FIVE: PART 1

Location: City of Haven, Streets

Date: April 27th, 2037

Time: 22:10

He was still bleeding through his side, walking while doing the best he could to ignore the pain shooting through his body. He limped, slowly, his veins pulsing and throbbing as he kept his eyes ahead of him. Every step was closer, he would get there eventually, he just had to stay focused, keep walking, never stop no matter what. The street was surprisingly empty, not a single car or pedestrian came by. It was a side road just out of the entertainment district, the people and vehicles crossed further down at the end of the road like a moving wall.

Where he was, the light didn't reach, and there was nothing worth going to for anyone. It was at best a route to take to walk home from the evening, but it's dim lighting from only the streetlights that lined either side in intervals of fifty meters made it less than ideal for pedestrians. Even though there was nothing to fear in the area, dark avenues were a turn off to most, as if crime would operate so close to so many people. Police often roamed the areas, and everything was still too exposed. No, Karma had seen where the street crime people worried about was, and it was no where near there.

It had taken another ten minutes to find a bus stop, and another twenty for a bus to show up. He watched Serina board and leave before continuing the walk on his own, making sure no one shady looking got on behind her. He was expecting something, an attack, a tail, and hoped the attention would stay on him.

As he stopped by a streetlight and leaned on it for a minute to check his wound, his bloodied hand seeming to keep most of the blood at bay which he was mostly self circulating with his ability. He could do such things, and tried to stay concentrated on it to keep as much blood as he could inside his body. It mostly worked. He looked behind him briefly as a strange sense of unease filled his bones.

Whereas he had picked the street for its emptiness, the business lining each side all closed with their lights shut off in a dimly lit, monochrome image, he too felt a strangeness that came with the almost uncanny sense of the lack of activity. The hair on his neck stood, a strange chill swam by him, he was alone, truly so, the nearest activity hundreds of meters away from him in the mind altered, tranced crowd of night lifers.

As a precaution, he put up all defenses, activating his ability as best he could. Some things were easier than others. Flying was too difficult and dangerous in his state, but reflections, that he had known all too easy. It was second nature to him; he didn't even have to think about it. His timing was perfect as he was hit, the force of the impact from the high calibre bullet making him stumble back as the round bounced off his chest and slid across the road with a rapid metallic pinging and rolling.

It had come from a building, but he wasn't sure which. It was too dark to see, there was no flash, no vapour trail, just a shot, it wasn't too loud either, and as Karma ducked behind cover in an alley way, he noticed the crowd at the end of the road not disturbed in the slightest. The shot was loud, but not loud enough. He figured the shooter must've had a damned good suppressor on it.

Riley stood at a second-floor window of one of the many buildings, waiting for him to stop to line up the perfect shot. They had tracked the two of them out of the club, not as if the trail of blood they left in their wake made it any difficult. They saw the smaller girl leave, and suck to their orders to keep on the albino, not worrying about the girl if she wasn't a threat. Things had worked out well, especially when he turned into a dark alley, and they could make to the shadows and tail him closer.

The buildings provided a much-appreciated vantage, and she always found it ridiculous how many business owners only locked their front doors, and none of the service doors in the alley rafters' multiple floors up. Though the ladders were not available for climbing, she had no issue finding other means to get up. Living as she did, there was almost a whole new world on rooftops and alleys, service scaffolding and rafters, all the parts of buildings that, even though are made for human use, are not used by people unless required. Maintenance, emergency exits, and mercenaries.

Karma peeked around the corner but ducked as a shot landed against the edge of the brick just above his head. He took a deep breath. The attack was hindering his progress. Although he had expected it, it was no less annoying.

He heard footsteps, fast, approaching, from his rear. He felt their vibrations in the ground and turned just in time to see the face of a red-haired girl approaching at a hellish speed. He was ready to block the punch that came his way, but it was a faint, she dropped, put her shoulder into his mid section and wrapped her arms around his waste, hefting him up and carrying his lightweight body with her effortlessly into the street.

He raised his fist to slam down onto her but was thrown forward before he could. He flew several meters and landed on his back, rolling over to his feet and standing quickly, catching his balance. He eyed her down, switched feet, and prepared for a fight. He was hit in the left side of the head with another shot, which made him flitch and stumble to the side. He looked over to his left to see if he could find the shooter, but once again came with nothing. If the shooter was worth their metal, they would have relocated after the first.

"Ow." He let out in a slow, annoyed tone.

The girl came back at him, quickly, throwing a punch again, but this time intending to land it. His arms shot up and his fist caught hers, he wasn't expecting the force behind it, and his arm shook with a vibration that spread through his torso. He hadn't got a good look at her before, and holding her fist in his hand, he got a good look at the cybernetic arm she brandished, and an identical one attached to her other shoulder.

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"Hmmm. That's interesting." Is all he said, before turning and throwing her over his shoulder by just her arm. She came up off her feet and right over him as he slapped her into the ground and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying a foot off the ground for a couple dozen meters, which she landed with many roll before finally stopping, letting out grunts of pain.

Two more shots, both hitting him directly in the chest, making him stumble ever so slightly, his defenses now raised after the first two shots as he was slowly figuring out how strong the impacts were. These were stronger, which meant the shooter was closer. Whereas a third shot could have come, it didn't., and Karma noticed the red head getting up.

She flexed out her arms, and parts inside of them began moving. The rapid sounds of complex metalwork emitted from her, and two objects appeared in the palms of her hands, dispenser from her rather large forearms. She threw them in his direction. Karma knew an improvised explosive when he saw one, and as the landed, he stomped the ground hard, shattering the pavement, and pushing away the balls of fire and the shockwaves that came from the devices, sending out a shockwave of his own that shattered the windows of nearby buildings. He felt the heat from the explosions and turned his face away in discomfort. It burned, but it did not burn him. It was as if he stuck his arms a little too close to a bon fire, to where the heat hurt.

Karma watched as the red hear just stood there before him, where another joined her after many long seconds. It was a much taller woman, one which towered over Karma. She appeared from the gloom of the dark street and stepped up beside the red head, a large sniper rifle in her hand. It didn't appear to be of any standard military model that he recognized, though it was likely a personal weapon, highly customized to fit her own specifications and requirements.

"So what, Bones had to tie loose ends?" He asked them. The two just traded quick looks before the taller one spoke.

"One loose end." She said.

"You two look familiar. Have I insulted you before?" Karma asked in his usual, unimpressed tone.

"We were beside you at the bar, you dumbass!" The redhead shot.

Karma just shrugged. "The dumb one speaks?" He taunted, which only made her fume at the ears. He thought for a second. "Don't remember." He said, which only added to her anger.

The red head let out an angered scream as she lunged forward, the taller woman reached her arm out but missed her companion and called out to her as she charged. "Hatsu, wait!" She called. It was too late. Hatsu was already committed, bombs in her hands and headed Karma's way, who was only waiting to receive her. She leaped high into the air, hurling multiple explosives down at him, to which he shot himself to the side to dodge the incoming death, and sprang across the street.

She landed in a cloud of smoke and soot, throwing more at him as she did, and came running out, pushing the smoke away in her wake. Karma dodged more, but she had thrown more sporadically, and he could do nothing to fully get away from the last one, the explosion of which catching him and throwing him back, the fire searing against his clothes and on his skin, giving him light burns on his arms and chest.

"So not bullets, but bombs! Good!" Hatsu called out, readying two more. The bombs kept appearing, she seemed to have an endless supply as that mechanical noise kept emitting from her.

He was hurting as he lied on the ground, temperature was the one thing he could not deflect. He had no time to wallow in pain as the cyborg was heading toward him again from across the road.

Karma was at the point where he had enough and kicked the ground at his feet as he stood, creating a detonation which hurled a cloud of dust and asphalt debris at the incoming Hatsu. She put her arms up to protect her face and stopped as she was showered with scorching chunks of road and pet out a pained cry as it took her. It tore up her clothes, revealing her cybernetic legs as well, which were more than strong enough to keep her standing through the hailstorm or pain that would normally knock over and disorient any normal person.

By the time she recovered, Karma was standing before her, and this time it was his turn to throw a punch of his own. She put her arms up to block in a boxer's stance, and Karma's fist connected with her cybernetic forearms. They snapped, bits of metal debris shattered and flew in all directions. Hatsu was knocked off her feet and onto her face as her forearms snapped inward at the middle, her fists bending down unnaturally and hitting her in the face with enough force to hurt, being propelled by Karma's powerful attack.

She rolled away, stopped on her back, and looked up at her broken arms which were now hanging by thin bits of metal sheets barely holding together.

"Well that was lame." Karma let out, slowly walking toward Hatsu's prone figure.

Hatsu was hyperventilating as she stared at her arms. Her breath became shaky as she saw them bent in ways they were not supposed to be, their supports shattered, and shells split all save for one side. Her eyes watered, her breath caught, she was slowly processing what she was seeing before her. Her arms, her life, it had shattered. She hadn't even noticed at first that they had broke. She had no feeling in her limbs, and she was still recovering from the hit. That she had finally seen the broken parts exposed, all of the frayed wires and bent metal shards, her mind started spiraling. All fo the intricate inner workings of her limbs which she had build herself over the years were destroyed in an instant.

"My arms...MY ARMS! WHAT DID YOU DO!" She shouted in instant panic.

The fight was almost effortless on his part. His would-be killers had brought conventional weaponry, which would never have worked on him. He noticed Riley run up and get in between her partner and Karma, this time pointing a large, silver magnum revolver at him. "You bastard." She said.

Karma just rolled his eyes. "You attacked me and lost. You're really going to pretend like I wronged you?"

"Just die!" She shouted, before squeezing the trigger. Five shots came out in quick succession. She was highly dexterous with her weapon, working the hammer with one hand as the high calibre rounds spat out. They however, all bounced off his body, being sent in different directions while he calmed stood there rolling his eyes. The last one grazed her outer leg. It made her jolt, and wince from pain, but she held her ground rather than collapsing as blood ran down her leg. "What the fuck?" She said, the hit she had taken in the leg being the only thing that stopped her from firing a sixth.

"One bullet left. Think very carefully how you want to use it. I trust you have enough pattern recognition to know it won't work."

"What kind of fucked up freak of nature are-"

"One you can't beat. Now, if it's all the same to you, I got shit to do, so fuck off and don't try it again." He said, grasping his side as he noticed it was heavily bleeding again.

Hatsu's panic was growing, and Karma did his best to tune out the weeping and screams that came from her and stay focused on Riley.

"Next one won't graze your leg." Karma warned her. "Let's not make a habit of meeting, yeah? Normally, when people try shit with me, I don't let them live long. You two however, well I feel bad for you. I feel like killing you would only be doing you a favour. Run along and tell Bones he'll have to do a lot harder if he wants me dead."

Despite his taunting, Karma needed to do something about the wound in his side. He didn't have the luxury of waiting around, nor did he want to spend the effort of killing them. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't go back to his headquarters, he would pass out long before then. There was only one place to go, and having someone tailing him wasn't an option.