Don Kuat

75 rushes at me with his bayonet extended like a knight's lance. My bulwark's jets howl as I perform a midair roll, the blade passing harmlessly overhead. I then swerve toward the air space above a public park, looking to take advantage of the wide open area to open fire with both my auto pistols. 75 nevertheless doggedly pursues, bayonet at the ready. His speed doesn't quite match mine, but 75 is still fast enough to force me into focusing on my evasive maneuvers. Pausing to unload with the guns would put me within bayonet range.

The scenery blurs as both of us dance madly over the trees, while the constellation of stars above us seem to grow steadily larger. That's because those shining dots obviously aren't stars of course. 69 must have recalled the rest of his operatives to join the party. And once they get here, it would be game over for me. There would be far too many operatives for me to fight.

On the plus side, my HUD tells me that Hiro and the Champion are both still in the fight, throwing themselves at 69's group. The Citadel pair are being beaten steadily backward though, but they are buying precious time for me to act. For the moment, I can devote my full attention to 75. Gritting my teeth, I decide to take a chance. 75 wants to keep the pressure on, preventing me from whittling away at him from a distance. He has certainly learned of how dangerous auto aim is and has adopted countermeasures. I need to start fighting back. This battle won't be won by just staying on the defensive.

Spinning about, I bring both guns up and draw a bead on the rapidly approaching bulwark that bears down on me. Both barrels bark and vomit out a stream of ordnance at my target. 75 doesn't dodge, choosing to tank the attack head on. The slugs shred his machine's augmented armor at the torso but fail to penetrate. Some damage has been done, but nowhere near enough.

I feel a surge of power from 75 as he augments his speed even further, causing his machine lurches forward like a hungry animal. No time to dodge. As the shining tip of the bayonet closes in on me, realization hits like a sack of bricks. I've been caught by the exact same trick I just played on the Blue Ocean operatives.

"Damn it!" I curse and swing one of the pistols in a wide arc, hoping to deflect 75's attack. There's a painful jolt as my machine rocks from the sharp impact I see the gun shatter into small pieces. But 75's bayonet had been thrown off course, giving me a small reprieve.

75 swiftly regains control of his weapon, grasping the frame of the rifle tightly and stabbing downward in an attempt to skewer me. Pursing my lips, I cut power to my jets, letting gravity do its work. My bulwark plummets to the earth, leaving the bayonet to pierce empty air. As the ground grows ominously larger in my HUD, I fire up the thrusters, turning my descent into a controlled drop. In response, 75 enters into a steep dive of his own, continuing his pursuit.

My stomach drops from under me as I raise my remaining gun and let it do the talking. The pistol thunders mutely, the din of our jet engines overwhelming. But 75's armor begins to tear apart, sparks flying and hot steam rising from his machine's wounds thanks to the dissipating divine energy. The Blue Ocean operative begins whipping his rifle about, concentrating on deflecting the incoming slugs rather than trying to run me through.

"Not doing so hot huh?" I taunt through the loudspeaker. 75's rifle is a blur, forming an impenetrable barrier against my shots. But that's fine. Blocking is useless against an operative. Especially if the unstoppable modifier is in play. With a bright flash, 75's rifle explodes in his hands, raining me with pieces of metal, and leaving him completely defenseless.

"Its over!" I crow triumphantly, my pistol stitching an ugly rent across my target's armored torso.

"Ah'm not has helpless as you think!" 75 shouts back and with a mechanical snap, his Stormer deploys its pair of gravity bombs.

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And to my horror, both bombs are dropped right on top of me.

Slamming my bulwark into full speed, I immediately blast off back into the sky, cold sweat running down my brow.

"Are you crazy?" I yell as the G-force unpleasantly pulls at my body, "The blast radius will catch us both!"

"Scared?" 75 demands as his own machine intercepts me again, "Now you know how it feels!"

I am thrown backward by 75's metal mitt punching my bulwark's torso with a heavy clang. My opponent's other hand grasps my gun arm with an iron grip, holding it in place while his fist draws back for another blow. But both of us keeping flying upward, eager to escape the explosion.

"How many people did the Directorate have on their knees, begging for their lives," 75 roars, "just because they believed in god?"

A deafening bang shudders up my cockpit as the blow strikes home and I brace, pouring more power into keeping the armor together. Below us, a mammoth explosion blossoms in the park as the bombs detonate, incinerating everything within range.

"Did the Directorate show us any mercy?" 75 continues as another punch is slammed into my machine, "We begged! My family begged! And you know what the Directorate did?"

And this time the fist pummels my view port, causing the HUD to flicker.

"You laughed! You all laughed!" 75 howls, a bleating pathetic noise, "But now I'm taking everything back! Everything the Directorate owes us!"

"That so?" I grunt, shaking my head and getting my bearings.

"Ya. Ya it is." 75 finally quietens down, "I try to keep it behind me, Arsenio feels enough hate for all of us. But this is justice, make no mistake. You will pay. All of you."

"What do you expect me to say?" I chuckle, amazed at the gall of this man.

75 regards me silently, his fist winding up again.

"Did you expect me to say 'Praise Yah'?" I laugh, "Did you expect me to feel sorry for someone like you? If your family was killed by the Directorate and you're still alive -"

75's fist flies forward just as the serum within me burns. Augmented strength flows through my machine and I block the incoming fist with my free arm.

"- then clearly the Directorate didn't do a thorough enough job!" I shout and engage my bulwark's rocket pod.

A lance of fire erupts from the launcher as a single rocket hits 75 squarely in the face, the explosion throwing both of us apart. It takes a bare moment for both of us to right ourselves, and I see the damage on 75's machine begin to mend. So, things have gotten dire enough for him to concentrate on repairing his bulwark then?

"People like you make me sick." I declare, diving at 75 like a hawk and lashing out with a savage kick. With all his powers busy with repairing the bulwark, 75 takes the blow right on the chin, flying backward.

"Yah wanted to destroy the world. He wanted to kill all of us." I snap, rage getting the better of me, "And shit stains like you support that. You love it don't you?"

Grabbing 75 with both hands, I pile drive him right down into the crater formed in place of the park. I feel his machine flattening from the impact for just a moment before the damage begins to reverse again thanks to 75's operative abilities.

"Yah would have taken us to the kingdom." 75 moans, clearly rattled by my attack, "There would have been a new world for us."

"A new world for you." I dismiss, stomping on 75 hard, "Not for the rest of humanity."

"The faithful would have been saved!" 75 grunts, raising both arms to block my stomps, "Sinners like you have no right to talk!"

"Oh, I have every right to talk." I engage my thrusters, using it as a makeshift flamethrower on 75, "Especially to a disgusting maggot like you. Do you realize how much I hate you?"

The flame from the thrusters blaze with greater intensity, and 75's armor begins to slowly melt, even with the repair modifier he has invoked.

"So faithful, praising Yah." I sneer derisively, "Of course you would be. The price of your salvation would be paid by other people, wouldn't it not? We sinners die, so you lot can be saved!"

I turn up the heat even more, and 75 begins to scream as he is cooked in his bulwark.

"How nice it is, to be generous with the fate of others!" I yell, "And when we give you a chance to live, you throw it back at our faces!"

"The camps are no way to live!" 75 mewls like the disgusting waste of air he is.

"I hate you. I hate you." I whisper, "You aren't happy when we fight back against our own destruction."

More screaming from the waste of air.

"You don't show gratitude when we give you a chance to live."

The thrashing intensifies from the waste of air, all his power shifted to trying to wrestle me off him.

"A traitor. The worst kind. You betray your own species!"

"You ... you ..." incoherent sobs from the maggot.

"You want to talk about justice? This is justice. For all humanity."

And with that I fire my pistol straight through 75's weakened cockpit.