Axion and Virgil waited in the shadows, croug behind a dumpster in the alleyway adjat to the parking garage entrahe moon cast a faint light over the cracked pavement and graffiti-covered walls, illuminating the rustling trash and stray cats prowling nearby.

  As the time of the rendezvous drew near, Axion fidgeted, restless. She flexed her fingers, drumming them nervously against her thigh. "Do you think they'll show? What if they don't?" she asked, her voice low and quiet.

  "They'll show," Virgil murmured, his eyes fixed on the building's entrahe Neon Vipers wouldn't risk losing this opportunity. Their supplier has something they need, and they won't leave empty-harust me. These guys are too greedy for that."

  "Okay. So, what happens when they e out?" Axion inquired, g her fists and pressing her back against the wall. "Should we attack them right away, or...?"

  "We'll o wait until the deal's doo firm that the supplier is here. Once we have a visual, you take out the Vipers while I deal with the supplier. Be careful and remember to remain calm and focused. Don't hesitate and strike hard. No mercy." Virgil paused to gauge her rea. "Got all that?"

  Axion swallowed and nodded, inhaling deeply. "Yeah, got it. But I still think you're a bit of a jerk for making me do most of the work here."

  Virgil snorted in amusement and patted her on the shoulder. "You're the superhero here, not me. Might as well put all that training to use now, hmm? Besides, it's good practice for you."

  "Fine, whatever," Axion huffed, folding her arms defensively.

  As they waited, Axion strained her ears, listening for the slightest sound. Her gaze darted between the building and the alleyway, alert for any sign of movement. The miicked by slowly, feeling more and more like hours.

  Eventually, the muffled sound of a vehicle engine echoed through the stillness of the night air. A dark, armored van pulled up to the parking garage's entrance, pausing briefly at the gate before rolling through and disappearing underground.

  Axion g Virgil, who gave a firming nod. "That's them," he whispered. "We'll wait for a couple of mihen head inside. Let them settle in first."

  The pair crept from the cover of the dumpster and made their way carefully toward the side entrance of the building. Onside, they crept silently through the darkened hallway, straining to detey noises from deeper within the plex. Voices gradually became audible as they advanced cautiously through the corridors.

  Soon, Axion could distinguish sounds of versation ing from the parking garage beh them. As they reached the basement level, Virgil stopped at the top of a staircase leading down, cog his ear in the dire of the voices below. He pressed a fio his lips and motioned for Axion to follow him, guiding her alongside the railing overlooking the lower floor.

  When they reached a turn in the corridor, he crouched loeeked around the er. He held up a hand, signaling for her to hang bad stay silent.

  Axion peeked around his broad shoulders and over a dozen men gathered in a semicircle, fag a hooded figure in the ter.

  The dealer spoke, his voice eg off the walls: "...and you have my guarahat the product will meet your requirements. No other supplier offer what I ."

  One of the Neon Vipers stepped forward—a woman with long, straight bck hair tied bato a high ponytail. She wore a bck leather jacket and matg pants, paired with a pair of bck high heels. Her lips were painted a deep red and adorned with a silver se pierg, and her eyes were heavily lined with bck eyeliner. She held a thial briefcase in her gloved hand, stepping closer to the dealer.

  She must be that "Cobra" Kasumi person. Wow, she's actually scary-looking.

  She extended her arm, the case to the cloaked individual. "You have what we need. We'd better not be wasting our time with inferior product."

  The dealer took the case and ope, revealing rows of small vials taining a bright blue liquid. He ied each tainer carefully, his face obscured by his hood. "These are satisfactory." He she case closed and ha to one of his bodyguards.

  He then picked up his own briefcase and pced it on the hood of a nearby car. He unbuckled the tches and pulled the lid open, revealing rows of syringes packed tightly inside. He turned and held out a vial toward Kasumi, motioning for her to take it.

  "I trust you'll find this batch eveer. The formu has been refined and improved."

  Kasumi tilted her , her expression cold and unreadable. She grabbed a syringe from the case and exami closely, flig the needle with her thumb. She slid the tip of the syrio the vial, drawing out a sample of the blue liquid. She studied it for a moment, then flicked her eyes back toward the dealer. "You'd better not be trying to pull a fast one on us, or yoing tret it."

  She returhe sample to the case and turo the other Vipers. "Alright, let's load it up."

  The members of the gang dispersed, breaking apart the circle and spreading out. Some went to the van, while others remained behind to assist Kasumi.

  The dealer backed away, reag out to grab another of his bodyguards and murmur something into his ear. His servant nodded and trotted back upstairs, disappearing through the doorway behind them.

  Crap! They might have seen us!

  Panic gripped Axion. She tugged on Virgil's sleeve urgently and poi the departing hen.

  Virgil held his hand out and made a fist, tellio hold still. He pced a reassuring hand on her shoulder, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "Steady, don't give away our position. They haven't seen us yet."

  The two of them remained hidden, remaining perfectly still as Kasumi finished her business.

  Ohe cases had been loaded, she marched up to the dealer, looming threateningly. "If this doesn't pan out, I'm ing after you."

  He nodded. "Of course, Ms. Yamaguchi. You'll have your product within a month's time, as agreed. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

  Suddenly, the sound of boots pounding against crete reverberated through the room. From the ramp leading to the upper level, a group of Neon Knight gang members charged into view, wielding pipe guns and an assortment of melee ons. They rushed the Vipers, firing indiscriminately, sending bullets and shrapnel flying through the air.

  Kasumi and her crew responded in kind, dug and dodging the projectiles, firing back with their own firearms. She dove to the ground and rolled out of the way, springing up oher side of the van. She lifted her pistol and fired a round of shots into the melee, dropping two Knights to the ground.

  The dealer seized the d ducked out of the line of fire, retreating to the opposite end of the garage with his bodyguard close behind.

  A few of the other Knights followed after him, but were cut off by Kasumi and her men. They exged gunfire, pinning each other in pce, exging rounds at point-bnk rahe sound of lead smashing into flesh and bone echoed off the crete walls.

  "Let's move, kid. Now's our ce!" Virgil hissed, proddiowards the chaos.

  "Y-you got it!" Axion replied. She stumbled forward, shaking off her trepidation, and dashed off toward the batants.

  She saw Virgil dash around the fray and stalk the dealer and his escort as they retreated.

  Meanwhile, Axion veered around the parking garage, narrowly avoidiing shot by several gangsters. She took cover behind a pilr and tried to assess the situation. The fighting tinued, with mang members charging in from the ramp to join the fight. The bodies of dead and dying Knights and Vipers littered the floor, their blood seeping into the cracks between the crete sbs.

  Damn it, it's a mess down here. Where the hell do I even start!?

  As Axion prepared to unto a, she heard a clig noise behind her. She spun around in surprise as a man emerged from a darkened er of the garage, brandishing a sword.

  He raised his on, as if preparing to strike even though he was a few meters away.

  Axion's LED eyes widened in shock as the man flicked his wrist, and the bde split into multiple segments, being a long, flexible segmented whip.

  He swung the whip toward her, the extension catg her off-guard, and Axion barely mao dodge out of the way as the whistlial passed above her, striking the pilr she had been standing in front of, knog chips of crete onto the floor.

  Woah! Who is this guy!?

  Axion scrambled backward, and as she regained her footing, she saw the man luowards her again, sword-whip raised high. She reacted instinctively, throwing herself to one side as the whip crashed down beside her, smashing into the ground and creating a shower of sparks.

  He's fast!

  The man shouted over the noise of the surrounding battle, "Kasumi! We've got a pest here. It's that Axion punk everyone's been talking about!"

  Kasumi paused mid-firefight, eyes narrowing in reition. "That Super mao sniff us out?" she snarled, leaping from behind the van. "Tsk. Go take care of her, Vaughn. I'll finish here."

  The man called Vaughn nodded, his gaze log on Axion, "With pleasure, Cobra." He swung his sword whip toward her with blinding speed, f her to jump out of the way as the sharp metal whistled past. "What's wrong, little Super? 't even stand up against a simple thug like me? How pathetic."

  Axion gulped. This thug seemed like bad news. At least the others were busy killing each other. That gave her the ce to focus on her oppo.

  His eyes bzed with fidence as he struck the ground, the length of the whip tearing a wide gash in the crete floor. He cocked his arm back, whirling the whip over his head before sending it snapping towards her again, the steel tip singing as it sliced through the air. She dove out of the way, but the segmented whip grazed her jacket, cutting into the fabric.

  That was close! This Vaughn guy seems like a big shot. Must be Cobra's wo.

  Axion steadied herself, her adrenaline kig in. "Who says I 't!?" she retorted as she dashed forward, aiming a punch at his gut.

  He blocked her attack with his free hand, pivoting on the ball of his foot and tering with a swift kick to her stomach.

  She grunted as his boot ected, the blow sending her reeling back.

  "Hmph. For a Super, you're nothing special." Vaughn's tone was mog, the smirk on his lips widening.

  He unleashed another furious barrage of sshes, whipping his sword from left tht, f Axion to evade his attacks while he gained momentum.

  Axion gasped as the sharpened metal narrowly missed her head, grazing past her helmet.

  The tail of his whip-bde swept around to her left, and she leapt to the right, only to find that he was already there waiting, anticipating her move. He smiled smugly as he sent his on sweeping across her torso, shredding the front of her jacket and sshing at her bodysuit underh.

  She screamed as the bde cut deep, drawing blood. She rolled onto her back, clutg the wound with a shaking hand, watg as Vaughn leisurely flipped the whip over in his grip, spttering the ground with drops of her blood.

  "I don't know what kind of power you're supposed to have, but from what I've seen so far, it doesn't seem like much of anything," he said desdingly, gng at the gashes he had inflicted upon her.

  "Shut up!" Axion growled as she forced herself back to her feet, despite her injury.

  She o buy some time so she could focus and formute a strategy. But what strategy? She'd never fought against someoh a on like that before. It would have beeer if he just used a gun.

  Think, Fii, THINK! What would Virgil do? He always has a pn! Use that brain of yours and...wait, I got it! If I get close enough, I pin him with my powers! Then all I o do is punch him in the face! Damn it! Why didn't I do that before? Stupid, stupid!

  Axion crouched low, her muscles coiled like springs as she eyed Vaughn, ready to move at a moment's notice. The cacophony of gunfire and g metal filled the air, both gangs trading blows.

  Vaughn stood tall, his shoulders rexed as he swished his whip sword bad forth, as if taunting her, dario approach. "What's wrong? Got nothi?" He chuckled derisively.

  She could feel her power thrumming inside of her, its energy radiating throughout her body, tingling along her arms and legs. "Just testing the waters. It'd be a shame if I knocked you out too quick," she joked, a surge of bravado flooding her veins.

  His brows furrowed at her flippant tone, his expression hardening as he gred at her with ipt. "You should be begging for mercy by now," he said, raising the whip higher, readying himself for arike.

  She knew what to do; all she had to do now was act. She shifted her weight onto her toes, her gaze fixed ily upon his movements. Every muscle in her body tightened as she prepared to lunge. She wao wipe that infuriating look off his face.

  The air around her seemed to shimmer as she maniputed the gravity around her body, lightening her weight.

  With a burst of speed, she unched herself toward Vaughn. He swung his whip-sword in a wide arc, but she was already in the air, gravity’s hold on her lessened. She twisted, the on missing her by mere timeters, before nding on her feet and closing the distaween them.

  Time to ftten him.

  But just as she was about to increase the gravity between them, a flicker of movement from below her periphery caught her attention and she instinctively recoiled as the whip-sword sliced through the space where her head would have been. The motion cost her, and Vaughn kicked her in the chest, knog her to the ground.

  "Argh!" Axion groaned, sprawling on her back.

  Shit, shit! I was so close!

  "Predictable." Vaughn brought the whip-sword down, and she rolled to the side just in time to avoid being sliced in half.

  The ground where she had nded was marred with deep scratches, and she grimaced at the thought of what would've happened if that hit had nded.

  Vaughn backed away, tinuing to keep his distance while maintaining a osture, but he appeared to have bee a lot more cautious than before, as if he knew he wasn't dealing with an amateur. "You're surprisingly tenacious, little Super. Not that it'll ge anything in the end."

  Damn, I uimated him! This Vaughn guy's no joke. I o stop pying around! Focus! FOCUS!

  For a moment, they circled each other, both seeking an opening.

  In a split sed, Axion made her move. She bolted towards an adjat wall by Vaughn's fnk, dashing sideways while l her ter of mass.

  Vaughn whipped at her with lightning speed, but this time, Axion anticipated his attack. She kept her momentum and moved to avoid the bde, the on cutting through the air directly behind her.

  She sprang toward the wall, her feet finding purchase where there should have been none, kig off from it and somersaulting in midair as she zeroed in on Vaughn.

  He turned, surprise flickering across his face as Axion desded. But he recovered quickly, extending his whip to meet her mid-air.

  Axion twisted, narrowly avoiding a lethal embrace with the segmented bde. She barreled into him, tag him with all of her enharength, smming him against the ground in a hail of dust and debris. His on cttered away from his grasp as she pinned him against the floor, holding him down with all of her weight.

  Vaughn grunted, struggling to throw her off. She twisted his arms behind his back, attempting to keep him restrained. He jerked upward, his back colliding with her injured side. Axion wihe pain causio falter, and in an instant, he flipped their positions.

  Now on top, Vaughn reached for her throat, his fingers encirg her ightly and squeezing.

  "Urk!" Axion choked, gasping for air.

  Vaughn ughed, grinning maliciously as he pressed harder. "Good try, Super. I'll admit, I didn't expect you to be this eaining. It's too bad I 't py with you longer."

  Her pn didirely pan out the way she wanted, but at least he was within her range now.

  Axion trated, eling her power to increase the gravity around her and Vaughn. She felt the graviton particles shift around her, affeg the gravitational field around their bodies.

  With a burst of effort, she amplified the gravity, doubling and then tripling the pull on Vaughn. He colpsed on top of her, uo move. His fingers sed their grip arouhroat, and he groahe breath driven from his lungs.

  "What...what the hell is this?!" The man squirmed as the forcreased, uo lift his chest or support his weight on his arms.

  She pushed him off of her, sitting upright, and punched him squarely in the jaw while amplified by the increased gravity. His head snapped back, his mouth open in a silent scream as his cheekbone shattered beh the impact.

  As quickly as she had increased the gravity, Axion released it, and Vaughn toppled to the side, unscious.

  "Take that, jackass," she muttered, panting as she rolled over and sat up.

  It worked! Awesome! YES! In your FACE! That was...okay, I might be getting ahead of myself a little bit. But still, WIN!

  Vaughn y motionless on the floor, bleeding from his nose and mouth.

  Axion staggered to her feet, sing the room for her arget.

  The sounds of the ongoing fight had died down, leaving only the ringing echoes of spent bullet gs boung along the ground. In the ter of the parking garage, Kasumi and a few Neon Vipers stood over the bloody and battered forms of the remaining Neon Knight members.

  "No! N-no!" one of the defeated gang members cried out, holding his hands in front of his face, pleading for his life.

  Kasumi coldly sneered, "Cute. You Knights thought you could take us on? I'll show you what happens when you make an enemy out of the Neon Vipers." She shot the groveling thug in the head, and the lifeless body fell limp.

  "Kill them," Kasumi anded her soldiers. "Don't leave a single one alive."

  The st few Neon Knights were executed without mercy, their pleas for fiveness falling on deaf ears.

  Axion's eyes locked with Kasumi, who stared directly back at her. The woman narrowed her eyes and reloaded her gun before pointing the barrel at her. "You...you're that Axion brat, aren't you? Yeah, you definitely fit the description." Her gaze lowered to the crumpled heap that was once Vaughn lying unscious at her feet. "Huh, impressive. I didn't expect you to st so long against Vaughn."

  Her expression darkened, her eyes turning to slits as she pointed her pistol at Axion. "How did you find out about this deal? You must have really stuck your nose where it didn't belong."

  The surviving Neon Vipers leveled their ons at her, standing by their leader's side.

  "It doesn't matter," Kasumi added, taking aim. "Die."

  They all fired simultaneously, unleashing a hailstorm of bullets in her dire.

  Axion's LED eyes fred blue, her power activating instinctively. The gravitons around her fluctuated as she altered her gravitational field, f a protective barrier around her.

  The bullets whizzed through the air, the pull of the gravitational field bending their paths slightly, altering their trajectories. The projectiles veered away from her, ricocheting off the ground and the surrounding walls, pinging harmlessly around her.

  Axiohed a sigh of relief as the firing ceased, and the smoke began to clear.

  Kasumi and the other Neon Vipers stared wide-eyed in disbelief, their ons smoking at their sides. She holstered her pistol and spat angrily, "Get in the van a out of here. We're leaving. NOW!"

  She strode briskly to the idling vehicle, hopping in and smming the door shut behihe Vipers scrambled to follow suit, loading the wounded into the vehicle, while those still able to walk assisted their rades.

  Oh no you don't!

  Axion sprinted after the gangsters, eling the gravitons around her body. She leaped through the air, the force of her jump carrying her effortlessly across the entire garage.

  The van's tires squealed as Kasumi floored the accelerator, the vehicle lurg forward with a screech.

  But Axion had other pns.

  As she he fleeing van, she brought her leg down hard on the ground, unleashing a rippling shockwave that raced outward, the ground crag beh her heel. The wave smashed into the undercarriage of the vehicle, shaking it violently as the tremors tore through its metal frame.

  Kasumi lost trol, and the van skidded sideways, colliding into the wall with a loud ch. The impact sent a shower of gss and twisted metal exploding outward, peppering the parking garage with debris. The front of the van ched inward, and its ealled with a hiss of steam.

  A message flickered to life in front of Axion's visor. On the left-hand side of the dispy, the letters "TSFI" appeared, along with a number which fshed a bright yellow:

  [TFSI: 0.54]

  She didn't need a o tell her that her leg felt the strain of that attack. A dull ache throbbed through her feet, shin, and thigh, but she ig as she walked to the wreckage.

  The driver-side door flew open and Kasumi spilled out of the vehicle, cradling her head and gring daggers at her.

  "Bitch. I'll kill you..." she grumbled, blood trig from a cut above her right eye.

  Axion cracked her knuckles as she approached her. "Sorry, 't hear you, talk a little louder? It's probably because you're about to get knocked out."