Arc 3 - Chapter 41: Raid On The Adobe II

Ada analyzed the way they stood.

Both Fred and Diego had no fighting experience, as per seen on their posture. Gripping the floor with all of their feet, all of their boots, the leather wrinkled beneath their stress. Narrowing her eyes further, a single vein sprouted from her right eyebrow.

“If you surrender, I won’t have to beat you senseless.”

“Jokes on you; I’m into that shit.”

“So be it.”

With a single jump forward, she didn’t dare to charge forward. Having her body weight on the tips of her toes, she leaped right, while her ears took in a conundrum of roaring wind.

Firing his revolver, the high-caliber bullets couldn’t strike her. Narrowly grazing her, Diego felt his feet glue too deep to the ground.

“S-Shit!”

She was right in—

Shades of reflecting light twinkled her eyes.

Gliding with her toes, she swerved away from the slice of razor blades. By the time she completely stalled, she laid her attention on the yo-yo at hand. Two yo-yos.

“Oh Freddy…”

Lunging forward again, she kept her hands low to her sides. This time, she glared with all digging eyes, as the reflecting light was none other than metal. Small shrapnel glued to the yo-yos, it looked like it was handmade.

Although he never once was good in hand-to-hand combat, he made sure that his eyes remained locked.

‘Just got to outsmart her.’

Barely able to keep his eyes on her, she zig-zagged at normal speed. Jumping back, his yo-yos moved with the motion as well, leaving him to chew down on all of his teeth. Once he did, he caught a blur of black.

“Diego!”

Raising both of his arms and hands, Ada had already thrusted her right fist. Copper glittering her knuckles, she was inches away…

But she arched her body to the right.

Feeling her back be grazed, hot lead scraped her suit, but it didn’t strike. As if luck had guided her, she glanced to her left, and noticed the gunsmoke that plowed from Diego’s barrel. All in slow motion, she—

Something warm trickled from her right ear.

Gliding away, she had her back pressed against a wall. Her ankles hitting the wooden wall, she raised a hand toward her ear. Having her fingers trickle in something warm, something sticky, it gushed out evermore from her ear.

“Huh.”

Glancing down at the floor, half an ear was sliced off. Trailing the droplets of blood, the culprit stood with a pale face.

“I’m really sorry…”

Ada could only stare with widened eyes. With that same hand that was botched in red, she raised it to her mouth… and licked it. Branding her tongue in iron, she giggled, and stared with sultry eyes on Fred.

“You made me bleed~”

She giggled like crazy. As if she was possessed, Diego himself lowered his barrel and buckled his knees. Fred had both yo-yos down low, his hand twitching the longer he stared at her…

A blur came to his right.

Avoiding a fist, one that reflected copper, he held his breath and raised his hands. With the yo-yos already launching high, they heard flesh strip. Heard it rip apart like a bandaid being taken off. But Ada didn’t care, as her spring-like arm made contact with his cheek.

“Gah!”

Something snapped. Like chips of wood breaking apart, along with his eyes going blurry, the two sensations groveled his vision and hearing. And at last, he collapsed and rolled.

As his yo-yos flailed back and forth.

‘One single punch…’

Hitting face first into the wall, both of his cheeks along with his nose swelled in an imaginary fire. Feeling it swell and scatter, it was like a thousand needles had pinched his skin. Sprawling his arms and legs across the ground, Ada turned, and left the groaning Fred to wallow in pain.

“Why did I have to eat dessert first…”

Despite having venom in her throat, she laid her restless eyes on Diego.

His finger on the trigger, and his hands twitching relentlessly, all he needed was a simple pull. A simple push to fire. But his body shivered under the imaginary cold he was in. Right before he closed his eyes…

“Grah!”

He stood no chance.

His revolver flying through the air, he tumbled and crashed onto the wooden floor. Feeling no sensation in his right cheek, saliva spazzed from his lips and out of his mouth. Staining the floor below, his fingers scrunched deep into the floorboards.

While Ada pulled back her fist.

“Time to drag you two out.”

Pushing her knuckle dusters into her pockets, her fingers wiggled before grabbing two men. Having her hands sully their collars, she didn’t care if they bumped into furniture or loosen floorboards. Making her way toward the door, she thrust out her right foot.

And it flayed open. Having them by their literal necks, she narrowed her eyes… and walked into the backyard.

________________________________________________________________________

“Shoot! Alexandra!”

“Keep your fight with those two! I’ll handle the bitch!”

Eren nodded, and directed his eyes onto the two men who quickly got up. Aiming his sniper rifle, he didn’t blindfire like how Jack does. Because he had standards to uphold, he thrust the scope right into his eye.

“Not so fast!”

Unwilling to use his rifle, Stan pushed his right hand into his right side. Pulling out a baton, he had already clicked a button, which unleashed a field of electricity from the tip.

Taking a leap to the right, he avoided a sniper round to the shoulder. As for Gary, he ran with a pistol clutched on his right hand, and fired three shots.

‘Damnit.’

Jumping back, he glided through the floor, with his toes guiding him to safety. It wasn't long before he pushed his back behind a wall, his body clear from both Stan and Gary’s eyes.

But the two of them knew where he was.

“Come on Eren! You know we aren’t what Reed said we are!”

“Oh really!? Then explain those bullets that fat bastard shot at me!”

“Self defense you bastard! You were about to shoot us first!”

“And besides! Unlike you lot, I actually follow orders!”

Gary aimed at the wall, as they knew that Eren took cover. If he was heartless, he would’ve shot through the wall like cardboard.

Stan trailed the marbled floor with caution, as Eren probably camped on the other side. Most likely having his barrel aimed forward, Stan didn’t step out of cover.

“Don’t be a bootlicker Eren! You know Reed was bribed! I think everyone knew!”

“Save it for the judge! In fact, I think Golden would be happy that we’ll bring you in!”

“Ah screw you!”

With his left hand, he grabbed a slab of hard wood from the ground. Holding it like a shield, he dashed forward like he was leading a one man charge. He heard the bullets fly. But—

One round. One sniper. One sonic boom. Widening his eyes, he loosened his hold on the hard wood shield. Turning around, he strained his teeth, as no warmth was bestowed on his left shoulder.

While his eyes took in gunsmoke.

“Got—”

Three more bullets rang.

Two of them grazed his body, while one struck right into his knee. Without letting go of his sniper rifle, he clutched it like a lifeline, while stumbling back from the pain. Crashing hard on his tailbone, he growled, and aimed his scope onto the chubby man who ran.

Firing two to three shots, the recoil sprang his body. As for Gary, he hid behind a tree, one that couldn’t hold no pedals.

“Shit shit shit! Just my luck!”

Hearing the bullets whistle, he knew that he got lucky with his shot. Glancing to his left, he noticed Stan wallowing in pain. Looking like he got shot on the shoulder, blood swept down his left arm.

Feeling his knees buckle, he didn’t allow any fear to shackle him.

“Hey Eren! How about we make a deal!”

“A deal!? Right here!? Right now!?”

“As far as I could tell, I’m the only one that isn’t shot!”

Gary leaned his face out for a split second, before hearing the roar of a gunshot. Pulling back his head, and having his back rest on the bark, he held his breath. Every whiff of air, every stroke of his vocals, he had both hands on the grip of his pistol.

Shivering his gun, he stained the metal with his own sweat.

“Come on Eren! Be smart now will ya!?”

“The only thing that wasn’t smart was running away from that courthouse!”

“Still going on about that!? Trying to be some broken record!?”

“That’s not the only thing breaking today!”

‘We’ll see about that asshole…’

Meanwhile…

Jumping out from her sprawled posture, Jenny immediately took out her spiked frying pan. Clutching it firm with digging fingers, she saw a blur, but that blur was already well in mind with her brain folds.

Lunging to her left, she raised the pan that she held. And with it, she deflected a single fist that struck dead center.

“Ah!”

“You can’t punch steel dumbass!”

Spinning her pan, she sprang her right arm forward, and sent Alexandra to skid back. Ignoring the swelling flames within her nerves, it was like they were set on fire. Trying not to concentrate hard, she bit the inside of her cheeks.

“We’ll see about that!”

The marbled floor beneath her cracked.

Like some sort of jack-in-the-box, Alexandra launched with so much force that her face wrinkled. Caught off guard, Jenny leaped to her right, and raised her pan upon instinct. By just doing that, she blocked an iron-domed fist.

“Huh?”

The pan was sent to her face. Striking dead center, her nose crackled, and blood immediately spurred from her nostrils. Taking many steps back, it wasn’t long before Jenny growled and glared.

“Damn you!”

She dropped her pan. Balling both of her hands, so did Alexandra.

Kicking off from the ground, the two of them thrusted their fists that trembled the air. A meter apart from one another, their combined attacks and dodges worked in some form of motion. Like cogs in a machine, they were in sync.

Flying hands, zig-zagging heads; the two battled in the trembling living room. Some of them hitting their own fists, their bones up to their muscles rattled from their own strength.

“Heeya!”

Alexandra launched her right foot forward, an attack that held no window but only a surprise. Without blinking, the boot launched straight into her stomach, and the tip of it narrowly dug into her chest.

All the air in her body escaped. Her back creating a hole, she didn’t traverse into the other room. No. Like a cartoon, she sprawled her arms and legs as dust grumbled her skin.

Falling down, and with fingers grazing the wooden floorboards, she coughed.

‘How can I beat her… how can I do it…’

“Get up.”

Her voice was commanding, all dangerous. Being only a meter in front of her, it was like she teleported.

Feeling the coldness of her shadow, feeling it dawn on her soul, she did her best to maintain her composed breathing. But even so, she narrowed her eyes and quenched her breath.

‘There’s got to be a weakness to her… something … anything…’

“Get. Up.”

Springing herself up, she wobbled her arms with jello bones. Coughing once again, saliva ruminated down her chin, while her fingers twitched the more she laid eyes on that spartan woman.

“Now be a good girl and let me beat you.”

“Afraid I can’t do that…”

Jenny mustered a grin, as her own breath came out in intervals. Sweat drenching her temples, it sulked her forehead to gleam white. But nonetheless, she cocked her head to the right.

“You’re forgetting one person.”

They both heard a raptor of bullets. The back of her hair rising, she had already taken the liberty to run past Jenny. Making her way toward the hall—

She felt a stab. No. Something hot.

“Ah!”

The bullets stopped, but Jenny traced the gunsmoke. Firing right from behind the agent, was none other than a bunny-human wearing a Pacithiest uniform. Carrying a Thopson rifle in his hands, he had his finger on the side.

“Don’t tell me men are your weakness.”

“As if… one gender … can change the battlefield…”

Rising from the wooden floorboards, she had one hand on her stomach. Red blood marinating her fingers, she wanted to scratch, but it would only make things worse. Her breathing growing hefty, growing coarse, she saw that beast-human put on a smug grin.

“Watcha going to do? Suck me?”

“I’m not into beast-humans… it’s just a preference, nothing discriminating…”

“Eh, I’ll take it. At least you don’t despise us.”

Reloading bullets into the chamber, he and Jenny stood side by side. Feeling the clock slow in time, feeling it drag by the hours, what Alexandra could do was—

—A vulcan of bullets crashed through all directions.—

Her instinct roaring in overdrive, Jenny bent down, and grabbed Jumbo’s hair with her fingers. Digging into his scalp, it was for a means to avoid the lead, avoid the barrage that came. Shielding their eyes, they rode out the booming bullets that ricocheted their souls.

Until it finally ceased.

Lifting their heads an inch high, they opened their eyes, but slowly. Letting go of Jumbo’s hair, he ignored the swelling red, as he glanced in back of him…

“Come on out!”

The back of Jenny’s hair rose up.

Looking behind her, was a group of agents wielding nothing but pistols. Not only that, but she felt a presence outside the walls as well. Glancing to her left, the bullet holes that decorated the wooden infrastructure were created by those behind them.

‘We’re surrounded…’

Letting go of her frying pan, Alexandra sat and smiled, with her tailbone pressured on the marbled floor. Looking at the two of them, looking at their pale faces, a single flick of bliss soured her face.

“Oh you’re so done for~”

Jenny and Jumbo rose, and raised their hands up high. Showing their flat palms, they hid nothing, and they spoke of nothing.

Staring into the outside, she knew that a similar scene was happening toward Stan and Gary. And as for Iris, what would happen to her? If she did truly beat that agent, then would she…

‘She’s not going to save me this time…’

Moving her eyes toward the front entrance door, she had them there for a solid two seconds. Taking her attention away, she pushed her pupils forward; and walked forward.