Back on the main street, the authorities were swarming, cordoning off side alleys and stopping traffic. Ten more squad cars had arrived on the scene, and Interpol was just beginning to get involved. Many questioned people on the street, while others were conducting interviews with Montag's office staff.
Suddenly, a single motorcycle roared past, flying by at over seventy-miles-and-hour. The police all began to scramble as the cycle bypassed their barriers. But, the Interpol agents began to calm them, chattering explanations in the native dialect.
One of the policemen sneered, looking off at the motorcycle roaring in the distance...
"...fucking prämiejägers..." he mumbled.
The cycle cruised faster and faster, roaring with a jerk as it shifted into the next gear. The single rider was a thin-framed woman, a black helmet hiding her features. Clad in a tight-fitting brown leather jacket, her posture remained leveled and narrow towards the handlebars. Black jeans tucked neatly into black boots hugged the sides of the bike, even as the back tire began to scream with a hard right. The bike banked, and half-jumped into a narrow alley, flying with abandon.
The chase was on again.
Meanwhile...the Vanguardians, and their new ally, continued a quick pace down one of the back alleys of the city.
"Why the fuck are we caring this tard with us?" Grimm asked, thumbing towards the unconscious Grissom. "He's only going to slow us down."
"I agree." Baxter nodded. "We need to loose the baggage, and get out of sight."
Lykopis looked at Victor, still carrying the limp figure over his shoulder.
"Victor, they may be right." she began. "We may want to--"
The sudden growl of engine pistons cut her off, as everyone jerked their attention towards the back end of the long, narrow alley. A black motorcycle was suddenly bearing down on them, roaring faster and faster.
Lykopis eyes narrowed, as she quickly ripped her sword from the backscabbard, bringing it to bear. The motorcycle was coming closer and closer....increasing speed....with no indication of stopping.
Suddenly, the female rider revved the engines a final time, and, in one motion, backflipped straight off the back.
Lyly's eyes flew wide...
"BREAK!" she barked, flinging herself against the alleywall, the loose motorcycle screaming past.
Grimm did a squat-and-jump, his massive legs vaulting straight up....Icarus and Phil jointly tackled Merrick to the side...and Victor tossed Grissom, quickly jumping up into a mid-air split, the cycle roaring past and under them all...............except for Ozzy, whom it slammed straight into, sending he and the machine into an uncontrolled slide right down the center of the alleyway.
In the seconds this had taken place, the rider landed square on her nimble feet, pulling twin uzi's from behind her back, and bringing them to bear....
...Grimm's feet slammed into the ground as he landed, Victor also hitting the ground in front of him....
"Victor--DUCK NOW!" Grimm shouted, bullets beginning to whine from the guns.
Reilley had no more been on the ground for a second, before he was flinging himself behind a garage bin. Metal slugs bit and spat at Grimm's chest with no effect, as the giant launched down the alleyway.
The rider continued firing as Grimm got closer and closer, bullets beginning to richochet dangerously close. Grimm rared a fist back, throwing it around to take her head off. The cat-like rider jerked her upper torso back just enough for the fist to whiz right past her helmet visor. Dropping the guns, she quickly grabbed Grimm wrist and shoulder, and using the apex of his swing, slammed him onto his back.
She had no more done this when she had to jerk back once more, but too this time too late. The blade of Lyly's sword slashed straight across the front of her helmet, breaking the visor. The rider's head snapped to the side from the force of the strike, turning her body to continue to motion with a fluid grace. By the time she had twisted all the way around, she ripped the broken helmet from her head. Grimm jerked back up only to meet the helmet shattering against head, as she backhanded him with it.
Stopping her spin with a single foot planted against the wall, she lunged back away from a second blade strike. That's when Lykopis saw the single, long thin katana blade being unsheathed from the rider's back. It came out, and across with such skill and motion, Lykopis had to take a single step back to avoid a cut.
The rider immediately ran forward, jumping off Grimm as he once again tried to sit up, her foot slamming his head back into the pavement. She came down with a few more swings at Lykopis, both women meeting blades with even cracks of metal.
They sparred back and forth for a moment, the blades flying too fast for anyone to really see. It was during these brief seconds that Lykopis could finally make out a clear face. The rider was definitely female. Quite striking, with high cheekbones, and nimble features. Her skin, an albino white, was a stark contrast to what appeared to be a flash of dull, reddish eyes, and obviously-dyed spikey hair of blue and orange streaks.
This mystery woman faked a lunge, and Lyly immediately picked up a specific style of Akido in her movements and stance. Their blades met a few more times, before they both halted with their swords locked against each other.
"....very nice...." Lykopis nodded. Then, with a quick motion, Lyly simply twisted her wrist, forcing the sword from the rider's grasp.
Lykopis sword now sat perfectly edged against this woman's throat, as the only sound was that of their panting breaths.
"....now that I have your attention..." Lyly began. "...would you care to tell me why you're attacking us..."
The rider stared silently at her, briefly looking at everyone assembling behind Lykopis. The entire fight had taken no more than two minutes, and most of them weren't even sure what had happened.
Grimm rose up behind the rider....pissed...off...
The woman suddenly jerked backwards from Lyly blade, quickly pulling a .357 Magnum from her belt, and, in one quick motion, spun and shoved it at Grimm.....who caught her wrist....
....but not before she had shoved the barrel straight into his mouth....
"Stop." the woman finally spoke. "All of you."
Lykopis' eyes narrowed with irritation, motioning for everyone behind her to halt.
"Now..." the woman began. "...I know that big ugly here looks tough....and he's got to be to stop a few hundred bullets on that building he calls a chest..."
Grimm stood there, still grasping the woman's wrist, but, with her finger on the trigger, he wasn't moving.
"...but, I have my doubts about his tonsils deflecting a .357..." she continued.
She looked back and forth between them.
"Anyone want to find out?" she breathed.
No one said anything.
"Good." she stated evenly. "Let's get down to business."
"My name is Nadia Li. Bounty hunter." she announced. "And I'm only after one thing."
"...godDAMMIT..." Baxter's voice came from down the end of the alley, as he pulled himself free of the cycle that had slid him for over a minute and a half. "Fuck that bitch up!"
"Him." she said.
Everyone looked back down the alley, watching Ozzy trying to untangle his shredded shirt from the jagged mesh of the exhaust pipe.
"Quite frankly, Miss Li, I simply don't care what you're after." Lykopis said, taking advantage of the distraction. "You attacked us first. I see no reason to indulge you any further............Phil...."
Her hand suddenly jerked straight out of Grimm's mouth, as she inexplicably pointed it at her own temple. Her expression made it crystal clear that this was not by her choice.
"...nnngh.....stop it..." she strained, using her other hand to try and pull the gun down. To no avail.
"Pull the trigger?" Phil asked, stepping up next to Lyly.
Grimm, still rubbing his mouth, quickly backhand Nadia so hard she slammed into the wall, and bounced into the other, before hitting the ground completely out.
"....bitch..." Grimm mumbled, as he dug a finger in his mouth, checking his teeth.
"....nnnnn...." Montag began to moan, Victor looking over where he had dumped him.
"What the FUCK was twisting her tit?" Ozzy asked, catching up with everyone.
Sirens in the background confirmed the authorities were getting closer.
"We need to go!" Merrick insisted.
"Fine. Leave them both here..." Lyly nodded, pointing at Grissom.
The group hurriedly left, leaving Grissom Montag and Nadia in the alleyway...
