Chapter 17

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Chapter 17

"You are more than just a tool for Vought to use… you know that right?"

Noir paused his playing of Beethoven's Für Elise and turned to look at John, tilting his head questioning.

The piano keys went silent, and the room descended into a quiet stillness.

John sighed, a myriad of emotions played in his eyes as he leaned back against the old wooden chair, the creaks of the wood echoing in the silence.

"You are more than your abilities and more than just being Vought's silent killer. You're someone with thoughts! With emotions!" His voice echoed in the room, bouncing off the empty white walls as he held Noir's gaze steadily.

Noir tilted his head once again, still confused by John's words.

John shook his head, chuckling to himself while running a hand through his hair.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know you're more than just a Killer, more than just Vought's lapdog."

Noir's masked face remained impassive, but his fingers twitched slightly, a subtle sign of the conflict within him. He turned back to the piano, his hands hovering above the keys, hesitating. The silence stretched on, thick and heavy.

John watched him, the weight of his words hanging in the air. He knew Noir had been molded into a cold unfeeling weapon by Vought, stripped of his identity and humanity but he believed there was still something more beneath the surface, something worth saving.

"I know it's hard to believe," John continued, his tone softer now, almost pleading. "But I know there is good in you,

Noir's fingers finally touched the keys, and a soft, hesitant melody began to fill the room. It wasn't Für Elise this time, but something softer, more melancholic. John listened, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"See?" John said quietly. "That's not the music of a mindless killer. That's the music of someone who feels, who thinks, who has a soul."

The melody grew stronger, more confident, as if Noir was drawing strength from the strongest hero's words.

John could almost see the stone-like man before him swaying minutely to the rhythm, the only sign of acknowledgment he had that his words went through.

The smile on his face couldn't have been brighter.

___________

Noir stared the enemy down as he ready himself for the battle ahead.

"Kill him," the leader commanded, waving dismissively towards Noir, his voice strained with impatience.

The woman moved first with a flick of her wrist; she sent the whip crackling through the air towards Noir. He sidestepped the attack, with it landing on the cement floor shattering it, and lunged at her.

Before he could reach her and rip her head off her body, a wall of energy erupted from the hands of the man in the helmet, making Noir flip back just before the wall could touch him.

Noir quickly regained his footing and shook off his momentary disorientation but was on the move barely a second later. He had only a split second's warning before he felt an intense heat coursing towards him from his left side. Fortunately, he managed to weave past a hail of energy blasts from the massive weapon wielded by the armored supe despite having almost no time to react.

Noir's mind analyzed their abilities and strengths within seconds, coming up with strategies to deal with them just as fast. They were powerful but predictable, their overreliance on their powers told him they weren't highly trained combatants but armatures who were drunk on power.

As he read himself once again, the arrogant words of the one leading the team echoed in his head.

"You are no longer the only country able to make gods."

Perhaps it was true Vought was no longer the only one able to make compound V... but Noir knew one thing for certain, he wasn't made a god... he was born as one.

Noir's helmet coldly stared at the supes before him, their leader chuckling at the sight of him not backing down and signaling for another attack.

This time, Noir was ready.

The woman with the electric whip struck first again, but Noir was faster, ducking under the crack of the whip and using the momentum to launch himself into a run. He rushed towards her, this time forcefully breaking his way through the energy shield constructed and ignoring the burning heat from the supe's weapon skimming his side.

His only focus was reaching the whip-wielding woman whose smug smile was beginning to falter into a look of fear.

She cracked her whip again in panic, but Noir anticipated her attack and grabbed it mid-air, much to the shock of everyone in the room. With the electricity seemingly having no effect on him, Noir jerked on the whip with immense strength, and pulled her off balance and towards him. Just as she flew forward, he met her face with his fist.

Crack!!!

The sound of a skull being broken could be heard throughout the room as the woman's head flew across the room and into the opposite wall.

"Wh-What the fuck?!"

Before anyone could react, Noir was already in motion towards the man in armor. The leader tried to intervene by blasting energy at him, but Noir sidestepped his attack and landed a punch across the giant's face. The man staggered back, clutching his head in pain from the painful blow but was still standing thanks to his heavily dented helmet.

The leader, now infuriated, rushed headfirst at Noir with his hands coated red with energy. The superpowered terrorist threw an energy blast toward the hero, aiming to take the hero down in one blow.

Noir evaded the attack by a mere inch by dodging out of the way with an acrobatic backflip, using the momentum to launch himself back, and taking hold of a large piece of broken concrete. He hurled it at the leader with inhuman strength.

The concrete landed into the leader's chest with a sickening thud, sending him flying back like a ragdoll and crashing against a wall of electrified machinery. The stench of sizzling flesh filled the air as he convulsed in agony, his body being electrocuted by the exposed wires that tore through his skin.

The armored supe rose from the ground, fury blazing in his eyes as he charged his weapon for a deadly strike.

Before he could so much as press the trigger, Noir closed the distance with lightning speed. With a single fluid move, he disarmed the supe by snatching the weapon from his grasp and brutally smashed it to pieces across the man's face, sending shards of metal flying in all directions.

The supe stumbled back, blood pouring from his shattered nose as he struggled to stay on his feet.

"Arggh!!!" The enemy groaned in pain before quickly recovering and charging at Noir.

The superpower began his charge with a roar that shook the very air in the room. Noir, however, remained unmoved. The supe's weapon was heavy in his hands, but it felt as light as a feather to him. His body was a well-oiled machine, humming with anticipation and ready to strike at any moment.

As the supe neared Noir, he raised his weapon once again, the broken weapon still having one good use out of it before completely breaking. He stepped forward and swung the weapon, intercepting the supe's charge with a clash of metal on metal that echoed around the room.

The force of Noir's swing sent the superpower flying back, he landed heavily on his back, gasping for breath and clutching his side. The weapon he had tried to use against Noir now lay discarded on the floor, useless.

Noir didn't give him a chance to recover, the hero closed the distance between them in quick strides and towered over the fallen enemy. He reached down and grabbed the superhuman by his collar. He could sense his adversary writhing in his grasp, desperately attempting to break free, but there was no way out of his iron-clad hold.

Noir lifted the tank of a man off the ground with ease and slammed him against the floor, creating a crater as the entire room shook. A cry of pain echoed from his opponent as he felt every bone in their body rattle and break from the impact.

Just as Noir was about to deliver the finishing blow, a sharp sting penetrated his back causing him to falter. The supe he had taken out earlier was back, now holding a sword covered in their power along with Noir's blood.

"America no kuzu domo me!"

How he managed to recover so quickly, Noir didn't have time to think, as he dropped the armored supe and rolled away from another deadly swing of the glowing sword.

The blade sliced through the air where his head had been just seconds before, leaving a trail of shimmering particles in its wake that dissipated into nothingness. The wielder of this weapon, who Noir had previously dismissed as being dispatched, was now a glowing testament to how precarious the situation had become.

The super lunged at Noir with relentless force, attacking him with furious fast strikes that the normal human eye could never hope to follow. The crazed supe swung the sword with deadly precision, causing an explosion of sparks whenever it clashed with the floor whenever it failed to land a blow on Noir.

Evading the thousands of deadly slices from the super's blade, Noir managed to deliver a powerful blow to the super's midsection. Groaning in pain, the super staggered backward but quickly regained his equilibrium and retaliated with another slice aimed at Noir's head.

But Noir was a blur, moving with terrifying speed and effortlessly dodging every single attack thrown at him. His movements were precise and calculated, almost like a dance as he weaved in and out of his opponent's strikes.

The sound of his quick footwork resonated in the air, almost like a rhythm to the intense battle. He seemed to be one with the flow of the fight, anticipating each move before it even happened. His agility and speed were unmatched, making it seem as if he was untouchable.

"RAAAHHHHHH!!!" Suddenly, with a primal roar, the armored supe came to life once more.

Ignoring the burning pain of his entire body begging him to stop, the living tank pushed off the ground and launched himself at Noir with all his might. The acceleration at which he launched himself could be compared to that of a fighter jet.

The armored giant's body came barreling towards Noir with the force of a runaway freight train, and for a moment the hero's concentration faltered. There was no time to react, no time to dodge or deflect. All he could do was brace himself for the impact.

BOOM!!!

The impact of the armored supe's attack sent Noir crashing into one of the massive support beams that held the roof up. Steel groaned and concrete crumbled as the force of the hit caused cracks to scatter across the pillar.

Dazed momentarily, Noir shook his head to clear his vision and looked up to see the two supes on him within moments.

The sword-wielding supe was upon him first, his blade coming down like a flash of death. Noir rolled forward, evading out of harm's way as the super's blade destroyed a section of the beam behind Noir.

As he got back onto his feet, the armored giant was already swinging a punch at him. This time, instead of evading it, Noir met it head-on. His fist clashed against that of the armored supe's causing a shockwave that blew dust in all directions.

The armored supe was strong… but Noir was stronger.

The immense power in Noir's punch shattered the supe's gauntlet, exposing his bruised flesh underneath. Pain exploded on his face as he pulled back in agony, clutching onto his now bare and mangled hand that looked beyond the repair of even the best medical professional.

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!" They screamed out in agony as they clutched their bloody and broken hand.

While the supe's attention was diverted, this allowed Noir a crucial opening. Swiftly, like a coiled viper striking its prey, Noir seized the chance.

He swung his fist back and drove it into the giant's chest with a mighty blow, his fist tore through flesh and bone, leaving a gaping hole in the man's body as he fell to the ground in a bloody heap.

"A-Argh…"

As Noir's fight continued, the sounds of wires could be heard snapping in half from the opposite side of the room.

Rising from the wires and broken parts of machinery, the leader rose from his previously static state. The once electrocuted wires surrounding him hissed and spat sparks in protest as he forced himself up, grimacing through the pain. Wires trailed from his body like venomous vines, and he ripped them apart with raw strength that echoed desperation.

He hobbled towards Kimiko's containment cell, a transparent glass box filled with chemical liquids that broadcast her frail and weakened form for all to see. She was a force to reckon with when unleashed, but for now, she lay unmoving under the disinfectant white light due to her wild uncontrollable nature.

The leader looked at Kimiko before glancing back at the ongoing fight, his gaze hardened as he entered the access codes into the panel.

He was taking a huge risk freeing her from her cell, but it was a risk he was willing to take if it meant killing that American scum!

Gas hissed within her chamber as locks came undone and alarms blared their warning signs. The liquid slowly emptied and gradually, with her containment now empty, Kimiko stirred from her unconscious state amidst the chaos, her lips parted in confusion as she drew in a sharp breath of air.

Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, she felt a cold slap of something hard against her neck.

The collar.

The cruel device had been used on her before like a puppeteer's string, controlling her and her actions against her will with the threat of excruciating pain.

She clenched her jaw, letting loose a silent scream of rage and fury. She reached to the collar to rip it off her neck, but blinding pain shot out throughout her body the moment she touched it.

"Don't bother trying to take it off, it's made from a material even the strongest superhuman will have trouble breaking."

The leader smirked wickedly as he held up the controlling remote and pointed it at the collar.

"Kill Black Noir," He commanded, his voice echoing in the chamber's silence. His fingers twitched around the device with a sadistic gleam in his eyes.

Kimiko's eyes widened, fear and rage swirling within their depths as she gazed at Noir battling fiercely in the distance. She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms until they drew blood. The command rang in her ear louder and louder the longer she ignored his command.

Noir, however, fighting with the remaining supe, was unaware of Kimiko's predicament as he landed another powerful punch that sent the supe crashing onto the wall with crushing force.

Meanwhile, Kimiko's body trembled as she fought against the command imprinted in her mind by the menacing collar around her neck. She gritted her teeth painfully as she tried to resist, a bead of sweat trickling down from her forehead.

"Now!" The leader roared, pressing a button on the remote.

"!!!" Searing pain shot through Kimiko's body causing her to scream out in silent agony. The collar was doing its vile work, compelling her to obey and follow his orders.

Kimiko staggered towards Noir, her body shaking with the fight to resist. Her once vibrant eyes were hollow, the life drained from them as she was reduced to a mindless puppet. Each step was filled with trepidation and reluctance, her mind screaming at her to stop but her body refusing to obey.

Meanwhile, Noir landed a brutal kick on the chest of the sword-wielding super, sending him flying backward. The supe's head crashed onto the concrete wall with a thunderous crash and he crumbled down dead.

"…"

With a last lingering look at Noir, her eyes filled with regret and desperation over a battle she couldn't control, she catapulted herself into the fray. Her eyes were no longer her own, reflecting instead a frosty glaze of mindless obedience.

Noir's senses tingled with warning as he turned his head, but it was too late. A brutal sharp swipe connected with his jaw, sending him hurtling through the air and slamming into a console with a deafening crash. The impact shattered the machine, showering deadly sparks and shards of metal that sliced through the air like shrapnel.

The leader of the supe team laughed at the sight of the hero crumpled in twisted metal, his dry laughter echoing around the cavernous room.

"Hahahahaha! Pathetic," he spat out with a disdainful sneer.

Kimiko, still under the cruel influence of the collar, stalked forward with silent steps. Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides in a threatening rhythm, her eyes now icy and detached.

Noir rose rise to his feet, not at all bothered by the attack that managed to send him flying and cracked his neck with a satisfying pop.

He looked to his attacker and found it to be the female he was originally sent here to kill.

"What are you doing?! Don't just fucking walk to him! Attack him now!!!" He pressed the button on the remote and activated the collar around her neck once again.

Black Noir looked at the screaming man with a tilt of his head before focusing on the naked woman.

Kimiko came at Noir with another fierce swing, but he blocked it this time with his forearm and retaliated with a heavy punch to her stomach. To his surprise, instead of recoiling from the hit and doubling over in pain as he expected, Kimiko absorbed the strike, her face contorted in a grimace of pain, but she never faltered.

Once again, she attacked relentlessly, each punch and kick filled with desperation. Her movements were becoming less structured and more instinctual - driven by wild emotions rather than trained strategy. She was fighting against his blows and also herself, her body forced to act against her will.

Simultaneously, on the other side of the room, the leader's gloating laughter could be heard echoing off the sleek metal walls, the sound cold and distorted. He held up his remote like a twisted conductor, pushing the button with a sick glee that only seemed to grow with each forced attack Kimiko made.

"Good girl," he crooned, his voice dripping with poisonous satisfaction. "Make it nice and painful."

She jumped forward, swinging a vicious kick towards Noir's torso, but he was ready. Noir sidestepped just in time, her move barely grazing him, and grabbed her extended leg and twisted it around, pulling Kimiko into an uncompromising and inescapable hold.

He could end her life right here and now without so much as a second thought… but something stopped him from doing so.

Kimiko's eyes bore into his, her expression contorting with physical pain and mental agony as she fought against the commands pulsating from the collar around her neck. Noir watched her claw at the collar around her neck while she tried to get out of his hold.

The leader scowled from across the room, slamming his finger onto the remote to further increase the power of the collar.

"Enough!" he growled, his voice echoing ominously in the large room.

Kimiko cried out as a wave of blistering pain surged through her body, a silent scream tearing from her throat as she clawed desperately at the collar around her neck. Her body convulsed uncontrollably under the intensified command, and even Noir found it hard to maintain his grip on her.

"Finish him off! NOW!!!" He screamed in blind madness, his patience waning with every second that passed without Noir's death.

The mute hero's ears rang with the man's infuriating commands, urging the woman to fight, to kill.

The realization dawned on him, as he watched her wide eyes brimming with pain and desperation. She was nothing but a tool, a puppet being utilized as a deadly weapon at the mercy of someone else's desires.

A wave of dark memories crashed over Noir, drowning him in emotions he thought he had buried long ago. His heart pounds with a mixture of anger and sympathy, conflicting forces tearing at his chest. He grits his teeth, struggling to keep the memories at bay, but they claw their way back to the surface, threatening to consume him once again.

His fists clenched tighter as he looked at the man across the room angrily tapping away at the remote and mindlessly bringing pain to the woman in his arms.

Noir released Kimiko from his grip, letting her slump onto the floor while still writhing in agony, completely unable to do anything because of the excruciating pain. As she clawed at the collar around her neck till her neck began to bleed, he could see her pleading eyes staring back at him.

The sight was hauntingly familiar - it was the same helpless look he had seen reflected in his own eyes countless times before.

"Useless fucking bitch!" The cruel, shrill voice of the Japanese supe echoed in the room, filled with an almost childish tantrum. He reached for the remote, his meaty fingers shaking with rage as he turned the dial to its maximum setting.

Suddenly, a horrendous screeching filled Noir's ears, a sound akin to a thousand nails on a chalkboard. It was the collar's power increasing, an agonizing tenfold, Kimiko convulsed violently, her back arching and eyes rolling back into her skull as pain beyond comprehension washed over her.

Noir quickly knelt down beside her, his hands reaching for the metal collar around her neck before he could think.

Like a bolt of lightning, the excruciating pain meant for Kimiko surged through Noir's body as soon as his fingers made contact with the collar. His entire being shook with violent spasms, but he refused to release it, gritting his teeth against the overwhelming agony. With overwhelming strength, he began tearing the collar apart with the hard metal slowly giving way under his unyielding will.

His muscles strained alarmingly under the force, veins popping up on his arms as if they would burst any second. His teeth clenched together, and a pained grunt escaped him as he bore the brunt of the pain meant for Kimiko.

SNAP!!!

With one last titanic effort and a shower of sparks, he ripped the collar off Kimiko's neck. He watched as she collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. The gratefulness in her eyes brought a strange comfort to Noir, he disregarded the throbbing pain in his hands and focused on the relief on Kimiko's face.

But he had little time to recover before the left side of his face exploded in pain.

He had been so focused on Kimiko, that he hadn't noticed the leader charging towards him, his hand encased in a glowing fist. The force of the punch sent Noir skidding across the room's slick floor, coming to a halt against one of the steel walls with a brutal thud.

The man was fast, faster than Noir would have given him credit for. And the power that came from his punch...he hadn't expected that either.

Ignoring the dull throbbing in his jaw, Noir pushed himself up onto one knee and eyed his opponent carefully as they stalked towards him with an air of smug satisfaction. As the man came near, Noir could see him chugging down small vials filled with a red liquid one after another.

Shatter!!!

"*Gasp* There! That should be more than enough!" The crazy bastard let the empty vials shatter on the ground, his smile twisting into a grotesque mask of anticipation.

His bulging muscles pulsed with raw power as the substance coursed through his veins, his eyes glowed an eerie red matching the liquid he just consumed. It was the all too familiar sight of the effects of Compound V, the bastard had juiced himself up.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!! His laughter echoed once again throughout the room, a chilling sound.

Blood was trickling from the corner of Noir's mouth, and for the first time in a long while, he felt genuinely worried about the fight ahead.

As he rose to a standing position, feeling every bruise and cut on his body, he noticed Kimiko stirring from her unconscious state. Her eyes fluttered open and locked onto Noir's for just a moment before straying towards her tormentor. A shudder ran through her body, and she pushed herself up from the floor with shaking hands.

"You two belong together," the leader sneered with loathsome pleasure, his eyes flitting between Noir and Kimiko. "Both nothing but tools!"

Ignoring his taunts, Noir glanced over at Kimiko, silently conveying the urgency of the situation. She nodded weakly in understanding despite no words being spoken between them, pushing herself to her feet with a grimace.

Emboldened by his newfound power, the leader rushed forward, fists blazing an eerie red as they swung towards Noir. The mute hero dodged the first punch and blocked the second one with forearms steeled with resolve. He felt the searing heat scalding his skin but bit back the pain and retaliated with a powerful right hook straight to the face.

The impact sent the man reeling back, wiping the smug grin off his face momentarily, but it was quickly replaced by an even more maniacal smile, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He spat on the ground and laughed again, shaking off the effects of Noir's punch as if it were nothing more than a mosquito bite.

"Is that all you got?" He taunted, wiping the blood from his mouth.

With each passing second, the effects of Compound V on his opponent became more evident. The man's muscles bulged grotesquely under his skin, distorting his once human-like appearance into something monstrous. Nonetheless, Noir stood his ground, his gaze never leaving the man's twisted face.

Sensing the inevitable, Noir steeled himself, clenching his fists as his knuckles turned white under the strain. He was a mess, his suit was torn and dirty, yet he held an air of defiance that contrasted sharply with his battered state.

With red energy crackling around his fists, he launched red blasts of death at Noir. The mute hero managed to dodge most of the energy blasts but failed to dodge the last one. The world spun as he crashed into a wall, feeling each rib strain against the impact.

Pain erupted throughout his body and his vision blurred as he tried to regain his senses, pushing past the throbbing pain in his head where the blast landed. Through narrowed eyes, he spotted Kimiko slowly rising and positioning herself between him and their opponent despite her own weakened state.

Despite her trembling limbs and the pain of the collar still racking her body, Kimiko stood defiantly against their common enemy.

The maniacal leader laughed again, the sound dripping with disdain as he stalked towards them, his hands crackling with the same fiery energy.

"You will protect this American scum?" he sneered. "You're a stain to your country!"

She raised her middle finger in response to his words.

Noir pushed himself off the floor, gritting his teeth against the agony that screamed along his spine. He cast a quick glance at Kimiko, and in that shared silence, an agreement was formed.

The two mutes flanked out on either side, their movements coordinated despite the lack of apparent communication.

There was an unspoken understanding between them.

As the leader lunged forward, itching to unleash another barrage of energy blasts, Kimiko jumped into the air and swiped at his face with her sharp nails. He screamed out in pain, clutching his wound, as blood dripped down from his face, unable to dodge her sudden attack. Noir took advantage of this distraction to deliver a thunderous punch to the gut that sent the leader kneeling over.

"*Cough!* *Cough!* It's going to take more than that to tak-!"

He was interrupted from finishing his sentence by a brutal left hook.

Noir's fist collided with the man's jaw, sending shockwaves of pain up his head, but he didn't relent, he kept forward – one punch, two punches, three punches. Each hit was like a hammer to an anvil, echoing around the room.

Kimiko took her turn then, her attacks were precise and lethal, her nails slashing through flesh and leaving deep wounds behind.

With a sickening thud, Noir slammed his face into the ground, sending shockwaves of pain radiating through his skull. Kimiko followed by ruthlessly slamming her foot down on his head, grinding his head further into the ground.

Blood oozes from his broken nose and teeth as he gasps for air, struggling to escape their ruthless assault.

The man tried to retaliate, and energy blasts flew from his hands in a chaotic frenzy. But both Noir and Kimiko were relentless as they drew upon every ounce of strength to jump this man's arrogant ass.

"ENOUGH!!!"

Kimiko tried to land another blow but failed as the man managed to grab hold of her.

His red-tinted energy blast collided with her chest and exploded upon impact. She groaned in pain, crumpling to the floor as a chilling sense of cold numbness spread through her body, the left side of her body completely blown off.

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

Noir's heart pounded in his chest as he looked at Kimiko's lifeless body on the ground, her eyes closed, and face smeared with blood and dirt. A strange, overpowering rage began to crawl up his throat, a feeling so powerful it almost consumed him.

Why did he feel this way? Why does his body tremble with an emotion he could barely understand?

His eyes were locked on the supe, who gazed down at Kimiko's lifeless body with a sadistic smile etched onto his face. The red haze of rage clouded his vision, intensifying every repulsive detail of the vile man before him, from the sickening sound of his laughter reverberating through the room to the twisted expression of pleasure on his face.

"Your next American scu-CRUNCH!"

His fist met the leader's face, but this time it was not just an ordinary punch, it was one filled with all his anger, sorrow, and wrath.

Every ounce of frustration bottled up in his silent world was released into this single punch. The force of the impact sent shockwaves through the room, causing dust particles to spiral about them.

The supe was knocked back several feet, crashing into a wall with such force that it cracked under the impact, his grotesque form sprawled on the floor beneath a shower of debris. Silence filled the room - a startling change from moments ago when agonized screams and maniacal laughter were all they could hear.

Noir stood there panting heavily, his knuckles slick with blood - the Japanese's or his own, he didn't know.

The supe let out an anguished cry, clawing at the rubble that now covered him in a failed attempt to rise up. His face was twisted into a grimace of pain and hatred as he spat curses and insults, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Noir had already begun moving forward, each step heavy with barley-controlled rage.

He grabbed hold of the fallen man's collar, hoisting him up against the cracked wall with a strength that came not just from his physical prowess but from his burning need to make him feel pain.

Noir blow after blow landed on the Japanese supe's face, with each punch reverberating through the battle-worn room. Blood sprayed from the supe's nose and mouth, splattering against the metal walls. No matter how much blood was spilled or how many bones he broke, Noir's anger seemed to only grow.

His fists moved faster and harder, driven by a fury that blinded him to everything around him.

The man tried to raise his arms in a desperate attempt to defend himself, but Noir's relentless attacks broke through his defense with ease.

The supe's face was a mess of bruises and cuts, his eyes swollen shut from the merciless blows of Noir's fists. But even in the midst of his own pain, Noir didn't stop, he continued to pummel the supe's head until his knuckles were raw and dripping with blood.

One minute…

Four minutes…

Seven minutes…

Ten minutes…

And when there was nothing left but a headless corpse crumpled against the ruined wall, Noir finally stopped. His breath came in ragged gasps, his body shaking from the burning anger still raging inside him.

The room was still now, except for the harsh panting of Noir filling the heavy air. He stood there for a moment, heart pounding in his chest as he stared down at his blood-soaked knuckles. They throbbed painfully but he barely felt it.

All he could feel was the hot rush of adrenaline leaving his system, replaced with a chilling sense of emptiness.

BBRRRR!!! BBBRRRR!!!

The phone in his hidden pocket started vibrating. The sudden noise was abrasive against the overwhelming silence of the room. His hand, slick with blood and sweat, slowly reached into his pocket. The cold device felt alien against the raw brutality of his violence.

The screen illuminated, casting a dim, sterile light across the depraved scene that was once a battleground but now resembled a slaughterhouse. Stan Edgar's name flashed on the screen with an incoming call display. An icy dread started to coil within his guts, yet he answered.

He pressed the phone against his ear, not caring about staining it with blood. It made a squelching sound as it met his ear, but all he could hear was the steady pounding of his heart.

"Are you done with your mission, Noir?" Stan asked, his emotionless voice coming out from the phone loud and clear.

He didn't respond immediately, staring blankly at the headless corpse that lay crumpled against the ruined wall. Still silent on his end, Noir looked around the room once more, his gaze eventually drifting back to Kimiko's bleeding body on the floor.

Stan's impatient voice called out to him again, "Noir, do you copy?"

Finally gathering himself, he responded in the only way he could, through the app specially designed for him on his phone. His blood-stained fingers moved mechanically across the touchscreen, carefully spelling out: 'Mission accomplished.'

The smell of sweat, blood, and death hung heavy in the air. It was a pungent, nauseating mix that threatened to suffocate, yet Noir felt nothing.

"Splendid," came Stan's clinical, detached voice over the line, completely unfazed by the horrors that Noir had committed. "Do you have her body? Due to the data you sent over, we found that she is the reason why the Japanese are able to create compound V. We need to run some tests to see exactly how this is possible."

Noir looked down at Kimiko's lifeless body lying on the floor, a dark pool of blood beneath her.

Stan's disturbingly relaxed voice cut into his thoughts again, "Noir, I asked if you have Kimiko's body?"

His blood-stained fingers slowly moved over to the touchscreen again to confir-

Twitch

Noir stopped mid-sentence, his eyes darting towards Kimiko's seemingly lifeless form. The twitch was barely perceivable, a minuscule movement in her fingers that belied the grave injuries that should have claimed her life.

But his eyes could see it clear as day.

Twitch Twitch

Noir's heart hammered in his chest as he watched with fascination as her wounds began to close rapidly, knitting together at an incredible speed. Before Noir's gaze, her shattered body started mending itself. Her mangled flesh rippled and reformed with each pulsating heartbeat, fixing the scattered fragments of bone and muscle back into place.

It was a gruesome ballet of cell regeneration and tissue reconstitution; a spectacle of nature Noir had never seen before.

"Noir," Stan's icy voice snapped him out of his trance, "Is Kimiko's body secure?"

His blood-stained fingers hovered over the phone screen, but he did not respond immediately, transfixed by the spectacle unfolding before him.

Kimiko's left arm, previously torn to shreds by their vicious fight, now appeared unscathed as if it had never been damaged. Her chest which was motionless began to heave with the rhythm of life, as if she were only sleeping and not dead minutes ago.

The rise and fall were slow at first, but rapidly began to increase in speed as her body kicked into overdrive. His gaze lingered on her abdominal area, where deep gashes crumbled away like ash, revealing fresh skin untouched by the violence inflicted upon it. The sight was nothing short of morbidly miraculous.

Stan's voice came again, sharp and demanding, "Noir, I need you to respond."

His fingers quivered as they hovered over the touchscreen, the gravity of his choice weighing heavily on him. He was caught between following orders and pursuing his own desires.

His answer would seal her fate.

Caught in a moment of indecision, Noir's gaze swiveled back to Kimiko, now fully restored, her eyes fluttering open. They held the depth of an innocent woman who became a cornered beast brought to bay by circumstances she did not understand or ask for.

"Noir!" Stan's command had lost its patience, ringing with urgency and annoyance. "I need your response! Now!"

But Noir was not listening anymore. Instead, he watched as Kimiko's hand slowly rose to her chest as if reassuring herself that her heart still beat within her.

That she was alive against all odds.

His blood-stained fingers pressed down on the phone screen, forming words he hoped he wouldn't regret.

'Body destroyed, nothing left.'

He sent the message before he could rethink it then pocketed his phone.

As silence from Stan's end filled the room, Noir stood up, his tall figure a dark silhouette against the dimly lit background of the broken room. Kimiko propped herself up on an elbow, managing to sit up with visible effort.

She gazed intensely at Noir as a flood of emotions washed over her - confusion, fear, but most of all, gratitude.

She watched as he slowly walked closer to her, his combat boots crunching over the shattered glass underfoot. His steps resonated throughout the room, each one echoing the pounding of her heartbeat.

He kneeled down and offered out his gloved hand towards her, she noticed that he hesitated for a moment, an inexplicably human gesture from the seemingly inhuman man. She tried to read him, searching his features for any sign of intent or emotion.

Her gaze shifted from his outstretched hand to his face, the helmet he wore damaged by the energy blast from the previous battle.

As she trailed across his damaged helmet, her eyes met his.

…

…

…

Empty blue eyes stared back at her.