AN: I'll admit, this hiatus was on me. Recently I've been sucked back into another fandom: South Park. I'm really sorry for keeping those who were waiting for so long. I didn't intend for this to happen. In other news, we're already one year into this story! I can't believe time has gone by so fast. Thanks to everyone who's stuck by me so far.
Melina glared at the young white-haired boy, who didn't wish to start a fight with her. She wasn't oblivious to that notion, though she didn't care to find out why.
Lincoln readied himself as Melina flicked her wrist, and a card appeared between her fingers. She threw at him like a professional, the card cutting through the air too fast to see. The boy gasped as he barely had enough time to react and deflect it with his taser. To his shock, the card made a slight cut on his baton but nothing too damaging to render it useless. He barely saw that the card was a Two of Clubs. He pondered why the card was much faster this time until he remembered what the woman had murmured earlier.
"Tch. Numbers advantage. Should have used a lower number…"
Meanwhile, Mikey was on the offensive against Jackal, who only laughed maniacally while dodging all his strikes as the fight traversed into a row of slot machines. The Living Puppet's body seemed unnatural, moving in weird directions one couldn't predict as it bent and curved around Mikey's attacks. The boy was getting a little irritated, his mind flashing back to the fight in the last building he was in. Unlike that lady, Sidney, Jackal didn't seem to hold the ability of foresight. Instead, he was shocked to deduce that this puppet was physically and reactively fast enough to evade him.
After Jackal had swerved around the last of his strikes, Mikey aimed a palm at him.
"Hissatsu Tengi: Power Chamber!"
Jackal was fast enough to duck into a shadow and appear under one of the slot machines outside the box as Mikey's blue energy box was being created.
Mikey canceled his move, his blue energy dissipating, and furrowed his brows at his opponent.
Melina was rapidly throwing cards at Lincoln, who managed to deflect all of them, though his baton was getting slight cuts all over. During all this, the cards were instead hitting the gambling machines around them. Some of the devices were only lightly damaged, with a cut or two that, at first glance, could be the damage of age. Others weren't so lucky. Some levers were cut clean off, and a few even had their screens cracked or blackened.
Melina gritted her teeth, noticing the damage being done. The following two cards she threw were slow, but she also threw three fast ones to accompany them.
Unfortunately for Lincoln, he was slightly caught off guard by the different speeds and widened his eyes as the last card cut his face right below his left eye. Even the slower cards were decently fast. It was like comparing a sports car to a racing car.
Some Life leaked out from where he took the slice, and he wiped it before it could drip down lower.
"Melina, please! We don't need to do this!" Lincoln shouted, knowing he didn't want to continue without at least talking.
"Give me a good reason," Melina responded with a cold glare, pausing her assault.
"Evan Medy's greed is going to destroy this city," Lincoln continued, "I understand people who want to make money and be rich, but it shouldn't be at the cost of other people's lives!"
"You've met the man!" Melina shouted, narrowing her brows. "Does he look greedy to you?"
"Oh please," Lincoln scoffed with a roll of his eyes, "We're standing in a casino. You're practically stealing money legally out of this disgusting place! I know how gambling can ruin lives."
Uncertainty flashed in Melina's eyes briefly, but Lincoln couldn't tell whether it was his imagination.
"So what? You want to destroy his casino because of it? No, if it's Evan's industry you're after you're trying something else. Something bigger. I can't let you do that."
She took a step forward, readying a card between her fingers.
"And if you're with her, then I can't let you go any further."
Ever since she heard that girl's singing, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering while sprinting through the hallways of the building. Even as she was focused on her mission, her mind still lingered on her and Ray's past.
She had always been good with technology ever since she was a toddler. Finding random doo-hickeys and gadgets on the streets was her world. It was almost like a sandbox full of toys. Sure, she had to dig around to find some, but the treasures she could discover were worth it.
Most of the electronics she found were broken. To be expected as no one threw away things that still worked. Because of this, all of the time spent fixing and working on them brought up her skills, or in other words, involuntary training. To others, it would have been tedious work. To her, it was fun. That was the secret to her genius.
Of course, electronics weren't the only things she needed to find. It wasn't the main reason she searched through the trash of the city people.
She and Ray started well for themselves. Using teamwork, the two used their small size to steal food, gather supplies, and work it out in their unfortunate conditions.
They had no home, friends, or family, only each other. That was all they needed to survive being orphaned and homeless.
Of course, as they went along with their crimes, people began getting angry. It was only natural when their hard-earned resources were being stolen. Soon they were notorious around the area they roamed and were forced to leave and find a new block to thieve from. They were too recognizable.
They stole from all of them from block to block, like going through levels in a video game. Likewise, it got more complex as they continued. Their names, or rather, aliases, were being spread everywhere. Posters with their faces were plastered on the walls. Information about them scattered in the newspapers. What did people call them? The Swiftly Swindlers.
The Swiftly Swindlers were considered professional criminals. Able to take from under anyone's nose without a trail left behind. Some people left traps out to try and catch them, and others hired specialized individuals trained to catch criminals. Even they failed, astonished that they couldn't even sense their energy.
At first, everything was fine. They were perfectly content with how they went with their everyday lives. It was rough, but every day was another small victory, getting a good amount of food or a new toy that could entertain for a few hours. But unfortunately for the naive younglings, it didn't last forever.
Ray noticed early on how his body was feeling weird. Sluggish. Weak. His actions would trail behind his thoughts.
He didn't tell Shade, for she would worry too much as she always did. Whether it was during an outing, or messing around, if something happened to him, she would become overprotective. He didn't want her to worry. He was sure whatever was happening would pass.
Shade noticed months later that Ray didn't look too well. She told him to stay and let her do all the work today. He responded by yelling at her to stop worrying so much and that they would go together like nothing was ever different.
A week after that, Ray collapsed in the middle of a mission.
Shade barely made it out, carrying Ray off just before they were caught by the officers that were called. The entire way back home, she blamed herself. Who knows what would have happened to them if they had been caught. She didn't care about being imprisoned or being punished in any way. But if she were ever separated from Ray, it would destroy them both.
He woke up by the time they made it back, and with an uncompromising attitude, she told him to stay here until he felt better. She didn't know that wouldn't be coming any time soon.
Months went by. Shade continued to scavenge alone as Ray stayed at their hideout. She didn't want to risk being caught because it was just her alone. Instead of ransacking people's homes and businesses, she scoured the trash bins near their place. She couldn't risk being taken away more than ever, not when Ray was so dependent on her.
After a while, she decided it was best that they moved to the city's wealthier areas, where they could find more useful things through the garbage. It was also better since they didn't have a reputation here. They didn't dare invade the rich since they all had security too dangerous to handle, but their garbage cans were ripe for the taking.
As time passed, Ray's condition only got worse. No matter what Shade fed him, he grew paler by the day, skinner, and less energetic. She didn't know what was wrong with him, didn't have the funds to send him to the hospital, nor did she believe they would help out of good faith. Here, in Fortune, money was everything. They had nothing.
One day, while Ray was sleeping in one of his unawakenable slumbers, Shade put her hands together and prayed for the very first time.
She didn't know if some god existed. She didn't care before. She cared now.
It would take nothing short of a miracle to save Ray. She didn't know if the kid was going to last any longer.
A prayer, a silent sob, and a sniffle. Then, nothing.
Who was she kidding? If some deity were watching over her and Ray, she wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place. Not just Ray's illness but also her homelessness and suffering. All the while, she was only a young girl. There was no god to help her. This wasn't some fantasy where a phenomenon could come and swipe her off her dirty feet.
This was reality.
She gritted her teeth, cursing god's name to the skies and taking back her prayers.
It was a waste of time, she thought. She had work to do. It was better than sitting here praying and crying.
Then, a few months later, she met a man in a broken wheelchair.
Shade's thoughts came to a halt as she entered a room filled with office desks. Here she was, her mind back in the present, where she was supposed to plant the EMP.
Shaking her head, she focused on the mission. As she armed the device under one of the desks and away from sight, she wondered why her mind couldn't let go of those despairing desperate days.
Sighing, she finished arming the EMP when she heard Atlas talk into her earpiece.
"Shade, meet me at the last planting spot."
Confused momentarily, she asked, "You're heading there yourself? What about Lincoln and Mikey? They're preoccupied at the moment."
"I know. They're going to have more company in mere moments. We could use them as a distraction while finishing up. Besides, a certain boy needs to see you."
"'A certain boy?'" Shade racked her brain for a moment before gasping.
Music boomed across the lit street as the party raged on. People danced as others sat at tables and ate happily, enjoying the night.
While the Big Bosses and other business owners were here to discuss agreements and deals mostly, the average person took this as an excuse to have fun.
As Atlas sipped his fancy orange beverage, eyeing the party crowd, one of the other big bosses got a call.
"Excuse me for one moment." Kean, standing, raised a finger as he held his cell phone to his ear. "Standing speaking." His voice went quieter as he walked a few steps away.
Evan was telling a joke to the group when Kean suddenly shouted, catching the looks of the other Big Bosses and other people nearby.
"What?!"
"What's wrong, Kean?" the blond, Leopold Tate, asked.
"Do you know where they went?"
The Big Bosses listened as the phone call continued, collectively deciding to wait until it was finished before speaking. Kean and whoever was speaking went back and forth until the call ended.
Atlas narrowed his eyes.
"Alright, I'm on my way." Kean tapped on his phone, ending the call.
The man turned to the other Big Bosses and spoke. "That was my First Assistant. We had a couple of intruders at my main building," he said. "Some known faces."
"Who?" Dr. Barker felt the need to ask.
Kean grunted. "Those two boys."
Of course, everyone at the table immediately knew who he was talking about. Lincoln and Mikey were both floating around in their minds like some pests. It was rare to see such strong individuals at such a young age, but not unheard of. It was impossible just to gloss over such youth.
Dr. Barker clenched his jaw in anger. "Those two…"
Atlas spoke up, noticing an opportunity. "They could have snuck into the rest of our headquarters as well. We should take them in for questioning."
"I agree," Leopold said with a nod. "It's worrying me too much."
Dr. Barker, in his anger, suddenly loosened his jaw and looked relaxed, closing his eyes. Some seconds passed as Atlas stared at his eyelids, waiting for the moment they would open.
Abruptly, he opened them with a glare, snapping his head toward a particular direction. "They're in Evan's building!" he yelled. "I can sense them fighting with someone inside!"
Evan widened his eyes. "That must be Melina," he breathed out.
Dr. Barker pulled out his radio, screaming into it. "THIS IS A DIRECT ORDER FROM DR. EDWARD BARKER! EVACUATE ALL CIVILIANS IN SECTOR B! I REPEAT! EVACUATE ALL CIVILIANS IN SECTOR B!"
Dr. Barker may be a brute, but he was no fool. He knew full well that Lincoln and Mikey wouldn't go down without a fight after their altercation at the Central Fountain. As a professional officer, bounty hunter, and fighter, he realized they were hiding something special under all of that power they held, and if a fight were to take place, it would indeed cause destruction. Even in his anger, he would still put the city people's safety over everything.
Atlas hid a smirk. "Quick to action. As expected," he thought.
Evan walked up to Dr. Barker. "This has to be some misunderstanding!" he said.
Dr. Barker frowned at him. "You'll talk with those two devils after I take them down."
"I'm coming along as well," Kean said, lifting a giant pickaxe onto his shoulder.
Dr. Barker smirked. "Don't expect me to share." He then looked at Evan and Leopold. While he knew that Evan was apprehensive, he could sense that he and Leopold were also willing to come.
It was all a part of their agreement. If anything were to even hint at threatening their city, they would put differences aside and fight for it. While he was confident in his abilities to take down both boys, he didn't let pride blind him and knew it would make it a little easier with some help. After all, he could always ask for a one-on-one fight with the boys after they were sent to prison. He had done so in the past and embarrassed many whose ego was too big.
He then looked to Atlas, who he knew couldn't do much in his wheelchair. The Big Boss of Technology only nodded at him, and he turned back to the others.
"Let's go," Dr. Barker said, picking up his radio again. "Cancel the party. Save me a drink."
He stepped forward and then sped down the street, sprinting with the speeds of a jet.
Atlas only gazed as the other Big Bosses followed close behind, sprinting slightly slower than Dr. Barker but still keeping up.
The officers around the party were urging the partygoers to leave, attempting to do so with coordination. Atlas could hear complaints but knew words weren't enough to stop the officers.
Then, he received a call.
Tapping the accept icon on his wheelchair, he said, "Yes?"
"Mr. Atlas, sir!" one of his scientists yelled, sounding panicked, "Ray's operation has succeeded!"
Atlas widened his eyes for a moment before composing himself. "I'm on my way," he said seriously. He was moments from moving his wheelchair over to his parked limousine, but the scientist continued.
"He's run off sir!" the worker said, "Looking for you and Ms. Shade!"
"He's out in the city at this moment?" he whispered, though it was heard more as a realization than a question.
Then, he heard a voice shout from a distance, echoing down the street.
"Hey! Doctor!"
Raising his brows, Atlas turned to the boy heading straight toward him, sprinting down the street with his arms stretched out. Immediately he noticed how Ray was more lifelike, his hair and eyes more colorful, with a toothy smile.
Before Atlas could fully register the young lad, Ray flew down and wrapped his arms around the Big Boss's chest.
"It worked! Thank you, doctor! I finally feel better!"
Atlas sat there for a moment, his awareness catching up to him. By now, the party had been dispersed, and only the two of them were on the lit-up street. His heart skipped a beat, and his chest felt tight. Slowly, he lifted an arm and hugged Ray back. He couldn't believe it, but he felt joy seeing the boy alive and well.
They stayed like that for a few seconds before Ray withdrew and beamed at him.
"Where's Shade?" he asked excitedly. "I want to see her!"
Atlas cleared his throat, saying, "Of course. I'll call her right away."
Tapping the screen on his wheelchair, he made a private connection between his and Shade's earpiece.
"Shade, meet me at the last planting spot," he said.
There was a pause, then a reply from her. "You're heading there yourself? What about Lincoln and Mikey? They're preoccupied at the moment."
Of course, he knew this from what Dr. Barker sensed and told the others. "I know. They're going to have more company in mere moments. We could use them as a distraction while finishing up. Besides, a certain boy needs to see you."
"'A certain boy?'" There was another pause before he heard her gasp.
Atlas couldn't help but smile. "Meet us there."
He turned to Ray, who was bouncing on his toes, eager as ever to see Shade. "Are you ready, Ray? I think it's finally time you and Shade got your redemption."
Ray could only give a toothy grin at him, saluting. "Yes, sir!"
Lincoln and Melina were still at it.
The only thing holding Lincoln back was that he didn't want to hurt her. During the fight, he realized that the cards with a higher number had more power over speed, while the lower numbers were faster at the cost of impact. Even if he knew how her powers worked, it didn't give much of an advantage.
Mikey was getting annoyed. He was yet to hit Jackal a single time. The laughing jester dodged all his attacks, seemingly taunting him the entire time. The Living Puppet didn't seem bothered by anything thrown his way, but something was still odd. No matter what occurred—Jackal wasn't attacking back.
After throwing a few last cards at the boy, Melina paused. She looked around at the casino's damage due to their fight and grunted in annoyance. Ironically, the only person to blame was herself, as her attacks were the ones damaging the place, not Lincoln's.
She turned her gaze to Lincoln, who only looked back at her with a sad frown.
Lincoln watched as she took out a new card, but his attention was instantly grabbed when he saw that this card was glowing dark purple along with her hand.
Melina flipped it in her fingers, then threw it at him.
The card sliced through the air, a trail of dark purple energy behind it. Lincoln just barely glanced at what it was: Queen of Hearts.
He widened his eyes. All of the cards Melina had thrown up until this point had been numbers or the Ace, which stood for One. He completely forgot about the Jack, Queen, and King. With this quick reminder, he instantly assumed the Queen she held had a unique ability, raising his guard.
Suddenly, the card had a burst of speed, and Lincoln gasped before bringing one of his tasers up to block it. Before he knew it, the taser he used to block was sliced in half, the card traveling through and cutting him at the side of his neck.
Half of the taser baton dropped to the ground, rolling for a few seconds before stopping.
Some sweat dropped down the side of his head as he stood there in shock. That card was as fast as an Ace and as strong as a Ten. In other words, it was maxed out in statistics.
But more than that, it seemed Melina could change its speed at will. He couldn't let it catch him off guard again.
Melina looked satisfied with the results. Dropping an arm to her side, she said, "Give it up, Lincoln, and maybe, just maybe, you can use your words to get out of this."
Lincoln didn't notice until now that his throat was dry. He gulped.
He just needed to focus. Everyone had a weak point, so he only needed to find hers. Although deep down, he was a little glad. Melina had no good openings, which meant a good challenge for him. Her movements were fast enough to keep up with him, at least from range. He knew he had to get up close and personal to do anything to her, but he also had a few tricks up his sleeve.
Straightening up, he dropped the other half of the broken baton, now only holding one.
He smiled. "Not bad."
Melina only frowned at this, knowing Lincoln didn't mean to give up any time soon. She procured another card, this time a Queen of Spades.
Lincoln stared at her as she jumped and threw the powerful card down at him. He dashed to his left, dodging the speeding card and sprinting between two rows of gambling machines. Melina jumped high and started to whip multiple cards at him.
The cards were various numbers: fast, powerful, and slow. It didn't catch Lincoln off guard, though, as he bobbed and weaved as he ran through the row of games, all of the cards hitting the ground or the machines behind him.
Melina landed on a green poker table, sliding across it in her heels. She flicked a card into her hand and aimed further in Lincoln's path as she could spot the boy blinking through the little gaps between the machines. Lining up her shot, she tossed the card straight through one of the gaps, and Lincoln barely had enough time to jump and roll over it.
The First Assistant didn't let up yet. She sprinted forward, hopping off the poker table and passing two roulette wheels.
Lincoln looked to his right and spotted Melina keeping up with him. He turned heel as an intersection of more gambling machines arrived, now heading straight for her.
Melina took out another card, this glowing purple spiking Lincoln's attention. It must have been another Queen.
However, she didn't throw it just yet. Staring at the boy charging towards her, she flicked four cards in her right hand, one between each of her fingers and thumb.
Quickly throwing them at him, she rapidly took out more cards as he deflected the first batch and tossed them.
Lincoln continued to rush forward as he batted all of the cards away. He was amazed at how Melina's arms flailed at super speeds as she threw the playing cards at him. The cards were mixed in power and speed, and Lincoln had to deflect the faster cards while avoiding the slower ones. It was a difficult feat, but he managed to continue pushing forward.
Then, he saw it. When he deflected a Three, the glowing Queen was right behind it and in front of him, threatening to slice him apart. Time seemed to slow down as he bent backward at the perfect moment, sliding under the card on his knees and evading the Queen successfully. The powerful card whipped past him, jetting along the rows of gambling machines.
Lincoln returned to sprinting and didn't waver, deflecting the last of cards before approaching a frustrated Melina.
He struck forward, but Melina took a swift step back, flicking her wrist and throwing a spinning card in front of her. Like the Queen, this card also glowed with energy which caught Lincoln's attention.
The spinning card blocked the lunge, and after the quick clash, the glowing card spun back towards Melina, who caught it gracefully.
Lincoln kept the pressure on, taking powering steps forward as he jabbed and swiped his taser at the woman. In her defense, Melina kept flicking the spinning card in her hand, and each time the card blocked a jab, it spun back to her. The boy compared it to a boomerang, and he realized this tactic was better than he thought. The card was thrown forward to block instead of sitting between her fingers, and it made extra range between them because of that, allowing the woman a few extra milliseconds to react to his attacks and giving her breathing room. On top of that, it was faster to recycle the card repeatedly than to flick a new one to her fingers. It was also glowing and probably used energy, another reason to recover the same card over and over rather than procure an entirely new one.
He attacked without pause while she blocked with her playing card, trying to find an opening where he could tase her. This proved to be some trouble as she was good at keeping pace with him, even as she was backtracking during their scuffle.
She hopped backward, throwing two cards from her other hand. Lincoln deflected the Fives as he kept chasing her and tried once again to tase her but to no avail. Her glowing revolving card blocked all.
Melina hopped from machine to machine, table to table. Every time she jumped, she threw a couple of cards down at Lincoln, who blocked accordingly.
She jumped from a slot machine to a roulette table and then to an ordinary table. All the while, she threw cards down.
Lincoln deflected those and stopped his pursuit for a moment. He raised a finger in the air, and a bright orange ball of energy surged at the tip of it.
"Meteor Impact!"
He lashed his finger, holding the attack forward, and Melina took on a serious look as she dropped to the floor, raising that glowing card.
Instead of throwing it like she did to deflect Lincoln's jabs, she slammed it to the ground. It grew in size on the ground and flipped up, revealing it to be a Jack of Clubs.
Lincoln's Meteor Impact made contact with the giant glowing card, but it was a sturdy wall that held up against the pushing force.
However, Lincoln needed to do more than sit and wait for his attack to be blocked completely. He took the chance he got, being out of Melina's line of sight, and flew forward with a burst of energy in the air.
Melina anticipated this, jumping over their abilities and meeting Lincoln mid-air.
Lincoln thrusted forward, and she swiped her card, their melee strikes clashing.
The young boy was stronger, however, and after a second of struggling, he managed to push her downwards, his orange energy surrounding him powerfully.
Melina was slammed through their colliding abilities and into the ground. She was pinned under him as he pushed down with his taser against her card. Electricity sparked at the tip, like a snake hissing at its enemy.
His two baby blue eyes glowed a tint of orange as his energy helped him overpower her, his baton inches from her chest.
She stared up at him, her purple energy flaring but no match for Lincoln's. She saw the determination that flowed through his eyes but also regret.
Even with using the entirety of her strength with two hands, one holding the card and the other supporting her wrist, she still couldn't hold him off for much longer.
She used the ground to her advantage, propping her elbow on it for support to keep the taser away for mere seconds. Seconds were all she needed, though, as she let go of her wrist and pulled a card out of her free hand.
The card was pointed to his chest. Lincoln only noticed it once it was glowing brightly. He looked down and saw it was a King of Hearts.
He only had the time to widen his eyes when the card burst forward in a shroud of purple energy, knocking him up in the air and into the ceiling.
Melina then drew two more cards, both glowing intensely. Gritting her teeth, she threw two Kings, aimed directly at the spot where Lincoln hit the ceiling.
The two cards flew up in a bright but dark purple aura, spiraling around each other as they raced to the ceiling.
The woman watched as the two strong cards were inches from landing, but then…
"Reverse Parry!"
The sound of metal clashing filled the room.
The cards suddenly shot down in the opposite direction, straight for Melina.
She widened her eyes and attempted to spring away before her own attack hit her.
However, she wasn't quick enough, and her attack hit the floor next to her, knocking her back from the blast it made.
Melina rolled on the ground and gasped for air, panting as she rolled over to pick herself up.
Standing up straight, she looked up at the ceiling where Lincoln was. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke dropped down, and when it hit the floor, Lincoln was there standing, looking right at her.
He was mildly injured, and she clenched her jaw. The boy looked calm as if he was prepared to do this for many more hours. He wasn't even tired! She was just an office assistant for her boss, not inclined to fight this boy until she was knocked unconscious. Even though she wanted to protect Evan's property, that was a lot to ask for.
But she wondered what he went through to achieve this power or if he got lucky, and it was all in his genes.
No, this boy was smart. She could tell he was able to read her attacks and react accordingly. Every one of his movements had a purpose, and she did not doubt that every thought that crossed his mind was calculating. She didn't know if she had it in herself to keep going for long.
As Lincoln stared at the panting Melina, he recognized that she was reaching her limits. He sighed, not finding it enjoyable to win just because he had more stamina.
He had to remind himself he wasn't here to enjoy himself. Gripping his taser baton, he stepped forward.
On the other side of the large casino, Jackal chuckled as Mikey cornered him at the edge of the casino.
"Wow, kid," he started, "you're just as fun as Lincoln! But I'm sad to say the fun can't last forever."
Mikey knew full well that Jackal could easily escape. Being trapped in a corner was nothing to the Living Puppet. He could have just descended into a shadow and appear out in the open again. He decided to humor him.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Melina's almost out of steam. So there's no point in buying any more time."
Mikey clenched his teeth in anger. "All you were doing was distracting me!?"
Jackal laughed. "Well duh! If I had tried to actually fight you I wouldn't last a second!"
Attack or Evade. The Living Puppet had two modes meant for combat. When in his Attack state, Jackal could relentlessly attack for as long as he wished. However, this form had a significant downside: his lack of defenses. In his Evade mode, Jackal was not one you could easily hit and could keep going forever until his opponent wore out their stamina.
Back when he first met Lincoln, Jackal lied about being tired. Simply put, he didn't want to take more of the boy's time. He seemed like a friendly kid. Though, he had doubts rising in his head when Melina caught them sneaking around. He would have spotted them first, but it wasn't his job to be security.
"Well then. I'll be off!" he shouted with a salute, descending into the shadows and dodging one last angry strike from Mikey.
Melina swallowed some saliva to ease the dryness in her throat. She drew her fingers down to her wrist, pausing right before taking a card out.
"I have no choice," she thought. "I might collapse using this, but he would have beaten me anyway. If I can hit this though, I can take him down with me. Then, Jackal can take me to safety."
She flicked a new card in her fingers.
Lincoln stared at the card with a stunned look. It was glowing, like the other special cards in her arsenal. But this card glowed golden, unlike the flashy dark purple from before. She was up to something.
Melina sharpened her eyes and was less than a second away from throwing this card.
Lincoln got into a low stance, ready to either block or dodge whatever Melina was planning. His brain told him he should probably lean more into avoiding after what the Queen did to him and his forgotten taser.
Just then, the large wall to his left blew in, shocking them as the building shook.
They stared as the wall crumbled. The smoke from the debris slowly thinned, and a silhouette of a colossal person appeared.
Melina grit her teeth. "What now?"
The smoke soon flew away into the city night, the cool air from outside seeping in.
Lincoln stared up at the person, his mouth agape.
He recognized this gray-suited man, remembering him from last night at the fountain with Mikey. His features were ever-present: a brown ponytail, a thick beard, and a shiny badge that glared because of the casino's lights.
Dr. Barker locked eyes with Lincoln with a crazed toothy smile. "Nowhere to run now!"