[color=gray][h3][center][color=tan]Sean[/color] & [color=#BB253E]Angel[/color] [color=tan]PART 3[/color][/center][/h3] [hr] [color=gray][b]“We’ve been expecting you.”[/b][/color] The famous words quoted by super villains when they've turned the tables on their mark. A dense fog crept inward toward them in tendrils, swirling near their boots. Within seconds, it thickened, curling up the legs of tables, pooling over crates. The air grew heavy, tasting more and more chemical as the haze climbed higher. The room was spinning, an effect that lingered from the fumes he and Angel were inhaling. [color=tan][i]We’ve been made. Shit, I should have known this was too good to be true... My mask isn't sealed and I'm feeling… light?[/i][/color] He turned to run up the stairs but stumbled so hard he had to catch himself by leaning his body against the closest wall. [Color=tan][I]Come on, Sean, get a fucking grip![/i][/color] Instead of answering the enemy that lurked behind their gaseous weapon, Sean made it his priority to regain his focus. That, and making them repeat themselves would offer some extra time for the pair to figure out how to get out of whatever mess they’d gotten themselves into. [color=#BB253E]“Ah, shit, cover your mouth! Now!”[/color] Angel called to him. Despite her concern for him, her lips twitched as if wanting to curve upward anyhow. Did these idiots really think their [i]stupid[/i] smoke would affect her? She stepped forward instead of back. [color=#BB253E]“Cute trick,”[/color] she called to the figures ahead, [color=#BB253E]“Too bad, it’s wasted on me.”[/color] The shapes fanned out, boots ringing on metal grating and then settling into formation on the floor. Angel picked her target and went for it. One moment, she stood in the fog. Next, she was a blur cutting through it. Her first swing drove toward a knee joint. The blade slid against his armor and skidded off with a sharp scrape. The man barely staggered as his leg braced. Her brows flicked upward, and she pivoted, letting the momentum carry her into a second strike toward his ribs. This time, another figure slid in between them, catching her wrist. The grip was hard and unyielding. For a split second, she pulled back instinctively, expecting human resistance and the give of bone beneath tendons. But there was none. The bastard didn't even grunt. A dull ache bloomed in her forearm where his fingers dug in. She twisted out of his hold regardless, using her own strength to slip free, but it took more effort than it should have. Her shoulders felt heavier, and by the time she’d recovered, a third shape had stepped into her periphery, cutting off her escape. A shot was supposed to ring— a hero in the shape of a silver bullet should have saved her some time, but Sean didn't trust his aim, and he- It was an unspoken thing. A feeling, and also a weakness that kept Sean unable to act. There was no saviour of metallic silver… just the sinister fumes that helped blur the scene he couldn't stomach. That very fog climbed higher, past Angel’s knees now, swirling around her thighs. Warmth tickled at the back of her skull, and her body felt heavier than usual, causing her to stagger. Yet she paid no mind. Angel flashed her teeth and lunged again, feinting left, then darting right. Her blade sliced toward the seam between plate and shoulder. The man she aimed for turned into it, letting the metal take the glancing blow. The impact shuddered up her arm, numbing her fingers. They were meeting her step for step—as if they had studied her. [I]Thud![/I] Sean's body hit the floor like slab stone. The sound snapped Angel’s head around. She only had time for her eyes to widen and for Sean’s name to die on her tongue. A fist immediately slammed into her core, folding her in half and hurling her into the wall hard enough to rattle the concrete. The worst part was how easily her blades left her hands. For a moment, all she could hear was the roar in her ears. Pain bloomed through her ribs as she slid down the wall to her knees. Her vision swam, but she pushed to her feet anyway. The next hit came in, and this time, Angel lurched sideways on instinct, the punch grazing her shoulder instead of her jaw. [i][b]BZZZ. BZZZ.[/b][/i] Her pocket suddenly vibrated against her hip. Angel was quick to maneuver herself some distance away while her hand slapped clumsily at her jacket. [color=#BB253E][i]Who the fuck—[/i][/color] Her fingers closed around the phone, and she yanked it out. The name flashing up at her made her pause, and she jabbed the accept button. She quickly brought the phone to her ear, already staggering a step back as a dark shape advanced through the fog. [color=#BB253E]“Luther?”[/color] Her voice came out rougher than she meant it to. [color=#BB253E]“Luther, are you there?”[/color] The connection crackled. [color=#DE83B3]“—th… Luther… we… your ass—…underground… vamp—… bitten—”[/color] The next blow drove into her side as if she had been struck with a sledgehammer. Pain exploded through her ribs, and she screamed, the sound escaping her before she could choke it back. The phone jolted from her hand, clattering across the floor and skidding into the fog, its screen still glowing faintly where it landed. Her knees hit the ground again. She planted one hand, tried to push up again, but her arm shook. She felt [i]humiliatingly[/i] weak. Angel didn’t understand. How could this even affect her? Bootsteps approached, slow and unhurried, like whoever was coming didn’t consider her a threat at all. Angel reached blindly for her blade, fingers closing around the hilt even as her vision dimmed. She managed to lift it a few inches before her strength faltered, and it slipped from her grip. The darkness finally drowned her vision. Her body crumpled, collapsing sideways onto the floor with a soft thud, blonde hair spilling around her. [/color]