They met with a clang of metal against metal.

Edam pulled himself to his feet, watching from the mezzanine. His shoulder burned like hell, and he couldn’t move his arm, but that was only a passing thought in his mind. He watched in awe as the Commissioner caught Saavi’s fist in his palm. She went in for a kick, but he pulled her by the hand, and she missed, stumbling backwards. Then she launched herself at him again. With every blow that the Commissioner blocked, every strike that brushed him, Edam was sure the next one would be the last. But he held his own.

Saavi was thrown backwards again. She paused after skidding to a halt, staring at the Commissioner through the diamond-shaped eyes of the suit’s helmet. Edam’s grip on his shoulder tightened. Those eyes… they weren’t Saavi. None of this was Saavi.

She sprinted towards the Commissioner, and as he got ready to block again, she leapt, sailing right over his head. As he turned around, she kicked downwards, and Edam waited to hear the crack of his spine as her foot came down on him. He was lucky - the blow hit his prosthetic shoulder. But the kick had caught him off balance, and he fell to the ground. Saavi rushed towards him like a starving beast. Edam started moving, fumbling his way down the stairs.

She really means to kill him.

The Commissioner rolled to the side and her punch slammed into the warehouse floor instead. He clambered to his feet and threw a punch - his first actual attack in the whole scuffle - and it hit with a surprising amount of force, sending Saavi tumbling backwards. She caught herself before hitting the warehouse wall. “Astraea!” she yelled, and the suit burned to life, glowing. She charged at him.

Edam sprinted down the stairs, stepping in front of the Commissioner. Saavi activated her propulsors, throwing up dust as she came to a stop before him. The Commissioner put a hand on his shoulder, a weary smile on his face, as if to say: I appreciate the gesture, son, but I have this other control. The other police officer watched them from the corner, uncertain. He had managed to find the taser-gun and was pointing it at Saavi, who barely spared him a glance.

“Out of the way,” she hissed.

Edam took a moment to find his voice. Her mechanical gaze was… unnerving.

“You need to calm down.”

“I’m calm.”

“You can’t kill him. You can’t just-”

“Why shouldn’t I kill him? He betrayed me! He betrayed us. Now get out of my way!”

Edam stood firm. Behind him, the Commissioner sighed, “Turn yourself in, girl. We can’t let that suit fall into the wrong hands.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The Commissioner gave her a weary glance, “It already has.”

Saavi tried to step past Edam, but he blocked her again, moving closer to the Commissioner. She wouldn’t be able to get to him without hurting Edam first… which he was at least seventy-percent sure she wouldn’t do. The Commissioner had betrayed her - betrayed them, even. But there were very few people who deserved to die. Violent, unfeeling people, perhaps. The Commissioner… well, he seemed like a nice man. Or, at the very least, a man who didn't deserve to die.

"You can’t kill him.” Edam said again, weakly.

“Enough of this,” the Commissioner started, “you need to come with me, girl. The people on their way here right now… you’d be better off in prison.”

“Who?” Saavi said, “Hyperion? Is he coming here?”

“Not Hyperion himself, but someone in his place.”

The police officer with the taser-gun groaned, “That asshole?”

The grumbling of cars in the distance reached their ears.

“We need to leave!” Edam shouted at Saavi, who hesitated a moment, then nodded. She crouched, lifting him off his feet, careful not to hurt his arm. Great, Edam thought, as she put one arm under his legs and the other behind his back, I’m gonna get princess-carried. The police officer aimed the taser-gun at them, but the Commissioner raised his hand and the officer lowered his weapon.

“We’ll meet again, girl.” he said, his expression grim, “Use your head and turn the suit in. Find me before I find you.”

Tyres screeched outside.

Saavi gave the Commissioner one last glare, then used the propulsors to burst through the shattered skylight. The sky rushed towards them, and they landed on the roof with a thud. It would have been almost frightening without Saavi’s arms holding him in place. She sprinted towards the edge of the building, activated the propulsors again, and leapt into the air.

This time, the ground was far below. Edam turned his head to the side, trying to ignore the feeling of weightlessness. There were a few cars parked outside the warehouse in a haphazard fashion, showing off bright colours and neon tail-lights. A tall man in a white suit looked up at them as they fled, wearing a mask of some sort. It reflected the burning glow of Saavi’s armour.

They carried on a while longer, hopping between buildings in silence, the city rushing beneath them. When she was satisfied they weren’t being followed, Saavi spoke. “Where should I drop you off?” she asked, her tone slightly regretful.

“There’s a hospital nearby,” Edam said, hissing in pain as he tried to move his arm, “but you can’t show up there like this, so I’ll take the train. You need to get back, right?”

“Yeah, I… sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

They leapt towards a smaller building, and then down to a dark alleyway. Saavi set him down, steadying him. He brushed her off - only his arm was injured, he could walk perfectly well. “You’ll be alright… right?” Saavi asked, as if she had broken his arm herself. Maybe it was her fault, but he had done what he’d done of his own accord.

“Yeah, I'm good.” he said, walking away. He considered removing his jacket and using it as a sling, but he didn’t want to attract too much attention. The train station was right up ahead.

He trudged towards it, thinking about the unbelievable chain of events that had just occurred. About how Saavi had… changed. Kind of. The girl who had carefully carried him away from the warehouse, apologising. And the girl who was hellbent on taking an innocent man’s life. How could they be the same person?

As he left the alleyway, Edam threw a tentative glance over his shoulder. As expected, Saavi was gone.