Bubble Gum HYTE (Fan-fic)
Source: Bubble Gum Crisis/Crash
Author: LV426
Chapter 6: Confrontation
Leon looked up from his desk when the phone rang. He wasn't expecting any calls, and his expression showed his surprise. Stunned, he didn't respond immediately. However, the person on the other end must have been patient or persistent as hell, so after about five rings, he picked it up.
"Hello, Leon here," he said kinda groggily. He knew he sounded tired, but wouldn't argue. He felt it throughout him.
"Hey Leon. It's me, Priss," she was quiet a moment before continuing. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok..." her voice was hurried... as if she was trying to justify the call.
Leon smiled to himself, somehow comforted by that. "I'm alright... how about you?" He smirked as he went on, unable to help himself, "Seems you made quite the scene at headquarters."
Priss went silent for a moment. "You saw, huh?"
"Yep! I only wish I could have been there to see what you did to the chief!"
A slight laugh on Priss' side. "I'll try to remember that." A moment of silence on the line followed.
Leon finally broke it with a serious tone. "Priss? Thank you for checking on me. Seems you and Daley are the only ones to care." His voice was still a little quiet though. He was forcing himself to say this.
Priss, for her part, remained silent, but Leon would wait. He was glad to see she was on his side in this. In anything, really. But his attention was drawn away for a moment, as the sound of his door opening drew it. "Priss, could you give me a moment?" Without waiting for an answer, he put the phone gently on his desk. "Daley? Is that you?"
There was no answer. Now concerned, Leon stepped into the kitchen. "Daley?" Still nothing. The door was still shut and nothing had been moved. No one was in here at all. With a shrug and a sigh, knowing he was probably gonna get hell from Priss for this, he strolled back into his living quarters and picked up the phone again.
"Leon? You back? Why the HELL did you leave like that?" Priss seemed more like she was trying to be angry then actually angry this time.
"Sorry, Priss. I could have sworn someone came in. I thought Daley had decided to try to cheer me with a visit."
"Wasn't him, huh?"
"Wasn't anyone. Maybe I'm just going nuts."
Priss didn't answer right away, as if choosing how she would. Finally it seemed sarcasm won over. "Was there any doubt?"
Leon smirked despite himself...
* * *
If the SUV had room, Clax would be pacing by now. No one should have gone in that apartment, much less someone he had never heard of. That alone was maddening, and it showed in his piercing green eyes. "Any word on who that man is?"
"No, Sir" Moria responded quickly, still on the search, as well as listening for anything the base of operations might come up with. She had heard that tone in Clax's voice before, and knew the full meaning behind it. She didn't even need to see the anger in his eyes. "This man doesn't seem to even officially exist."
Clax looked at her for a moment, completely struck by that. "What did you just say?"
Moria turned and looked at Clax, him, her dark blue eyes watching him for any signs of her next order. "No one has any records on him. No employment place, no criminal record, no driver's license, no birth certificate... nothing."
Clax went silent. This was beyond all reasoning. If he didn't have better control of himself, he would have punched the side of the vehicle by now. A man should not... no COULD not simply disappear like that. Not here, in one of the most technologically drowned out places in this age of information. Computers ran everything, and there was no way to keep them from getting something on you. They were not just a factor of control, but in some places, they were control. But now before the security cameras, Clax watched a man who had managed the impossible.
"Alright, then the question is how he did it. It isn't like a man could without a lot of outside help. Obviously someone from on high is involved here if it is what it seems," Clax thought, "but, who could Mr. McNichol have gotten wrapped up in that would have that kind of power? There is just no way, is there?" Clax shook his head, immediately rejecting the idea. The detective in question had done a great injustice to the Chang family, but that's what he was here for. The man in McNichol's room, as far as Clax was concerned, was not working for them. "Besides," he added to himself, "it's not our practice to erase the existence of our members."
"Sir?" Moria's voice snapped him from his thoughts.
"What is it, Moria?" Clax was annoyed. The puzzle was driving him insane, and to be interrupted did not help any.
"The guy in there seems to be setting up for the shot."
"WHAT?!? Alright, we can't afford to wait anymore. We move NOW! Get the order out, Moria!"
"YES, SIR!" Moria was already on the task before she spoke.
Clax glared at the screen. The nature of the man's origins were still out of reach, but his mission was now clear. "You are not going to get away with this, my friend," Clax said under his breath, "Mr. McNichol belongs to the Hou Bang. Reika's death must be avenged!" He turned Moria once more, speaking in full volume and authority, "Tell them there are two targets now. For interfering, this man will die too."
With a nod, Moria relayed the message to the already marching troops. Clax smiled to himself before picking up his own pistol and headset. He was out the door as soon as the headset was on. He wanted no mask. It wouldn't be honorable to not look them in the eye before the two men were executed.
* * *
Away from the window, the man stood like a statue, watching and listening as Mr. McNichol spoke on the phone. He didn't even consider the possibility of getting caught. It was simply impossible that his target would see him. He had made sure of that. He would make the kill easily enough. Just as easy, in fact, as the last time. But now his orders were a little more refined.
Already, his gun was aimed and steady in his hand. If he chose to, he could make the kill now, but it would not be as clean as he wanted. His orders were to leave no traces, and shooting now would mean having to hunt the trace in the form of the girl Mr. McNichol was speaking to on the phone. Not that it would be hard to do. He already analyzed the voice to be the young lady who performed with Ms Chang the night he killed her. With that information, he also had her name: Ms. Priss Asigiri. If he wanted it, he could have her life as well within the day.
He listened closely as the two talked, always searching for information that may be useful in the future, but oblivious to the awkward moments, or the laughter. They didn't matter to him. He didn't even feel curious about something so alien to him. He felt nothing, and so it meant nothing.
* * *
Leon continued to talk to Priss, actually enjoying his time. It wasn't often (in fact this was the second time) she called him. And besides, it was great to talk to someone else who wasn't afraid to say just what they thought of the new chief. Well, that's what he told himself, anyway. Truth went a little deeper than that, but he knew Priss would not accept that side of the equation, so he let it go.
"It's a pity that wasn't Daley earlier," Leon added with a smirk. "He would have loved to have heard this."
"He doesn't seem a blemish to your chief, though... he didn't mention him."
"He keeps to himself and the few he trusts about those..." Leon would have continued, but a loud bang from the kitchen startled him out of it. "WHAT THE..."
He didn't finish before he was under gun point. About three men and one woman surrounded him quickly with the kind of precision only trained soldiers should ever be able to reach. They were all in black, nothing besides eyes uncovered. If Leon had not been pre-occupied with the fact that he was staring down four gun muzzles, he might have noticed more about them.
He was barely aware of Priss' concerned calls for him to talk to her, but he could not yet. With no other real choices available, he belted as loud as he could, "What the HELL is this all about?"
The people holding him captive said nothing, but a fairly arrogant and contempt filled voice did answer. "Mr. McNichol... I would think you know already. The moment you pulled the trigger on the lady you knew as Vision, you sealed your fate..." The four foot soldiers stepped aside for their commander to be visible, arms crossed and an expression to match his tone of voice. "Any last words before you die?"
"...And so you too think I killed her," Leon's tone was sullen, then slowly building in anger, "Then I really don't have anything to say to you. Why should I talk to a vigilante who has no idea what the fuck he was talking about?!?"
The man smiled, his jet black hair framing the rather sinister look about him. "I didn't expect you do go without saying something of the sort. Your reputation precedes you."
"Not another move buddy," came from behind the man. He turned to smirk at his trooper.
"You keep him there till I'm done with the detective. Then it will be his turn." He looked into empty space as he said this, leaving Leon with the obvious question: Who the hell was he talking about?
"Yes, sir.... Ok, pal, you heard him. You're going to stay there till.... Shit! CLAX DUCK!"
The leader ducked rather quickly. He had learned a long time ago the best people are the ones loyal to you, and he had encircled himself so. It gave Leon a view of the scene, which was beyond comprehension.
There were another three troops standing in the same fashion as they were around him, but around nothing. The fourth troop was moving to push something, then a loud two bangs were heard in rapid succession.. as two bullet holes found themselves in the wall. Leon blinked and shook his head, but his eyes only remained closed for a split second before he heard bone shatter and screams of absolute agony.
Looking up once more, he saw the killer from last night in the empty spot. In one hand he had a pistol, aimed on Clax. The other one whipped the guard who had been pushing nothing by his leg, which was now bent in three places and moved more like a rope than an arm... in the release, the man was smashed into the wall, cracking it and landing in a pile.
"What the hell? OPEN FIRE!" Clax yelled, just before the thundering of pistols screamed into the night, all trained on the man who had just made such short work of their ally.
Before Clax had even finished giving his command, the man was already reacting; Getting two shots off with his own pistol as he dropped into a roll, leaving one of the remaining three who had encased him was now sprawled on the ground, his head and heart each having one hole in them. The man was not getting a free shot, however, as he now had seven other guns trained on him. Round after round pelted him as he continued to make himself as hard a target as possible. Two more shots, and another man was dead in the same manner as the first.
Clax growled in anger, drawing his own gun. He really wanted Leon to be the one to take that first bullet, but this man had eliminated that chance. "Time to teach him why you don't screw with us," he thought grimly to himself as he aimed and squeezed off a shot. He clipped the man's left arm, leaving a small hole and making him drop his gun. Not nearly as good as he would normally do, but it was enough for now.
By now, no one would have eased up for it either for fear of what this guy is doing or for revenge against their fallen comrades. But then, this was a man who didn't need such a chance. In another role, he was at the wall, and a quick kick off had him back at his gun, which he picked up in one fluid motion, and took several more shots, taking a another three down in the gunfight.
Leon now had time to move, and ducked behind his desk, the sound of it falling lost amid the clap of the gunfight happening. He came back up with his own choice weapon, his custom Magnum Revolver... he took aim and fired.
Now the man had to fall. Unlike what the intruding ones were using, his ammo explodes on impact, and the man was thrown through the window he was now in front of. Leon, still warmed from the blast thanked every deity he had ever heard of the chief had not taken this gun from him. He then turned it on Clax, knowing he wouldn't have another chance to try for an upper hand in this situation. "Enough bullshit. This is now over."
Clax froze in place, his anger showed plainly in his deep green eyes. He had come to avenge Ms Chang, and because some moron had an unheard of pain tolerance, he had now been caught. The other three remaining looked at each other. The fact that Clax had not responded yet was enough to say what was going through his mind. At least till a slim smile crossed his face. He had not failed. Not yet, anyway. "You know, Mr. McNichol, your still suspended from being a real cop."
"And your point?"
Clax turned around, a sinister smile on his face and calm in him once more that only hinted at how evil his mind could be. "You can't arrest me. And if you kill me, my friends will have blown you to pieces before you could even dream of a chance." Clax watched with a sinister smile as his soldiers all aimed on Leon. With a dreadful calm, his own gun followed their example, creating a stalemate with at least two lives on the line.
* * *
"Leon? Leon? LEON! GET BACK ON THE PHONE DAMMIT!" Priss had been trying to get Leon on the phone again since she heard the first gunshots on the line. She knew there was no way she would get there in time if she hung up, so this seemed the best move she had. Finally, she had to admit, he wasn't going to get back. In just plain hopelessness, she slammed the phone down, making Linna jump.
Linna had been listening to Priss scream on the phone for a little while, and recognized the tone and it wasn't anger with Leon as just plain pure worry. "Priss? Is... is everything alright?"
Priss looked at Linna. It took a full 30 seconds before she could reply at all. It didn't occur to her that Linna couldn't hear the gunshots that still echoed in her memory. "I have to go, Linna... Do me a favor and call the police to Leon's... now." She didn't offer an explanation, or even stop to see Linna's nod before she was out the door and on her bike.
Linna only blinked a moment at the rush before she made the call.
* * *
He landed on the pavement back first. His pause wasn't because he was in pain. He couldn't feel such things. But he did feel something, surprise. He had not foreseen the nine individuals who would try to kill his target as well. He might even have backed off, but for two things: His orders were not that the target be killed, but that he himself make the kill, and they turned on him as well. He had to protect his own existence in order to complete the mission.
In his normal fluid motions, he sat up and checked out his arm. The man who seemed to lead that group had nailed him well, leaving him leaking mechanical fluids from the wound. However, nothing serious was hit. None of the others did more than graze him, so he could go back. But the mission would be a failure now anyway. His ammo was out, and he would not be able to clean up all the loose ends. Instead, he made his way in a usual uncaring manner to the bushes on the other side of the parking lot. He would watch what happened to his target, and react accordingly. This would not be over until one of them was dead, no matter how long it took.
* * *
Jake half hovered, half ran into the parking lot. Had anyone been watching the lot, they might have laughed. A K-Suite isn't usually capable of running just because they didn't have the precision. Jake, however, truly was a natural with these things, and could make it do things other pilots could only dream of. However, this was not where his mind was tonight. As he turned into the lot, his mind was on the bet he had made with Leon earlier that day. He would prove he was ready, and there was no way to say otherwise.
These thoughts fell to the side however, as he glanced to the man walking into the bushes... and the broken window above where he got up. "What the hell?" Jake said to himself. Nothing else was on the ground, and a man didn't normally throw things when lying on his back. There was only one option, he had fallen out of the window. "But then how the hell did he get after? Wait a sec... oh SHIT! My BET!" Jake rushed to building and flared his jets, lifting to Leon's apartment on the third floor.
* * *
The draw remained steady as ever. Neither side would give up. Leon refused to let Clax have the chance to kill him, especially for something he simply did not do, and Clax refused to lose the chance to avenge Ms. Chang. So both remained. The other three probably would have shot by now, but it was Clax way to make the kill shot in these kinds of missions, and they had all been around him long enough to know odds are, that bullet would be spent. If not on Leon, then perhaps on the one that took that away from him.
It was a start to everyone in the room as they heard jet engines fire up very close. Leon let his gun drop slightly, as the same confusion occurred over him as everyone else. Clax's aim was thrown off as he snapped his head around to see what the hell was making all that racket.
As the top of the K-suite made its way into view, it only brought up more confusion. Clax had never seen this model K-suite before at all, but then, that was because he was usually done before any police, much less the AD were even aware of the situation. He might still have recognized what it was, except for the storm-themed paint job.
Leon, on the other hand, figured out what it was as soon as half the torso was in sight. What he couldn't figure out was why the hell it wasn't standard setup, or for that matter, why it was here.
The suite grabbed the top of the window with one hand, aiming a cannon into the room as it perched it's feet against the wall. It was then that the voice was heard. "Hello, Leon. Seems you got yourself into a little mess here, didn't you?"
"...Jake? What the HELL do you think your doing?"
"Proving you wrong, and winning our bet."
Clax shuttered... he spoke low and deliberately, "I'm not about to lose because of a bet..." In one fluid motion, he turned and aimed on Leon once more, firing quickly, simply not caring what happened to him anymore so long as Leon didn't live any longer.
Leon was already moving. He knew well enough to never let someone who wanted you dead out of sight, and ducked under his desk, but not fast enough. With a gasp, he dropped his magnum and grabbed at his chest just below the rib-cage, his hands and shirt in the area already red before he hit the ground with a thud.
Jake moved quickly as well, firing his cannon at Clax. The target was lucky, however, as Jake's aim was off. He would have easily been happy to have left nothing left of Clax' torso, but for firing on the fly like that, he didn't do too badly. He watched as Clax went down, his remaining hand grabbing the remaining chunk of his shoulder blade, the gun that WAS in that hand now across the room from the blast. "You best hope Leon survives, bastard," Jake said under his breath, "He still owes me for our bet." Without their leader still on his feet, the remaining two foot soldiers gave up, knowing they had no real odds going head to head with a K-Suit.
* * *
Clax didn't offer much resistance as he was lifted from the ground forcefully. He couldn't tell how long it had been since he was ripped apart by the cannon blast, but it didn't matter. He had failed, and that was the worst fate he could have had. Now, nothing mattered to him. With a small stagger, he let himself be walked down the stairs and outside, his escorts being very mechanical about the process.
With a roar he heard the engines of the K-suit that had shot him blaze itself back down to the ground, followed by its mechanical stepping. With some effort of will, Clax looked up to see the suit stroll to what must have been his commanding officer. "Must be making his report," Clax thought gloomily to himself. The details didn't matter to him, but glance to the side snapped him back into the here and now.
"What the hell?" he said to himself, but it must have been audible.
"What are you babbling about?" one of his escorts said, "You not satisfied with your work, asshole?"
Clax shook his head. He had seen that unknown man getting tossed out of the window, so where the hell is he? He should have been on the pavement below the window. However, he wasn't about to tell these two. Why should he help the force whom employs his target?
"Gone silent, huh?" The guard jammed him in the ribs below his now armless shoulder, sending a new surge of pain through his body. "You will learn a little respect yet." Clax grimaced but remained silent. The guard only smirked at this. "The bastard has guts... he's gonna be fun."
Clax rolled his eyes slightly. He knew this type of soldier. He had dealt before with them, and he knew deep down, he could probably take both of them on right now despite having one arm if he wanted to. The problem with that idea, however, was the two other squads of AD police in the area. It might be a bit harder to handle them, as they were armed and probably would expect him to strike.
A glance to the side showed the K-Suit that had been so savage in taking revenge on a fallen trooper. The pilot was nearby, talking to the commanding officer still. Normally, such conversations would hold no appeal to Clax, but this conversation took an interesting turn.
"You say a man fell out of that window?" the officer talking to the pilot pointed to the broken glass above.
"Yes, sir," came the reply, the tone of which somewhere between official and aggravated; probably because he had to repeat this three times already.
"And then a moment later, he got up and ran away?"
"Yes, sir"
"Your sure about this, Jake? You know considering the broken glass and no blood, that's a pretty far fetched story."
"I'm very sure, sir." It looked like Jake wanted to say more, but thought better of it.
With a sigh, the man waved him away. "Very well, prepare a full report... oh and Jake? The chief isn't happy you stole the K-suit. I would be ready to pay hell if I were you."
Jake left muttering something about things being new.
Clax couldn't see any more of what was going on, but this was interesting in and of itself. Here was this man who no one knew anything about, had no records anywhere, and after being launched out of a window by explosives, not only didn't bleed, but also got up and ran... no human could have done that...
The full implications of that idea hit Clax like a ton of bricks... a twisted smile came to his face as he was packed into the prison seat of the awaiting cruiser. Reika would be avenged yet. He would make sure of it.
Source: Bubble Gum Crisis/Crash
Author: LV426
Chapter 6: Confrontation
Leon looked up from his desk when the phone rang. He wasn't expecting any calls, and his expression showed his surprise. Stunned, he didn't respond immediately. However, the person on the other end must have been patient or persistent as hell, so after about five rings, he picked it up.
"Hello, Leon here," he said kinda groggily. He knew he sounded tired, but wouldn't argue. He felt it throughout him.
"Hey Leon. It's me, Priss," she was quiet a moment before continuing. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok..." her voice was hurried... as if she was trying to justify the call.
Leon smiled to himself, somehow comforted by that. "I'm alright... how about you?" He smirked as he went on, unable to help himself, "Seems you made quite the scene at headquarters."
Priss went silent for a moment. "You saw, huh?"
"Yep! I only wish I could have been there to see what you did to the chief!"
A slight laugh on Priss' side. "I'll try to remember that." A moment of silence on the line followed.
Leon finally broke it with a serious tone. "Priss? Thank you for checking on me. Seems you and Daley are the only ones to care." His voice was still a little quiet though. He was forcing himself to say this.
Priss, for her part, remained silent, but Leon would wait. He was glad to see she was on his side in this. In anything, really. But his attention was drawn away for a moment, as the sound of his door opening drew it. "Priss, could you give me a moment?" Without waiting for an answer, he put the phone gently on his desk. "Daley? Is that you?"
There was no answer. Now concerned, Leon stepped into the kitchen. "Daley?" Still nothing. The door was still shut and nothing had been moved. No one was in here at all. With a shrug and a sigh, knowing he was probably gonna get hell from Priss for this, he strolled back into his living quarters and picked up the phone again.
"Leon? You back? Why the HELL did you leave like that?" Priss seemed more like she was trying to be angry then actually angry this time.
"Sorry, Priss. I could have sworn someone came in. I thought Daley had decided to try to cheer me with a visit."
"Wasn't him, huh?"
"Wasn't anyone. Maybe I'm just going nuts."
Priss didn't answer right away, as if choosing how she would. Finally it seemed sarcasm won over. "Was there any doubt?"
Leon smirked despite himself...
* * *
If the SUV had room, Clax would be pacing by now. No one should have gone in that apartment, much less someone he had never heard of. That alone was maddening, and it showed in his piercing green eyes. "Any word on who that man is?"
"No, Sir" Moria responded quickly, still on the search, as well as listening for anything the base of operations might come up with. She had heard that tone in Clax's voice before, and knew the full meaning behind it. She didn't even need to see the anger in his eyes. "This man doesn't seem to even officially exist."
Clax looked at her for a moment, completely struck by that. "What did you just say?"
Moria turned and looked at Clax, him, her dark blue eyes watching him for any signs of her next order. "No one has any records on him. No employment place, no criminal record, no driver's license, no birth certificate... nothing."
Clax went silent. This was beyond all reasoning. If he didn't have better control of himself, he would have punched the side of the vehicle by now. A man should not... no COULD not simply disappear like that. Not here, in one of the most technologically drowned out places in this age of information. Computers ran everything, and there was no way to keep them from getting something on you. They were not just a factor of control, but in some places, they were control. But now before the security cameras, Clax watched a man who had managed the impossible.
"Alright, then the question is how he did it. It isn't like a man could without a lot of outside help. Obviously someone from on high is involved here if it is what it seems," Clax thought, "but, who could Mr. McNichol have gotten wrapped up in that would have that kind of power? There is just no way, is there?" Clax shook his head, immediately rejecting the idea. The detective in question had done a great injustice to the Chang family, but that's what he was here for. The man in McNichol's room, as far as Clax was concerned, was not working for them. "Besides," he added to himself, "it's not our practice to erase the existence of our members."
"Sir?" Moria's voice snapped him from his thoughts.
"What is it, Moria?" Clax was annoyed. The puzzle was driving him insane, and to be interrupted did not help any.
"The guy in there seems to be setting up for the shot."
"WHAT?!? Alright, we can't afford to wait anymore. We move NOW! Get the order out, Moria!"
"YES, SIR!" Moria was already on the task before she spoke.
Clax glared at the screen. The nature of the man's origins were still out of reach, but his mission was now clear. "You are not going to get away with this, my friend," Clax said under his breath, "Mr. McNichol belongs to the Hou Bang. Reika's death must be avenged!" He turned Moria once more, speaking in full volume and authority, "Tell them there are two targets now. For interfering, this man will die too."
With a nod, Moria relayed the message to the already marching troops. Clax smiled to himself before picking up his own pistol and headset. He was out the door as soon as the headset was on. He wanted no mask. It wouldn't be honorable to not look them in the eye before the two men were executed.
* * *
Away from the window, the man stood like a statue, watching and listening as Mr. McNichol spoke on the phone. He didn't even consider the possibility of getting caught. It was simply impossible that his target would see him. He had made sure of that. He would make the kill easily enough. Just as easy, in fact, as the last time. But now his orders were a little more refined.
Already, his gun was aimed and steady in his hand. If he chose to, he could make the kill now, but it would not be as clean as he wanted. His orders were to leave no traces, and shooting now would mean having to hunt the trace in the form of the girl Mr. McNichol was speaking to on the phone. Not that it would be hard to do. He already analyzed the voice to be the young lady who performed with Ms Chang the night he killed her. With that information, he also had her name: Ms. Priss Asigiri. If he wanted it, he could have her life as well within the day.
He listened closely as the two talked, always searching for information that may be useful in the future, but oblivious to the awkward moments, or the laughter. They didn't matter to him. He didn't even feel curious about something so alien to him. He felt nothing, and so it meant nothing.
* * *
Leon continued to talk to Priss, actually enjoying his time. It wasn't often (in fact this was the second time) she called him. And besides, it was great to talk to someone else who wasn't afraid to say just what they thought of the new chief. Well, that's what he told himself, anyway. Truth went a little deeper than that, but he knew Priss would not accept that side of the equation, so he let it go.
"It's a pity that wasn't Daley earlier," Leon added with a smirk. "He would have loved to have heard this."
"He doesn't seem a blemish to your chief, though... he didn't mention him."
"He keeps to himself and the few he trusts about those..." Leon would have continued, but a loud bang from the kitchen startled him out of it. "WHAT THE..."
He didn't finish before he was under gun point. About three men and one woman surrounded him quickly with the kind of precision only trained soldiers should ever be able to reach. They were all in black, nothing besides eyes uncovered. If Leon had not been pre-occupied with the fact that he was staring down four gun muzzles, he might have noticed more about them.
He was barely aware of Priss' concerned calls for him to talk to her, but he could not yet. With no other real choices available, he belted as loud as he could, "What the HELL is this all about?"
The people holding him captive said nothing, but a fairly arrogant and contempt filled voice did answer. "Mr. McNichol... I would think you know already. The moment you pulled the trigger on the lady you knew as Vision, you sealed your fate..." The four foot soldiers stepped aside for their commander to be visible, arms crossed and an expression to match his tone of voice. "Any last words before you die?"
"...And so you too think I killed her," Leon's tone was sullen, then slowly building in anger, "Then I really don't have anything to say to you. Why should I talk to a vigilante who has no idea what the fuck he was talking about?!?"
The man smiled, his jet black hair framing the rather sinister look about him. "I didn't expect you do go without saying something of the sort. Your reputation precedes you."
"Not another move buddy," came from behind the man. He turned to smirk at his trooper.
"You keep him there till I'm done with the detective. Then it will be his turn." He looked into empty space as he said this, leaving Leon with the obvious question: Who the hell was he talking about?
"Yes, sir.... Ok, pal, you heard him. You're going to stay there till.... Shit! CLAX DUCK!"
The leader ducked rather quickly. He had learned a long time ago the best people are the ones loyal to you, and he had encircled himself so. It gave Leon a view of the scene, which was beyond comprehension.
There were another three troops standing in the same fashion as they were around him, but around nothing. The fourth troop was moving to push something, then a loud two bangs were heard in rapid succession.. as two bullet holes found themselves in the wall. Leon blinked and shook his head, but his eyes only remained closed for a split second before he heard bone shatter and screams of absolute agony.
Looking up once more, he saw the killer from last night in the empty spot. In one hand he had a pistol, aimed on Clax. The other one whipped the guard who had been pushing nothing by his leg, which was now bent in three places and moved more like a rope than an arm... in the release, the man was smashed into the wall, cracking it and landing in a pile.
"What the hell? OPEN FIRE!" Clax yelled, just before the thundering of pistols screamed into the night, all trained on the man who had just made such short work of their ally.
Before Clax had even finished giving his command, the man was already reacting; Getting two shots off with his own pistol as he dropped into a roll, leaving one of the remaining three who had encased him was now sprawled on the ground, his head and heart each having one hole in them. The man was not getting a free shot, however, as he now had seven other guns trained on him. Round after round pelted him as he continued to make himself as hard a target as possible. Two more shots, and another man was dead in the same manner as the first.
Clax growled in anger, drawing his own gun. He really wanted Leon to be the one to take that first bullet, but this man had eliminated that chance. "Time to teach him why you don't screw with us," he thought grimly to himself as he aimed and squeezed off a shot. He clipped the man's left arm, leaving a small hole and making him drop his gun. Not nearly as good as he would normally do, but it was enough for now.
By now, no one would have eased up for it either for fear of what this guy is doing or for revenge against their fallen comrades. But then, this was a man who didn't need such a chance. In another role, he was at the wall, and a quick kick off had him back at his gun, which he picked up in one fluid motion, and took several more shots, taking a another three down in the gunfight.
Leon now had time to move, and ducked behind his desk, the sound of it falling lost amid the clap of the gunfight happening. He came back up with his own choice weapon, his custom Magnum Revolver... he took aim and fired.
Now the man had to fall. Unlike what the intruding ones were using, his ammo explodes on impact, and the man was thrown through the window he was now in front of. Leon, still warmed from the blast thanked every deity he had ever heard of the chief had not taken this gun from him. He then turned it on Clax, knowing he wouldn't have another chance to try for an upper hand in this situation. "Enough bullshit. This is now over."
Clax froze in place, his anger showed plainly in his deep green eyes. He had come to avenge Ms Chang, and because some moron had an unheard of pain tolerance, he had now been caught. The other three remaining looked at each other. The fact that Clax had not responded yet was enough to say what was going through his mind. At least till a slim smile crossed his face. He had not failed. Not yet, anyway. "You know, Mr. McNichol, your still suspended from being a real cop."
"And your point?"
Clax turned around, a sinister smile on his face and calm in him once more that only hinted at how evil his mind could be. "You can't arrest me. And if you kill me, my friends will have blown you to pieces before you could even dream of a chance." Clax watched with a sinister smile as his soldiers all aimed on Leon. With a dreadful calm, his own gun followed their example, creating a stalemate with at least two lives on the line.
* * *
"Leon? Leon? LEON! GET BACK ON THE PHONE DAMMIT!" Priss had been trying to get Leon on the phone again since she heard the first gunshots on the line. She knew there was no way she would get there in time if she hung up, so this seemed the best move she had. Finally, she had to admit, he wasn't going to get back. In just plain hopelessness, she slammed the phone down, making Linna jump.
Linna had been listening to Priss scream on the phone for a little while, and recognized the tone and it wasn't anger with Leon as just plain pure worry. "Priss? Is... is everything alright?"
Priss looked at Linna. It took a full 30 seconds before she could reply at all. It didn't occur to her that Linna couldn't hear the gunshots that still echoed in her memory. "I have to go, Linna... Do me a favor and call the police to Leon's... now." She didn't offer an explanation, or even stop to see Linna's nod before she was out the door and on her bike.
Linna only blinked a moment at the rush before she made the call.
* * *
He landed on the pavement back first. His pause wasn't because he was in pain. He couldn't feel such things. But he did feel something, surprise. He had not foreseen the nine individuals who would try to kill his target as well. He might even have backed off, but for two things: His orders were not that the target be killed, but that he himself make the kill, and they turned on him as well. He had to protect his own existence in order to complete the mission.
In his normal fluid motions, he sat up and checked out his arm. The man who seemed to lead that group had nailed him well, leaving him leaking mechanical fluids from the wound. However, nothing serious was hit. None of the others did more than graze him, so he could go back. But the mission would be a failure now anyway. His ammo was out, and he would not be able to clean up all the loose ends. Instead, he made his way in a usual uncaring manner to the bushes on the other side of the parking lot. He would watch what happened to his target, and react accordingly. This would not be over until one of them was dead, no matter how long it took.
* * *
Jake half hovered, half ran into the parking lot. Had anyone been watching the lot, they might have laughed. A K-Suite isn't usually capable of running just because they didn't have the precision. Jake, however, truly was a natural with these things, and could make it do things other pilots could only dream of. However, this was not where his mind was tonight. As he turned into the lot, his mind was on the bet he had made with Leon earlier that day. He would prove he was ready, and there was no way to say otherwise.
These thoughts fell to the side however, as he glanced to the man walking into the bushes... and the broken window above where he got up. "What the hell?" Jake said to himself. Nothing else was on the ground, and a man didn't normally throw things when lying on his back. There was only one option, he had fallen out of the window. "But then how the hell did he get after? Wait a sec... oh SHIT! My BET!" Jake rushed to building and flared his jets, lifting to Leon's apartment on the third floor.
* * *
The draw remained steady as ever. Neither side would give up. Leon refused to let Clax have the chance to kill him, especially for something he simply did not do, and Clax refused to lose the chance to avenge Ms. Chang. So both remained. The other three probably would have shot by now, but it was Clax way to make the kill shot in these kinds of missions, and they had all been around him long enough to know odds are, that bullet would be spent. If not on Leon, then perhaps on the one that took that away from him.
It was a start to everyone in the room as they heard jet engines fire up very close. Leon let his gun drop slightly, as the same confusion occurred over him as everyone else. Clax's aim was thrown off as he snapped his head around to see what the hell was making all that racket.
As the top of the K-suite made its way into view, it only brought up more confusion. Clax had never seen this model K-suite before at all, but then, that was because he was usually done before any police, much less the AD were even aware of the situation. He might still have recognized what it was, except for the storm-themed paint job.
Leon, on the other hand, figured out what it was as soon as half the torso was in sight. What he couldn't figure out was why the hell it wasn't standard setup, or for that matter, why it was here.
The suite grabbed the top of the window with one hand, aiming a cannon into the room as it perched it's feet against the wall. It was then that the voice was heard. "Hello, Leon. Seems you got yourself into a little mess here, didn't you?"
"...Jake? What the HELL do you think your doing?"
"Proving you wrong, and winning our bet."
Clax shuttered... he spoke low and deliberately, "I'm not about to lose because of a bet..." In one fluid motion, he turned and aimed on Leon once more, firing quickly, simply not caring what happened to him anymore so long as Leon didn't live any longer.
Leon was already moving. He knew well enough to never let someone who wanted you dead out of sight, and ducked under his desk, but not fast enough. With a gasp, he dropped his magnum and grabbed at his chest just below the rib-cage, his hands and shirt in the area already red before he hit the ground with a thud.
Jake moved quickly as well, firing his cannon at Clax. The target was lucky, however, as Jake's aim was off. He would have easily been happy to have left nothing left of Clax' torso, but for firing on the fly like that, he didn't do too badly. He watched as Clax went down, his remaining hand grabbing the remaining chunk of his shoulder blade, the gun that WAS in that hand now across the room from the blast. "You best hope Leon survives, bastard," Jake said under his breath, "He still owes me for our bet." Without their leader still on his feet, the remaining two foot soldiers gave up, knowing they had no real odds going head to head with a K-Suit.
* * *
Clax didn't offer much resistance as he was lifted from the ground forcefully. He couldn't tell how long it had been since he was ripped apart by the cannon blast, but it didn't matter. He had failed, and that was the worst fate he could have had. Now, nothing mattered to him. With a small stagger, he let himself be walked down the stairs and outside, his escorts being very mechanical about the process.
With a roar he heard the engines of the K-suit that had shot him blaze itself back down to the ground, followed by its mechanical stepping. With some effort of will, Clax looked up to see the suit stroll to what must have been his commanding officer. "Must be making his report," Clax thought gloomily to himself. The details didn't matter to him, but glance to the side snapped him back into the here and now.
"What the hell?" he said to himself, but it must have been audible.
"What are you babbling about?" one of his escorts said, "You not satisfied with your work, asshole?"
Clax shook his head. He had seen that unknown man getting tossed out of the window, so where the hell is he? He should have been on the pavement below the window. However, he wasn't about to tell these two. Why should he help the force whom employs his target?
"Gone silent, huh?" The guard jammed him in the ribs below his now armless shoulder, sending a new surge of pain through his body. "You will learn a little respect yet." Clax grimaced but remained silent. The guard only smirked at this. "The bastard has guts... he's gonna be fun."
Clax rolled his eyes slightly. He knew this type of soldier. He had dealt before with them, and he knew deep down, he could probably take both of them on right now despite having one arm if he wanted to. The problem with that idea, however, was the two other squads of AD police in the area. It might be a bit harder to handle them, as they were armed and probably would expect him to strike.
A glance to the side showed the K-Suit that had been so savage in taking revenge on a fallen trooper. The pilot was nearby, talking to the commanding officer still. Normally, such conversations would hold no appeal to Clax, but this conversation took an interesting turn.
"You say a man fell out of that window?" the officer talking to the pilot pointed to the broken glass above.
"Yes, sir," came the reply, the tone of which somewhere between official and aggravated; probably because he had to repeat this three times already.
"And then a moment later, he got up and ran away?"
"Yes, sir"
"Your sure about this, Jake? You know considering the broken glass and no blood, that's a pretty far fetched story."
"I'm very sure, sir." It looked like Jake wanted to say more, but thought better of it.
With a sigh, the man waved him away. "Very well, prepare a full report... oh and Jake? The chief isn't happy you stole the K-suit. I would be ready to pay hell if I were you."
Jake left muttering something about things being new.
Clax couldn't see any more of what was going on, but this was interesting in and of itself. Here was this man who no one knew anything about, had no records anywhere, and after being launched out of a window by explosives, not only didn't bleed, but also got up and ran... no human could have done that...
The full implications of that idea hit Clax like a ton of bricks... a twisted smile came to his face as he was packed into the prison seat of the awaiting cruiser. Reika would be avenged yet. He would make sure of it.