[4] The Ghost Town

[Friend or Foe]

Gunfire erupted from above them. Kaden and Piper were running down an alleyway in the ghost town, dodging a slew of single shots from three different rifles. There was no way either of them could get up to the rooftop where the trio was firing, so they shuffled down a corner, trying to get to the main road where they would have more open space.

"This way!" Piper shouted, ushering Kaden past her as she ducked to avoid losing her forehead.

"Look!" Kaden said as they made it into the main road. "It's Orion!" He shouted, just as lept onto a porch nearby, narrowing dodging a ki bullet. Piper followed him up.

Sure enough, standing in the middle of town, right near the dried up fountain which sparkled under the moonlight above them, was the saiyan named Orion. He was in a fast-paced close-combat duel with the bulky black man known as Balrog. There was no talking, or taunting, or insult-throwing. The two men were just focused on dispatching the others. None of the soldiers around them were interfering in the fight.

Orion suddenly caught a fist just as Kaden and Piper started watching. He twisted the black twist around and send Balrog to his knees. It would have been very easy to just break the man's arm off, but instead he looked up, noting his audience, particularly the blonde man.

Try not to kill anybody...

The cycloptic saiyan threw Balrog down, the battle won. "Leave us alone," the man told the boxer. "Or I'll kill you and everyone you've ever known."

He began to walk away, very causually. It seemed like out of a movie, but the soldiers did as they were told. Balrog, who had yet to actually say anything since arriving, watched in pain while Orion walked away arrogantly.

There was a lot to be said about Balrog and his past. The things they brought him under Kai Demolic's wing and the pain driving him towards being the best had still not yet been uncovered. But they were still there, and one thing was for certain: he was not the kind of guy to play by the rules.

By the time Kaden shouted his name, Orion had already been shot twice in the back.

The saiyan looked with one good eye right at Kaden, even as he fell to his knees. He couldn't say anything because of the blood pumping from his lips, but if he could, he still would have been silent. Some things didn't need to be said.

He should have been mad. He should have taken the chance to kill Balrog and wipe out every single person holding a gun to his head. He should have got their names and wiped out their families, then disgraced their bodies. He could have gotten away with it, and probably got rich for doing it. Instead, Orion took two bullets to the back. He would die there, on that island.

He wasn't angry. He didn't regret it. He didn't know why.

By the time Orion's blood face hit the ground, Kaden and Piper were already caught.
























(Orion is dead. Kaden wins a stasis grenade. Piper survives)