We Meet Again, Bastard

Kadyn eyed at the opposite end of the street and saw the silhouette of her enemy; An almost identical copy of herself but with a different facial expression. As KD-554 marched toward Kadyn with a smile which exposed her razor-sharp teeth, McCree and Senju arrived behind a bunch of debris and peeked over the trash at their target. 

[McCree] - "Get ready to use your ability. On my mark, you will dice her into pieces. "

[Senju] - "Alright, I'm ready! "

Said Senju as he drew his sword. 

KD-554 came face-to-face with Kadyn before eying her with a delighted look. 

[KD-554] - "You can't escape what awaits you, KD-555. By the end of the day, I'm in control and not you. You led your miserable existence within the imperial order until you ended up here, without a purpose and lost like a stray bitch. At least, under my control, your body will learn the true meaning of pleasure and purpose. "

Said KD-554 in a mocking tone. 

In response, Kadyn stared back at her with eyes full of determination. 

[Kadyn] - "You are wrong. "

This response shook KD-554 as she expected Kadyn to be defeated and lost. 

[Kadyn] - "I had a life I enjoyed! I experienced more love and purpose than what you would ever get in your lifetime. Unlike you, a bloody murderer and crime lord, I had someone who truly loved me in return. "

The smile on KD-554's face started to disappear but she wasn't about to go down without a fight. 

[KD-554] - "Heh, do you expect me to be jealous over some lowly nobody? I seduced the secretary of the imperial weapon ministry and his help allowed me to rise up to the status I currently held in the underworld. What do you have to show? "

[Kadyn] - "And my soulmate is Mike. Even if you stole my body, you will never be able to love anyone while we loved each other equally. They say machines aren't alive but even in a body of flesh, you will still be more dead than a machine. "

Kadyn's comment greatly angered KD-554 who immediately drew her wrist blades. 

[KD-554] - "Who the fuck even is Mike? There are a million Mikes in this world, so what difference would it make if you loved a nobody? "

Kadyn also drew both of her wrist blades.

[Kadyn] - "An individual is not determined by the interest it holds but by the value of its heart and soul. As for you, you are in the negatives when it comes to value. "

[McCree] - "Now, Senju! "

Senju immediately activated his ability but as soon as he sliced forward, a few sparks appeared before him. When the smoke cleared, he realized that KD-554 was unharmed. 

[Senju] - "What the hell is going on? It... it didn't reach her! "

Said Senju in a surprised voice.

[Dan] - "Do not interfere with her fight, you dirty Allied agents. "

Said Dan as he appeared some distance behind McCree and Senju. 

With a swing of his fingers, an invisible block of solid mass smashed into Senju's head and caused sparks of electricity to fly out of the cracks. McCree immediately drew his pistol and fired multiple shots in Dan's direction but as soon as the bullets approached Dan, they were stopped dead in their track by an invisible barrier. 

[McCree] - "Senju, wake the fuck up samurai, we got a buster to slay. "

Said McCree as he shook Senju with his free hand. 

[Senju] - "I'm fine, stop shaking me! "

Said Senju while slightly dizzy. 

[McCree] - "I reckon that's the fucker who's keeping the shield up. His ability seems to act the same way as the darn shield that surrounds the city. "

[Senju] - "Ah, fuck, I'm going to cut his head off for that shit he threw at me! "

Meanwhile, on the other side of the barrier, KD-554 charged at Kadyn and exchanged a few blows against her before backing away. Both of the sister's glowing red eyes stared intensely at each other in the darkness of the night. All of a sudden, time slowed around them as they both activated their respective accelerator. 

This time, after calculating a proper attack pattern, KD-554 charged once more at Kadyn. Just as she extended her blade to stab Kadyn's chest, KD-554 executed a faint and rotated around to land her blade on Kadyn's side. Luckily for Kadyn, the edge of the knife was blocked by her ribcage which bought her enough time to kick her opponent's arm off its attack course before counterattacking with a strike which sliced KD-554's abdomen open. 

In a fury, KD-554 also tried to disembowel Kadyn with another strike but instead received a kick to the face from her opponent. After a series of acrobatics, Kadyn came out of the fight with minimum injuries on her side while KD-554 was left with an open abdomen which leaked lubricants and sparks of electricity. KD-554 stared at Kadyn with an expression of pure hatred while Kadyn returned the stare with an expression of unshakable determination. 

"How... how did I miss that strike... I'm going to get you, I'm going to flay you alive! "

Thought KD-554 in a storm of rage. 

As KD-554 calculated another attack pattern, she suddenly noticed the bulge in Kadyn's abdomen. Curious, she activated the infrared setting in her eyes and saw the fetuses inside Kadyn's belly. Just as Kadyn went in for a strike, KD-554 immediately rolled away before putting some distance between her and her enemy. 

[KD-554] - "Heh... hahaha! You are pregnant, sis? By who? That precious Mike of yours? "

Said KD-554 in a mocking tone. 

A sudden feeling of fear pulled at Kadyn's composure. Meanwhile, upon seeing the slight change in Kadyn's expression, KD-554 immediately realized that it was Kadyn's weakness. 

[KD-554] - "I didn't know you were this romantic with that man. Did he leave you after he knocked you up? Is that why you are roaming these streets alone? "

Said KD-554 as she regained her initial smile. 

These words, in return, greatly angered Kadyn as they pulled apart a wound she so desperately tried to heal. 

[Kadyn] - "Take that back! He didn't run away! "

[KD-554] - "Then where is he? Oh, maybe he is dead. Oh, such a poor girl, I didn't know such tragedy befell you. How sad, how pitiful, actually. "

Said KD-554 with smirks of amusement. 

In a blind fit of rage, Kadyn charged at KD-554 but in her clouded judgement, she didn't activate her Conagher system which allowed KD-554 to get the jump on her. In a split second, Kadyn received multiple cuts all around her limbs which instantly put her out of combat as some of her major muscles were slashed apart. 

[KD-554] - "You and I are the same, KD-555. We are both very emotional and easy to anger, let's say. Of course, I didn't mean to say all the hurtful things I said. "

KD-554 moved in front of Kadyn and pressed the bottom of her boot against Kadyn's face. 

[KD-554] - "I meant to say: How lowly of you to carry a bastard's child, dear sister. That Mike of yours is probably a homeless man who happened to rape you in an alleyway. Am I right? "

After calming down, Kadyn quickly realized what kind of foolish action she had just committed. She basically threw away the lives of her children and all of Mike's legacy in a matter of a few seconds. In this incapacitated state, she knew she had no chance to win. Instead of defiance, this realization broke Kadyn's psyche and caused her to start crying.

[KD-554] - "Oh, no, are you crying? "

With surgical precision, KD-554 sliced off Kadyn's tear ducts before licking the blood off her blade with great pleasure. 

[KD-554] - "I know I won't be crying once I'm in control. Anyway, let's get you ready for the transfer. I can't wait any longer! "

KD-554 snapped her finger before two soldiers ran out of their cover and grabbed Kadyn by the legs. Slowly, they began to drag Kadyn behind KD-554. 

Earlier, while Kadyn fought KD-554, McCree and Senju separated to encircle Dan on both sides. On the ground in front of Dan, McCree's bullets were still spinning. 

[McCree] - "Say partner, do you see how shiny his crystals are? "

[Senju] - "Yeah, what about it? "

Said Senju as both he and McCree started to carefully approach Dan on both sides. 

[McCree] - "That means he has used up most of his power on keeping that city shield up. "

[Senju] - "Ah, sounds like good news to me. "

Dan tried to keep his composed while he stealthily moved his fingers behind his back.

[Senju] - "Dodge down, McCree! "

Although McCree could barely see it, he quickly noticed an irregularity in his vision while looking straight. He quickly jumped to the ground before the street lamp behind him was broken in two. 

[Senju] - "Follow my lead, I can see his attacks with thermal vision. "

*Despite Dan's attack being invisible, the friction created by his cubes with the atmosphere is still heat visible through thermal vision. 

[McCree] - "Alright, my life is in your hands. "

Just as the bullets on the ground stopped spinning, McCree and Senju both simultaneously launched their attacks. Senju's slice caused immediate damage to Dan's crystals while the few shots fired by McCree also put a few dents on Dan's barrier. But, the attack also allowed Dan to launch his own counterattack. 

While Senju is focused on cutting the barrier, Dan spawned a cube atop Senju's head which knocked him to the ground with a loud thud. On the other side, McCree was quick to react when he felt a gush of air approaching him but he was one step late as the cube still managed to smash his right arm to pieces. Alongside his arm, his pistol was also blown away. 

[McCree] - "God damn it, Senju! This isn't the right time for a nap! "

Screamed McCree before he rolled aside to dodge another attack. 

As McCree desperately tried to find cover, Senju finally woke up from his slumber. As Dan focused on hitting McCree, Senju approached him from behind and struck him hard on the back with his sword. This time, the strike hit Dan in a spot where he focused less of his energy on defending. In an instant, a massive bloody cut appeared on Dan's back which forced him to the ground. 

[McCree] - "Now, Senju! Let's give him hell! "

Screamed McCree as he picked up his pistol and began to run toward Dan. 

Before Dan could react, time slowed down for McCree and Senju as they both entered acceleration. While McCree let out a fury of gunfire on Dan, Senju used his thousand-cut technic. In a single second for Dan, he received enough firepower for both of his crystals to fall into a thousand pieces on the ground. 

When Dan finally realized what was happening, he was met with a blade and a gun to his face. Dan looked up and saw that Astroboy was watching him from the city wall afar but instead of helping Dan, he simply walked away. Dan finally let out a sigh of fatigue before raising his hands in the air. 

[Dan] - "Just let me go, I don't want to serve that bitch anyway. They straight-up abandoned me here. I'm done! "

[Senju] - "Oh yeah? How do we know you are done? "

Said Senju as he raised Dan's head by placing his blade under his chin. 

[Dan] - "Look, this just ain't worth it for me. She's a psycho while her right-hand man is a fucking prick. Look, I'm still young and I have reevaluated my life. This is ain't worth it. "

Said Dan in a sincere tone.

[Senju] - "Should we trust him? "

[McCree] - "He won't be posing a treat either since his crystals are gone, so let's just give this buster a chance. "

Said McCree as he gently pushed Senju's sword away from Dan's throat. 

[McCree] - "Don't make us regret our decision. "

Just as Senju and McCree began to walk, they suddenly bumped into another invisible wall. 

[McCree] - "What in tarnation! You fucking little prick! "

Screamed McCree as he angrily banged on the barrier. 

[Beth] - "Dan, are you alright? "

Yelled Beth as she ran up to Dan. 

After pulling her brother off the ground, Dan immediately asked her to release McCree and Senju. 

[Beth] - "Why? They are the enemies! "

[Dan] - "We are not working for KD-554 anymore! We don't have a future working under her. It's better to do something else instead. Besides, they spared me earlier, so it's only fair we do the same. "

Without hesitation, Beth disengaged her ability before helping her brother to his feet. 

[Beth] - "Thank you for sparing him but I suggest you two should run away as fast as possible. You don't want to face off against Astroboy. "

[Senju] - "Seriously, how strong is that Astroboy really? "

[Dan] - "You don't want to find out. He can defeat me with a single finger while I'm at full power. You two can't even damage my barrier around the city, so don't even dream of standing up against him. "

[Beth] - "Do whatever you want though, we aren't staying to find out. "

Said Beth before she and her brother slowly walked through the streets. 

[McCree] - "Darn it, we forgot about Kadyn! "

Yelled McCree in sudden realization. 

The two of them quickly ran in the opposite direction and found no one past the pile of debris. Upon seeing the blood trail, they quickly went after it. 

[KD-554] - "This stupid fucking idiot Dan! How dare he ignore my call! "

Said KD-554 as she walked. 

[KD-554] - "Keep up, you idiots! I had a shitty enough day already! "

Just as KD-554 turned around, both of her arms were immediately sliced off by Senju's ability. Acting fast, KD-554 popped a smoke grenade before running away but McCree was prepared this time. 

[McCree] - "Oh no, you don't! "

He quickly fired a shot which blew one of KD-554's legs off. As McCree and Senju charged into the smoke to capture KD-554, they were unable to find her body. After a frantic search with no result, they gave up and went back to Kadyn. 

[McCree] - "Hey, missy, are ye alright? "

[Kadyn] - "Sigh... I'm sorry. "

[Senju] - "It's not your fault. Let's get you out of here. "

Senju quickly helped Kadyn onto his back and ran into cover followed by McCree who took one last look at the dissipating smoke screen before moving. After a while, KD-554 pushed the manhole lid off using her head. She yelled with anger as she pushed herself out of the sewers. 

[Astroboy] - "Well, this is quite unfortunate. "

Said Astroboy as he arrived on the scene. 

A few soldiers quickly helped KD-554 onto a stretcher.

[KD-554] - "Astroboy! Come here! "

[Astroboy] - "I suppose she got you good. "

[KD-554] - "No! I want Dan executed if he was alive! And if he's dead, I want you to throw his corpse in the city centre and order all the soldiers to piss on it! "

Screamed KD-554 in a fit of blind rage. 

[Astroboy] - "Of course, boss. "

Astroboy walked away while KD-554 was carried into an armoured truck. After staring at one of the buildings, Astroboy advanced toward the entrance and stopped by the main gates.

[Astroboy] - "These last few days were made quite fun by you people. I look forward to seeing more entertainment from you but remember, next time may be your last. "

With these words, Astroboy flew away in a flash. 

Deep inside the ruined reception area, McCree and Senju breathed a sigh of relief as they lowered their weapon.

Although the number of enemies diminished, the danger became greater as Astroboy would soon have to be involved. For now, the city barrier is gone but with Astroboy and KD-554 still alive, their survival and escape are still not guaranteed. Will there be salvation? 

An officer ran through the massive Allied ship before arriving at the doors of Admiral 76. 

[Admiral] - "You may speak now, Commander Joseph. "

[Joseph] - "Sir, we have pinpointed the location of the deserters McCree and Senju. "

To be continued...