I lunged at my old mentor. I had expected him to meet me somewhere in the middle and that we would collide somewhere in the middle. The tricky thing is that we both knew how the other fought, and would have to change how we acted and reacted to everything. Nick was the first to change his pattern. He charged forward, almost as if he had meant to meet me like I had anticipated, but at the last second he changed it. He turned to the side and I moved past him. As I twisted my body to face him he kicked me forward, using my own momentum so that I would fall forward.
I swore mentally and turned my fall into a cartwheel, landing just out of his reach and staring him down. I resisted the urge to grab my back. It was just a kick but I could already feel it bruising. I glanced to the table, now that I was closer. I wondered if I could get to it before he could get to me. Unfortunately that partial second was a detraction that Sleepslicer was counting on. Before I could realize that he had even moved, he came at me in a blur of motion. He aimed a kick, which I barely managed to block with my arm. He grabbed my wrist and kneed and kicked me multiple times very fast. All that I could do was let my body be jerked around by the impacts and fall to the ground when he released my wrist. I grabbed my sides and rolled away in agonizing pain. He had done more damage to my cracked ribs. He clicked his tongue at me in disappointment.
"Neo, Neo, Neo," he sighed. "You've really let yourself go. You used to be such a good fighter, such a good little henchman! but then you had to go and let those silly feelings get in the way." His eyes took on a deranged look, and I tried to crawl away in fear. He was mad! He was insane! And he was no longer the man that had cared for me and took me off the streets.
"I haven't let anything go yet," I managed to spat through clenched teeth. I took a deep breath and concentrated. Control. I let my concerns go. I let my fears go. I let the feelings for my old mentor and friend go. My emotions melted away, and I was her.
I felt a slow but manic smile creep across my face and I tilted my head to the side. Laughter bubbled up inside of me and spilled out, even though doing so hurt my ribs. I took little notice of pain now. Of all the things I had done, this would be the biggest challenge. The most fun. I rolled back and jumped back to my feet, standing up strait.
For a moment the two of us stopped and stared at each other. Me, sizing up the man with the scar in front of me. Imagining the thrill of the challenge and the rush of the fight. And he looked down at me, a large smile resting on his face.
"Yes! Yes, that's it Neo! Forget your feelings! Do not think, just obey. That's my good little soldier," as he spoke, he changed slightly. Anger that his project had been a failure was replaced by pride. And maybe, if I had been my normal self, I could see that he cared. I could see that he was showing emotion. And that he was distracted.
As he marveled at his creation, I attacked, taking him completely by surprise. I attacked fast and hard. First I attacked with my umbrella, then unleashed a flurry of kicks and other strikes that knocked him back. It was very similar to what he had done to me, only I didn't have to hold his wrist so he couldn't move, I just hit him that hard. He flew backwards, landing on his back and sliding a little ways. He looked up at me as I made my way towards him. I moved slowly, relishing the look of shock, pain, and a twist of anger on his face.
"N-Neopolitan, what are you doing?" he demanded, trying to rise to his feet. I kept walking towards him, the crazy smile on my face widening even more. "S-stop!" He shouted, rising quickly to his feet, but I kept coming. "I'm ordering you to stop!" I almost laughed again, but it didn't seem worth the effort. Stupid old man. The only one that listened to orders was the Neo with feelings. This part of me, the one that was crazy and wild and free, I completed missions. They may not have always been the missions that others wanted, but they were the ones that needed to happen. Right now, Nicholas Sleepslicer was my mission.
