Lightning (2)

"You're going to learn soon, dumb bastard!" Jin spat venomously, gripping his chipped blade in his right hand.

Channeling electricity into his left, he formed a crackling lightning claw.

He glared at the merc, who regarded Jin with an amused expression.

"What a nice mask you have, kiddo. You can keep wearing that mask, but we both know who... we both know what you are." The numbered merc mocked, his tone dripping with derision.

Jin gritted his teeth, the tension between them palpable. Neither moved a muscle, but the carrier began to change direction, its speed waning. 

The engine, damaged by Jin's electricity, could no longer sustain its maximum speed.

"Jin, listen to me. You can't fight that bastard. Let's get you and Silas away from—" Thirteen's urgent plea was cut off as Jin yanked his earpiece out and tossed it off the speeding carrier.

'Not now... I'm taking this bastard down no matter what. No one is going to stop that.'

Jin steeled his resolve, harnessing even more electricity as he launched his fist toward the merc.

***

"That fucking idiot!" Thirteen slammed his fists onto the desk in the control room, making everyone around him stare in disbelief.

The normally calm and collected man in the stag mask was anything but his usual self.

After his sudden outburst, Thirteen resumed typing away on his keyboard, his eyes darting from one screen to another.

"Silas, can you hear me?" Thirteen asked, opening a communication channel between him and Silas.

"Yes, I can hear you, but just barely," Silas replied, his voice crackling due to the weak signal.

'Damn it,' Thirteen cursed silently but maintained his focus.

"Silas, listen to me. Currently, the merc and Jin are going to fight on top of your carrier," Thirteen conveyed.

"I looked into the merc. It's Number 23, and he's dangerous. Modded to the teeth. I'm not even sure if Jin's electricity will work against him. What's the status of your carrier?" Thirteen asked.

"It's not good. After Jin's electricity surged through the carrier, the engine suffered a lot. I'm not sure how long it can keep going. I'm starting to slow down on my own as well," Silas said, almost making Thirteen slam his hands into the desk once more.

Taking a deep breath to calm his frustration, Thirteen began to relay a series of plans and information to Silas.

***

The first to move was Number 23, who nonchalantly fired his gun, almost as if he were playfully testing the waters.

'Keep playing, you bastard. I'm going to rip out your spine,' thought Jin, watching the bullet fly toward him at a dangerous speed. 

Thanks to Voltage Surge, time seemed to slow down, making the bullet appear less threatening.

Sidestepping, Jin began to advance toward Number 23, one step at a time.

'If I can't rip out your spine, I'll just take your head,' Jin thought, murderous intent filling his mind as he closed the distance between them.

Lightning crackled around his body as he aimed his blade at Number 23's neck, determined to sever it. Despite the imminent threat, Number 23 continued to smile, his expression mocking and unconcerned.

He stood motionless, but just before the blade could reach his neck, he casually raised his right hand while lightly tossing the gun to his left.

Number 23's hand intercepted Jin's blade, the lightning currents from Jin's ability crackling around it.

 Despite the blade lodging into his hand, the merc showed no sign of pain, continuing to smile mockingly at Jin, whose eyes widened in disbelief.

"This is lightwork, kiddo. Are you underestimating me, or are you really still this weak?" Mocked him the merc as Jin's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and rage.

'Still?! Still?! I'm not weak. I can't still be this weak!' Jin's rage intensified, lightning surging from his body with even greater ferocity.

His muscles tensed as he pushed the blade deeper, but to his shock, nothing happened. The merc continued smiling, taunting him.

"DIE ALREADY!" Jin screamed in fury.

The mercenary, grinning even wider, positioned his revolver beneath the flat surface of the blade lodged in his arm. 

With three rapid shots, the blade shattered, its metal fragments scattering everywhere before disappearing into the night as the carrier sped through the city.

"Jim, is everything alright?!" Silas tried to ask, his voice clearer now that the wind wasn't as deafening. Their speed was decreasing as the carrier deteriorated by the minute.

Jin remained silent, his focus consumed by rage, rendering him Silas's question.

Jin attempted to lash out with both hands, now formed into lightning claws, but the mercenary was faster. Despite being at his strongest, Jin was still lacking.

As he tried to cut into the merc's flesh with his lightning claws, the merc grabbed his hand and used Jin's momentum to throw him to the ground.

"Fuck you!" spat Jin, his voice dripping with venom. Falling to the ground, he spun his body, managing to sweep the merc's leg, sending him to the ground along with Jin.

Jin's usual demeanor vanished as he roared with anger, his lightning roaring alongside him.

Forming another claw, he sprang to his feet and leaped at the merc, trying to pierce his body with his lightning claws.

"Did you really get this whiny just from this, kiddo?" mocked the merc, effortlessly evading Jin's lightning claw and delivering a punch of his own, sending Jin hurtling back to the ground.

With a nonchalant jump, Number 23 was back on his feet, the smile on his face never fading, except for a single moment as he dusted off his suit.

"Take off that stupid mask, kiddo. We both know what you are, you fucking failed product!" 

For the first time, Jin heard the disdain in Number 23's voice. 

Strangely, it felt better this way.

"Okay… I take off this mask first, then I peel off your fucking face." 

With a powerful yank of his hand, he ripped off his mask, which was instantly swept away by the wind.

Jin lunged at the merc, lightning gathering at the tips of his fingers, forming claws once more.

Simply putting his gun away, his speed multiplied, possibly even faster than Jin in his lightning-boosted form.

Simply appearing in front of Jin, Number 23 delivered a crushing blow to his stomach with his fist that consisted of metal.

'Grrr.' Jin suffered the full force of the strike, almost puking out the contents of his stomach.

instead, he had a mouthful of blood in his mouth that he spat out while glaring holes into number 23, the merc never leaving his line of sight.

"Damn kiddo, you are still standing just fine, I should have just punched harder." Laughed out loud the merc, his crimson eyes gazing at Jin, were engulfed in deep hatred…

Not even against him… against what he was.

"You judge a lot for a machine… do you have anything that is still human about you?" Asked Jin with an increasingly large grin on his face.

'I just need to get him mad, luckily, that's easy… but maybe, maybe just maybe, I should try that.' 

"Oh shut the fuck up, a lab rat trying to tell shit about me… you were made in a tube, how dare you of all people judge me?!" The previously playful crimson eyes of the merc turned hostile.

'Yeah, I'm sure now… I have to try it, I can escape, and Silas wouldn't survive it if we go on like this… maybe even this kills him, but I have to try, I have to take a gamble.' 

Jin decided to try one more thing, as his opponent was clearly stronger than him.

He was left without a weapon, and even his lightning claws were useless against the mercenary in front of him.

But Jin had one last trick up his sleeve...

Only one weapon could get him out of his current situation.

But to use that...

He needed time, he needed a distraction.

"You are right… I was made in a tube, but I have one thing that you are never going to have back?"

Inquired Jin with the same wide grin on his face that the mercenary before him harbored on his face.

"What is it, lab rat?" 

"Balls, even those are a piece of metal." Laughed Jin, while already preparing his final gamble while the face of the man before him grew livid.

'Now!' 

Jin reduced himself, lightning appearing around his body, weak, barely visible currents, a far cry from what his ability usually looks like.

"Silas, get ready, we are jumping!" Screamed Jin, the currents dancing around his body without stopping.

"What are you planning?!" Silas shouted back but Jin didn't have enough time to explain anything to him.

"Just trust me!" With that, Jin had to focus his everything on one thing and one thing only.

His triumph card.

With a livid expression, Number 23 was no longer playing, but Jin wasn't interested in that from the start either way.

The small currents around his body were dancing intensely, hitting everything around him.

Seeping into the carrier and at even farther targets, neon signs, and street lamps.

Their light began to flicker…

They were getting drained of their energy.

The carrier was suffering the same fate, its engine was starting to slow down.

Silas watched the holographic screen in front of him slowly disappear while he stared at it with widened eyes.

Jin felt a voice in his head, but it was never there, he could just feel it in his very being.

It was telling him something.

A number.

0.5%

"Fucking rat!" Finally, the merc knew what Jin was about to do, but it was all too late.

The small currents seeping energy from the surroundings slowly targeted him as well.

"By such a rat… seriously?" 

Jin appeared beside the merc who couldn't utilize his mod to gain speed.

With a simple punch, the merc was sent hurling away from the speeding carrier.

Jin wanted to make sure and finish the numbered merc off, but he had to choose.

Taking him out, or getting Silas out from the carrier in safety.

'God damn it.' 

In his current state, Jin was faster than ever, using this speed, he appeared on the side of the carrier, holding onto the place where a window was supposed to be on the side.

With a powerful yank of his hand, he ripped out the window of the carrier.

"Let's get out of here." 

Grabbing Silas out of his seat, the two of them jumped.

The carrier crashed into one of the buildings, going out with one terrific explosion that shook the whole Tenth District.