Ravela felt a throbbing pulse of pain. She felt the rough floor beneath her. She tried to get her arms underneath her body and merely managed to move them around in almost robotic strangeness.
“Guch.” Her muscles were twitching and shivering. Ravela could hear bricks moving and falling behind her and, for some reason, a shrill ringing sound.
‘GET UP!’ Something in her roared furiously. She started taking in energy from the gem on her necklace. As her vision unblurred, the energy racing through her body gave her the presence of mind to roll away from the boot coming down on where her head had been.
Her limbs still felt boneless as she struggled to her feet and tried to defend herself. The Bomber seemed to move just as sluggish and unsteady on his feet.
She blocked the following punch thrown her way in embarrassingly uncoordinated fashion. Shoving the Bomber down the hall and away from her. Every movement came with a throbbing pain stinging her head.
Leaning with her shoulder against the wall, she spotted the revolver down the hall all the way in the distance behind the Bomber. Something covered the light behind her, casting its big shadow into the hall. It got a reaction out of the heavily breathing and coughing Bomber. Trying to turn her head earned her a burning sensation in her neck, so instead, she opted to put her back to the wall and look from the corner of her eyes.
Through the hole in the brick wall stumbled and staggered one angry Agent Buster. Ravela’s mouth escaped a sound that was part sigh and part wheeze. ‘I am about to get my ass kicked today, aren’t I?’
Ravela threw a glance down the hall at her revolver, trying to slide it closer without revealing her telekinesis and putting a barrier up around her body. The reward for her effort was another throbbing sting. While the revolver slid a bit closer, she knew for a fact that she stood in this hall without much-needed shielding.
“Why, Agent Buster, if you insist on making the arrest, you had but to ask,” Ravela said in a slurred voice, sliding down to a sitting position. “He’s all yours. Or should I call you Major Buster?”
Ravela prayed that Major Buster wouldn’t insist on going through her first, but she readied herself to make a dash for the Bomber and use him as a shield against Major Agent Whatnot. She laughed out loud and felt her mind not dealing well with her delirious flights of nonsense.
“You’re both under arrest.” Agent Buster declared his voice sounding hollow and hoarse, not humoring her goading in the slightest.
She remained seated on the floor. “I don’t feel very under arrest right now. Why don’t you crawl over here and wheeze that to my face?”
The Bomber made an unstable step forward, and Ravela reacted as fast as she felt she could. Pressing her legs against the ground with all she had, she catapulted herself into an, for the circumstances, amazing slide, breezing past the Bomber. She rolled over the floor and came into a stumbling run. She heard two snaps followed by explosions paired with a mighty roar and an intense contact.
Ravela didn’t need to look back to know what was happening. She lept the last meter to her gun in a dive, just in time for the Bomber to fly past her. Grabbing the revolver tightly, Ravela didn’t hesitate and rolled onto her back and unleashed a shot down the hall, expecting to hit the charging Agent Buster.
The shot just cleared the hallway with an angry hiss, leaving Ravela to search in confusion for her target. A cracking noise above her alerted her to the massive mistake she made.
Pushing herself down the hall in a panic, she left her last position just in time not to be crushed by Agent Buster bursting from the ceiling.
‘Great, right back where we started this miserable affair, between the man with the explosive temper and the tender and caring hand of the law.’ Ravela heard her thoughts mock her, but for some reason, she laughed out loud at the dry humor of her own thoughts.
She yelled over the shrill whistling in her ears and the falling debris. “That was a cheap shot, Major Agent!” Embracing the pain, her laughter and talking flushed through her. “I consider my offer declined then.”
Ravela fired twice at the ceiling above her and jumped up to the floor above as Agent Buster was already in the process of resuming his chase.
On the hall above stood a woman frozen in fear just a few meters from the hole she had created. Running towards the shaking woman, Ravela yelled. “Ma’am, you best evacuate. There are two madmen in the house bent on destroying each other. Please, evacuate in that direction IMMEDIATELY!” She passed the young woman with her laundry basket while pointing in the direction of the three holes in the floor.
Ravela heard another rumble beneath her feet and stopped, her heels scratching over the floor, abusing the shoes' profileless soles, just in time to not become a bundle with the Bomber and Agent Buster crashing through the floor.
It wasn’t the time to question things too profoundly. The scorch mark on Agent Buster's clothing stated that he could take a hit from the Bomber and thus could take hits from her revolver. She fired three shots in short succession. Two hit Agent Buster, and one hit the Bomber.
“Just a gentle reminder, that you can give up and let yourself be arrested whenever you feel you had enough, Mr. Bomber.” She aimed at Agent Buster and her actual target. “And you, Major Agent, could help me bring this insane murderer down instead of taking the bullet for him. Am I the only sane person here not out to get hospitalized at best?”
There was a slight pause, and she realized she had said too much. The glance between her opponent betrayed their thoughts. Slowly walking back, she bumped into the woman who hadn’t moved at all.
“Oh, no,” Ravela whispered. “Why didn’t you run, you dummy!?”
She abruptly reversed course, ignoring the voice in her head questioning her sanity. Lunging into the hole, her two adversaries had just come through, making it barely before they made it there.
They wasted no time going after her. When had they become allies?!
‘What do you mean when? You made them allies. IT IS DIVIDE AND CONQUER, NOT UNITE AND CONQUER, YOU MORON!’
Ravela reeled from the ruthless verbal lashing she gave herself. “I know, I know!” She yelled out and jumped further down the hall, firing more shots at her pursuers.
The Bomber had positioned himself behind Agent Buster, who took the shots far better than Ravela had expected. His clothes started to glow red with every hit, lighting the dimly lit hallway with the same violent crimson as the shots Ravela had hit him with.
The next moment, an explosion rang out from behind Agent Buster, and she found herself way too close and personal with the man. “Rargh.”
Reluctantly, she let go of her revolver and braced herself against the hail of pain about to rain down on her. As she hit the floor, the back of her head exploded, and her vision was flooded with pure white. The pain was out of this world.
Ravela lashed out and unleashed a burst of energy with thoughtless violence. A scream burst from her mouth as her vision returned. Her hazy focus picked up the Bomber standing in the hall, preparing a new whistling attack from his mask. She ignored the pain and put all her energy into her shields. This was much too dangerous to fight with one hand on her back. The hall between them began to turn an amber-yellow. The light broke through her eyes, signaling her increasing charge.
The steaming sound of boiling tea cattle preceded the Bomber's attack. Ravela readied herself and waited for the blast to end. Her blood was boiling. She picked her revolver from the floor using her telekinesis.
The pressure against her shield slowly weakened. The Bomber had to breathe eventually, and the moment would be twice misfortunate for him.
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*Moments earlier*
Vex was suddenly catapulted forward and found himself atop an ill-prepared Michael Menace. Ignoring his burning back for the moment, he wanted to make use of his position by beating the everliving daylights of this nuisance before he took care of the Bomber.
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Michael hit the floor under him, and as the back of his head touched down, the man’s eyes rolled nearly into his skull.
‘So you did feel that punch after all, huh? Good, open wide, here comes dessert!’
Before he could even bring down his fist once, he unexpectedly made his way up and through the different floors of the building before exiting through the roof. He found himself flailing his hands in the air as the momentum veined.
Looking down, he found himself no longer over the building. Instead, he flew deadstick slightly over the edge of the building. “Oh sh-” He had already taken a lot of punishment today. Hitting the pavement from this high unprepared didn’t need to make it onto the list. Vex had no idea what got him here, but he dealt with it professionally. On his way down, while managing his fall, Vex regretted going after Michael in the heat of the moment. The Bomber should have been the highest priority, but Michael got under his skin. He didn’t like his cocky attitude, acting like they were on the same side, as if the world had short-term memory loss.
The landing was less than elegant, and in the vast empty circle around the building, more and more civilians came running out of the surrounding buildings. Levistra came running to his side.
“Vex, what happened?” The faint tone of panic snuck back into her voice. It was as though he was back in the war, just up against bigger guns.
He was about to respond when a row of massive explosions and rumbling could be heard. To his shock, neither fire spread nor did the building show any sign of destabilization.
“Michael Menace was already attacking the Bomber when I struck. I guess they are still duking it out in there.” Vex coughed while putting his hand over his mouth and, to his shock, saw blood. It had been a long time since he had taken a beating like that. It had to have been before he had turned superhuman. In his boxing days, maybe.
Levistra looked at the building. “Why would he go after the Bomber? They’re both criminals.”
“No clue, but if we do this right, we can arrest them both,” Vex stated matter of factly.
He rolled his shoulders and began running toward the building, planning to find and confront the two men again. This time, he’d ensure they would run their engines empty on one another. He would just be there to ensure it would end in the same fashion for them both.
Levistra was calling for him to stop. “This is not as planned, Vex! Vex, don’t go charging back in there and get yourself killed, you hear me!”
There were more explosions, and Vex came to a sudden stop and reversed course to cover Levistra with his body as he saw the facade on the lower floor to his right crack and shatter as though it was made of glass and spray brick shrapnel everywhere.
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Ravela had the Bomber pinned to the street. The Bomber’s mask’s whistle was now bent and twisted shut. She felt excited, triumphant even. She feared his explosions no more. Unbound power roared through her veins, giving more power to her punches, numbing the pain, and heightening her reflexes. SHE FELT GREAT!
She paused; the Bomber didn’t resist anymore. The last few attacks had probably knocked him out. Ravela got up and holstered her gun. She spotted the crowd and police officers at hastily erected barricades.
Then she spotted Vex Buster and Agent Delemere standing together in a tight embrace. Her breath was going heavy, but the energy flowing through her body had her back in a talkative mood. “There I was, aaall worried that I lost Agent Buster somewhere and had to take off the kid gloves for this,” She pointed down with a dismissive gesture. “Scumbag. And there you are, getting it on with Agent Delemere. I was fighting for my life in there, you know?”
Vex let go of Agent Delemere and slowly approached Ravela.
She walked forward without hesitation. “That’s just not a good look. So, do you think you can still take me? Or would you rather bag the second-place trophy back there and call it a day? Hell, I’ll even forget that you tried to kill me twice today. How does that sound? Do we have a deal?”
Vex came even closer. The runes on his costume were still aflame in a violent red, and it no longer looked red and golden but like old withered bandages.
“No deal, you’re still under arrest.” He said.
Ravela laughed. “That is not a wise choice, Agent Buster. You sure you’re up for this fight?”
Vex pulled back for a punch, and Ravela erected a barrier between them. “Go right ahead. Maybe I’ll visit you in the hospital.” She growled in a now unfriendly voice.
Her eyes glowed a little harsher as she prepared for Agent Buster’s opening barrage. The punch he threw at the shield between them didn’t look like it was slung with much effort or force behind it, but the moment it made contact, the drain of energy she felt and the red sparks conveyed a whole different message. Then the second punch landed, and the third, and Ravela felt sweat run down her temples.
“I really ought to thank you for charging me up with that gun of yours.” Vex stopped punching the literal wall between them for a moment. “I can’t even remember a time in the war where I was charged like this. Sadly for you, the expression of my gratitude can look and feel quite hostile.”
Ravela didn’t understand Agent Buster’s powers, but these rags he wore seemed integral to them. “Wait, you absorbed the energy of the shots?”
Vex threw another punch at her, and her barrier broke down as her concentration faltered under the needles burrowing through her brain. She dodged the following attacks and used a kick against his knee to throw him off balance.
“Then absorb THIS!” She yelled while throwing a powerful hook at the jaw of Agent Buster as his head came down together with the rest of his figure struggling to regain balance.
The punch connected with a thundering crack, lifted the man into the air and flung him backward. He rolled and tumbled over the floor from the momentum. Disoriented, he came to a sliding halt a distance away from her.
The gap between them gave Ravela some much-needed room. Agent Buster, on the other hand, stood there rubbing his jaw as though he couldn’t believe what he was feeling.
“Felt that, tough guy? Come here and get another.” She goaded Agent Buster with no regard for her own body and better wisdom, which were urging her to mount a hasty retreat and go pass out somewhere to recover from the beating she had suffered.
Her pride demanded that she beat Agent Buster for refusing her generous offer to bag her prey in exchange for free leave. It stung her as unprofessional, uncourteous even. She was somewhat bewildered at her sudden swing of pedantry but, all the same, indulged in them for a bit.
This time, she went on the offensive, yelling in a declaratory voice. “Hold real still! You got something on your nose!”
Agent Buster put up his fists and guarded her punches. She continuously increased the energy she used while getting into a rhythm. “Come on then, you wanted to fight me! So fight me!” Ravela mocked the man, sliding all over the street from the punches he blocked. Marks appeared on his forearms where her fists hit, strengthened by energy from the gem on her necklace.
Without warning, it was now Ravela hit by a cheap shot as Agent Buster spat blood that had gathered in his mouth at her face. While it was blocked by her shielding, she recoiled and lost the initiative. Earning herself a hook to the stomach that bent her like a twig. Twisting with the punch, it was her turn to slide and roll on the pavement. Her hand clawed down, tearing at the asphalt, stopping her closer to the police and the civilians than she liked to be.
The blood had cleared, but the humiliation of it all remained. She stood up, her stomach burning fiercely.
This fight was pointless, and yet she was unwilling to part ways. Damaged as she was, when would be the next time she would get to go against someone as freely as this? Her hand wiped over her mouth. The blood in her hand was a slightly different red than Agent Buster’s blood. Lighter in color, more rosy.
She shook herself out of the contemplation, refocusing on the here and now. Her eyes darted over to the still unconscious Bomber. If things kept going this way, the madman would escape, and her efforts to serve law enforcement with a criminal on a platter would be wasted. It was worse than wasted since she had invested much more into this fight than she initially had planned.
Agent Buster approached her in a dramatically slow manner. She knew he could clear the distance just as quickly as she had done with him moments earlier.
“Where is all that confidence and quip, Michael? Do you feel like surrendering yet? Or perhaps, is it you want to run from me again?” Agent Buster asked, misunderstanding her indecisiveness.
Ravela stood straight. “I was warned that you are a tough nut to crack. You got some admirers among my acquaintances.” Nodding, she added. “I get it now, truly. You are not to be underestimated.”
She pointed at the Bomber, who looked like he was coming back around to consciousness.
Agent Buster looked over at the Bomber, frowning and hesitating.
“Seems you won’t have many second chances before that particular Pandora’s box opens, and we’ll find out what consequences lie down the road of you prioritizing little old me over that scumbag.” She gave him a second to consider her words. “You sure you want to see what’s behind that door just to fail at arresting me?”
Agent Buster nodded. “You could just give up. I got the authority to arrest you.”
“Not by an authority I recognize, friend,” Ravela called herself a liar inwardly. The truth was that she would love to cooperate, but not at the price of her freedom. “Well, can’t say I didn’t try my darndest, right?”
Agent Buster was on him in a split second, but she was ready. “You certainly tried. I’ll be sure to mention it to the judge.”
Something hit the back of her shielding and bounced off into the pavement below. A police officer had shot his pistol. In many ways, it was not unexpected, but because of the situation they were in, the pointlessness of that action shone much brighter.
They locked arms in a clinch after throwing powerful punches at each other for some time to no avail.
Precisely in that second, consequences came knocking, and Ravela cursed her luck, as she was currently attached to one Agent Buster.
The Bomber landed in a crouch near them, not able to stick to the landing and seeming very unsteady on his feet. But he smacked his hands together, and Ravela shielded herself as strongly as her throbbing skull allowed in the precious moment she had and closed her eyes from what was to come.
She felt the shockwave rush over her barrier. Though it held, she still felt the heat, and her feet left the ground as the unshielded Agent Buster was flung into the air and inconsiderately pulled Ravela with him.
There was the splintering of glass followed by loud calls of alarm, which were accompanied by her landing, no crashing, in wooden furniture. She could hear the splinters fly about the room.
Ravela opened her eyes. Agent Buster was still holding onto her, but he was severely more disoriented since he had neither protection from the shockwave nor the quick reaction to close his eyes.
She used the moment to violently detach herself by pushing him off with her telekinesis and a forceful kick. Slamming him into the temple side wall. Remarkably, it didn’t crack upon his impact.
The sudden concern with masonry on her part surprised Ravela. But she had no time to waste. This endeavor had been a thorough disaster. It was time to cut her losses and vacate the area. She needed to make it back home and, if possible, pass out not as Michael Manus.
Straightening her jacket, Ravela turned to walk away. Agent Buster was not one to just quit. She heard him get up and ready himself.
“Stop right there, Michael!” He ordered her.
“I told you that you severely lack the authority to order me around. This whole situation is on you. Stand down, Major. You’re fighting the wrong war.” Ravela said, trying to sound controlled when, in reality, she was about ready to have another go at the man.
The man charged at her in a severely slowed manner. Ravela felt her temples throb in rage. She pulled her revolver and, only half-turning her upper body, readied herself to unleash all it had to offer on Agent Buster.
Agent Buster found himself face to face with the muzzle of her gun, but before she could even think of pulling the trigger, three people jumped between them. Ravela was too astonished to react instantly. Three Keepers had thrown themselves into mortal danger, and one of them she knew.
Keeper Namon pushed weakly against her arm, attempting to move the gun out of Agent Buster's face while the other two waved and signaled Agent Buster to stop what he was doing.
Ravela looked directly into Keeper Namon’s eyes. They looked concerned yet not frightened or stern but somehow not harshly judging. She allowed him to move her hand, even letting go of the grip, allowing it to limply spin around her index finger, signaling to the Keepers and a dazzled Agent Buster that he would not fire his gun.
There was a long, awkward pause, and Ravela used her energy to dash away while the other two Keepers still entangled Agent Buster. Namon didn’t hold onto her.
Suddenly, the whole event felt wrong. It shouldn’t have been like this.