Zack coughed up air in a violent fit. His hands jerked up, as if animated by a bolt of electricity. A fresh burst of oxygen entered his lungs, reinvigorating him. He struggled to remain upright.

Why am I upright? What am I alive?

Memories swirled through Zack’s mind at a rapid rate. Kaine’s arms wrapped around his throat, only growing tighter. His enemy’s stranglehold slowly removed all air. Rachel lay on the ground, unmoving.

Rachel…

“Shut up!” Kaine cried in his ear. “Shut up!”

Confused, Zack pushed against his stupor and shoved off Kaine, putting some distance between him and the big armored man as he struggled to regain his footing.

“You don’t know anything!” Kaine cried as he rushed forward. “You hear me!”

Zack knew he was in no position to fight Kaine. The former Marine, covered in thick body armor, had quickly overwhelmed both him and Rachel, using his teleportation powers to negate any fighting edge Zack could hope to win.

As Kaine surged forward, Zack realized his situation was dire. Desperation was the only play he had left.

This is going to suck.

Kaine raced forward, his eyes red with anger. Zack didn’t know what the man was ranting about. He only knew he couldn’t let Kaine get ahold of him again. He reeled back and then dunked forward, his forehead colliding with Kaine’s.

Zack pushed backward as stars exploded before his eyes. The dizziness and blurriness slowly subsided, while Kaine stumbled to the side, yelling out obscenities.

Zack waited for the stars to subside. Headbutts were always risky business, but at least Zack could prepare for the disorientation this time. Once the pain dulled, Zack raced forward, eager to put the few spare seconds he had gained to his advantage.

He socked Kaine in the face, pushing around before he did it again. He brought his fist back, charging it forward to punch him one final time, only for Kaine to grab his arm, gripping it easily in his hand. With a bloody smile, Kaine thrust Zack over his shoulder, sending him toppling to the ground.

Zack cursed his luck. In his state, he was no match for Kaine. The big man would beat him senseless, and then kill him. It didn’t help that he was covered from head to toe in dense body armor. Zack noticed that Kaine walked towards him with a lopsided smile.

He isn’t bothering to teleport. He’s toying with me. He’s cocky. .

I can work with that.

He waited until Kaine was in range. Just as his feet reached a few inches from his fallen position, Zack wrapped his feet around Kaine’s Kevlar-encased legs and began to twist, shifting Kaine’s momentum before he could react. Kaine plummeted to the ground, landing next to him with a hard thud.

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Zack raised his free leg and brought it down on Kaine’s midsection. He heard Kaine cry out in pain. The Kevlar might have protected him from bullets and most of his blows, but with enough momentum, Zack could still make an impact. He rolled onto his side, raising his torso up as he lunged over Kaine, his arm poised to strike only to see the big man completely vanishing from the street before he could move.

He had teleported.

Again.

Zack turned around only to receive a sharp jab to his chin. Having regained his bearings, Kaine edged forward, laying blow after blow. Zack managed to block several of them. The muscle memory powers started to kick in, with Zack thankful for everything Dirk Saber had taught him. Still, one blow passed through his block, cacking one of his ribs as he grunted in pain.

“It’s over, freak!” Kaine yelled, sending spittle flying into his face.

“Who you calling freak?” Zack said with a cough. “You’re the one popping all over the place like a coward!”

“I’m not a coward!” Kaine cried back. “I’m a hero!”

Another voice rang through the streets. “That’s not what your commanding officer thought, was it?”

Kaine immediately turned around, searching to darkness for signs of the voice. The evening sun had slowly given way to the rising shadows of night.

Zack suddenly began to scan the street and sidewalk for signs of Rachel’s body, but he saw none. Could she have limped away? Maybe she had gotten help.

Not likely.

The streets were empty. Any rescue efforts had ceased, and all the buildings around here were empty, deemed too unstable to serve as shelters for the many students left homeless from the recent quakes. If Rachel stumbled off, she’d prove easy pickings for a stray Alpha. Which could only mean . . .

“You’ve been a naughty boy, Carl,” her voice taunted from somewhere in the shadows.

“I told you that’s not my name anymore!” Kaine cried once more.

Zack wasn’t going to wait around to figure out what was going on. He moved forward, shoulder-checking Kaine as he clipped him in the side. Kaine struggled to readjust his focus, but it was too late. Zack belted him two more times in the face, forcing Kaine to stagger backwards. Just as he did so, Zack saw a form move in the shadows.

A trash can soared through the air before crashing into Kaine, knocking him to his feet. Zack gasped as he saw Rachel emerge from the shadows. A bloody cut raced down her cheek, leading to a particularly bruised lip, but she was still standing, and more importantly, she was still alive.

“Why did you get drummed out of the Marines again? Reckless disregard for the safety of others,” Rachel said, hands on her hips. “I bet you never told your frat buddies you never even made it through boot camp.”

“Shut up bitch!” a defiant Kaine raised his voice.

“You’re not a hero. You’re not a Marine,” Rachel said. “You’re just cosplaying one.”

Zack looked at Rachel, smiling. “You had me worried.”

Rachel turned to him, her hair a mess. “I had to play possum if I wanted in his head. Though I don’t even want to think about what I was lying in.”

They turned their attention back to Kaine.

“Let’s take out the trash,” Rachel said.

“Just like old times,” Zack smirked.

“I’m going to kill you both!” Kaine cried, charging towards them right before vanishing once more.

Rachel and Zack feverishly scanned their surroundings, waiting for the blow they both knew was coming.