Chapter 24 : Secret

Axion walks out from the Flare nightclub and goes towards her spaceship. The road is dark and gloomy. Although the flare nightclub was merry, the alley is very silent. The wind howls through the empty old buildings around her as if she's tracing the path of a ghost city. Rustling sound follows her movement. Axion glanced around under her mask, noticing unusual presence.

A group of aliens stand ahead. Axion acts indifferent but stays alert as she gets closer. The aliens watched her as she walked past them.

"Hey!" called an alien.

Axion stopped her step.

"You should say 'excuse me' when you're passing through people. Don't your parents teach you manners?" said an alien.

"You're the one who stands in the middle of the road. Don't your parents told you not to block public spaces?" said Axion.

"How daring," said another alien.

They slowly circled Axion. Axion let out a bored sigh. The group of thugs smirks.

"We know who you are. You're Noche right?"

"If you know who I am, then I suppose you know what I can do," said Axion with confidence.

"Yea. But we ain't scared of a lone wolf," said an Alien.

"Your expertise is assassination. I bet you've never brawled with this many people."

Axion laughs. "What a simpleton."

One of the thugs lunges at Axion. She leisurely stepped aside. Avoiding the first attack. Two other thugs jump at the same time, aiming for her head.

Axion ducked, making the two hit each other's head.

Axion swiftly hits their crotch while they protest about their head. She stretched her leg and spun. Sweeping both of their feet. Two thugs fall. Another thug runs at her. She pulls her sword and swiftly cuts his leg. The thug groans in pain as he squirm.

Seeing three of their friends fall, the remaining thugs begin to hesitate. But one of the thugs convince them to keep attacking. Metal pipe on their hands. They all come at her at the same time. Axion jumped high, doing a backflip and landed gracefully behind them. Slightly startled, they immediately turned back and chased Axion again.

Axion put a stance. She waits until they get closer before she charges at them. She swiftly cuts each of them, one by one. Some thugs are lucky to only get scars. Others get their fingers cutted.

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Kaizo silently watches the fight. He's focusing on Axion's fighting style.

"So that's her real skill," Kaizo mumbled.

The Axion who fights the thugs right now is different from the Axion who spar with Kaizo. She doesn't make excessive movement. She doesn't make any unnecessary steps. Full control over her body makes her look gracefully perfect. Even though Axion fights with leisure, Kaizo can somewhat feel a strange sense of passion. Or perhaps, desire.

Kaizo keeps watching Axion fight. Until something caught the corner of his eyes. A gunner, in a building. Aiming at Axion and ready to shoot. Kaizo looked at Axion. She hasn't realized it yet. Kaizo runs at her. Before a bullet pierced through Axion's head, Kaizo stood with his energy shield. Axion glanced at him.

The gunner startled.

"There!" said a voice.

Axion and Kaizo looked at the source of the voice.

More thugs are coming.

"So, they managed to call for backups," Axion mumbled.

They begin to charge towards Axion.

"What are you doing here?" Axion asked Kaizo. Not bothered by the incoming enemies.

"You tell me," Kaizo answered.

A thug lunged at them. They step aside. The thug clumsily falls on top of his fallen comrades behind Axion.

"You're not supposed to be here," said Axion.

"I decide where I'm supposed to be," Kaizo replied.

More thugs are coming. Axion tackles the first thug. She looked at Kaizo. Kaizo can feel her smug face behind her mask. It's a challenge to see who's better. Kaizo pulls his sword. He swings his sword over Axion's head.

Axion ducked. She glances back to find Kaizo's sword has cut someone's face. She looked at Kaizo. He smirked.

At first, they fight the coming thugs one by one. But soon, they prevent each other from beating thugs. Whenever Axion was about to blow a punch, Kaizo hit the thug first. And Axion does the same. Punching the thugs that Kaizo was about to cut with his sword. Like dancing, Kaizo pulls Axion, preventing her from beating more thugs than him. Axion twirls and hits more thugs. Keeping up the number of beaten thugs. They exchange glances every time they stop each other from getting the most kills.

Kaizo swung his sword. But before his sword can hit, Axion pulls the thug. She threw a punch. Kaizo pulled the thug to his side. Making Axion's punch missed. They keep on pulling the thug back and forth. Looking for the opportunity to blow a punch to knock him out. But before any of them can get the final thug, he already falls to the floor. Dizzy from getting pulled too many times.

Kaizo and Axion looked around. No more standing thug.

Axion looked at Kaizo. "Since you came halfway during the fight, I assume I beat more thugs than you did," said Axion, proud.

"Ha! I defeat most of their backup group. Which is a lot more than the thugs who ambush you," said Kaizo.

"Oh? So you were watching from the beginning?" said Axion. "Yet you only bother to help midway. What is this? The "Hero always comes late" stereotype?" She said sarcastically.

"I never knew you needed help," said Kaizo.

Axion laughed. "I don't. I was questioning your sense of righteousness." said Axion. "One must not hesitate lending a helping hand to a woman," Axion dramatically adds. She walks away. Kaizo followed her.

"When did you start following me?"

"I've been following you for quite a while," said Kaizo.

"A while, huh? Don't lie to me. I know I've done plenty of suspicious things. But you've never suspected me until Scrozux came," said Axion. She smirked. "Don't tell me you actually buy those rumors?"

Kaizo pulls Axion and pins her to a wall. Axion is still wearing her full mask. But she can feel Kaizo's eyes piercing her eyes.

"You realize that I know your Identity?"

"If you didn't know the person behind this mask, then you wouldn't have bothered to jump at me when I was about to get shot," said Axion. "Tell me. Do you care?" she asks with a rather playful tone.

"Do you think I do?" Kaizo asks back.

"If you don't, you wouldn't have bothered to come out of your hiding spot and helped me."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm just looking for answers from you,"

Axion chuckled. "I know you. I acknowledge your capabilities. You're smart, strong and full of confidence," said Axion as she playfully slides her finger on Kaizo's chest.

"You don't know everything about me," said Kaizo menacingly.

"But I know you enough to know possibilities that you may do. Enough to know your movement. Enough to know your strategy. And perhaps, manipulate you to my advantage," said Axion as she slides her hand to Kaizo's face. Almost seductively.

A sense of caution filled Kaizo. He pulled away. "Has she always acted like this?" Kaizo thought to himself.

The person in front of Kaizo right now is more playful and cunning. It's like she's another person. The way she speaks is almost hypnotizing.

"Feeling wary are we?" Axion chukled. "You're always keen."

Kaizo looked at her. He sighed.

"I followed you to the hidden chamber under the main hangar. I put a tracker on your ship." Said Kaizo.

"Hmmm… But my ship has radar disruption. How could your tracker get a signal?"

"You didn't activate it until halfway through your trip. Once you set off, I run to the main hangar and chase you with my ship," said Kaizo.

"So you never really need the tracker. Since you see me right in front of you," said Axion.

"The tracker is just in case I couldn't find you when I reach my ship," Kaizo explained.

"You came alone?"

"No. Lahap is with me. I had him prepare the ship when I saw you board your ship," said Kaizo.

Axion chuckle. "For someone who's supposed to be investigating me, you're rather truthful."

"Frankly, I don't think you're an enemy, since Admiral Maskmana has something to do with you. But that doesn't mean I don't have suspicion on you," said Kaizo.

"So you're either looking for a reason to trust me or you just don't like to be left in the dark," said Axion.

She looked up at the sky. "If I'm some high ranking agent with a highly classified mission, you'd be scolded for interrupting a high level mission." She looked at Kaizo. "Being curious about something that you're not supposed to be involved in is not a good thing, Kaizo."