Chapter Seventeen: Failsafe
~ o ~
My friends made their way into the cage, with the Spider thankfully looking a lot better after Aiden applied the serum. Considering that she got a knee from a guy that huge, there was no way in hell that she was alright. I took my seat in the crowd at the front of the cage, ensuring that I could see everything as I saw them walk in.
"Looks like that serum did the job. It's like she wasn't even hurt to begin with..."
Aiden removed the thick leather jacket he arrived in, revealing a black muscle shirt that showed just how toned he was...
Sometimes, I really felt jealous of the Spider...but I wouldn't be much of a friend to either of them if I held onto those feelings now would I?
"Our new tag team will be taking on not two, not four...but six opponents for this match! Do they have what it takes to win this bout! It's time to find out ladies and gentlemen!"
"...They're fighting six people?! Not good odds at all..."
I knew that Aiden would be able to handle himself...but I've never known the Spider to be the best at hand to hand combat. She definitely proved that she's very well versed in Savate considering she held her own for three matches without a break...but with him watching her back, I felt a little less worried. Still...numbers were stacked against them and if Aiden showed that he was superhuman, it was likely that they would get disqualified.
The six fighters entered the cage, each sporting a black gi as if they were some kind of clan. They surrounded the couple as they took their fighting stances. It was going to be a difficult fight from what I could tell...
But then I saw how relaxed Aiden looked. He didn't look in the least worried and much to my surprise, he held one of the Spider's hands before whispering to her. The confident smile that followed puzzled me.
"Begin!" shouted the announcer.
Three of the fighters immediately dashed towards my friends, but Aiden grabbed onto the Spider's arm and swung her to the right. In response, she extended one of her legs and her foot collided with all three of their faces. She then grabbed onto his shoulder firmly to land as they separated, with her going after the stunned three and him taking on the fresh ones.
She expertly dodged several oncoming blows, landing a hard palm strike to one of their chests and kicking the other two in the stomach. The two that were kicked stumbled back, allowing her to deal with the remaining one with relative ease with a hard throw to the ground. The second man recovered from the kick and threw several punches, which she gracefully dodged. I tore my eyes from her to see Aiden in a Wing Chun stance, parrying just about every blow that his opponents attempted to land. He made no move to strike them however. After a few seconds, Spider had already knocked down her three opponents as she immediately rushed to Aiden's side. Just like before...and somehow more gracefully, Aiden used his body as a bench, lifting her up and allowing her to roll over his back and land a kick to one of them. In the same fluid motion, he spun around on his heel, grabbing hold of her arm as he swung her similarly to the first move, only this time she used both of her feet to take down the remaining two. All six men were now laying on the floor, some of them getting back to their feet while two remained down for the count.
The couple separated again, Aiden now taking the offensive as he relentlessly pummeled one of the fighters with a hail of palm strikes which turned into punches about half way through. The poor victim of the assault collapsed to the ground in such deep pain, he could barely draw in the oxygen to cry out. He then blocked several oncoming punches before counterattacking with a double fisted striked to the chest, knocking the wind clean out of his opponent. Once he was off balance, Aiden finished him off with an incredibly fast kick, something that I could barely see myself. No doubt about it...he wasn't messing around anymore.
Amidst that chaos, Spider took down one of the men and was now staring down the final one, panting lightly as if she just used up a great deal of her energy. Aiden made no move to help her as he looked around at the felled fighters, ensuring none of them were getting up. The final fighter took a bold charge at her and surprisingly, managed to land a solid punch to her stomach. However, she immediately retaliated with a palm strike to the temple and before he could regain his senses, she shoved her heel into his chest hard enough to send him flying a small distance before dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes. She turned to Aiden, who smiled at her and nodded, no doubt proud that she handled herself very well.
"Incredible! This new couple has proven themselves worthy of the final two matches! A place that no one has reached in over two years!"
The Spider approached Aiden and gave him a concerned look, now noticing a small bruise on the side of his cheek. However, he responded by shaking his head and wrapping a single arm around her, causing the crowd to erupt into applause.
"Our next match will begin immediately but unlike the current one, it will be a tag team match instead of a battle royale!"
The duo they were to face entered the cage, a man and a woman. They were dressed in what appeared to be some kind of shinobi gear, with the male actually sporting a full mask and hood while the woman wore a headband. It was black and bore a Japanese symbol which I didn't recognize. The look in Aiden's eyes however indicated that he was fully aware of what it was as he stood in front of the Spider. I immediately adjusted the sensitivity of the earpieces, allowing me to hear what they were saying to each other.
"Keito has two of the most elite members of the Shimada Clan here. These shinobi are on par with that of the clan's heirs."
"What are we going to do?"
"Don't allow either of them to get in your head. Fight with a calm and collected mind."
The women were the first to go as Aiden stepped back to allow the Spider into the middle of the arena. The kunoichi bowed to her and after a brief stare down, the fight began. The Spider was already on the defensive, being forced to dodge a lot of her opponents strikes as blocking them could prove difficult or painful. Once she stopped to catch her breath, the Spider returned with an assault of her own, firing a flurry of kicks which unfortunately missed each time. There was no doubt in my mind that the Shimada was a better fighter than her.
The kunoichi then managed to grab hold of the Spider's leg, throwing her to the ground as she leaped into the air. She quickly responded, rolling out of the way to avoid a stomp and actually managing to land a sweep, knocking the ninja off balance for a moment. Seizing the opening, the Spider managed to land a thrust kick into her abdomen, though she too was hit with a hard punch to the jaw. Both women stumbled to their respective corners, though the Spider seemed to be the more hurt of the two. The ninja then tagged in her male partner, forcing Aiden to step in. However, I noticed the look of anger in his eyes.
He was clearly not amused that they hit his girlfriend. He took a fighting stance as his opponent immediately charged at him.
What followed next was an unbelievable display of speed, agility and reflexes as both fighters launched incredibly swift strikes at each other. Each one was dodged or blocked as they fought to a stalemate. Aiden however, didn't seem even remotely tired from exerting himself so much, clearly as a result of his superhuman body. The ninja then took a deep breath before moving so fast, he appeared as if he were a blur.
"...Is this ninjutsu?"
Aiden closed his eyes and clenched his fists and once he looked back up, he immediately stepped to the right, dodging an oncoming kick. In the same motion, he swung his arm and struck the ninja hard in the chest., damn near knocking him to the ground. He however recovered on his way to the floor and managed to slam his hand on the ground to keep himself anchored for a retaliating kick. However, Aiden immediately blocked the oncoming blow before landing a kick of his own to the ninja's chest. The blow was hard enough to cause him to slide across the ground and into the cage. However, he immediately shrugged off the hit and jumped to his feet, coming at Aiden once more. Another swift flurry of blows followed with neither combatant able to land a hit. The ninja then suddenly wound up a fist and threw a particularly hard punch, which Aiden blocked with an audible clap of flesh. He threw the ninja towards the cage , but he quickly rebound mid air and kicked off of it, landing a hard kick to Aiden's jaw. However...Aiden didn't even stumble. Instead, he looked at his opponent with a smile on his face as he wiped the dirt from his cheek.
"The Shimada clan truly is the most elite of all ninja. Very impressive." said Aiden.
The ninja didn't reply but dashed at him again. He leaped into the air and tried the same kick he did before, but Aiden sidestepped it effortlessly before extending his arm and giving him a devastating clothesline. It was powerful enough to make him collide with the wooden floor and break some of the planks in the process. He then turned to the Spider before holding out his hand.
"You have to beat her in order for us to continue. I don't think our friend here is going to get up from that blow."
She laughed softly as she slapped his hand, allowing her to enter the arena. A pair of employees quickly entered and removed the unconscious ninja from the match as the kunoichi stepped in. This was still going to be a difficult fight; Aiden is forbidden from fighting her due to the rules which means that if the Spider loses, they lose the match by default.
"Come on amiga...kick her ass!"
It was much easier said than done however; this was a kunoichi of the Shimada clan after all.
She stepped forward and took a standard Savate stance, her legs slightly apart and her hands raised. The kunoichi didn't waste any time as she began her assault, barely giving the Spider a chance to defend herself as she was immediately struck with two swift chops. However, she didn't seem affected by the hits as she fired back with some of her own. Unlike the first time, the kunoichi seemed to have problems evading the strikes until she was finally tagged in the stomach with a hard punch, followed by a kick to the temple. She stumbled temporarily and before she could regain her focus, the Spider threw her over her shoulder hard, slamming her to the ground as she pinned her with one of her feet. She then grabbed hold of the kunoichi's arm before wrenching it straight in a threatening manner.
"Give up or I'll break it." she said coldly.
I began to clap along with the crowd as the kunoichi tapped out in defeat. She released her arm before approaching Aiden, who was smiling proudly. However, the earlier kick that he received cut his skin and it was now bleeding. The Spider placed one of her hands on his clean cheek before examining the cut.
"Why did you let him hit you?"
"I was curious about how strong he was."
"Yes...but now you're bleeding."
"It's just a scratch. I'll be fine."
Much to my surprise however, the Spider leaned her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around his back.
"Thank you..."
"Always."
"Ladies And Gentlemen! Our power couple of Elise Eclair and Arno Dumont has defeated the gauntlet! Becoming the first ever duo to do so! Please let them hear your support!"
She wiped the blood from his face as they began to make their way towards the exit. However, the guards stood in their path.
"Before we end the night, Mr. Shimada would like to have a few words with our victors."
The couple turned around and much to my astonishment, Keito Shimada, the owner of the Nine Dragons stepped into the room from behind the guards. He smiled at them as he looked up towards the crowd.
"It has been a long time since I've seen fights this interesting and I am here to personally offer our winners a chance at double or nothing." he announced.
"Oh no..."
The Shimada's reputation of being a gambler at heart was coming out again and I knew that I had to ensure that my friends could get out safely. An "offer" from him was more of "do it or I'll make sure you suffer".
"Listen to him. Do what he says...I guarantee that if you say no, he won't be amused." I whispered.
The Shimada turned to Aiden, who was holding the Spider's hand and standing in front of her protectively.
"Mr. Dumont is it? Very impressive skills. This offer extends to you. If you defeat one opponent that I will bring down here in a few moments, you will receive this..."
He snapped his fingers causing the guards to move out of the way as a beautiful woman brought a katana forward. It was exquisite craftsmanship; the black sheath was embroidered with beautiful golden dragons and Japanese symbols. The hilt was dark red with golden dragons flanking the symbol of the Shimada Clan clear on the middle.
"What do you say Mr. Dumont? Will you accept my offer?" he asked.
Aiden reluctantly turned to his girlfriend.
"I'll handle this. Go join Sombra in the crowd."
"But-"
"Trust me...okay?"
She reluctantly stepped off of the stage as Aiden stepped onto the middle of the stage.
"As appealing as your offer sounds Mr. Shimada, I have to decline." he said.
The casino owner smiled before raising an eyebrow.
"I take it that you're not much of a gambler then Mr. Dumont?" he asked.
"Ordinarily I'm always ready for a challenge...but I have a family that needs me home." replied Aiden.
I smiled, feeling heat come to my cheeks knowing that he was referring to the Spider and I. Much to my surprise, Keito smiled and nodded.
"I understand. It is admirable that you care so much about your family. Please! Accept this as an extra congratulatory gift."
The Shimada snapped his fingers as the woman handed Aiden the sword. He bowed respectfully to the Shimada before accepting the blade.
"Come again soon. It will be interesting to see someone make it to the end a second time." urged Keito.
The Shimada then turned to the crowd.
"Thank you all for coming tonight. I declare this Gauntlet officially complete!"
~ o ~
One Hour Later- Near Aiden's Apartment
"That's seriously the best looking sword I've ever seen." said Sombra.
"You've said that ten times already." I replied with a soft chuckle.
She unsheathed the katana for about the twentieth time as I turned to Amelie, who was looking at her rifle.
"Is everything alright?" I asked.
She nodded and smiled at me.
"...I didn't expect to have my hands on this again." she explained.
I turned towards the underground parking lot but much to my astonishment, the lights were off.
"...That's strange. Normally, the lights are on at all times." I said.
Sombra leaned forward from the backseat, nodding slowly in agreement.
"Maybe there's a power issue?" she guessed.
I shook my head.
"An apartment complex of this caliber would have several backups...someone turned it all off."
I suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of a rifle cocking, right through the window. My eyes widened as I immediately floored the gas pedal. Not two seconds later, loud gunshots filled the air. A moment later, the window glass shattered and spilled over all of us. I immediately halted the car, sliding it towards the wall before checking on my companions. Thankfully, both of them were unscathed.
"Get down. Both of you. The assassin can't be far...and we're not in a good position to fight back." I said.
Sombra looked at me with a worried face before shaking her head.
"I'll keep an eye out."
Before I could say another word, she disappeared with her stealth generator. I then turned to Amelie, who looked horrified at what just happened.
"We'll get out of this...take cover until we can figure out just what attacked us." I said.
She nodded slowly before leaning down and reaching for her rifle.
"I'll look for a shot. Keep them busy."
I got out of the car before drawing my pistol from my jacket as well as keeping the katana I was given close to me in my free hand. It was dead silent in the area, with the only illumination being the night sky and the headlights from my now bullet ridden car. I closed my eyes, focusing my ears until I heard the subtle whoosh of an arm moving at high speed. I immediately rolled out of the way and a moment later, three shuriken lodged themselves into the ground in the spot where I was standing. I looked up and didn't get to react in time as a pair of shuriken flew and struck my pistol, sending it flying out of my hand.
"...We meet again. Specter Of Annecy."
A cyborg stepped forth from the shadows, glowing deep red from all visible seams in his suit. He was carrying two swords and much to my surprise, he had Sombra in his grasp.
"Looking for your friend?" he said with a sadistic tone.
"Let her go. Your business is with me." I snapped.
He responded by striking Sombra in the neck, knocking her out cold before throwing her to the ground. I immediately unsheathed my katana and rushed at him. He however parried my strike, almost effortlessly as he threw me back a short distance with a subtle thrust of his shoulder.
"Touched a nerve did I? Does she mean a lot you? Along with that fallen assassin who is trying to aim at me from the shadows?"
My eyes widened as the cyborg snapped his hand towards the ground, producing three darts between his knuckles. I examined them...only for my eyes to widen in horror as I recognized what they were.
"NO!" I shouted.
He threw them without even looking and moments later, I heard a body slump to the ground. I turned to see that Amelie had collapsed to the ground, her rifle no longer in her grasp as she tried to move, but couldn't.
"The venom of the Tiger Snake combined with the venom of a Black Mamba...with all of the suffering removed." he said.
"What do you want? Why are you here?" I snapped.
"I thought it obvious by now..."
His voice sounded as cold as ice as he unsheathed his sword. Unlike before however...his face was serious. He didn't look even remotely intimidated in this fight unlike the fighters from the gauntlet we just competed in.
"Who are you?"
The cyborg did not respond as he swiftly closed the distance between us. I barely managed to lift my own blade up to block the oncoming slash. I tossed my sheath aside before kicking the cyborg off.
"...Your eyes, they remind me of someone."
The cyborg continued to circle me, looking for an opening to strike as he raised his katana in a single hand.
"I don't know who you're talking about...you speak as if you know who I am."I said..
The cyborg laughed softly.
"Oh...I know everything about you...and it will give me great pleasure to make you unable to move ever again."
Another swift slash, this time so fast that I could barely see his body move but my body reacted just in time to parry it. By the time the attack was finished, the cyborg stood a short distance away from me. I tried to move, but I immediately fell to my knees, feeling my stomach sting in agony. It was then that I realized that he managed to cut me during his dash, even though I was positive that I blocked it. The cyborg laughed audibly before swinging his katana, cleaning it of the blood that was on it.
"You have incredible reflexes to react to that...but you're not in the state that I want you to be in...I need to bring that instinct out."
The cyborg rushed forward once more, relentlessly assaulting me with slashes. I managed to block just about all of them but he immediately fired a hard kick to my stomach, sending me skidding across the floor.
"You're running out of time Specter Of Annecy. Your woman won't last much longer with that venom in her system; all of her muscles will cease to function unless you give her the antidote...which I have."
My fist immediately clenched and I got to my feet. The cyborg laughed loudly.
"Is it so difficult to remember? You thought you killed me...and I've returned from the dead for my revenge."
My eyes widened as I slowly began to realize who he was.
"...You..."
"The man who took your wife from you...now you're beginning to understand. I waited for years for you to show your face again...and now the time has come for me to slay a legend."
Before I could say another word, he swiftly closed the distance between us and kicked me hard in the cheek. I stumbled but quickly recovered to block a sword slash coming towards my chest.
"You're not at the level I'm looking for...perhaps I should raise the stakes."
He immediately thrust his palm hard into my chest, hard enough to slam me into the wall behind me as he looked up with a smile. I got to my feet, now realizing that he wasn't alone in this endeavor. I pressed my finger to my ear but heard nothing but static. That evidently meant that they were aware of our comms...and now I was alone against this man. I could only hope that they were safe. I knew there was no way I was going to win this fight...unless I gave in. I closed my eyes as I thought to Sombra's unconscious body as well as Amelie lying helplessly on the floor.
"...I won't let him hurt them. I won't let him hurt anyone ever again."
~ o ~
"Spider. Spider are you okay?"
I tried to turn my head to face Sombra's voice...but I couldn't move a single muscle. I felt something prick my skin and within a few moments, I regained motor function in my neck. I turned to see Sombra, with a needle in her hand...along with her forehead bleeding.
"S-S-Sombra!" I gasped.
"I'm alright amiga; I've been through far worse. I guessed it was a good thing I managed to steal this before he threw me down." she said.
She helped me to my feet but I knew there was nothing we could do to help Aiden; it would be a while for the antidote to give me back full control of my arms and legs. However...I noticed that he had closed his eyes.
"No...he's not going to-"
His eyes reopened and now, they were yellow. I was horrified to see a slash across his stomach, but those eyes...those were very same eyes that I myself used to exhibit when I was still Widowmaker. He grasped his sword before getting to his feet and turning to face the cyborg, who had retracted his mask to reveal his face. He was smiling sadistically.
"Yes...those eyes. Those are the eyes I've longed to see lose their light...TIME TO DIE SPECTER OF ANNECY!"
The cyborg rushed at Aiden with his sword in hand. However...Aiden almost effortlessly dodged the blow, despite the cyborg's tremendous speed before spinning around and landing a kick to his left ribs. The kick was hard enough to send the cyborg flying into the wall. In the next instant, Aiden rushed forward and attempted to decapitate him. He barely managed to raise his katana up in time to block the strike.
"...He's never moved so fast before...he's keeping up with a man who has cybernetic augments..."
The cyborg threw Aiden off of him with a strong thrust of the shoulder and attempted a flurry of slashes. Aiden dodged each and every one of them before grabbing onto his arm and tossing him to the opposite side. The moment the cyborg rolled to his feet, Aiden swiftly went on the assault again, relentlessly swinging his katana and striking the cyborg's own raised one. He could barely even get to react to each blow as they rained down, seemingly without an end. In the next instant, the cyborg managed to land a hard kick into Aiden's stomach, sending him flying a short distance backwards. However, Aiden immediately corrected himself in mid air, landing on his feet before staring menacingly at his opponent. The cyborg rushed at him once more, but Aiden didn't even bother to dodge it. Instead, he caught the ninja's sword with one hand. Tried as he did, the ninja could not budge the blade forward or backward.
"How...how can this be?! I'm stronger than you!" shouted the cyborg.
Aiden immediately kicked him hard in the stomach, causing him to recoil. Before he could raise his sword once more, he landed another brutal kick, this time to the cyborg's right cheek. The blow was so powerful, it sent him flying into a car hard enough to destroy the windshield. Aiden looked at his hand for a moment and I noticed that it was bleeding. He didn't seem to care in the slightest however, as he made his way slowly towards his opponent. In what seemed to be faltering courage, the cyborg threw shuriken at Aiden, but the supersoldier easily dodged all of them with subtle sidesteps.
"...You made a fatal mistake coming here tonight...now, I'll make sure you stay dead."
Now clearly panicked, the cyborg reached into his leg attachment and pulled out a grenade. He threw it at Aiden and I expected him to dodge it. However, I was instantly completely blinded; it was a flashbang grenade. Before I could react any further, I felt a strong arm pulled me off of the floor before wrapping around my neck. I then realized that in a desperate attempt at winning the fight, the cyborg had taken me hostage. My arms still hadn't regained full functionality, so I was completely helpless to stop him.
"You must care deeply for this woman...and now she's completely at my mercy."
Much to my astonishment, Aiden paused. He looked at me, the cold yellow of his eyes now suddenly beginning to regain their humanity.
"Back down...or I'll gut her like a pig."
He seemed deep in conflict with himself but he seemed to understand that there was nothing he could do. Even in his rage...he still recognized me. He still cared enough about me to be able to suppress his old persona. A loud gunshot rang out and in the next moment, I saw Aiden fall to the floor, gripping his right leg. Astonishingly, he didn't cry out in pain.
"That's why you were never a good fit for Talon. You were always a weakling...no one in the world will grow stronger without conflict. Everything Talon does is for the good of humanity!" he bellowed.
Aiden then looked me in the eyes and for some reason, I was able to understand what he was saying.
"Get down..."
I immediately used my right leg to trip the cyborg, catching him off guard. I managed to free myself from the hold before throwing myself to the ground. In the next moment, the cyborg howled in agony. I looked up to see that Aiden had thrown the katana from his hand and it embedded itself in the cyborg's chest. However, the gunshot would not allow Aiden to move...and I knew that was his final effort to save me as now, he was completely helpless. Despite the fearless look in his eyes, he didn't have any other options. Even in his blind and sadistic rage...he was still doing everything in his power to keep me safe.
I felt my own rage begin to boil over. I suddenly regained use of my arms but before I could make a move, the cyborg made his way to Aiden, albeit slowly.
"You're an impressive man Aiden...too bad you weren't good enough to finish the job. You're still too weak...and now it will cost you your life!"
I clenched my fists and much to my astonishment, Aiden closed his eyes as the cyborg removed the sword from his chest. After taking a moment to regain his breath, the cyborg raised his blade to deliver the final blow. I gritted my teeth, feeling an almost uncontrollable rage take over.
"Kill him...I will kill him right now..."
I caught sight of my rifle and I immediately dove for it. The moment I grabbed it, I suddenly felt the world slow down around me. The ever familiar rush of a killer's high was quickly taking over my senses. I immediately took aim and pulled the trigger without hesitating. The bullet found its way into his head and the sickening sound of flesh rending apart filled the air for a moment. In the next moment, the cyborg assassin fell to the ground, though he wasn't dead considering his suit was still functioning. I quickly made my way over to him and the footsteps behind me indicated that Sombra had gone to see to Aiden. I looked down at the cyborg, who looked back at me with a blank face. After a few moments however, I saw a wicked smile appear on his face.
"You've returned...now everything is in place..." he whispered.
Without hesitating yet again, I aimed my rifle at his head and fired immediately, finishing him off. Sombra yelped at my sudden brutality.
"S-S-S-Spider?" she gasped.
I turned around to face her and shook my head.
"We have to find somewhere else to hide; that assassin can't be the only one they'd send." I said.
I had seen Sombra in just about every mood...except genuine fear. She couldn't take her eyes off of me for some reason and it took her a few moments to process what I just said.
"Any ideas?" she asked.
I put my hand to my chin and shook my head.
"Nothing comes to mind..."
Suddenly, a distant memory of my past life came rushing back to me. Immediately, I took my PDA out of my pocket and looked for Reye's frequency. Thankfully, he was on the other end.
"Is he alright?" I asked.
Sombra shook her head.
"He's lost a lot of blood; I think him turning to his old persona is the only reason he's not howling in agony right now." she replied.
"Do what you can; I have to make a call." I said.
I linked the PDA to my earpiece as I took off towards the apartment to get some things packed.
"Widowmaker?"
"Reyes. I need your help; my location's been compromised and I don't think I can find another place to go." I explained.
He sounded slightly irritated, but then again...that was Gabriel Reyes; always angry at something.
"There aren't many places you can go to that won't involve leaving Annecy..."
He paused briefly and I heard him take a short breath.
"There must be somewhere we can go...Talon won't be far behind us."
"Sending coordinates. Meet me there."
He immediately cut off the call, more than likely to ensure that he wasn't being traced. A few seconds later, the location was pinged on my PDA's map app. Much to my astonishment...these were coordinates I recognized.
"...It can't be..."
I zoomed in on the location before gasping softly.
"It's...it's my former home..."
My hand ran across the screen as the memories began to pour back.
"My family's estate...Château Guillard."
I didn't imagine for a moment that I would ever be going back there...but Reyes would never tell me to meet him at a place like that unless he was confident that we could hide there. After closing my eyes and suppressing the memories that were barraging my mind, I made my way into the apartment to prepare for our trip.