Shattered (Sequel to Shadowfax)

Rika

             Jade ripped her booted foot free of the jungle mud with a grunt, groaning disgustedly at the wet squelching sound it made. "Bloody jungle," she muttered under her breath. She slapped at her comm. as it trilled in her ear. "What?"

Nutsy's reproachful tone lit up her ear. "Well, hello to you too Sunshine."

Jade hissed out an apology. "Sorry lad. What is it you would like to communicate to me, o' technological saint?"

"You don't get to be chippy with me when you're the one who volunteered to be live bait." Jade grunted, but shut up. "Fantastic. Anyway, I need you to plant your stake about twenty clicks to the left." Jade switched direction, only to be stopped once more. "No. My left, your right."

"Nutsy, I'm about to clock ye right in the—"

"Right there." Nutsy cut her off, eyeing Jade through the scope of his gun. "Actually, shift it a few inches to the right."

"My right, or your right?"

"Yours. No, wait. Mine—oh, nice. Real mature Jade," he added as a frustrated Jade flipped him off from the ground. "I'm muting you now. Sit there and wait for me to give the signal."

"Nutsy, don't you dare—" Nutsy shut her off with a decisive 'click.' He leaned back against the rough stone of the cliffside and ran a hand over his sweating face. The fact that he didn't have the ability to fly was astoundingly clear to him at that moment. He wasn't exactly fond of heights, possessing a healthy fear instilled in him after a near-death experience in the Himalayas. (He still hadn't forgiven Jade for that. If he lived through this, he would have a few choice words for the Scotty).

T'Challa, silently observing a few yards away, gave him a concerned side-eye. Nutsy waved him off.

The sensor in Nutsy's pocket buzzed as the last of the stakes were put into place, activating the invisible energy field surrounding the game-zone. (The game-zone was primarily used for tournaments Wakandans used to test their warriors. Today it would be closer a battle-zone).

"Sit tight guys. Now we wait."

"Nut," Sphinx's soft voice tremored slightly. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Nutsy laughed bitterly. "No. I don't think most people would be okay with murder."

"Do you want to call Nick before this goes down? Just in case..."

"No. I told you before: I'm not dragging him into this bs again."

"Nutsy—"

He cut her off abruptly. "Movement from the north side. Ready, Jade?"

"Raring to go."

As Jade began to move, a low hum filled the air as Nutsy completely closed off the game-zone; the air rippled as the electric field extended into the sky. Nothing would get in—or out—without receiving a nasty shock (Hunger Games style).

...

Jade dove into the shadows, emerging on the north side of the dome under the fronds of a large cyatheale. Her eyes began to glow as she raked her eyes over the dark jungle. She became eerily aware of the silence. Typically, there would be birds competing for supremacy in the trees, or monkeys screeching in the distance. Instead, there was a presence of otherness among the trees, as if the jungle was holding its breath. Then, a branch snapped.

A chill ran up Jade's spine as the scent of Rika's perfume invaded her nostrils. A feather-light touch brushed her shoulder, and Jade froze.

"Hello, favori." Rika's accent had changed since they last met, from a cold Russian purr to a lilting French one. Jade couldn't move as the assassin traced her finger up from her shoulder blades to the crook of her neck. She felt Rika's lips brush her ear. "I have missed you."

"I wish I could say the same," Jade managed. "But the lack of pretentious arsehole in my life has done me a world of good."

Rika slipped a possessive arm around her waist. "Oh, but remember all the fun we had, favori. If only we had had a little more time. We could have gotten to my favorite game."

Jade flicked the blade in her wrist compartment free, pressing it to Rika's side.

"This ain't that kinda party, lass."

Rika laughed—a high, tinkling sound. "Oh, favori, you forget—I'm the one who trained you. I decide the games we play." She smiled, the curve of her lips pressing against Jade's nape. "And when they end."

Jade retreated a step. "You want to play a bloody game? Fine. You're it, wench."

She dove into the shadows.

...

Nutsy listened with increasing revulsion to Rika and Jade's conversation. Beside him, T'Challa was bristling, and Loki's buzzing anger could practically be felt through the line.

"If someone doesn't dispatch that witch soon, I'll strangle her myself," he snarled.

"I'm with the Brit-twit on this one." Jax sounded pissed. "I'm gonna fry that French hackit into frigg'in ash."

His rage was understandable. Nutsy's insides twisted as he remembered all the times Jade's eyes would haze over when she mentioned training. The Professor had been bad enough—Rika must have added a whole slew of other traumas. Still, the others couldn't just go charging in.

"No. Stick to the plan and wait. Anybody lets her touch them and it's game over." Nutsy trained his gaze on the kill-zone, waiting for Jade to emerge. He didn't wait long.

Jade emerged in a cloud of smoke and panic. She practically hissed into her earpiece. "Nutsy, now."

It was the voice-crack that did him in. In all the time he'd known Jade, Nutsy had never once heard her falter. The sound just didn't fit Jade at all, and Nutsy felt fire boil in his stomach.

Giving T'Challa the signal, Nutsy knelt to the ground, feeling for the steady thrum of electricity pulsing through the latticework of wires running under the battle-zone. Abandoning the restrictions of his body, he felt T'Challa's hands catch him just before his consciousness dove into the network.

...

Rika was still in hot pursuit of her quarry when she felt the first jolt of electricity. She went down with a cry of outrage, slashing at the wire looped around her ankle. It recoiled as if in pain, and the assassin's gaze sharpened with interest. She recognized the powerset, but couldn't see the owner as she looked around.

Rika had never faced a technopath. It suited her just fine. The technopath's skillset would be a valuable addition to her considerable repertoire—if she could catch him first.

...

Nutsy was a million different electrical impulses at once. He darted from wire to wire at a second's notice, steadily driving Rika towards the pre-laid containment circle in an attack pattern only a paranoid on crack could follow.

Rika tried to keep up, slashing and darting madly. "You're interrupting the game, little brat."

The wire beside her fizzled with anger and lunged like a viper. Rika barely defended against it in time. A smile stretched the corners of her mouth into a Cheshire-grin. She knew how to end this now.

A/N Sorry this took so long! Please comment!