Fire licked Althea's cheek. There were half a dozen fires in the control room, mostly from destroyed B.A.T.s.
The cause of the fires was staring Althea down. Only Althea wasn't about to let herself be intimidated.
"Shall we dance?" She asked Vlad sweetly as she dropped down and used her leg to sweep Vlad's own legs out from under him.
Vladimir grunted as he hit the floor. "I'll dance on your grave!" He snapped as he climbed back up and swung at her.
Althea ducked just in time for Vladimir's fist to sail over her head. Vladimir was pretty fast…for a civilan. But she was trained by ninjas since she could walk. And there were few things that could match that sort of experience.
"Come on Vlady, I know you're better than this," she tauned as she nimbly leapt aside to avoid an energy blast. "You once kicked Sergeant Slaughter in the shins, you should be able to make me break a sweat!"
"Do you ever stop talking?" Vlad growled as he fired another blast of energy at her. Althea ducked. Vlad kept firing away as Althea darted to and fro.
"I can't beat him from a distance." Althea thought to herself. "And his power is pretty useless up close, so it's time to make this personal." Head lowered, Althea charged at him. Because it was so unexpected it worked better than it otherwise should have. Vladimir was stunned long enough for Althea to tackle him.
The two started rolling on the floor. When they came to a stop, Vladimir was on top. Vlad reached out and tried to throttle her, but Althea smashed her head against his jaw.
"Owww…" Althea winced. "Bad idea. Jeez Vlady I always knew you had a hard head but man…"
"Bite me." Vladimir growled as he nursed his jaw. "Better yet…bite the dust!" His fist struck her right above her right eye. Althea responded by slugging Vlad's left eye with her fist, staggering him. Althea grabbed his shoulders and wrestled him to the ground, so Althea was now on top. Vladimir responded by bringing his knee up into her stomach.
"You…don't fight…fair." Althea wheezed as she grasped her stomach. Vladimir just raised an eyebrow as he tossed her off. He stood over her.
"This from a ninja?" He asked. "Since when do ninjas fight fair?"
"Good point." Althea allowed as she got to her feet and promptly kicked Vlad in the groin.
"You cheated…" Vlad said weakly.
"…Ninja." Althea reminded him in a sing-song voice as if that explained everything. Vlad shuddered for a moment before drawing himself back upright.
"Is that the best you can do?" He snorted, not seemingly put off in the least. Althea goggled.
"Oh come on!" She protested as she started slugging him in the face and chest. "Why…won't…you…fall…down?" Althea panted as she punched him in the face.
"Because I wont give you the satisfaction." He answered; his 'enhancements' seemingly protected him from feeling any pain. "I don't like to lose."
"Neither do I….Sorry Vlady." Althea shut her eyes and focused herself, just like Stormshadow and Blind Master taught her. Acting purely on training, Althea leapt into the air, she passed over Vladimir's head and lashed out with her foot with all her strength.
Enhancements or no, few people could take a foot to the face and not feel it. Vladimir was no exception.
"AAAH! You bitch!" Vlad snarled as he clasped his hands over his face. "I'm going to kill you!"
"Get in line." Althea retorted. "It starts behind Zanya and goes around the Terror-Dome…twice."
"GRAAH!" He bellowed as he tried to blast Althea with his powers. "Hold still, blast you!"
"No—because that's what you're trying to do to!" Althea noted as another blast sizzled past. It struck a computer console and exploded.
"Damn it!" Vlad cursed as he missed again.
"You always were a sore loser Vlady." Althea shook her head. "This is just like back when we were kids and played Candyland."
"You cheated and you know it!" Vlad snapped back without thinking. "Wait, what? How do I…?"
"You do remember, don't you?" Althea asked with a glimmer of hope. "Do you remember the time you called Beach Head a 'sock-headed imperialist' and poured a gallon of B.A.s pudding down his pants?"
"I…I don't know what you're—" Vladimir protested.
"I used to call you Vlady, remember?" Althea prodded. "We were friends, Vlad; we can still be friends if you listen to me! This isn't you! Please, you have to trust me!"
"A-Althea…I—urgh!" Vlad moaned as he grasped his head. "It hurts!"
"I know it does." Althea said as she took a risk and walked over to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We can help you…if you want us."
"Can't…trust…a Joe…" Vladimir ground out in between pants.
"Then trust me." Althea urged. "Trust the person you grew up with. Trust the girl who was your best friend when we were kids and is still you're friend now. Please."
Vlad weakly nodded once.
"Now Yvonne!" Althea shouted mentally, hoping the telepath was listening.
She was.
Vladimir crashed to the ground, howling with pain. He writhed for a moment, still clutching his head before he fell still.
"Vladimir!" Althea cried out as she ran to him. She grabbed his shoulder and shook it. "Vlady?"
"Oooohh, my head…" Vladimir groaned as he sat up. He looked at Althea standing over him and blinked.
"Al…Althea?" He asked groggily. "Is that you mer-girl?" Althea grinned at being called by Vlad's personal nickname for her.
"Yes! You do remember me!" She said as she pulled him to his feet.
"As if I could forget you…" Vladimir said as he hugged her back, a smirk crossing his face. "…Puddles."
"Arrgh, you jerk!" Althea growled as she hit him. Vladimir laughed and threw up his arms to protect him.
"No need to blow your top Puddles…" Vladimir started to say.
"Jerk! Jerk! Jerk!" Althea shouted as she starting him smacking around his head and shoulders.
"Um, is the fighting over?" Todd blinked as the Misfits and X-Men stepped into the wrecked control room.
"Sort of." Scott said as Althea continued to try to pummel Vladimir. Amira just shoved him aside and went after Vlad.
"Vlad!" Amira shouted as she tackled him. "You're back to normal!"
"After a fashion." Althea muttered as Amira started crushing Vlad in her arms.
"Urk! Amira I still need my ribs." Vladimir wheezed as his face started turning blue.
"Don't stop on my account." Althea smirked as she threw Amira's earlier words back at her.
"Who's stopping?" Amira asked rhetorically as she hugged him even tighter.
"As much as I hate to break up this tender moment," Scott said. "We should just find the other Omega Hellions and go."
"It might not be that simple." Daria gulped as she and her sisters poured over the control room computers.
"We got a problem." Quinn swallowed as she stood over the control panel Vlad had blasted during his fight with Althea. "Cobra's missle launch programs have been initiated."
"…and we can't stop them!" Brittany finished.