Tonight, much like the past several nights, Raiden found it difficult to sleep. Surprisingly none of those old memories disguised as dreams had plagued him further, but there was the ever looming threat that they might resurface. While a part of him was macabrely curious about what details those long forgotten moments of his past might be unearthed Raiden had very little desire to face them right here and now. That reluctance was only strengthened by the fact that his nights were spent alone in the dark with only the heavily waxing moon in the window for a light.
On this particular night the threat of dreams only added to his restlessness, but was not the true cause. As much as he tried to reason himself back into bed, Raiden couldn't shake a feeling of unease that had settled in his mind and seemed to manifest in the heavy shadows of his dark room. It was that same stomach twisting feeling of a mission before it went completely sideways that kept him from being able to roll over and ignore the night pressing in on him like he normally did.
And so Raiden did what he always had done when confronted with something too uncomfortable to face: He ran from it.
Slipping from the little supply closet that was his room, Raiden stepped out into the darkened halls of the lodge to roam about until either exhaustion claimed him or the strange restlessness passed. He heavily toyed with the idea of going outside to find Wolf. Even though it was one in the morning the machine would be restlessly vigilant and always willing to indulge Raiden in conversation.
Many a night the two of them when not training spent their time talking the hours away about anything from philosophy to politics and much more. Wolf seemed to thrive off of the attention and having someone to express ideas and opinions was clearly what he craved above any other type of interaction. The AI had once told him of how he and Hal, and just as equally Sunny, would also have conversations for hours.
Raiden could not help but feel a little flattered when Wolf had told him that the man held such a unique perspective on the world that the AI was interested in hearing as much as Raiden would indulge him with. It made sense that a learning machine would seek out as many different perspectives as possible. It didn't compare to seeking out Rose when the urge to talk struck Raiden but Wolf's company was enjoyable nonetheless. It would most certainly be better than lurking around in the dark alone.
Mind made up, Raiden turned down the hall that led to the exit. It never took long to find the AI in his patrolling. The man froze in the dark mid step as a muted swear echoed throughout the otherwise silent lodge.
'That sounded like John.' Raiden frowned, both suspicious and curious.
The sound didn't come from the direction of the bunk room where the boy should have been, but rather from the open cafeteria area. Changing course, Raiden turned away from the doors to silently creep down the halls. As he approached a low light began to shine out from inside the large room.
Apparently he was not the only one that was restless on this night.
Raiden began to hear another voice in addition to John's as he neared, keeping to quiet tones but not outright whispering. The owner of that second voice was none other than Sam. Growing ever more curious as to what they were doing, Raiden moved to walk along the walls to better keep out of the light and took careful steps to avoid disturbing any of the various detritus in the halls of the forsaken building.
Finally just out of reach of the light, Raiden came to crouch down behind one of the filmy trophy display cases to listen in on what in the world had the both of them creeping about like this so late at night.
"No. Not quite. Back from the beginning. Again." Came Sam's voice, bored and sounding as if he were fighting back a yawn.
"What?" John's indignant voice rang though the large room before quieting down quickly as he caught himself. "I did that one perfectly. I've been doing that move since I was nine."
"And I have been doing it since I was six. And correctly at that." Sam retorted back with an unusual hint of sternness in his voice. John did not protest further but rather growled in frustration.
Growing intensely suspicious as to what was going on, Raiden dared to move out a little bit from his cover to peer around to see into the room. The tables of the room had been pushed back out of the way, leaving the area more open. Several little battery powered lanterns were placed sporadically on the floor to give the occupants some light.
Sam sat at one of the tables that had been pushed out by the wall. He lounged on the weathered furniture, back pressed against the wood with his chin propped up on his fist in what had to be an uncomfortable position. Somehow the man made it look natural, just as a cat would on a less than cushioned napping space.
Were Sam to look over to his left he would have easily seen Raiden's shock of blond hair standing out starkly against the darkness. In fact, Raiden was surprised that the other man hadn't picked up instantly on the fact that he was being watched. Instead the Sam's attention was fully on the teen despite what his relaxed position suggested.
Raiden slowly edged out a little more to see around the corner to where John was. The teen stood with wooden sword in hand, intently focused on the proper placement of his feet. Then slowly and with great deliberateness began to move through a form that Raiden remembered teaching him early on when they had first met.
"Much better." Sam gave the boy a quiet round of applause, whether it was sincere or sarcastic was difficult to tell. "I know that your father taught you and you might feel strongly inclined to hold on to his teachings but you must remember, your father is self taught." Raiden felt a prickle of insult but had to accept it as it was true. "What he has figured out that works for him would not necessarily work for you. Besides, you are learning my style. Best to start with proper foundations then get adventurous with...unique blade play."
Learning his style? After Raiden's repeated insistence that John not get involved with anymore violence and the like, Sam would go around behind his back and do something like this? And after their conversation several days ago when it seemed as if the two men had finally come to an understanding?
Raiden didn't know whether to be angry or amused at the man's audacity.
"You had mentioned your style and how if I don't learn it then it dies with you." John paused in his form to look over at Sam, testing to see if he were venturing into topics best avoided. "Is that also why you want me to forget what Dad taught me and listen more to you? To make sure at least somebody learns it right? I suppose all of that means that your dad isn't around to teach the Shadow School style anymore huh?"
The familiarity in which they talked to one another shifted Raiden's mood more towards the irate. Apparently these little lessons had been going on for some time now.
Sam looked at the teen several moments, weighing his thoughts on how he should respond. After a moment of drumming his fingers against the wood the man answered.
"You are correct. He is gone."
"I'm sorry. Can I ask what happened or is that not covered in the 'you can ask questions' part of my lessons?" John moved back to his starting point to move through the form again, although he kept shooting his teacher curious looks between checking his stance and hand placements as he flowed through the sword forms.
Raiden was reluctant to admit that the boy seemed to be grasping it better than when he had first taught John. Raiden had never taught anyone but himself before and Sam had been raised in an academy. Although John's progress could just as easily be attributed to him actually being fourteen now and able to better retain that information instead of a young child mimicking his father.
"As I said before, you can ask me anything. But to keep a long story short my father took on a job and was killed instead of being paid. I went on to master my skills and took my revenge out on those that did it." Sam told the teen in a much more censored and abbreviated version than what he had previously told Raiden.
"Oh, so you're like Inigo Montoya." John realized brightly.
"Who?" Sam asked in complete bafflement.
John laughed at the joke but when Sam's puzzled expression did not fade the laughter died in the teens throat.
"You can't be serious." John feel out of stance in his shock. "Everybody knows who that is." The boy looked downright offended at the blank look being shot his way.
"Watching movies isn't a hobby that everyone enjoys." Raiden said standing and revealing himself, growing tired of crouching in the shadows. John startled violently at his unexpected appearance but Sam only reacted with a slight quirk of an eyebrow. Bastard had already known that he was there. "You would be surprised at what seems like common knowledge in one place, becomes something completely novel in another. Such as the concept of 'no'." This last bit was said directly to the other man with a frown.
"I uh...I can explain." John looked between the wooden sword in his hand, to Sam, and then to Raiden. The teen looked like a deer in the headlights at being caught during their late night training. Sam, the completely unabashed asshole, only broke out into laughter at the situation.
"Only a few lessons in and we are already busted. And here I was hoping that we could keep this going for much longer than this. Although given our current environment, it truly was only a matter of time."
"Well...I'm waiting for an explanation here. Especially since you already know my thoughts on the matter and disregarded them anyway." Raiden told the other man as he drummed his fingers on his crossed arms.
"It's my fault Dad." John began, setting the weapon on the floor and trotting up to him. "I…"
"No its not." Sam cut him off, rising from his seat. The irreverent air bled from the man as he approached Raiden with something a little more sincere feeling. "The fault lies with me seeing as how I agreed to all of this. I do know your wishes on the subject, but to be fair I had promised the boy before our conversation on the matter. And I keep my promises. Put me in quite the spot, yes?"
"It's not that I don't like what you taught me Dad." John insisted on interjecting again. "Please don't be mad but it's just that I can't fight like you do. With all the jumping and the cartwheels and the…"
"I'm not mad son." Raiden felt the irritation at the sneaking around behind his back bleed away at the troubled look on the teen's face. It was not a look on John's face that he wanted directed at him ever. "I'm annoyed that you were sneaking around but I'm not mad at you trying to learn more. I do have to ask why though. I hope you're not getting any ideas about stepping in where you shouldn't like back at Maverick."
"No no no no." John vehemently denied. "I learned my lesson about that. It's so I can better take care of myself if something does go wrong and no one else is around to help me. What if I get cornered or caught? I figured it would help if I knew how to take care of myself so you didn't have to worry so much."
"Its my job to worry about you." Raiden pointed out bluntly. "And planning on carrying a sword around with you now after all your training?"
"We are also learning hand to hand." Sam interjected, still looking uncertain if Raiden was truly cross with him or not.
"Are you going to tell us that we have to stop?" John winced, bracing himself for the worst.
"No." Raiden admitted it after honestly thinking about it for a few moments.
There had been no time for him to further train the boy himself seeing as how he had been missing then working on getting himself back into fighting shape. John had likely been going stir crazy while they had been stuck here with no outlet for a teenager's energy.
Wolf was always with Raiden and likely would not know how to roughhouse with a teenage boy. Kevin stayed fit but was more of a gym guy rather than a martial artist. George would have no doubt declined seeing the sheer disparity in physical abilities between the two and given the older teens largely peaceful nature.
Now that Raiden thought about it, Sam was the most logical choice to train with John. Once again the man was looking out for them in unforeseen ways.
"No I'm not going to demand that the training stop. It does sting a little but I do admit that Sam would be the best to teach you. He knows more about swordsmanship than myself after all. However I do insist on sitting in on some of these lessons."
Sam made a show of looking overly surprised, hand over his heart in shock and all.
"Do my ears deceive me? You are actually admitting that I know more than you?"
"Yes." Raiden snapped, partially irritated by the antics although secretly amused. What a difference their forced proximity to one another and a few heavy conversations over these few weeks had wrought. They have progressed from the antagonistic to something almost resembling friendship. "After all you've actually had proper training. I learned by watching movies and TV."
All of the amusement drained from Sam's face to be replaced by muted horror.
"You can't be serious."
"I made it work." Raiden defended in a huff. While Sam had been exaggerating before, the nearly distraught expression on his face was now one of complete sincerity. A bit of an overreaction in Raiden's opinion.
"The man who defeated me in the desert, who's technique triumphed over my finely honed craft of a lifetime passed down through generations, was trained by Hollywood?" Sam looked ready to pull his hair out in sheer frustration.
"Mostly eastern films!" Raiden protested hotly, annoyed with the drama. He had actually put an immense amount of work into learning the sword. Mimicking what he observed and practicing to make it work then striving to make it better. This reaction made all his efforts seem like a cheap gimmick.
Intensely amused, John watched the exchange back and forth as one would a tennis match.
Sam looked as if he were winding up for an actual argument over the subject. Raiden prepared himself to meet the challenge dead on. An understanding between them or not, it still seemed as if they were fated to clash with one another. The low stakes of the situation removed any prickliness and almost gave the impending dispute an almost fun air to it.
The imminent squabble died in its tracks as the dull thunking sounds of Bladewolf's claws on the old wooden floor sounded out as the AI came bounding into the room on high alert. Instantly any squabble between Raiden and Sam was forgotten at the hurried arrival.
"Extinguish the lights now." Wolf commanded, his usual monotone carrying an urgent edge to it as he moved towards the nearest portable lantern.
As one the two men moved about the room in a flurry, extinguishing all the light sources that were being used for the late night lesson. John stiffened at the rushed efforts and shrunk in on himself, unsure of what to do. The abrupt change from playful argument to the intensity of the moment no doubt giving the boy whiplash.
"Talk to us Wolfy. What's going on out there?" Sam asked as he marched back over to the table that he had been reclining against and reclaimed his sword from where it lay to fasten back at his side.
"I have potentially detected the sound of aircraft nearby."
"Potentially?" Raiden checked to reassure himself that his borrowed knife was still hanging at his side before going to his son.
"Yes. I had only picked up on the sound briefly before it was gone."
"Your ears are playing tricks on you my friend." Sam teased even as he cast a suspicious look out of the window over the barren scrub lands.
"They are not. I acknowledge that it is a possibility I have picked up on training runs of nearby military bases. Or it is a possibility that it is a stealth craft that did not fully anticipate the range of my senses approaching our location."
"Dad?" John looked up at him with uncertain eyes.
"Could be nothing." Raiden tried to reassure the teen. It was true that there was a great deal of empty airspace over these forgotten desert lands, perfect for military drills or pilots wanting to cut loose in the open air. But no matter how he tried to rationalize it, the uneasy feeling that had him up this hour began to churn through him anew. The gut feeling no less potent for its artificial housing.
Even as he had said it those words felt that he was telling the boy a lie.
This was it...the prickle of paranoia that had been the cause of the restlessness. The bone deep conviction that an ambush was going to go wrong and you were walking to your death. He could be wrong but Raiden's intuition had kept him alive all of these years had yet to fail him. It was telling him that it was finally time for a confrontation.
The question was...was he ready for it?
"We have extensively discussed plans for potentially being discovered. We will follow these plans. I shall go scout for any trouble while the five of you vacate the premises temporarily." Wolf announced as he turned to the window, preparing to leap out.
"It had better be nothing. I am already behind on my beauty sleep." Sam quipped as he redid his hair more securely.
"Hmm." Was Wolf's unimpressed reply. "Wake the others and proceed with the plan. I will go inspect now." As quickly as he had entered the room, the AI departed, that long whip-like cord of a tail cracking the air in his haste. There was no further chatter between the three of them as the need for silence reigned supreme.
Raiden kept John close to his side as they left the cafeteria and made for the bunk rooms with Sam leading the way.
During their meal times the men, teens, and one robot, had all covered multiple scenarios and the steps that they should take should any number of events happen. These response plans covered anything from assault from multiple hostiles to a local somehow wandering across their little hideout. It was time to put the plans into action. All that was missing was the last two members of their party.
Ducking under windows and quickly darting by the open waiting doorways, the three of them slipped into the bunk room where Kevin and George slept on, peacefully oblivious to what may be going on. Pausing just beyond the threshold, Sam looked at Raiden and jerked his head towards Kevin who snored away in the corner while he moved towards George who slept by the window.
"Wait." Raiden caught Sam's elbow and pulled him off his set course. "I'll take the kid, you go get Kev."
"The window…" Sam protested as he eyed the potential danger, voice equally low. Who knew what could be lurking just outside that worn and weathered wood, waiting for someone to approach.
"I know, but he'll be less likely to be startled with me. We don't need any shouts right now."
To his surprise, Sam begrudgingly obeyed the simple request. Silently motioning for John to stay by Sam's side, Raiden quickly approached the sleeping teenager, footsteps making no sound.
As expected the boy flinched violently at the gentle hand on his shoulder shaking him awake. It was nowhere near as severe as his own reactions upon being approached while sleeping but the kid never would have lasted on the streets as long as he had if he was not vigilant in his sleep. Even after years of security and safety it was not an easy habit to break. Raiden knew that all too well.
Despite recoiling back and lashing out at whoever had crept up on him, George thankfully did not yelp or shout. Raiden caught the fist flying his way easily. Upon seeing who it was crouched at his bedside, the teen began to apologize profusely.
"I am so sorry..."
"Shh." Raiden cut him off before any further words could escape the drowsy and confused boy's mouth. "There might be trouble headed our way. We have to clear out. Just as we practiced."
Apprehension blossomed behind the teen's eyes but he held his chin high and nodded resolutely. Across the room there was a muted flurry of activity as Kevin had lurched out of bed and begun pulling his shoes on and a phone out from underneath his pillow. The boy before him saw this and quickly followed suit by getting his own footwear put on. Soon enough the five males were ready to move on away from the bunk room with its numerous open windows where any opponent could attack from.
John and George huddled up together in the center as the group moved through the darkened halls. Kevin was all eyes, looking this way and that for any hint of trouble, thumb hovering over the single contact on the simple burner phone should this prove not to be a false alarm.
As they made their way down the darkened halls, Sam sidled up beside of Raiden with a low voice not meant for the others' ears.
"Wolfy is sure taking his sweet time."
"Yes he is." Raiden agreed darkly. "But Wolf is also very thorough and has a habit of wandering far in his scouting."
Sam made a noncommittal noise at Raiden's hollow words of hope but did not feel like arguing the point. Much better to have eyes open and mouth shut.
There was a slight tug on his sleeve and Raiden turned to see George looking at him apprehensively.
"I don't have my bag." The teen told him in an urgent whisper. It took Raiden a split second to realize that he was referring to his medical bag. "I shoulda kept it in the room with me in case somethings like this happened. So stupid. I shoulda…"
"Don't worry about it." Raiden tried to reassure before the boy could get too worked up over his perceived shortcomings. "We can grab it as we pass by. We might need it just in case. Good call."
The detour to the main office was only a mild one, although it took them closer to the main entrance to the lodge than either Raiden nor Sam liked, if the huffing of the other man was anything to go by. The look of sheer relief on their young medics face as he clutched his bag made the risk worthwhile.
It was only when the group turned away from the office to continue with their evacuation did Raiden pause mid step. A cold prickling sensation worked its way down his spine at the sheer wrongness of the situation.
Back in the jungle all the animals would go quiet before an imminent attack. It was during this blanket of stillness that they sat waiting for the nearby predator to do its bloody work so that they may have a chance to pick at the scraps later. While it was nothing compared to the cacophony of the jungle the desert did have its share of noisy night life. And just like those occasions back then...all was silent outside now.
The two children bit back a yelp as Raiden grabbed them both without warning and began drawing them back away from the door. He didn't know from which direction the threat was going to come from but at least having them close to the walls was more secure than out in the open. The boys yielded to his manhandling silently and without question but Kevin was puzzled.
"What are you…"
The thought was never finished as the words were cut off by Sam also retreating away from the door to the shadows of the hall. The swordsman had the same sharp battle honed intuition that Raiden had and knew as well that something was amiss.
He was still pulling the boys away from the entrance when there was a metallic clatter behind them. Raiden whirled around in time to see a small EM grenade rolling across the floor from where it had been tossed in through one of the open windows.
There was a familiar high pitched whine before the world went white.
-0-0-0-
If Sam had not lived a lifetime of honing his skills in the martial arts then the incoming strike would have taken his head clean off. In the wake of the EM grenade going off, his right arm hung uselessly at his side and his lungs had seized up and refused his commands to draw in even a sip of air. A normal man would have been distracted by the lack of use of a limb and the primal panic that comes with imminent suffocation, but Sam was not exactly a normal man.
Even as skilled as he was, he had very nearly not managed to pull his sword up with his left hand, sheath and all, to meet the blade of the attacker that had sprung in from the window after the EM device had been tossed.
The sparking blue blade was halted just short of striking his neck, close enough to dazzle his eyes with its light after the dim halls of the lodge.
It was a very familiar looking HF blade.
Raiden's old sword, the one that had been taken from him the day he was captured now had been reformed into a new weapon entirely. Instead of the HF blade being wielded as a sword, his captor had added a solid pole to the weapon essentially making it into an impressive naginata.
'My my, that's quite the range you have there.' Sam thought with grim amusement, knowing that his own blade was solidly outmatched in terms of reach. His inability to draw in breath meshed unpleasantly with his last memories of seeing that blade. It seemed to be quite the day for nostalgia as the weapon was held by a shockingly recognizable form.
Apparently the sword was not the only thing the Hunter had stolen from Raiden. It was the same model body that Sam faced down in Africa years ago with a few modifications here and there. The claws, useful for climbing concrete and latching solidly onto opponents, were removed entirely to be replaced by heavy looking spiked gauntlets.
All the gold tones that complimented Blondie so much had been replaced with black to suit the stealthy underhanded tastes of the new owner of the body. And speaking of the new owner, they had cowardly elected to not show their face but rather donned a smooth helm of darkly reflective gunmetal.
Sam could see his reflection in that blank visage, brows furrowed in distress. Beyond his own reflection was the sight of a thoroughly panicked John and Kevin as George and Raiden were down and not moving from the effects of the grenade.
That split second of recognition and realization during that initial block was the only quarter that Sam was given before the attack truly commenced.
There was no time to properly pull his blade from its sheath. It was only just barely that Sam managed to block strike after strike with his weapon in his off hand as it was. It might have been the lack of air affecting him and the old memories resurfacing, but the relentlessly single-minded way his opponent came at him strongly reminded Sam of his fight with Raiden in the badlands.
Hunter was absolutely ruthless in pressing his advantage. It was a non stop barrage that left him dancing on the edge of life and death. Any other time Sam would have found the fight exhilarating but the state of his companions and the darkness beginning to creep in on the edge of his vision dampened the moment considerably.
As soon as it had arrived the invisible hand that held his breath in an iron grip released as the EM effects ran its course. Sam immediately drew in a great lungful of air, the world coming into clearer and sharper focus. A focus that was desperately needed as his opponent sensed that Sam was recovering and wanted to press his advantage while it still existed. The deadened cybernetic arm came back to life with a rush of static charged prickles. Heedless of the unpleasant sensation Sam pulled his sword from its sheath and met his opponents blade properly.
Behind him Sam could hear George and Raiden overcome the grenade effects themselves. The boy exclaimed something in what sounded to be German, voice full of distress, and the blond man with wordless snarls of rage.
"I will hold him off." Sam told the rest of his group calmly despite continuing to desperately take in air to make up for what he lacked those several long moments. "Just get out of here."
Sam did not look behind him to see if his command was obeyed, his ears catching the retreating footsteps. Instead he stared straight on at the Hunter in his stolen body with his stolen weapon who had hesitated in his onslaught. Sam saw that his opponent was oscillating between continuing the fight or perusing after his retreating quarry.
"Now now…" Sam scolded, moving to stand in the center of the hall to prevent Hunter from slipping by him. "It is not polite to start what you cannot finish. If you want him you must first complete your dance with me." After all, Sam was the greatest threat in the group which was why he had been targeted first.
Hunter silently considered the words with a slight tilt of his head then obliged.
Sam had fought against plenty of opponents wielding polearms before. During his days with the Winds of Destruction Mistral had encouraged 'friendly' sparring between the two of them several of times. Sam had declined any further matches after it had seemed that she was more interested in displaying her cruelty than any true spirit of combat. Hunter was an entirely different beast altogether.
Mistral had wielded her spear almost as if it were a toy for her amusement. Hunter wielded his spear with the single minded intent to kill. Despite his skill and confident words, Sam was very unhappy with this situation. After all...jeans and a simple t-shirt made for poor armor. One lucky strike by the Hunter and he would be done for. Thankfully Sam's saving grace was that such a long weapon could not be fully utilized in the cramped halls.
Perhaps he had gone mad during these long weeks here at the lodge but it seemed that despite his displeasure at his precarious situation Sam could not help but feel a true sense of relief. So long they had been forced to stay hidden, out of sight and out of mind of the world. This barren desert wasteland that had once been his shelter had started to feel like a cage. Now fighting this stranger in the dark with only the moon and the light cast by their blades to illuminate their battle, the time for sneaking was finally over.
It was down to blade verses blade and that was what Sam lived for after all.
"It is about time you finally made an appearance. I had begun to think that you had forgotten about us." Sam taunted even as he was slowly pushed back through the halls. "I am actually surprised that you are here in person, sending others to do your dirty work seems to be more in your style."
His silent faceless opponent did not deign to answer. Sam looked for the tell-tell tensing of the shoulders that let him know that his nettling words were getting under his opponents skin. The only response Sam received was an empty trophy case being kicked his way.
Sam put on his best mocking laugh as he deftly dodged the wooden fragments and glass launched towards him. "Struck a nerve? Is it not the truth? Even now you won't show your face."
The attacks his way did not slow or even falter. Sam hid a frown as his taunts had absolutely no effect. The man before him was as frustratingly unflappable as Raiden when they fought. The cyborg before him did not even make a whisper of a sound.
Sam had a creeping feeling prickle down his spine as he wondered if there even was a face behind that reflective mask.
He had no further opportunity to ponder the details of his opponent as he blocked a strike and stumbled back several steps from the sheer force of it. Soon he would be pushed back into the cafeteria and with its wide open spaces Hunter and his polearm would finally have the room he needed to attack freely.
Sparing a quick glance down at his sword's sheath, the man could not hide his snarl of frustration. While blocking with the item during those initial strikes had saved his life, the firing mechanism had been damaged, keeping him from pulling off a sneak attack that would have put an end to this.
'I could have used an ace right about now' Sam grimly thought to himself as he was finally forced into the large room.
Hunter wielded the naginata with its stolen blade with no little degree of skill but Sam could tell from those first few swings that the man was no master. Hunter used the polearm effectively and savagely but with no distinct style. Or at least with no style that Sam had ever seen before. But as his battle with Raiden had most thoroughly proven to him, overwhelming force can most certainly make up for a lack of skill.
Despite all the flaws in his opponents technique, Sam remained firmly on the defensive. He looked for an opening, some small slip up from Hunter that could potentially lead to victory in this seemingly unwinnable fight, but the blank faced man was inhumanly precise. In fact, the longer the fight dragged on, the more Sam was convinced that there was no flesh buried within all those metal and wires.
'Ah, another puppet. An AI controlled body.' Sam had bitterly thought, narrowly skirting out of the way of a blow that would have certainly bisected him. 'Cannot even look a man properly in his eyes as he tries to kill him.'
Perhaps the knowledge that his quarry was escaping out of his reach as the battle in the lodge stretched on, but Hunter abruptly surged forward swinging the naginata hard. Unable to dodge in time, Sam braced himself for the heavy blow. Sam could not help but falter somewhat in surprise as it was a blow that never came.
Hunter stumbled hard in his charge, a knife lodged into the back of his knee perfectly between the seams of the metal. In this dim light, it was the sort of strike on a subtle weakness that could only happen if one already knew where it was.
Knowledge from say...the body's former owner.
Raiden glared at Hunter from the darkened halls before turning and slipping out of a window into the night as abruptly as he had appeared. The intruder did not have time to think of perusing him as Sam was already pressing his advantage at the welcome distraction.
The man aimed at the cyborgs neck in a dark mirror of their first clash. A decapitating strike would be about the only chance Sam would be able to pull this battle off cleanly and neatly. Thrown off balance from his stumble, Hunter did not have his weapon in position to block in time. The Murasama cut a crimson arc through the air…
Only to be blocked at the last second.
The Murasama bit deeply into the gauntlet but failed to sever the hand thrown up in a last ditch effort. Pieces of metal broke free as some hidden contraption housed in the armor was damaged and fell apart. Sam had no time to wonder what tricks Hunter had up his somewhat literal sleeves as his opponent retaliated with a kick sent him reeling back into the pushed aside tables.
Thankfully it had not been a fully impacting blow or else the power behind a kick from a cyborg would have shattered his ribs, but still it hurt like hell and for the second time that night Sam found himself struggling to breathe.
Hunter took the moment to pull the knife out of his leg. Sam dodged it easily with a taunting smile as it was sent flying through the air to land with a solid thunk where his head had previously been. The invader made to charge at him, giving the polearm an ominous twirl when he was once again distracted by an object thrown at him.
Instead of the hit landing this time, Hunter sliced the rock thrown at him out of the air, the shards of the stone clattering nosily to the floor. There was only a flash of blond hair from the window before the other cyborg slipped away once more like a ghost.
The brief reprieve was all that was needed for Sam to recover enough to get to his feet. He pulled the knife free from the wood and tossed it out of the nearest window, trusting Raiden to find it and to strike whenever he was most needed.
"You do not play around do you?" Sam winced, fighting the urge to rub at his chest. "I don't suppose we could sit down and talk all of this out like adults?" As anticipated the only response was another flurry of heavy attacks that were barely dodged or blocked.
'No fun, this one.' Sam pouted as they moved their way through the cafeteria leaving destruction in their wake.
The lodge had already been in a sorry state but their battle had the effect of splintering tables and cutting through the walls. The structure groaned out its complaints as the naginata sliced through another of the supporting pillars throughout the room.
The Hunter did not care if the building fell down around him as he swung away without hesitation nor concern for collateral. The old structure falling down on them would mean very little to the intruder in his misappropriated armored body. Sam on the other hand happened to care quite a bit.
It struck Sam that this might be his blank-faced dancing partners plan all along. With Bladewolf missing and Raiden in a civilian model body with only a knife, Sam was truly the last line of defense for their little group. If Hunter was struggling to defeat him quickly in direct combat him then bringing the building down on his head would be the next best thing.
And it looked like that plan was succeeding.
Sam could only watch as yet another pillar was cut away. It was one support structure too many for the poor dilapidated building.
And with one last shuddering groan, the roof of the lodge began to crash down.
.
Authors notes: I did have big plans guys. I was gonna get two chapters out this month. One for Christmas and one for the end of the month like usual. I should have known better. Murphy's law was like: ha ha, no. I was lucky to get this one done as it was. I don't know about anybody else but I am so thankful that the holidays are over with. Here's to leaving off 2024 with a cliffhanger. I hope you all enjoyed it and have a Happy New Year!