Bayani:
A part of me does feel bad about ditching my plans with Parker at the last minute. Even if we didn't set a specific time, I was waiting for him in the training room before Elizabeth found me and practically dragged me out of HQ. However, this takes priority. Some psychos set fire to an entire apartment complex.
I've been informed about the plan. Elizabeth's psychokinesis is useful for moving rubble and people, same goes for my strings. Extract as many as possible. Save everyone.
Currently, I'm following Elizabeth, who is floating and flying forward at a pace I can barely comprehend with my eyes. She stops every once in a while to let me catch up. It makes me wonder if that's even effective.
Soon enough, I can see the roaring flames enter my peripheral vision. As we draw closer, I see Elaine move her hands up, and in an instant, I am lifted and now flying into the center of the apartment complex.
I wish she had warned me, but I understand the urgency. I immediately get to work, moving larger pieces of rubble out of the way with my strings, giving me a better view of my surroundings, as well as gaining me more access to the rest of the complex.
I hear some screams from a nearby building, labeled "C". It seems to be coming from the upper floor of the right side of the building, the side farther from me. I'm not close enough to hear a more exact location.
I dart towards the sounds. I approach the rightmost stairs, the noises getting louder. High-pitched screams and loud infantile crying. A cacophony of sounds of screaming, crying, and coughing rings in my ears as I approach the top of the stairs, nearing the origin of the sounds.
I run down the hall to the right and turn the corner. When I do, I see a darker man with cornrows, wearing a sweater, khakis, and a mask strapped to his back with a Jack of Clubs ensignia on it. He's holding two chains made from flames, looming over a chubby woman whom I can't entirely see, and a baby that she's holding.
I hear the man speak: "I wonder if this is enough chaos for the WWSHA to mobilize their apprentices…"
Flaming chains, combined with what he said. It's safe to assume he started the fire. The man smiles and says, "Maybe some casualties would help," as he then swings one of the chains down at the woman. I quickly react and wrap my strings around the chain he swung, flinging it back and launching myself towards him. I land and insert myself between him and the woman with what I assume is her child.
The man looks down at me with a cocky smirk. "Well, they did send out the apprentices, but they gave me the weak one." He remarks.
"Sorry that I wasn't who you hoped for, but I think I'll be enough." I retort. I mean, seriously, who did he want? Kara? Parker? Not sure which response would make me angrier.
Suppressing my irritation and jealousy that I feel bubbling up, I step forward, subtly sending strings out to connect to the man, the same tactic I use on every opponent. However, this is going to be harder because I assume the flame chains are his power. Not sure if moving him like I typically would do in combat matters all too much.
He swings the left chain towards me, and I jump over it and yank my arms back to force him to stumble. He stumbles forward, and I use the opportunity to clinch his head and deliver a knee to his face. It doesn't seem to hurt him much as he swings with the right chain and it makes direct contact with me, eviscerating that side of my shirt and burning my skin, I feel my skin bubbling and stinging. With my low durability, I am surprised I can still stand. I can tell that one more hit from those chains would likely incapacitate me, maybe even lethally so.
Lately, I feel as though I've been forced to confront my shortcomings again and again. I was too weak for Ironhide to consider letting me accompany him in the fight against Chameleon, who killed him. I was too weak to beat Parker, a newbie who had less formal martial arts knowledge than me. And I'm too weak to beat this guy.
Adaptability. That's what I lack. So what if I'm not that durable? I need to find a better way not to get hit. What did Parker say about adaptability? Not a concept that can be taught, apparently. I need to hone it. I remember him saying something about killing the old him.
Oh.
I don't know if it's the pressure of the situation that's speeding up my thinking, but I am now realizing that adaptability is the willingness to do away with the old you and change. The old me… what is it?
I hear the man start stepping toward me, "If you have nothing to show me, then just move out of the way so someone worthwhile can show up." He says, seeming bored with this already, irate even.
"Someone worthwhile, huh? Well, I'm all you're getting, so how about you just shut up?!" I shout back.
He steps forward and punches me straight in the nose. The impact forces me back, and I slam into a door behind me. I feel blood start to rise in my body as I start sputtering it out. My normal-paced breathing transforms into large, heaving breaths.
For reasons I can't even explain, my mind drifts to my large collection of books. What's the first thing I've ever read? It was... Sun Tzu's Art of War? I forced myself to study it after learning how to read English from Ironhide, because I wanted to be useful in combat. I think only English translations are the copies that remain of that book. One quote comes to mind: "Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack."
There it is. The aspect of the old me that I want to kill to adapt.
I stand up and slowly start stepping forward, one foot in front of the other, back towards the man with the Jack of Clubs mask on his back.
I need to turn my thinking around. The key to my defensive capabilities isn't to improve my abilities to not get hit; I have that covered enough. I need a stronger offense to strike my enemy.
I throw my left arm out, sending string to wrap around the man. I then make a longer string from my wrist of my right arm and have it wrap up on the other string. I then yank the man towards me and simultaneously pull my right arm back to have that other string unravel on the string connected to the man; the friction should cause the string to sharpen a little.
The moment the string fully unravels, I swing my right arm at him, pivoting as well for maximum swing strength. "Lacerate!" I shout, immediately feeling myself cringe over it; it was a knee-jerk reaction to my attack, I suppose.
The string slashes right at his stomach, cutting open that part of his sweater. However, it only barely nicked his skin, even though it made direct contact. It wasn't strong enough; it was my first time attempting the technique after all, so I suppose I shouldn't have expected it to be a fight winner.
The man looks down at me with a renewed interest, "So, your strings aren't a useless, no potential power after all."
"I like ya. But you're still not who I need. The boss wants us to get Parker. So better luck next time." He says, shaking his head.
Of course, it's Parker. Because suddenly everything needs to revolve around him…
No! I can't think like that!
He isn't a bad guy; I can't think like that. No matter how envious I feel of him and Kara. I must prioritize the people who need saving around me. But, still, those thoughts linger in my head.
The man with the Jack of Clubs mask on his back sidesteps around me and swings the left chain down at the woman. I react quickly to protect her, the only way I can think how.
I place myself in front of the attack, the blow connecting to my back, burning that part of my shirt into ash, and leaving a giant burn on my back. I muster up the last of my remaining strength to smile at the woman, "My mentor would have done the exact same thing for you." I tell her as an attempt to reassure her. I turn around to face the man, only able to take one step toward him before I fall onto the floor with a loud thud as everything fades to black.