Ewan wakes the following morning to an empty bed. He gets up and goes to shower and dress. The fresh smell of coffee catches his nose and he makes his way down to the kitchen. He walks in just as Echo cracks eggs into the pan next to bacon, humming to herself. He notices coffee already prepared in the percolator.

"Morning."

"Morning, you hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Grab a seat." She pours a cup of coffee, " Sugar? Milk?"

"No sugar, but milk is good. Thank you."

She adds a splash of milk, placing the cup on the table as he takes a seat, "Sleep good?"

"Better than I have in a while. You?"

"Oh, after all the fucking we did, real good."

He brings he cup to his lips, "Good."

She serves two plates and takes a seat of her own, "Also, honestly, the best I've had in a while. You sure kept up."

He raises his eyebrows, not speaking as he begins to eat.

"Gods, you could even say feel relaxed today."

"Also good."

"Any plans for the day?"

"Work. You?"

"Just visiting an old friend."

"Have fun."

A smile tugs at her lips, "I'll be sure to."

They eat a few minutes in silence before Ewan speaks again, "Thank you."

"No need. Breakfast is an important meal, you know."

"For last night, too."

"Oh? Which part?"

"You know. Don't play stupid."

"For all I know, you could've enjoyed me embarrassing your boyscout friend more than you enjoyed the sex."

A single eyebrow lifts this time, his expression conveying his his thoughts without need for a word.

Seeing this makes her chuckle, "Ok ok, I get it. The sex was really good."

"It was."

"I'm actually surprised you even agreed."

"I am, too."

"And? Regretting it yet?"

"Not fully, no."

"Yeah? How so?"

"You're a dangerous one to fuck without a condom."

She laughs now, "Do elaborate."

"You get pregnant with my kid, who knows what kind of monster would grow in you."

Her eyes grow wide, "I didn't even consider that. So that'll need to be a no from me."

"I'll pay for plan B."

"Do you really think I pay for much of anything?"

He shrugs and she continues, "Say I do fall pregnant... what if I disappear?"

Ewan thinks before answering, "I suppose I'll try to find you. Make right with you somehow. See my kid."

She seems surprised by this, "You won't search for us with the intention to kill?"

He shakes his head.

"Honestly, I can see you as a father. Not me as a mother."

"Why's that?"

"Personal opinion and reasons."

"Fair."

"Speaking of killing. How badly do you still want to kill me? Number out of 10?"

"Depends on who you decide to kill. For now... 7."

"Only a 7? Was the sex that good?"

He exhales through his nose and shrugs.

She smiles, "You say it depends on who I decide to kill. What if Mr. Important comes after me again? Would you miss him?"

"Not particularly."

"Any of the other so-called heroes?"

"I suppose that depends. Why are you asking?"

"I'm becoming quite a bit irritated with the weak attempts on my life."

"I can see that."

"So I can't promise I won't kill the next few to come after me."

"Try to injure and not kill wherever possible."

"Tell you what... I'll give a single warning to whoever comes for me. If they don't heed it... well, heroes are prepared to die, right?"

He sighs, "I suppose."

"I mean, come on. 42 times since I got here. A bit excessive, don't you think?"

"If you weren't a danger, they wouldn't have tried."

"The more they try, the more I will be a danger."

"You've killed families. With children. I'd say they're justified in trying to attack you."

"Fine, then. I'll behave myself for a while. I won't kill your normal, everyday people for a bit."

He stands, "Do I walk from here or do you teleport me somewhere?"

Echo also stands, finishing her coffee. She holds out her hand. Ewan takes it, but she moves her hand to his arm instead. They appear back on the roof and she almost immediately disappears. He makes his way down to the street, checking his phone as he does. Only a notification of a bounty put out on Echo by some anonymous hero. He shoves his phone back into his pocket and makes his way home, using the day to prepare for his next job. His next target; a trafficer.

Night falls and he makes his way to the building of his target, simply walking through the front door. Goons stand in shock just a mere moment before rushing to attack him. The last actions of their wasted lives. Gunfire sounds loudly, but Ewan remains unfazed. Uninjured. The first unlucky two to approach him get their heads bashed together, their brain matter mixing as their faces become a shared one. He grabs the heads of some, squeezing, their eyes popping from heir sockets, the red-pinkish substance running from their ears, like icing from a piping bag. He shoots men with their own guns, emptying clips into their torsos, jamming the weapon through the eyes of others. He doesn't hear the screams anymore. Nor the terror in the voices of those standing in his way. They all deserve to die. They are evil people. He only hears the sounds of death. The squishing of organs. The breaking of bones. The spilling of blood. The ending of life. More rush him, only to meet their inevitable ends. Two break away and run upstairs, probably to go and warn their boss. Ewan effortlessly continues on, his actions almost monotone as the corpses fall at his feet. He reaches the stairs, ascending. He starts down the hall, no more goons to stand in his way. He notices a fine red mist covering the walls and door, fresh, running to the floor as the droplets pull one another in. No corpses, though. He kicks in the door, ready to rip his target apart.

A severed head flies into the air, then down, someone in the chair facing the other way catching it above the backrest. They hop the head around in their hand, turning it so the face looks at Ewan. Distorted in a final pained expression, eyes not even fully glassed over yet. A headless body lays slumped against the wall, its skin next to it in a bloody blob on the floor. The skeleton and muscle and organs seem still perfectly intact, the organs slipping from their places onto the corpse's lap. His eyes dart between the head and the body, processing. The person siting in the chair uses their hands to make the decapitated head "speak", making a fake deep voice.

"Who's there? Can you not see I'm busy at the moment?"

He recognizes Echo's voice, "Why are you here?"

The chair slowly turns to face Ewan, Echo looking at him, covered in blood just as much as he is, "I could ask you the same thing."

"Work. Like I said."

She looks at the head in her hands, "Old friend, meet Ewan. Ewan, meet old friend."

"I know him. Trafficer. I was going to do what you did."

"Seems you got most of the goons, though."

"If not all."

"There were three nosey ones. But they're in the hall."

She aims towards the dustbin against the wall, throwing the head in an arch towards it. It lands with a wet thud in the dustbin. She spins the chair around, arms in the air, "Whoo! Two points!"

"I'll get them," Ewan says as he turns towards the hallway

"Oh, no need. They're there, but they'll never be nosey again."

"I see. You're referring to the blood on the walls."

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"Blood. Guts. Bones. The whole lot. So unless they possess some truly impressive healing abilities, that's them for the rest of forever."

"I'll be leaving, then."

"You look sexy all covered in blood."

"Really?" He speaks as he starts down the hall.

Echo jumps up, following. She drags a finger through the blood mist on the wall as she passes, "Really, yeah."

"And I'm supposed to take this a a compliment?"

"Of course. It's not a look many can pull off."

"Suppose not."

She looks at the carnage around them, stepping over the corpses, whistling, "Oh boy..."

"What?"

"I regret missing this show."

"Nothing special."

She seems to shift a moment, clinching her legs together, "It makes me want to ravage you."

"Not now. Got about four other places to hit before the night's out."

"May I tag along? I just want to watch."

"You could."

"Oh, fuck yeah!"

"You're enthusiastic."

"You could say that."

"I am."

"I just haven't had this much excitement in a while."

"This is exciting?"

"I've been bored, ok?"

"Fair enough."

"Where first?"

"North side."

"Driving? Walking? Flying? Instant transmission?"

"Walking. Running, if I'm in a hurry."

"Lead the way."

He starts down the street, Echo following closely.

"How long do you plan on staying here?"

"Afraid I might cause more problems?"

"In a measure."

"There's another reason?"

"Not sure."

They walk in silence a few minutes before she speaks again, "To answer your question, I'm not sure how long."

"I'll admit, that doesn't give me confidence in not trying to kill you again."

"You do seem ever so slightly conflicted."

"I am."

"Why? I'm the bad guy. Don't you kill the bad guy?"

"You're not killable. Not yet. So I'm trying diplomacy."

"Oh, I am most definitely killable. I can switch it off, if you will, my defenses. A mere bullet or blade is capable of killing me. Your bare hands, even."

"But you're not gonna switch them off, are you?"

"I don't desire death so badly, no. At a time, maybe. But no longer. I have plans now."

"Then my uncertainty will persist."

"And if you could kill me? If you found a way?"

"Then I'll kill you."

She nods, "Of course. Understandable."

They continue on the walk a while before she again speaks, "I'm in this city to pay back some debts. Once it's done, I'm leaving."

"Who?"

She doesn't respond.

"I could help."

She almost cuts him off with her answer, "No."

"Fair, then. But my offer stands."

"I'm still following up on some leads. I'm not 100% sure my main loan sharks are still this city."

"Let me know if you want my help."

"I'll keep it in mind."

They walk up to the front of a building, "Loud or quiet?"

She shrugs, "I'm just here to watch."

"Fine. I don't like quiet anyway."

He walks up to the front door as he did before, punching a hole through the chest of the first man. The second opens fire on him. Ewan walks up to the shooting man, crushing his hand with the gun, followed by smearing his head into a paste against the building wall. Echo stares a moment a the first man he killed, then continues to follow him, doing as she said she would. Watching. Intently. Ewan walks from person to person, methodically and easily dispatching of them, either by striking them, squeezing their heads, or ripping them in half. Occasionally, he asks for information. But his focus is clear. He is there to hurt and kill. A smile forms on Echo's lips, enjoying the brutality. She remains out of the way, but close enough to hear whenever Ewan enquires for information. They make their way through the building, the final office on the top floor the only one left. He opens the door and an RPG shell hits him in the chest, knocking him back as a fireball consumes him. Echo peers around the corner, curious to see who launched it. There's screams for more shells as Ewan stands and enters the room. Another RPG fires off, people screaming in the chaos. Echo quickly approaches, leaning against the doorframe as the smoke settles, Ewan turning to the last man who's struggling with the latch on an LMG. He looks up in a panic, first at Ewan, then locking eyes with Echo.

Confusion spreads across the man's face, "Echo?"

Ewan grabs the barrel of the gun, flinging it to he side, "You know her?"

He backs up against the wall, nodding.

"What do you know about her?"

"S...some."

"Tell me."

"She...she..." he looks to her, desperate, "Help me."

Ewan also looks to Echo for an answer.

"What?"

"Seems she doesn't want to help." Ewan steps his target's knee backwards, standing on his leg, "So tell me."

He screams out in pain, "Let me go. I'll tell you everything you want."

"Not how it works. We're not bargaining. The amount of information I get determines the speed at which you die."

His eyes desperately and pleadingly looks to Echo again, "Please...Echo, help me. Save me. I'll do anything."

Ewan shoves his hand into the man's torso. A loud crack sounds, followed by him pulling out a single bone from his ribcage. The man continues his pained screams.

"I'll give you information. I know why you're here."

"Tell me about her."

The man looks at Echo again through falling eyes, "I can... tell... where last..."

She seems interested at this, lifting her head.

"Where was what?" Ewan shoves his hand back in, placing two fingers on the next rib.

His face twists in pain, "There was a... meeting. Two months back."

"I'm listening."

"They were both there." He leans his head back against the wall, starting to lose his fight against the pain.

Ewan slaps him, "Talk." He pulls on the rib.

He snaps awake with another scream, "They're looking for you.

His eyes weakly moves between Ewan and back to her, "You're not... going to save me. Are you?"

Ewan snaps another rib, another scream, "Just... kill me."

"Answer me and I'll be fast."

"Old partners."

He begins pulling on the next, blood dripping down his arm now, "I'll need more than that."

The man clinches his jaw, eyes focused on Echo. Ewan snaps the next, flinging it to the side, "Your death will take several hours. Best advice would be for you to speak."

The man's eyes settle on Ewan, accepting his fate. He screams and bites down on his tongue, severing it. It lands with a wet plop on the floor. Ewan scoffs, lifting the man and slamming him down on his desk. The file spike pierces through his shoulder, documents and stationary falling to the floor. Ewan spends the next three hours systematically breaking bones, peeling skin and cutting out muscle from the man's body, until he dies. Echo all the while watching with focused eyes. Ewan eventually steps back, Echo wrapping her arms around him from behind, hand sliding lower.

"I can't help it anymore."

Ewan grabs her wrist, "Not now."

He blinks and finds himself in her shower, both their clothes gone. She reaches to open the shower, water rushing over them.

He turns to face her, "I said not now."

She presses him against the wall, cold against his back. "Fuck me, " It comes almost as a whisper, ringing in his ears.

She kisses him, placing his hand on her hip. He returns her kiss. The blood washes from them, running down the drain. Moments later, they're on the bed, Ewan sliding into her as she lifts her legs at his sides, moaning. He does as she askes, fucking her. A frustrated anger in his eyes pulling a wicked smile to her face. His thrusts grow urgent.

"Don't tell me you're almost done. We just got started."

"Shut...shut up."

She lifts her hips into him, moaning, "And here I thought you could keep up."

Ewan grits his teeth as he slams into her, bottoming out. He pushes her face to the side as he shakes, causing her to chuckle, locking her legs around him.

They replicate the previous night, going multiple rounds. Ewan remains furious at Echo, but can't help but want her. Lust for her. And she notices this, enjoying every moment, teasing him for his anger, often struggling against him to take control.

The following morning, Ewan wakes. No trace of Echo in the house.