The cold metal of the pistol barrel pressed against Blood Night's temple with surgical precision. Each beat of his heart pulsed against the weapon, reminding him how fragile the line between life and death was. The night air carried the aroma of freshly baked pizza mixed with the metallic smell of imminent danger.
Shine's eyes ignited with prismatic colors, each tone of the rainbow intensifying like warning lights. Her energy began to vibrate in the air around her, creating visual distortions that made the asphalt seem to undulate like water.
"Who are you?" she asked with authority that cut through the tension.
Kel maintained a safe distance, but his analytical eyes captured every detail of the mysterious woman. The perfect military posture, the tense muscles beneath the black clothing, the way her fingers naturally molded to the gun's grip - everything indicated extensive professional training.
A02 slightly adjusted the pistol's position, making Blood Night feel the movement against his skin: "I asked a question."
Her voice flowed like frozen silk, each word pronounced with disturbing calm. There was no rush or nervousness - only the infinite patience of a predator who knew her prey had nowhere to run.
A00 took a deep breath, trying to maintain his characteristic arrogance even with death so close: "A02, don't tell me you also came to buy pizza. Because I got here first, so you'll have to wait in line."
The silence that followed was more eloquent than any response. Shine frowned, processing the obvious familiarity between them: "You know her?"
"How could I not know her? After all, I'm superior to her," he responded with disdain that couldn't completely mask an underlying tension.
The statement provoked a subtle change in A02's expression. Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly, and her fingers readjusted around the grip with movements that suggested years of practice.
"I won't repeat myself," she said, each word falling like drops of ice. "Answer my question: why did you kill her?"
The weight of recent memories pressed on Blood Night's chest like a stone. The images from the flashback in the shower still burned in his mind - the woman pleading, the child crying, the final sound of the blade cutting through the air.
"Just orders," he admitted, his voice losing part of its usual arrogance. "I would never kill anyone of my own volition. Your father ordered it and I complied."
A02 moved her finger to the trigger, her breathing becoming more controlled and rhythmic: "You didn't have to kill her. She was my mother. You only had to take me alive, without needing to kill her."
The revelation hit Shine and Kel like an electric shock. The puzzle of the relationship between A00 and A02 was beginning to form - a family tragedy orchestrated by superior orders and executed without question.
"Who is this woman?" Kel whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of distant traffic.
"Just another extra in my story," A00 responded, but the disdain sounded forced, as if he were trying to convince himself.
A02's finger was millimeters from completing the pressure on the trigger when the sound of metal against metal cut through the tension. The door of the black car opened with a creak, and a figure stumbled out of the vehicle.
Leila emerged like an ethereal apparition, her white dress floating around her legs as she stumbled in high heels. The contrast between her delicate beauty and the evident state of intoxication created a surreal image in the nocturnal urban scene.
"Oh, Nick!" her voice, slurred by alcohol, echoed through the empty street. "What are you doing? You had promised you wouldn't kill anyone anymore!"
The transformation in A00 was instantaneous and complete. His eyes widened like those of a child seeing the first snowflake, all the tension of the mortal situation evaporating before the vision of Leila. An expression of pure adoration took over his face.
"I love my story! You know what? I accept sharing my protagonist role with you!"
Leila completely ignored his enraptured words and stumbled over to A02, her movements uncoordinated but determined: "Why are you holding a gun? And who is this guy you want to kill?"
A02 kept the pistol absolutely steady, but her eyes divided between A00 and the unexpected intrusion. Her face remained sculpted in mortal seriousness.
"Okay, I'm sorry," A00 said, and for the first time there was genuine sincerity in his voice. "It wasn't my decision. You know that orders are applied and we comply without questioning."
He paused, as if navigating through painful memories buried long ago: "And besides, the organization was my home. The only family I knew. And you took it from me when you destroyed it."
His expression softened almost imperceptibly: "But I wasn't angry when you did that. Admit it, I was a good sensei to you, wasn't I? But now I've changed. Now I'm a hero that everyone wants to see in action."
The last words had barely left his mouth when the air around them began to vibrate with palpable malevolent energy. The ground beneath their feet trembled as if tectonic plates were shifting directly below them.
Nolan Jackson descended from the sky like a human meteor, landing on the asphalt with enough force to create a perfect crater. Pieces of concrete flew in all directions, and the impact sent shock waves through the street.
Red energy radiated from his entire body like liquid lava in perpetual motion. His eyes glowed with incandescent fury that seemed capable of melting steel with just a look.
Without warning or hesitation, he pointed his arm at Blood Night. The crimson energy blast that fired was visible as a solid beam of destructive power, cutting through the air with a sound similar to a siren.
The impact launched A00 violently backward as if he were made of paper. His body flew fifteen meters before hitting the wall of a store with enough force to leave a human-shaped impression in the reinforced concrete.
Shine reacted with refined combat instincts, launching herself into the air in a perfect attack trajectory. But Nolan had already calculated her movement. A second crimson blast intercepted her mid-flight, sending her in an uncontrolled parabola until she crashed against a light post that bent under the impact like a fishing rod.
Leila's high-pitched scream cut through the night air like breaking glass. She ran stumbling back to the car, tripping in her high heels and almost falling several times in her desperate flight.
Nolan directed his lethal attention to A02, his arms moving with robotic precision to point in her direction. Red energy accumulated in his palms like two small stars being born.
The blast that fired cut through the air exactly where A02 had been a second before. But she was no longer there.
With a movement that defied the laws of physics, A02 executed a spinning somersault in the air, her body bending and rotating as if made of liquid. The mortal energy passed centimeters from her skin, hot enough to burn the fabric of her clothing.
Still in the air, with body control that suggested years of acrobatic training, she pulled two metallic discs from her waist with fluid movements. The devices illuminated instantly, bright green points lighting up around their edges like miniature constellations.
The first disc flew from her hand with guided missile precision. It stuck to Nolan's chest with a satisfying metallic sound, illuminating completely in bright green like a signal light.
The second disc hit a wall on the other side of the street with enough force to bury itself deeply in the concrete. The moment it made contact, it also exploded in intense green light.
The connection between the two devices was instantaneous and devastating. An invisible but extremely powerful magnetic force pulled Nolan by the disc stuck to his chest. He was dragged across the street like a human projectile, with no control over his own trajectory.
The impact against the wall was catastrophic. Nolan passed completely through the reinforced concrete structure as if it were made of styrofoam, creating a perfectly circular hole. Debris rained for several seconds, creating a cloud of dust that obscured the entire area.
A00 stood up staggering, spitting dust and blood: "Don't try to steal my protagonist role, understand?"
But the sound of concrete being broken from inside the destroyed wall indicated that Nolan was far from defeated. Large stones began to move in the pile of debris.
"We better get out of here now," Kel said urgently, already running toward the car where Leila had taken refuge.
Inside the vehicle, Leila looked at him with eyes glazed by alcohol: "Who are you, kid?"
Outside, A00 looked at the night sky and felt the weight of reality. Without direct sunlight, his powers were completely useless. He was vulnerable like any common human.
"You know what? I'll lend you my protagonist role for today," he said to A02, swallowing his wounded pride.
Everyone squeezed into the car. A00 tried to head to the driver's seat, but A02 blocked him with a firm movement that admitted no discussion.
"Stay away from my car."
She slid behind the wheel with absolute military authority. The engine roared like a wild animal when she stepped on the accelerator, and the tires sang against the asphalt as they quickly moved away from the destruction zone.
Through the rearview mirror, they could see Nolan emerging from the debris like a resurrected demon, red energy pulsing around his body. But it was too late - they had disappeared into the urban arteries of the night.
"Who was that guy?" A02 asked, her eyes alternating between the road and the rearview mirror.
"Just a fan," A00 responded casually, as if red energy attacks were part of his daily routine.
After fifteen minutes winding through increasingly deserted streets, A02 stopped the car in an abandoned parking lot surrounded by empty buildings. Only a few flickering light posts provided irregular illumination, creating pools of yellowish light separated by oceans of darkness.
"Get out of my car," she ordered with coldness that admitted no negotiation.
Blood Night waved to Leila with an expression that mixed adoration and discovery, as if she were the answer to questions he never knew he had. His eyes shone with the fervor of someone who had found religion.
Now stopped under the intermittent light of the defective posts, with shadows dancing around them like restless spirits, Shine and Kel looked directly at A00. Their expressions demanded truth without more evasions or lies.
"You can start explaining who you really are."
**[M.L.P - Multiverse: Forbidden Legacy]**