[Somewhere in Northside...]
Their attention was immediate.
As he bursts open the door to the hallway, Linrov runs to the windows and looks out to see the entire Russian Mafia on high alert. Black smoke rises from a distance, hostiles converging with every available numbers. Whatever it is, something, or someone, tripped the alarms.
Still frustrating that their element of stealth has reached critical. Now they need to be extra careful in fighting them, but regardless, his mind immediately went to his other teammates. He looks out to the building across from him and activates his radio.
"Bookw0rm, I'm seeing mobilization on my end. How's yours?" Linrov whispers into the device, all while Aristocrat catches up.
"Saw it too, mate. We're out of their way for now. They seem to be directing their attention to the building near us." Kasey replies.
"Any clue? Maybe Accord?" Linrov questions as he quickly hides behind a wall when a group of Russians pass by.
"Don't those f*cks not know about this place?" Aristocrat voices frustration as the agent shakes his head and ignores, focusing on the comms.
"I don't see any signs of them here." Kasey replies.
If not them, who else? It doesn't add up for Linrov. As far as he and the others know, they're the only ones infiltrating the factory. Regardless, he tries to think of something else that could mobilize them with such urgency...
... until he remembers their Captain.
"Hang on." Linrov looks to the smoke on his left. He asks, "Agent to Deathwatch, Mafia forces are converging to the smoke. Please respond."
It takes a while before he gets a reply.
"Acknowledged. I'm aware."
His voice is tense, almost hesitating the Ex-Accord as he shakes his head and focus. At the same time, Kasey joins the comms and asks something.
"Where were you? Lost you when we went ahead." There's a hint of concern etched into her question, worried. "You compromised?"
"More or else." a voice shouts out in the static background, confirming something for the two. He continues, "Be advised that another hostile entity is on site. Engaged me while looking for answers. I'll return with results."
Saying with sharp breaths in between his words, he seems to be running... with another pair of footsteps emitting near him.
"Deathwatch, tell us your location. We can assist." Linrov demands, but gets no response. Comms were immediately cut off afterwards.
"Dammit!" he curses, prompting the hacker to focus her attention on him.
"Want me to check on him with the cameras?"
Linrov shakes his head and looks forward.
"No, we need to focus our attention on the task. It's the least we can do with this short window."
He then steps away from the window and tightens his grip on the M4.
"Besides, this is Deathwatch we're talking about. He'll handle just fine."
If only he knew what's about to come.
[Meanwhile]
The outside night was of cold and breeze, albeit with brewing chaos as the turmoil within develops a smokescreen – for a challenge is to covertly take place. Denegrade had her back turned, whistling calmly to the night when her two preys approach her.
No point in being silent. She can hear their breathing from meters away.
"Lovely night, don't you two think?" She asks. "The site is infested with easy targets, for you to feast on your bloodlust and mission. But no, you insist, instead, to fight me, knowing that you're weak."
She turns around, seeing Wushi and Deathwatch stand side by side. She smiles under her mask.
"You think a team-up will help? I mean, it will make this more fun." She says.
Wushi steps forward and scratches the concrete path.
"Under Accord order, you have the right to forfeit and remain silent." She says with order as she raises her sword. "But you know it ain't possible."
The merc smiles, almost appreciating her.
"Indeed you're right. I won't go down that easy." Denegrade slams her fists together and cracks her knuckles. "I have a proposition of my own, though."
Deathwatch and Wushi exchange glances. Weapons still tightened.
"What's the proposal?" the hitman demands, voice undeterred.
The merc pulls out her revolver and shortsword and tosses them in the ground, cracking the earth with the latter.
"An unarmed fight! No cheats, no tricks. May the best murderer win!" Denegrade says with glee.
Deathwatch and Wushi keep their eyes locked on her. Eventually, the assassin sheathes her katana and tosses it on the ground, sighing. "I accept." Wushi obliges.
"You can't be serious..." Deathwatch says in disbelief, all while she stares Denegrade.
"Months ago, in a warehouse in Norway, you took away my dignity and my peace of mind." Wushi starts as she gets into a fighting stance. "And I won't have any of these back, until I finally beat you to a pulp."
Her fist tightens and continues, "Maybe I'm blind by revenge, but it doesn't matter. We accept your little challenge."
Deathwatch shakes his head and sighs, lowering his rifle down and tossing it behind, landing on its stock and leaning against the bush.
"I suppose a fair fight wouldn't hurt." He says, also getting ready. "A professional always follows."
"Good, more honorable than I expected. If it makes you two any happier, I don't intend on actually killing you should you lose." Denegrade says as she stretches. "Rivals, like you, are rare. You need to be cultivated, forged, and allowed to mature. So, if you end up losing, the worst that'll happen is we'll need to update the score board."
Wushi squints as the pale light shines upon them, a strange unease forms.
"Come." Denegrade goads, prompting both assassins to engage.
There, they charge at her with immense speed, with Wushi attempting an overhead kick which Denegrade blocks with her arm. Deathwatch takes his turn and swings a kick onto the mercenary's ribs. However, she deploys an elbow block. Using her strength, she moves Wushi's leg away and grabs Deathwatch's ankle, throwing him against the specialist. Sensing this, she holds him and props him back up so he can immediately perform a side-kick to the merc's face, which connects but does very little.
Wushi, making use of the hitman's position, takes foot on his shoulder and jumps over him, performing a land kick on Denegrade in her descent. The mercenary dodges it and, as Wushi touches the ground, kicks her to fly off, hitting the ground a couple meters away.
Now it's Deathwatch's turn to engage. He follows with a quick succession of blows to the face, all of which get deflected or blocked as Denegrade grabs his wrist and twists it, throwing him off balance as she lifts him up over her back, throwing him to the ground. She's about to step on his head before Wushi gains her attention, dropkicking the mercenary away.
Denegrade rolls into position and looks up just in time for both to punch her in the face, snapping her head back as they each follow with a kick of their own to her stomach. Seeing his opportunity, Deathwatch grabs her mask and attempts to rip it off. However, Denegrade elbows his ribs and grabs him by the face, throwing him on the ground for her to timely dodge Wushi's straight punch.
The merc then uppercuts her, briefly disorienting the assassin as a tooth breaks loose in her mouth. She proceeds to grab her by the hair and throws her away, lifting her foot up to deliver a guillotine kick to Deathwatch, who narrowly blocks it, but still gets sent back against a wooden bench.
There is a small, unspoken break as the three of them all get back into their stances. Wushi and Deathwatch have bruises and bleeding already going on while Denegrade... they can't be sure. She has no exposed skin or any way to indicate besides the dirt on her uniform. All they can see is a cold mask with dark lenses.
At this point, Deathwatch starts to question whether she's even human to begin with.
The three share a brief moment of quiet before Denegrade breathes in.
"I won this round." She says calmly, the two look confused.
Without warning, Denegrade punches Deathwatch in the stomach, making him puke and collapse on the floor. Then, she follows by breaking a piece of wood from the broken bench and tosses it at Wushi, hitting her in the head for Denegrade to sprint at her, kicking her chest against a wall, forming cracks on it as she slumps back on the ground.
Denegrade calmly walks away.
"You truly are something else." She tells them. "But I must say, you both severely underperformed for my liking."
As she walks away, to leave those two behind for the fighting they started, Deathwatch feels a sudden spike in his heart, thumping against his chest rapidly as his muscles react with inhuman speed... a feeling he felt earlier back in the factory; a feeling that is impossible even for the likes of him. Denegrade's inner visor flashes with a UI message on clear display.
<//GAMMA LEVEL METAHUMAN//>
<//D.N.A DETECTED - 100% ACCURACY//>
<//ENGAGE WITH LETHAL INTENT//>
Before Denegrade could fully read the message, she feels a punch across her face as her mask dents inward and her lenses flicker briefly, quickly followed by a roundhouse kick that hits her in the chest and takes her breath away, finishing the sequence with a violent uppercut and a straight kick to her stomach which sends her flying against one of the buildings.
[Back in Northside]
Perez has his eyes glued on the wrist pad, hiding behind cover as gangsters run past, missing him. The vitals and armor of his teammates are all neatly organized in front of him. They agreed he'd stay and watch over that, and if anyone is needed, he'd come out for support. If the Katipunan anticipated, getting everyone involved may prove a bad idea, they needed someone who could call backup without being at risk.
"Damien, vitals are stable, everything okay with you?" He asks.
"Yeah, just getting worked up." He says, panting, some gunfire echoes in the background.
"Alright, I'll inform Wushi if you get pi-" As he says this, turning to Wushi's display, his heart drops for a moment as he hiccups on his words. "I'll keep you updated, gawin ang iyong makakaya (do your best)."
Perez gets the screen closer to his eyes, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Usually in combat, even during intense gunfire, Wushi could sustain a relatively low heart rate. The only way to push her to the numbers he was seeing would be something truly extraordinary. With her armor durability way lower than usual, he feels compelled to check.
"Wushi, this is Perez... Are you holding up okay?" He asks, a bit afraid of the answer.
"I'm okay, still on the field. A new party has made themselves known, I'm engaging them." Wushi replies, tactical as ever, but evidently getting tired.
"Oh, how many of them? A squad? Do you want backup?" Perez asks, getting ready to call support.
"I don't need backup, it's... a personal matter." Wushi replies.
"Well, can I at least know how many you're fighting?" Perez presses, his worries only growing.
She lets out a quick huff and answer:
"One."
[Resuming...]
Denegrade reaches outwards from the crater. Her impact managed to cave in the wall, ending up with her inside the building. Despite being roughed up, she's unbothered, her mask flashes again once Deathwatch's within its detection.
<//GAMMA LEVEL METAHUMAN//>
<//TARGETED D.N.A MATCH//>
<//OMEGA LEVEL METAHUMAN BLOOD DETECTED//>
<//ABANDON PREVIOUS OBJECTIVE - ENGAGE WITH LETHAL INTENT//>
She gets back up with ease, seeing the two make their approach. Wushi has already gotten back into her fighting stance... but for Deathwatch, an unusual, subtle glow seems to be coming from his eyes. Denegrade breathes in, but while she does, the hitman immediately charges at her and hits her with a straight punch to the stomach, following it by grabbing her face and pressing it against the wall, further cracking it.
"Вы готовы сдаться? (Are you ready to yield?)" Deathwatch says angrily, letting go off Denegrade's face, only to begin quickly striking at her torso.
The mercenary eventually spots an opening, hitting him in the face and making him shoot off and away from her, however this time around, he sticks the landing, standing tall with rage manifesting within.
This is such a strange feeling. Deathwatch thinks.
Usually, I like to think I know my emotions, but... this rage... this power... it feels so distinct, so unfamiliar, like it isn't mine! And yet, it feels like a mere fraction of something much, much stronger.
Denegrade thinks as Deathwatch stares, Wushi adjusts her neck and moves aside to avoid him.
"Don't make me start to feel impressed." Wushi comments, checking her katana.
"Then don't." he tells her, trying to speak calmly as if trying to suppress. "The mission comes first."
As they get closer, Denegrade tightens her fist and steps forward, closing the distance.
"Hey... kid?" Denegrade says, not waiting for an answer. "The bet is, if you take off this mask, you win, right?"
Deathwatch readies his gauntlet. The spike, ready as a blade.
"You didn't catch what I said, did you? I don't leave my targets alive." Deathwatch counters, taking another step. "But I understand you're scared now. You see my real strength, and you wanna bargain for your life, like the scum you and all Ether members are."
Denegrade flinches underneath the mask. He's egging her on... and she doesn't like it, one bit.
"On the contrary, I'm not impressed." Denegrade says with anger, pressing two buttons on the side of her mask, making it click.
She then takes off her hoodie and pulls the mask and helmet off, revealing her Caucasian skin, purple hair and baggy eyes – iris shining in light blue. "Now, it's off. So to win this bet, you have to put it back on, and take it off again."
After saying this, she steps on her helmet, breaking it permanently as it bends and twists under her boot. Deathwatch exhales and grins.
"Like I've stated before, I don't care. Maybe you're not strong, as you claim to be." He says. "All you are is just a coward."
Wushi carefully adjusts her grip, fearful for her own life... she knows exactly the damage Denegrade is capable of.
"No, I just used the definition we agreed to!" She chuckles. "Besides, removing the mask has another use for me... you see, due to my extreme augmentations, the modern world can often overwhelm my senses. However, here and late at night? I have no reason to suppress them."
"Sounds more like a test subject." the hitman comments.
"Don't get me wrong, I can easily wipe the floor with you." Denegrade says, closing her eyes. "I can hear your very heartbeats, and boy, are they fast! You guys must be very afraid."
Deathwatch, tired of this, pulls out a concealed pistol and attempts to shoot her in the face. However, Denegrade slaps the bullet away even with her eyes closed. Then, as she opens them, she finds Wushi right in front of her, slashing her katana left and right with rapid succession. She remains calm while avoiding the blade, moving her head away till she avoids an incoming bullet. She grabs Wushi by the neck and throws her against Deathwatch, who catches her.
"That little bet of yours won't save you!" Deathwatch yells as he aims his gauntlet and fires out a hook towards her.
Denegrade rolls forward and grips the hook wire to pull him closer. Activating the recall with the merc's combined force, he lets the gauntlet pull him, forming his legs straight to strike her on the neck. His force sends them to the concrete wall, breaking the structure but giving her enough leverage to use the remaining space to hurl him around, crashing him to the wall.
"Whatever makes you sleep at night." Denegrade replies calmly, letting him go so he can fall back down. "But you still haven't made me use a single bullet, nor use my sword again."
Wushi rolls to the merc's left and throws fast knives at her, deflecting them all over. She charges forward and swings her katana, only for Denegrade to swiftly catch it with her hand, staring her down.
"What do you think happens if you win? Your stupid Accord can't even capture terrorists alive!" the merc yells with joy as she tightens her grip, breaking the katana in half.
Wushi dashes back and grits her teeth at the damage. Denegrade twirls the broken half and throws it away like trash. "You're just a worse version of me, Marceline. A failed, pathetic version of me. Both of you are. Remember your place."
As they stare, Deathwatch recovers and attempts to jump on her back. However, Denegrade turns around and catches him by the throat. Deathwatch spits his blood on her and chuckles before being thrown against the wall.
He gets up, pained. "And what do you gain from this? Money? Glory? Anything better to fight for?"
She glances at him and tilts her head.
"I gain fun and good times, because I am something you two will never be: free." Denegrade says as she steps closer.
"Free? You call this being free? Free of what?" Deathwatch asks as Denegrade steps on his ankle, twisting it slightly before grabbing him again and throwing to Wushi's side.
"Of your past. Of friends and family. Of humanity, memories, morals, ethics, limitations... I'm free of all of them." Denegrade looks at Deathwatch. "I bet you envy me. Wished you were me, unburdened, unbothered, able to use their power as they please... and yet you trouble yourself with these pointless quests."
Denegrade chuckles and moves closer to Wushi, slowly. "And now you're gonna say something about the people, or your mission, but we know these are just excuses. We are all born to kill, made as weapons for war, and it's war that We. Must. Wage."
"We. Are. Murderers."
And then, a comms radio rings from Denegrade's suit, another female voice says through the radio:
"Explosives planted. Sorry about the wait, but thanks for distracting the two long enough."
Deathwatch and Wushi stare at each other, realizing what this means. Denegrade chuckles as she steps away. "How unfortunate. You fell for my bait so easily, and even followed me away from the lab!"
Deathwatch urges his body to get up, grunting in pain.
"If you run fast enough, maybe you'll be able to download before the data turns to dust. So hurry up." Denegrade tilts forward and smiles creepily at them. "Takbo."
With that out of her way, she walks back and disappears into the dark. Her silhouette disappeared like a fade. As if a spell wore off, the hitman's face shifts to worry, facing the specialist as his eyes turn normal.
He hastily rushes to her and offers a hand, even with the pain.
"Come on." he urges her as she accepts, getting up and facing towards the drug lab, knowing that it's not over yet.