Trixie's hands grabbed the edge of the floor to the Command chambers. She hoisted herself up, cracking her knuckles as she looked at the dimly-lit open space with several floors above, each with cubicles on each corner. Spotting a female Striker and an android with their eyes set on taking her down, Trixie sighed and unleashed her transformation once more.
Time to get this over with quickly, she thought.
She ran forward, her steps confident as she lunged at the android first, throwing a brutal punch at him that knocked him back several meters, then rushing in and giving a three-punch combo special on him, who hit the floor after the final strike. She then spun around on her feet to face the Striker and threw a lightning-fast quick punch at her chest. To her surprise, the Striker was taken down from that one single blow, making Trixie stifle a chuckle.
Wh—I literally just poked her and she died, that was funny! she thought.
Grateful for the brief moment of laughter, Trixie refocused her attention to the android, who was still on the floor. Before he could recover, Trixie stomped on his chest which flash-froze him on contact, finishing him off.
With those two out of the way, Trixie looked over at the console that unlocks the doors to both the cubicles and the top floor and rooftop of the building, which will give her a way up. She activated the console to unlock the doors, and looked above, seeing an armored elite Platinum soldier patrolling the chambers. Trixie reloaded her rifle, took aim and shot at the soldier. He got back up a second later, catching Trixie and running to the stairwell.
Darn, she thought. I meant to shoot him off of the platform so that his fall would finish the job for me. Oh well.
She entered the door to the stairwell, and a Striker was on the other end waiting for her. Trixie jumped back, wanting to take the fight to more open ground. She jumped over him and punched him in the back, hitting the floor. He flipped back on his feet and punched Trixie in the face. Unscathed, Trixie threw her own punch at his face…at the same time as the Striker, making them both bounce off of each other.
Trixie snickered at this, finding amusement in the altercation before ending the exchange with two sharp kicks to his gut. She ascended the stairs to the next floor, and upon looking to the right at the infamous Heracles supercomputer…Piper was not seated, hooked up to it like she was supposed to.
…Those motherfuckers… she thought with a deep scowl, her hands shaking as she ran into one of the cubicles, catching a scientist off guard.
“Where is she?” Trixie bluntly asked him.
“From what I saw, they're headed for the roof.”
Trixie wasted no further time with him, dashing off and looking above.
…Time to fight my way up to the roof, she thought.
Trixie grunted as she looked once more at the empty spot where Piper should have been sitting. The Heracles supercomputer was still there, but her doll friend was nowhere to be seen.
"Goddess damn it," Trixie mumbled under her breath. She knew that she had to act fast and get to the roof to save Piper, who was probably being held by the Platinum Army.
Trixie ran towards the stairs, determined to fight her way through the building and up to the roof.
Trixie ran up the stairs as the adrenaline pumped through her veins. She could hear the sounds of battle echoing through the corridors, but she was focused on one thing: getting to the roof.
She reached the door to the roof and burst through it, ready to face any Platinum Army soldiers that stood in her way. But what she saw on the roof was beyond what she had expected. A deadly gunfight between the Meteor Corp agents and the Platinum soldiers was in full swing, with neither side backing down. The Meteor agents dropped like flies seconds later, overwhelmed by the firepower of the Platinums, who now focused their attention on Trixie now that the agents have been taken care of.
With the door to the command chambers below locking behind her the moment she stepped out, she was surrounded by Platinum troops from all directions, all of them aiming their guns at her. Trixie stood her ground, her fists raised and a defiant look on her face.
"Bring it on," she snarled.
The first soldier fired a shot, but Trixie's reflexes were too fast. She dodged to the side and closed the distance between her and the soldier in an instant. She slammed a fist into the soldier's face, sending him flying back into the wall.
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More shots rang out, but Trixie weaved and ducked through them, moving with such speed and precision it was almost as if she could anticipate each bullet.
This is exactly what Sarolta trained me for, she thought.
She reached a wall of soldiers and charged through them like a bull. She knocked one down with a fist to the face and kicked another in the stomach, sending him to the ground. But soon she was overwhelmed by their sheer number.
The soldiers surrounded her, their guns pointed at her from all sides. Trixie was outnumbered, but she wouldn't give up so easily.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and formulate a plan. Just as they were about to open fire, she noticed a pipe on the ceiling above her. With a burst of strength, she jumped up and grabbed it, using it to swing herself onto the next level.
The soldiers looked up in surprise, but Trixie was already gone. She ran down the stairs and onto the next level, making her way up to the roof.
Finally, Trixie reached the roof. She pushed open the door and stepped out into the cold night air. She looked around, searching for any sign of Piper or the Platinum Army.
Then…there it was, the helicopter of the Platinums. Inside was Piper, who was being held by her shoulders by Geneva. Upon seeing Trixie, Geneva flipped her off with a smug grin before the doors closed.
“Piper, no!” Trixie called out, stamping her foot as she watched the Platinums take off with her closest friend.
Trixie then heard light footsteps from behind. When she turned around, she was met with the one and only…ahem—two and only—Fyodorova Twins. The twin sisters approached Trixie with menacingly slow steps and equally menacingly gazed as they stared down the Meteor agent before them.
“Hey sis,” Vladislava spoke up first. “This looks like the top Meteor agent that Kat warned us about.”
“Indeed so,” Yuroslava agreed. “And I think it's time we teach her a lesson.”
These two, Trixie thought. I heard many things about them, the biggest one being their impeccable teamwork during combat. They're absolute beasts in a fight when they're two against one, but maybe if I can incapacitate one of them and fight the other one on one, I may have a chance.
"I guess I was expecting a warmer welcome," Trixie quipped, her tone casual despite the gravity of the situation.
Vladislava chuckled, a smirk on her lips. "Oh, believe me, we're plenty warm."
She stepped closer, closing the distance between them. Yuroslava followed suit, her gaze cold and calculating. They circled around Trixie like predators toying with their prey.
Yuroslava thought: …Hm, she's a lightweight, a tall one at that. This will make it easier to juggle her in the air with our coordinated attacks. She will also be more susceptible to heavy blows due to her frame. We should make quick work of this one.
Yuroslava spoke up next, her voice calm and almost soothing, yet cold and detached all at once.
"We've been waiting for you, Trixie.”
"Been waiting for me, huh? Well, I hope the wait was worth it," Trixie retorted as she slowly turned in place, keeping her eyes fixed on the twins.
Vladislava laughed, her hands on her hips. "Oh, you have no idea."
Yuroslava added, her eyes narrowing. "We've been looking forward to taking you down.”
Trixie chuckled wryly. "Well, you'll have to forgive me for ruining your plans, but I don't go down that easy."
Vladislava laughed again. "We'll see about that."
The twins looked at each other briefly, a silent communication passing between them. Then, in a flash of movement, they launched themselves at Trixie from both sides. They moved with a synchrony that seemed almost supernatural.
Trixie's eyes widened as she realized the extent of their teamwork. They weren't attacking her independently; they were attacking like a single unit. When Yuroslava threw a punch, Vladislava would follow up instantly with a kick, and vice versa, one after the other with no breaks in between.
Trixie tried to dodge their blows as much as she could, only to bear fruitless results; their coordination was simply too seamless. They anticipated her every move, their attacks complimenting each other like the gears of a well-oiled machine.
Ugh, these bitches can kick ASS! Trixie thought with a grunt.
Trixie had to use all of her skills to keep up. Her arms ached as she blocked their punches and kicks. The twins worked in perfect harmony, each attack flowing gracefully into the next one, leaving Trixie in a vicious combo that doesn't seem to have an end.
Even blocking was futile more often than not; Yuroslava, using feints and fake-outs, made openings for Vladislava to land a critical hit. Tricking Trixie into blocking just to strike her in another vulnerable area wore Trixie down quickly.
Yuroslava swept her leg at Trixie's feet, making the latter jump up, giving Vladislava the opportunity to slam into the unsuspecting Trixie's stomach with a dropkick. From behind, Yuroslava kicked Trixie in the back, sending her back to her sister, who kicked Trixie up. Yuroslava kicked the airborne Trixie back down with a heavy stomp, and, keeping up with the momentum, Vladislava kicked her into a stone wall.
Trixie groaned raggedly, feeling like she stepped inside of a pinball machine from hell with how much she was being knocked around.
Vladislava looked at the downed Trixie, who coughed up a tad bit of blood as she got back up on her feet.
“You're not looking too hot are you now, Agent? Not to hurt your little ego further, but get this: you were on the defensive this entire time!”
Ugh, Trixie mentally complained. She's right - never have I been in a fight where I was in a position where I had to block the entire time without getting a single punch in. These two are messing with my head.
Trixie gritted her teeth. She refused to give up that easily. She pushed on, undergoing her ice armor transformation and throwing herself back into the fight with newfound determination.
Ugh…two can play the feint game, Trixie thought.
She tried a feint to the left, intending to lure in Vladislava, but Yuroslava was one step ahead. With a quick maneuver, Yuroslava intercepted her, delivering a sharp jab to Trixie's midsection. "Nice try," she said coolly.
Trixie grunted in pain as the blow connected, her breath momentarily knocked out of her. Vladislava took the opportunity to follow up on her sister's attack, delivering a swift kick to Trixie's side, right in the ribs.
The force of the blow threw Trixie off balance, and she stumbled backwards. The twins quickly pressed the advantage, closing in on her again.
Trixie's mind brainstormed solutions like a computer crunching numbers, her eyes focused on Yuroslava.
I think she's more sharp-minded than the other one, Trixie pondered, her eyes darting over to Vladislava. I need to try and subdue that one, then I'll have a better shot at this.
Again, the twins were relentless, their attacks coming faster and more precise than before. Trixie found herself on the defensive yet again, struggling to stay on her feet. The twins weren't just attacking to win; they were enjoying it, enjoying the cooperative combat style they've been honing for years, relishing the power they held over the prized possession of Meteor Corp.
Vladislava boasted in a haughty voice, "Had enough yet?"
"You can't keep this up forever," the twins mocked her in unison.
Ashamed to admit it aloud, Trixie knew they were right. Her body was aching from their relentless barrage.
I have to find a way to break their rhythm, to exploit their confidence…she thought.
She took a deep breath, trying to gather herself. Just as the twins were about to launch themselves at her again, Trixie spoke up.
"You two sure do love working together, don't you," she said, her tone a mix of fatigue and annoyance.
“Shut it,” Yuroslava spat. “We are here to take you down, not to talk.”
Trixie's body tensed, unprepared to be the twins' personal pinball again. The two sisters then stopped in their tracks, looking past Trixie with piercing gazes.
Thinking this was an attempt to fool her into taking her eyes off of them and letting her guard down, Trixie kept her eyes right on them. That was, until she felt a hand on her shoulder, gripping it with a firm yet supportive hold, gasping as she looked up at the hand's owner…