[1] The Hunters

[Friend or Foe]

"Jackpot," the changeling police officer hissed as he led the group into an office area. Behind Szar was the redheaded Piper and then the blonde Kaden, who was keeping an eye on their surroundings, trying to ensure they weren't being followed. Szar quickly took a seat at the desk that was marked 'Kai Demolic', moving to peek at the contents of his personal computer.

"Make it quick," Kaden warned as he shut the door. Even with the door sealed off, he could still feel the various energy sources start to split up around the mansion. "Remember those bright lights I told you about? They're moving. Everywhere."

Piper looked between the two men as she found a comfortable spot by the wall. She still wasn't sure why exactly they were running around the mansion. It seemed kind of quick to already turn against the people paying her to fight in front of cameras. "Why are you so sure Kai is directed to this, uh...thing on Kajin Rala?"

Szar never looked up. He was too busy looking in the computer. It hadn't been password protected, which already felt fishy to him. The man was a computer genius and one of the richest men in the world, yet he couldn't even lock his devices down? It was almost as if he was wanting to be found. "It's just a hunch," Szar said. He then looked up from the corner of his bright eyes, right into Piper's. "My hunches are usually right."

Things seemed to be okay for a moment as Szar browsed through some of the files. "Anything?" Kaden asked, still looking in the direction of the bright lights he was sensing.

"Nothing," Szar said, "I mean, that's not true. This Kai guy is definitely into some illegal stuff. But I don't see anything about Kajin Rala."

Suddenly, Kaden let out a gasp. Piper and Szar looked in shock as Kaden jumped backwards from the door, landing in front of the desk, still facing the doorway. "Someone's coming!" He warned, shouting. "Fast! Like, too fast to be human! It's insane!"

Piper reached to grab her pistol just as Szar stood up, looking for a way out. There were no air ducts and they were on the third floor of the mansion. He hadn't counted on someone showing up as fast as Kaden was claiming. There were no hiding spots, no way out. "We need to move!" He shouted, moving around the desk. "We gotta get out of this room! It's a death trap!"

"Too late!" Kaden shouted, "They're moving too fast!"

Before anyone could move, someone appeared right in front of the door. Without actually going through it, they had teleported directly in front of the trio, who looked in shock, holding a defensive pose as the newcomer grinned, standing with legs spread like they just landed a long jump.

The woman was blonde with a lean body and large bust, her flowing yellow locks practically floating behind her head. She held her pose for a moment before raising up, an evil smirk across her face. "The show has only been on for an hour and already we're being naughty children."

"Who are you?!" Szar demanded, standing in front of his comrades. "What is your relation to Kai Demolic?! Talk!"

The woman stood up, and as she straightened she took two blades out from the sides of her long, black pants. Kaden felt a shiver as he could sense the ki energy flowing through the handles of the daggers, charging them up as she spoke. "My name is Trisha Demolic," she said with a sadistic smile. "Kai is my husband."

"Husband?!" Piper echoed, surprised.

"What do you know about the heists on Kajin Rala?" Szar asked, not skipping a beat.

This time, she didn't answer immediately. Her eyes flickered between the two people behind the changeling, first Kaden and then Piper Juunanagou. "Now, listen," she said, "If you back down quietly, we can send you out to do your job, and we'll just forget this ever happened."

Szar gritted her teeth. He knew she knew something. She had to! Why else had she got here so quickly? It was almost as if this entire scenario had been planned. The computer was left unprotected. There was almost no security leading to the room. Now, she was here, so quick. Were they on camera right now?

"I think we should listen to her," Piper offered.

Kaden didn't say anything, but inwardly he agreed. He could literally feel the power that was oozing off of Trisha, especially those dangerous blades of her's.

Szar dropped his fists. He lowered his head but raised his gaze, looking at her out of the top of his bright, colorless eyes. "I'm going to ask one more time," he said, "What do you know about Kai Demolic's involvement in a robbery on Kajin Rala?"

"She's getting stronger," Kaden warned, backing up slightly towards the nearest window on the opposite side of the desk. "Her daggers. Watch the daggers."

Again, Trisha didn't say anything. She just smiled. Her smile was so cold and uninviting that it made Piper shiver. It was exactly what one would picture when they thought of an evil grin.

"Oh, hello," somebody said. All three looked behind Trisha to see Kai Demolic in the doorway. "Did I miss something?"

That was it. The trigger that send Szar moving forward. She rushed at Trisha and then juked to the left, trying to get around her to get at his target: the multi-millionaire and potential robber, Kai Demolic.

She moved too fast, though. Trisha simply raised one arm, the dagger sliding along the thick skin of the changling and her wrist connecting with his neck. As his legs flew upwards, she spun sideways, smashing the underside of her left forearm into his body and sending him crashing towards the wall opposite the desk. Szar didn't stand a chance, and only one hit later he was reeling in pain on the floor.

Piper's first instinct was to attack, but Kaden grabbed her shoulder, knowing it was better to live to fight another day. "Run!" He said, moving to leap over the desk towards the window. "Let's go!"

With Kaden moving, Piper stopped and pulled away. While he wanted to ensure he survived, the redhead had an instinct to fight. She lept up and threw a sloppy kick towards the blonde Trisha. Kaden had stopped when he realized he wasn't being followed and turned to look at the situation. Just as his eyes saw the fight, he witnessed the tall blonde slamming Piper down onto her back from way above her head.

"Kaden, right?" Kai spoke up from behind Trisha. While Kaden was extremely spooked and nervous, neither the big man nor the blonde seemed the least bit excited. "I'm sure we can come to an agreement before anything escalates further, yes?"

He could have asked questions. He could have fought. And yes, Kaden could have surrendered. But instead, he turned and smashed through the window, leaving only three stories of empty space between his body and the hard ground.





(Everybody in this group advances to the next round. Kaden has earned the right to use a sync weapon of his choice for the duration of the saga)