Turbo

We're drawing closer to the finals.... you'd think things would be getting better around here...

Eliza thought, smoking a real cigar this time while looking out one of the windows in the hideout.

She was excited that they were barely two weeks away from the final. But also she couldn't help but feel uneasy about everything. For the past few days almost everything about the gang felt wrong.

Killer was growing more and more restless with each passing day, the thought of finally reuniting with his sister both excited him and filled him with overwhelming feelings of anxiety, fear and self doubt. Triple A was a lot more silent and distant than usual. Crystal was harsher, blunter and a lot less kinder than she was known for. Boris was nowhere to be found and Last Resort was distraught, generally distracted and unfocused.

The only people who were somewhat normal were Casey and Noah.

Eliza took a deep drag and puffed.

And somehow in the middle of all these occurrences were the creators of Brawlhalla, Reaper and Amber. Reaper especially.

Eliza knew then and there what she had to do.

She was going to have to find out what chain of events led to Reaper becoming Reaper.

**********************************

Boris' eyes fluttered open.

Where the hell am I?

He was in a room filled with all manner of odd objects. A potted plant, pictures of all kinds of birds, a bunch of bullet rounds, a bronze statue of a moose for some reason...you get the gist. The room looked awfully familiar to him for some reason.

Boris tried to stand up but a sharp pain in his shoulder sent him back to the floor.

He wracked his brain trying to remember what the hell happened.

I was in my room. Then I felt a sudden pain in my shoulder and I passed out....the last thing I saw was.....

Boris' chain of thought was broken when Reaper strolled into the room, holding Deathbringer over his shoulder and holding a small pistol in the other. He looked surprised to see him.

"Oh? You're still alive? I was sure shock and blood loss was going to kill you..." Reaper spoke cooly, holstering the pistol in his belt and reloading Deathbringer.

"You really are something else Boris Deadhead... everything from your air of confidence to your ingenious strategies.. you're simply just built different...." The serial killer addressed him, looking Boris dead in the eye.

Boris glared back at him, waiting for the perfect chance to launch any form of attack that would get him out of this situation.

"...even now..the look in your eyes is one of absolute defiance. You're a special kind of bastard I'll give you that..." Reaper grinned as he sat on a chair a few feet away from the commander. "... remember me? Remember what you and your deputy did...?"

Boris said nothing. Only stared at the criminal in anger. Reaper's grin turned into a scowl.

"Of course you don't remember...you bastards never care! All you senseless delinquents care about is fighting and making a name with no regard for how you affect the lives of the innocent bystanders around you..." Reaper slightly trembled with rage. "...the two of you are responsible for taking him away...you killed Turbo like one would kill an insect...with

complete disregard...like he was less than human!"

Reaper took a deep breath and ran both of his hands through his hair, trying to keep his cool.

This was the chance Boris was waiting for.

With a war cry, he leapt on Reaper.

**********************************

"What do you know about the night Lance Redford was incarcerated?"

Sleeper blinked as a voice spoke to her from the darkness of the alley. She was the last person to leave the office since she overslept and was just heading home to do some more of the sleeping she was infamously known for.

"Could you...step out.. I don't...talk to shadows..." Sleeper drawled, yawning in-between almost every word. Her narcolepsy was really hitting hard today.

Eliza walked out of the alley to meet her. It was relatively easy to find the Brawlhalla HQ. It was the biggest building in the district and thanks to Noah and the 1st Branch's impeccable scouting skills, she was also able to get a hold of the creator's schedules.

"You heard me. What happened on the day that Lance Redford was sent to prison?" Eliza repeated herself, careful not to let her guard down. She had heard old stories of Sleeper being stronger than both LR and Amber. Stories that truthfully scared her to death.

"Lance... Redford...?" Sleeper asked, rubbing her eyes.

"He's better known as The Last Resort of Tallahassee now"

About a minute passed before Sleeper snapped her fingers in realization.

"Oh....Lance! My best soldier.... how's he been anyway?" Sleeper's tone was a bit clearer and she seemed more excited and more awake now.

"Answer the question Sleeper-"

"Nefertiti. My name is....Akila Nefertiti"

"Oh....miss Nefertiti... could you please answer me..."

"Oh yeah I can...what do...you want to know...?"

*********************************

Boris coughed up blood as he was thrown to the floor once again.

He had managed to get Deathbringer away from Reaper but the pistol was still in the killer's possession.

He had to get it away from him.

Boris dragged himself up to his feet just as Reaper got up.

"I'll admit Deadhead... I'm surprised you still have it in you to fight so viciously..." Reaper wiped blood off his mouth and pointed the pistol at Boris. "Unfortunately for you... this is the end of the road..."

He fired the bullet info the chest of the commander.

Boris didn't flinch, only glared harder.

"What..the fuck..." Reaper's eyes widened and he stepped back as he shot another round into Boris' body.

"Heh...." Boris chucked as he stepped forward, blood gushing out of his bullet holes.

Reaper scrambled to the wall and shot two more times. Boris was not deterred.

"...you don't seem...to understand..." Boris kept talking as he advanced on the serial killer. "Taitanzu is my gang...it isn't yours....it isn't LR's...it doesn't belong to the president either..." Boris spat blood and put his hands up in a fighting stance, a bloody and rage filled smile on his face.

"... Taitanzu is mine... they're not just soldiers.. they're also friends... they're also family...they are my reason for fighting..."

Reaper fired the last round into Boris'chest and hastily tried to reload the gun. To his horror he realized he had no more bullets on him.

Boris was finally face to face with him, that demonic, blood red smile on his face. Reaper couldn't understand. Wasn't this a human being like himself? What on Earth was happening? Why wasn't he dying?!

Boris grabbed Reaper by the neck and slammed him into the wall.

"...for my soldiers....for my friends...for Taitanzu...." Boris cocked his arm as far back as he could and tightened all his muscles, ready for what was probably the strongest punch he was going to throw in his life.

" I! WILL! NOT! DIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!!"

**********************

"You mean....?"

"Yes....I'm the one who....sent Last Resort after Turbo..." Sleeper (Akila) explained with a matter-of-fact tone.

"But.... why.....?" Eliza asked with disbelief, almost falling off the bench they were both sitting on. Sleeper seemed like such a calm and collected individual incapable of doing any form of wrong. Not the ruthless commander of one of the most brutal gangs in modern history.

"He betrayed the gang. He forsook his colors. He wanted out. In this type of world, that is unacceptable" Sleeper was now fully awake; something that hardly ever happened and which made her seem ten times scarier than she actually was.

"That doesn't mean you had to kill him!" Eliza protested, finding she was unable to keep her emotions in check.

"I didn't order Lance to kill him. I don't know what he did that ended with the mission ending that badly..." Sleeper shrugged and took a bite out of one of the candy cigars she stole from Eliza when she wasn't looking.

"Why did he leave the gang. What made him leave the Warlords?"

Sleeper chewed on the sweet a bit, letting the silence and tension grow thick and heavy. "He didn't approve of the way we did things...he didn't like the way the Warlords made their money. Said trafficking weapons and sometimes body parts was too much for him" the dark skinned girl sighed. "He said he was quitting the gang. Dropped our gang colors right in front of me. And he was one of our best soldiers too...plus there was always the possibility of him snitching to the cops. I just couldn't let him go..."

"So you sent Last Resort after him..." Eliza finished.

"Exactly. Somewhere along the line some kid named Boris got mixed in the mission and Last Resort ends up killing Turbo. I have no idea why though. That's a question only Lance or Boris can answer" Sleeper got up from the bench and yawned, her usual tiredness starting to come back to her.

"I'm off to get some sleep...and by the way. Ever try to give me any orders again...." She yawns again. "I'll murder you and your entire gang"

******************************

Reaper can see his life flashing before his eyes as he ducks another punch from Boris, rolling right next to the moose statue.

How is he still alive?!! I shot him five times? What the hell is going on? Is this really the commander of Taitanzu?! Even with two guns... I'm completely outmatched!!!

Reaper frantically searched the room for anything to protect himself with. Deathbringer was too far away from him and the pistol was empty.

Boris slowly trudged up to him, the murderous intent flowing coming him was so wild and vicious it reminded Reaper of the way lions hunted prey.

Boris stood above Reaper, ready to deal the finishing blow.

"Existence is behind you now Reaper...tell Turbo I said hi...I hope you enjoy the silence....." Boris threw a punch only for Reaper to grab his hand and flip him over with his legs, launching him through the air and unto that bronze antlers of the moose statue, effectively impaling him.

Reaper scrambled to his feet, his face bruised and bloodied from the surprise beating from Taitanzu's commander. He was pretty sure he had lost a tooth.

"...that was...close...too close..." Reaper muttered as he looked at the impaled body of Boris.

His eye was till open. The rage was still there. He was still alive. He still wanted blood.

Reaper lost all sense of bravado and confidence, almost pissing himself. In a mad dash to escape he even forgot Deathbringer, the only thing in his mind being the singular command to get away from Boris as soon as possible, his fight or flight response immediately triggered. Never in his life had he been so scared.

Reaper ran, leaving the body of Boris behind.

**********************************

Boris watched Reaper run out of the room. Now that be was upside down, impaled on the antlers of a bronze moose, he noticed how big it actually was for a room.

That was when it hits him.

He finally remembered where he had seen this room before.

With the last of his energy, he pulled his phone out of his shirt pocket and sent a message to his closest friend.

It was the least he could do before his eyes slowly closed...

★★★★★★★

This is how it ends huh?

A bit anticlimactic.

Tch.....

I can't believe it.... Christine was right...

After everything... I'm still dying alone.

I'm so lonely. Oh so lonely.....

....I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise....

Someone should call me....

....Christine....LR.... anyone....

... please call me.....

I'll be.....

waiting....