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It didn’t look like you were getting anywhere by letting those mercs handle things on their own. If you wanted to nab Max’s suit, then you would have to cut your fight with Shocker short and help the Wild Pack bring him down.
<span class="mu-r">“This is honestly more than either of us probably signed up for. What do you say we cut this short, and-”</span>
You never got to finish your sentence, however, as Max’s business partner had just blown a gaping hole through the wall behind you. Within the massive cloud of dust and debris, you spotted a shadowy figure shamelessly retreating into the night.
Huh. It actually wasn’t that hard to convince him to leave. That was a far more normal reaction than what you were expecting. Most super-criminals drifted more towards melodrama more often than not.
<span class="mu-g">“Things are getting pretty hot in here, Benny.”</span> Flint whispered over comms. <span class="mu-g">“You still breathing?”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“Yeah, I’m fine. Shocker just peeled out, though. I don’t think he’s very interested in putting his neck on the line for Maxie, here.”</span> you observed.
<span class="mu-g">“What do we do now?”</span> Flint asked.
<span class="mu-r">“I’m gonna try and help the other guys bring him down. I might need you for a surprise attack or a quick escape, so sit tight.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Just try not to get barbecued out there.”</span>
Taking a deep breath, you snuck over to the wall and began crawling along the edge of the room in order to avoid Max’s notice. This was made slightly easier by the other mercenaries acting as bait while you crept closer to them.
Untethered by their gadgets, Max was now flying around the room, zapping anyone that looked at him funny, and striking them down with righteous fury. There was a broad grin on his face, and you got the impression that he was enjoying this a little <span class="mu-i">too</span> much.
Finally having reached a squad of mercs that’d been hiding behind a group of pillars and discussing battle strategy, you made no attempts to hide your presence from them.
<span class="mu-r">“Howdy.”</span> you said, waving at them with a bit more cheer than was necessary.
They rounded on you in the blink of an eye, their muzzles trained on your head and torso with cold indifference.
<span class="mu-r">“Relax! I’m here to help.”</span> you promised.
<span class="mu-b">“We don’t want your kind of <span class="mu-i">help</span>.”</span> one of the mercs said, pointing at a pistol that had been gunked up with webbing.
<span class="mu-r">“It was either that or risk getting shot by you guys.”</span> you reasoned. <span class="mu-r">“And now we find ourselves in a rather awkward situation where we need to team up to bring this lunatic down.”</span>
The looks they gave you and each other ranged from bewildered to dubious.
<span class="mu-b">“What’s your stake in all this, then?”</span> one of them asked, an obvious foreign accent sticking to his words. You couldn’t quite pin its origins, however.
Not wanting to tell a lie, you just shrugged and told them something as close to the truth as you could comfortably get.
(Cont.)
