Emerald sorted through her closet thoughtfully, examining the assortment of dresses, of shoes... Eyeball had made a joke about her shoes once. Her response had been, of course, to ask if he'd wear the same shoes with his Eyeball armor as the Viper armor as with his nice tailored 'Victor' suit... that while if you had to you might wear the same shoes for everything, it was much better to tailor them to the rest of the outfit, or the situation. He habitually wore one of a very small number of outfits, and most of them had their own shoes.. or armored boots.. that went with them. Whether it was kevlar, steel, and memory foam combat boots, scale-covered boots for the 'Viper' outfit, or simple leather shoes for his rarely-worn casual outfits.

Emerald, of course, had nice heels in various shades and heights, as well as combat boots, and of course just some armored plates to wrap around them... just like her fingernails, her toenails were hard enough, and kept sharp enough, to gouge metal or flesh. Usually she kept them covered, but she could shred the shoes easily enough if it came to a fight.

And, well. She could always go shopping for some more wine. Not that she had drunk too much. But you could never have too much nice wine.

Tonight was going to be a date; Eyeball out as Victor, and Emerald using an amusing holographic shroud to hide her own appearance; or rather, to disguise it, the two going out as a 'normal' couple for once; Eyeball had even arranged for his fake secret identity to have an excuse to be on La Famiglia just in case someone was paying attention.

Several of her dresses looked lovely. Complimentary shades of light or dark green, black, white, red... Nice, expensive dresses. None of them quite appealed at the moment. She checked the messages on her phone; one from Ripper, of course. ~Just got in from France, got you a present. See you this weekend!~ She rolled her eyes. Of course he'd come by in person and then pretend he just arrived. She shook her head... and sent both her brother and boyfriend a text; slightly different variations of ~Going shopping, catch you later~, before checking herself for a moment; making sure the hologram, disguising herself as a wider, more amazon-esque woman without wings, was on and working properly, and sorted through her usual carry gear; side-arm in its holster, usual athletic shorts and tank-top... for her, armor was nice, but not usually necesary; stray bullets generally didn't pierce the scales unless they were something a bit higher caliber.

She'd keep the disguise on til she got to the store; Ellen knew her, and might have some advice on just the perfect dress. She whistled to herself as she stepped out the door, heading out towards the Famiglia Grand Mall and Casino; she could fly, or drive easily enough, but it was just a couple miles from the house; the walk would do her good.

***

"Honestly, he's had some work done. We got a look at his face out of the helmet when he had a call-girl come in, and would've just flagged this as a mistake... but we got a hair sample and had already sent it off to be tested before we got the picture. He looks like a new man, but its him. Roland, Green Knight, formerly of the DMA. Officially, if he shows up without permission after his first visit, he's still got a death penalty waiting for him. Definitely working with this Executioner guy, but he's not DMA. At least, not anyone we know about."

Eyeball had dropped by Enforcer HQ; the structure that was effectively the military and police department for the island. Technically, he was in charge of the place; but the reality was that Tommy Valentine, one of Nicky's old enforcers, was much better at the job, and would be running the place as long as he was willing.

Valentine was pacing back and forth across his office; the man, seeming to be in his fifties, balding, with very little grey hair remaining, was surprisingly energetic. "We need to make an example of him. Can't tolerate this kind of bullshit from one of em, or they'll all be walking over us."

Eyeball nodded slowly. This office was one of the few places he went without the helmet; he wore it for so long that he almost felt naked without its gentle pressure on his forehead. "Of course. I was thinking of doing it in the arena. Arrange for him to face me and my little team in the match next week, brutalize the poor bastard, and then reveal his ID to the world before we execute him."

Valentine stopped his pacing, glancing at Eyeball. "You sure? I thought you had a bet going with Penny and wanted to go all the way through?"

"Hmm. Can stay in character, pretend Viper is just another agent on the payroll. I've got a shell strong enough to pierce that armor, and his skin, and that Rex character can chew through things even tougher than him in fractions of a second. Just say I was deputized to handle this, reveal the truth, and poof. Problem solved."

"...Not sure about letting him wander. He's clearly a covert DMA agent. What sort of objective do you think he's got?"

"Killing me, or Nicky, or Penny. Or all three. They make it look like a rogue operative, apologize to the survivors, make a big show of support, and then quietly try to take over operations using that support. I'd bet you a substantial sum they've got a few other agents planted to get him supplies and help him blow up the big last party once he reaches the semi-finals... and then he'd be there to finish off survivors."

Valentine looked down at his desk, and picked up the photo one of the cameras at the hotel picked up of Roland with a pretty young call-girl, scooping her up across the threshold of his room. "Huh. I suppose it would work. Wouldn't be a good idea, though. The number of heavy-hitters they'd be pissing off, including a Titan, and with their own off on the other side of the moon..."

Eyeball laughed, and reached down to pick his helmet back up. "You're thinking like a rational person. This is a government agency. They see us as a problem to be dealt with, and have a long list of possible solutions they're working through, all the while the DoD is trying to play interference so we can keep selling them their drugs. Thinking they're gonna do something sane or rational is crazy-talk."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

He stretched, before setting his helmet back in place. He tapped it a few times, as the equipment came back online; HUDs appearing, voice synthesizer starting. "I'm gonna be set on private for tonight, got a date with Emma. Obviously if its a genuine emergency get me, but I suspect you've got it covered."

Valentine shrugged. "Honestly, just about anything short of a Titan or a nuclear war we can probably handle. I only call you if we want to scare someone with your reputation."

Eyeball nodded, and stepped to the door, pushing it open. "Alright. Don't..." He stopped... and slammed the door, to a loud 'grunt' of pain; the door stopped just a few inches short of closed. After a moment, Ripper appeared; the blue, scaly figure wearing a black bodysuit, with a series of pouches running along his chest; and his arm pinned by the door.

"Damnit, bro, why you gotta do that?" He pulled his arm free, shaking it back and forth as Eyeball gave an exasperated sigh.

"Ouch. Come on, man, I was just gonna steal his coffee mug again."

Valentine glared at Ripper. "Seriously? I thought it was one of the janitors. What the hell, man?"

Eyeball sighed. "You've been kinda weird lately. I guess I get the idea of challenging yourself to steal cheap stuff from high-security areas, but..." He turned the volume down on his speakers, leaning in close. "Seriously, man. Why are you stalking your sister? She's getting a bit creeped out sometimes. Digging through the trash?"

"I just worry sometimes, man. Honestly, I check up on her now and again, been doing it for years. Not sure what you mean about trash, though."

"You can stop it. We got you on the security video earlier, even saw a flash of blue scales on your way out the door. You're slipping."

Ripper suddenly froze. He slowly turned to face Eyeball, and settled his hands on the armored shoulders. "...I was at the Louvre replacing a painting with a fake yesterday. I literally just got here. You saw blue scales? An invisible man?"

"...Yes. Got the blue scales on video, and the figure on sonar."

"...My dad's here. Shit!"

***

Daiki slowly walked behind the girl, carefully checking his syringe; he had to become visible again to see anything he held, so he had to check it by feel. If she hadn't emerged from Emma's house, he would have assumed she was a stranger; but seeing the hologram up close for this long made it obvious; it was a fake. This was the Dragon.

He'd seen her birth, had known her for over a decade. Stronger than a girl her size should be, with extremely durable scales, firey breath, wings, claws, and a certain ability to reduce her own density to make those wings actually useful; her grand-mother believed that she must truly be telekinetic, and if she could somehow be broken of this thought that she could only fly, she could do even greater things.

And she was the Empress; she was undoubtedly correct.

Still. This syringe was sharp enough to penetrate her scales... and he had over a hundred pounds on her. She was strong, but not strong enough to put up a fight if he got a good grip on her.

He slowly stalked behind her, rushing a few steps to make it through the door of the fashion boutique she stepped inside; long aisles of clothes, ranging from fairly cheap to ridiculously expensive; cotton, silk, and even gold or silver fabrics. Emma walked right past the aisles, and into a smaller back area.. and Daiki watched her as she dissolved the hologram and stepped forward; hugging some tall, slender woman.

He could hear some chatter; about a date, about dresses. The woman seemed happy; either a genuine friend of Emma, or someone she often worked with.

Daiki inhaled deeply... and when the saleswoman stepped away, stepped in close, reaching forward as he saw the girl pulling out a cell phone... and grabbed Emma by the shoulder, swinging the syringe at one of the softer places in her scales along her neck.

***

Emerald had been happy at the news so far; Tina had a few options in Emerald's size she was sure to love, ones that either could already work with her anatomy, or which she could easily modify before the date started. She was practically buzzing in happiness as she looked over the other options; considering whether she could get some nice 'villainess' costumes that had a good blend of armored protection and looks... when she heard it.

A footstep in an empty room. Her mood dwindled a bit. Ugh. Ripper again? She reached into her pocket, ready to call Ripper and reveal her brother's location... only to see a message. ~Dad's here! Get home!~

She blinked.. and then a hand suddenly grabbed her arm. Big, strong, powerful... the sudden movement. She abruptly shoved back with her wings, feeling a needle jab into them before the syringe attached to it went flying... and her invisible assailant was hurled backwards through a clothing rack.

She turned to face a figure, his position partially revealed by the pile of loose clothing. "Drake, is that you!? Or is it Daiki?"

She heard it. The same deep, gravelly voice that had filled her nightmares for so many years. "His name is also Daiki. Drake is a foolish nickname for a foolish boy."

A decade ago, she might have frozen in fear. Screamed. Run.

She gave a low hiss... and after taking a deep breath, spat out a wave of fire, liquid bursting forth in a mist that ignited in the air; clothing catching aflame in a variety of brilliant colors, as Daiki's attempt to dodge only partially succeeded; she could see the man now, one arm on fire, grabbing the syringe, and turning to her again; even as he was clearly in agony from the fire eating its way through his left arm, he brought his right hand down, trying once again to jab her with the needle.

Emerald grabbed his hand, stepping forward.. and as the fire suppression system activated in the ceiling above them, sending cascades of water spraying onto the two and the piles of smoking clothes, smashed her forehead into Daiki's face; shattering his nose with an audible crunch.

Daiki dropped back a few steps; the gel that had stuck to his flesh stubbornly refused to completely go out in the deluge, leaving trails of visible light both in the clothing and on his agonized flesh... and hissed, this time simply trying to punch Emma in the face with his still burning hand.

Emerald simply caught his hand.. and with a brutal twist, broke the burning limb at the elbow.. before swinging him around by the broken limb, slamming him face-first into the wall.

"You motherfucker!"

She took hold of the back of his head as he, dazed and confused, tried to push away from the wall... How could this be? She wasn't this strong. She was just a helpless little girl.... and slammed his face into the wall. Again. And again. A fourth time.

When she backed up a step, releasing him, he fell limply to the ground... and she started stomping on his body. If he were still alive when he'd fallen, any chances of survival would rapidly fade, as the girl just kept stomping on his head, on his back, screaming, tears running down her face hidden by the pouring water as each stomp left nasty gouges from her heels and toenails.

"You asshole! I trusted you! I loved you! You were my uncle! How could you!"

When Tina looked into the room, hiding behind the partially closed door as she had the Enforcers on the phone, Emerald had collapsed to her knees beside the corpse; the head a broken ruin with bits of brain and broken bone scattered in a puddle around it; hands pressed against her face, sobbing.