "I just want you to know that I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should."
"So am I."
Behind the mask, an eyebrow was raised. Suddenly, spikes erupted from the hilt of the sword, slicing Anarky's hand off. He looked down at the stump, blood pouring out. "What…?"
"Got that idea from a movie," Kabal stated, getting to his feet slowly. "Took a long time and a lot of money, but you know what?" He reared back a fist. "I think it was worth it."
Anarky was knocked off his feet, the mask shattering. He fell to the ground as a trail of blood exited his nose and mouth. A loud thud accompanied his fall. The vigilante rushed for Anarky, climbing on top of him and raised a fist. "I just want you to know," Kabal growled. "I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should."
He began raining blow after blow down upon Anarky's skull. The crunching of bone filled the area, blood splattered on Kabal's face. After the tenth punch, his gloves began to tear. After the fifteenth, his knuckles began to bleed. After the twentieth, he could hardly feel his fist pounding down on Anarky's skull. Finally, after a full minute of sending his fist into Anarky's skull, Kabal stopped.
That was rather tiring. He looked down at his bloodied arms before turning his gaze towards Anarky's destroyed face. A minute of punches practically destroyed it. There was no possible way of identification aside from DNA testing. He calmly wiped most of the blood off on Anarky's coat before getting to his feet.
He noticed something in the corner of his eye. His unused sword. He limped over to it. Kabal picked up his sword and trudged back to the beaten body. He could tell he was still alive. The steady rise of his chest was an indication.
He lifted the sword and brought it down on Anarky's heart. He left it stuck in there as he picked up his other sword, deactivated the blades, and placed it in its holder. He slowly moved towards the exit of the room.
But a voice stopped him. "What the hell was that!?"
Kabal looked up at the large screen. Anarky? But… wasn't he…?
"Where did that come from?" Anarky's image placed his hand on his head. "I don't get it, none of my research showed that mechanism on your sword. I don't even know how your sword did that?"
"How are you still alive?" Kabal finally asked.
It seemed that Anarky's gaze changed from… Anarky's corpse…. to Kabal. "I'll have you know that I would never sully myself with fighting. Instead I simply sent in an impostor, gave him actions to do, and used a radio to make it so my voice came out of his mouth."
"You gonna tell me where you are so we can finish this like men?" Kabal asked.
"Are you really that stupid?" Anarky mocked. "I got on a plane ten minutes before you showed up. You can't touch me."
"Then I guess you better blow us up then, huh?"
That made Anarky hesitate.
"Unless, of course, you were bluffing."
"Of course I wasn't bluffing. I don't bluff!"
"Then where is the heart monitor?"
Again, silence.
"You really didn't..."
"I don't have to explain my reasoning to you! You are worthless! You are a moron who can't even begin to process why I do what I do!"
Kabal turned to look at the pretender's corpse. Anarky was actually so arrogant that he put the heart monitor on the guy who he sent to his potential death.
"So, I guess that means there's no threat then, hmm?"
"Of course not! I just need time to figure out how to send a signal out to the C4 in order to make it explode! You'll see! I will win!"
"I just want you to know, Anarky," Kabal growled, "That I will find you. And when I do? I'm going to kill you."
They locked gazes for a few second before a roar of anger erupted from Anarky before he terminated the link. Kabal sent several throwing knives into all the cameras. That may have depleted his supply of projectiles, but the cameras were off.
That meant he could do something. He unclasped his mask and let it fall to the ground. His face was covered in shadows from the upper lip up. His mouth could be seen opening to let in a deep breath. The air wasn't fresh. Far from it, in fact. But it was the air he could breathe right now.
Kabal limped over to the impostor and picked up the biggest part of the mask. It was the entire right side of the emotionless face. His lips pursed ever so slightly as he tucked it away in an inner pocket of his coat.
Getting to his feet, he slowly limped to the doorway before stumbling out the door.
The lights remained focused on the impostor's body.