Her charcoal eyes roamed the area. Three Triangle Organisation guards were pointing their laser guns at her direction. They were warning the surrounding people to evade the already forlorn area. They stood out like a red spot on white paper, with their deep blue uniforms and gas masks. Their gloved hands clutched their snipers. She sniffed their frightened scent and smiled sardonically, revealing her slightly pointy canines. They shivered.
Her long raven hair that cascaded past her knees flailed in the soundless wind. She heard them whisper. They were complaining how emaciated she appeared, especially when she was clad in a figure hugging dark jumpsuit. Her figure belied her true strength.
Cut-throat reached for her samurai sword that was hanging opposite her hip. She removed it from its black sheath and prepared herself into a warrior-like stance.
"This is your final warning, mutant. If you don't surrender your weapons and keep your hands in the air, we will shoot," one of the men threatened.
Cut-throat's features were unresponsive before she glared and rushed towards her targets. They were too shocked to respond as she swung her mighty sword against their limbs. Two men lost an arm, their lonely limbs rolled across the floor while another lost his balance, screaming in horror as he watched his feet slide away from him. A pool of crimson immediately inundated the sooty ground.
"Haven't you ass-sapiens got the hint yet? We will never surrender to you!" Cut-throat snapped, glaring fiercely at her opponents, her thin, long nose haughtily above them.
She pointed her bloody sword at them as they screamed in terror.
"Take your handicapped friend and leave! Or else I will have no choice but to end your lives."
The men who lost an arm retreated while the other used his hands to drag himself away. Their cries never pierced through her as they did to the spectators far in the distance. The drops of thick blood marked their escape.
Cut-throat was about to dispatch her weapon but her ears perked up at a familiar sound. She glanced into the air. Two men were floating above her with the aid of jetpacks. In their arms were hydrostatic water guns.
"Shit!" she cursed as they released their hold on the trigger. Her mutant skills were superficial against enemies in air.
A large wave of water crashed down on her, saturating her clothes and forcing her to kneel. It scratched through her skin, pushing down on her bones. Liquid forced itself into her lungs until she was unable to breath. Cut-throat reached for her sword only to notice that it had glided away after she was shot with the hydro-pressured weapons.
"Grr…" She reached around her yellow belt for the small knives that she stashed away earlier. Her fingers curled around one of the sharp weapons. She gasped for breath, eyes narrowed to avoid any more water from rubbing into them. With her remaining strength, she hurled the knife at one of the flying cops. To her dismay, she missed due to her blurred vision.
"Calling for back-up! We have a rogue mutant here! This little bitch is armed," she heard them say.
Was this the end? After evading the Triangle Organisation for so long, did she finally bump into a dead end? The corners of her lips curled into a mirthless grin. At least Ace will continue taunting the humans and purify mankind once and for all, even if Cut-throat wouldn't be there to see the new dawn.
She thought back on the moments she hated most in life. She was unfortunate to never know her father and her teenage mother was an inexperienced hag. It wasn't until last year that Cut-throat had enough of her mother's abuse. After hearing about Ace for so long, she was finally given the privilege to meet him in person. He asked her to perform a task if she wished to join. She complied.
Cut-throat was laughing in glee when she slashed her mother's throat. The blood from her arteries had sprayed itself on Cut-throat's sharp, angular features but all she could do was laugh in hysteria when her mother choked on her own blood. It sprang like a gurgle of foam out of her mouth and her dark eyes were wide when she gazed at her daughter, the child she abused since the day she gave birth to her. Cut-throat couldn't stop laughing.
"Screw all of this. Ace will win in the end. My sacrifice won't hinder his plans," Cut-throat muttered to herself, ignoring the pain, like she always did.
"Hee-yah!"
In an instant, the pressure of the water was lifted from her bones. Cut-throat's head jerked up. The men in the jetpacks were howling in pain. Beside her was a boy about her age and height. He was tanned with African-American features. His brown eyes were narrowed in concentration, focused on the Triangle Organisation cronies. She could smell his distinct scent. He was a mutant.
He caught her gaze and gave a charismatic smile.
"I believe this belongs to you," he said, handing her the samurai sword to which she snatched off of him.
"Why did you help me?" Cut-throat barked, humiliated that a random stranger offered aid.
He didn't have the chance to answer as more men in jet-packs swarmed above them and shot at them with hydro-guns and laser beams. The young mutants adapted swiftly to the back-up team's techniques, expertly avoiding their aims.
"Oh goody, I don't think I could concentrate my powers on all of them. Up for some team work, babe?" he asked with a raise of his brow.
She grimaced at his genial behaviour but in the heat of battle, she couldn't slap him while he was on her side. It didn't help when his arm snaked around her waist and they tumbled to the side, evading a laser beam that could have fried them to ashes. They were on the ground, limbs tangled in an attempt to pull away.
"By the way, I'm Johnathan," he introduced himself with the same smile that Cut-throat wanted to wipe off his face.
"Now's not the time, idiot," she groaned and kicked him away from her.
She hopped back to her feet and ran up the side of a building, jumping in midair with her sword extended towards two men. Below she saw the tanned mutant raise his arms towards the remaining three with his fingers spread apart. His targets were suddenly roaring in heinous laughter, losing grips of their weapons and clutching their stomachs instead.
Cut-throat, preferring more brutal skills, chopped off the arms of the remaining two while in the air. Gravity pulled her down and she rolled to the side, her arms skidding off the tarmac. The burning sensation in upper arms was ignored by her brain.
The remaining cronies were still laughing. She saw Johnathan chuckling also. The men who lost arms had fallen to the ground due to apoplexy.
"Seriously?" Cut-throat said with a hint of disgust. She placed a hand on her hip and raised a brow.
"Hey, it was the only way I could…Agh!" Johnathan's arms fell back to his side as he watched the two fallen soldiers, sprawled unconscious in a river of their own blood. "Oh man…That's bloody."
"We need more back up! Call in the Swat team!" yelled one of the soldiers.
"These assholes never give up," Cut-throat murmured.
She held her sword and ran ahead, her black combat boots clicking heavily off the floor. Another pair of footsteps followed. She turned her side to the side, catching the view of Johnathan's cornrows swaying behind him.
"You should at least thank me for helping you!"
"Do you want a bashing now or later?" the female mutant moaned, rolling her eyes.
"Now's not the time for fights. Follow me," he gestured, sprinting ahead of her.
Cut-throat was weary of following him but he did save her life. With reluctance, she traced his footsteps. Johnathan made it into an ally and stopped beside a sewer hole. The sound of sirens was so loud that it seemed they were echoing from every single direction. Johnathan kicked open the lid of the entrance and took a step back.
"After you," he teased with a gentleman bow.
Cut-throat grimaced again, not hiding her contempt and jumped down the sewer hole. She was met by a splash of stinky, murky water. Johnathan was close behind her. He urged her to continue running ahead. She snapped at him not to order her around but took his advice anyways. The water was rising until it reached the breadth of their waists. Cut-throat groaned and forced the bile back down her throat.
"Is this your home?" she stated dryly.
"Yep."
His answer surprised her. He didn't have the harshness or the bemired clothing sewer-dwelling mutants usually encompassed.
"Just kidding!" he beamed and she resisted the urge to punch him into the water.
"You're Precious-Daye Knight-"
Before the boy could finish his sentence, he was slammed against the wall with a knife pressed against his throat. His smile vanished and he glared back at Cut-throat with equal vehemence.
"How do you know?" she said through gritted teeth.
"What are you talking about? You're known by a lot of mutants here. It isn't hard to know a Red Insurgent when your faces are plastered on every lamp post."
She contemplated his answer and slowly retreated, stashing her dagger back into her pouch. Johnathan rubbed his throat, still scowling at the girl but Cut-throat found it hard to look back this time. The boy had saved her life and he knew about the Red Insurgents. His powers were at his mercy and he was skilled at controlling them. Perhaps he may be of use to Ace.
"Call me Cut-throat. I hate my real name," she suggested and his smile reappeared.
"Good, then this settles it. We're friends now, right?" he held out a hand.
She folded her arms and shook her head, telling him that friendship didn't exist in her dictionary. She only believed in allies and enemies, nothing more, nothing less. He was no different than the rest of her peers. He shrugged at her, intriguing her further.
"Fine, but I'll consider you a friend anyway. You're doing a good job for us mutants."
"Really?" she asked sceptically. He nodded.
They continued their way down the dark sewer path, with only Johnathan's floating torch lighting their way. She pondered whether to ask him what was in her mind. Her lungs wanted to burst from the pressure.
"Are you interested?" Cut-throat blurted suddenly, releasing the tension in her lungs.
"Huh?"
"Do-you-want-to-join-us?" she told him, defining each word with emphasis.
They stopped in their tracks and she continued, "I saw what you could do. You were able to disrupt those ass-sapien's physical sensations. You would be useful to our cause."
"I don't know…"Johnathan tapped his chin, "On one condition."
Cut-throat raised her brow high until she was sure it disappeared into her hairline. "What?"
"If you be my friend," his grin widened.
She smirked but it didn't reach her eyes. The boy's wits were admirable. "I can't guarantee that but I will be your mentor,if that's enough?"
"Hmm…I'm in!"
XXXXXXXX
Abby ran a hand through her brown, wavy locks. Her doe-like eyes searched the café but there was no sight of her boyfriend. Sighing, she took a seat by herself near the window and let her handbag drop on the table. The sunlight poured in through the glass and splayed across her dusky pink sundress. The café was a famous one in the city so couples rushed in and out every moment.
Abby was patient. She knew Zack was never punctual. He would take a while to arrive. She fingered her sparkling bracelet, a gift given to her by Zack. The worry she felt for him was locked away in her heart. She was afraid of how his mission would end up. Initially, she was reluctant to meet up but this rendezvous was his request.
He was outside her balcony the other night, banging against the glass doors and calling her name. She rushed out in her night gown. At first, she was breathless at how his incredible, white wings basked in the moonlight and glowed with an ethereal quality, but then she was ready to push him over the balcony for his reckless behaviour. He surprised her with a passionate kiss and she melted into his arms, yielding to his requests.
Abby blinked out of her thoughts when she sensed her spherical phone buzz in her handbag. She reached inside for it, frowning when her eyes skimmed through the text message.
Sorry Abby, I'm in a tight situation here and can't make right now. Could you wait for another hour? There is something important we need to discuss ~ Zack
She drew in a sharp breath. What was the important matter? The end of his message perplexed her that she was willing to stay another hour for him. His tone was urgent. She pushed away her worst fears and jammed her phone back into her handbag.
Zack was an attractive man with a charismatic personality. Any woman would love to be in his arms. He was surrounded by beautiful women back in the Eagle Claws. Perhaps he found someone else, but shouldn't Abby feel happy for him? Instead, her stomach twisted into knots and her breath was trapped in the middle of her chest.
"Excuse me?"
Abby glanced at the young woman before her. She raised her brows. The woman's strawberry blonde hair glinted in the sunlight and her deep, large blue eyes glimmered when the light caught them. Her slightly tanned, athletic built was visible through her white sundress. She had a round, heart-shaped and an adorable little nose, features that caused men to turn their heads twice over their shoulders. The young woman was smiling, showing off her pearly white teeth with her hands behind her back and she swayed from side to side in a cute manner.
"Yes?" Abby asked.
"I was wondering if you are waiting for anyone. The place is packed here and I have nowhere to sit," the visitor said with a nervous giggle.
Abby gave her a smile and motioned at the chair in front of her. "Please sit down. My guy won't appear until an hour."
"Thanks!" the woman beamed and plopped herself on the chair, her lovely smile never leaving her face, "I'm Texas by the way, Texas Law." She extended her hand.
"I'm Abby Strong. It's nice to…Bump into you," Abby chuckled and returned the gesture.
"Wait, you're the Abby Strong? Whoa!" Texas shook her hand enthusiastically, her large eyes widening in their sockets, "Isn't your family well known for their brains?"
"Ah, my father is the intelligent one in the family. My job is minor compared to his," Abby explained, realising the truth and the lie in her sentence. Her hand was still trapped in Texas'.
"This is my lucky day!" the other woman exclaimed joyously.
It was a while before she stopped wringing Abby's hand. Their conversations flowed easily after they ordered their preferred coffee drinks. Like Abby, Texas was also waiting for her friend. She had just arrived in the café only to find out that her friend wasn't coming. The smell of coffee was too indulging for her so she decided to stay for a drink.
"Men these days," Texas continued with a nostalgic sigh, "I know Marcus well but sometimes I feel like he's a complete stranger to me."
"Is Marcus your…?"Abby trailed off, thinking her sentence would be too indiscreet.
Texas finished it for her without a hint of discomfort, "My boyfriend? Hah! I wish! He's too busy thinking why flies can walk upside down before noticing my feelings."
The strawberry blonde threw her head back in laughter. Abby giggled nervously. She was growing fond of Texas' company. Thanks to both of their boys, they found a likeable friend in each other. When Texas asked her about Zack, Abby tried to be as truthful as possible, minus the part about him being a mutant.
"What do you do outside?" Abby enquired curiously.
Texas was a very beautiful woman. She was a bit above average with a killer body. Abby wouldn't be surprised if she worked as model for a career. However, Texas' answer left her jaw hanging.
"I work as a gladiator in the Arena."
"What? That is impressive," Abby agreed.
There was not a scar or blemish crossing Texa's skin. Her skin appeared baby soft; no rough textures gave away her true occupation.
"Not really. Everyone from that part of the city knows me. It's hard to avoid paparazzi these days," Texas beamed, "Maybe that's why Marcus has been avoiding me."
Abby caught a figure approach them from the corner of her eye. She turned swiftly in her chair to gaze into the familiar green eyes that caused her heart to flutter each time. Zack gathered her into his arms, kissing her hair and obtaining a whistle from Texas. Abby threw her arms around his leather trench coat. His unique scent of clay and forests infiltrated her senses.
"Hey, sorry I'm late," he apologised.
"But you said you weren't coming until later."
"I felt guilty and came anyway."
Abby suddenly recalled why Zack was here and the heavy tension from earlier resettled on her chest. She tried to compose herself and not let her fear emanate from her eyes. Zack knew her well enough. He must have sensed her tremble because he gave her hand a tight squeeze.
"Oh…I should probably leave you two to catch up." Texas grinned and stood up.
She introduced herself to Zack and told him how fortunate he was to have a girl like Abby. A blush crept on the mutant's cheeks. He gazed at Abby with a cheeky grin but she didn't respond. She saw a shadow glide towards them.
The next moment happened too fast for Abby to react. Zack was suddenly in her arms. His eyes were glazed with apathy. The blood from his chest and mouth trickled down her face. Behind him, Abby caught a glance of familiar slanted, gray eyes and dull brown dreadlocks. Kimbra was glowering at her. She had punched her metal-clad fist into Zack's back, deep enough to rip through his chest. His wings burst through his trench coat, the feathers falling over them like confetti.
The screams that followed drowned in Abby's senses. Her eyes refused to register the images to her brain. She heard Texas' shrill voice in the background. Abby released a panicked scream from her sore lungs.
"Zack!"
Texas' eyes glowed bright blue.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hey sorry, I'm late," Zack apologised, rubbing his messy, dark hair with a nervous grin.
"But you said you weren't coming until later," said Abby with a tone of surprise. She felt as if she was in a moment of déjà vu.
"I felt guilty and came anyway."
"Oh…" Abby remembered the real reason why Zack wished to meet her.
She trembled in her chair thinking about it until her stomach churned uncomfortably. She stashed her feelings into the back of her mind but Zack must have sensed her discomfort, reaching for her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. She realised then that he still loved her.
"I better go! I thought I saw Kimbra Carter heading this way. That woman gives me goosebumps!" Texas exclaimed urgently, pointing out the window.
Abby gulped, her eyes widening in terror. She jerked her head towards Zack who nodded. Texas left in haste without a goodbye. Pity, Abby wanted to keep in touch with her but the imminent danger erased all other thoughts. Zack's life was at stake.
Zack grabbed Abby's hand, finding another exit from the back of the café and departed with her into the busy streets. They disappeared into the crowds before Kimbra could enter the café.
When they reached a more isolated area, Abby wrenched her hand from Zack's grip and glared vehemently at him. The birds in the park did little to lighten the tension in the atmosphere. The sun's rays laughed over them.
"Did you fly over?"
"Umh, what? Uh…" Zack rubbed the back of his neck, a habit he picked up whenever he was tongue-tied.
"Did. You. Fly?" she repeated, stressing each word with bitterness.
Zack opened his mouth to protest but no words escaped. He glanced at his shoes like a two-year old child facing a punishment and nodded, his locks shadowing over his eyes. Abby let out a frustrated yell and raised her hand to smack his face. However, her heart refused to let her proceed. Instead, she turned the other way, blinking away tears that blurred her vision.
"Abby, I'm sorry!" Zack cried, attempting to embrace her but she slipped away.
"You idiot!" Abby faced him again and jammed her finger into his chest when she spoke, "Did you know that Kimbra looks for traces of active mutants on the satellite? Do you know what could have happened today?"
She placed her hand over her heart as tears flowed down her cheeks. She almost lost him today. He would have died in her arms and she would have followed, then, her father and the rest of her family and friends. The pain exerted by her heart swarmed through her nerves but she refused to sob, allowing the tears to fall in silence.
She almost lost him today.
Zack.
What would she do if he no longer existed in her life?
"Abby," Zack whispered, he watched her guiltily, "Abby, please forgive me?"
"You could have been killed!" she hissed and walked ahead, not wanting his presence to remind her of how precious he was to her, He called for her, jogging after her in desperation. He reached in front of her, facing her while walking backwards.
"I promise I won't do it again," he pleaded, joining his hands together. She would have laughed at his antics but her heart was swollen with pain.
"Kimbra keeps watch for mutant radars like a hawk. How dare you fly if you have feet to walk? Good thing she didn't see your face!"
"I'll do anything for you to forgive me! Please! Please! Please!"
Abby stopped in her tracks. Zack stumbled over his own feet, falling backwards. A few feathers danced from underneath his coat.
"Zack, I need to be alone for a while, please?"
"But…I…" Zack sighed in disappointment; his shoulders sagged down, "Alright."
He left a small box in her hands before the sunlight took him away. Abby sniffed her tears away and slowly opened the box, only to be greeted by a diamond ring that twinkled in the brightness of the day. A small ribbon with gold letters was left beside it.
~Will you marry me?~
A vibration from her purse made her jump. Abby hurriedly shuffle for her phone. She received a signal from .
"Samir Aryaan has been spotted not too far from here. It's time to tell Kimbra!" his voice rejoiced.
Zack was safe but Abby feared for Ashlen McCloud.
XXXXXXX
Alexis Nix Martin naturally avoided people. With her hair the colour of her beloved ocean, tan skin speckled with green freckles and crimson eyes, her features were salient among the ongoing hunt for mutants.
She was still recovering after Belias' death, the former being an important fatherly figure to her. Now that Ace had eliminated him, his high ranked position was handed to her. She was now on par with the likes of Ryan Veronnes, Samir Aryaan and Marcus Brewer, who were some of the top ranked mutants of the Red Insurgents.
Her heart was like heavy lead inside her chest as she followed Samir through the secret passageway. Her red eyes watched his lean form glide in front of her. It was difficult to apprehend that this was the same boy she grew up with. He was much taller now, almost six foot two in height. She remembered how small he was nine years ago, when she was naught but twelve years of age and he was ten.
His choice of clothing displayed a bit of Ryan's influence since the boy chose smart blouses and trousers with long coats. Alexis preferred more combat style clothing. She was clad in her usual faded cameo shirt and walked around shod-less.
Nine years ago, she recalled the day when she and Ryan were introduced to a scrawny, little boy with gray eyes too large in proportion to his face. He was barely ten years old and too short for his age. He sniffed back the liquid that immoderately dribbled down his nostrils and wiped it away with the hem of his sleeves now and then. Ace entrusted the boy to Belias' care, who took him in like a father would. However, Samir's English was very poor to begin with.
Alexis and Ryan stayed in the same room as the Kurd. Ryan jeered and laughed at the disorientated boy, who would remain unresponsive to his antics. At night, Alexis heard him sob, so she retreated from her bed and embraced his thin form. She remembered how her fingers brushed away the messy, light brown strands away from his forehead. He surveyed her with his large, watery eyes as she lulled him back to sleep.
"You're gonna be okay," she had whispered to him, and watched his dark lashes curl downwards, until they almost tipped his pale cheek.
Samir and Alexis grew close to each other over the next couple of weeks. He trailed after her each day and she kept him under her wing. She quickly became an older sister for him. She taught him English and in return, he used his savings to buy her chocolate. Ryan, being sixteen at the time, cared less about their blossoming friendship. It wasn't until he noticed how gentle the Kurd was becoming that he decided to report the incidence to Ace. The following year, Alexis never saw Ryan and Samir again. Both were taken under Ace's tutelage.
Now, she bumped into them at times during missions. As she watched Samir's back, she wondered if he ever remembered their short lived friendship. The quiet, delicate and fragile little boy, who she was afraid would break with a tip of finger, was now a tall young man that many mutants feared. There was no trace of the gentle demeanour he portrayed as a child. Instead, he had grown into a callous, ruthless murderer. Speaking with him now only sent shivers down her spine. The fact that he attained the authority to kill those who spoke against him only bolstered her fear.
Her thoughts swivelled back to their current mission. Ryan wished for funds so he asked Ace to send Alexis and Samir into one of the companies that privately funded the Triangle Organisation. They were to steal the bank details of this company and vanish before any trace of suspicion.
She was aware how irritated Samir was with the mission. To him, this mission was for the common Red Insurgent, not somebody of high status like him. She was also aware that Ryan was oblivious of her feelings for him, which she harboured at a young age.
Her love for the ocean and his manipulation of water seemed like a match made in heaven for the romanticist. His suave, charisma and leader-like qualities enticed many of the female mutants, including her, and she knew that after Ace, Ryan would be next in line to lead the Red Insurgents. Whether he deserved it or not, she didn't know enough. She barely understood Ryan as a person but he possessed a surreal quality to him that idealised him as a leader. To people (like Samir), he was just another boulder in their way to reach the top.
Unfortunately, Ryan realised Samir's antipathy towards him and he made sure to inform the latter as indirectly as possible, as to which one of them was the future ruler of the Red Insurgents.
Samir stopped to look around once they were in sight of a large skyscraper. They were standing at the back of the building where a few guard dogs howled at them.
"We're here," he told her, his voice lacking any emotion.
Alexis reached for ancient, gold guns. Their intricate designs gleamed despite the imminent storm.
"We can't barge in. Ace wants us to be sneaky as possible," she said.
"I know," Samir sighed with a hint of annoyance.
She stared at him for a bit, taking in the sharp outline of his jaw in front of her and the scintillating fierceness of his eyes. He didn't even glance in her direction. Somewhere deep in the corridors of her mind, she saw the ten year old boy with the messy hair again and she longed to throw her arms around his shoulders but in reality, she was a murderer, working with another murderer.
"Maybe you should use your powers to check out the layout of that building," she suggested. He ignored her and seemed too focused on something else.
"I sense someone racing in our direction," he stated simply and for the first time, his gray eyes bore into her crimson ones and she received a good image of his face.
His right cheekbone was still bruised after his capture by Duce Craen nearly a month ago. One angle of his bottom lip was also blue and one of his eyes had a faint blackness underneath. She was surprised that he presented no scars after that day. However, none of these mishaps interrupted the aesthetic brilliance of his physiognomy. Alexis wondered why Mother Nature was so generous to him.
"Triangle Organistation?"
His response was a nod. Alexis tightened the grip on his guns, measuring the breadth of her surroundings.
"Who?" she asked.
Samir stood silence for a while but a figure slithered out of the shadows like a newborn child, taking the form of a muscular being donned in a metallic suit. Slanted gray eyes were the only features that were visible on the demonic face and dreadlocks flowed behind in a dull fashion.
Alexis' eyes widened and she was sure her heartbeat echoed in synchrony with the closing distance between her and the intruder. She realised a drop of sweat on Samir's brow. The boy was clearly scared, despite his best efforts to hide this.
"Well Samir Aryaan, we meet again," the demon whispered in a mechanical voice that lacked halcyon warmth.
"Kimbra Carter…"
In a flash, Kimbra raced towards them like an angry bull. Alexis heard her heart skip a beat. She fumbled with her guns to aim at the incoming monster but her limbs were immobilised with fear. Luckily, Samir had his arm extended. Kimbra ended up bashing into an invisible psychic barrier that sent her flying back from where she had first appeared.
She lied on the ground, cackling quietly, her arms sprawled behind her and her eyes gazing at the falling rain. Alexis glanced at Samir, noticing his fingers tremble. She expected him to strike but she sensed he was just as afraid as she was. For a moment, he wasn't Ace's closest hunch-man but another mutant, just like her. He was human, and she tended to forget that. Ace , Ryan and Cut-throat were the only people she believed to lack fear.
The rain started with a few drops before it pounded amongst them, until their hair was stuck to their faces and their clothes impregnated with water. Kimbra heaved herself off the floor like a broken dummy but her eyes bore into their faces until they could have burnt a hole through their heads. The demonic gray eyes were crinkled at the edges. Rain bounced off her metallic suit as she retracted two eight inch long, metallic claws from the knuckles of her gloves.
In another dash, Kimbra hurled her sinewy body against Samir's psychic shield. She pushed her whole weight against the invisible barrier, watching flashes of rainbow light break apart. She jammed her claws into the wall, ripping it apart, screaming with her robotic tone. Alexis aimed her gun at the neurotic woman. Bullets were pointless when Kimbra was halted by the barrier. Her red eyes found the wild gray of the taller woman.
"Somnus!" Alexis cried but it was too late.
Kimbra ripped her way through the barrier. She kicked Alexis in the stomach. The latter gasped, regurgitating her lunch and blood all over the battle ground. Kimbra wasted no time to inspect her injuries. She engaged in hand to hand combat with the mutant boy at the other end.
A beam of lightning lit up the sky and thunder rolled from one end of the sky to another. Alexis knelt in pain. Tears of agony trickled down her cheeks. She wiped the blood away from her mouth. Through her dizzying vision, she saw Kimbra lead Samir towards the wall of the building as they fought. She grabbed his throat when he was cornered and despite his efforts to ram her body with a nearby guard dog using his powers, Kimbra remained persistent to extrude the life out of him.
Alexis gasped for air, standing back to her full height. With shaking hands, she shot at Kimbra. Her bullets pierced into the back of Kimbra's suit but the woman was unaffected by any of them. Instead, she let Samir slide to the floor and turned her attention back to Alexis. Using her claws, she aimed for Alexis' shoulder. The blue-haired girl instantly parried her attack with her gun. Metal zipped on metal and sparks flew about them.
Kimbra forced her claws upon Alexis, the weight of the metal threatened to slice through her ancient guns.
"Give it up, mutant," Kimbra hissed.
Behind them, Samir scrambled back to his feet and gulped for oxygen. People were running amuck, evacuating the building around them. Alexis watched her ally gather his arms higher as if in prayer, collecting all the briefcases from the running crowd.
"Somnus! No!" Alexis yelled but to no avail did he hear her. The horde of briefcases was thrown at her and Kimbra.
Alexis lay beneath the heavy baggage, moaning in pain. She felt as if somebody had pricked red hot needles into every joint of her body. Her pants were torn to the knees and her midriff was completely bare. She heard Kimbra shuffle somewhere beside her before a knee rammed into Alexis' sore stomach and sent her crawling out of the mess. She clutched her stomach, eyes narrowed in agony and her body rolled side to side for relief.
Kimbra was still stranding strong without any hint of weakness. Her suit contained the many bullets that Alexis had shot before. Her eyes beheld wild malice. Samir was floating in the air, his coat flailing behind him every time the autumn wind sighed. His arms were extended, fingers curled like claws, and in front of him was a nearby lamp post that he managed to rip out using his telekinetic abilities.
"You are sick," Kimbra huffed at him before pointing at Alexis, "You would put your friend's life in danger just to fight me?" With that she spat her sputum through her mask, onto the floor to show her revulsion.
"Friend?" Samir drawled, with an arched brow, "I do not know who you're talking about."
Alexis crawled to her knees. Somewhere inside her, something shattered and she gazed at the boy with sadness. Kimbra was laughing through her eyes. Why was her heart twisting inside her chest? She was a Red Insurgent. No one was a friend for anyone but why were her shoulders heavy with sorrow upon Samir's words.
Time reversed inside her mind and she envisioned the scrawny ten-year-old with the eyes that were too large for his face. She remembered how her arms embraced him one night and how her rough yet soothing voice sang him back to sleep, how he would look up to her the coming weeks like a younger brother would to a sister, how he spent the money he earned from Belias to please her with her favourite chocolate.
Alexis was glad that it was raining. The water mingled with her tears and her vision grew to a blur. Voices drowned in mind. The pain in her stomach intensified. She heard Samir and Kimbra fight. The memories of their earlier days gave her strength and Alexis regained the strength to stand. She panted for breath, realising that this was a losing battle.
Kimbra caught the lamp post that Samir was attempting to batter her with. Her synthetic claws struck into the object and leaned low before heaving it towards the mutant boy. Samir was taken by surprise at her sudden display of strength. The lamp post sent him gliding back towards the building. He was outstretched on the floor like a graceful eagle, mouth slightly agape from the shock of pain that surged through his body.
"Samir, get up…" Alexis whispered to herself.
Lightning flashed close to them. The world was spinning. The boy whom she treasured was raised to the sky by Kimbra. Alexis held her hand towards them, allowing the tears to flow from her eyes once again.
In a sudden twist of fate, Kimbra's suit was alight with electricity. She screamed, unable to control the excessive energy that her suit absorbed. Samir took the opportunity to pull off her half-mask, revealing her scarred throat. Kimbra's screams became more wheezy and oxygen-deprived. Alexis threw her gun at the other woman's neck.
When Samir was dropped back to the ground, Alexis ran to his side and helped him stand with his arm around her shoulder for support. He gave her a curious look before one of his long fingers wiped a glitter of water away from her eyes.
"It's the rain," she lied.
They turned their attention to a new figure standing on top of a floating, parked car not too far from them. The figure belonged to that of a teenage girl with choppy hair and glowing blue yes. Her hands were endowed with waves of blue electricity. Her nose piercing gleamed as she traced her path towards them.
Kimbra was rolling on the floor in an attempt to get rid of the excess energy that heated her suit. Her hair was crisp and her eyes were brimming with angry tears.
"Bastards!" she screamed demonically in her less superior, wheezy voice.
The girl, who was the cause of her agony, summoned another wave of lightning and hurled it at the Triangle hunter, making sure that the voltage completely knocked her out.
"I hate 'em freaks. Fookin' lunatic," the girl uttered in a rough yet distinct accent.
"Who are you?" Alexis asked inquisitively.
Samir grunted beside, clearly outraged that the girl managed to defeat Kimbra Carter in two hits while he struggled to leave her with a scratch.
"Me name's Ashlen McCloud…But yous can call me Ash, provided you listen to my request."
A/N: I hate to stop it there because it was gonna be too long! (This is 12 pages in total...Wow!) Anyways apologies for the late update. I've been so busy with college and exams lately. Many thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. Your support is much appreciated. Once again, special thanks to Labyrinth-Designer. He's awesome!
Featured OCs:
Precious-Daye Knight (Cut-throat) by Blue-Kitsune 13
Johnathan Jones (Nerves) by sco23
Texas Law (Boxer) by Labyrinth-Designer
Abby Strong and Kimbra Carter by TheWriting23
Zack Rogers (Angelus) and Samir Aryaan (Somnus) by me
Alexis Nix Martin (Domino) by goodgirl275
Ash McCloud (Shockwave) by Ninja Kat Is Stalking You