Cat and Mouse

Ryker freezes as the Reaper fires two bullets into the air, sending the crowd to swarm out of the way. The people disappear into alleys and buildings for cover. The only one left standing is Ryker, and the storm reminds them of its existence by striking a white bolt on a distant rooftop.

Ryker draws his weapon and waits.

The storm is coming to him, now.

The Reaper raises a weapon, holding the other in their other hand while it is used as a rest for support. Ryker runs and slides to a vehicle parked at the curb, the bullet already fired and skimming the bumper. He checks his magazine to make sure it's filled, knowing these soldiers aren't what the Kaiyo used to send out.

The Reaper fires seven more bullets to shatter every window in the vehicle, using both weapons to hit either side. The pressure the bullets bring are so strong that they destroy whatever is unlucky enough to find their path. They pierce anything that matter can create, playing as miniature voids that become a bridge to the afterlife.

Ryker peeks over the trunk of the vehicle, pushing it up for more support.

The Reaper puts a hole where Ryker's eyes were a split second after the Ikari leader ducks, his face to the glass. Finding the boots of an incoming enemy, Ryker points at the ankles of the Reaper and fires. The Reaper grunts in pain, and Ryker uses that chance to peer to the side of the trunk and fire at the Reaper's shoulder.

Another growled call follows. Ryker fires three more, but the Reaper takes them to the chest without a wince. Instead, the soldier runs to jump from the hood of the vehicle. Ryker gazes as the black guardian spins in the air and lands behind him, rising to hit him with the butt of his pistol. Ryker throws his wrist up to the weapon, raising his own to the knee of the Reaper.

Quickly, the soldier doesn't make the same mistake and sends the same knee into Ryker's chest, making another attempt to break his skull with the end of the gun.

This time, it works.

As distant alarms and sirens start to echo through the streets, Ryker rolls out to reflect the flashing red and blue of the neon with his blood marking the sapphire shattered glass.

The Reaper runs to kick Ryker's pistol out of his hands, firing at the gun to damage it. Raising their own to his head, they meet a hand instead of a skull. Ryker grabs the end of the gun and pulls it to the side as it goes off. Ryker spins his leg to kick the Reaper in the mask after using the tug of their wrist to pull them down.

The Reaper shakes their head and stabilizes, which gives Ryker time to slam into them again. He elbows their helm and sends his leg back into their chest, stealing one of the pistols in their hand. The Reaper growls and presses a button on the pistol, and the metal begins to click into a different shape. Ryker watches as the Reaper snaps the half-empty magazine to replace it with a different, longer one. Ryker fires two bullets at the soldier, with one missing and the other skimming the glass of the helm, and sending sparkling flakes out into the air.

The Reaper turns for a moment to wince, and then reports back to their mission. They fire an entire magazine at Ryker, the handgun now automatic, but every bullet turns into a spider web of cracks on the other side of a hologram.

The Reaper curses before getting kicked to the ground from behind, another bullet skimming their neck on the way down. They roll over quickly to find their target standing over them, watching as the automatic weapon they held slides across the glass.

"Aim isn't what it used to be, sorry. I'm a little rusty with these," Ryker tells the Reaper.

They spin backward in response, grabbing their weapon again to attack. Ryker aims and fires, but the bullet is deflected with the metal on the Reaper's wrist. Ryker slides for cover again as the Reaper sends the last of their magazine to their target. They reload quickly, pulling a new magazine from their vest while the other one drops. Ryker crawls out from the end of another vehicle again, raising his weapon, ready to fire.

The Reaper halts their actions, glancing at the edge of their helm to find another Ryker completing the same actions. They quickly turn to fire at the Ryker behind them, but after seeing their bullets dense the web through another hologram, they turn to find the real Ryker firing two bullets through their hand.

"Ah, you fell for it again. I even gave you a free shot," Ryker taunts, watching the Reaper shake the blood from the large wound in their hand. They drop their weapon, now unable to fire due to their injury, and rush toward Ryker with the taps of their boots against the glass.

A bullet flies into their chest, but it doesn't stop them from uppercutting Ryker. His weapon flies up, and both throw punches to be the first to catch it when it spins down to them again. Ryker deflects the Reaper's raging fists as they power into his chest and face. Ryker grips the Reaper's fist before the impact reaches his cheek and struggles to move the soldier's arm to the side. They stare at each other intensely when they hear the clang of the metal weapon hitting the road. After a few seconds, Ryker finds enough room to send his foot into the stomach of the Reaper, only to be gripped by the ankle and twisted over.

Ryker is sent spinning horizontally to the ground, a sharp pain stabbing in his ankle. His head slams into the glass and his vision blurs everything into a faded rainbow. Slowly, he rises again with several slips against the polished blue, watching the Reaper and curious as to why they haven't moved.

As if the world split in two on the impact Ryker took, the Reaper stares at their target with their reflection standing behind him.