The Many Regrets of a Cyborg Werewolf

Crossing the Rubicon - XIII

The parking garage was surrounded by the sounds of sirens. Police had been posted at every entrance and exit off the property, but held position. The hostage taker hadn't made any demands, nor accepted any attempts to communicate, and the hostages had been moved from outside the building to inside, sitting up against the concrete wall. They were visible to the streets below, but only two of the three could still be seen. The other was taken inside, held by the perpetrator as a shield. The individual, clad in a jagged silver bodysuit and face-obscuring helmet, was hardly concerned by the police. He knew they wouldn't approach, not yet, not with the situation still so unclear. Yet the media attention was necessary in order to gain his attention. He'd be watching, or listening, and the hostage taker knew that. It was summarily unsurprising when footsteps echoed through the nearly vacant building, not from below, but above. Only a single man approached, hands in the pockets of his jacket, stopping about a dozen metres away. The individual in silver turned to face him, but did not let the hostage go, instead holding her closer as if to use the woman as a shield.

"You came," Mercury said. "I'm glad."

"Let them go," Luke said in a tone that was more irritated than concerned. "I'll stick around this time."

"You know that's not how this works," Mercury pulled the hostage closer, the woman whimpering as she didn't dare resist. "Besides, I still need to keep the police at bay. I want this to be just you and me."

"Then you don't need hostages," Luke said. "We can go anywhere. I'll comply, just let these people go."

"Why do you care?" Mercury asked in earnest, "why do such fragile things elicit such concern?" He tightened his grip on the metal binding that held the woman, and the silver began to constrict.

"Stop," Luke barked. Mercury said nothing, but he did loosen his grip.

"I want to see it," he said, "your transformation. In person, for myself." Luke said nothing, only glaring at him as he kept his hands in his pockets. Mercury pushed the woman forward, the silver that bound her shooting spikes into the ground, holding her upright and in place as he approached Luke.

"I don't need it," Luke said as Mercury approached him. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and held them up, opening and closing them to show they were empty. "I can kick your ass just fine with these."

"I don't recall that being the case last time," Mercury said.

"Beginner's luck," Luke chuckled. He then shot forward towards Mercury, sticking out with his elbow. The telegraphed attack was easily dodged, but Luke dropped low, kicking Mercury's right foot out from beneath him. As the silver warrior fell Luke snapped his leg back in, his knee going right into Mercury's face as he came down, and Luke spun and kicked out with his other foot, knocking the larger fighter flat onto his back with a loud thud. Dazed and shocked, Mercury frantically rolled away and back up to one knee, even as Luke was back on his feet with his hands at his sides. Luke shrugged.

"Impressive," Mercury stood back up, "you've had training."

"Nope," Luke smirked. Mercury leapt forward, lashing out with his silver claws. Luke stepped back, the razor tips mere millimetres away, and so Mercury swiped again. His speed was blinding, yet to Luke was only slightly slower than his own, and so every swipe was dodged with minimal effort. This visibly infuriated Mercury, whose attacks became faster and more aggressive, clawing and swiping like an animal, until he finally grabbed Luke's jacket by the collar. Luke dropped and twisted just as Mercury swung for his head, turning his jacket inside out and grabbing the ends of the sleeves. Luke twisted the coat around Mercury's arms, tying them and binding them, and pulled him inwards. Luke drove his knee into Mercury's midsection, the jagged armour being thinner there, and heard the air forced out. Luke kept tugging his enemy's tangled arms, striking him with his knees, feet, and elbows, and brought the coat and coiled arms up. Now Luke could actually punch, using his coat to avoid skin contact with the silver armour, and he began pummeling Mercury. Again and again he struck until finally Mercury had enough. With an enraged growl he tore the jacket apart to free his arms, thrusting his claws towards Luke's face. Luke bent backwards to dodge, falling back as he braced himself on the ground with his arms, and in one swift motion tucked his legs in and mule-kicked Mercury back with enough force to send the larger man flying three meters, crashing against the pavement with a metallic thud.