As if Ortega wasn't enough to worry about, now you have to deal with Lady Argent as well. You would never have thought that she would be the one to stage an ambush like this. She never seemed that invested in being proactive; why did she have to step things up because of you?
What is she capable of? Will she keep playing by the rules or break them at the first opportunity? You wish you would have paid more attention to what she's hiding. You made the mistake of thinking that the Rangers had done their job when they recruited her. But the more you fight her, the more you start to realize that there's a lot more to her than the official story.
Does Ortega know?
It doesn't help that now it's turned personal.
You're having too much fun fighting her—way too much fun. You should have ended this a long time ago. There's no nostalgia there like with Ortega, no old memories that can give you pause. She's just a hero, albeit with grayer edges than most. You could destroy her, and your plans would be safer for doing so. You could…no, you should.
And yet you keep letting her get away….
Oh no. You love a challenge; you just hope she won't prove to be too much of one. But until then, you need to up your game. You're not in this business to indulge yourself.
Just destroy her and get it over with.
But that is a problem for another day.
You shake your head and try to clear your mind. There will be enough soul-searching later.
Back At Your Base
It's hard to get used to having a good base. Somewhere to take care of yourself and your armor that isn't a dingy hole in the ground. No, you are hiding in plain sight, and in this town, there's no better camouflage than money.
This is yours. It's still a thrill that hasn't grown old.
Being able to live like this.
A proximity alarm beeps quietly, tearing you from your thoughts. You've made sure to rig your base so you would know when people approach. Walking over to the monitor, you check which one was triggered.
Oh. Nothing to be concerned about.
It was just one of the electricians you've hired to work on the floor below yours. It might be the slowest renovation in Los Diablos, but it keeps the floor empty.
Good. Everything is under control.
Peeling off the last bits of your armor, you are grateful for the fact that you're in a lot better shape than you used to be. Six months ago, a battle like this would have left you a wreck, but you're not even winded.
Now all you need to do is to get clean and wind down a bit, and then you can decide what you're going to do next. You don't want to be caught out like this again.
But that is a problem for tomorrow.
A Few Days Later
A few days later.
If there is one lesson from your past you're grateful for, it is when to be patient. You're curious, sure, but you also know that running off to the Rangers the very next day would be another suspicious coincidence. You try to limit those as best you can.
Time. Setting your own schedule. What you do. When you do it. Will the novelty ever wear off?
You don't think so.
So, you make the most of your freedom. You're in no hurry right now, so you're walking when you could have driven. What is it that drives you into the streets?