Omega Vision
There was something to be admired about the way Vorpal dispatched her foes. Even Kassok recognized the simple beauty with which she moved when in battle. Kassok was fast but Vorpal was pure poetry in motion. Kassok stood atop the corpse of one of Osborn's nameless thugs, his blades resting on the ends of the perfect incisions that had sliced the hapless man's heart into four neat pieces before he could even scream. He stood there for a moment and observed Vorpal running past a barrage of machinegun fire with her kusarigama's chain slicing in every direction, cutting down foe after foe.
'Clakkclakkclakk!' Kassok was shocked back to his senses when another low rent thug charged into the courtyard with his submachine gun blazing. Kassok felt something heavy slamming into his abdomen and felt a flash of pain in his gut, pain which he ignored. The mercenary's chokuto flashed out and the gun fell silent. In another moment the thug collapsed in a heap leaving Kassok and Vorpal alone in the courtyard. The compound was a large one, and in the small dusty courtyard alone there had been a dozen heavily armed guards waiting for the mercenaries to arrive. What they hadn't counted on was the flash-bomb that Vorpal used to destroy the gate and kill the first four guards. After that the rest was cake for the pair.
"So is that everyone?" Vorpal yelled out as she sheathed her weapon.
Kassok grunted in response. "Everyone on the outside." He cleaned his blades of blood with one of dozens of wet-naps he kept on his person while Vorpal sauntered up from behind. Kassok saw her in his blades, she had such a marvelous stride and her hips moved side to side like a pendulum. As she approached him her face was marked with bemusement.
"Someone got shot," she giggled, "I can count One, Two, Three, Four, Five Exit Wounds! Ah-ha-ha!" she said, imitating a certain arithmetically obsessed television vampire.
Kassok grunted again. "The wounds will heal. So much for bullet proof kevlar." Vorpal paused when she was a few feet behind Kassok and inspected him closely with her hands on her nice, full hips and her luscious lips curled thoughtfully. She stooped down to pick up one of the bullets, had Kassok been paying attention he might have gotten a wonderful view of her cleavage.
"It's not the kevlar's fault," Vorpal remarked, inspecting the bullet. Most bullets flattened on impact with a hard surface or at least deformed a bit. This one looked like it could be fit into another casing and fired again, "Looks like adamantium to me."
"Osborn's stepping up his game then," Kassok murmured, "Is it secondary or primary admantium?"
"Hold that thought," Vorpal reached for her waist and produced from her belt a small circular device that looked like a makeup mirror. Kassok groaned. Perhaps he'd never understand women.
"Is now really the best time for a touch up?"
Vorpal shot him a poisonous glare. "It's not a makeup mirror you ass." As she opened the device a small circular display lit up and the doughy face of Wilson Fisk, AKA the Kingpin appeared. He was wearing a particularly wide grin.
"Ah Ms. Kwan you're looking well," the big man purred. Vorpal's lip curled, "And what of Kassok?" As if in response Kassok grunted loud enough for the communication device's receiver to hear him.
"He's also alive, unfortunately," Vorpal said tongue in cheek, "Not that Osborn's men haven't tried to correct that." She looked to his many exit wounds: big craters of flesh that had seemingly shrunk in the last minute since she had last inspected them. Kassok's healing factor at work.
"Did the flash-bomb work as planned?" Fisk asked, raising an eyebrow, "Did it obliterate the gate?"
"Oh yeah," Vorpal nodded, "Next time though you might want to ease the burden on your pyrotechnics budget and let Kassok throw you at the target like a bowling bowl. That weight has gotta be good for something." The Kingpin's smile faded and his nostrils flared up in indignation.
"I am not paying you to make jokes, Ms. Kwan," Kingpin growled.
"We'll get the job done, Fisk," Kassok said from the side. A small satisfied grin appeared on the Kingpin's face.
"That's what I like to hear, Kassok," Fisk said, "Do try to keep your comrade in line. This is an important mission."
"They always are," Kassok murmured.
******
Vorpal's kusarigama wasn't the best weapon for sneaking with a chain that rattled with each of her steps. Her sandals weren't helping either, compared to Kassok's muffled rubber soled boots they made quite a racket. As the pair moved through a narrow ill-lit corridor in the left wing of the compound's upper level Vorpal's noisy accouterments made a constant racket. Had it not been for the fact that a cacophonous alarm was blaring throughout the compound someone likely would have heard her. It was the only silver lining regarding the alarm.
Everywhere armed guards hustled to and fro in search of the pair while scientific lemmings struggled to keep working on whatever sinister research Osborn had tasked them with. When Kassok and Vorpal came to the end of the narrow corridor Kassok's arm shot out and barred the way. Vorpal had good reflexes and managed to stop herself before getting closelined by Kassok's outstretched arm.
She was about to hiss something curt when Kassok put a gloved finger to his lips and narrowed his icy blue eyes. Vorpal understood immediately: they were dangerously close to compound personnel. She tried to get on her tiptoes and peer over Kassok's shoulder and around the corner but Kassok was too tall for that to work. Instead she asked Kassok.
Her voice was a mousy whisper. "What is it?"
Kassok glanced over the corner for a brief instant and his mouth twisted from a flat line to a frown. "Scientists," Kassok said, "And a lot of them."
Vorpal nodded and arched her brow. "Any guards?"
Kassok nodded his head. "Just a few. Armed with Glocks and Uzis."
"Can you tell what the whitecoats are working on?"
"Not sure," Kassok grimaced, "But I think we can rule out a cancer cure or the solution to the energy crisis."
Vorpal grinned. "So we don't need to feel bad about killing them." She tried to proceed but Kassok's arm held firm, pushing her body back with a degree of ease that served as a potent reminder of his inhuman strength.
"We're not going to just run in and start loping heads off," Kassok growled with a low, dangerous voice.
Vorpal frowned and put her hands to her fine hips. "Why not?"
"Unnecessary waste of energy and life." Kassok's expression was unequivocal. Vorpal knew there was no use arguing.
She sighed. "What do you suggest?"
In response Kassok produced a tiny black disks from a small compartment on his belt. "A little something I stole from the Baxter building a few months back."
Vorpal's eyes widened a bit and her lips pursed as she looked at Kassok: an expression of mild astonishment. "I had no idea anyone raided the Baxter building recently."
Kassok's mouth twisted into the slightest of grins and his eyes glinted triumphantly. "Victor Von Doom is a man of discretion, and Reed Richards likes to pretend his home and headquarters is impregnable."
Vorpal flashed a smile. "Nice. So what does this thing do?"
"Cloaking device."
"So why not use it the entire time?" Vorpal raised a brow.
"Limited battery. Most likely Richards wasn't finished tinkering with it when I swiped it."
"Aww that poor little nerd. Did you shove him into a locker before leaving?"
"No. I was a little busy avoiding getting turned to paste by the Thing or burnt to a crisp by the Human Torch."
"Neat," Vorpal tapped the little disk with a sharp painted fingernail, "So how limited a battery are we talking here?"
Kassok scowled. "A few minutes if you're lucky. Then it shuts down while it recharges. That can take a few hours."
"Not Reed Richards' best work," Vorpal muttered.
"There's another catch," Kassok said, "It only projects a small field."
"Meaning?" Vorpal tilted her head.
"We're going to have to stick together." Kassok frowned.
Vorpal smiled and pulled up close to Kassok, pressing her soft body against his well muscled chest and abdomen. A lithe hand hooked around the assassin's shoulder while another slid around his waist. From her orange lips emerged a soft purr. "Interesting. If you were anyone else I'd think you were lying and just looking for an excuse to get close to me."
Kassok's expression was stern. "Just stay close and try to be quiet." He pressed a small button on the disk and it made a little beeping noise, "Alright we're invisible."
Vorpal cocked a brow. For an invisible man Kassok had a lot of color and depth. "No we're not, I can still see you and I can see my hand."
"You're in the field," Kassok growled back, "But to anything outside of the field we're as invisible as the air you breathe. Now are you ready?"
Vorpal nodded. "Lead the way, Oh Captain My Captain."
'Clakkclakkclakk!' Kassok was shocked back to his senses when another low rent thug charged into the courtyard with his submachine gun blazing. Kassok felt something heavy slamming into his abdomen and felt a flash of pain in his gut, pain which he ignored. The mercenary's chokuto flashed out and the gun fell silent. In another moment the thug collapsed in a heap leaving Kassok and Vorpal alone in the courtyard. The compound was a large one, and in the small dusty courtyard alone there had been a dozen heavily armed guards waiting for the mercenaries to arrive. What they hadn't counted on was the flash-bomb that Vorpal used to destroy the gate and kill the first four guards. After that the rest was cake for the pair.
"So is that everyone?" Vorpal yelled out as she sheathed her weapon.
Kassok grunted in response. "Everyone on the outside." He cleaned his blades of blood with one of dozens of wet-naps he kept on his person while Vorpal sauntered up from behind. Kassok saw her in his blades, she had such a marvelous stride and her hips moved side to side like a pendulum. As she approached him her face was marked with bemusement.
"Someone got shot," she giggled, "I can count One, Two, Three, Four, Five Exit Wounds! Ah-ha-ha!" she said, imitating a certain arithmetically obsessed television vampire.
Kassok grunted again. "The wounds will heal. So much for bullet proof kevlar." Vorpal paused when she was a few feet behind Kassok and inspected him closely with her hands on her nice, full hips and her luscious lips curled thoughtfully. She stooped down to pick up one of the bullets, had Kassok been paying attention he might have gotten a wonderful view of her cleavage.
"It's not the kevlar's fault," Vorpal remarked, inspecting the bullet. Most bullets flattened on impact with a hard surface or at least deformed a bit. This one looked like it could be fit into another casing and fired again, "Looks like adamantium to me."
"Osborn's stepping up his game then," Kassok murmured, "Is it secondary or primary admantium?"
"Hold that thought," Vorpal reached for her waist and produced from her belt a small circular device that looked like a makeup mirror. Kassok groaned. Perhaps he'd never understand women.
"Is now really the best time for a touch up?"
Vorpal shot him a poisonous glare. "It's not a makeup mirror you ass." As she opened the device a small circular display lit up and the doughy face of Wilson Fisk, AKA the Kingpin appeared. He was wearing a particularly wide grin.
"Ah Ms. Kwan you're looking well," the big man purred. Vorpal's lip curled, "And what of Kassok?" As if in response Kassok grunted loud enough for the communication device's receiver to hear him.
"He's also alive, unfortunately," Vorpal said tongue in cheek, "Not that Osborn's men haven't tried to correct that." She looked to his many exit wounds: big craters of flesh that had seemingly shrunk in the last minute since she had last inspected them. Kassok's healing factor at work.
"Did the flash-bomb work as planned?" Fisk asked, raising an eyebrow, "Did it obliterate the gate?"
"Oh yeah," Vorpal nodded, "Next time though you might want to ease the burden on your pyrotechnics budget and let Kassok throw you at the target like a bowling bowl. That weight has gotta be good for something." The Kingpin's smile faded and his nostrils flared up in indignation.
"I am not paying you to make jokes, Ms. Kwan," Kingpin growled.
"We'll get the job done, Fisk," Kassok said from the side. A small satisfied grin appeared on the Kingpin's face.
"That's what I like to hear, Kassok," Fisk said, "Do try to keep your comrade in line. This is an important mission."
"They always are," Kassok murmured.
******
Vorpal's kusarigama wasn't the best weapon for sneaking with a chain that rattled with each of her steps. Her sandals weren't helping either, compared to Kassok's muffled rubber soled boots they made quite a racket. As the pair moved through a narrow ill-lit corridor in the left wing of the compound's upper level Vorpal's noisy accouterments made a constant racket. Had it not been for the fact that a cacophonous alarm was blaring throughout the compound someone likely would have heard her. It was the only silver lining regarding the alarm.
Everywhere armed guards hustled to and fro in search of the pair while scientific lemmings struggled to keep working on whatever sinister research Osborn had tasked them with. When Kassok and Vorpal came to the end of the narrow corridor Kassok's arm shot out and barred the way. Vorpal had good reflexes and managed to stop herself before getting closelined by Kassok's outstretched arm.
She was about to hiss something curt when Kassok put a gloved finger to his lips and narrowed his icy blue eyes. Vorpal understood immediately: they were dangerously close to compound personnel. She tried to get on her tiptoes and peer over Kassok's shoulder and around the corner but Kassok was too tall for that to work. Instead she asked Kassok.
Her voice was a mousy whisper. "What is it?"
Kassok glanced over the corner for a brief instant and his mouth twisted from a flat line to a frown. "Scientists," Kassok said, "And a lot of them."
Vorpal nodded and arched her brow. "Any guards?"
Kassok nodded his head. "Just a few. Armed with Glocks and Uzis."
"Can you tell what the whitecoats are working on?"
"Not sure," Kassok grimaced, "But I think we can rule out a cancer cure or the solution to the energy crisis."
Vorpal grinned. "So we don't need to feel bad about killing them." She tried to proceed but Kassok's arm held firm, pushing her body back with a degree of ease that served as a potent reminder of his inhuman strength.
"We're not going to just run in and start loping heads off," Kassok growled with a low, dangerous voice.
Vorpal frowned and put her hands to her fine hips. "Why not?"
"Unnecessary waste of energy and life." Kassok's expression was unequivocal. Vorpal knew there was no use arguing.
She sighed. "What do you suggest?"
In response Kassok produced a tiny black disks from a small compartment on his belt. "A little something I stole from the Baxter building a few months back."
Vorpal's eyes widened a bit and her lips pursed as she looked at Kassok: an expression of mild astonishment. "I had no idea anyone raided the Baxter building recently."
Kassok's mouth twisted into the slightest of grins and his eyes glinted triumphantly. "Victor Von Doom is a man of discretion, and Reed Richards likes to pretend his home and headquarters is impregnable."
Vorpal flashed a smile. "Nice. So what does this thing do?"
"Cloaking device."
"So why not use it the entire time?" Vorpal raised a brow.
"Limited battery. Most likely Richards wasn't finished tinkering with it when I swiped it."
"Aww that poor little nerd. Did you shove him into a locker before leaving?"
"No. I was a little busy avoiding getting turned to paste by the Thing or burnt to a crisp by the Human Torch."
"Neat," Vorpal tapped the little disk with a sharp painted fingernail, "So how limited a battery are we talking here?"
Kassok scowled. "A few minutes if you're lucky. Then it shuts down while it recharges. That can take a few hours."
"Not Reed Richards' best work," Vorpal muttered.
"There's another catch," Kassok said, "It only projects a small field."
"Meaning?" Vorpal tilted her head.
"We're going to have to stick together." Kassok frowned.
Vorpal smiled and pulled up close to Kassok, pressing her soft body against his well muscled chest and abdomen. A lithe hand hooked around the assassin's shoulder while another slid around his waist. From her orange lips emerged a soft purr. "Interesting. If you were anyone else I'd think you were lying and just looking for an excuse to get close to me."
Kassok's expression was stern. "Just stay close and try to be quiet." He pressed a small button on the disk and it made a little beeping noise, "Alright we're invisible."
Vorpal cocked a brow. For an invisible man Kassok had a lot of color and depth. "No we're not, I can still see you and I can see my hand."
"You're in the field," Kassok growled back, "But to anything outside of the field we're as invisible as the air you breathe. Now are you ready?"
Vorpal nodded. "Lead the way, Oh Captain My Captain."