X barely had time to move before Widow opened fire.
BANG! BANG!
X dodged behind a dumpster as bullets tore through the air where he had stood a second ago.
Raven ducked behind a stack of crates, clutching her injured wrist. "She's fast."
Kessler was already scrambling for cover, panic in his eyes. "Fast? She's a goddamn ghost!"
X peeked around the corner.
Widow stood in the middle of the alley, calm and poised, dual pistols aimed exactly where he was hiding.
She's good.
Too good.
X had fought assassins before.
But Widow moved differently.
Precise. Efficient. No wasted motion.
She was trained to kill people like him.
Widow tilted her head slightly. "You're thinking about running, aren't you?"
X didn't answer.
She smirked. "Don't bother."
A laser dot appeared on X's chest.
He barely twisted away before a sniper round ripped through his coat.
"Sniper on overwatch!" Raven called.
Widow took advantage of the distraction, closing the distance in a flash.
X barely raised his guard before she was on him.
A kick slammed into his ribs, sending him staggering.
Widow followed up with a spinning strike to his jaw.
X blocked—barely.
She was fast.
Faster than Z.
X countered with a sharp jab.
Widow dodged, twisting like a dancer, using the momentum to bring up her pistol—
X grabbed her wrist.
She smiled. "Not bad."
Then she drove her knee into his stomach.
Pain exploded through his core.
X grunted, stumbling back.
Widow didn't let up.
She whipped around, bringing her gun up for a kill shot.
BANG!
A bullet slammed into her shoulder.
Widow hissed, rolling away.
X turned to see Raven, gun smoking.
Raven smirked. "Thought you forgot about me?"
Widow exhaled slowly. "Annoying."
Her hand moved to her earpiece. "Switch to pursuit protocol. Let them run."
X's instincts flared. A trap.
Before he could react, Widow tossed a smoke grenade to the ground—
BOOM!
Thick white smoke exploded, covering the alley.
When it cleared—Widow was gone.
Kessler coughed, waving the smoke from his face. "That was… horrifying."
X didn't respond. He was already scanning the rooftops.
Widow wasn't just another agent.
She had been testing him.
And that meant Echelon was planning something bigger.
Raven reloaded her gun. "We need to move. Now."
X nodded.
They weren't just being hunted.
They were being herded.
And that meant the real fight was only just beginning.