PART NINE : " Pugnacity "
I didn't sense him coming! Max stood slowly as her mind instantly switched modes and raced with possible actions she could take. There's only one road out, the trees are too dense to take the bike through them and he probably has reinforcements although he normally comes at me alone... she zipped through a dozen tactical scenarios in less than a second.
It also occurred to her that David was wandering around the upstairs somewhere with a shotgun. He didn't stand a chance against Ames.
Keep him distracted. "If you hurt anyone you won't have anything to barter with me for." she stated. "Let's behave until we're outside. Deal?"
White appeared to consider this. "No deal." he said, and shot Sharon in the shoulder. She cried out as she fell backwards from the force of the impact, and landed on the floor painfully. "Now, if you come with me, her son should be able to call 911. But if you don't, I'll have to shoot him as well when comes downstairs. And don't try leaving the room or I'll finish the job on your dear sweet aunt."
That settled things to just one remaining course of action. He's already cut the phone lines, he'd never risk the distraction. Ames entered the house, gun held towards Max. "Call the kid. And don't mov...." Max launched herself at him, kicking the gun from his hand with one kick, and slamming him in the chest with her other leg.
White was launched backwards through the screen door, out onto the front porch and slid up to Max's bike. After a few moments of being motionless, he shook his head and sat up, dusting himself off. "David!" she called, but he was already at his mother's side. "I heard the shot, but Mom taught us to wait and listen. I can take care of her."
Max tossed David her cell phone; "Hit 'star two' then enter and tell whoever answers what happened. And lock the door." as she went outside and closed the door after her. She turned and saw that White was no longer on the ground. In fact, she couldn't see him anywhere. She crouched and listened carefully to the surroundings, then instinctively propelled herself upwards as White tore through the air where she had just stood. White slammed into the table at the end of the porch, reducing it to kindling and splinters. When she landed, she moved out to the front yard into an open area.
White gathered himself and calmly walked into the yard. "I can't afford to take it easy on you this time, 452." He launched a blurring attack of strikes and kicks that Max blocked easily at first but then with increasing difficulty. As quickly as they began, the attacks stopped. He began slowly circling her, watching her movements as she continued her defensive stance. I have to keep him distracted until David can get help for Sharon...
"This time, it's more than just my duty to the Conclave. My son is at risk, and it's your FAULT!" He struck her in the sternum with a side strike. Max hadn't seen a strike as fast as that since Manticore, and she didn't react quick enough to block. The impact of the blow took her off her feet and she rolled backwards as she hit the ground, feeling the sharp pain as the air rushed out of her lungs. Yeah, a broken sternum or a couple of broken ribs ought to do me wonders. She flipped back onto her feet and parried off with Ames.
Another series of strikes and parries left her unable to draw breath. She spun and caught White with a spinning kick, sending him landing a couple of yards away. Max took the time this provided to gather herself and focus. Her chest hurt like hell, but it didn't feel like anything was broken. Must have just got the wind beat out of me... she thought.
White got to his feet slowly. I may have to kill her outright. It hadn't really registered with him that he might have to kill her outright, even when Legion stated it as an option. He'd always assumed that he'd be able to capture and question her, then send her to be dissected. She obviously had some innate fighting skill other than what she'd been taught by Manticore in her early years. Could even be something in that no-junk genetic soup that Sandeman threw together.
Switching tactics, he began initiating tactical, methodical strikes intended to overpower his opponent. Max was able to block most of these moves but the power of the strikes was beginning to wear her down. She knew they were designed to force her to expend energy in repelling them; soon she would tire and he would strike and there wasn't anything she could do defensively to stop it.
She switched to offensive maneuvers and begin aggressing White with her own form of attacks, but every time she would instigate an attack form on him; he'd alter his attack technique so she'd be forced to revert back to defensive moves. She just couldn't seem to get a solid fighting routine set to put him down.
Then suddenly the moment Max feared came; he practically exploded in an attack of sheer strength that she was too worn down to defend against. She was about to step out of the range of his strikes so she could reposition her placement when she became aware of a presence nearby in the forest. It only took that fraction of a second distraction when a fist strike that slammed into her shoulder caused her entire side to explode in pain and then go numb.
That was bad timing... she quipped to herself as she fought the pain. Remind me to complain to the manager. She tried to defend against him with one arm, but she was slowed beyond even her ability to rectify. She could feel herself begin to feel afraid of White for the first time since she'd known him.
This was worse than anything she had ever experienced, even against those implant-enhanced revved up soldiers. She was being defeated, and there didn't seem to be anything she could do. She'd told Logan once that she had been afraid of those soldiers, but this was the first time she'd began to feel panic.
Max was slammed by a kick that seemed to come from nowhere and she felt herself hit the ground. All she could see were stars, and knew she had lost. I'm so sorry, Logan... she incoherently reflected. I thought I could take him.
She could make out White walking up to her, a look of hatred on his face. He knelt down and stated "It's over. Because of your meddling they were going to kill my son, but now perhaps I can make sure he's safe." He stood, walked over to a nearby tree and with a display of strength, snapped a large, thick branch from it with little apparent effort. Walking back over to Max, he looked at her with contempt. "Nice knowing you, 452." He quipped as he raised the makeshift club over his head.
She gathered her focus and strength to kick his legs out from under him, but before she could act she watched him drop the branch behind him as he jerked twice. He turned around and she saw that he had been shot. Good for you. she delusionally complimented him in her mind. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
She saw him jerk twice more, and she closed her eyes in relief. She opened them abruptly however as he landed on her full force, knocking what breath she had left out of her. 'Ooooooopphh!" she said loudly, then nearly bit down on her tongue when the pain of her shoulder exploded again.
After she mentally reduced the pain down to a manageable roar, she moved White off her with her leg. She couldn't tell if he was dead or not, but there was enough blood to make her believe that he was at least out of commission for the time being. She looked around for the sniper, and was rewarded with the vision of seeing someone step out of the forest area.
She couldn't make the figure out at this distance, though normally she could identify the number and color of a playing card a good sight more distant that the fellow currently was. She was damned if she was going down easy though, if whomever it was intended to take her out along with White.
She played dead until the figure was close enough and lashed out with her legs as she had intended to do to White, but the man anticipated the move and jumped just in time to avoid it. He failed to react to the sudden reversal however, and hit the ground on his back.
She had gained enough of her breath back to ignore the rush of pain as she rolled upward in a calculated move that put her in a kneeling position with her left knee on the man's neck. She noted that the gun had been knocked a couple of yards away, then took in the pained expression of the face under her leg; the rugged and annoyed face of Donald Lydecker.