Fight for your Life

The world blurred into a swirl of colors, and all sound seemed to fade away. Val felt the rush of wind and experienced a heart-stopping moment of weightlessness. But gravity quickly reclaimed its hold, and she found herself crashing onto a large vat filled with core powder below.

Lying dazed, panic washed over Val but gradually subsided when she realized she had landed on her back, not her stomach. Still dazed, Val's mind conjured up the serene image of the old apothecary, her voice echoing, "Trust in those wings of yours," before fading into the recesses of her mind.

That whisper resonated within her, and an unfamiliar strength surged. Her fingers tightened around the cold grips of the two cannons she had hastily grabbed from Dan's office earlier. Miraculously, she hadn't dropped them during her fall. Staggering to her feet, she was coated in powder, her face a stark contrast to the fierce determination in her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Val aimed the cannons at the gaping hole in the office window, just as Travis was about to appear. The roar of her shots filled the air, driven by a newfound resolve to protect her future and the life within her.

Travis, buoyed by his perceived upper hand, released a guttural laugh, thick with mockery. The remnants of smoke from earlier shots slightly obscured the cruel twist of his lips. "You know," he began, his eyes gleaming malevolently, "that little bird you spent days nursing back to health? The one you tried so hard to free but would never leave its cage?" A sense of dread gripped Val's heart.

He smirked, his next words deliberate, "I killed it. Threw it away like the useless thing it was."

A sharp pain, more intense than any physical wound, pierced Val's chest. Her scream was a raw blend of rage, sorrow, and disbelief. "You monster!"

Travis wasn't finished. His venomous words continued, "Did you really believe he loved you? You were just a shiny trinket to him. A pretty distraction from our real dealings. After all, who questions a 'family man'?"

Anguish twisted Val's features, the weight of betrayal almost too much to bear. Yet, amidst the pain, a fiery resolve ignited within her. Clenching her teeth and with defiance in her eyes, she retorted, "Shut up!" Refusing to let this villain have the last word.

Ice shards burst from Val's cannons as she maneuvered through the machinery, seeking any advantage. Travis, from his elevated position, rained down fire with one hand, the other holding a cigar. Though initially amused by Val's resistance, his amusement faded when an ice shard knocked the cigar from his grasp. He realized he needed to take this more seriously.

"Why don't you give up and come out? Stop hiding like a frightened mouse," Travis taunted.

From her cover, Val took a steadying breath. Fear was not an option. She stood, cannons aimed at Travis, her voice resolute, "Who's hiding?!"

Their eyes locked, the tension palpable, a storm about to break. The room became a whirl of action as they exchanged shots, weaving through the industrial landscape.

Spotting a loose overhead chain, Val took her shot, sending a metal beam swinging down to knock Travis from his vantage point. Unlike Val, Travis found no soft landing and lay gasping on the factory floor.

Approaching the fallen Travis, Val's hands trembled. The factory was eerily quiet after their clash. "End it," he gasped.

Val raised her cannons but hesitated. Travis's chuckle broke the silence. "See, I knew you couldn't—"

His taunt was cut short as Val decisively ended his life with an ice spear through his skull. "I was trying to remember the moment," she said, collecting his cannon.

Val then set about igniting the factory, her actions setting off explosive chain reactions. Fire engulfed the building, casting the night sky in a fiery glow, the thick walls barely containing the roar of the inferno.

Outside, the moonlight paled against the backdrop of flames. Val, her appearance marred by the battle, stood defiant before the conflagration. The fire's light cast her in the silhouette of a vengeful angel, an avenger of her wrongs.