“Yeah, all of that, too,” I laughed. “I’m sure that will help against these two assholes. Whenever we find them, anyway.”
“I am eager to test myself against them,” the android replied. “I believe I can be just as quick in a fight as you are, perhaps even quicker, and my strength should be impressive against our targets.”
“Oh, I have no doubt,” I said. “But how about we just focus on finding them first?”
“We will find them,” Aileen replied. “I am analyzing their pattern of movement even now, so my algorithm should be able to predict their next location shortly.”
“Perfect,” I said. “Just tell me where to turn.”
I continued driving straight until the setting sun started to get in my eyes. Since I didn’t have anywhere in particular that I was headed, I took the next right, but before I could go much farther, Aileen tapped her finger on the dashboard.
“Take the second left,” the android said. “Based on my calculations, our targets should be in a small side alley less than five minutes from here.”
“That’s specific,” I said. “How do you know?”
“I now have enough data to guess their precise location,” Aileen said.
“They like to cause destruction to a whole row of storefronts at a time, and
if there are any people inside, then they kill or injure as many as they can before the cops show up.”
“And if there aren’t any people inside?” I asked.
“Then they move on to another area until they find another row of stores with people inside,” the beautiful android said.
“Okay,” I said. “Then tell me the name of the street that I’m headed to.”
“It should be off of Jenkins but before you reach Locust,” Aileen said. “I do not believe this alley has a name, but our targets will likely use it to access another row of storefronts on the next street over.”
“Whatever you say, Aileen,” I replied and then took another turn. “I just want to get there so we can finally put these assholes down. You know, kill them.”
“I am aware what the phrase ‘put down’ means,” Aileen said.
“Of course, you are,” I muttered. “Sue me for trying to be helpful.”
By the time I reached the alley off of Jenkins, a report on the police scanner had confirmed what Aileen’s algorithm already told us. Hyena and Mira had been spotted coming out of the side alley, and they had just broken into one of the storefronts on the next street over.
I turned the armored car down the alley and stepped on the gas.
As soon as we flew out the other side of the alley, I spotted the silver-haired supervillain Mira just up ahead. I aimed the car directly at her, made sure that all the civilians were out of the way, and then pressed the accelerator all the way to the floor.
I should have sent Mira flying, or at least crushed her under the wheels, but instead, the armored car just ran right through the silver-haired figure like she was made of nothing more than thin air. The moment the hood of the car hit her, she evaporated.
Immediately, I glanced in my side mirrors to see what had happened, but the supervillain had completely vanished.
“Fucking holograms,” I muttered. “Aileen, can you do anything to track where they actually are?”
“They cannot be further than a hundred yards away,” the android replied, “but I think we may have better luck on foot. It will be easier to sense them and pivot in time to respond.”
“Then let’s take the fight to them,” I said and then started to slow the car down. “On three… two…”
“Now,” Aileen said, and then the moment the armored car rolled to a halt, the android flung open the door and jumped out.
I followed just a second behind her, but as soon as the car door slammed shut, I heard laughter on every side of me. It seemed to come from every alley, from the glass of every broken storefront, and somehow, it even sounded like it came from underneath the armored car itself.
I dropped to my knees and checked under the car, even though I knew it was crazy to think that a supervillain had magically appeared underneath the car that I had only just rolled to a stop. There was nothing between the underside of the car and the pavement, of course, but the laughter just continued to bounce off of every available surface on the street, and the longer it lasted, the more it sounded… unhinged.
“Shit,” I said with a glance at Aileen. “That laugh is almost enough to make you think that we didn’t kill Mayhem after all.”
“But we did kill him,” the android responded. “There is a death certificate and a coroner’s report to prove it. Would you like me to pull up either of those for you to view?”
“No,” I said as I rolled my eyes. “I was just saying that the laughter is creepy like Mayhem’s was. I know we killed him.”
“Then why--” Aileen started.
“Eh, don’t worry about it,” I said as I glanced up and down the street for any other sign of the two supervillains.
“It is likely to be the laughter of Hyena,” the beautiful blonde android said. “His laughter, like the laughter of the animal he is named after, is said to intimidate his enemies, and we also know that he projects his voice to confuse them regarding his actual location.”
“Yeah, I could have guessed that,” I said, “because I can’t for the life of me figure out where the laughter is coming from right now.”
“Perhaps we should split up,” Aileen suggested. “I could go east, and you could head west down the street, and we can give a shout if we find them?”
“I can’t think of a better plan,” I replied. “Do you think they’ll stick around long enough for us to fight them?”
“There are only three broken storefronts,” Aileen said as she brushed her dark blonde hair out of her face in a strangely human gesture. “They never leave a street until they have wrecked at least half a dozen places, and they are very much creatures of habit.”
“Then tell me if you need me,” I said, “and I’ll--”
But I didn’t get to finish my sentence. Instead, I felt someone hurtle into me from the side, and even as they slammed me into a brick wall, I flung my elbow up into the bastard’s nose before I even got a good look at him.
As soon as I felt my attacker’s blood drip down my elbow, I twisted away from the wall, dropped into a better fight stance, and slammed my fist into the asshole’s stomach this time. When he staggered backward, I had just enough time to get a quick glance at him, and then he darted away so fast that I didn’t even see which direction he had headed.
This motherfucker was fast.
I recognized Hyena’s face from the files that we had stolen from the Shadow Knight’s computer. He was a wiry bastard, and that was probably part of what made him so fast, along with his skin-tight suit that likely made him more aerodynamic. Other than his hair-raising laughter, his face was the only thing that really resembled his namesake, from the short, upturned nose to the pointed teeth that he had filed down until they looked like they belonged to a wild animal.
“He took the alley that we came from,” Aileen said. “Shall I follow?”
“No, I’ve got him,” I growled. “I want you to stay alert for Mira.
You’re the only one who will be able to tell which versions of her are holograms and which one is real.”
I sprinted down the street to follow Hyena, but I had only gone half a dozen yards when I saw the first hologram. The second that a silver-haired woman appeared right in front of me, I recognized her as Mira.
She raised a gun toward me with a smug little grin on her face, so I dove to the right, but as soon as I rolled back to my feet, the image of Mira had disappeared, only to reappear right at the entrance to the alley where I was headed.
“A little help, Aileen!” I called out.
The beautiful android appeared at my side just two seconds later, and I had to remind myself to stay focused and not be distracted by how insane the robot’s reflexes were.
Aileen sprinted like a goddamn Olympian, and I knew that she was only just getting started.
“It is a hologram,” the android confirmed but drew her gun from its holster, anyway. “You can run right through her and continue your chase of Hyena.”
“Then good luck,” I said and then dashed forward again.
Even though I trusted Aileen to tell the difference between the real and fake Mira, I still braced myself as I sprinted at the image of the supervillain right in front of me. I half-expected the gun in her hands to fire and rip a hole straight through my throat, but sure enough, when I ran through her, I felt… nothing.
It didn’t even feel like I had run through mist or fog, and instead, it just felt like a whole lot of empty air. I glanced over my shoulder and saw
that the hologram had just started to flicker, but as I watched it, it disappeared completely.
A second later, I heard gunshots from the street behind me, but I didn’t even have time to check on Aileen because just then, I sensed Hyena in the alley with me. I felt him move toward me at an incredible speed, but he clearly didn’t understand that fast reflexes were one of my powers.
I dropped into a low squat just before his fist crashed into my jaw, and I kicked my leg out to catch him in the shin. I heard a curse at the same time that I felt a slight crunch underneath my boot, but then Hyena disappeared before I could get a second hit in.
As his laughter sounded all around me, I checked in with Aileen over the comms.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“I landed a bullet in her shoulder,” the android replied. “It was an excellent shot.”
“Is she dead?” I demanded.
“No, she was able to disappear again,” Aileen said, “but there is a trail of blood now, so I will find her. Do you need assistance with Hyena?”
“No, I’ll get him,” I said, just as I spotted a flash of movement halfway up the fire escape across from me.
I bounded across the alley and jumped up to grab the rails of the second-story landing. Immediately, I pulled myself up onto the fire escape itself, glanced up to see another flash of movement from the top of the fire escape, and then began to sprint up the stairs toward the roof.
I wasn’t sure if Hyena had a plan for the roof or not, but I was perfectly happy to let him continue right up to the top. There would be less surfaces up there for him to bounce his voice off of, so theoretically, it should be easier for me to track him down. Besides, I didn’t imagine that there were that many surfaces for him to hide behind on top of a roof.
Apparently, I was wrong.
As soon as I stepped off of the fire escape and onto the roof, I realized that this might have been a mistake. I had let him lead me right up here, and I probably should have known better. Of course, this asshole would play dirty, but still, I would find a way to turn it to my advantage.
After all, that was what Miles would do.
All around me was one of those rare rooftop gardens that didn’t happen very often in any city, let alone Grayville, but even though I was surprised that of all the places in the city, a rooftop garden was here in this neighborhood, I didn’t focus on my surprise or on the beauty of the place for long.
I was much more interested in all the hiding spots that it offered for Hyena. There were hedge statues all along one edge of the roof, there were several fountains scattered all throughout the plant, and there was row after row of shrubs and flowers that all looked like perfect places for a supervillain to hide.
“Aw, come on,” I called as I slowly began to advance forward, “don’t be shy! Don’t you want to come out and play your little game?”
Shrill laughter echoed all around me, but I caught a glimpse of movement in the middle of the hedge statues on my left. I dashed forward instead of straight toward the movement, and then at the very last second, I spun in a little semi-circle and sprinted toward the hedge statues.
I aimed my body at the statue a dozen feet in front of the place where I had seen movement, and sure enough, I rammed my body into Hyena’s solid form before he could move. The force of my body slammed him to the ground, but he instantly twisted his neck to the side and sank his pointed teeth into the flesh just below my gauntlet.
“Fuck!” I shouted and yanked my hand back.
Hyena wiggled out from underneath me and disappeared toward a row of pink-flowering shrubs on the other side of the garden. I should have guessed that the supervillain used his pointed teeth for more than just
intimidation, but I didn’t think I had ever actually been bit by an opponent before.
I shrugged. There was a first time for everything, and now I was better prepared for what he could throw against me. I sprang to my feet and ran back across the garden to follow him, and I noticed that his laughter was a little softer now, so I thought I might have knocked some of the air out of his lungs.
Two more gunshots suddenly rang out from the street below.
“I missed her, but she missed me, too,” Aileen said. “I am pursuing her down the alley now.”
“My alley?” I whispered. “See if you can drive her up to the roof, and then we can take them both on together.”
“Affirmative,” the android replied.
At the same time that I heard sounds of a scuffle from the alley below, I heard Hyena’s creepy laughter die down to a single spot behind a thick flowering bush. I didn’t even take the time to taunt him about how winded he must be, and instead, I just grabbed the stone cherub from the closest fountain and hurled it straight at the bush.
By the time it thudded against the ground, I had already reached the bush itself to see if I had landed a successful hit on Hyena, but the
supervillain was already gone. Still, there were a few pointed teeth on the ground in the middle of a small pool of blood, so I figured that I must have done some decent damage. Now, both Hyena and Mira were wounded, so it had to be only a matter of time before we found them and then put them down.
I didn’t see any signs of movement now, and I also didn’t hear any laughter from Hyena. He was either very wounded, or he was trying to play it smart and keep quiet. The bloody teeth at my feet didn’t seem to continue in any kind of trail, so he must have at least managed to hold the blood in his mouth, but that certainly didn’t help me track him down.
I glanced at the bite mark on my forearm, but thanks to my regenerative abilities, it had already started to scab over, so there would be no blood trail for Hyena or Mira to track me with. I was just about to check in with Aileen again to see about her progress with Mira, but then the air shimmered right in front of me.
The silver-haired supervillain materialized out of thin air, but I knew it had to just be a hologram. I could see that her shoulder was bleeding from Aileen’s gunshot, and as she raised her own gun toward me now, I wondered what it must be like to tell the difference between the real and the fake versions of Mira.
“Get down!” Aileen shouted from somewhere on the roof behind me.
I plunged to the ground in some rooftop version of a belly-flop, just as two gunshots fired from somewhere to my left. I rolled onto my back in time to see the hologram-Mira disappear, and then I saw what had to be the real version of her two dozen yards away.
Mira held the same gun that her hologram did, of course, but now, she had a deeply disappointed look on her face. She had used her hologram to trick me into thinking that I wasn’t in any danger, while she had secretly been aiming at me from somewhere else.
“Thanks,” I panted to Aileen. “Hyena’s missing some teeth, so you might be able to find his blood up here.”
I pushed myself up to my feet and started toward Mira, but Aileen was already there. The android sprinted across the distance between them as fast as I could have, and then she attacked like she had already plotted out her next five moves.
I knew that we were in the middle of a fight, but for just a second, I let myself watch the beautiful android in action.
Aileen seemed just
about as fast and strong as I was, but she didn’t fight like a human at all. Instead, she fought like… well, she fought like Aileen. Since she didn’t actually have human joints and muscles, she wasn’t limited by a normal range of motion, so as she started to fight Mira in hand-
to-hand combat, it looked like she just kept dislocating every joint to increase the force behind each blow or to throw the supervillain off guard.
“Use your gun!” I shouted as I wondered why the android had decided to holster it at her waist again.
“I will,” Aileen said calmly, “but I wanted to test my abilities first.”
“Then just make sure you keep Mira occupied,” I said, “because I still have to find Hyena.”
“Try the birdbath,” the android said as she easily blocked another blow from the supervillain. “Mira glanced in that direction a moment ago.”
I hoped that Hyena hadn’t heard the android’s warning, but I sent all my power into my legs anyway and then sprinted forward with so much speed that I damn near barreled right through the birdbath itself. Just before I reached it, Mira projected another image of herself in front of me, but I knew that just meant that I was close to finding her partner.
I charged through the hologram and found Hyena cowering in the shrubs behind the birdbath. I grabbed him by the collar of his skin-tight suit, jerked him into the air, and started to curve my other fist into a left-hook to try to knock out the rest of his teeth.
The bastard slammed his open palm into my throat with such force that I actually dropped him. Then I stumbled backward from the blow, but
he immediately followed it up with a side kick to the front of my neck. I coughed, jumped completely clear of him, and then looked up to see how he had managed to get in such a strong hit.
Only then did I realize that the wiry supervillain wasn’t wearing any shoes. Instead, his legs ended in huge hairy feet that looked like they could knock a man out if they caught him at the right angle.
At least he had only kicked me in the throat instead of the head. That bastard had jackrabbit feet, and I’d be damned if they didn’t fucking smell like it, too.
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