Disclaimer: Please see Prologue
Part Ten: This Means War
Harlan, Radu, and Rosie never had to go looking for Xenia. As it turns out, Xenia came looking for them.
Radu's room, where the three were grouped together, was thankfully not the one she broke into. The three jumped at the sound of a door hitting the ground in the next room.
They had only a few seconds before she found them. Radu barely had time to pull Rosie from her place on the floor in front of the door before it fell in with a crash, and a fiery, black-clad Radu charged into the room.
Xenia looked at them with such a look of intense hatred that it would have made them wither like old flowers had looks any power over the real world.
"AH, SNACK FOOD, YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!!" he said, charging at Radu. Xenia flew through the air, one foot in front of the other, getting ready to take Radu down like he had not been able to before.
Radu ducked, and Xenia flew into the wall.
Radu somehow managed to get out of the way as Harlan, black belt and all, took on the meanest Andromedan he had ever seen.
The gun Radu had taken the night before last was still on the floor with Xenia's clothes.
Rosie stood in the corner, trying to stay out of the way. In her drugged state she was weaponless and was sure a kick like Xenia's first would kill her. Radu ran up and stood in front of her with the gun, waiting for Harlan to get out of the way.
"Harlan MOVE!" he yelled, and surprisingly, Harlan did. He backflipped away from the fight in half a second, and another second later Radu had opened fire on Xenia.
The gun he had taken from her was automatic and fired one shot after the other, riddling Xenia's body with bullets. After a few seconds he stopped. Xenia was slumped on the floor like a rag doll... but was still breathing.
Radu watched in horror as Xenia stood up and looked him in the face. "Missed me," he said. Blood dripped from his gunshot wounds onto the bare floor.
"I won't this time," said Radu. He raised the gun to that face, the face that looked just like his, and pulled the trigger.
It took about three seconds for Xenia's head to disappear entirely, leaving a bloody jawbone and part of a skull behind. He fell.
They thought he was dead for at least half a minute... and them something happened. Out of the neck, where all that had been was bloody gore, came a legion of tendrils like the ones Xenia had used on Radu. They grew, twisted, formed facial features, and stayed there for a minute, while the Rosie, Harlan, and Radu watched with morbid fascination. The tendrils retreated, leaving a bloody, skinless face and head in their place, and then the skin grew back too. With the skin came hair, short though, since a disguise was no longer needed. Xenia had regenerated his entire head and face.
He stood up and faced them.
"This means war," he said. "You can't kill me, you don't know how. We have your friends. You stay here, they die. You go to save them, and you die with them. The end will not change, only the means. I can survive in a body that weighs twenty pounds if I need to, and that body will be strong and as tough as solid titanium. If somebody tested my DNA right now, I would register as you, Mister Radu, if that is your name. There are six more like me, and your friends are far more powerless than you were. You will not survive this."
He walked out, and nobody followed.
Part Ten: This Means War
Harlan, Radu, and Rosie never had to go looking for Xenia. As it turns out, Xenia came looking for them.
Radu's room, where the three were grouped together, was thankfully not the one she broke into. The three jumped at the sound of a door hitting the ground in the next room.
They had only a few seconds before she found them. Radu barely had time to pull Rosie from her place on the floor in front of the door before it fell in with a crash, and a fiery, black-clad Radu charged into the room.
Xenia looked at them with such a look of intense hatred that it would have made them wither like old flowers had looks any power over the real world.
"AH, SNACK FOOD, YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!!" he said, charging at Radu. Xenia flew through the air, one foot in front of the other, getting ready to take Radu down like he had not been able to before.
Radu ducked, and Xenia flew into the wall.
Radu somehow managed to get out of the way as Harlan, black belt and all, took on the meanest Andromedan he had ever seen.
The gun Radu had taken the night before last was still on the floor with Xenia's clothes.
Rosie stood in the corner, trying to stay out of the way. In her drugged state she was weaponless and was sure a kick like Xenia's first would kill her. Radu ran up and stood in front of her with the gun, waiting for Harlan to get out of the way.
"Harlan MOVE!" he yelled, and surprisingly, Harlan did. He backflipped away from the fight in half a second, and another second later Radu had opened fire on Xenia.
The gun he had taken from her was automatic and fired one shot after the other, riddling Xenia's body with bullets. After a few seconds he stopped. Xenia was slumped on the floor like a rag doll... but was still breathing.
Radu watched in horror as Xenia stood up and looked him in the face. "Missed me," he said. Blood dripped from his gunshot wounds onto the bare floor.
"I won't this time," said Radu. He raised the gun to that face, the face that looked just like his, and pulled the trigger.
It took about three seconds for Xenia's head to disappear entirely, leaving a bloody jawbone and part of a skull behind. He fell.
They thought he was dead for at least half a minute... and them something happened. Out of the neck, where all that had been was bloody gore, came a legion of tendrils like the ones Xenia had used on Radu. They grew, twisted, formed facial features, and stayed there for a minute, while the Rosie, Harlan, and Radu watched with morbid fascination. The tendrils retreated, leaving a bloody, skinless face and head in their place, and then the skin grew back too. With the skin came hair, short though, since a disguise was no longer needed. Xenia had regenerated his entire head and face.
He stood up and faced them.
"This means war," he said. "You can't kill me, you don't know how. We have your friends. You stay here, they die. You go to save them, and you die with them. The end will not change, only the means. I can survive in a body that weighs twenty pounds if I need to, and that body will be strong and as tough as solid titanium. If somebody tested my DNA right now, I would register as you, Mister Radu, if that is your name. There are six more like me, and your friends are far more powerless than you were. You will not survive this."
He walked out, and nobody followed.