A Hard Knock Life: Through the Fire and Flames (ch. 7) (Patreon)

I didn't have much time. I could hear shouting in the distance, and it seemed to grow closer by the second. The few people that had been loitering around the area had already cleared out. When I pushed through the gate, I saw people either looking around to see what the fuss was about, or running away.

Looking left, it was easy to see why they were running. Lung was walking down the middle of the street like he owned it, wreathed in a cloak of fire, his silver scales glittering. Others walked behind him, far behind because of the heat. All dressed in the colors of the ABB. Thirty of them. A full squad. Lung had come out in force.

And I knew that I would remember that sight until I was old and gray. Provided that I lived long enough to develop gray hairs… all things considered, it wasn't likely that I would live to see the next ten minutes.

Lung forced a car off the road with a spray of fire that ejected from his hands, the flames washing over it, before the driver slammed into a building when he jerked the wheel to the side. The idiot probably had the thing on autopilot. There were no police sirens, and there was no evidence of any capes on their way to deal with Lung. Meaning that there was nothing stopping him from walking down the street, taking Bakuda back, and killing everyone in the general vicinity.

Except me.

"Fuck it," I snarled to myself, my eyes landing on the car that we had driven to the shop. I needed to take out Lung. Lobbing a grenade could work, but that would still leave a lot of ABB left over. No. I needed to take them all out. I needed to do it in a place that wouldn't end with a mountain of innocent bystanders dead. I had…

Well, calling it a plan was a bit much. It wasn't even an idea, really. More of a Hail Mary and a desperate gamble that I hoped worked out.

Running to the beat-up car, I turned it on and hacked into it. The car sputtered to life, old as shit, but it still had a computer chip and a system to run everything within the engine. Half of the anti-collision sensors didn't work, but that didn't matter. I wasn't planning on avoiding a wreck. The car pulled out from where it was parked, doing a quick U-turn even if it meant running over the sidewalk. All the while, I climbed into the trunk of the vehicle, guiding the car with my eyes while I braced myself using my prosthetic.

Gripping the shotgun for dear life, the car pulled out of the alley in front of Misty's place before whipping the turn so quickly that the car nearly went on two wheels. The dash cam let me see Lung and his flunkies, none of which looked concerned. That started to change when I gunned the engine, the tires peeling out as the car lurched forward. Lung strode onward, unafraid.

A hundred yards was enough to build up some speed. At the fifty yard mark, fire washed over the dash cam, so all I could see were orange flames. They washed over the windshield, licking at the interior because of the busted glass. Plastic melted and old leather started to wither and burn, filling the car with smoke, but it wasn't enough to kill the engine.

Seconds later, when the car refused to veer off course, bullets started to tear through it. I clutched my gun, thinking about nothing but the moment that came next. I half expected to get shot, but the pain never came.

At least until the car slammed into Lung, going seventy-five miles an hour. The car didn't pancake like I feared it would. It seemed that Lung wasn't heavy enough to just brush off a car hitting him at that speed. I felt myself go airborne for a moment, a blissful moment of peace before I was thrown around in the trunk like a ragdoll even with me bracing myself. The car flipped uncontrollably for what felt like hours and all I could hear was the terrible sound of screeching metal and glass breaking.

Then it came to an abrupt stop.

I wasn't going to let that kill my momentum though.

A hand dipped to my bandolier, and I picked out a grenade as I kicked open the trunk. I just about came face to face with a member of the ABB who had started to inspect the wreck. He jerked back, giving me time to pop the mantis blade out of my forearm. Without thinking, I lunged for him, sinking the blade into his side, through his ribs. He let out a strangled gasp as I held him in place, and I observed the damage that had been done.

The car had hit some of the ABB members too. A few bodies were laying on the ground, dying or dead. Others were rushing to help them. I saw Lung was in the middle of picking himself up, and he seemed to be growing before my very eyes. My body moved all on its own. The grenade flung itself from my hand, sailing through the air at the nearby members of the ABB, before I took aim with my shotgun at the closest one.

Bullets slammed into the guy that I had pinned with my mantis blade, and the only reason they didn't tear through him, and then me, was because he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Without my prosthetic, I couldn't have managed it, but I lifted him up enough to drag him, keeping his body close to me to act as a shield, and I fired away with my shotgun while strafing left, going to cover.

Another three ABB went down before the grenade went off, giving me time to drop the body as I hid behind a scorched truck on the side of the road. A flash of light went off, before there was a crack of thunder and thick bolts of lightning hit everything conductive in its general vicinity. The car, a lamppost, buildings, and, above all else, near a dozen ABB. They hit the ground twitching, likely dead, but I couldn't stop to think about it. The opening move was as good as I could have hoped for, but in the meantime, Lung had gotten up. I could feel the heat radiating off of him from across the street like he thought he was the sun or something.

"You will die screaming!" Lung roared, prompting me to start moving. His voice was modulated, and the voice behind it was far less understandable. Not a second later, the car that I hid behind was covered in intense flames that probably singed the back of my clothes. The remaining ABB opened fire, bullets sparking up all around me. The fire worked in my favor, not giving any of them a clear shot at me as I dove into an alley.

I heard Lung roar his rage as I beat feet. Daring to look over my shoulder, I saw some of the surviving ABB reach the opening of the alley first, and they began to open fire on me hoping to get lucky. They stopped after a few seconds, much to my relief. Then Lung entered the mouth of the alley. That put a sense of urgency in my movements, and I ran even faster, faster than I had ever run before. I felt heat growing on my back again, a slight warning of what was to come.

I reached the other end of the alley, and only just narrowly managed to avoid being engulfed by fire by using the mantis blade and my momentum to send me flying around the edge. Flames licked at the tailing edge of my jacket, forcing me to abandon it as I sprinted forward. People started screaming at the jet of fire, and more so when they saw the cause. I had to get out of here. Where there were no people.

Somewhere near the water… or the badlands.

As bullets started flying, I realized that if something didn't change soon then there was no way that I would make it that long. I needed a vehicle if I had any chance. Taking cover behind a concrete bench, I peeked up to see that Lung was headed straight for me. Taking a grenade from my bandolier, I chucked it at him. An action that made him hesitate, giving me time to start running while I sprinted across the street. An explosion rang out and I saw Lung get blasted back. There was a crater where the grenade had landed, taking out a chunk of the sidewalk, road, and Lung himself.

He fell on his back, one of his legs missing. He didn't seem bothered. Why would he when the leg seemed to be regrowing like someone had pressed the fast-forward button?

Fuck. The rest of the ABB followed Lung out of the alley, but hesitantly because of the grenade.

I spotted a car with someone behind the wheel. Moving on instinct, I ripped the passenger door open and shoved the business end of the gun in his face, "Get the fuck out of the car!" I screamed at him, spit flying free of my mouth. "Get the fuck out!"

"I-" the guy started, then shouting out when the ABB started shooting. I looked to them to see that they were spreading out, intent on encircling me. In doing so I caught a glimpse of what was in the back seat of the car. A car seat with a kid in it, who looked to be on the verge of tears.

Oh… fuck it.

"Get the fuck out of here!" I screamed at him instead, stepping back and slamming the door shut. The guy didn't need to be told twice, because he perked out of there, leaving me behind. To make sure they didn't take potshots at the car, I made sure that they knew I was still here by firing at them while I took cover behind a dumpster.

"You can't run from me," Lung warned, and in the reflection of a rear window of a nearby car, I saw Lung's flaming form rise up. I didn't dare stick my head out for a better look as bullets tore into my position. I was lucky that every dumpster in this city was overfull, or I would be dead by now. "I'm going to cook you slowly, and everyone else who helped you take what is mine!"

I tsked under my breath and checked how I was doing on shells. The answer didn't inspire a lot of confidence.

"People can't be owned, you flaming asshole," I screamed over the gunfire. "And come try it!" I added with more confidence than I felt while I looked around for an easy escape. I wasn't far from the corner of the block. If I could make it there, then the ABB wouldn't have such a good bead on me. Might be able to find a ride. Preferably without a kid in it.

My shotgun was about empty, but I still had the grenades. What had Bakuda said? The top three were for Lung, so a twenty feet radius?

It was my only chance. Grabbing the top one from the bandolier, I primed the grenade before I used my prosthetic hand to toss it, aiming for the center of the street. A bullet slammed into my arm, knocking off my aim a fair bit. A shout went up before the grenade detonated. And I should have really asked Bakuda what they did because what happened next wasn't something I expected.

A black hole formed near the middle of the street. A black void about the size of a basketball that sucked up everything around it. The pull of the gravity was intense, enough to make the dumpster that served as my cover start to skid. The ABB had no chance. They were sucked off their feet, flying into the dark void, and it tore them apart before they were sucked inside. The already broken road was ripped up, flying inside the void next, prompting more tarmac to fly into the black hole in a chain reaction of destruction.

Lung managed to avoid the same fate as his subordinates by digging his hands into the ground and clawing his way away from the black hole one handhold at a time. I could distantly hear screaming over the sound of rushing wind. It was impossible to tell how long the black hole lasted before it suddenly winked out of existence.

I was tempted to look at the chaos, but I had more important things on my mind. Taking off into a sprint, I rounded the corner, fleeing to relative safety. Except I still needed them to follow me. I wasn't sure how they had found us, and I couldn't afford them going to Vik's if they lost me. So, I did something incredibly stupid and leaned out of my cover.

"Eat shit Lung!" I shouted, my voice carrying over the deafening silence the black hole had left in its wake. For good measure, I flipped him the bird with a nasty smile on my face. "Recognize the chrome? Got it off your boy, Oni Lee."

I was trying to piss him off, and it worked like an absolute fucking charm. Only, in hindsight, pissing off the dragon cape fueled by rage might have not been my best decision in life.

Lung roared in response. It was a primal sound of pure fury and hate. That's all that I needed to round the corner and start running for my life. I sprinted down the block, my legs pumping, and my heart hammering at my ribs. Spotting a car parked on the side of the road, I used my shotgun to smash in a window. Jacking in, I breached the car's systems and took control of it. It was only then that I realized what I was about to do.

Pissing off Lung and having him chase me through the city was going to put a lot of people in danger. Even if the goal was to take him somewhere isolated. As crazy as it sounded, it might be better to just confront him in the city. The people nearby had either evacuated already or they were hunkering down. For a moment, I was struck by indecision, only for the choice to be made for me when two cars in ABB colors rounded the corner. Reinforcements.

With my choice made for me, I gunned the engine, the car having much better acceleration than the previous one. It lurched forward, peeling out before I took off down the two-way street. The ABB cars took up both lanes, both speeding directly at me. Gripping the steering wheel in a death grip, I punched the gas down until the pedal pressed against metal. The engine roared in response and the speedometer climbed.

I couldn't see the drivers of the cars because of their tinted windows, so I had no way of telling if they wore similar expressions of grim acceptance as we rushed to collide with one another. The distance between us shrank at a frightening pace. I didn't slow down. I didn't swerve. Yet, I didn't hit either of them, because both of them chickened out. The two cars jerked out of the way, letting me pass through the middle. I was still too tense to let out a sigh of relief, but a coil of tension released from me as I rocketed down the road.

The only time I touched the brakes was when I turned, pulling into a main four-way road as I ran a yellow light to do so. Running a red didn't seem to deter the ABB cars that were chasing me down. Their cars proved to be nicer than mine, because as I weaved through traffic, they slowly caught up to me. In the passenger seat of both, a guy and a girl leaned out of their respective windows before they started taking shots at my car.

My lips thinned and I ducked down, avoiding the shots that tore through the rear window. I was forced to rely on the car's sensors to help me drive as I weaved, jerking back and forth to make it harder for them to successfully put a bullet in me. Still, I couldn't slow down. The four-way I was on pulled into a highway and I gunned it, racing up towards my destination.

"Where the fuck are the police?" I muttered darkly to myself. Then I saw a glimpse of something that just about made me shit myself. Another car was lagging behind the other two. I wouldn't have noticed it if it wasn't for the fact that Lung was on top of it. "Where the fuck are the heroes?!" I snapped, cursing to myself.

It didn't matter. I just had to take care of this myself. Somehow.

Swallowing thickly, I spotted my exit in the distance. From there, it would be a straight shot north and I would be in the badlands. Away from the city, and from anyone that could get hurt in the crossfire. The two cars behind me continued to fire on me, tearing my car to shreds. They got a lucky shot on one of the tires, and if it wasn't for a flat recovery ability that the car had, I would have flipped out of control. The OS told me that the wheel was now filled with gel, but that also meant that I was slowing down.

I had to give myself some breathing room.

"Please don't be a black hole," I muttered to myself, pulling a grenade from my chest. Priming it, I counted to three before I tossed the grenade out of the window. It slammed into the car behind me while the second went wide. An explosion rocked the highway as the car went up in flames. I had no clue what the bomb did, but it worked.

I pulled off onto the exit, my car slowing down. The second pulled up next to me, the passenger taking aim right up until I slammed my car into theirs. An awful screeching sound rang out as our cars ground against each other. The woman retreated back into her car, before leaning over to take aim at me through the driver window. I slammed my foot on the brakes, making the spray of bullets that she fired miss, before I slammed my foot back onto the accelerator. Reaching over, I grabbed my shotgun while keeping one eye on the road.

The second car matched my speed, drifting back towards me. This time I greeted them with a round of buckshot. The woman's head was reduced to blood spatter, and the car swerved dangerously. The car almost slammed into the edge of the highway, but the driver managed to right themselves a second later. They slowed down a bit, putting themselves behind me before someone in the back seat leaned out.

They started firing again and my resources were limited. The exit ended, giving way to an empty road that led out of the city. My lips thinned as I considered my options, still all too aware of the fact that Lung was on his way. Probably with more men. With no cover and no ammo…

I had to thin their numbers.

So, I slammed on the breaks and yanked up the parking brake. My wheels started to skid right up until the car behind me slammed into me. I did my best to keep control of the car, trying to anticipate which way the wreck would send me. I failed. The steering wheel felt like it had a mind of its own as I was sent tumbling wildly out of control. The car flipped and I braced for impact. This collision felt so much more violent than the first, even with the aid of the airbags going off. They lessened the impact. Just not enough.

My body jerked with each impact, but I tried to keep myself still, keeping myself in place by gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles. That turned out to be a mistake because as soon as the crash started, the steering wheel popped off the stand it was attached to. Probably karma for stealing a crappy car.

Dropping it, I braced however I could. My prosthetic hand gripped the top edge of where the window would be, relying on my prosthetic to hold while my organic hand lashed out the grasp the parking brake. Between the two of them, I tried to keep myself centered with the aid of my seatbelt as I was sent on the wildest ride I had ever been on. I thrashed around inside of the car, the seat belt digging into me hard enough to bruise, even though I tried to force myself into the seat despite gravity trying to sling me every way possible.

The car rolled violently, enough so that I couldn’t tell how many. With each turbulent roll, the awful sound of bending metal and glass shattering echoed in my ears. Almost downing the heavy thumps of the car hitting the ground like a mallet.

Then, all of a sudden, it stopped.

"What a fuckin day," I rasped, blinking a few times. Blood dripped into my eye, but since it was an optic, it didn't bother me any beyond tinting my vision red. My body, however, felt like a giant bruise. The car was totaled, and it was only modern engineering that saved my life. Taking in a bracing breath, I undid my seatbelt to find that I had landed upright.

The door was jammed. Looking to my prosthetic for an answer, I saw that it had been battered in the wreck as well. I was missing a few fingers and my forearm was bent. That… I've gone through three left arms today. Still, after a little work, I managed to pop out the mantis blade. Unjamming the car door, a groan escaped me as I got out of the car, every muscle screaming at me to lay down and give up. I had to use the car as support, and saw that the exterior was worse than the interior. The same could be said about the ABB car, only they landed upside down. And no one was getting out of it.

"Ugh," I groaned, walking to their car while I looked down the road to where another was coming. Only, Lung wasn't on top of it anymore? Did he jump off? No, not important. I still had to deal with the third car. It raced towards me, having lagged behind a considerable bit. Giving me enough time to reach the upside-down car and look inside. Everyone was hanging upside down, their guns on the ground, so all I had to do was reach in and grab one. Checking to make sure that it was loaded, I pushed myself back up to my feet.

Walking to the center of the road, I braced the assault rifle against my shoulder as I took aim. I might have had a concussion, because I found myself walking towards the speeding car that was racing to run me over. I pulled the trigger, the gun bucking against my already sore shoulder, but my aim was good. Bullet holes sprouted where the driver seat was, peppering the front windshield. Even still, the car raced forward, determined to hit me. I continued to move forward, pulling the trigger until it clicked empty.

Then, without any warning, the car swerved left, missing me by a few feet before it started to roll uncontrollably. I watched, looking over my shoulder -- it was a violent crash with pieces of the car flying everywhere. It went on for a few seconds before it came to a stop, landing heavily in the sand off the highway. Leaning on my gun, my gaze lingered on it for a moment, wondering if anyone was about to get out. They didn't.

Huh. Anti-collision, maybe? Or did I take out the driver? Guess it didn't matter. Now… where in the hell was Lung?

As if to answer me, I caught glimpse of what looked like a meteorite racing towards the ground some distance away. In a plume of dust and sand, I heard a familiar roar before something was launched from the sand plum. It shot by me, slamming into the car I wrecked not far from me. Whatever it was hit the car with enough force that the vehicle wrapped around it, before tearing through the concrete divider. I stumbled back a step, wondering what in the hell was going on before I heard the sound of metal tearing.

And I saw that it wasn't an it. It was a who.

Glory Girl crawled out of the wreck, looking anything but triumphant and confident. Her costume was burned and so was her skin. Her blue eyes were wild, tainted with fear rather than the cool confidence that the ads portrayed her with. There was blood on her white costume, but that probably came from the people that had been in the car. Her eyes darted to me, her fists clenching.

I looked at her for a moment, then I looked to the right to see what seemed to be a twelve-foot tall Lung rising from the sand. The heat turned it into glass, fire blooming up… it looked like a scene ripped out of hell.

"Hey," I turned to Glory Girl. "You good?"

Glory Girl looked honestly dumbfounded by the question. And now that she wasn't trying to put on a brave face, she looked scared but determined. My eyes dipped to the ugly red burns that licked at her skin, some places blackened from prolonged contact. She failed to answer and Lung roared his hate to the sky above. She flinched.

I didn't.

Part of me wanted to just step back and let her take care of it. It was the smart thing to do. But that smart part of me was an idiot. It didn't know shit about shit, and I'd be an idiot for listening to it. Because that part of me didn't see this as the opportunity that it was.

I had already braced myself to either kill a dragon or die trying. So, I was going to kill a dragon, or die trying.

"I already had dibs on him, so you'll just have to wait your turn," I told Glory Girl as I started to limp to Lung. I grabbed two grenades, getting ready to prime them. It was a good one liner, I decided. It would have been better if Glory Girl hadn't flat out ignored me and shot off like a speeding bullet at Lung. They clashed in an explosion of fire, slamming into each other like a hammer against an anvil, a shockwave ringing out like a clap of thunder. Lung flew back, but Glory Girl paid the price for it.

I saw fire envelop her, washing over her like water. Glory Girl flew upwards, avoiding the fire, but one thing became abundantly clear. She was not invincible. Bulletproof, maybe, but not fireproof. Her costume was on fire, her hair singed and her skin bright pink, so she at least didn’t get burned too badly. And it seemed that pain and fear weren’t enough to stop her.

Wasn’t enough to stop me either. I seized the moment and hurled a grenade at Lung. He didn’t notice it in time to do anything about it. The grenade exploded, turning in legs into some kind of slush. Glory Girl flinched as she hovered in the air, turning to me while Lung faceplanted. I would have counted that as a win, but it seemed as he grew, his regeneration kicked up to high gear.

Almost before he had fallen, Lung was pushing himself back up with new legs. The sand shifted underneath him as the fire around him exploded as if someone had dumped gasoline on it. Through the flames, I saw Lung look in my direction, this time larger than ever before. Closer to twenty feet than not. I flipped him the bird.

“Come get some! I’d call you a pussy, but they’re actually tough!” Bakuda was right. It was nothing short of a miracle that I had managed to make it to seventeen. I apparently had the survival instincts of a particularly suicidal lemming. It wasn’t that I wasn’t scared. I just didn’t let the fear stop me. I said the words with a sharp smile on my face, before I threw the other grenade.

It went off, but Lung wasn’t there to experience getting turned into a massive block of ice. He moved in my direction, lunging towards me. The sand slowed him down some, just not much. Enough to let me see him approach and prime another grenade. Lung roared, his metal mask gone, lost, but it didn’t matter. His face shifted, becoming a snarling maw that looked more animal than human.

Grabbing another, it cooked in my hand before I launched it at Lung, exploding above him as he attempted to dodge. He wasn't fast enough to avoid getting his wings erased in a flash of light, along with one of his arms. He skid through the sand, carried by his own momentum, but he made it to the road. Glory Girl slammed into him, probably trying to save my life.

Instead, I took out the last Lung-killer that Bakuda had given me. Lung was distracted by Glory Girl for the briefest of moments, turning on her and lashing out with a claw that sent her into the sand like a speeding bullet. I threw the grenade and it activated on impact. Lung lunged for me, the claw racing towards me in a blur that would leave me little more than a smear on the ground upon contact.

This was it, I thought. I was dead. At least I was taking Lung out with me.

My smile widened as I watched the claw race towards my body, idly noting that it was disproportionately big.

Only instead, it turned to ash and bathed me in it upon contact. It covered me from head to toe, sticking to me because of the sweat coating my body. Ash? Like… I looked down at my hands, seeing them covered in ash and I waited. Waited for my body to crumble into ash just like Lock had. Only, it didn’t. The bomb… it wasn’t the same one that had killed Lock. I was alive. Filthy, but alive.

“I’m not dead?” I asked myself, looking out at the pile of ash that had once been Lung. There weren’t even any implants left behind. All that was left was… a metal mask shaped like a snarling dragon. “Cool.”

“You… what… Who in the hell are you?” Glory Girl questioned me, flying towards me as I hobbled to my trophy. I stifled a groan while picking it up. Brushing it off, I gave it a quick look over. It was a little hot to the touch, but otherwise solid. Only then did I turn to Glory Girl, covered in ash and blood. Most of it my own.

“Names V, Merc,” I answered her. Based on the look that Glory Girl gave me, that didn’t answer her question. "And before you ask, no. I'm not the tinker who made the bombs. I just snagged them from an ABB warehouse," I quickly added.

She looked down at me for a moment, and I'm willing to bet every eddie I would ever earn that she had a lie detector or something to verify what I said. It must have rang true because Glory Girl shook her head, “We… we need to get you medical attention. And witness protection. The ABB are going to be all over you after this,” she informed, flying down towards me. She was probably right about that.

However, I shook my head. “Nah, I’m good on the whole witness protection thing. I could use some medical attention though. And a ride. Kinda wrecked mine,” I said, gesturing to the totaled cars in the middle of the highway. Looking over, I thought I heard sirens in the distance. Of course. Now the cops choose to show up. What’s the saying? Minutes late when seconds count?

Looking back at Glory Girl, I saw her inspecting me. "The ABB will come for you. In force. Oni Lee-"

"Is dead," I interjected. I didn't offer more information than that, deciding to let her come to her own conclusions.

“Do you… have some kind of vendetta with the ABB?” She questioned, trying to make sense of me. I shook my head, “Then what?” She pressed, drifting down so that she stood before me. I was about a half head taller than her. Somehow, that caught me off guard. Whenever I pictured capes, I pictured… capes like Lung. Larger than life.

I offered a shrug, “I was hired to do a job.” It was a half-truth. This whole mess started with me seeking revenge, only for it to turn into a rescue mission halfway through. Glory Girl let out a small huff of laughter as she shook her head in disbelief, my answer clearly catching her off guard.

“Whatever it was you got paid, it’s not enough,” Glory Girl remarked, sounding… elated. I guess Lung being dead, and Oni Lee too, spelled the doom for the ABB. I just smirked -- no one needed to know about Bakuda. I’m sure that Glory Girl would have questions when the adrenaline wore off, but by that time, Bakuda would have gone to ground. And then we would learn if I should have just flatlined her in her cell, or if she deserved the luxury of a second chance.

Glory Girl’s gaze lingered on mine for a moment before she nodded to herself, “Alright. I can give you a ride to your ripper. Any way you prefer to be carried?” She questioned, prompting me to look down at her arms.

“Whatever doesn’t aggravate those burns,” I decided. However, Glory Girl shook her head.

“It’s just cosmetic,” Glory Girl offered. “I had my skin replaced with realskinn a while ago, but a hero looking rough after a hard fight is in right now, so my manager had the settings tweaked. Now it just looks like I bleed and burn.” She explained, shrugging like that made absolutely any sense. “Never had the chance to test it out, though.”

Oh. Well, that was good. “Oh… in that case, bridal,” I answered. Glory Girl cocked an eyebrow at that, an amused expression flickering over her face. “Can’t exactly flirt if I’m tossed over your shoulder like a bag of kibble.” That was probably the concussion talking.

Glory Girl’s lips curled up into a smile that revealed her white teeth, “Bridal it is, then.” She decided, and I take that back. That was just me being smooth as hell. Glory Girl scooped me up before she hovered up a few feet just as the police were arriving. “Hope you can handle yourself. Where am I going?”

“Vik’s,” I answered. And upon seeing that didn’t ring a bell, I rattled off the address. Once she had it, Glory Girl took off at a fast, but subdued pace. Enough that the wind was blasting me in the face, far more harshly than she was experiencing. She smirked at that she carried me into the city.

Flying was an experience. She sailed over buildings, giving me a view of the city that I’ve never had before. From the top rather than in the gutter below.

“So, do all of your jobs end with you taking on entire gangs and some of the most powerful capes in the city?” Glory Girl questioned, and I was so distracted I forgot to say a word to her.

“Don’t know yet,” I answered after a moment, earning a curious look from Glory Girl. “This was my first official job,” I admitted. Glory Girl seemed to mull that over for a moment.

“You’re either off to a great, or a terrible, start,” she remarked. "So, who hired you to take on Lung?"

I smiled, "I was hoping for a romantic flight around the town instead of an interrogation." I pointed out, deciding that was a question that I couldn't answer honestly. "Plus, I couldn't answer if I wanted to. Client confidentiality, and all that jazz."

Glory Girl let out a huff, "You do realize that's not going to fly with anyone when the Corpo's start looking into those bombs, right?"

"Then I'll tell you what I know -- the ABB had a tinker, and I got dragged into this mess by getting involved in a deal that would have gotten them their freedom. I tracked them down to a warehouse in Kabuki, but then Oni Lee showed up. He died. My partner got wounded pretty bad, and I brought him back to Vik's. Lung showed up not long after and I wanted to protect the place," I told her, editing the truth. "If I was the ABB tinker? I'd be long gone by now."

"Huh," Glory Girl remarked, "that might be enough to keep the Corpo's away from you. Unless they want to hire you," she pointed out.

"Then they can pay my price," I decided.

"No Corpo tax?" She questioned, earning a cheeky smirk from me.

"Not if they're hot, blonde and a badass," I decided.

"I'll be sure to pass that along," she remarked before she began to drift down to the ground, bringing me into the alley between Misty’s shop and Viks. She set me down, much to the awe of a few people that had returned to the alley now that Lung was gone. I touched down and tried to ignore how my legs felt like they were made of jelly now that the adrenaline had left my system. Glory Girl floated back up, sending me a smirk.

I returned it before I gestured, sending a datapacket her way. “My deets. In case you ever need a merc,” I told her. That got a breath of laughter and a patient smile.

“If I ever do need a merc, then I know who to call. Until then, V.” Glory Girl said before she flew off into the air. I watched her go, my eyes lingering on the spot where she had vanished for a moment.

I had just flirted with Glory Girl.

Cool.

My attention was stolen by the sound of feet rushing up the stairs. Looking over, I saw it was Bakuda. Her eyes were wide when they landed on me. I held up a mask, and if her jaw dropped any lower, then it would have hit the ground.

“Killed Lung, but I messed up my arm again. Is Vik still in?” I asked, stumbling her way. Bakuda seemed frozen in place as I started to walk by her. "The grenades did the trick. Lung is just a pile of ash in the badlands now."

Bakuda didn't say a word as she helped me down the steps by keeping me steady. The door opened up, and when we turned right, I saw the others gathered up. Jackie was sitting on the table, holding the hand of Misty as they spoke to each other in low tones. Vik was working on something at his desk. All of them looked up at me when I entered.

"Hey, Jackie. You made it. Was worried about you," I announced, stumbling into the room.

"Could say the same for you, V," Jackie returned, going to get up and wincing in pain as he did so. Vik looked at me like I was a ghost. "Heard about your stunt. I… really thought that would be the end of you, mano."

I nodded, taking the hand of support that Jackie offered when I neared to help ease me into the reclined surgical chair. A groan escaped me, and I felt like I melted into the chair. All the aches and pains that gathered up over the day seemed determined to make themselves known after me ignoring them for so long.

"Yeah… yeah, nearly was a couple of times. But I'm alive. And Lung's dead. See his mask? That's my trophy. Cool as shit. And… hey, Vik? I think I have a concussion. And I got flown here by Glory Girl -- she's hot. And a total badass, so she's way hotter because of it, you know?" I rambled, a grin growing on Jackie's face while Vik let out a disbelieving noise.

"I know. Wouldn't have been a Valentino if I didn't," he remarked, as he took a seat on Vik's desk while the ripperdoc got up to give me a once over. I jacked into his systems and let him do his work. My gaze drifted over to Bakuda, who stood in the corner, practically drowning in her hoodie as she stared at Lung's mask.

She reached out to touch it. The moment that her fingers glided across the surface, a tension that I had seen in Bakuda since the first time I saw her released itself. "Lung is really dead?" She questioned, sounding like it could be directed at herself just as much as me.

"He is. It's what all this ash is," I confirmed. "And can I get labels on those grenades? Because they can do some really crazy shit and I wasn't expecting black holes or bottled lightning."

Bakuda turned to look at me, "So… what now?" She asked, sounding lost. Like it all just started to really sink in that she was out of her cell and her captors were dead. The ABB wasn't gone. Not by a long shot. But the two capes that had given them their staying power were gone, so it was just a matter of time.

"That's up to you," I told her. "There's still the client that arranged for the Maelstrom deal to get hit -- Tattletale and Regent were both capes. I'm guessing they're still going to be looking for you. You can join up with them. You can go to ground. Or you could join a Corp or a cape team because they're going to be sniffing around soon enough. You can get out of the city… or you can try to take over the ABB. What happens next is for you to decide. Not anyone else." That's what it meant to be free.

Bakuda let out a huff as Jackie shifted uneasily, "And you would be fine with that? Me becoming a crime lord?" And it was telling that that was the option that had the most appeal to her.

"The deal that we had still stands," I answered. "You got a second chance. It's up to you to use it. You can become a crime lord without being an evil vindictive bitch. Same with joining a Corp. Or going independent. The line you have to cross to make me go after you? You just have to prove that you didn't murder my friend just because you were desperate. That what you did was just you being you." There was a tense silence at that.

She looked to the ground for a moment, considering her options. Bakuda looked up to me, meeting my gaze for a long second that could have been minutes, before her head dipped into a nod, accepting that. Then she turned around and started heading to the door. However, before she crossed the threshold, Bakuda paused.

"I'm sorry about Lock," Bakuda voiced before she resumed walking. She walked up the stairs and left us all behind. I could have followed her through the backdoor, but I didn't. That would be an ace I would keep up my sleeve. Just in case.

Jackie sighed, "You think you'll see her again?" He questioned, looking at me.

My gaze lingered on where Bakuda had left. I considered the question, mulling it over.

"One way or the other… yeah. I think I will." It was just Bakuda's choice on why we would meet again.

…

In the end, the aftermath didn't have much to do with me, which is how I found myself in my apartment again. The news was playing on a loop, talking about the death of Lung. Already his territory was under attack -- the Tyger Claws and Valentinos were moving in, albeit slowly. The cops and Protectorate were patrolling the area, putting a swift end to any violence.

The news reel played a video clip taken from dash cam footage. It was from the car chase. Of me standing in the middle of the road, firing my weapon. Of me again standing unafraid before Lung while a hand came down to splatter me. My face wasn't visible on the news reel, but everything else was. Glory Girl had even given a statement -- That Lung and Oni Lee were killed by a merc because they got in the way of a job.

No one knew it was me yet. But word would circulate. People had seen me get dropped off by Glory Girl, Jackie would spread the word. Sooner or later, people would learn that the guy in the vids was me. My optic camo encryption was pretty solid, but I'm sure that it would get cracked eventually.

I was excited and terrified in equal measures.

"What a day," I muttered, unable to muster up the strength to even get off my couch and take a half dozen steps to my bed. Probably the longest day of my life. So much had happened. I watched Lock die. I shot off my arm. Met up with Jackie, went on a quest of vengeance, lost my arm again, helped kill Oni Lee, got another arm, decided to save the target of my revenge, picked a fight with Lung that I somehow won… and I flirted around with Glory Girl.

A sigh escaped me as I sank into my couch. "What a day," I repeated, my eyelids starting to grow heavy. I had a long day tomorrow too. I was meeting up with Jackie. I think he was trying to take me under his wing, or something. I… had to meet Lock's mom to give her the news, and the money. And I had to go to school -- my perfect attendance was already lost, but that wasn't an excuse to miss more days.

But… for now… I just wanted to sleep.

Only nothing was ever so simple.

Before I could drift off to the blissful realm of unconsciousness, I heard a low buzzing sound. I ignored it at first, but with every passing second the sound grew louder, until it became impossible to ignore. With a feat worthy of Hercules, I cracked my eyes open. I blinked once. Then twice. Then a third time. There was no blurriness from sleep. Everything was in crisp, perfect clarity, yet I barely believed what I saw.

Swarming in a ball before my face was a mess of flies. A couple hundred of them.

"We NeED tO tAlK."