"The tape. Hnn. I need three pieces at least a foot long and then three smaller pieces." Noriko accepted them from Mumen Rider, working by lantern light in her apartment. She winced, pressing the first strip along one of her wounds. The mirror showed that her flesh was dark with blood, the skin around the cuts an irritated shade of red.

"Noriko-san, this is a bad idea. You should go to a hospital," the man spoke up. He felt his stomach turn as he saw her apply the duct tape to her injuries, just imagining how much it hurt and how horrible it would be when she removed them. "Please just let me-"

"Hn. If we're friends, it's just Noriko. Okay? And I'll make you a deal. I'll go to the hospital when I'm done."

"What? Wait, what are you planning to do? N-Noriko, you lost a lot of blood already. If you push yourself too much, you might collapse."

"Here! Emiko got what you wanted." The little girl returned from the kitchen with a bottle of painkillers and a glass of water. "Is this really gonna help?"

"It'll do for now." Noriko shook out twice the normal amount someone would need and swallowed them with a gulp. Looking at the other two, her lips contorted in conflict. "Mumen Rider, I'm sorry, but can I ask you to do something for me?"

"Um…sure thing. What is it?"

"I need you to take Emiko somewhere safe and guard her, okay?" The catgirl pushed herself to stand and felt instantly weak. She shook her head, curling her hand into a tight fist as her other hand steadied her against the wall. I'm fine! I have to be! I have to do this! I can't…let something like that happen! If that witch is out then he might be out, too!

Mumen Rider turned away as she peeled off her blood-soaked shirt and met Emiko's curious gaze. "A-alright. We're going to the police station in City Z. Let me know when you're back. I'm not letting you skip going to the hospital."

"Hnn. You worry too much. I'm a cat; I heal faster than you and I'm adaptable." She pulled on a clean tank top and ran her fingers through her hair to detangle it. Once it was secured into a ponytail, she looked to her friends. "I guess. Hn. I can humor you. I'll be back soon. Promise."

Noriko made sure that he got out of the ghost town safely with Emiko before turning her attention to her next task. She moved up to the rooftops as she began traveling toward the train station, wanting to avoid the crowded streets. Grey Kyona. That witch. There's no way that she would pass up the opportunity to show off. She probably repaired Kenta so she can let him loose along with whatever else she made; she never does anything small.

The train station was reached and she leapt up onto a train that was speeding toward the next city. She thought back to the monster she had faced and shivered. He had been strong and fast, like the other altered humans from the Grey Corporation laboratories, but less human. He reminded her of a feral animal. Being less human made him that much more dangerous. There was no talking to him, no attempts to reason with him would have worked. The only way to stop him was death.

When the train came to a stop, she hopped down and immediately began to run into the city. Leaping up to a low rooftop, she paused to get her bearings. I might not even need to do anything. I might be wrong. I just can't risk it. Genos was able to beat Kenta. If that creep was repaired and upgraded, he's going to target Genos first to show that he's stronger. Her left ear twitched and she turned, catching sight of something on a rooftop in the distance.

The figure was only vaguely familiar to her and she had to think for a moment about what he had called himself. When she finally recognized him as Speed o' Sound Sonic, she felt irritation bubbling up. Him. Another creep. I don't have time for this though. She saw him disappear over the edge of the roof and people began screaming. Her hero instincts kicked in and she found herself pursuing the man.

Both blades were drawn and she sprinted after him down the street, not even sure what he was doing yet knowing that he should probably be stopped. As he turned toward her, she caught sight of his grin and shivered. "Hnn…what's so amusing? You think this is a game?! What are you doing here?"

Sonic stared past her and moved effortlessly, kicking her in the midsection. She managed to swipe a blade at him at the last second, landing a shallow cut across his cheek before her body flew backwards. Noriko's back slammed into something solid and a clawed hand quickly grabbed her neck, forcing her head back. No! No, no, no! Not this again! Why did I have to be right?!

Kenta smirked down at her, the pupils of his eyes widening. "My girl. Huhuhuh! Here you are! You came looking for me?" he taunted. His other arm wrapped around her swiftly, pinning her upper arms against him. The cyborg's nose twitched and drool collected at the corner of his mouth. "You smell like cat's blood~"

"Let go of me! I'll end you! I'll finish you once and for all!"

"I was going to have some fun with that little lady over there, but you saved me the fuckin' trouble and brought me some entertainment. Aww. Look at that face; you're so pissed off right now. I'm going to have so much fun-"

"Hn. Hnhnhn! Are you serious?" Noriko subtly shifted her hands, mentally preparing herself for what was to come. She let her muscles relax little by little as she glowered up into the cyborg's red eyes. "You think that's a lady?"

"What are you talking about, little one? She's-" Kenta tensed behind her, his grip tightening on her neck and around her body. The mixed smell of oil and blood filled the air around them. "You little bitch!"

Tears ran down Noriko's face, her teeth gritted against the pain. She was shoved away from Kenta and moved quickly, sliding her blades free from her thighs. The catgirl had impaled her own limbs to be able to reach him and it had definitely paid off. The swords had pierced deep enough to damage the wiring in his legs and oil was spilling out everywhere. His legs were beginning to shake and it was obvious that he was having trouble maintaining his balance.

I'll heal quickly, she reminded herself. I just can't let him go after Genos! She looked over her shoulder at Sonic, who was watching all of this with a grin. Damn it. I can't keep fighting in this condition. What can I do? Something sharp pierced her shoulder and forced her attention back to Kenta. There was a cable now running from his palm up to a projectile that had sunk deep into her flesh.

As she reached to dislodge it, there was a pull forward and she found that she was being dragged toward him. Cursing, she began to frantically stab at the thick cable with her swords to try to sever it, but it was no use. When she tried to pull the object out of her skin, she realized that it was hooked in there. The harder she pulled, the more imbedded it seemed to become.

Her heart raced as she tried to come up with a plan. If Kenta got her, there was no telling what he might do. She was in no condition to fight and his mobility was severely limited. He would be eager to incapacitate her. Noriko glanced from him to Sonic as the ninja continued to watch. Blood ran from the man's cheek and she knew what she had to do. She had hoped that she could go without using Sonic, but it was clear that she would need to use his blood.

Taking a deep breath, she threw back her head. "Saitama! Saitama, help me! I-I need a strong hero! Please! I need the strongest person in the world to help me!" she shouted as loudly as possible. In an instant, Sonic was in front of her, grinning, and she knew she had to move fast. Using the last of her strength, she launched herself up and threw her arms around his neck. Noriko rubbed her face directly against his cut, smearing the man's blood over her nose and mouth.

The effect was instantaneous. Her eyes widened and adrenaline rushed through her veins. The catgirl's lips curled into a smile as she released the man and a hand reached to the sharp object in her shoulder. It was yanked free with a splatter of blood and little bits of flesh. The left side of her tank top was quickly drenched, red and sticky. Reaching up, she smeared some of her own blood around her mouth and pushed herself to stand. The swords were twirled for a moment, her grip adjusting as she stared over at the dark-haired cyborg.

"You're so full of yourself that you never think about what other people can do. You've always been that way. Hnhnhn. Feral cat mode. I don't even know what to do with you now. I don't want you dead yet; I think I'd rather play around a little." She licked blood from the top of her hand and grinned. "Yeah, there's an idea. Let's paint the street black with the "blood" of a cyborg."

"Huhuhuh! You can't beat me, little one! We both know how weak you really are! You might be strong against those other organic little pets, but I'm the top dog at Grey Corporation! Their pride and joy! The epitome of life forms! I can do anything you can do, but better!"

"So why were your legs damaged so easily? I saw what she did. She stabbed through herself to get to you so the blades didn't get very far into your body. Why are you shaking? Faulty wiring?" Sonic wiped the blood from his cheek and studied the cyborg as Kenta's trembling grew worse. "I thought that Grey Corporation was supposed to make powerful bio weapons. That was what that woman told me when she asked me to watch you today. Obviously it was false advertising."

"Hn. Where's the woman?" Noriko watched him from the corner of her eye, knowing that she could not trust him. Even if it seemed like he was turning against Kenta, she could not know his true motives. He had supposedly been recruited to work for Grey and Noriko knew that he was strong.

"Dance, kitten!"

She had no time to react. A strong bolt of electricity raced up her right arm and through her body, making her tense up. The pain had her seeing white and when the electricity left her body, she fell to the ground. Tears of agony ran from her eyes as her muscles twitched, sending waves of pain through her. No…no! I have to move! I have to do something! Come on! The girl's limbs refused to obey and she watched helplessly as the woman approached her, grinning.

"I'm going to take such good care of you, kitten! We'll get you back to the lab…clean you up…and I'll give you a nice treat! How about that?!" She crouched down and reached for Noriko's left feline ear.

"Change of plans." Metal glinted in front of Noriko's face for an instant before her body was lifted and slung over a shoulder. A hand pressed at her lower back, the other holding a weapon and directing it at the Grey Corporation employee and her cyborg. "I'll be taking this as payment. She isn't a prize herself, but I'm sure I can use her to get Saitama's attention. What do you think, kitty? You think he'll come save you?" It was all she heard before everything went dark.