A Second Chance

Part 19 - You're no different from them!

Shockwave shot a blast my way.

"You won't beat me again,"

I dodged her blast, shooting some lightning back, but she danced out of the way.

"Crazy dodging skills,"

She propelled herself into the air, firing another blast at me. I swiftly dodged it as well.

"So spill, what got you into The Vipers?" I probed. "If The Swordsman really trusts you, that means you have a purer heart than all the other elite fighters."

"None of your business," she retorted. "I don't care if you spilled your life story; I'm not telling you mine."

"Fair enough," I shrugged. "Maybe you'll open up as we keep fighting."

She looked confused, like, why was I bothering her about joining me and Mark?

And honestly, why was I?

I really want to end this fight and capture her, but I risk losing The Swordsman in that case. I told The Swordsman I would be on his side to help Shockwave, and honesty has always been one of my core traits.

Maybe I could try using my previous negotiation tactics. I've fought with villains with a touch of goodness before. Unagami was one of the biggest examples of that. That guy was straight-up evil, but deep down, he just got ditched by the person he loved - Milton Dyer.

Besides, adding her to the squad would be a good idea. The Swordsman and The SWAT are very important, but adding her would approximately double our power.

She could take charge against other elite fighters and even help me when I fight The Executives.

"Goodness," Shockwave mumbled, landing a solid kick. "What's the point of going all out when you know it's pointless?"

"Because everything's got value, whether you see it or not," I fired back. "And you, according to my ally, are valuable. So, if this is true, you don't belong in such a devaluing organization,"

"But I've been with The Vipers for more than 10 years," she stated. "Why the hell should I quit now after everything?"

"I think you've got the whole deal twisted," I countered. "Tell me, have you ever enjoyed watching The Vipers go on their crime spree?"

She stayed silent at that.

"Venom," I continued. "That monster's racked up over a thousand kills, right? And you're still partners with him after everything he did?"

"That's on him, not me-"

"No," I said. "It's the organization that molded it. Unless you're a spy, it's also on you,"

Shockwave looked down.

"Why let others do this?" I pressed. "You could be helping people, not causing them pain. You could help stop a twisted organization like this, not help fuel it,"

"No," Shockwave fired back. "I've already told you, it's my fate, nothing else."

"Your fate?"

She retaliated with another sonic blast. I countered with lightning, but she redirected it through the ground again. This time, I predicted her move, creating a lightning shield to block her blast.

But, stupid me completely forgot to focus on her other skill. She landed a solid punch to my core, followed by a two-legged kick and another sonic blast, sending me into a wall.

"Fate's the tie that binds us all," Shockwave said. "You can't just break free from it. It's bound to exist everywhere, no matter how hard you try,"

"Really?" I muttered, surprised. "I was thinking-"