No on pov:
"How is she today?" A deep and gravelly voice spoke out. A certain hint of joy and mischief sounding out behind their words.
"She's killed more and seems highly unstable. Are we sure-" A gunshot sounds off as the man's body falls to the floor. A scowl replaces the once happy face of the leader.
"I'm getting tired of people questioning me. Just tell me the answers, not your worries." He groaned out to the small group of scientists behind him. They all nodded and bowed their heads to him.
"Alright... bring her in." He said with a smile, waving his team off. They quickly rushed out to handle what tasks they were given.
He sat down and watched with his two companions by his side, Vicki and Dimitri waiting just as patiently for the show to unfold. Moments later a person bound and gagged was wheeled in by a few scientists. They struggled and shouted as they transferred her to the special chair.
"Look at her. She's taking the supplements well." Midnight laughed, looking over the woman's body and it's reaction to the drugs.
They placed her in the metal chair that held iron wraps around her arms and legs to keep her from moving. She struggled and tried to free herself to no avail still, loud and desperate shouts coming from her. Placing a mouth guard in her mouth they quickly worked on the machines behind her.
Her body was covered in sweat and blood with a harsh and unnaturally haunted look in her eyes. She looked exhausted and slightly defeated but still held out, hoping to be freed soon enough. The door to the sterile room opened with the man who brought her this much pain.
"You're looking great." He chuckled and moved closer to her. She strained and yelled through the slight gag, trying to rip her arms and legs free.
"Start." He told the doctors and scientists behind her. With a nod they started up the machine and doused her in water.
"Know that I do this for you. I need to make sure you'll listen." Going to a table with a lever he smiled at her, his hand grasping the object.
Pulling it down sent a torrent of electricity through her, shocking and frying her mind and body. Loud and agonizing screams filled the room. Azrael's body desperately tried to free itself from the constraints, the pain overpowering her. Turning the electricity off gave her a moment to breathe and gather herself.
"You'll kill who I say Azrael, no questions asked." The lever is pulled again and the screams fill the room once again.
A smile stayed plastered on his face as he tortured her. He found enjoyment with the methods and outcomes of the womans pain. He stayed there for hours, turning the machine on and off to see her struggle and beg for a break.
He only relented when one shock to many made her convulse and seize up. They pulled her from the machine and set her down, watching her vitals spike and send her into cardiac arrest. They doctors shouted to try and keep her alive while the threat of Midnight near them made them work double.
"If she dies then it's everyone's heads!" He shouted to the staff. They all nodded and worked on her, doing cpr after her convulsing had stopped.
15 minutes of touch and go before she was brought back. Her breathing was weak and faint but she was alive. He smiled down at her, brushing some hair from her sweaty face. Twirling it in his hand he found pleasure in her near demise, a cruel smirk on his face.
"I almost lost you. Isn't that sad?" He asked her. She panted with her head to the side, her eyes once a piercing blue are now dark and dull
"Kill me..." A weak cry for help left her lips. Laughing in her face, Midnight stood and made his way to the door.
"Let's test you, Azrael." His maniacal laughter filled the halls as he exited the room.
She stayed laying on the floor in pain, her mind and body not the same as it used to be. Her eyes showed it. They showed the year of torture she's put up with, the loss of her true self in this mad house. The dissociative realty she lives in now, the lack of trust she has for anything and anyone.
She wasn't herself...
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Not far off from where Azrael was being held is a small group looking to find her. Axe, Damien, Artemis, and her two sons wander through the forest as they moved closer to the tracker placed on Midnights men.
The deal with Jefferson went off without a hitch and they were able to plant the tracker on one of his men. It led them to the outskirts of Florida, looking for and hunting the man down. They armed themselves with weapons to take on anyone and anything.
"I still don't think they should've come." Amilia said through their coms from a hidden location.
"Mom, we're fine. We want to help." Ryker announced to her, holding his own bow tightly. Artemis patted him on the back and smiled, making sure he stayed near her.
"You have my word that they will be safe." She said to try and calm Amilias worries. A low grunt came back but nothing else, she weakly accepted that statement.
"We need to focus. Who knows what's out here?" Arthur spoke up, his eyes open and focused on what's around him.
A crackling sound echoes through the forest they walk through. They all aim their weapons and ready for a fight, their senses on high alert. They adjusted the body cams they wore so Amilia and Claudio could see from their end.
"Welcome! I've been expecting you. Are you all ready for some fun?" A voice spoke out through a hidden sound system. Midnight cackled into the mic, laughing at the sour attempt to take his prized possession.
"Where are you?!" Damien shouted, turning around quickly to look for said man. His laughter filled the air once again and sent everyone's nerves on edge.
"Nowhere near you but that doesn't mean I can't play. For now I'll send my own men and if you survive I'll gladly send the fun ones." He told them. They all looked at one another before nodding and spreading out, keeping their backs to each other.
"Kill them on sight." Axe told the group. With quiet agreement they readied to shoot and kill anything coming at them.
Loud footsteps came closer as a barrage of men and women in tactical suits came towards them. Raising their guns they charged and took them down. The forest was pitch black and hard to see through, even more so with the trees that littered the area.
The darkness lifted only every so often when gunshots were fired, showing a small light before being extinguished. Loud yells and grunts sounded through the area as they fought for their lives. A tense and unfamiliar feeling of dread filled them to their core the longer they fought.
Axe worked with his hatchets and pistols, expertly taking anything and anyone in his path down. Damien used a rifle to quickly and effectively kill those standing in his path. Arthur stayed near him and worked with his own rifle, one his uncle had taught him how to use.
Artemis and Ryker stayed near each other and had the others back. They used their bows effectively to kill and take the enemies down. The fight prolonged, feeling as there was an endless supply of men and women coming out to try and kill them.
Eventually it stopped, leaving some of them covered in blood and others with only a little on them. They took in deep breaths, their breathing labored from fighting for so long. The air grew more tense by the second, all of them waiting for the ball to drop.
"Look at all of you! You lived. As promised, I'll send in the fun ones." Midnight cackled through the speaker system.
Going back to their meeting point they waited for the worst, expecting just about anything to come out of the shadows and attack them. Hearing some footsteps they soon found out what they would be going against.
Heavily armed men came from the shadows along with Dimitri and Vicki. Artemis and Axe grunt in recognition of the two that beat them unexpectedly last time. Without hesitation Damien let's off a mag into the armed men.
The group of armed men shout and charge them with the two suped up monsters. The boys worked on fighting the armed men with their uncle while the other two went to settle a score. The forest lit up with gunfire and shouts, the many people inside dying and fighting for their own cause.
Lifting his gun up Damien went to take down the man that had snuck up on him but was surprised to see him get pulled back Into the shadows. Feeling his heart race in fear he kept his sights trained on the spot the man disappeared into.
"There's someone or something else in here with us." He shouted through the coms, turning to mow down two men that came at him.
"We're busy as is." Artemis shouts back, avoiding and blocking the attacks the small woman gave to her.
"Take. It. Down." Axe grunted. His body was picked up and slammed into a tree by the behemoth of a man named Dimitri.
Fixing his gaze around the area he moved to the two kids, keeping them close to him. His breathing grew ragged as he watched in horror as more and more of the armed men disappeared from his line of sight. They all are pulled into the darkness to not be seen again, only their pained screams coming back.
"What the hell is happening?" Arthur asked, aiming his gun where he last saw someone get taken.
Artemis throws the smaller woman into the shadows and makes her way back to the others, drawing her bow and aiming where she threw the woman. Axe comes flying back as he is thrown towards the group, an unhurt Dimitri walking towards them all with a wicked smile.
"Dude you lost?" Ryker asked a hurt Axe. He groaned and pushed himself to his feet.
"He's a fucking monster. You wanna try?" He grunted and wiped some blood from his mouth. Cracking his knuckles with a smile Dimitri stood in front of them.
They aim their weapons ready to kill him when something jumps on his back and wrestles him to the floor. They watch in horror as he screams and claws at his back, trying to rip whatever is on him off. He fails miserably, blood pouring from his neck when the thing attacks him.
He holds the wound and gurgles for air, trying to stay alive longer. He falls to his knees then onto his front, his body twitching as the last of his life flees from him. They look around but don't see anything clearly due to the darkness.
Lifting her bow Artemis takes a shot and fires off a flare arrow, lighting the area in a red glow. They gasp and gawk at the sight before them, one that they weren't expecting.
"Is that..." Amilia gasped throught he coms, watching on the cams they had on their bodies.
"Dad?" Ryker and Arthur let out tired sighs, happy to finally see her alive. Damien seemed to relax at the sight of her even if it was a harsh one.
She was in tattered pants and a matching sports bra, her body seemingly more toned and covered in new scars. She was covered in blood with a dull look in her eyes. Seeing them she snarled and wiped Dimitri's blood from her mouth in disgust.
Artemis and Axe seemed to be the only two who didn't trust this or her at this moment. They especially didn't trust her because of the metal collar around her neck. They kept their weapons aimed and their eyes focused on her every move.
"Dad!" Ryker ran towards her, happy to see her and uncaring if she looked like shit.
Seeing her eyes shift made Axe lurch forward and tackle the kid out of the way of an attack. His body seared in pain when a more than powerful punch was sent into his side and broke a couple ribs. Ryker looked confused but didn't get to ask as the man lifted him up and carried him away.
"What the fuck?!" He shouted angrily at his godfather. Artemis noticed the pained face on the man and the horrid look in her friend's eyes.
"I'm so sorry Mon Cheri." She raised her bow and let an arrow fly. Keeping her eyes locked on the woman, Azrael let the arrow sink into her shoulder without a single sound. She didn't even flinch.
Axe moved back to the group and set the kid down, tugging on both their shoulders to make them move. They were confused and didn't want to leave, they wanted to help, to see their dad, to hug her once again.
"We're going-" Axe started.
"No! She's right there. We jus-" Ryker shouted.
"That's not her..." Damien said defeated. He fought back tears at seeing the ghost of his sister standing before him.
"Yes it is!" Arthur shouted this time. Ripping his shoulder from the man's grasp he moved over to her, a broken look in his eyes.
Damien followed him, making sure nothing happened to his nephew. They stopped a few feet in front of her, the dull and unexpressive eyes of Azrael making them both feel haunted.
"Dad I-"
"You're not real." She said coldly. He froze when he saw a look he'd never seen on her before. At least not one she's given him.
Anger, hatred, disgust, cruel intent. He'd never seen her direct any of those emotions towards him. Her hand shot out faster than either of them expected and wrapped around his throat, squeezing it tight enough to make him gasp for breath.
"D-Dad!" He swatted at her arm, hoping she'd let go but she didn't. The look in her eyes turned to rage, a deep seeded one at that.
"YOU'RE NOT REAL!" Turning her body she held onto him tightly and slammed him into the tree behind her. He was instantly knocked out from the pure force, his body falling limp in her grasp.
"Az!" Damien gripped at her back and tried to pulled her from the man. The same look in her eyes directed at him now.
Pushing him back and letting the kid go she turns around to kill the man when a body collided into hers. She rolled and skidded to her feet, gathering herself instantly. Artemis stood with a serious look and her bow drawn back.
"Grab him and go." She tells the man, keeping her eyes locked onto her friend.
"We're not gonna leave-"
"GO!" She shouts at him, her nerve quickly losing as she stared down the monster that was once her friend.
"Take them Damien. I can't lose my sons too." Amilia said over the coms, her voice sounding shaky.
Getting up he grabs the unconscious boy and moves with Axe and the other kid, taking them away from the fight that would unfold. Azrael hunches slightly and circles the woman like she was prey, waiting for her chance to strike her.
"You sure you don't need help?" Axe asked her through the coms. Laughing to herself she let off a few blinding arrows to distract the woman.
"I'll be fine. I'm the only one capable of taking her down, not to sound cocky that is." Rolling out of the way she avoided a kick to the head, a snarl leaving the woman's mouth.
Not needing to talk this out she readies for anything the woman would throw at her. Azrael takes the opportunity to get closer, trying to land attacks on her but failing due to the bow taking the brunt of them. Artemis uses it to block the powerful attacks, hoping it could hold up.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" She shouted, breaking the bow in half with a punch to the weak point. Tossing it aside, Artemis fights tooth and nail with her friend.
She yells out and shouts in pain when the attacks land, all of them being much stronger than before. Trying to take them in stride she returns some of her own attacks, hoping to knock out or injure the woman. Her knuckles bruise and crack under the force she used, blood dripping off them as they split from impact.
They hurt but not as badly as Azraels had hurt her. Pushing away and rolling back, Artemis stands to her feet with a cruel and nervous smile. Ripping off her small vest that held the camera she walked up to a tree and used an arrow to plant it into the tree.
"What are you doing?" Amilia asked Artemis through the coms, worry laced in every word.
"Azrael... I know this isn't you but I also know that you're in there Mon Cheri." Artemis told her, looking back at the pacing woman.
"I know you won't hold back, I know you can't. So to make it fair, I won't either." A dark smile overtook her lips, lighting a fire inside the woman.
Charging her instantly Artemis deflected and flipped the woman over her shoulder, sending her rolling across the dirt. The air grew heavy with aggression and killing intent. Standing back up to her feet, Azrael slammed her fist into a tree with a loud grunt.
"NOT REAL!" She shouted again, moving her hands to claw at her own head in pain. Staying on her toes, Artemis watched the woman in front her have a meltdown.
"Come on, I know you're still holding yourself back." Artemis laughed in her face. Hearing her words made something snap inside the rabid woman, a primal urge to kill clouding her head.
Letting out a scream that the others running away could hear, Azrael turned to the tree again and slammed her head into it. Tree bark flew off as some of the wood split with an unnatural crack. Facing the French woman again sent a chill down her spine.
Her chest heaved with labored breathing, her body tense, and the whites of her eyes being the only thing visible. Steeling herself, Artemis waited for the attacks with jagged breathing.
The woman lurched at her, sending a blur of attacks at the other woman. Artemis smiled and did her best to avoid them, occasionally taking a few to the stomach or upper body. A surprise attack from above made her slam into the ground and grab at her head.
"There it is... that killer instinct." Laughing loudly she stands and hooks the woman on her shoulder, slamming her into a tree.
"You're blacked out, you're on instinct alone. Just what did he do to you?" Pulling back she sent a barrage of punches to her face, feeling her knuckles split further under the stress.
Kicking her back Azrael let out inhuman yells, charging the woman with a crazed look. She avoided a punch to the head and watched the wood beneath the others hand split and crack. Rolling away she smile and went back at her, a blurred and inhuman capability to fight filling them both.
It was a battle to the death...
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Artemis pov:
I'm weak, I'm so weak against her. Whatever he did made her into some kind of monster. I hated to see her like this, like some rabid animal forced to fight for entertainment.
She's stronger now and she's showing me. I'm bloody, beaten, and have more broken bones than I should. She barely had any injuries, her body running off adrenaline amongst other things that man gave her. A part of me couldn't help but laugh at the situation. All of our entire friendship she has only beaten me twice, every other time I was the winner.
Looks as though the tides have changed and the stars do not align with our fates. I don't think I'll die here but I'm unsure, not with the way she looks. I can't even see her blue eyes, just the whites of them.
"Are you going to kill me Mon Cheri?" I asked weakly, trying not to stumble as I stand still. She growled and punched herself in the face.
"I accept death from you. I don't want to hurt you anymore. You've bested me." I laugh. Lowering my arms and sinking to my knees I try to breathe through many broken ribs.
"NO! AUGH! HELP... ME." Her voice sounded strained and full of pain. She clawed at the collar on her neck and received a massive shock. It sent her to her knees with an agonizing scream.
"Az..." My instinct took over and I threw myself out of the way of an attack. The problem was that it wasn't from Azrael... it was Amelia?
"Azy. Where'd you go?" Her voice sounded familiar but off. It sounded as though someone was mimicking it very well.
I wanted to ask her a question but I didn't get to when Azrael appeared behind her and put her in a chokehold. The woman screamed and clawed at her arms while Az held her tighter. My breath hitched when an echoing snap sounded out.
"What the fuck was that?" I could hear Amilia and Claudio ask through the coms.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She fell to her knees and hugged the dead woman, her blue eyes coming back into focus. She was hyperventilating.
"Azrael? It's okay. I'm here." Pushing myself up I slowly made my way to her, my body screaming in pain.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She rocked back and forth, still holding the false Amelia in her arms.
"We're going to get you out of here." I told her. Reaching into my pocket I pulled out a device Amilia had her team make for something like this.
Placing the tech sticker like thing on her collar made it falter and click. It slumped off her neck and revealed mass bruises on her. I touched her shoulder and she violently pulled herself away, looking at me with so much disgust.
"You're not real... you're not real. Not real, not real, not real!" She kept her head down and rocked back and forth quickly. She was desperately trying to calm herself down and was failing.
"I promise im-"
She suddenly kicked me away. I fell back and watched her leave Amelia's body and grab at something. My eyes widened when I saw what she grabbed, it was an Ax that Axe left behind. I rolled out of the way when she swung it down, narrowly avoiding the swing.
"Az! Calm down." I scrambled to my feet, doing my utter best to avoid getting hit with it. She growled and swung it faster, moving closer and closer to me.
I duck and avoid a hit to my head, watching her sink it into the tree behind me. Panting for air I push myself forward and run. Looking behind I see her remove it from the tree and chase after me, a crazed look in her dull blue eyes.
She catches up quickly and slams me into a tree, making me see stars. My vision blurred with the sight of her coming closer. I went to move as she swung it down but couldn't... she landed a hit.
I screamed out in pain, tears wanting to escape but I held them in. Ripping it from my shoulder she brought it down again, sinking it deeper into me this time. I cried out and held onto the shaft, trying to her from removing it again.
I was too weak though. She ripped it from my shoulder and my grasp, raising it again to finish the job. For a moment my thoughts fill with my child and never getting to see her grow older. My heart hurt to see my dear friend in such a state but there was nothing I could do. She really bested me.
The red light dims down as she starts to bring it down. I waited for an impact that never happened, instead a loud grunt sounded and she was tackled to the floor. Weakly turning my head I saw that Axe had tackled her to the floor, pulling the weapon from her and kicking the woman away.
"RUN!" He shouted at her. She yelled and did as he said, booking it away from us. I watched her disappear into the darkness of the forest, my mind pleading for me to help her.
"Mon Cheri-"
"Relax. You're losing a lot of blood." Axe came up to me and removed his shirt. He used it to soak up the blood and put pressure on the wound.
"We failed." I coughed out, my body growing heavy and numb from pain. He unbuckled his belt and used it to cut off blood flow.
"No... she got out. Now we just have to find her." He assured me. I shook my head at him, unhappy with the outcome.
He secured my wound and fireman carried me, running as fast as he could to the rendezvous point. My eyes fixed on the last spot I saw her, my heart hurting for her.
What did they do to you...