It is another mild spring night in New York City, the glare of the neon lights keeping the city eternally in twilight even during the darkest hours. While no place can claim to be beyond the noises of the city which occur at all hours, the back alleys and dark passageways that mark the gaps…
Adonai pushed her hands further into the pockets of her coat, hunching her shoulders. Despite the mild weather, it was still colder than what she was used to, the scorching deserts and wastelands of Africa. Narrowing her eyes at the pavement, she tucked a long, rebellious strand of hair behind her ear, wishing again that she had shaved her whole head and not just the left half. She was almost home, and she could almost taste the pull of her couch and computer tablet. This was the last time she worked a 48 hour job, but at least the payoff was ok for this one. She’d even managed to kill the target, which meant her contacts in the underworld would be very pleased.
Movement in the alley beside her caught her attention as she passed it. Slowing to a stop, Adonai looked coolly into the dim alleyway, seeing a group of figures. Another mugging, she observed with little concern. One guy certainly looked like he was being threatened. She should probably help, but then again…. It was nothing to do with her. She continued walking for a few steps before something occurred to her and she halted again. They would probably all have money. At this time of night, muggers had already done a few jobs already, so they’d have cash. Then there was the guy they were mugging. He’d have money too… Bottom line, she needed money, and they had it.
Her booted steps echoed between the walls as she walked down the alleyway towards the muggers as if she was taking a leisurely afternoon stroll in a park. As she passed the group, she brushed against one of them, expertly picking his pocket, smiling grimly as she weighed the wad of cash in her palm. Without making a noise or changing her emotionless expression at all, she grabbed the man in a headlock and flipped him onto his back and spun around to kick another in the stomach, kneeing him in the head as he doubled over, stunning him. Just one left… the leader. She charged, and Adonai swiftly punched her in the face, breaking her nose before grabbing her collar and slamming her into a wall.
“Money, now,” she ordered, and was rewarded with more wads of cash being shoved in her chest before she dropped the woman and watched her sprint away, splattering blood. Adonai pocketed the money and sniffed, glancing at the guy before turning on her heel and beginning to walk away.
In the wake of a rather brutal scene Eric looks absolutely stunned. This crazy woman had just walked up to his attackers and beaten them up and taken their money. And his wallet. It takes a few moments for this fact to sink in before he jerks back to life and turns to follow his saviour and robber. “Ummm… excuse me? Miss?” he says, “Ummm… thank you for… well saving me but I don’t suppose I could get my wallet back… umm please? I need money to get out of this city else they’ll just send more after me like last time…” Eric quickly darts in front of Adonai. As he does so his hood falls back revealing his face. Looking down he mumbles, “Sorry, but I really can’t let you go with my money…”
Adonai gave him a look that would wither steel. “Do you really think you could stop me?” she growled. She placed one hand on her chakrams, hanging from the belt of her body armour, lifting her coat slightly to make them visible. “I don’t give a shit about why you need the money, or who you are. If you want it, you’ll have to take it from me.” Sidestepping him swiftly, she continued walking down the alley, rolling her eyes at the stupidity of the man who tried to challenge her.
Visibly annoyed with the woman at this point Eric’s expression suddenly changes to become completely blank. He raises his two arms and looks at his fists. “You’re right.” he responds, “You have no idea who I am. You probably don’t care. But let me tell you, I’ve had one hell of a week. In the past few days I have been chased, repeatedly attacked, shot at and now I’ve even been robbed. And the best part is that I have no idea why. I just woke up in a hospital a few days ago with no idea what has been happening. But this I can tell you… I AM GETTING REALLY PISSED OFF!” Looking straight at Adonai he throws his right fist against the alley wall. A massive crash immediately follows as the wall buckles under Eric’s attack. “So let me ask you. Are you sure you want to do this!?”, he exclaims.
“A tough week?” Adonai growled, not letting the surprise at the man’s sudden strength show on her face. She shrugged off her coat, revealing her silvery full-body armour and unhooking the chakrams from her waist. “You call that a tough week? I have spent the last 2 weeks tracking people all across the globe, and only managed to kill three of them. So come at me, I’m ready if you are, you little bitch.”
She lowered herself into a fighting stance and spun the chakrams in her hands, glaring at him with her eyes ablaze with anger. “Come on!” she yelled. “Cos whatever you can throw at me I can give it back ten fold!!”
Eric stares straight at Adonai for a few moments. Suddenly he darts with surprising speed straight at her and without any sort of finesse or footwork he swings a wild blow in an attempt to catch her by surprise.
Instead of sidestepping him all the way, Adonai simply leaned to the side as the man charged, holding out her chakram and letting it cut all the way up his arm. She could feel the skin coating the mechanical interior tear like wrapping paper. Shame it wasn’t real. If it was she would have won with that move alone, but she had to see what effect it had before striking again.
If there was anything good that had occurred to Eric over all the crap he had been through, it was that most of his body was now mechanical. Otherwise that probably would have hurt. Since it didn’t have any real effect however, it was a mistake for her not to move more. With a sudden jerk his arm swung back straight into her chest, knocking her back.
Eric darts back and briefly examines the damage. Superficial mostly, a small scratch on the armouring. But how long before she hits something less well protected? The solution is of course obvious, don’t let her close in. He darts towards the alley, jams his arms into the wall and rips out a chunk which he unceremoniously hurls at her.
Adonai dropped as Eric turned, ready to throw the rock at her, rolling to avoid the attack. She felt a sharp pain in her leg as she felt the rock collide with her shin, and she let out a curse. “What is your fucking problem!” she yelled before sending a chakram slicing through the air towards his midriff. He would have to be damn fast to avoid that attack.
The inbound projectile is unceremoniously batted aside by a mechanical arm just before impact. As the chakram clatters against the alley wall, Eric stares shocked at his arm. It had moved on it's own without any input from him. Before he can question this worrying discovery however, a message appears on his HUD.
"WARNING. POWER LEVELS CRITICAL. ENGAGING LOW POWER MODE. YOU HAVE 30 MINS TO RECHARGE BEFORE DEACTIVATION."
Eric collapses onto his knee as the primary motors in his legs fail to accommodate the shut-down of the auxiliary motors. He begins nervously laughing as if trying to dispel the obvious fear on his face.
"So this is it? After all that this is how it ends?" he mutters to himself. Looking up at Adonai he tearfully states, "Looks like you win. I'm out of time and I can't fight anymore."
Slowly standing up without breaking eye contact he says, "I've not just got mechanical limbs you see, almost all my organs are either artificial or cybernetically repaired. That money was all I had and if I can't use it to recharge my batteries the next group they send after me will find my corpse. So please, I need that money back. I don't have any other options."