As the phantoms landed on the ship's deck, one of them deposited the assassin with a practiced ease. Steve's face hardened as he saw the familiar figure: tall, with an air of menace that seemed to distort the very air around him.
Alex watched from the safety of the ship's interior, the gate clanging shut behind her. She could hear the low murmur of Steve and the assassin's conversation, their words sharp and clipped, filled with unresolved tension.
Steve and the assassin moved to opposite sides of the deck, their stances mirrored in their readiness for combat. As they began to circle each other, the tension crackled like electricity in the air.