This is a raid! [Ob/Kyte]

Ever since the disappearance of the Titans, there was no peaceful day within Jump city.

It just showed how fragile the balance of the forces was. The core five were keeping it balanced, acting as a countermeasure. And without them, the city just plummeted into chaos. Every single day there was someone robbed, someone murdered, something burning and exploding. It was scary to turn the news channel on! And it was no wonder that some people actually started deserting the wretched place. However, this was just the beginning. Things still could get worse, much worse.

This morning was far from quiet as well, as thick pillars of smoke were rising into the air, the screaming of police sirens and gunfire coming from Downtown. Again, it was the First National Bank. One could think they'd get used to it, but ... this time it was something none had ever seen before... or expected.

The wide road that lead to the bank itself was blocked, from both ends. Armored vehicles, which looked like APCs, painted black, were not letting anyone come close, and were opening fire at anybody - police or civilian alike. There were several police cars burning, full of holes from the automatic cannons.

The bank was seized. But these were no simple robbers. Instead, there were different people. Wearing helmets and armor, they looked like soldiers, or very-well-equipped mercenaries. The bank guards were already shot dead, and the civilians were held at gunpoint, while several troops were planting explosives alongside the large steel door. And, in the middle of all of his, was a man. Unlike the soldiers, he wore no armor, but his trenchcoat and insignia, as well as overall attitude, spoke that he was the one in charge. His face was covered with bandages, fiery red eyes seen from underneath them. A saber was in his handgun hanged on his belt.


- This bank and all of its monetary possessions are now seized by the Iron Legion. Make no sudden moves, and you shall be spared with only minimal damage. - his voice had steely undertones, which made the hostages even more scared, afraid for their lives. The legion were private mercenaries, which usually had business abroad. But with the power of local authorities falling in Jump city, they decided it was perfect time to start taking what they wanted. Nobody could stop them, after all, wasn't that right?

A certain automaton was a witness to the events. Sasha's reasons for being right there, right now at the time were irrelevant - but she could see it all. And she was ... confused. A small crowd was running her way, and in opposite direction of the militant outbreak, and the stream of people clashed into and around her. With one person colliding with the metal girl even!

- Uhh... ow! What gives? Can't you move over? - the collapsed man grunted, feeling like he hit a brick wall. And paled a little bit when he looked up to see that he clashed with someone who looked like Sasha. A mix of amazement with a bit of fright. But Sasha was no threat, at least, not for him...

- Excuse me. What is going on? - her voice ringed cheerfully, and almost serenely, but with a considerable undertone of confusion. She knew not what was happening, but it was kind of fun.

- I dunno man! Suddenly those black guards showed up at the central bank, and started shooting people! I don't know about you, but I'm getting my ass out of here as soon as possible!

And with that, the man stood up and ran down the street, catching the rest of the crowd. Sasha watched him go, before turning her head, and running also... but in the opposite direction! Towards where the sounds of shooting were heard from! Shooting meant fighting. And fighting was always fun.

For her, that is...

Kuro walked into his discreet apartment carrying groceries, enough food for a few days until he would have to go again, and a few bandages for the off chance he was injured during a mission.

With the issue at that tower fixed, I can probably tune in to the police radio, he thought to himself, going to his closet and removing the false panel, grabbing the walky talky and turning it on.

Instantly, he started hearing screams about an incident going on at the downtown bank.

Dammit, we're being slaughtered down here! Multiple convicts clearing out the bank! They've got military grade armor and automatic weapons, with armored cars! Requesting backu- NO!

He was silenced by the sound of a gunshot over the radio, before his frequency went to static. He heard a few more voices on the line, mainly protests of worry from other policemen, before running to the false panel in his closet, getting his gear and getting suited up quickly, pocketing the radio in its holster on his combat attire before slipping on his mask. Going out of his back window, he started quickly grappling and zipping from place to place towards the bank, eventually getting up to the rooftops and running across them at a good speed.

He was at the bank within a few minutes. He quickly scanned the scene, seeing the armored cars. Without hesitation, he grappled a telephone pole with his cable, swinging down and towards a group finishing off the last batch of cops with their automatic weapons. They never even saw him coming, and that was their downfall. In just the midst of a few seconds, Kuro flung himself into one of the men to break his fall, knocking him down and breaking a few ribs as he used the momentum to bury one of his daggers in the man's skull. Just as his colleague was turning around to shoot at Kuro, he still in a fluid motion rolled forward off of the man with a cable attached to the dagger, batting the man's rifle out of the way and wrapping his cable around the man's arm twice, before glowing and shocking the man erratically to death. Still holding the cable and still moving fluidly, the third man swiped at Kuro with his rifle to try and bash him, as Kuro ducked under the blow and grabbed one of the shortswords on his back. He glowed again, sending an electric current through it, and swung slightly upwards, cleaving the man and the top half of the armored car apart with little effort. He retrieved his cable and dagger, sheathing it for further use as he moved on, covered in a bit of blood from his recent kill.

Being an armored car driver was fun.

It was safe, you were protected by a few inches of solid armor, which made sure anything short of a missile launcher was of no threat to you. Or, at least, that was what the hapless driver of one particular vehicle thought, until suddenly a pair of flipping SWORDS cut right through his baby, slicing the roof off effectively. Hell, he barely managed to duck, to avoid being cut in twain! A gut feeling, perhaps. But the assassin, who took down three of his comrades just a moment ago, failed to notice the one inside.  Cautiously, the man peered out, but the assassin had already left. With a shaky hand, he reached for the commlink.

- C...commander? I-its Handerson r-reporting. We got a situation here...
His shaky voice rang in the bandaged man's ear, making his eyes narrow. He sharply turned around, facing the entrance, the grip on his sword's wooden grip tightening.

- Stop groveling, Handerson. Speak up!

- W-we got attacked by an assassin of some sort, at our western roadblock. He killed the others...

- WHAT?! - back at the bank, the commander exploded into a momentary bout of anger. - Are you saying that four of you sorry losers were unable to deal with ONE MAN?!

- B-but sir, he... huh?

The one-sided dialogue came to a sudden close, when the driver suddenly saw a shadow looming over him. It made him turn around, and when he did, he saw ... a girl. She stood on the top of the car, looking at the man through the large gape made by swords. But she was no ordinary girl. She was a machine. The first impression made the already startled driver panic even more.

- W...who are you? - he muttered, hand slowly reaching for the handgun.

- Excuse me mister... - Sasha answered with a question of her own, and smiled, her smile both sunny and creepy in equal measure. - Are you guys criminals?

The silliness of the question caught Handerson offguard.

- Uhh... Yeah? I guess we are?

- Oh, I see. I guess I'll have to kill you now. - the mechanical girl added, with the same cheery and happy tone, and the man's eyes widened for the last time...

- Handerson? HANDERSON! ANSWER ME!

The commander kept yelling in the commlink, but all he heard in return was incoherent yelling mixed with the sounds of gunfire, ricoshet and metal entering flesh. Nasty stabbing sounds, those were, after which the screams have abruptly disappeared, and the radio went static. The bandaged man frowned.

- Commander Singed? What is going on? - one of the soldiers dared asking.

- Our outer defense has been breached. - the man replied heavily, and activated his commlink again. - All forces, retreat to the Bank. Shoot anyone you see.

And the very next moment the blockades on both sides of the road began moving. Armored cars and black soldiers alike, were pulling towards the bank. The armored cars made a thick ring around its entrance, the troops using it as cover, guns pointed everywhere. Anyone who would try coming through here would be Swiss cheese within moments. Satisfied with this, Singed turned back, looking at his engineers placing the charges.

- What's taking you?

Kuro zipped up to the roof of the bank using his cable, waiting there and keeping an eye on all of the soldiers as they mobilized. He noticed how close the guards were, and saw an emanating spire from the front of the roof of the bank...

---

Two of the guards kept a lookout from the armored vehicles. They kept looking around next to their fellow mercenaries, all of the civilians and cops gone.

Hey, Rick. Do you think this assassin thing is real? ...Rick?

He kept asking for Rick, finally turning to see if he was there, before hearing choking sounds coming from the air. Kuro has wrapped the cable around Rick's neck, and then used him as a counterweight as he jumped down, bring Rick up and hanging him to strangle him. He slit the man's throat, running further to sweep another man's legs, and embedding his dagger into the man's neck, extending a cable from it and running forward, kicking the next soldier in the chest and wrapping his cable around their neck, running forward as he shocked him as well.

By then, the soldiers had caught on, starting to spread. They had their weapons trained on him.

I need a diversion. My coat can take bullets, but that doesn't mean it won't break my bones.

He punched the next soldier in line across the face to turn him around, using the motor on his belt to retract the cable with the dagger. Catching it, he stabbed the man in the kidney, paralyzing pain spreading throughout his body as he used him as a human shield. Moving steadily forward, Kuro looked down at the man's gun.

Oh...an Ithaca 37 Stakeout?

He took hold of the man's trigger hand, shooting the next six soldiers with it as they kept hitting the man he was using as a shield. Kuro started thinking of his next move.

The assassin's next move would have to involve escaping, somehow.

Because the end result of his diversion made him face six soldiers that were guarding the entrance. They weren't happy at all, when they saw their comrades being slaughtered in a swift and painful manner. But when the masked man used the weapon of his human shield, they all took cover. A singular scream of pain was heard - one of the bullets catching the man in the knee, and making him fall. The rest were saved either by cover or by thickness of their armor suits. And the weapon in assassin's possession soon let out raspy clicks instead of fires - the clip was empty.

- You've crossed the wrong band of mercs, punk! Open fire, lads!

And, as one, the remaining five shot grenades from their rifle grenade launchers, the explosions engulfing the shield-body, and, hopefully, the assassin as well. They just stood there then, waiting for the smoke to clear out, and wary, wanting to make sure the man was dead for good. All guns ready to fire. One of the mercs grabbed the wounded guy, and started pulling him into the Bank. This was hard to believe, a miniature army forced to retreat ... by one man.

It just so happened that Sasha was approaching the bank, following the trail that the assassin had made. Which was why she barely met any resistance. Though, her pretty dress was torn in a few places, by the driver she killed, his blood splattered across her chest. The Automaton was approaching the barricade already, but, to her surprise, the two mercs manning the machineguns were already dead! And more commotion and shooting was coming from inside.

- How strange... I wonder if they would want to play with me as well.

With that, Sasha approached one of armored cars, and grabbed at its side with both hands. It was heavy, too heavy even for her to lift in the air, but not heavy enough to prevent the magical machine from pulling it away. Which is what the girl did. She felt her feet sinking into asphalt as she applied so much pressure against it, but, finally, the thing budged. And moved. There was now a way. And to her surprise, she ran right into the five mercenaries, who were dealing with the assassin just a moment ago!

- Hello. Are you guys criminals too?

Sasha got her answer in a barrage of bullets unleashed upon her. They bounced and ricocheted from her metal body, in all directions, making her shudder and tremble from so many impacts as if she was sick and feverish. Her appearance attracted all of their attention, the mercs forgetting about the assassin quite completely, dealing with this new foe. Soon, their clips went empty, but their mark still stood there. The girl's dress was ruined now, tattered and torn in too many places, becoming nothing more than ragged shambles. One of Sasha's eyes was missing, the glass shattered by the bullet, but the other was glowing brightly still. But she stood there, smiling. But then...

*BOOM!*

A powerful explosion came from within the bank, shattering windows in buildings around it, the sound of broken glass heard everywhere. It seemed that the demomen inside had finally managed to blast out the doors...

As Kuro finished firing all of the rounds in the Ithaca 37 customized Stakeout police shotgun with a pistol-grip, he didn't even attempt to fire more. He knew that exactly six rounds were in the barrel. He dropped the gun, and, when hearing the remaining five guards at the entrance scream out that he had crossed the wrong group of mercenaries, and seeing them aim their grenade launchers, he held out his hand to the flag pole, firing his cable to grapple on it, and kicked his hostage, whose upper body bones were all broken from all of the rounds he had already taken (As Kuro had mentioned, bulletproof armor stopped bullets, but the impact was still deadly), forward.

As they fired their grenade launchers, he turned on the motor, allowing him to zip away from the explosion as the nearly blinding light took care of concealing him. As he slowly winded around to come full circle, he saw the men all unload their weapons on a girl. The girl was still standing. Kuro decided to take his chance now as he was winding around towards them, retracting his cable so he was launched forward. In midair, he drew a shortsword, glowing as he ran an electric current through it. When he landed, he landed with a roll, keeping low, and made a horizontal swipe, the electric oscillation in the blade doing the rest for him to slice all of their legs off. Blood sprayed as they collapsed, covering Kuro's coat again, before he sliced all of their heads off as well, silencing their screams. The fallen comrade of theirs would still be on the ground, likely trying to crawl away while he could.

He looked over the girl, his glow fading as he saw she was mechanical.

...are you alright? he slowly asked. He killed criminals with no problem, but he tried not to involve innocents.

He observed the blast from within the bank, which shattered all of the windows. He would need to go in there to finish the job.

They all fell dead...

Struck by something akin to black lightning. Sasha could only stand there, and watch as the mysterious masked stranger dived in out of nowhere, taking down all five in two fell swoops. The metal girl let out a sound akin to an 'Aww'. They were supposed to play with her, not him. She made a few steps forward, looking at the masked man curiously, with her only remaining eye.

- Hello. I am alright. I heard there are a lot of criminals in here, so I came to play. Did you come to play here too? - the automaton sounded almost childishly curious, but their little dialogue was suddenly interrupted by a muffled groan. It was the wounded soldier that was still trying to crawl away, into the bank. He almost made it too... Almost, but that was not enough.

Pointing her hand at the fallen enemy, Sasha suddenly detached her arm to the elbow. It was shot out towards the man, a chain rattling in its wake. In less than a second, it reached him. and grabbed tightly by the shoulder. The merc's eyes widened, as he felt the strong grip, and an equally strong pull, as Sasha began reeling him back, like a fish.

- AAAAH! AAAAAH! LEMME GO! HELP! - he screamed, his pleas for help so ... unsoldier-like, as he was dragged closer, across the street. He tried grabbing unto something solid, and in the end took out his handgun, aiming at Sasha and firing off a few rounds. His panic grew, when he saw the bullets ricochet once again, leaving nothing but a few small dents behind. And then...

*HRRRRSK!*

A raspy sound was heard, when Sasha's rapier was thrust right though the man, impaling him right through the heart. The merc in her grip shuddered in last convulsions, and let out a muffled scream, before the body went meek and pliable, like a potato sack. The metal girl dropped him to the floor then, a bit sad he died so quickly, and looked at the masked man again. She could see there were plenty in the bank still.

- Do you need help?

Meanwhile, the soldiers inside the bank were stirring. News from the 'front' were controversial, they could hear shooting and screaming coming from right outside! Singed was getting worried as well - he lost contact to one soldier after another. Clearly, the foe they were facing was no mere police force, and not even SWAT. Action had to be taken. Turning his head to the demomen, who just succeeded in taking down the safe door, he grunted.

- You, take five men, and start loading the money. Go out the back door, there's a vehicle waiting.

- And, um... what about you, commander?

- I will have to attend to a certain affair ... personally.

And the very next moment, Sasha and the assassin would see a peculiar picture. Up the large stairs that lead to the entrance to the First National Bank, four soldiers would appear. And, in front of them, was Singed. His coat batted and flapped in the wind. He looked down, eyes scanning through the two of them. The guy with the mask had to be the reported assassin. But who was this pink-haired metal girl? No reports said anything about her... A sidekick? - the officer assumed. He noted that each of them was armed with a sword of some sort, and looked at his own blade, briefly. It was glowing in a dip, ghastly light.

- Impressive work. You two sure made a mockery of my soldiers, here. - the man breathed out heavily, looking at the bodies of his troops at their feet. Sasha looked at the strange man, and then at the blade he held. And then ... shuddered. She didn't mean to, but it was an involuntary gesture. She was a magical being, and she felt that within the presence of the blade, her power... her very essence was slowly being seeped away. There's something odd about that sword...

- Who are you, mister? - she called out, earning a smirk from the bandaged man.

- They call me Singed, commander of the Iron Legion. I commend you on reaching this far. If we met under different circumstances, I'd offer both of you a satisfying contract... - it was at this very moment when his benevolent tone turned grim. - However, you killed my men, and I have a duty to them. That's why we can't be friends. Prepare to die.

And when he said that, the four soldiers aimed their rifles at the two, and opened rapid fire. This day's final fight has finally begun.

Kuro watched Sasha curiously, as she informed him that she was indeed alright, saying that she came down here to play with the criminals. She then proceeded to ask him if he came to play with them, too.

...no. I came here to reap their souls.

Kuro then watched Sasha curiously again, tilting his head in that curious way that serial killers in old scary movies do, as she reeled in the straggler and slaughtered him with her rapier. She was an interesting killer, that's for sure...but she was just like him. She wasn't slaughtering innocents. She was serving out justice to those that needed it. He would not kill her.

After killing the man, she turned to Kuro again and asked if he needed any help, Kuro assuming that she was referring to the rest of the humans in the bank.

...it seems you can handle yourself, so come if you wish.

However, it would seem that the men in the bank didn't want to be slaughtered inside. No; instead they came to greet them. Four soldiers with assault weapons, and a man in entirely different attire. Kuro could only assume that that man was the one pulling all of the strings. He had his own blade, and upon observing Kuro's and Sasha's, proceeded to give a glance to it.

He commented on how they had both made a mockery of his soldiers, confirming that he was the ringleader of the entire operation. Sasha asked who he was, and the man introduced himself as Singed, commander of something called the Iron Legion. He noted their progress, congratulating them for it, and said that had they met differently, he wouldn't have to kill them. Then, the four soldiers accompanying him opened fire on them both with automatic rifles.

Kuro made quick movements, sweeping his hand down and snatching a grenade from one of the deceased men's belts, while wrapping his other arm around Sasha's waist. He then tossed the grenade into his other hand, simultaneously pulling the pin on the grenade and releasing the spoon, while grappling onto the flagpole once more, retracting with the motor to carry them away from the gunshots. He soon released the cable and landed, not having gone up high enough to need to roll, as he then threw the grenade at Singed.

He had demonstrated a military tactic known as "cooking" a grenade. It was a dangerous practice, but when done properly, you could throw the grenade, and not fear it being thrown back at you, as it would explode about right when it hit the ground. He continued to run away from the bullets, going up the stairs and aiming to go behind one of the large pillars.

So the battle began.

And to her surprise, Sasha found herself being dragged away from the battlefield by the masked guy! She didn't understand what it was for - the metal maiden was certainly not afraid of bullets, and she wasn't the one to retreat, even if it was a tactical retreat. Not to mention, she was quite heavy. Weighting nearly 350 lbs, Sasha was heavier than even very fat people, due to the material she was made from! Probably that was why the cable didn't bring them too far away from the foes. The soldiers kept firing at them, too. Thrusting her hand forward, the automaton opened a wrist-shield, covering both herself, and standing in front of Kuro as a 'living' shield, the projectiles bouncing off of her. The commander, however, did not do anything, yet, instead just standing there, observing his foes. And when the grenade attack came into preparation, he had seen it coming.

- Not going to happen.

Singed snapped his fingers. And from that snap, a crimson spark flied out, like a lightning, hitting the grenade mid-way, and exploding into a fiery ball of flame. His soldiers took a step back, a second to reload, while their commander remained immovable. His hand, which held the sword, then ignited into fire, for a few brief moments, but that fire was then absorbed by the sword, making the blade shine brighter. Sasha looked at it, and then at the assassin, who was supposed to be behind, only ... to not find him there! The man was agile, he had already changed positions, hiding behind one of the pillars.

- Keep an eye on him. Pin him down. - Singed had ordered, and, after nodding in acknowledgement, three troops began shooting around the pillar. Escaping its safety would be dangerous - those bullet lines sure meant business. And while the rest were at it, the fourth one fired a grenade from his rifle grenade launcher, the bomb exploding behind the pillar upon impact. They were definitely intent on giving the assassin a hard time ... especially since their commander was watching!

Trusting his soldiers to keep the other foe busy, Singed directed his attention to Sasha, who stood there, stalwartly, a shield in one hand and a rapier in another. The man prepared his own sword, and took a stance, a fencing one, which the automaton quickly mirrored. - It seems your friend would rather leave you to fight alone. Defend yourself!

- En garde!

And the very next moment, the two charged one another, Singed preparing a swing, while Sasha was going to block it with her shield, and retaliate in a riposte. The warriors were swiftly one at another, both attacks launched at the same time, and then...

*BOOM!*

A large and powerful shockwave was released the moment Singe's sword touched Sasha's shield. It was of great power, cutting a line in the asphalt, turning over one of the armored trucks behind them, and lifting a cloud of smoke and rubble in its wake. The bandaged man then stopped his charge - his foe was not within his reach anymore. His troops cheered on, thinking that he managed to take down a foe in one fell strike.

Where was Sasha?

Kuro watched and observed Singed as he rejected the grenade by sending a spark to it and igniting it in midair, detonating it before it could reach him and cause any harm. His sword also ignited, but then extinguished, which Kuro noted as he made his way up to the pillar.

Long range pyrokinesis...and a magic sword?

His men started firing past the pillar, keeping Kuro pinned down...or so they thought. Kuro had a special blade of his own. He ran a strong electric current through it to make it oscillate at a high frequency, and then used the HF-blade to cut through the pillar from his position. He then launched the HF-blade on a cable up to the top of the pillar, slicing it open there as well, and kicked it. It wasn't enough. That's when a grenade was launched into the area. Kuro ran out to one side of the pillar, covering himself with his coat as he felt a few bullets hit him, but then the grenade exploded, causing a large fireball as he heard another concussive blast from Sasha and Singed's fight.

The pillar started slowly collapsing, picking up speed. Kuro ran along the top of it, lashing out both hands to launch both HF-blades out at his sides on cables. Pulling the cables taut, he then used them to potentially make his blades many feet longer, cutting all four men in two as the blades continued skyward. He retracted the cables as the end of the pillar descended for Singed, catching both blades as he ran more electric current through them to continue their oscillations.

Now it's your turn to join the red river...for the sins of our fathers, and the sins of our young.

Kuro remained ready to contend with whatever Singed had to throw, but having both HF-blades meant he was completely on the offensive now.

When you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

Or, at least, these were Singed's thoughts, when he turned around after making short work of the metal girl. She didn't see it coming, and the element of surprise proved to be her undoing. The man trusted that his soldiers could keep the assassin busy, but they couldn't do even that. They were slashed into pieces, as if they were not wearing any protective gear at all - all four of them, in one slice. And a column was coming to collapse over the man as well. Singed didn't waver. Not taking his eyes away from the assassin, he made a step back, and the column collapsed right in front of him. Laying in between the two combatants.

- Easiness, with which you killed those four puts me to shame, as their commander. To be slain by a ... hmph, a child. - the bandaged warrior said heavily, stepping over the crumbled and collapsed column, having the sword in front of himself. His hand sparkled into flame again, but the fire soon vanished again, absorbed by the sword, and making it glow.

- I am not planning to join the red river, however. You will find me to be more of a challenge than my underlings.

And with that, Singed snapped his fingers again, a crimson spark zig-zagging through the air. But it was not going for the masked assassin, instead aimed at the corpses at his feet, setting them, their weapons, and their ammunition alight, them exploding in a moment's notice. The grizzled veteran was not in a hurry, and wanted to test out his opponent, to find out what was capable of. So far, the only things worthy of worry were his super-sharp swords. But there was more to him, wasn't there? It was then when the radio rang into his ear:

- Commander, the package is loaded! We'll be coming for you soon!

... Unknown to both combatants, however, the vehicle tossed over by the power of Singed's magic sword, slowly began to ... budge. And the rubble underneath it moving, small stones falling down from the top of the large pile. The mercenary commander Sasha off the charts too early. The vehicle was slowly pushed away, and the automaton emerged from under the pile of wreckage she was buried under.

The girl was a mess - a deep gush went right across her chest, and she was covered with multiple dents from the impact. Her 'insides' could be seen as well - a multitude of cogwheels working in an unison, surviving the impact by the thickness of her plating. But there was something else. There was a ghastly blue light coating every cog, helping it turn, it was making her 'wound' glow as well. Sasha managed to pull herself out, and let out a groan, similar to what people do when in pain. That sword of his ... it weakened her. Somehow. She felt the impact not only with her body, but with her very ... essence as well. The girl looked around for her rapier, only to find it half-buried as well. The shield was non-existent anymore, torn like a sheet of paper away from her arm. Sasha made a few steps forward, back to where the fighting was. Her stance showing no wavering whatsoever. She wasn't afraid, she didn't know fear. She had to help out...

But would the masked man be able to deal with this foe without her?

Singed complained about how embarrassing it was that Kuro was making such short work of all of his soldiers, and held his sword forward as he slowly approached Kuro, igniting his hand before it faded, the sword starting to glow.

Perhaps they need a more skilled commander.

Kuro's voice didn't even sound cocky or arrogant. He was taunting Singed, but he was doing it emotionally dead. After the event with the sword, almost as if on cue, Singed said that Kuro would find him more of a challenge than his inferiors, and that he didn't plan on entering the river of blood anytime soon.

Death does not come for the prepared, he replied curtly.

He prepared to dodge Singed's attack, and had already been running to the side away from it out of instinct before he even realized Singed hadn't been aiming for him. Already distinctly at Singed's right instead of his front, Kuro tossed one of the HF-blades on a cable at him. It was a tactic he commonly used on metahumans. Some liked to look cool by grabbing one of his blades before it hit them, and then it was just a simple matter of turning the blades on. Instant sleep. Provided Singed didn't intercept or dodge the attack, it would pierce right through his chest, provided he didn't have a high endurance. Kuro also wasn't running electricity through it at the moment. He had theories that the sword Singed was wielding was absorbing the energy produced by his own fire, and electricity was energy in one of its purest forms.

Kuro intended on finishing this off at long range. He had seen that one moment, Singed's sword was glowing, and the one minute he wasn't looking at Sasha, she was gone. He saw her coming out of the rubble, and hoped that he could at least distract Singed long enough for her to get a good strike in.

- ... Perhaps they do.

Strangely enough, Singed agreed to what was supposed to be a taunt. In retrospect, perhaps it was his fault as well, to throw men at a target that they couldn't hope to defeat. Or, perhaps, it was his own fault to have a wrong impression about his soldiers' skills. When I get back to the base from here, I shall run training drills. Many training drills... - the man made a mental note. But enough of that for now, the battle was on!

The assassin was fast on his feet, that's for sure. He managed to escape both the fire and the shrapnel that was sent flying about from the ordnance exploding. Still, it took nothing more than a swift turn of the body in order to face the masked murderer again, and his sword being thrown. A confident smirk ran across Singe's face - swords were not weapons made to be thrown, and it was like inviting to disarm him...

There's that cable again.

Like a black snake, it followed the sword, it was connected to the assassin as well. In this, Singed had spotted a weakness. And a decision was made in a split second, while the makeshift projectile was making its way to him... And the very next moment...

*BOOM!*

The merc commander did not bother catching or dodging the blade, instead, he parried at the very last moment, the powerful wave of energy being released from his sword, and straight at the sword it was parrying! The sheer force of it would toss the blade to the side, and possibly even drag the assassin after it! Not to mention the possible damage being dealt to the weapon itself. Fire sparkled around the handle once again, before absorbed by the sword, into another 'charge'.

- Then death won't be coming for me today.

Singed charged back up the stairs, snapping his finger a few times, sending three crimson sparks - one aimed to the assassin's right, one to his left, and one - at him! When hitting anything, they would explode into fireballs, unleashing a wave of fire. Underestimating a foe was always a mistake. Underestimating Singed... could prove deadly...

Sasha watched the explosions from afar, as she got even closer from behind, taking momentary cover behind the remaining black armored vehicle. She wasn't sure who was winning - the merc commander had so much explosive force to his powers. It would be hard to dodge all of those blasts... And suddenly, Sasha winced again, feeling becoming a bit weaker with each passing moment. The sword kept affecting her, even if it wasn't touching her directly. But still ... she had to help, somehow! Waiting for the right moment, when Singed would not be expecting, she would shoot her reel-arm, and grab the man by his foot! A powerful pull, and the man tripped, falling down the stairs which he had just climbed!

- Hello again! Sasha wants to play some more!

Singed actually agreed to Kuro's critique, before gaining a smirk to his face as Kuro made his move. That was good. Confidence was very effective when it was shattered. Singed used up his blast to bat away Kuro's sword, which was exactly what he wanted him to do. Singed assumed Kuro only had a limited amount of cable, but Kuro had many yards on him, releasing the motor to let the sword fly. Now was his chance.

He started charging in closer to Singed, tossing a wave through the cable to have it wrap around Singed's neck as he was moving in, but a few things happened before he could stop the motor and use the stopped sword's momentum to crush Singed's neck. One, Sasha yanked Singed in the opposite direction, bringing him down the steps, and two, Singed had sent three bolts at him. Knowing full well what these energy bolts did by this point, Kuro watched as the blade finally embedded itself in the ground far away. He pulled the wire taut and turned on the motor, jumping to launch himself over the fireballs and away from the explosions, streaking down towards Sasha and Singed. Thinking of something, he threw a cable at Sasha. It was the perfect moment as he started glowing, running an electric current through the cable.

Girl, grab on!

If this worked, he would be able to shock Singed with many thousands of volts of electricity, finally finishing the fight. If it didn't, however, he might wreck Sasha.

It was a chance he was willing to take.

Things had suddenly went from bad to worst.

And for a brief moment, an expression of fear crossed Singed's face, as he was pulled down the ladder, hitting himself against the stairs many times, before landing on the ground. It was this metal girl again... He had assumed he dealt with her in one go ... and yet, apparently, she was sturdier than he gave her credit for - she was alive and kicking, even with that gush in her chest.

Sasha, on the other hand, found holding on to the man's leg a ... painful experience. Her hand was now dangerously close to the sword. She could see it glow in dim blue light, some of it swirling away, attracted to the sword, making it glow... brighter. And a new, foreign feeling came with it. The untiring machine that she was, Sasha now felt she was ... withering, growing tired. But resolve, as well as belief in her own invulnerability, kept her going forward, wishing to fight the man some more. Slowly, she began reeling him closer, preparing her rapier to impale him as she did to a soldier of his just a little while back. Singed's eyes widened, as he made contact with the metal girl's remaining, glowing eye. But then...

- Girl, grab on!

- Huh?

Sasha was distracted from her reeling, when the assassin's voice was heard calling for her, and a cable was thrown her way. With both of her hands being busy, there was no way she'd be able to grab it too. But the distraction gave Singed a chance of freeing himself.

- Unhand me, abomination! - he exclaimed, and sliced right across the chain, freeing himself just a moment before the cables hit the metal girl. And the next moment the shaken merc backed away, quickly getting back on his feet, eyes widening even more, seeing a scary picture unfold. The metal girl, she looked like thousands of volts of electricity were coursing through her, sparks flying across her body, and a yellow-ish aura surrounding her frame. It's coming from the cable... - Singed quickly deducted, as he made a few more steps back, making sure to keep both foes in his line of sight.

The automaton girl didn't care for electricity much - she was immune to the elements. What brought her more grief, however, was losing her reel-hand. With it being chopped off by the magical sword, it felt as if she lost her real one, made of flesh and blood. Sasha let out a blood-curling shriek, her metallic voice chords able to produce truly horrific sounds, and reeled the remains of the chain back into her wrist. Another new feeling, the one she never felt before... This time it was ... pain. A memory of such a feeling, so dim beforehand, now became real.

- You cannot win. - never the less, Sasha stated, making a step forward, holding her rapier in front of herself. - Metal is harder than flesh.

- I'll try anyway.

With that, Singed snapped his fingers once more. His spark flew, but this time it was not aimed at any of his foes, it was aimed at the armored car right next to them! The fire ignited the gasoline from the pierced fuel tank, and the very next moment the machine exploded, sending shrapnel, rubble and parts all around the place. Singed kept backing away, vigilantly keeping an eye out for anything, and held his glowing sword in front of him. This thing so far proved valuable both in offence, and defense.

I need to hold my own just a bit more...