📌 Tags: Psychological Thriller, Urban Noir, Vigilante, Mature Themes, Serial Killer, Crime Drama
⚠️Authors Note - Mature Content
"This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, nations, corporations and events are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real events or persons is coincidental."
The forces fired at one another with reckless abandon, bursts of gunfire ripped through the cold night air. Decorations were blown apart. Holes etched into the brick walls. The Kodoma mercenaries sat behind a grey van.
BLAM BLAM
Two shots rang out. And a pedestrian fell, a hole where their head was.
CRACKLE CRACKLE
BOOOOOMMMM
A grenade exploded.
Pistols, machine guns, fragmentation devices were utilised.
Flashes of muzzles glinted like Christmas lights.
The Kodoma 'troopers' slowly crept towards the entrenched security forces and as they did, the gunfire became even more furious.
RATATTATATATAT RTATATTAA
The burst of heavy machine gun fire rained upon the onlookers who scattered.
(The Kodoma seems to be confident.)
Near stepped forward.
(Let's drop in.)
Near, leapt to the street.
He landed between bumper to bumper cars. He used them for cover as both sides fired at him.
With a smooth ring of steel, he drew his katana off his back.
"DIE HERO!" a mercenary roared firing their pistol.
BANG BANG BANG
DING DING DING
Near deflected the rounds.
And then, as the gunman stood stunned, Near closed in with a thunderous CRACK to the jaw.
The Oni opera mask shattered in pieces.
Near without pause picked up his pistol and disassembled it. One less on the streets.
Another appeared and without hesitation - unloaded their magazine with a burst of rounds.
Striking his comrade who laid on the concrete ground.
Near - spun around and flicked a ninja star.
AAGHHHHHHH!
A merc screamed clutching his bloody hand, fumbling the rifle to the ground.
A blueJet soldier then aimed immediately for Near. It clicked as it rose to eye level.
The vigilante dropped a smoke pellet to the ground, and in a FLASH he was gone. And before the soldier knew it, he was launched into the side of one of the stationary cars, denting the door and breaking its glass. The gunfire continued. By now, all bystanders were gone, hiding further up the road where a police cordon was formed. Recording the open air battle that was taking place.
Near, reappearing behind the BlueJet force lines, he sliced through their defensive positions with calculated ruthless precision. The strikes, although not fatal, were enough to rock his opponents unconscious.
One down. Two down. Three down.
Eventually only the Kodoma remained, they were familiar.
The masked woman stood elegantly, her arms behind her firm back. On her back sat a curved short katana. The Kodoma was slim, petite and firm, but NOT rigid like most of the dangerous Kodoma clan. She stood nonchalantly, as if the fight was a waste of time. She hummed. It was a soft melody, a story, the story of the Kodoma clan itself. Edward knew it all too well.
"Hmmm hmmm mmhmmm…"
"Kyoko. Kyoko Kodoma." Near says calmly, clenching his fists with a crunch, his tri-weeve armoured gauntlets clinched.
Removing her mask, Kyoko winked at Near. Her sharp cruel brown eyes gleamed with predatory interest. She brushed her shoulder length perfect hair with the back of her hand, it was balanced, smooth and blonde.
With one long, spitefully sharp finger she spun the Oni mask, before slamming it to the road's ground with a crack.
"Vigilante… Angel…. Whatever they call you…"
She slowly approached, her sharp cruel heels striking the concrete with every step.
Crack Crack Crack
"It doesn't matter. Because you'll be dead soon anyway…"
With a swift motion she drew her katana, it sang like death.
She lunged at Near. The katana raised in a horizontal motion, only to be brought down in a horrifying blinding flash.
CLINK CLINK SSSLIINNNN CLINK
Near raised his scratched gauntlet and upon impact a spark flashed.
The blocks were choreographed, in sync and clean.
After each deflection, a counter was delivered.
Eventually both were bound. Their bodies crossed.
"You're good. Hero." she cooed, blowing vapor from the cold air.
"And so are you."
"It's almost as if we've danced like this before, cutie." She continued.
Kyoko raised her knee, STRIKING Near in the stomach. Taking the wind out of his lungs.
This made Near grunt.
THUD
Near punched her in the side.
"I don't hurt women. But you're becoming an exception."
"Oooo kinky."
Kyoko's brown, almost golden eyes widened as a blade was driven towards Near's face.
He caught it with his leather palm.
CRUNCH
His grip tightened around the tip.
This didn't sit well with Kyoko, no one should have anticipated her deadly strike. Unless they knew her.
She leaned in close to him. Lips millimeters apart from his outline behind the balaclava.
"Who.. are… you?" - she hissed.
"Tell Reina I said hi." Near growled. Before headbutting the Kodoma with a THUD.
She stumbled backwards, dazed her eyes wide with confusion as blood trickled down her tanned face.
SSSHHHBANNNNGGG
Smoke engulfed the vigilante. With a pellet slammed into the ground, he was gone.
Leaving Kyoko alone, distant sirens wailed as the emergency services approached.
Near was long gone. And soon she would be too.
Kyoko stood alone, snow slowly fell around her. She re-sheethed her katana. Firm white gloved fists clenched. Her brown gold tinted eyes narrowed. Her mind raced with thoughts. Her breath is icy and steady.
She did not need to worry, the mess she caused? Nothing Kodoma Corp couldn't clean up. And BlueJet would NEVER openly publicly bring attention to theirs and Kodoma's now VERY open conflict. But the Matriarch of Kodoma? Now that was a different story altogether.
Meanwhile…
Standing atop a nearby billboard advertising for the Coca-Nola Amusement Park that was soon to be opened. Near's gauntlet glowed a bright blue UI. He stood at the ledge peering down on the city below, his blue eyes focused on the distant plumes of smoke that billowed from the war torn street.
"Sunohara, I have the location for the Lab where the children are held."
["Go on."]
"Warehouse 21…Eastern Docks... Old Promise City…. It's a BlueJet owned import warehouse."
["Seen it. Sending the coordinates to your map interface now."]
The data loaded almost immediately. Text flooded his UI, with the exact location being focused on.
BANG ZZZZIIPPPPPP
With a shot of his grapple gun he launched through the dark sky, his cape wide. From ledge to ledge, he propelled himself further through the skyline.
"Had a run in with some mercenaries. Kodoma."
["Oh and how did that go? A normal family reunion?"]
Sunohara joked, but of course he knew the answer.
"Piss off."
Near retorted.
"It was Kyoko Kodoma who led the mercenaries."
["And that is?"]
"My cousin, she doesn't know I am the vigilante; Near."
["So, what did she want?"]
"Clearly Kodoma Corp is busy with the conflict with BlueJet."
["What else Eddie?... there is more..there always is.."]
THUD
He landed on one of the many buildings, its view obstructed by a domineering billboard advertising Cola-Nola's festive flavour. Cola-Nola Snowball. A grey bottle, a snowball on the logo. His boots crunched snow under his weight.
"Kodoma is somehow tied up in this."
Click clack click clack
["So… swallows… Now what?"]
"We will find out how deep."
BANG ZZZZIIPPPPPP
Near shot into the snowy dark sky. His blue cape fluttered in the bitter wind.
Now he made the short trip to the Eastern Docks…
Meanwhile…
Character Name - Julian
Location - Promise City, Ct
District - Promise City, BlueJet Administrative Building, Central District
Knock Knock
A figure stood in the doorway.
"Oh christ sake, who is it now?!"
Julian snapped, slamming his books cover with a thud.
Julian's exhausted eyes narrowed with displeasure.
"I swear to GOD if you're here about your GOODDAMN insurance about your injury from tonight's 'incident' Nygen…"
It was NOT who he was expecting.
"Crimes against kids makes you the scum of scum Julian Asanta."
The figure stepped one foot forward.
"... I have no idea what your talking about-"
ZZZzzzzaaaappppppp
A red beam ripped across Julian's desk. Cinders slowly flickered as the red hot trail cooled.
Thud Thud Thud
Bootsteps approached.
Trailing behind was a long golden cape that swept across the marble floor.
"I was ordered to end your little operation." The deep voice cooed.
"Wh-What?! But THEY ordered me to do it!"
Julian spluttered.
"HA!.. no-no-no.. I said I was ORDERED however I just decided to… well…to end YOU."
Step Step Step… Step
One final bootstep.
THUD SPLAT
A blood splatter covers the window or what was left of it. Brains scattered across the floor. A crack formed along the back wall above where the window sat.
And then-
CRASH
A flash followed by a sonic boom ripped across the sky.
"Mr Asanta sorry for being late- AHHHGHHHHHGHHHHH!"
The scream ripped through the tower.