I drew my gun from its holster, the weight of it comforting in my hand as I swiftly loaded a green-tinted magazine—designed specifically for organic matter. The cool metal slid into place with a satisfying click. Without hesitation, I rolled sharply to the side, narrowly avoiding the pinpoint of his aim. In a single motion, I squeezed the trigger, sending a charged stun shot straight into his right leg. He staggered, momentarily disoriented, as the pulse from the shot seized his muscles, rendering his leg nearly useless. His knee buckled, and he pitched forward slightly, struggling to maintain balance.
The woman, her face a mask of fury, acted swiftly. She darted forward and delivered a sharp, calculated kick to his already-disabled leg. With a loud grunt, he collapsed to one knee. But even wounded, his instincts were razor-sharp. In a flash, he caught her next kick mid-air, his fingers curling around her ankle with a vise-like grip. He shoved her back with surprising strength, then reached down to retrieve a small, spherical device from his belt. With an expert twist of his wrist, he crushed it against the pavement, sending a thick cloud of acrid smoke billowing into the air.
The smoke rolled in, dense and suffocating, filling the space around us. I waved my hand furiously, trying to disperse the choking fog, but it clung to my lungs, making every breath feel like I was drowning. By the time I managed to clear my vision, he had vanished. Not even a trace remained. He was gone, as if he'd evaporated into thin air.
The woman's frustrated hiss echoed through the stillness. She clicked her tongue with disgust, her eyes locking onto me as though the fault lay squarely at my feet.
"Look at what you did!" she snapped, her voice rising with irritation. "He's gone now because of you! Oh, my days!"
Her words hung in the air, heavy with blame, as I stood there, the taste of failure bitter on my tongue.The tension hung thick in the air, even after the smoke began to dissipate. I coughed, waving away the lingering traces of the choking cloud, and glared at the woman.
"Me?!" I shot back, incredulous. "You're the one who kicked him into action! Maybe if you'd let me handle it—"
She rolled her eyes dramatically, cutting me off. "Oh, spare me the excuses. You had one job. One. Disable him before he pulled one of his tricks. But nooo—now he's gone!"
I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to snap further. "You think I wanted this? It's not like he gave me a heads-up about that smoke bomb. Besides," I gestured toward the faint traces of blood smeared where his leg had been hit, "he's injured. He won't get far."
"Won't get far?" She laughed bitterly. "You clearly don't know who we're dealing with. Injured or not, he's got a knack for slipping through cracks no one even knew existed. And now, thanks to you—" she jabbed a finger in my direction—"we're back to square one."
I could feel my frustration boiling over. "Fine, then! What's your brilliant plan, huh? Stand around blaming me while he regroups and strikes again?"
For a moment, silence stretched between us, her fiery glare locking onto mine. Then she huffed and crossed her arms, pacing a few steps away.
"We track him," she said finally, her tone clipped. "There's no way he didn't leave some kind of trail. You better hope your fancy magazine left a signature we can trace."
I didn't bother to respond. Instead, I turned my focus to the ground, scanning the area where he'd vanished. There had to be something—anything—that could give us an edge.
A faint, greenish residue near the edge of the smoke bomb's debris caught my eye. Kneeling, I scraped some of it into a vial from my utility belt.
"Looks like his leg wasn't the only thing my stun shot affected," I muttered, holding it up to the dim light. "This residue... it's reacting to something."
She leaned over my shoulder, curiosity replacing some of the irritation in her expression.
"Great. Let's hope you're right," she said, a hint of sarcasm still lingering. "Because if this leads us nowhere, I'll make sure you regret not finishing him off properly."
I shot her a withering look as I secured the vial. "Trust me, I already regret working with you."