Nemesis

XLIII - The Rampant Monster

Nemesis

Chapter XLIII — The Rampant Monster

[Rustage Ft. McGwire — Fear My Touch]

[04 December 2023]

[Brooklyn, New York]

[22:39]

Saoirse strugged to get even a wink of sleep and this began the moment she read the article that spoke of the deaths of Eben Pérez, Daniel Redman and Roman Baker. One of those men was a political powerhouse, the other was the mayor of New York and the other was the recently inducted CEO of Ares Tech. All of them had been dispatched. New York's residents were once again in peril and Saoirse had known this when there was news of the same monster killing a man in cold blood in the streets of Manhattan. The man did not care for stealth anymore, all he wanted was the blood of his victims. And Saoirse had a feeling that she was the biggest victim on a list of many.

Being in New York had only grown that target on her back. While she refused to leave the state, believing that she could perhaps collect some bit of information from the monster set to attack, many disagreed with her rather reckless plan and had made the decision to leave New York immediately. Saoirse was already in her Presidential Cadillac on the streets of Brooklyn, supported by cars of equal power in front and behind her. The vehicles traveled at a somewhat calm pace, as if confident that the monster would not break through with any of his weaponry.

The monster in question was nearby and was already aware of the

president's departure. Dragunov stood atop an apartment building that the president's vehicle had drove past minutes ago and he observed the defense formed around the most powerful woman in the world. There were twelve cars in total; three in front and three to her left, three to her right, and three more behind her. It was quite the defense, but Dragunov was still confident in his ability to break through. He stood on the edge, right above the second-last in the convoy and he leapt off of the building, falling as if his body were a corpse.

In a matter of seconds, Dragunov landed on top of the final car in the convoy, which transformed the stares from the public into gasps. The car came to a halt and so did the two ahead of it. Three groups of five men in SWAT armour made their way out of the vehicles and they instantly recognized Dragunov. "It's the killer!" One of them yelled as he prepared the weapon on his back; the Ares Tech Focus Cannon. He initiated the first attack, which was a beam of energy from the cannon in hand.

The beam struck Dragunov in the chest, sending him tumbling across the road. The men moved closer to Dragunov, not quite sure if the battle was over already or if he had survived. Unfortunately for them, the monster had survived. Dragunov rose from the ground and the men stopped in their tracks. His jacket had suffered a bit of damage, but he seemed quite well. There was not a single scratch on his body.

The men gasped at the sight, surprised that a mortal man could survive such an attack. "What the fuck...?" One of them mumbled, before the first group of five began to advance. "Make sure the president keeps moving!" One of the men yelled back to their colleagues as they headed off to battle. The vehicles were way ahead of them and had already created a significant gap between the last three cars, all to escape the rampant monster.

Dragunov also charged at the men, a pair of firearms in his hands — quite unusual from the standard Feather Gun he kept with him — and began to unleash clusters of invisible energy from the tools, which sent the man all around him flying into one of the vehicles and nearby buildings. The walls of the buildings had been cracked and the vehicle would likely never drive