Only four figures occupied the warehouse, down from the original group of five that had initially fled to Nar Shaddaa.
One of the dark side acolytes had been dispatched to rendezvous with Count Dooku and deliver a crucial item that would undoubtedly aid the Confederacy's war effort.
Currently, only three acolytes and one deadly mercenary remained in the hideout, and they regarded each other with mutual distrust.
Rumlow sat alone at his makeshift workbench, having removed his skull-painted helmet and reinforced hydraulic gauntlets.
He was currently repairing damage sustained during the confrontation on Naboo.
It was to be expected when dealing with Jedi and those damn Avengers.
"Are you even listening to us?" an irritated female voice demanded.
The former HYDRA agent simply rolled his eyes and continued welding components of his gauntlet back together.
After a moment, the tool was yanked from his hand by an invisible force and flew into the grasp of the annoyed Zabrak acolyte.
"Listen when I'm speaking to you—"
Before Kadrian Sey could finish her sentence, she felt the cold edge of a vibro-blade pressed against her throat.
"What part of 'I don't want to be involved in your war' didn't you understand when I first told you idiots?" Rumlow growled, his scarred face adding to his intimidating presence.
Kadrian only snarled in response until both were quickly separated by former Jedi Master Prosset Dibs.
"Enough," Prosset said firmly, pushing Kadrian away from Rumlow. "The last thing we need is internal fighting that attracts unwanted attention."
From behind the group came a distinctly loud and dismissive snort.
"What could the rabble out there possibly do to us?" Rodry said smugly. "We're on a crime-infested world. No one will bother investigating any disturbance we cause unless we anger the planetary authorities."
"It's precisely for that reason we should avoid unnecessary attention," Prosset Dibs snapped. "This planet is under direct Hutt control, and the Hutts are currently allied with the Republic. Remember that."
"Why are we still here?" Kadrian asked loudly, her frustration evident. "We sent Valen to deliver the virus sample to Count Dooku. I assumed we would have departed by now."
"You know exactly why," Prosset replied, turning toward Rumlow, who had returned to his repairs. "He has something we need—the antidote."
"Then why not simply take it from him?" Rodry asked with a menacing growl.
"Try it, freak," Rumlow said without even glancing at the acolyte. "You'll regret it immediately."
"What's stopping us from killing you?" Kadrian asked, her eyes blazing with dark side energy.
"Many things."
"You're merely delaying the inevitable with empty threats."
Rumlow looked up at the Zabrak with obvious disdain. "You don't seem to grasp that the same Avengers who beat you into the ground have been fighting me for years. And your Force tricks don't work on me. Understand?"
Sey's expression darkened at the reminder.
Unfortunately, Rumlow was correct, given the acolytes' previous encounters with the Earth-born heroes. The Force barely affected them at all.
Count Dooku had mentioned that Rumlow and the Avengers seemed to exist within some kind of protective field, making them difficult to influence with conventional Force powers.
Only someone as powerful and knowledgeable in the Force as their master could achieve meaningful results against these particular adversaries.
For now, the acolytes were here to monitor Rumlow under Dooku's direct orders while awaiting the arrival of a Separatist extraction shuttle.
The room fell into tense silence.
THWIP!
Hearing the distinctive sound from outside, everyone looked up in confusion.
"What was that?"
Closing her eyes, the Zabrak acolyte extended her senses through the Force.
"I sense something... something familiar—"
"Found you!"
The group spun toward the entrance just as a red-and-blue projectile came swinging directly at them, with a man wielding a blue lightsaber close behind.
Moments later, both figures burst into the hideout, followed by two additional attackers.
"Jedi!" Rodry exclaimed, igniting his crimson lightsaber just in time to clash with Anakin Skywalker's blue blade.
"Avengers!" Prosset Dibs shouted, his own lightsaber deflecting off Steve's vibranium shield.
"Miss me, ugly?" Peter called out, web-swinging directly at Rumlow, who quickly armed himself and kicked over his repair table.
The makeshift projectile flew toward Peter, who caught it with his webbing, spun it through the air, and hurled it back at the mercenary.
Rumlow simply drew back his armored fist and punched with maximum force, his hydraulic gauntlet smashing the table into splinters before delivering a devastating blow to Peter's chest.
The young hero flew backward and collided with Prosset Dibs, sending both of them crashing to the ground.
Steve, who had been fighting Dibs, barely had time to react before hearing rapid footsteps charging toward him.
"Good to see you again so soon, Cap!"
Steve turned and raised his shield just in time to absorb the impact of the enhanced fist aimed at his head.
"Wish I could say the same, Rumlow," the super soldier replied through gritted teeth. He pushed back against the fist before throwing his own punch, but this proved to be a tactical error as the hydraulic enhancement overwhelmed Cap's strength, sending him flying backward.
Obi-Wan was currently engaged in lightsaber combat with Kadrian Sey, the Jedi Master calmly deflecting all of the Zabrak's aggressive attacks.
"You've improved since our last encounter, Sey," Obi-Wan observed with characteristic calm.
The dark side acolyte simply snarled in response, a manic grin spreading across her tattooed features.
"There was a time when I would have found great satisfaction in receiving praise from the legendary Obi-Wan Kenobi," she taunted, launching a vicious strike that the Jedi Master easily blocked. "But now, the highest honor I could receive would be striking you down."
"It's important to have goals in life," Obi-Wan replied, their lightsabers clashing as they momentarily locked in combat. "But one should keep them realistic."
He pushed past her guard, causing her to raise her lightsaber defensively above her head, which gave Obi-Wan the opening to Force-push her into a nearby wall.
She felt the impact against her back, but the resilient Zabrak quickly recovered and leaped at the Jedi Master with renewed fury.
Before she could reach him, however, she felt something snare her from behind, yanking her backward and finding herself completely immobilized in webbing.
"Thank you, my young Padawan," Obi-Wan said with mock formality.
Peter simply gave his pseudo-mentor a thumbs up while continuing to assist Steve against Rumlow, as Obi-Wan moved to help Anakin, who was currently fighting both remaining acolytes simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Steve had resumed intense hand-to-hand combat with Rumlow, the mercenary fighting with particular brutality and ruthlessness.
Every strike Steve attempted was neutralized or countered.
"Is this the best you can do, Rogers?!" Rumlow taunted, addressing the captain who was momentarily stunned by a particularly vicious blow.
Steve gritted his teeth and retaliated with a swift headbutt, followed by a rapid combination of punches and finishing with a powerful shield strike to Rumlow's face.
The final blow sent the mercenary flying, landing hard against the warehouse floor.
A small vial fell from his tactical vest and skittered across the ground—the Blue Shadow Virus antidote they desperately needed.
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