Chapter 12

Back at the S.A.B. HQ, Night Howler effortlessly takes down the troops and makes his way to where Malik is being held. He breaks down the door and enters the room cautiously, aware that someone might be hiding in the shadows. Suddenly, the lights flicker and go out. He scans the darkness, straining his eyes to catch a glimpse of movement, but he can't see anything. That's when he hears a quiet, almost imperceptible rustling from behind. He turns just in time to see the glint of a blade coming straight for him. He dodges the attack, and the blade slides through the air, missing his face by mere inches.

Night Howler retaliate quietly, summoning a repulsor blast from his gauntlet. 

The beam of energy lights up the room just in time for him to catch a glimpse of his elusive for. She's agile, fast and deadly.

Annabel darts in for another strike, this time with a dagger in each hand. Howler counter with a series of swift forcing her to retreat. She backflip from him, quickly vanishing into the shadow.

Unexpectedly, a volley of blades comes whizzing toward Night Howler from the darkness. He jumps out of the way, but not before one of them scratches him. Night Howler curses under his breath and shoots another blast into the darkness, but Annabel is nowhere to be found.

"She might be using something to evade my visor's detection. She moves like a ghost," Malik mutters. "I have to find another way to handle this situation."

Then, he focuses his attention on the room's equipment, shooting tiny chips at every area of the room to get the lights back on. As Night Howler works on the room's system, Annabel slips out of the shadows again, drawing her blades. She strikes quickly, but Howler, alerted by a slight sound, spins around and blocks the attack with his forearm. He lunges forward with a crushing blow from his fist, sending Annabel flying backward and hitting a wall with a loud thud. Annabel recovers and pulls herself to her feet. Her shoulder is clearly injured, but she's still in the fight. She manages to draw a knife, but Night Howler uses his armor blast to knock it away. He charges towards her in a flash and grabs her by the neck, lifting her off the ground. With Annabel suspended in the air, Night Howler's grip around her throat tightens.

 "This is over, Ms. Assassin. Where's my friend?" He demands. She refuses to cooperate, instead raising her middle finger at him. Mark growls loudly and knocks her out.

After that, the room's system is restored. "Whoa! Perfect timing." He mutters when he catches a glimpse of Malik lying motionless. Mark's heart skips a beat, and he rushes to where the body is. He checks his pulse, seeing he's still breathing, and sighs in relief.

Galban steps through a portal and stands at Mark's ruined house. When Bale spots him, he dashes to Galban.

"Thank goodness you're here. Some gangs attacked, but they are detained before they can do too much damage... Mark's mum was injured." Bale says, turning to where Mark's mumis being attended to.

Galban growls, tightening his teeth together; he doesn't take what happened very lightly.

"I think this might be connected to Malik's kidnapping. Mark also disappeared when he went for his rescue. Whoever these people are, they're not playing nice."

Where Bale and Galban are chattering, David approaches them.

"Mr Galban? I go by the name David and it is a pleasure meeting you in person." David introduces himself while Galban suddenly grabs him by the neck. Bale quickly intervenes before anything can get any dirtier. 

"Mr. David here is an ally. He means no threat." Bale speaks for the half-choked man before he is freed.

David gasps for air instantly and coughs. "The boy is right..." He says while catching his breath and finally getting up straight, revealing his ID. "I am the head director of Supreme Global Defense."

He snaps his finger, and one of the agents comes running with a tape displaying Ironclad's image and Abu's image. "Do you remember him?" David inquires while Galban takes a closer look at the image.

"No, I don't remember seeing this face. But what I do remember is this mech suit. I fought one not long ago, and the female driver was detained after. But this guy, I don't think I have ever seen him." Galban answers, then folds his arms.

"Alright, let me clarify the situation. This is Abu, a genius and the mastermind behind the suit's creation. We know he has a vendetta against the vigilante Night Howler due to... you know, heroic stuff, but that's not the main issue. Mark mentioned earlier that you're also on Abu's naughty list now because you pose a threat to his operations." David explains, and Galban listens intently. "He wants to eliminate you as soon as possible, regardless of the cost. And it seems you don't keep your identity hidden, making it easy for them to identify you and your connection to Howler in one way or another. We're unsure what they have planned, but they're gaining the upper hand." David states, leaving Galban perplexed.

"What do you mean by that?" Galban asks, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Mark and the other kid have been kidnapped. Well, maybe they are taking care of the situation right now," David replies, before an agent approaches him with a report of an ongoing attack in the city. "It appears Abu won't back down easily. He'll stop at nothing to neutralize you. I assume your powers are a significant threat to his illicit activities. I'll send troops to intercept him." David says, but Galban warns:

"You're sending them to their deaths. I fought one of those suits before, and it was formidable. Given what you've told me, this mad genius has likely upgraded the suit to match me in the fight. Let's divide and conquer - you handle the smaller problem while I take down Abu."

"What's your proposal?" David asks.

"Your troops can evacuate the civilians while I confront Abu," Galban replies, and David nods in agreement.