New in Town
Disclaimer: I Do not own these characters
A/N:This is a continuation of Hunter or Hunted. You don't see the Titans in this chapter, it just introduces the new characters.
Prologue: Origins
Part 1: Kane
An elderly gentleman in a trenchcoat and top hat walked out of the hotel. The deal had gone off without a hitch. Kane would fund the repairs and rebuilding, and another city would fall under his influence, if not control. That too would come in time. Then, a hideously deformed figure stepped out of a car and drew a katana.
"Die, unholy monster!" he roared, charging the old man. Kane blurred, and then disappeared. His assailant started to turn, but was backhanded across the street. "We're two of a kind." Kane said, as the assassin struggled to his feet. "You must be an agent of VII. Now I must execute you." The old man picked up the assassin and twisted his head off.
Part 2: Torque
"Motherfuckers, show yourselves!" one of the cops bellowed from behind a squad car. They had come under fire a few minutes ago and were forced to find cover, leaving a wounded officer out in the open. The shooting had stopped, but none of them had gathered up the nerve to see if their attackers were really gone. "Screw it, I'm going out to get him!" Carlos yelled, charging out into the open. "Show yourselves!" He shouted again.
It showed itself.
A monster the likes of which none of them had seen before slammed down on top of a vacant squad car, crushing the crippled officer sitting on its hood. It looked like a bloated human corpse, riddled with bulletholes, and an arachnid leg sprouted from each gaping wound. The other officers noticed something strange about the ends of its extra limbs. "What the hell is that thing?" stammered Carlos, staggering back and pointing his Glock.
Then the monster pointed four of its legs at him. There were guns on the ends, two with shotguns and two with SMG's. The guns armed themselves, and the officers could only watch in horror as their comrade was torn apart. Then one of them noticed the silent convict who had been watching this whole scene. With no fear at all, the ex-inmate walked right up to the beast and looked it straight in the eye. Then he grabbed his head, and began to writhe and scream in pain. He was growing rapidly, becoming several times larger. His left hand became a long blade, and his right turned into a claw, while his skin hardened almost to look like stone. His eyes turned beady and black, and his teeth extended to become sharp and needle-like. The gun-monster began to shoot, but the brute rammed his blade-hand into its head, then pulled down, tearing it in half. The officers raised their guns and aimed at the victor in this clash of the titans. "Freeze!" shouted the woman. The beast looked at them, then turned back into the silent convict they had seen before.
Part 3: Max
The mob lieutenant pounded frantically on the door. "Open, goddammit!" he screamed at the men inside. Realizing that help wasn't coming, he went berserk. "I'll kill you ya lousy freakin' cop!" He howled, furiously shooting a dumpster. A door on the roof of a nearby slum building opened, and a tall thin man in a leather jacket walked out. A trio of thugs came running out of an alley below. Ducking behind a low wall, the man pulled a pair of Berettas out of his coat and jumped off the third-story roof. The mobsters watched in shock what appeared to be a suicide attempt. They were only more surprised when the man landed unharmed, and emptied both guns into the chest of the nearest attacker. Then, ramming new clips into the pistols, he threw himself at the next man. The thug pointed his shotgun and fired. A point-blank blast of buckshot nearly tore the man's face off, and he went skidding away. The thugs started to go to retrieve the body of their friend when they heard a voice behind them.
"I ain't finished with you!" shouted the man they had just seen killed. He got to his feet, the lost flesh on his face growing back. There was a dark blur, and he appeared in front of the man who had shot him, slamming him back into a dumpster. The other mobster yelled for help, then felt something very heavy balancing on his head. Two more gangsters came running up, and just stopped and stared at the man perched on their friend's head. Each got a bullet between the eyes, and then the living pedestal was executed. The man then went over and stomped on the neck of the man he had knocked out.
"Hey, little Vinnie! I got a few things to ask ya!" he shouted, coming out into the main alleyway.
Vinnie pulled the trigger. His target jumped over the bullet.
He fired again, and the shot was easily sidestepped.
He pulled the trigger a third time, and the man dropped to all fours, charged under the shot, and tackled him.
"Where's Lupino?"