Artificial

Toppled

Operator Shockwave

I vault down off of the wall, and tuck and roll as I hit the floor. I rise to my feet, and stand tall. Back straight, shoulders back, looking powerful.

Looking like I mean business.

Are you sure about this?
Yes, Tremor. Someone needs to knock Vel down a peg. She seems to think she's a goddess, but she's not. She can be beaten, and I'm going to show her that. Hopefully, I'll be able to do it before she loses Evo.
Saving her from herself, huh? Noble.
Yeah. Let's hope she sees it that way, because it involves me kicking her ass.

I step between Vel and Evo, shoving them to either side.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Vel roars, furious.
"I'm trying to help you. You need to calm down, Vel. You've got something great here with Evo, but you're going to lose it if you don't chill the fuck out."
"Don't tell me how to treat my man! He knew what he signed up for!"
"He does know, and this sure as hell isn't it!"
I look back at Evo, and he nods in confirmation.
"Oh, taking her side?"
She seems to hiss with every venom-filled word she spits at us.
"That's just like you, Evo! No loyalty, just like I said!"
"Jesus Christ, Vel, I'm trying to help you! You're gonna lose him! Listen to reason," I plead.
"You're not the voice of reason, you're the voice of weakness! The voice of letting everyone walk all over you! I'm not like that, you all know that," she finishes, gesturing to the operators gathered atop the walls.
"Voice of weakness, eh? If I remember correctly, I had you on the ropes last time we fought, until your boyfriend bailed you out."
She grits her teeth, and secures her helmet over her head.
I put mine on, and the HUD synchronizes instantly.
I really hope you're sure about this.
I am. But I don't want to hurt her too much. Be ready with quick, low-power concussion blasts.
Can do.
Alright. Let's do this.
I look up at Vel.
"Come at me then! Let's see who's the voice of strength!"
She charges at me, roaring like a wild animal.

She throws her weight into a punch with her right, and I deflect it with a gauntlet blast. She tries again with her left, and gets the same result. She brings back her right arm for another attack, but I'm quicker. I grasp her helmet in my hands and fire both gauntlets at once, sending her flying. She lands on her back, sliding on the ground. She lies there for a second, then curls her legs into herself, almost like a coiled cobra,  and jumps to her feet. She comes at me again, this time leading with the ferocious kicks she's become known for. I dodge left and right, up and down, avoiding every attack she throws at me. Her rage is making her sloppy.
Finally, the moment I've been waiting for.
She leaps into the air, starting her signature airborne kick. I lean backward, narrowly dodging her foot, then charge forward as she lands. I tackle her to the floor, then raise myself up so that I'm kneeling over her.
Tremor.
Yes?
Full power.
Understood.
I unleash a full-power concussion blast into her face at point blank range, keeping her pinned to the floor.
The room is silent.
I rise to my feet and gingerly step over her. I take off my helmet, and let out a sigh.
"You done?"
"...yeah," she struggles out. When she moves her head, I can see she left an indent in the steel floor.
"Good. Let this be a lesson to you."
I turn to the crowd of Operators and staff gathered on the wall to watch.
"And to all of you as well—Velox isn't the only bad bitch on this base!"
I turn and look back at Reach.
"I think these two have a lot to talk about. Shall we?"
He approaches me and offers his arm.
"I think so."
I take it and follow him out of the maze.