[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/pgOGtMj.png[/img] [h1]&&[/h1] [img]https://i.imgur.com/RSIEFMz.png[/img] [/center][hr][hr] "... Hold still," Seven-Seven ordered Justin. "You want me to try and fix you, correct?" "I know, I know," Justin answered, as he sat on this stool with a pout on his face. Seven-Seven stood overtop of him, as her fingers transformed into tools that were repairing Justin's cybernetics. He tried to relax, but he was worried, it was hard to. "But, my nerves are still active, and it [i]stings[/i] like hell." "Perhaps you should have gotten the nano-repair system, similar to mine, installed." Seven-Seven playfully teased. Justin looked down at the grease-stained floor for a moment. He looked off to the side to see a red car raised on an elevated platform that he couldn't identify (or simply just didn't want to). The room was dimly lit, but one flip of a switch in that brain of his, and he was able to see perfectly fine in the dark. "... Sorry, but I didn't have time to get any upgrades," Justin shook his head. "I just wish I had better parts to work with!" Seven-Seven said as she replaced a piece of Justin's wiring. She welded it shut. "I can barely do anything." "It don't gotta look pretty," Justin said, "I just need a quick patchwork before we get out of Rio. Voyt, Abel, and whoever the hell else, may be right on top of us." He leaned forward and rested his face into the palm of his metal hand. "This tournament backfired on us so hard." "Don't think of it like that, Justin," Seven-Seven said with a smile. "It was a great idea, and we would be in Germany by now if it succeeded! But, alas..." She said, before she shrugged. "We'll get to Germany somehow." "I hope so..." Justin said. "Now, hurry up befor-" Timing couldn't be anymore against Justin Haggar here. The door swung open, the lights were flicked up, and a middle aged man in blue overalls came in. Wielding a shotgun, that - while it didn't intimidate the Nomads - it was definitely going to attract a lot of attention. "Wait, wait, wait!" Justin said as he hopped to his feet, and Seven-Seven retracted her repair tools. "Don't-" ... And of course the man fired the shotgun. His cybernetic frame was pelted with a barrage of pellets, as he turned to the side and used his arm to shield his face. What would be a fatal shot... merely scratched him. And he liked his shiny metallic body. He closed the distance, and grabbed the shotgun, and put a hand against the man's mouth. His blue eyes met the man's brown eyes, and he said, strained, "I'm not going to hurt you, okay? Just calm down." The man looked terrified, as Justin disarmed him with one swift movement... and didn't even look human. Justin took a few steps back, releasing the man, and gently placing the shotgun on the hood of the vehicle. "Who... who are you?" The man asked, and Justin was glad that not everyone knew about them. Which left him room to do [i]this[/i]. "Brenton, and this is Andrea, sorry for breaking in," Justin said, "But, we're looking for a phone... we need a ride to São Paulo." "I... I can give you a ride," The man said. "But, it isn't for free." Seven-Seven stepped forward, her lips curling into a grin. "... We have a way." [hr] It was a long and bumpy ride in the back of this mechanic's truck. Seven and Justin were sitting across from each other as they were getting knocked up and down. There was not a whole lot of small talk in between getting launched around the truck. So, it was quiet as it was... unpleasant. The truck came to a stuff, and Justin hoped that he wasn't dragging them into a trap. But, Seven-Seven would had noted that before the vehicle even came to a stop. The door opened up, and the man nodded his head. "You're here," He said. "Where is my money?" Seven-Seven walked up, and as she got out of the vehicle. She smiled at the man, and handed him a device of some sort. Seemingly a piece of some sort of high tech machine. It looked very complex. She said, "Sell that, it's worth a lot y'know." She walked away, and Justin followed. "Take it easy." Justin said. Good... São Paulo, one of the wealthiest places in all Brazil. If they were going to find an odd job or two, it'd be here. They arrived here at the dead of the night, which made it even easier. Justin merely threw his hoodie up... while Seven merely walked with her mink coat on. As she didn't have another hood. Besides.... ... She liked her mink coat! They walked into a shady bar, and it looked like the place you'd find some equally shady people that had something to be done. It was a dirty job, but whatever got the pair closer to their goals. The moment they walked in, [i]everyone[/i] put their eyes on the dude with the hoodie, and the girl with the flowing blonde hair. Justin merely shrugged, as he pressed on to the counter. "Tequila, please," Justin said as he slid his way onto the stool. "Haha..." The burly bartender said to him. "We don't sell tequila out here, friend." Yet, he still went back and grabbed a bottle, and poured Justin a glass. "Drink some Cachaça, shit tastes better than that Mexican shit anyway." Well, Justin can't really get drunk anymore, but fortunately he can still taste it. He grabbed it with his hand... which elected a raised eyebrow from the bartender. He downed it all in one slurp, and shook his head. "Another." "... Wow, robot man," The bartender said. "Take it easy." Justin shook his head, as he gazed up towards the TV screen above them all.... [b][code]HEADCLINE: Major Terrorist attack during the Brazilian Fighting Cup.[/code][/b] And it used an image of the same stadium that Seven and Justin fought in. Burning. Collapsed. In pieces. He raised an eyebrow. [i]Abel...?[/i] He thought to himself, but before he could continue that line of thought, the camera focused itself on the woman, who explained. "This is Molly Schuler, and tragedy has struck at the Brazilian Fighting cup in Rio!" Molly started off. "Right when the first match begun, a horde of machines, descended upon the stadium, and caused a massacre. Destroying a majority of the stadium, along with the death of many civilians." Molly cleared her throat as she continued. "Brave MAVERICK soldiers fought bravely to ensure the contestants, and survivors get to safety, but it seems an explosive went off in the building." Molly started off. "Authorities are still looking for survivors." She centered herself. "MAVERICK is still investigating who is behind this attack, but it is believed to be either the work of the dreaded ZODIAC group..." Molly trailed off, as she pressed her earpiece, and turned to the side. "... We have received word that the two terrorists, Justin Haggar, and a woman who refers to herself as Seven, are the two behind the attack." Justin, out of shock, suddenly crushed the cup in his hands. He looked down at his hand, and sighed. The screen showed an image of both Justin and Seven-Seven standing side by side. "These two are responsible for the destruction of MAVERICK headquarters, currently with a bounty of a trillion dollars," Molly started off. "Said bounty has doubled to two trillion dollars each. Seven is wanted strictly alive..." Suddenly... everyone started giving the pair a look. Grinning madly, and laughing. As a massive payday is standing right in front of them. Why not just take it? "... And Justin Haggar is wanted dead or alive." Justin sighed. "... I was about to ask for another drink," Justin started off, as he got off the stood to face the droves of men and women. Pulling his hood down to reveal his face. "Fellas... it's not going to go down the way you think." Justin started off, cracking his robotic knuckles. "Sooooo, if I were you, I'd go back to drinking." Instead, the horde of men rushed square at Justin, and he sighed. "... Always gotta do things the hard way, don't cha?" Justin mused to himself, as he started the fight by throwing the first punch. A left hook right to the face of a mook charging him from the right. He came to a stop as his whole body trembled with the tremendous impact of his left. But, Justin utilized momentum to turn into a pivot, and swung his back leg out. Charged with a light-blue ki, when it swung out, it created an arc like a scythe. The men went flying. Justin's arm underwent a transformation as it glowed with ki, and vents opened up in his arm to let out the steam. He leap forward with his fist cocked back, and sent it flying upwards. "Rhythm Uppercut!" The men were launched through the roof, and came flying around all over the bar. "Seven!" Justin shouted, as he created enough breathing room for Seven to... Her chest hatches opened up, and a large orb came flying out. A curious device propelled by a rocket... which immediately exploded and caused a blinding flash that engulfed the room in light. Everyone screamed in agony, as they desperately tried to shield their eyes. It was like staring into the sun! But, by the time the light faded... ... They were all gone. [hr] Not too far away, Justin and Seven rested in an alleyway. Well, Justin went into a fit of rage as he punched a brick wall so hard that he created a hole in it. "Damn it!" Justin shouted. "Justin!" Seven pleaded. "Everyone is so damn stupid!" Justin shouted. "All they're doing is helping the real bastards!" "It's okay, it's okay," Seven replied, as she grabbed Justin's wrist. "We'll have to prove them wrong, prove them [i]all[/i] wrong." She said. Justin shook his head, as he leaned up against the wall, and crossed his arms. "You know what this means, right?" Justin asked. "[i]Even more,[/i] loons like Voyt after us. We can't trust no one." "What about the beach?" "They had no idea who we were... and I know that portal kid is going to want to run that spear of his through me...." "Maybe, maybe not..." Seven trailed off. Justin shook his head, and shrugged. He looked up to the nightsky... and saw someone staring down at them. They were dressed like a ninja! When he looked up, the person left. "Another assassin." Justin said as his arms transformed. "Great." He launched himself upwards with a single beat pulse, and Seven-Seven followed with a quick boost. They both landed on the roof, as they caught sight of the stranger. "Don't let 'em get away!" Justin said. "They'll ju-" The stranger threw a flashbang and the two shielded their eyes... [i]So that's what that feels like.[/i] Justin thought to himself as his arms were ready to roll. But, the light faded, and the person was all gone. ... But a letter was left behind. Seven-Seven walked over to it, and opened it. Her eyes went wide as she read the contents, and Justin stepped over and took a glance at it. [quote][b][code]Hello, I'm Xue Lei, champion martial artist of China. My father has seen you in action, and is disappointed that you were not only eliminated early, but didn't even get a proper showing. The fighting cup may have been interrupted, but we cordially invite you to our private tournament in Hong Kong. The prize will be even greater than the one offered in the fighting cup. I hope to see you there, [/code][/b][/quote] Justin raised an eyebrow. "... Could be a trap." "But, maybe we should look into it," Seven-Seven said. "We were unprepared for [i]this[/i] tournament." Justin shook his head. "Germany first," He took a few steps towards the edge of the rooftop as he threw his hood up. "Then we decide if we want to attend a shady tournament." He extended his hand to Seven, and said. "Are you ready? We got plenty of work to do." Seven smiled as she took his head, and the two were launched across the night sky. The adventure had barely begun.