Noriko had suffered when she was taken to the Grey Corporation laboratory when she was a child. She suffered for years until she was able to escape. Every day leading up to that had been pain. Enduring experiments that the scientists ran on her, being poked with various needles, fighting for her life when they pitted her against Kenta or when she had to protect one of the younger test subjects.
There were nights when she would curl up in her cell and wonder if life would ever get better. Some days, she just wanted to let go and slip away. When she thought about what might happen to the others, she knew that death was not an option. If she died, they would be left with no protector. Grey Corporation would try to find the next strongest test subject by forcing them to fight Kenta.
The catgirl thought about those days as she lay curled up on the floor of the underwhelming little hideout. She licked her lips, tasting blood and wincing at the dryness of her skin. Noriko's wounds stung, even hours after Sonic had tended to them. Her limbs ached from the day's earlier activities, but the pain was made worse by her current position.
Before he turned in for the night to a separate little room, her arms had been forced behind her back and bound tightly with rope. Her arms were bent at the elbow, arms tied from the forearms down to the wrists. A chain was integrated into the binding and secured to a eyelet on the wall behind her so if she tried to move too far from the wall, it would make noise and alert him.
It was next to impossible for her to even consider sitting up though, let alone getting up and trying to get to the door. Her legs were bound in an equally uncomfortable way; her calves pressed against the back of her thighs and then both legs tied together. She had initially struggled in hopes of getting the ropes loose at least, but they were tight.
She closed her eyes against the darkness and her tail twitched side to side. I've still endured worse. This pain won't last, she reminded herself. It was still unclear what Sonic intended to do with her. His plan to use her as bait to lure Saitama seemed to have been forgotten after she told him that she meant next to nothing to the bald hero. He had used her as a practice dummy for fighting techniques the previous day and mentioned doing it again in the future.
Noriko knew that it could not continue that way. He's not stupid. It won't be as easy as just trying to trick him into letting me go. I have to be smart about this. I don't want to die. I'm sure that if he gets desperate enough for Saitama's attention, he might think that killing me would force him to react. She tried to shift onto her other side, feeling the blood circulation in her right arm slow. The limb felt tingly and it magnified her discomfort.
Thinking about Saitama made her think about the other two. Emiko was surely upset that she had been gone for so long. The child was still hesitant to trust Genos and Saitama. With any luck, Mumen Rider would have offered to watch her until Noriko returned. Genos was probably, hopefully, looking for her. Though it would take him a while to find her. More than likely, he was working off of no leads. She was not sure if anyone had even seen Sonic take her.
The most logical places for Genos to begin searching would be the Grey Corporation facilities. He knew her well enough to know how dedicated she was to liberating the other altered humans. He's probably going to go to each facility to look for me and that could take a while. By the time he suspects that it was Speed o' Sound Sonic, it might be at least a week.
Noriko released a scream as the door came flying across the room, smashing into splinters against the wall behind her. She opened her eyes a little and felt her pulse skip a beat. "Genos!"
The light from his glowing palm cast shadows across his face, but his eyes were unmistakably fixed on her. He started into the room with confident steps. "Noriko, I apologize for the delay. I am here to bring you home."
"Genos, be careful! He's still here!"
"I am aware. I refuse to return without you." He crouched down, staring intently at the ropes and chain that were binding her limbs.
The catgirl's eyes widened, her pupils dilated. Her feline DNA allowed her certain cat characteristics so her vision in the dark was better than a human's. She was able to see the outline of her captor as he slipped from the other room's open doorway and then the glint of his weapon as the moonlight caught it. "GENOS!"
He turned and lifted an arm in time to block the downward sweep of Sonic's blade, sparks flying up when the two metal objects met. Glaring at the man, he stood and forced him back several feet with a thrust of his arm. "You are the one that injured and captured Noriko."
Sonic's grin made the girl think of a predator about to pounce of wounded prey. "She was already damaged when she came to me. I didn't do anything worse than what that other chunk of scrap metal did to her."
Noriko bared her fangs, her tail swiping side to side in outrage. She wanted to attack him. Not just for talking about her that way, but for trying to harm Genos when the cyborg attempted to save her. He's lucky that these ropes are so tight! I don't think I would even need feral mode to be find the strength to tear him apart right now!
"If you intended to use Noriko as to lure Master Saitama here for a fight, you will be disappointed. I am not leaving this building without her and I will not let you get away with abducting her. Whether or not you injured Noriko, you still kept her imprisoned here and had cruel intentions. I will-"
"You talk too much." Sonic was abruptly above him, having leapt up and drawn his sword back. The tip of the blade was positioned as if to pierce through the cyborg's shoulder, but Genos rapidly moved to dodge. The katana struck against the wall above Noriko, making her flinch. Now standing over her, putting himself between the catgirl and the blond cyborg, Sonic's lips spread to an unprofessionally wide grin. "I found a toy that can take a lot of damage and repair itself. You think I'll give it up that easily?" he taunted.
"Noriko is not a toy." The cyborg hero's eyes glowed in the darkness as he moved into a fighting stance. Without any further words, he rushed forward with machine gun blows. Sonic dodged the attacks, just becoming more and more excited as the fight progressed.
The catgirl tried to move closer to the wall to put distance between herself and their battle, but it was difficult with all of her limbs bound. She inadvertently rubbed her wounded shoulder against the wall when she did get close and released a low hiss of agony. Her vision went black for a moment, her eyes tearing up when the pain faded to a dull ache.
Hearing her in pain seemed to be what Genos needed to urge him to finish quickly. He managed to deliver a kick that sent Sonic smashing into the kitchen wall. The ninja was soon back and retaliated fiercely, but when Genos expelled a potently sticky substance onto the floorboards, he found himself trapped.
It was only now that Noriko could fully appreciate the absurdity of the fight. Genos looked undeniably cool. He almost always did. The sight of him in battle, with his eyes and parts of his metal body glowing, was breathtaking. It made her heart race with excitement, her face burn faintly with admiration. Sonic, on the other hand, looked considerably less cool.
She had failed to notice when he first appeared, but now that he was stuck in one place, Noriko started to feel ridiculous for being held captive by him. He had not put on his usual assassin's clothes for this fight. No; he had opted to come out in what appeared to be boxers with a shuriken pattern and a black tank top. Essentially, he had decided to challenge the cyborg while wearing pajamas.
Now he was stuck in the strange substance, glowering at the two heroes as he struggled to try to free himself. His balance faltered when he tried to move, sending him falling to his knees. The ninja's cold grey eyes widened when his skin made contact with the substance and he had to resist putting his hands down to try to pry himself out of it. "What is this?" he demanded, looking to Genos again.
The blond was crouching down near the catgirl hero, working to free her from the ropes binding her arms and legs. "That is a powerful adhesive that was created by Dr. Kuseno. It was created as countermeasure to opponents that rely heavily on their speed." He succeeded in getting her limbs free, but saw a pained expression on her face. "Are you alright, Noriko? Did he harm you?"
"Hngh. The wounds on my back…and my shoulder…are from Kenta. The bruises and little cuts are from him." Her sharp green eyes narrowed upon Sonic as Genos lifted her. He was very careful as he held her bridal style, letting her head rest against his metal chest.
Sonic's grin was gone and replaced with a furious scowl. He was struggling, but refused to put his hands down on the floor for leverage. He knew that if he did that, there would be absolutely no chance of escape. The man's glare shifted from the adhesive up to Noriko and he looked like he might tear his own flesh off to free himself just so he could get to her. "You think you've won? I won't be beaten this easily. Go ahead and enjoy your little taste of freedom while it lasts."
"There is no escaping from that adhesive," Genos stated. He stood just at the edge of the puddle, glowering down at Sonic with pure hatred. "I have informed other heroes of your location, as well as the police. If the police do not reach you first, the heroes will and you will not escape. You will be placed in prison and be unable to bother Master Saitama again."
"You're cocky for a lowly disciple. Do you really think that a prison can hold me?" the ninja taunted. "I'm not done. I'll come for him as soon as I get out!"
"Hnn. You've lost! What part of that do you not understand?!" Noriko snapped, turning to fully look at him. Just the simple fact that he was down on the floor, trapped in that kneeling position while she was being held so delicately above him, made her start to realize how pitiful he really was. He had seemed so cunning and dangerous before, but now she could only see how powerless he appeared.
"Do you want me to incinerate him?"
"No…leave him for the other heroes." As she spoke, she saw Sonic's face contort first with alarm and then unbridled fury. Noriko was sure that if Genos had not trapped him, the ninja would surely have decapitated her by this point. Despite the pain she was in, the catgirl's lips pulled into a smirk that was very feline in appearance. "Hn? Sonic. You look weak. Pathetic."
The sound that left his lips was like a choked growl as he struggled once more to try to free himself. The adhesive was sticking tightly to his legs, effectively keeping him in place as the cyborg moved around the substance and carefully avoided him. Genos left the door to the shabby apartment wide open when they took their leave, allowing them to hear as Sonic called threats after them.