The automatic warning startled Zax, but he had more urgent matters to handle. He had to get this unhealthy amazon off his throat, but even pushing both arm against her lone wrist didn’t register. She wasn’t even looking at him. Luckily, another path appeared to him.

He inverted his grip to secure his position against her arm, and used this stability to deliver a mean knee slightly below her ribcage, followed by a heavy shove on the same point with both heels.

Straight on the solar plexus.

The shock and surprise didn’t fold her in two as expected, but she still stepped back, coughing and winded, letting Zax fall down.

How did I do that!?

Only then did the impossibility of his own actions registered.

He had even regretted settling for a shove because he was not flexible enough for a kick. He knew a lot about anatomy, but his only fighting experience was childish brawls at school, movies and fighting games. He knew where to hit in theory, but even if some games were realistic VR, he shouldn’t know how to hit.

He hadn’t at first, either. And then, there had been no doubt in his mind. He hadn’t lost control of his body; his mind had conjured a solution, and he had followed it of his own volition, never considering failure. It was just too obvious.

Surprising balance and coordination too.

It was baffling but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.

“Hmmmf!”

A strange sound from deeper in the alley made his head snap toward Aran. An unfathomable spectacle greeted him: Cheetah Legs laid flat on his face, trying and failing to stand up because of the tailed girl crouching and sitting on his head. Every time he moved, she hit or moved the back of his head against the ground. Without her hands.

Somehow, he knew without any doubt: from under him, she had grabbed her tackler’s head between her feet and clenched her body in just the right way to throw him off her without letting him react. The same movement had sprung her body upright without letting go of his head, and she had him neutralised simply by crouching.

The handyman couldn’t tell how he knew. From her expression, she felt the same.

SG broke the stunned silence by sending Gorilla Arm a mighty kick. He used his stronger arm as a shield, but he was still sent flying backward. Her skill made sense at least; she was an experienced fighter.

“BOSS!” Chettah Legs hollered.

In his fright, he ignored his wounds, pushed Aran and rushed to join his team. He tried to get SG on the way, but she leaped over him, turned mid-air and grabbed the stair’s guardrail one floor above with her talons. Her wings were in full display, ready to push her in any direction at a moment’s notice.

The leader landed in his brute’s arm. She stumbled back to catch him without damage, opening more space for Zax to move. He didn’t waste the opportunity; he lunged and rolled further in the alley to join his own friends.

He and Cheetah Legs met, thoroughly intent on ignoring the other.

[ Resonance detected ]

One of Zax’s leg straightened to the side, catching Cheetah Leg in the side of the knee and making lose his balance.

Again?

He had barely seen the guy in the corner of his eye, but his foot had been accurate and the move had felt natural. Not even a kick, he had merely pushed his joint a bit off-centre with the right timing.

Cheetah Legs landed flat and slid against the ground, but he stood up protectively in front of his leader, ignoring the bruises and scrapes all over his body. His wounds were even worse from his speed, but he paid them no heed.

Zax joined Aran as she rolled back upright.

“I didn’t know parkour could be used that way!” She exclaimed, half-exited despite the danger they were in.

It… did seem so. Their strange movements felt similar to their free running training… He had shoved like he was jumping off the woman. His passing push had been like the spinning trick to fix an unbalance. Aran had rolled upward like they had been taught to break momentum.

“Amusing. Do you think you’ve won? Eh. Look. Look around.” Leader called back, gesturing around. His eyes fixated on SG. “Outnumbered, no referee, and nobody’s coming to help.” He smirked. “This isn’t the arena anymore. Just surrender. You and your friends don’t have to be hurt. Much.”

“That would sound a lot more intimidating if you didn’t look like a child in his mother’s embrace right now.” Aran stated.

It drew a few snickers from Zax and the people behind them, who quickly pretended not to when Leader turned his reddened face around.

“Just for that, you’ll have to suffer more.” He snapped back at Aran, his first target forgotten.

“I thought you wanted a sharp tongue?” She retorted, the picture of innocent confusion.

“Not to forget, wrong on at least one point.” Zax added. “And we’re not that outnumbered. I mean, nobody wants what’s happening here to reach the family living in C5-305th home unit, right? They’re so proud of their first-born for being accepted in some posh art school. Just imagine how disappointed they’d be.”

“They already know they’re fed tall tales about where he spends his days.” Aran added. She had spoken at length with the mother while Zax and the father were working. “They didn’t mention it because ‘trust’ or ‘faith’ or something, but they did notice the limp last week.”

“Shouldn’t hurt them too much them, they’re already worried. Just like a few other families. On the other hand, the community centre would be relieved to know where some of their regulars disappeared to.”

A few of the younglings in the back looked uncertainly at each other. They had taken the bait.

“We know they actually care because they dismissed the betting pool.” Aran falsely complained. “I got my units back, but I could’ve won so much. And I played enough tactical games to know you picked the worst place to win by numbers. A straight narrow alley? Seriously? And you can only come from one side too. No matter how many you are, you can only come a few at a time. That’s literally a bottleneck.”

“Maybe they want to wear us down? Sacrifice their numbers? Make it an attrition battle?” Zax proposed.

“Cold, and I don’t think they have enough fodder for that.”

“Time is working in our favour anyway.”

“Hm?” Aran glanced at him confused.

“I’m still recording everything, and I started broadcasting it live on the Enforcers’ emergency channel when the violence started. With our address. I don’t know how the Circle handles that kind of situation, but they shouldn’t take too long.”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

A stunned silence followed the statement. Even SG pulled her eyes away from their opponents for the first time since their arrival.

“I’m casting on a few local points too, just in case. They’re not clearly identified, but I think they’re domestic devices nearby.”

“Isn’t that, ya know, very illegal?” Aran asked with an unreadable face.

“It’s fine. I only use the publicly opened ones, and I’m censoring the names and faces. The Enforcers can get the raw footage later tho.”

“Very impressive.” Leader sarcastically slow-clapped, his smirk back in full force. With his mismatched hands, it sounded like a cheap drum. “I was almost worried for a second, but there’s no way the Enforcers would come here before we’re done with you. For once, you’re on your own. Mutants.”

The dotters had never heard so much contempt in a single word before.

“Screw it, I’m out!” Someone shouted from the group outside the alley. A younger teenage boy, from the voice. “Let go!” A younger teenage boy who was trying to fight off a more physical restraint than expected.

“He’s just bluffing!” Leader snaped to them, furious. “Don’t let them rattle you so easily!”

It didn’t stop the fuss growing in the crowd.

“We can protect you. Remember what happened last time; you have nothing to fear from the Enforcers.” Someone out of sight tried to defuse the turmoil. Androgynous, but not a teen.

“I remember. If my family learn what we do, they’ll try something and they’ll be next.” A third, resolute voice opined. “I don’t want that. I’m out. Don’t try to stop me.”

“I, I want to leave too. Please?” A fourth, scared voice added.

Other voices rose right and left. Some dissident, some calming. This group might be more complex than it seemed. Some must’ve already left, because the entrance seemed less opaque.

The psychological attack had worked better than expected.

When Gorilla Arm realised, his behaviour changed drastically. The childish tantrum from a petty try-hard was now a heartfelt plea from a charismatic leader. Was it an effect of his brain mutation? He was like a new person, deftly weaving reasons and emotions, with body language, and promises of a fairer tomorrow, where the 3G didn’t decide of their fate because they didn’t need it to be superhuman anymore. Like his raised arm, that the 3G had refused him but that he still got in the end.

Lots of half-truths and contradictions to unpack. Was he trying to start a cult? Did he not realise how creepy he sounded, bragging about owning someone else’s arm?

Tall Girl or Cheetah Legs always stayed focused on the dotters, so they couldn’t use the distraction to rush past, but it didn’t mean they had to stay idle.

Aran kept shooting his arguments down with facts and retorts:

“Wasn’t that ‘superhuman’ part made by the 3G?”

“You’ll still have to pay to get the enhancements.”

“Who cares how you change? Your fate will still be determined by your results.”

Legs tried to counter with his own example:

“I was called shorty and constantly mocked. Now I’m not small, I’m super-fast and nobody dares to belittle me!”

Zax had a few questions for him. Could he turn? Process his own running speed? How was his balance without tail? Aran slapped him between the shoulders before he decided if he should voice them, settling his inner debate with a glare.

Right. Focus.

What he focused on was instruction to his friends’ nanites, sent via the broadcasting B-Box stashed in the side, to build their own transmitters. In a few minutes, they had a secret, silent, thought-operated communication channel.

All the while, SG had been planning the coming fight, aiming for the best results. It became easier as some of the group scattered; her vantage point gave her more information than the others. Only teens were leaving, the remaining were more like the three in front. Just less extended.

The odds of victory were still too low to matter, but the odds of surviving or lasting long enough for Enforcers to arrive were significantly improving. Not enough.

[ Nanite Chatroom: Installation Complete ]

Without warning, a screen appeared on the side of her vision. It moved with her eyes, so her experience with VR let her keep her cool. It wasn’t intrusive, but she couldn’t forget it easily. It had mentioned nanites too, so Zax was probably involved, meaning it was safe.

[ You are invited to join the chat ]

[ Join? Y/N ]

[ (imagine yourself saying the word or pressing the button to answer) ]

Yes?

Nothing happened. Thinking the word was not enough?

< Yes? >

[ Aran has entered the room ]

[ SG has entered the room ]

< [ Zax: Great, it worked. ]>

< [Aran: Doing that when we’re being mugged. You know you’re crazy, right? ]>

< [ Zax: You’re keeping them busy, and I thought it was the best way to strategize. I don’t think we have long left though; he’s pulling them together. Does someone have a plan? I’d rather not rely on that resonance happening again, we don’t know if it’ll work. ]>

< [ Aran: You saw it too? ] >

< [ SG: I do. Our odds just got significantly higher. ]>

The plan was unpleasant, but quickly explained and they didn’t have a better one. Before it could be executed though, Gorilla Arm had rallied his remaining people. SG broke their newfound gusto by addressing them for the first time:

“I don’t know what he promised you, but I will make sure it’s not worth the pain I’m about to inflict.”

Her words were limpid, her voice deep and projected, bouncing between the walls and reaching further than it should. Nobody doubted she would keep her word.

Chilling!

It was too late to go back though, the remaining members had no other choice but to follow through and attack. Gorilla Arm screamed to encourage them, his shout soon blooming on every lip:

“HAAAAAAAAAA!”

The original three were the most dangerous of the lot. Tall Girl was strong and resilient, but slow. Cheetah Legs was fast, but he needed space to do his thing. He arrived first. Zax had one question answered: no, he couldn’t keep up with his own speed. Else, he would’ve dodged the powerful but obvious kick to the chin SG delivered.

He was sent flying back. Like his leader before, but nobody he landed on could catch him. Gorilla Arm arrived next, sidestepping the heap of pained bodies.

He tried to land the first punch, but SG twirled and danced around his arm, somehow landing a talon flat against his torso and pushing, sending him back to the heap that was just starting to get back on their feet.

From their safe position behind, the dotters couldn’t miss how easier it would have been to kick him on the side of his head, or how her claws pushed without piercing. With her vicious talons, it took a deliberate effort. Despite her claim, she didn’t want to hurt them more than necessary.

Tall Girl arrived at the same time as the others. She lasted longer, two full hits, and she merely folded without flying. The others used the time to surround the winged hurricane, but her wide movements prevented them from getting close. Good thing no one had a weapon besides their own bodies.

She kicked and slammed her opponents against the walls, silent but loudly knocking them down while Zax and Aran took down the stragglers she let wander on their side, tying them up with their own clothes when possible. They had been mostly forgotten. More than a few resonances happened, always effective but never how or when they were expected.

Tall Girl returned to the melee, once again lasting longer, long enough to let the crowd converge on SG. She couldn’t force space around her anymore; not enough leverage, but she wouldn’t be undone.

Just as a solid arm reached for her wing – her main weakness in a fight – a talon grabbed a shoulder and she pulled down, using the spontaneous springboard to leap against the wall and acrobatic her way out of the mass. Delivering a few free kicks on the way too, because why not.

SG had undeniably won the exchange. Gorilla Arm was unconscious, Cheetah Legs couldn’t do much with so many people around, but she was not unscathed. Panting, sweating, her wings missing handfuls of feathers where they had been grabbed, and she had taken more than a few passing hits.

Still, she was not worse for wear, and her eyes shouted she was ready for more. Eager, perhaps.

The lack of leader didn’t deter the assailants still standing. They had gone too far to back off now. They didn’t even notice their fallen comrades at their feet anymore.

Round 2 was more of the same, but SG was waning. It wasn’t obvious yet, but more and more stragglers reached the back line, who more frequently had to use the chat to warn her of sneak attacks.

The original plan had called for the pair to team-up against individual opponents SG would allow. Mostly the younger ones. The repeated resonances usually ended the confrontation before the other could act, but it wouldn’t take much for the greenhorns to be overwhelmed. Not a problem yet, but it was coming and they knew it. They were tiring faster than their main fighter too.

By the middle of round three, SG gave the order the others had hoped would not come:

< [ SG: Aran is getting tired. Phase 2 ] >

< [ Aran: Am not! ] >

< [ Zax: You are. You kept running around and wasting energy, and I’m not far behind. ] >

[ Aran is typing… ]

< [ Zax: Don’t compare your stamina to hers! We can only trust her. ] >

< [ Aran: Fine. But I still don’t like it. ] >

< [ Zax: Me neither. ] >

Regardless, phase two.