"Maria, what did they do to you?" Hanna asks, her eyes moist with tears. "Please, fight it!"
"Kitty must complete her mission, for it will please mistress," Maria replies, her voice lacking its usual brightness.
"Please, you must fight it!" Hanna begs. "I'm your best friend! You wouldn't kill your best friend!"
"Enough!" Danny Brock demands, dropping into the storeroom behind Maria, hanbo ready to strike. "Our mission must be completed!"
"Danny, it's us!" Rob pleads. "You don't want to do this, either of you!"
"Our orders are to kill Hanna Skarlett and Rob Stiil," Dann replies monotonically. "Nothing will divert us from our objective."
Hanna and Rob continue to scramble backwards as Maria and Danny advance. Suddenly, Hanna hits the wall. "Shit!"
Maria senses her opportunity and crouches to pounce.
"Climb!" Rob commands.
Maria pounces, driving her ninjato directly at the place Hanna and Rob were just a second before.
"She actually attacked us," Hanna mumbles quietly, hanging halfway up a shelving unit, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Maria turns to attack Hanna again, swinging her sword wide at the vixen's legs. Hanna reacts on instinct, scrambling onto the top shelf, knocking the contents down on top of the enslaved lynx. Maria tries to dodge the falling items, but there are too many, and several strike her directly. However, they all bounce off harmlessly.
"Meanie is making kitty mad," Maria growls.
I'm so sorry Maria, but I cannot allow you to kill me. Hanna takes a deep breath. "Rob, we need to get out of here!"
"I know, but how?" Rob asks, perched on top of another shelving unit, trying to keep as much distance from Danny as he can.
Hanna looks around frantically for a second. These are free‑standing units! "Bury them!"
With a nod of acknowledgement, Rob starts to rock the shelving unit he's perched on, Hanna doing the same. By the time Maria and Danny realise what's happening, it's too late: the shelving units topple towards each other, breaking apart as they strike each other. Hanna and Rob collide too, his greater weight causing them to tumble roughly down the back of the shelving unit Hanna was on as it falls, landing heavily on the floor. The Skarletts don't hesitate though: they're up almost immediately, sprinting for the nearest exit. Wordlessly, they rip away the barricading until there's a gap just large enough, through which they flee.
Maria emerges from the wreckage just in time to see the Skarletts escaping out the door. Sheathing her weapons, she sets off in pursuit, Danny following a moment later.
Meanwhile, a few hundred yards inside Kasai‑dojo, Tsubaki Moto and Kaede Himura are pinned by a four‑man kill‑team.
"I told you we were walking into a kill‑zone!" Kaede barks. "And now we're pinned, certain to die if we try anything!"
"You didn't have to follow me," Tsubaki replies calmly, her remaining good ear moving constantly to catch every tiny sound.
"Someone has to make sure you don't get killed!" Kaede snaps.
"Run to that low wall over there," Tsubaki instructs, pointing with her fire katana.
Kaede follows the line of the sword. "You're kidding, right?"
"Just do it."
"You want me to be bait."
"A distraction."
"I have enough holes, thank you very much."
"Then run quickly."
Kaede, knowing she doesn't have any other option, takes a deep breath, then sprints to the low wall Tsubaki instructed her too. The shooters open fire on the pika, but initially, they all miss. However, as Kaede gets just ten feet from the other cover, one of the shooters gets their aim true.
The bullet punches a hole right through the centre of Kaede's right calf, lodging itself deep in the muscle.
With a pained yelp, Kaede stumbles, but somehow remains on her feet long enough to collapse safe in cover. Grimacing, Kaede tears the leg of her jeans where the bullet punched through. She then takes a small tube of superglue from her belt, using it to glue the bullet wound shut. With the wound securely closed, Kaede ties the torn denim over the wound as a makeshift bandage.
"Nice work," Tsubaki compliments, leaning on top of the low wall Kaede is hiding behind. "Can you walk?"
Kaede fixes Tsubaki with a thunderous stare. "You're psychotic."
"Simply using the resources at hand," Tsubaki waves dismissively.
"Add deranged to the list," Kaede growls, standing painfully. "They're all dead then."
"Obviously."
"Fine. Then you'll have no problem continuing alone," Kaede decides.
"Coward," Tsubaki spits.
"I've been shot and can barely walk!" Kaede snaps. "Continuing would be suicide!"
"You'd only slow me down anyway, even if you were fit," Tsubaki mocks as she walks away, heading deeper into the dojo.
Kaede watches Tsubaki go. Why did I ever agree to work with that psycho? Oh, wait, it was my idea in the first place. I'll rephrase: Why did I ever think working with that psycho was a good idea? Grimacing with every step, Kaede limps back out of the dojo.
Hanna and Rob sprint as fast as they can, trying desperately to put some space between themselves and the pursuing lynx to give them enough time to work on a plan of action. But Maria is faster than them both, one of the fastest in the whole of the Red Scarves, and is keeping up with relative ease.
"We can't lose her! She's too fast!" Hanna exclaims.
"Split up!" Rob decides.
At the next intersection, Rob turns hard right. Hanna attempts to turn hard left, but without her tail, she takes a tumble. She doesn't let it slow her down though: she rolls gracefully back onto her feet and resumes running.
Maria follows Rob.
Hanna risks a look over her shoulder, sliding to a halt when she realises she isn't being followed. Shit! Hanna sprints back the way she came, desperate to catch up with Maria before she can harm Rob. But as she gets to the intersection, she is tripped by a hanbo swung at her ankles. Instinct kicks in, and she tucks and rolls as she falls. Returning to her feet, she spins as she lets momentum carry her away from Danny Brock's follow‑up attack, catching the hanbo as she hits the ground. But she doesn't stop there: she kicks her attacker hard in the abdomen, sending him flying over her head.
Danny rolls onto his feet as Hanna leaps back onto hers. "Nice try," the badger growls, crimson eyes flashing with anger.
Hanna unholsters her nunchaku, but doesn't start twirling them. "Danny, please, let me help both you and Maria."
"I'm afraid I cannot allow that," Danny denies.
"I won't go easy on you like I would on Maria," Hanna warns, starting to twirl her nunchaku.
"Without your tail, you're compromised," Danny observes.
"I may have no tail, but I'm still the best fighter in the Scarves," Hanna boasts aggressively.
"Then prove it," Danny challenges.
"Gladly," Hanna grins threateningly.
A few blocks away, Rob risks a look over his shoulder to see Maria not only following him, but getting closer. Knowing Maria will catch up before long, Rob decides it's time to get creative. Darting down an alleyway, he leaps up to a fire escape that leads to a roof. As he climbs, he's not surprised to see Maria climbing after him.
Two stories up, Rob makes his move. Leaping over the rail and off the fire escape, he lands on a closed dumpster, rolls off the end, then runs out the alleyway and turns back towards the intersection. A glance over his shoulder confirms that he's greatly increased the distance between him and Maria.
As he arrives at the intersection, he sees Hanna and Danny in a frantic battle. Drawing his sai, he charges into the fray, barging Danny hard away from Hanna.
"You handle Maria," Rob commands Hanna as he passes his wife.
"Will do," Hanna agrees, turning and sprinting to intercept the pursuing lynx.
Rob pounces on Danny, but the badger is ready for the attack. As he lands on his back, Danny raises his hanbo, blocking Rob's thrusting sai.
"Remember who you are!" Rob pleads.
Danny's eyes flash silver briefly before the Shade Virus reasserts itself. The badger kicks Rob hard between the legs, then pushes the grimacing hare off to one side. As Rob tries to block out the pain and get up, Danny jumps onto his feet, then stamps hard on Rob's lower back, pinning the hare to the ground.
Danny raises his hanbo for the killing blow. Rob closes his eyes and awaits his fate.
The hanbo clatters to the ground, discarded.
Rob feels the weight lift off his back, then friendly hands help him to his feet.
"Nothing I can say or do can make up for attempting to kill you," Danny apologises, his eyes back to their usual silver, with not even the slightest hint of crimson. "Just know‑"
"You weren't yourself," Rob interrupts, embracing his friend. "It's good to have you back."
"It's good to be back," Danny replies, returning Rob's embrace. "I fear I have a lot to atone for."
"Once the truth is exposed, you'll be forgiven," Rob assures, breaking the hug. "Now let's help Hanna."
Danny recovers his hanbo as both friends turn to see the battle between Hanna and Maria end. Hanna gets her nunchaku wrapped around Maria's ninjato, but before she can disarm the lynx, Maria spins unexpectedly. The vixen's grip fails, and her nunchaku are torn from her hands.
Hanna freezes in place, stunned she was disarmed so easily.
It's a fatal mistake.
"Maria, stop!" Rob and Danny plead in chorus, but it's too late: Maria completes her spin and drives the full length of her ninjato through Hanna's abdomen.