Authors Notes: I'm a month late in posting and this is not my best chapter. I am sorry. I'll explain at the end of this section.
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Upon seeing the Maverick headquarters reaching up into the night sky, lit up like a beacon of refuge, Rose did not even try to fight the tears of relief that welled up in her eyes. It almost seemed surreal to see it in person after weeks of dreaming about the sight for so long and fighting tooth and nail to get here.
Despite her goal being so close at hand and through all her trials, oddly enough this last stretch of empty road was proving to be the hardest to traverse.
Standing across the street under a bug swarmed streetlamp Rose found that her aching feet were loath to move forward. She had no idea what would be awaiting her just beyond those lit doors. Inside there could be her son and husband, no worse for the wear with his disappearance, along with the news that Maverick had already dealt with the one who had disrupted their family so.
Or...she could be greeted by lowered eyes and sympathetic head shakes, then approached by some unfortunate soul tasked with the bitter job of giving her the unfortunate news. Perhaps something had gone wrong with retrieving John. They could have been too late in finding Jack.
Everything could be waiting beyond those doors...or everything could be lost.
Rose shook her head to get the unacceptable thoughts out of her mind. Standing here treating the building like it was like Schrodinger's cat was doing nothing but delaying the inevitable. She was no coward and would not let the fear of the worst stop her when nothing else had managed to during her trek across the world. Her resolve, while strong, did not help prevent her insides from twisting at the unknown awaiting her as she marched resolutely across the asphalt.
The guard in the booth at the gate that had been warily observing her standing on the other side of the road instantly sat up straighter at her approach. It was difficult to see inside of the elevated structure but to Rose it seemed as if the guard looked oddly alarmed at being approached by just a single woman.
"Ma'am I am going to have to ask you to leave. You are currently trespassing." The woman in her crisp uniform and severe bun commanded her over the intercom when Rose neared.
"I need to speak with Boris Popov." She announced resolutely, coming to a stop in front of the booth with its heavy doors and reinforced glass. "It is an urgent matter."
"This is your last warning." The guard threatened, hands moving busily out of Rose's line of sight. "If you do not leave security will arrest you for trespassing."
Rose was not impressed by the threats of someone that looked to be nearly twenty years her junior. The sharper part of herself that had been whetted to a fine point over these past few weeks wanted to let the woman know that her attempts at authority were laughable and to try again. Rose fought down a smile at the thought that Jack would have held no reservations on speaking his mind and she could almost feel him over her shoulder encouraging her to let the words fly.
The more tempered part of herself decided that it would be the best for all involved to keep her temper in check and to play nicely. It was understandable that she would be held under suspicion after all. She was showing up in the middle of the night, demanding to see the boss, and looking homeless in her mismatched filthy clothing. It would be a concern about Maverick's security if Rose wasn't looked at suspiciously.
"I understand if this is unusual and I commend you for being diligent but I know Boris well. I have hired him and my son and husband should be under Maverick's care. My husband was a former agent here for a number of years going by the code name Raiden."
The woman muttered something that Rose couldn't quite catch into the small radio on her shoulder before turning back to the woman below her.
"There is no one working here by that name. I suggest you look elsewhere."
"Former employee." Rose corrected, feeling her mask of politeness beginning to slip. "Jack Sears?" The woman refused to engage with her further, no doubt waiting for backup to arrive. Rose seethed for a moment grinding her teeth before letting the tension go with a sigh. If security took her in then at least she would be inside. After that it would only be a matter of verifying her identity.
If anything, the staff at Maverick were punctual as the extra security arrived swiftly before the two women had much longer to glower at one another. As promised by the security guard Rose was detained by the two guards for her trespassing. The long empty gun and blade that they found on her person did little to indicate innocent intentions.
For a brief moment Rose was fearful that she was going to be handed over to police hands instead of taken into Maverick's custody. It was when she was reiterating her name and who she was looking for did one of the security guards eyes light up with a spark of recognition.
"Raiden? Do you have any proof of your claims?" The man asked, exchanging a look with his partner. The other man immediately moved off to the side pulling out his phone.
'Do I look like I have proper paperwork on me?' She thought bitingly to herself.
"I'm afraid not. Although my husband or Mr. Popov could clear it up quite easily. I understand that precautions need to be taken and that it is quite late at night..."
With the glare of the booth guard at her back Rose, with a grateful smile spread across her face, stepped through the doors of Maverick Security. The fact that her hands were cuffed behind her back and she was being carefully escorted like she was a dangerous criminal was of little consequence. She had finally made it.
The room she was detained in was designed to be uncomfortable. Blank walls, an empty table, steel chairs that could not be sat in without blood flow being cut off no matter what position one shifted or twisted to. But despite the best efforts of the designer of the room, Rose found herself able to relax for the first time in weeks in this colorless barren box.
The room was temperature controlled, a blessed change of pace from the scorching days and frigid nights that she had to endure. The single guard at the door simply observed her rather than try to proposition her or steal what little she had. No wild animals snarling and snapping at her. No more being lost for days unable to find her path on the back roads. And most importantly, she was finally able to sit rather than walk endlessly no matter how sore her legs were or how her feet ached.
Oh yes, Rose was comfortable.
The only thing she did not like about the room was the large no doubt two way mirror covering one wall. The mirror held up truths to her that she had been brushing aside for a while now. Gone was the respected therapist, the suburban wife and mother. Her carefully chosen and put together image had long been discarded. She looked feral and wretched.
Her short hair tufted out despite her best efforts to smooth it back into something more dignified. There was also the uncomfortable fact that it was two different colors: one her natural dull blond and the other a rather ugly brassy gold.
The clothes she wore was overly large on her and filthy at that. The bagginess of her apparel made her thin, almost gaunt, appearance all the more obvious. The reflection staring back at her looked like a woman that had been living on the streets stressed and strung out.
It truly was an inconsequential thing in the grand scheme of things, but still she felt self-conscious about it.
The thought of Jack seeing her look like this made her want to shrink down into the uncomfortable metal seat. He wouldn't care, she knew him far better than that to be concerned about that, but after so long apart this was not the image that she wanted to present to him for their long overdue reunion.
The door to the room burst open causing Rose to flinch, jarred quite abruptly out of her thoughts. The unexpected visitor, still clad in pajamas with her blond hair put up into a messy bun, was a vaguely familiar young woman. The woman, still holding onto the doorknob with a death grip and a slightly gentler hold on a laptop in her other arm, stared at Rose hard for several heartbeats then seemed to positively sag in relief upon seeing her.
"I didn't believe it at first." The blond woman breathlessly said, coming fully into the room to fearlessly sit at the other chair on the other side of the table. "When they sent me the surveillance footage I was skeptical but there was still something about you. But here and now in person I…we have been looking for you for a very long time Ms. Rosemary."
"I'm sorry." Rose put on her best manners, an amusing contrast to her rough appearance. "You look very familiar to me but I can't quite put a finger on your name."
"Courtney Collins." The young woman said with a dazzling smile as she motioned for the guard to undo the handcuffs.
"Ah Ms. Collins! I'm sorry I didn't recognize you at first." Rose rubbed the mild discomfort out of her wrists, thankful to be free of the restraints. "I've had quite the time lately and I'm afraid that my memory is not the best at the moment."
"I can only imagine." Courtney waved the guards from the room. "We've been having kittens here at Maverick trying to track you down. You've had a lot of people very worried." Courtney told her even as she got the laptop up and running, fingers flying across the keys.
"My son and husband." Rose cut in, uncaring about any further discussion about herself or her trials. "Were are they? Were you able to get to them in time?"
"Yes. We found them. Both of them." Courtney told her with a sincere smile.
"Oh thank god…" Rose could have cried upon hearing the news. It was difficult to keep tears from welling up in her eyes as the other woman in front of her continued on. The surge of relief after weeks of worrying was enough to make her feel lightheaded.
"We have been made aware of exactly what type of threat your family has been up against. Which is the reason for the tight security and intense scrutiny. Sorry about that."
"I don't care about all of that." Rose waved off the non-issue. "Where are they? Was Jack ok? Has things been taken care of for good or is the culprit still out there?"
A chiming sound came from the small computer and Rose immediately heard a very familiar accented voice demand a report. The tired woman was slightly irked at having to wait for her answers but tried to take it all in stride. They were probably being told she was here at this very moment.
"It's her sir." Courtney grinned before turning the screen around for Rose. On the other end of the video was Boris who seemed to be in the back of a moving vehicle. The man quietly took in her altered appearance for a moment before breaking out into overjoyed laughter and applause.
"Indeed it is you Rosemary! I could hardly recognize you, but then again that was point, was it not?"
"I'm not too happy about it personally…" Rose plucked at a lock of her shortened two toned hair, "but it is far better than being hunted down. Sorry for all the worry I must have caused everyone."
"No no no." Boris waved off her apologies, leaning in closer to his camera. "It was wise to stay hidden. Dr. Emmerich has filled us in about who we are facing. You are quite the remarkable individual to make it half way across the globe unnoticed by such a threat."
"It was not easy." Rose confessed with a small laugh. Not easy was the understatement of the century. "I might have slipped up here and there towards the end in my rush but I figured that so long as I made it here to Maverick then all would be well and it wouldn't matter."
The way Boris' eyes flitted away from the screen in hesitation killed any building joy Rose may have been feeling. There apparently was something that she did not know and that chilled her more than this metal room ever could.
Boris must have seen the panic rise in her eyes and instantly made to sooth her.
"We managed to retrieve your son with ease and rescue your husband with no trouble. And they are safe and well guarded. Problem is with my company itself. You see..."
The sound of a phone ringing from Boris' end instantly put a stop to the man's words. Call with her forgotten completely he whirled around and thrust a hand into a nearby bag to retrieve it. The phone only had a chance to ring twice before it fell silent. The man on the screen did not even have time to properly pull the device out before the call was dropped. He attempted to call back whoever had attempted to contact him but there was no reply. Boris was left staring at the small screen with a deathly serious expression.
The tension that had been building was now amplified exponentially and Rose's stomach could not help but clinch in anxiety and foreboding.
Courtney immediately snatched up the laptop and moved to the other side of the room to at least attempt to speak privately. It was a futile gesture as with her acute ears Rose could still hear some of the conversation despite the low tones. She could only helplessly watch as they younger woman grew more alarmed as the hushed conversation continued. Snippets of such things like 'safe house', 'compromised', and 'rescue operation' could be heard. The distressed little glances that Courtney failed to keep from shooting her way gave away exactly what this was about.
Rose found herself wanting to weep due to sheer exhaustion. All their troubles was all supposed to be over whenever she reached Maverick, not moving into its next stage. Fate was so cruel to pull the rug out from underneath her when she was so close to getting her family back.
She didn't know what kind of reserves she had in herself after such a long struggle but there was nothing to do but weather the storm as it came. Rose steeled herself for whatever may come even as bitter despair weighed on her heart.
-0-0-0-
There was not much Raiden could do in a fight against an armed and armored cyborg and he knew it. While his mind was no longer smothered by the fog that had cloaked it for years and his skills had been restored to him, his current body had no chance to keep up with a situation like this.
Hell would freeze over first before he sat this one out though.
Through the alternating waves of static and numbness as his internal systems fought to restore balance and as soon as the paralyzing effects of the EM grenade had wore off Raiden had been up on his feet. While he itched to dive into the fray along side Sam, the terrified teens were looking to him for guidance and they needed to get out first and foremost. As he and Kevin were pulling the boys away down the hall Raiden had spared a look back to see Sam securing their retreat, red and blue blades flashing in the darkness.
The four of them had burst out of the back exit unaccosted and the two boys had tore off across the desert towards the hidden vehicles. Kevin had been right behind them but hesitated when he saw that Raiden still lingered behind in the doorway.
"What the hell are you doing man? C'mon!" The man practically jumping in place with urgency.
"I'm going to hang back and help Sam." Raiden said with an air of finality. "You take the boys and get out of here. Get in contact with Maverick and get us some help."
"I tried before things went down but that EM fried my phone before I could get through." Kevin lifted up the device that he still held in a terrified grip despite the fact that the blast had rendered it useless.
"Then drive until you hit a town and find a phone there. Just get them out of here." Raiden commanded, ears attuned to the sound of the fight in the building. "Go!"
Kevin didn't argue with him further, taking off to join the two teenagers that had hesitated in their escape. The look that John gave him was almost enough to make Raiden change his mind. If the fight went badly then where would that leave his son? Before he had a change of heart about staying behind the boy gave him a thumbs up along with a cocky grin, confident in the ability of the two men to come out of this on top.
Raiden returned the grin and watched as John turned away to join George and Kevin to disappear off into the night. With the three of the others out of the way along with his son's vote of confidence, Raiden pulled his borrowed knife free and got on the move.
It was not hard to gauge where the pair were fighting inside as the clash of metal against metal and Sam's taunts were clear as day. Raiden observed their progress down the hall as he slipped from window to window, knife at the ready. So far Sam was holding his own but it seemed to be a precarious situation. Raiden knew from first hand experience that Sam had this uncanny ability to know what his opponent was going to do before he actually did it. Even so, Hunter moved fast and decisively and Sam's endurance could only hold out for so long.
Seeing his stolen body and sword made Raiden seethe with indignation and hate. It wasn't enough that Hunter had stolen him away from his family and years from his life, he had to take his body as well. At least that answered the question of what had happened to all of the hardware. Raiden had to fight down his outrage at the changes at what was rightfully his to focus on the fight before him.
As he watched with narrowed eyes, he decided that it was best to let Sam handle the heavy work while Raiden provided support where he could. Hunter was unwillingly holding back in the tight halls but as soon as the two combatants moved into the cafeteria he was free to use the weapon to its true potential. As Sam was slowly forced back into the open area Raiden crept in through a window, sensing that his opening was coming.
Whenever Sam seemed he would not be able to manage the heavy blow coming his way Raiden jumped into the fray.
A well placed throw of the blade sent Hunter stumbling, although not to the ground as he had intended. When the invader looked back to see the new addition to the fight Raiden let his expression shout his defiance before darting out of the window. From the sounds of continued combat inside Sam had apparently not been able to properly capitalize on the distraction.
In a temper at his failed distraction Raiden threw a rock at the thief's head which proved to be futile as well. When the knife had sailed out of an open window Raiden snatched it up, determined to make a more substantial distraction of himself.
His plan of dashing in to draw Hunter's attention changed as the building began to groan in protest of the vicious battle within. When the roof begin to shift Raiden reacted without thought or hesitation.
The knife flew from his fingers as soon as he had hopped onto the window sill. Hunter, who had been about land an overhanded strike to Sam caught the blade solidly in the side of his neck. There was not enough power behind the throw to sink the it in deep enough to cause any crippling damage but it was enough to cause the attacker to stumble back for a split second. That split second was all that was needed for Sam to disengage and make a break for the window Raiden was perched in.
Wood splintered and metal fastenings snapped in a horrific cacophony as the building began to come down in earnest. Raiden darted free of the destruction with Sam hot on his heels. Together the two men cleared the cascade of jagged wood and were engulfed in a cloud of dust and sand.
"Not how...I wanted to spend my evening…" Sam's snark was punctuated by violent coughing as the airborne particles coated and irritated his throat.
"Why do I doubt that." Raiden returned right back at him, avoiding breathing for the moment. He didn't bother bantering any further as he watched the debris pile for movement. Suddenly feeling bare without any weapon in hand, the man began searching around for anything that could be used other than a simple rock.
"You're right." Sam let out a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a cough. "Although it would certainly be nice if a rouge nail found it's way into an important bit of our blank faced friend's wiring so we could call this a night."
"Have either of us have ever had any luck?" Raiden could not help but look away from the shifting rubble to shoot Sam an incredulous look.
"No." The swordsman shrugged in resignation.
Sam's hollow hope that this encounter was done proved to be false as the shifting rubble began to tumble aside and a black and silvery figure emerged. Beside of Raiden the other man picked the least eroded playground equipment and cut off a segment of metal and tossed it to him. Raiden gave the makeshift polearm a few twirls. It was a weapon useless in almost every fashion against this opponent save for the fact it gave him the illusion of having something useful in his hands.
Hunter marched toward them in single minded determination. Raiden immediately noted that the cyborgs hands were empty. His modified HF blade had been abandoned somewhere amidst all the rubble and dust.
'Why leave it? He could have easily pulled it out.' Raiden narrowed his eyes at the suspicious action then shot a look over to his companion.
"I think you forgot something!" Sam called out in a helpful tone. "Just back there!"
"Such a moron." Raiden grumbled to himself before falling back to watch for an opening where he would be most useful.
Hunter wasted no time reengaging into the fight. The change in the cyborg's tactics was an interesting contrast in comparison to the earlier clash. Previously Hunter had the advantage of longer range on his side with Sam getting into his space to prevent that range from being utilized. Now their positions were reversed and Hunter used his speed to give Sam no room to properly swing the Murasama.
Raiden circled worriedly, throwing rocks for distraction where he could as his companion was putting his full efforts into dodging and blocking the heavy fists being thrown at him. But something about the way the fight was progressing sat ill with Raiden.
Instead of taking possible shots with his damaged hand, it seemed as if Hunter was going out of his way to try and land even glancing blows with his gauntleted hand. It was not a matter of damage to be inflicted. Flat knuckles with the full power of artificial muscles would do just as heavy damage as a graze by the spiked knuckles, so why put the focus on one hand only? Unless there was something else going on here.
It was when the patch of clouds shifted and the waning moonlight cast its light down did Raiden see that it was more than just spikes. The tips were fine points, no doubt designed for automatic injection should it come in contact with its target.
Hunter was having difficulty besting the experienced swordsman in straight combat so he was attempting to fight dirty. He really should expected no less from someone who so far had avoided honest combat by use of marionettes to fight in his stead.
Raiden immediately started to close the distance to join the fight directly. He didn't know what sort of tricks that Hunter held up his literal and metaphorical sleeve but he doubted that it would be good news for Sam should even the smallest strike land.
No one was allowed to take down that smarmy bastard but him.
Without the distractions Raiden had been providing, Sam stumbled back after a particularly hard block and Hunter closed in, guaranteed to land a strike this time. Without thinking Raiden darted in between the two of them intending to deflect the metal fist if he could manage it or take the hit himself if he couldn't.
In that split second when the world seemed to slow down Raiden tried to bring up his lackluster weapon to deflect the blow, but he knew it was no good. The old him could have done so with ease, and even now his mind was up to the task, but unfortunately this body was simply not designed for reflexes like that.
Just before the moment of impact Hunter recoiled violently away from Raiden.
The foe took several steps back, keeping his spiked fist securely tucked away at his side and able to be moved behind him should the blond man attempt to charge him. The posture of the blank faced cyborg all but screamed relief of dodging too close of a call.
The hard rule of 'Never take your eyes off your opponent' that had been literally beaten into him since childhood was tossed out the window as Raiden could not help but to exchange a look with Sam. The swordsman was looking at him as well, eyebrows raised high in a look that wordlessly asked 'Did you see that too?'
Recovering quickly Hunter began circling around again, intent on facing Sam but the spell had been broken. Despite the fact that their adversary seemed determined to shed any semblance of emotion he certainly seemed conflicted as Raiden circled right along with him. Far more mindful of Raiden's position now, Hunter hesitated for a heartbeat before moving in to attack once more.
Deciding to test out what had just happened, Raiden kept himself resolutely between the two men. He sloppily swung the rusty pipe, recklessly keeping himself wide open for a strike by that spiked hand. Just as anticipated, Hunter simply blocked the blow but did not retaliate. Just as he thought would happen.
What Raiden did not anticipate was for the enemy cyborg to actually speak.
"You don't remember me, do you?"
At the words Raiden froze, he could feel Sam stiffen up behind him as well. The voice was robotic and monotone, giving no clue as to the identity or even gender of its owner. Raiden quickly shook himself out of his shock and retorted back with a snarl.
"How can I when you hide behind blank faces and stolen bodies. When you use others to do your bidding?" The three began to slowly shift, each of them looking for an opening to strike.
"Actions speak louder than words." The cyborg flexed his undamaged hand, hollow spikes glinting in the moonlight threateningly. "I thought that at least by now you would have recognized me through deed."
Raiden couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"So you have it out for me. Do you have any idea how many have been after me and have tried to kill me in my life? You are going to have to be a little more specific than that if you want me to know who you are."
"If I wanted you dead you would have been done away with years ago." Hunter replied bluntly, a hint of emotion finally seeping into that maddeningly blank voice. A cold barely constrained rage "I just want you placed back where you belong, in some forgotten hole away from the world until that twisted brain of yours finally ceases to function."
It was only Sam's shifting at his side that kept Raiden from attacking, civilian body or not. The brutal reminder of his captivity so callously thrown in his face made him see red. The bastard had no idea that being locked within a collapsing mind was a fate worse than death. Or perhaps he did know and was his aim. Raiden was no stranger to torture, but that...he couldn't face that again.
Raiden wasn't afraid of death, but the thought of being taken again caused rare fear to sink its claws into him.
He hated the bastard for that.
"I will kill you before that will ever happen." He growled out, low and vicious, wishing that he had a sword in hand.
"You are still determined to break your promise, arn't you?"
The words caused Raiden to falter. They struck deep down, causing something in his memory to stir but not enough to be fully unearthed. This feeling and the almost...sad way Hunter had said it indicated that the man was being truthful and not simply trying to get into his head.
It felt weighty, significant, this mystery promise of his. Raiden felt like he should remember it, that it used to be something important to him but it refused to be recalled to the forefront of his mind. So much of his past has been lost to his near desperate attempts to repress it that it was not surprising that this had been buried too. But there was something about the way it had been said that almost had Raiden putting a face to the words...
In a snap moment Sam took advantage of their distraction and charged forward with a devastatingly fast upward strike. Their opponent jerked back in a reflexive action that kept him from being split open from groin to chin but was not able to fully dodge the blow. The cyborgs already damaged hand was sliced free up to mid forearm with a spray of artificial blood.
Raiden was only mildly surprised that he didn't even flinch when the Murasama was arching through the air just inches from him. His trust in the man he reluctantly called friend had grown far too much for that.
There were no more words after that and the battle resumed in full force. Although now Sam and Raiden had a clear advantage with Hunter's reluctance towards attacking him. This hang up opened up a whole new strategy for the two of them that just might be enough to help them win the fight.
-0-0-0-
While it was far more fun to fight against Blondie, Sam had to admit that they fought very well together.
The battle had moved out amidst the poles and chains of the rusty little playground. The worn out place of play where children of years past would play was now the stage for the vicious battle now taking place. The familiar terrain that had once been Blondie's makeshift training ground was now serving him well as he continued to make a proper nuisance of himself in the fight. It was almost enough to bring a tear of pride to Sam's eye.
Hunter was attacking harder and more determinedly than ever, loss of an appendage be damned, but was hampered severely by the fact that he insisted on diverting his punches and pulling back. Every time it looked as if he could possibly make contact with Sam, there Blondie was, thrusting himself right between the two of them. Their opponent would invariably pull back, avoiding hitting the man with whatever nasties he had tucked away in that gauntlet of his at even to the detriment of himself.
It wasn't complete avoidance in attacks however. Strikes with his damaged arm and kicks were still in play. Blondie did his best to block and deflect with his section of pipe, and where that failed, steadfastly taking the hit rather than moving away and leaving an unarmored Sam to take the damage instead. Whenever they did make contact these attacks lacked any true intent to kill and all three of them knew it. It was apparent that they were more intended to get the Raiden out of the way rather than inflict true damage.
It struck Sam as odd that their Hunter would go to such lengths to track his prickly friend down only to go to take such pains to avoid hurting him. It seemed as if he had little care that he was on the back foot now and he was potentially going to fail in his mission.
From what Sam had read up on the reports, the man had not shown Blondie much kindness during his stay under his tinder care. Although on second thought, it was not about keeping him unharmed, it was about keeping him alive. Hunter was doing everything in his power to continue this fight without killing him and the fiend had gone through a tremendous amount of trouble to keep Raiden alive during his captivity too.
Sam burned with unfilled curiosity but had no way to vent his frustrations. It was not as if their taciturn foe would be willing to indulge him with the answers.
Eventually Raiden abandoned his strategy of darting in and out entirely. Instead he stayed firmly between the two appointing himself as Sam's personal shield. It was a little tricky at first to attack around him but the two quickly fell into step with one another as the fight progressed. They began to fight as if they were sharing the same mind. A little shift to one side to allow Sam to strike and send their foe's artificial blood splattering across the ground then quickly moving back to prevent any retaliatory strikes from reaching the swordsman he guarded.
Frankly Sam was becoming jealous of Raiden. Not because of his ability to make Hunter flinch back, or his greater resilience to being struck, but because of the fact that his partner was actually getting under their opponents artificial skin.
Sam had thrown his best insults at the cyborg during their duel down the hall and he had not received so much as a finger twitch in response. Now with the constant interference of the fight the man could practically see the anger beginning to seethe behind that blank visage.
Sharp robotic attacks became less coordinated as the fight progressed. The liquid movements became something much more organic as Sam landed a hit after shallow hit and Raiden prevented any retaliation against him. Hunter's previously cautious attacks on the man became heavier and harder for Blondie's civilian model to handle as the frustration bled into Hunters every move. Sam was forced to reassess his thought that there was no flesh and blood behind this attacker as the hunched shoulders and repeated clenching and opening of his fist could only be born of a human's rage.
The two men together were doing damage, but it was not doing enough to slow and stop the now very angry cyborg. The two men were going to have to pull something off soon if they wanted to wrap this up before they both gave out.
Any half formed ideas on how to accomplish this was ripped from Sam's mind as Hunter had finally had enough. A savage kick, heedless of holding back, sent Raiden flying through the air very nearly taking Sam with him. The playground equipment made for a poor landing spot, the weathered metal unable to take the abuse and sending it collapsing to the ground with a metallic squeal, tangling the blond man up in its ruins.
Sam managed to deflect the first two strikes, the bones of his flesh arm protesting the abuse, but between Hunters speed and his own exhaustion he knew with a sense of fatalistic resignation that he could not managed a third.
He managed to take the spiked hit to his cybernetic shoulder rather than his sternum. The hit was heavy enough to send him stumbling back. The hope that the metal would be enough of a shield to prevent those spikes from unleashing their secrets proved to be futile. Numbing waves of static shot down his arm, not too unlike the effects of the EM grenade earlier, weakening his grip on the Murasama alarmingly. Before Hunter had a chance to capitalize on Sam's weakness he was once again disrupted by Raiden.
Like a wild cat leaping onto the back of its much larger prey, Blondie had jumped up from behind and latched around Hunter's neck with one arm. In his other hand he held a twisted off chunk of metal from the swing set and was stabbing at vital areas under the jaw with a manic fervor. While it was doing some damage it would be difficult to kill the cyborg with the old rusted metal. However with the way Blondie was throwing his weight around and pulling Hunter off balance it gave Sam that opening that they so desperately needed.
Except...Sam's arm was no longer obeying him and the Murasama lay on the ground, fallen from numb fingers. The distraction cost him as Sam was the recipient of a kick this time, sending him skidding across the sand and knocking the breath out of him. It was breath that he couldn't pull back in no matter how hard he tried. Unlike the EM blast that had hit hard then gradually dissipated, the waves of numbness radiating from his shoulder was not letting up. In fact it seemed to be intensifying.
Raiden didn't see that he was in distress, so intent he was by his efforts to inflict as much damage as possible. Sam could not find the air within himself to even whisper that he he was in trouble. The downed man could only helplessly watch the two struggle from where he lay in the dirt.
Having had enough Hunter twisted around and grabbed his attacker by the hair forcefully, fully intending to throw him as hard as possible. Sam could tell by the nearly gleeful look on his face that Raiden was clearly letting his darker self come out to play and was out for blood, no matter how damaged he became in the process.
Heedless of the spiked hand that was so close to his face Raiden kicked, thrashed, and stabbed as he was pulled from Hunter's back. If his lungs were cooperating Sam would have called out a warning, telling him to calm the fuck down or else he was going to accidentally catch himself on the spikes, but as it was he could only helplessly watch.
In an unexpected bit of comradery, Sam could see a concerned Hunter come to the same realization and quickly released him but it was too late. Raiden, in his lust for violence, had caught himself by his ear on those deceptively lethal hypodermic spikes.
Sam had no idea how such a blank face could convey horror but Hunter managed it regardless. He immediately stopped all attempts to struggle with the mad cyborg and could only stand there in helpless shock in the face of what had just happened. Sam watched as the same numbness that held his lungs hostage and rendered his arm useless began to take effect as Raiden's attacks slowed then stopped altogether.
Sam could only watch through the growing darkness creeping on the edges of his vision as Raiden fell to the ground, distressingly limp and still.
And at his side Hunter unexpectedly dropped to his knees, hand clasped against a mouth that was not there in horror as there was no undoing what had just been done.
.
Authors Notes: I lost my mother on the first. I had known it was coming for a while but still it hit all too fast.
Writing has always been a refuge for me but for a long time I simply didn't have the heart. I hope the quality of the writing is not too altered. I know my other projects have suffered greatly. But I know that I need to settle into this new normal and get back to the keyboard again.
While I am already glum I wanted to address something else. I've been in the reading/writing fan fiction business for a long time and I know what its like to have an author die and a story go forever unfinished. I have been struggling with some health issues for a while. Keeping this in mind, I have a completed outline and instructions for my beta reader to post the outline should anything happen. At least then people will know how the story ends. But enough about morbid stuff.
I'll feel better as time passes. Until then thank you all for all the reviews I have been getting lately. They have been rare warm moments during this cold unforgiving month. I wish you all well and see you next month (sorry about the cliffhanger btw).