The Prince of Astoria-Chapter 58: LVIII - The City Safehouse (Part 2)

Isaac emerged from the darkness like a swimmer emerging from a pool. He stood in front of Etienne, a wide grin spread across his face. Etienne couldn’t make out his features in the darkness, only the vague outline of his body.

He laughed maniacally, the sound echoing across the pitch black room.

"Hey Ninjaman," His voice was low. Every word was spoken deliberately, "Do you remember me from the Capitol attack? This is our first time speaking one-on-one, right? You’re bigger than I expected..."

Etienne took a swing at Isaac and missed wide.

"Fast, too!" Isaac shouted enthusiastically, "Maybe Auntie was right about you. You’re the future of heroing, alright!"

Etienne gritted his teeth and shouted, "I hate when my opponents compliment me!"

Etienne let out a flurry of rapid punches, all of them missing the mark badly. He jumped back and accidentally hit one of the walls.

Isaac laughed, "Oh? Are you trying to retreat?"

Etienne closed his eyes tight and thought to himself, "Trying to track him with my eyes isn’t working. This darkness isn’t natural. I need to use my senses. I need to see the Dividing Line."

Isaac watched his every move intently. He stalked closer to him, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"My aunt and I sense something in you, and I know we’re not the only ones. Even though Cupid told us you’re not a metahuman, I still get the feeling you’re just like us. We’re waiting patiently for you to stop holding back and show what you can really do. So when will you stop holding back?"

Etienne reached into his hoodie and grabbed his kusarigama. At one end was a sharpened sickle, and on the other end, connected by a long chain, was a heavy weight.

He spun the chain and the sickle until they became a blur.

Etienne gritted his teeth, "I hate how arrogant you villains are getting. If we heroes didn’t have to hold back..."

Isaac laughed aloud, "Do you really think you’re like them? A hero? If I’m being honest, I see more of us in you. I see an assassin." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He let out another hearty laugh, "But fine. Why don’t you go for the kill now? It’s just you and me. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone."

As they talked, a gunshot rang out in the darkness. For one singular moment, everything froze. Then came the ringing. The high, thin note filled the heroes’ skulls, and everything else went quiet.

The sound of footsteps padded across the floor quickly.

Nairobi’s shouted out, "Everything is okay! That was Code Talker, I’m about to run after him now; just focus on Isaac."

Nairobi’s heavy boots pounded against the floor and followed the other footsteps.

Etienne turned his attention back to Isaac, only to find he had disappeared.

"Are you retreating now, Isaac?" Etienne called out.

Isaac’s voice echoed all around them, "No, I’m not retreating. Just being more...strategic. Team Wet aren’t supervillains, we’re assassins. I’m not interested in some big punch-up with you, I just want to get the job done."

Etienne closed his eyes tighter and focused on Isaac’s voice. After a few seconds, Etienne’s hand sprung out, and he grabbed Isaac’s wrist. The overwhelming darkness filling the room finally started to dissipate, and the scene became clear. In front of Isaac stood Alex, looking lost and confused. Isaac’s hand was outstretched; his palm was nearly touching Alex’s chest.

Isaac struggled against Etienne’s grip. He turned and smiled at him, "Good catch. That’s a nice sixth sense you have."

Etienne struggled to hold Isaac’s arm in place. He turned to Alex, who still stood petrified, and shouted, "You need to focus Alex! We don’t know what happens if he touches you; you could’ve died just now!"

Alex’s mouth remained agape, and his entire body shook. He took a hesitant step back and his back hit a wall.

Etienne’s gaze lingered on Alex for a while until a sharp pain in his hand brought his focus back to Isaac. Dark spikes shot out from Isaac’s wrist and stabbed directly through Etienne’s hand. The pain intensified until it was too much to ignore.

Etienne snatched his hand away and backed up near Alex. Etienne couldn’t help but stare at Alex and his terrified expression.

"He’s not unfocused...he’s scared," Etienne thought to himself, "He’s a kid and he almost just died before he could understand what happened. I wouldn’t be able to move either if I were him."

Etienne stood in front of Alex and dropped into a battle stance.

Isaac frowned, "He doesn’t need you to protect him, Ninjaman. Mechaboy can handle himself. He’s this state’s hero after all."

Etienne remained silent. He adjusted his stance and dropped lower, never taking his eyes off of Isaac.

Isaac lifted his hand slightly, and Etienne took the opportunity to deliver a swift hook to his jaw.

Isaac’s entire head turned, and he looked down at the ground, blood dripping from his mouth.

He lifted his head after a few seconds and looked at Etienne, with a neutral, almost bored expression on his face.

Etienne’s hand stung from the pain of the punch. He dropped back into his battle stance and watched Isaac.

"What’s up with you and Ms. Friendly?" Etienne questioned, "You two are unusually tough, even among other meta-humans."

Isaac wiped blood from his mouth and stared at it for a second. He put his hand up toward Etienne and smiled, "Sorry, Ninjaman. I can’t tell you about that, even if you ask me nicely. But if I’m being honest, it’s less that we’re so strong. Everyone else is just so weak."

Spikes protruded out of Etienne’s shadow and stabbed him in the back.

Isaac put his fingers together and allowed darkness to envelop them. His hand became a dark sword, and he rushed at Etienne with it.

Etienne swiftly dodged the slashes of Isaac’s dark sword, but was unable to find an opening to counterattack.

After a few slashes, Isaac changed gears and swung at Alex. Alex dodged the attack at the last second, and Etienne used the opening to uppercut him.

Isaac staggered back slightly before steeling himself and smiling at the heroes. Isaac’s dark sword faded, and his hand returned to normal.

Isaac inhaled deeply and spread his legs wide until they were shoulder-width apart. He bent his knees slightly, and he held his arms in a guard position.

Etienne’s eyes widened as he recognized Isaac’s battle stance, and he responded by dropping into one of his own.

"No more tricks, Ninjaman. Not right now. I want to see if my martial arts hold a candle to yours."

Nairobi stomped back up the stairs and ran into the room, panting.

Between exhausted breaths, she shouted out, "Code Talker escaped. He jumped through a mirror and disappeared."

Isaac’s eyes darted to Nairobi, before turning back to Etienne. Slowly, he got out of his battle stance and stood up straight.

"Three on one, huh? That hardly seems fair," Isaac’s shoulders dropped, "Our job here is already done. Like I said earlier, I’m an assassin. I’m not in the business of taking unnecessary risks because of ego or pride. I’ll leave that to the other so-called villains."

Isaac melted into a puddle of black goo and slid across the floor, toward the staircase.

Etienne sprinted after him and shouted, "He’s trying to escape!"

Isaac slid down the staircase in his gooey form as Etienne and Nairobi gave chase. Alex remained frozen and watched the two heroes run after him.

Reaching the first floor, Isaac slipped under a door. Etienne punched the door off its hinges, and Nairobi followed behind him.

Inside the decrepit apartment building was a full-body mirror propped up against a wall.

Etienne and Nairobi ran in to find Isaac standing in front of the mirror, staring at his own reflection.

Isaac sighed and shook his head slowly, still staring into the mirror, "You heroes are so persistent. It’s admirable, but it gets annoying."

Etienne reached into his hoodie and grabbed a shuriken, "And you villains are so cowardly, all you do is run away!"

Isaac’s calm facade broke for half a second as he turned and looked at the two heroes with contempt before turning back to his reflection.

"We won’t be seeing you heroes for a while. We’ll be going back to our day jobs while some things fall into place."

Nairobi reached her hand into her pocket and grabbed a handful of screws, "By day job, you mean assassinations, don’t you? Do you think we’ll just let you?"

Isaac shrugged his shoulders, "Wet work. Assassination isn’t my favorite word."

Isaac turned to Etienne slowly, "And for the record, we’re not running away; we’re sparing you. Next time we meet, we’ll be fighting for control of Oregon. And there won’t be any half measures; it’ll be a fight to the finish."

With that, he stepped through the mirror. The glass rippled like a stone hitting a pond, and Isaac disappeared.