Central Command, Amestris, nighttime
Night had fallen upon the military state of Amestris, the cold light of the Moon bathing the streets in an eerie glow. The chill of the wind only added to the unnerving atmosphere, its cold temperature enough to send shivers down the spine of any man. Yet for the men in the Amestrian military, this was nothing more than a slight inconvenience. Many of them remained unaffected as they patrolled the streets, checking them for any activity. However, even with their attentive gazes, none of them could have suspected that an invader was already making their way through their country.
Far above the soldiers, a shadowy figure was running and leaping across the rooftops, moving so quickly and stealthily that they barely made a sound. Though it was hard to tell anything about their appearance at first, it was clear from the visible curves, the twin braids, and her high-pitched grunts that this was a woman. And as she landed on her haunches atop the latest rooftop, the intruder looked up at her destination: the National Central Library.
Meanwhile, deep inside of the massive building, a young man currently sat at one of its tables, deeply enriched in one of the myriad of books and notes in front of him. He wore a black, long-sleeved jacket that contained white lining along its edges, and beneath that was a sleeveless black shirt. A brown belt was wrapped around his waist, holding up the black pants that covered his legs, while his feet were obscured by a pair of black boots. But the most striking things about him were his hair and eyes. His hair was gold, with a braid that went down to his shoulders in the back, bangs parted in the front, and the center of his parting containing a single strand of hair that stuck up like an antenna.
This was Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, and he was currently studying all of Central City’s books on alchemy. For the past week, he’d been trying to crack the code behind Tim Marcoh’s notes, which had been disguised as the cookbook, “1,000 Meals For Daily Living.” All of the recipes contained subtle hints written in code, each one disguised to reveal the secret Ed and his brother Alphonse had sought for so long: the process behind creating a Philosopher’s Stone. Unfortunately, it seemed Marcoh had been a bit too thorough with his hints. With a code that only made sense to its writer, Ed and Al had to search each page with a fine-toothed comb, eyeing every word to make sure they didn’t miss anything. At the moment, Ed was vividly scanning a recipe for a decadent chocolate cake, his mind racing as he picked it apart like every other recipe.
‘Let’s see… “Once both eggs have been cracked, place their yolks into a bowl and mix until homogenous. Then add three sticks of unsalted butter, beaten or stirred.” At least it’s starting off simple.’ Ed thought to himself as he wrote down his findings, occasionally pausing to compare the page with his previous notes. If his hunch was right, then this recipe might’ve been talking about…
BAM! THROK! WHACK! THUMP!
Unfortunately for the older Elric, his concentration was suddenly broken by the sounds of a nearby commotion. He could hear grunts, screams, and the occasional sounds of gunfire before someone was slammed into a nearby wall or floor; and it was getting louder with each second that passed!
‘It couldn’t be Scar, could it?’ Ed thought in worry as he got up from his chair and turned toward the door. He’d heard reports that the Ishvalan serial killer had been spotted around Central, and with how close he’d come to killing Ed and Al the last time-
‘Oh crap! Al!’ Ed’s eyes widened in realization. Three minutes ago, Al had gone out to the main library, apparently to find a book that- at least according to the notes- was meant to be cross-referenced with what they’d found. And if Scar was out there, then-
Balling up his fist, Ed ran out of the door, shifting his head from left to right in an attempt to find Al before the intruder did. As he did so, a familiar, high-pitched voice screamed out, followed by a thundering CLANK!
Fearing the worst, Ed bolted toward its direction, leaping over the bannister and rolling as he hit the ground. The moment he got back to his feet, the Fullmetal Alchemist rushed to where the voice had come from, desperately calling out Al’s name.
“Stay back, brother! She’s- rrgh– she’s way faster than she looks!” Al’s voice responded some distance away, causing Ed to raise an eyebrow.
‘She?’ He thought to himself as he continued bounding toward the voice.
“You’re wasting your breath.” As if to confirm Al’s statement, a feminine voice responded. It sounded young and almost devoid of emotion, as if the speaker was some kind of machine, and there was a light accent that Ed couldn’t place. When he turned the corner, he found a young, blonde woman standing over his brother’s body, gripping both arms as she pressed a boot against Al’s back.
“Even if your brother comes for you, it won’t stop me from completing my mission. Now tell me, where is the Fullmetal Alchemist?” Cammy asked as she twisted the arms on Al’s suit of armor, eliciting a pained grunt from the younger Elric. The sight of this, combined with what she’d just said, caused Ed to clench his fist as his body shook with anger.
“Well, if you must know, he’s standing right here, and he’s not too happy seeing his brother get used as a punching bag!” Ed announced, raising his clenched fist as Cammy turned to meet his gaze. “So if you wanna fight someone so badly, why don’t you give me a try?”
As she heard Edward’s taunt, Cammy leapt into the air, taking a moment to flip forward before landing on her feet.
“Target: Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric in range… Beginning subjugation!” She announced as she rose back to full height, entering into a fighting pose as she looked down at the teenager. Ed responded by clapping both hands together, creating a metallic ringing noise as he slammed them against the ground. Arcs of electricity flew through the air as part of the ground rose up, taking on a more cylindrical shape. Grabbing hold of it, Ed then gave a sharp tug, pulling the rest of it free. The impromptu weapon moved like a brown blur as Edward spun it around his body several times, and it would only stop when he grabbed it with his other hand and pointed its sharpened end at Cammy.
“The only one that’s gonna be subjugated here is you after I’m done kicking your ass!” Ed responded as he lunged forward, swinging his new spear as hard as he could!
Meanwhile, outside of the library, a young woman was currently traveling along the sidewalk, accompanied by a small, black and white Shiba Inu that walked in front of her. The two had been walking for the past few minutes, and as they approached the library, neither one seemed to be aware of the fight that was occurring inside. This changed when they walked past the entrance, as a chorus of noises suddenly diverted the woman’s attention.
With a curious “Hm,” she looked over at the doorway, hearing crackling electricity, wood splitting apart, and a series of loud crashes. But what really got her attention were the two voices she heard in the midst of this commotion. One of sounded young, and it seemed to have some kind of accent. The other voice was far deeper, sounded slightly raspy, but most of all, it was one that she recognized!
Stopping herself in the middle of her walk, Riza Hawkeye pulled slightly at Black Hayate’s leash, indicating for him to stop. As he did so, she knelt down, meeting his gaze before speaking to him.
“I’ll be gone for a few minutes, so I’ll need you to stay here until then. Understand?” She asked. Black Hayate responded by sitting down, his tongue sticking out as he let out a few excited, panting breaths. “Good boy.” Hawkeye responded, petting him on the head before rising to her feet.
As she ventured inside of the library, the sounds of the scuffle became more audible, causing Hawkeye to reach into her jacket. Clutching the FN Model 1910 at her side, she quickly pulled it out and raised it to eye level. Sticking close to a nearby bookshelf, Hawkeye slowly sidled along the side before poking her head around the corner, and what she saw caused her gaze to sharpen in anger.
Laying some distance away was a blonde woman in her 20’s, clad in a light blue one piece leotard and wearing a blue garrison hat on top of her head. A blue lightning bolt pattern seemed to be painted along her legs, leading down to a pair of knee-high combat boots. Those same combat boots were currently locked behind Edward’s back, trapping him between her legs, and judging by his grunts, she was squeezing him like a vice. Ed’s groans would only grow louder as the woman tightened her grip, only to quickly fade as the lack of oxygen began taking its toll. And it was at that moment that Hawkeye couldn’t stand to sit by and watch anymore!
Riza took aim, pointing its muzzle directly at Cammy’s side. While this wasn’t an ideal area to target, Cammy’s positioning and her similar height to Ed’s meant that aiming anywhere else could risk hitting him. With that in mind, the best Hawkeye could hope for was that her shot would weaken Cammy’s grip. With time running short, Riza made sure her position was steady, and then-
BANG!
Upon hearing a gunshot so close to her, Cammy went into high gear as she pushed herself out of the way, dodging the bullet and unintentionally dragging Ed along for the ride. As she flipped through the air, Cammy released her grip, allowing Ed to drop with a brief cry of pain while she landed completely unharmed. Looking toward the direction the shot had come from, Cammy immediately locked eyes with Hawkeye, who looked back at her with a cold glare.
“Sorry for the sudden intrusion. It’s just that I’m not the biggest fan of seeing an intruder treat a member of my unit so violently.” Hawkeye stated before turning her attention to Ed. “Are you alright, Edward?”
“Yeah. She just surprised me, that’s all.” Ed responded, panting several times as he got back to his feet. “Just gimme a few more seconds and I’ll handle her.”
“No. What you need is to take Alphonse and get as far away from here as you can. I’ll handle her.” Hawkeye said, keeping her pistol held toward Cammy. Ed opened his mouth to try and respond, but after failing to find the words, he simply nodded before taking off to find Al. Cammy’s legs tensed up as she prepared to chase after him, but Hawkeye was quicker on the draw. Pointing her pistol toward the ground, the former sniper fired off a single shot, leaving a bullet hole a mere centimeter from her target’s foot.
“You try going after him again and I’ll make sure my next shot doesn’t miss.” Hawkeye warned, keeping her pistol aimed straight ahead. “Now tell me, who are you, and why did you attack Edward Elric?”
“My mission is to apprehend the Fullmetal Alchemist and take him in for questioning. I was forced to take action when he refused to comply. Stand in my way again, and you’ll meet the same fate. And unlike with the Fullmetal Alchemist, I have no qualms about terminating you!” As she said this, Cammy lowered herself into a fighting stance, causing Hawkeye’s glare to harden.
“Then by all means,” Hawkeye reached into her jacket, grabbing a second pistol and pulling it from its holster. Aiming both handguns forward, the markswoman coldly finished, “take your best shot.”
Cammy proved quick to take her up on that offer as she sprinted toward Hawkeye, causing the lieutenant to fire off several shots. A storm of bullets were sent flying through the air, each one intent on slowing Cammy’s pursuit, but they were nothing more than child’s play to avoid! When each bullet approached her, Cammy would strafe from one side to the other, allowing them to whiz past her without any harm.
Noticing her opponent’s reflexes, Hawkeye responded by aiming a bit lower, firing a few inches in front of Cammy. With how Hawkeye had timed this shot, the bullet would pierce through Cammy’s shin before she could even register it. All that she needed was for Cammy to take her next step. Riza watched as Cammy’s foot hit the ground…
…only to suddenly spring into the air, causing the bullet to fire straight through the wooden floors. As she cursed herself for underestimating Cammy’s speed, Hawkeye adjusted her aim, pointing both pistols diagonally as she looked up at the airborne Brit.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Two rounds were shot from each pistol, aimed to hit Cammy in either her shoulders or her thighs. Unfortunately, they would all miss their mark as Cammy curled up into a ball, spinning through the air as she approached Hawkeye. Once all of the bullets had passed by, the Doll uncurled herself and dove down, keeping one leg outstretched in order to drive Hawkeye into the ground. Upon seeing this, Riza quickly ducked down, feeling Cammy’s heel fly past her before both feet hit the ground a second later.
Attempting to get the drop on Cammy, Hawkeye whirled around, her finger already on the trigger as she brought her gun up. She prepared to fire it, but her target had already lunged forward, swatting Riza’s handgun off to the side. With its course now diverted, the bullet was sent flying off into the distance as Cammy charged forward. She threw out a right hook, ready to embed her fist in Hawkeye’s face, but Riza reacted quickly by slamming her elbow into Cammy’s arm. With the sudden change in weight, Cammy’s punch was instantly thrown off course, missing its intended target by sheer centimeters, and Hawkeye was more than willing to exploit this!
Wrapping her left arm around Cammy’s, Hawkeye then forced her arm to snake around her opponent’s, locking them together as she tightened her grip. Her forearm was now poking out from beneath Cammy’s upper arm, and her pistol’s muzzle was pointed directly at Cammy’s temple. With no time to waste, Riza pulled the triggers on both handguns, causing two loud BANGs to echo through the room. Just as she did so, however, Hawkeye’s world suddenly shifted as Cammy grabbed the back of her jacket and flipped her over. Everything blurred together for a moment before Riza hit the wood floor head-first. With a pained grimace, Hawkeye pulled herself back up, her expression morphing into an angered glare as she gazed at her opponent.
Cammy glared back at her, paying little mind to the sizable cut from where the bullet had grazed her left cheek. Instead, she lunged forward, only to stop midway as a sharper pain flared across her side. Cammy cried out as she fell to her knees, clutching her side in an attempt to slow her pain. Upon looking down, she found herself staring at a large bullet wound, feeling a growing warmth as her outfit began sticking to her skin. Cammy’s mind raced as she questioned where this injury had come from, and she would receive her answer when she looked back up. Still clenched in Riza’s hands were two pistols, each one trained on Cammy and still smoking.
The moment she saw this, Cammy’s pained expression morphed into an intense glare. Then, ignoring the bullet wound that ached across her side, the Killer Bee forced herself to move as she darted toward a nearby bookshelf. Hawkeye rushed after her seconds later, strafing to the side as the two soon found themselves separated by bookshelves. They continued to run past the shelves, catching glimpses of the other as they passed by. Attempting to capitalize on this, Hawkeye began firing off several shots, aiming them at vulnerable parts of Cammy’s body. Unfortunately, none of them would hit their mark as White either flipped past them, ducked beneath them, or was just too fast for Riza to hit.
Realizing she was getting nowhere as she passed by their sixth row, Hawkeye chose to take a different approach in her tactics. The moment the bookshelf’s wooden frame was no longer obscuring her vision, she brought her gun up. Expecting another shot, Cammy leapt into the air, not realizing the mistake she had just made. With a slight smirk, Hawkeye pulled the trigger-
BANG!
Cammy’s eyes widened in a mixture of pain and realization as she felt a bullet enter her right leg, piercing her calves. The suddenness of the attack had left her with little time to adapt, and as she landed, the British assassin fell onto the ground, her leg giving way due to her newest injury. Fortunately, Cammy would recover quickly as she rolled forward, taking cover behind the nearest shelf. After making sure she was safe, she looked down at her leg, easily spotting the bloody hole in her calf. While it wasn’t necessarily a fatal injury, she could tell that it was still going to affect her performance.
To make matters worse, Cammy could hear Hawkeye’s footsteps slowly growing closer. Not wanting to be spotted in such a compromising position, Cammy pushed herself back up, moving slowly so she wouldn’t make any noise. Meanwhile, Hawkeye was closing in on her, sticking close to the bookshelf and moving slower so Cammy –hopefully– wouldn’t detect her. Hawkeye slowly sidled toward the corner, and after bringing her guns a bit closer, she moved out from beneath her cover, pointing the two handguns directly at… nothing?
Somehow, Cammy had completely vanished, leaving only two puddles of blood as proof of her existence.
‘Seems she’s faster than I thought.’ Hawkeye thought to herself. ‘But even so, she won’t get far with those injuries.’
As she returned one of the pistols to her side and inserted a new clip into the other, Riza seemed unaware that someone was currently watching from afar. Several rows away, a set of cold, blue eyes were trailing her every movement, their owner currently crouched down to prevent herself from being seen.
As she watched the lieutenant slowly stalk through the library, Cammy continued to analyze her, noticing every time Hawkeye brandished her pistol while checking corners, the way her eyes scanned the area, and even the way she walked. With how attentive she was being, it was going to be very hard getting the drop on her, especially when she still had that gun on her!
Remembering the gun caused Cammy to cringe as pain flared through her wounds. Putting a hand against them in an attempt to stop the bleeding, she gave Hawkeye an intense glare. Her fists balled up in anger as she recalled the pain, the humiliation she felt from being hit by those bullets. How dare this woman get in the way of her mission so easily, and how dare she wound her like that?
With her anger continuing to grow, small wisps of blue flame began manifesting around Cammy’s fist, growing more frequent with each second her muscles tensed up. However, she seemed to pay this no mind, instead focusing all of her attention on Hawkeye. With her fists growing tighter, Cammy placed both feet against the bookshelf and quickly leapt off. In only a few seconds, Cammy had ascended at least ten feet into the air, and her descent happened even quicker. As she dove toward Riza, Bison’s clone curled up into a ball, spinning rapidly before closing in on her!
Meanwhile, Hawkeye continued to walk through the library, her senses on high alert as she waited for some sign of Cammy’s appearance. As she looked through the abandoned library, Hawkeye noticed a shadow on the wall to her right. Whatever it was, it was small, mostly round in shape, but most alarmingly, it was headed straight for her!
Her instincts kicking into high gear, Hawkeye turned to face her attacker, bringing up her arm to block whatever was coming toward her. This proved to be the right choice, as a leg slammed into her upper arm a second later. Quickly pushing it aside, Hawkeye raised her pistol and fired directly at Cammy’s face. Unfortunately, it seemed White had expected this as she ducked beneath the bullet and lunged forward, deflecting Hawkeye’s next shot with an elbow strike to the pistol’s side.
As Hawkeye’s gun discharged, Cammy went in, throwing out a punch that Hawkeye blocked by bringing her gun arm in front of herself. Unperturbed, Cammy delivered a second punch, but that too was blocked as Hawkeye raised her right arm. Trying to capitalize on this, Riza threw her other arm forward, preparing to shoot Cammy in the temple, but Cammy ducked just as she pulled the trigger.
Going back in, Cammy landed two swift punches, one to the stomach and one to the chest, then knocked Hawkeye back with a roundhouse kick to the face. Hawkeye’s head snapped to the side, but she quickly recovered by ducking under Cammy’s next attack. Reaching into her jacket, Hawkeye pulled out her second pistol and, in a swift, fluid motion, slammed it into the side of Cammy’s head. Cammy cried out in pain as she staggered back, and it was in this moment of weakness that Hawkeye turned the tables on her!
Leaping back as far as she could, Hawkeye fired shot after shot, aiming each one to make sure Cammy couldn’t close the distance between them. She fired with such precision and accuracy that even if Cammy dodged one, she’d still be in range of the next five. The situation seemed hopeless for Cammy, but instead of showing some sign of worry, she chose to crouch down, falling onto her haunches with a cold expression. Before Hawkeye even had a chance to question Cammy’s decision, the British assassin shot forward, giving a shout of “Spiral Arrow” as her body began spinning like a drill.
Hawkeye watched in surprise as Cammy corkscrewed toward her, somehow avoiding every bullet as her body continued to spin. With the distance between them rapidly shrinking, the former sniper prepared to deliver another shot, aiming this one at Cammy’s thigh. Unfortunately, in the time it had taken her to aim, Cammy had already spun past her, kicking Riza’s legs out from under her. Hawkeye gave a surprised cry as she was sent into the air, and before she even had a chance to begin falling, Cammy was already on her!
The moment Cammy stopped spinning, she leapt after the airborne woman, grabbing her from behind and wrapping both arms around her waist. Taking charge once again, Cammy flung herself and Hawkeye in the opposite direction, ascending several feet in a matter of seconds. Once they’d hit their peak, Cammy bridged with her back, using her full strength to slam Hawkeye face-first into the ground!
Releasing Hawkeye from her grip, Cammy landed with a stylish backflip, now only three feet away from where her opponent had crashed. Meanwhile, Hawkeye was just getting back up, letting out a groan as she shook the cobwebs from her head. Once her vision had cleared up, her eyes widened as she noticed Cammy’s fist heading straight for her.
Jerking her head to the side, Hawkeye felt the air brush past her as Cammy’s gauntlet grazed her cheek. Once the outstretched arm had flown past her, Riza responded with a swift punch to the gut. As Cammy lurched over, Hawkeye threw out a harder punch to her side, deliberately targeting the wound she’d created earlier. Cammy screamed as her pain flared up again, but she was quickly silenced as a hard cross hit her in the chest. A left hook smashed into her jaw, causing her to reel back, but she wouldn’t get far as Hawkeye grabbed her by the tie. Then, with a hard tug, the Killer Bee was pulled into a powerful headbutt!
Cammy grunted as her head snapped back, and Hawkeye would add to the pain with three hooks to the face. Each one forced Cammy to stumble, and she couldn’t even fight back! Each blow filled Cammy now with pain, but a burning anger. Her fists clenched even tighter as wisps of blue energy began spiraling around her arms. Each time she was hit, they would grow more frequent, though neither woman seemed to notice them. Their attentions lied solely on the fight: Hawkeye analyzed Cammy’s movements and reactions, while Cammy struggled to power through her blows.
Eventually, the combo would come to an end as Hawkeye threw a final punch, knocking Cammy back several inches. As the battered and bruised Doll came to a stop, Hawkeye threw her leg forward, ready to deliver a roundhouse kick to the face. Seeing this as her chance, Cammy ducked beneath it and lunged forward, driving her knee deep into Hawkeye’s stomach. Riza gasped in pain, only to be quickly silenced as Cammy kicked off of her stomach and hit her with a second knee to the jaw. Hawkeye’s head snapped back, and before she could even recover-
“Cannon Spike!”
Cammy followed up with a high kick to the jaw, sending both of them soaring through the air. As they ascended, Cammy’s legs moved like lightning, assailing Hawkeye with kicks that dragged even higher. By the time of Cammy’s fifth kick, they were roughly ten feet above ground, and when their ascension hit its peak, Cammy brought both legs up and wrapped them around Hawkeye’s neck. Then, with a quick backflip, she flung Riza back toward the ground, sending the defenseless soldier crashing into the floor with enough force to crater it!
Time seemed to slow down as Hawkeye landed on her back, sending pain coursing through her. As her body sank into the wooden floor, she watched with slight worry as Cammy began to dive toward her. A split second later, however, the battered lieutenant noticed two familiar objects flying in front of her, having been lifted off the ground thanks to her impact. As she watched them twirl through the air, their metal finishes glinting in the room’s light, a feeling of relief quickly washed over Riza. Plucking both pistols from the air, Hawkeye then threw both arms back, planting her hands firmly against the ground as she sprang off.
After rolling backwards to avoid a dive kick, Hawkeye allowed her pistols’ magazines to open up. The used clips fell to the ground, and with her military uniform billowing in the wind, the next clips flew out from her sides. Swiping her guns through the air, each round managed to land perfectly in their slots, and in the time it had taken her to hit the ground, Hawkeye had already pushed the magazines back in. With her pistols reloaded the moment she landed, Hawkeye gripped them tightly, giving Cammy a brief smirk.
For a brief moment, Cammy’s brow furrowed in irritation before she rushed forward, throwing out a straight punch with her left arm. Hawkeye responded by ducking down, allowing the blow to fly past her, then knocked Cammy’s arm to the side with an elbow strike. As White’s arm was thrown off course, Riza straightened her own arm, pointing her gun directly at the Doll’s head. Cammy responded by jerking to the side, narrowly avoiding a bullet that would’ve penetrated her skull.
Using her momentum, Cammy dropped down into a cartwheel kick, clocking Hawkeye twice in the jaw and causing her head to snap back. Upon landing, Cammy continued her combo with a hard elbow to the mouth and followed it by throwing out her arm. A swift backhand struck Hawkeye in the jaw, sending her flying back.
Upon hitting the ground back-first, Hawkeye briefly winced in pain, but she quickly pushed it aside by backrolling to her feet. Bringing both pistols forward, the blonde markswoman remained slightly hunched over as she fired her shots, specifically targeting her opponent’s legs. Like before, Cammy responded by running off to the side, narrowly avoiding each shot, but she quickly realized she was about to hit a dead end. Standing before her were two enormous bookshelves, each one far taller than anything she could hope to jump over, so rather than try going over them, the Killer Bee opted for a more unique approach.
Leaping into the air, Cammy quickly repositioned herself in midair, landing so that both feet would touch against the shelves. Falling onto her haunches, she then sprang off of that shelf, landed on the second shelf to its right, then bounded off of that to take to the air. With Hawkeye’s shots coming dangerously close to hitting her, Cammy dropped down, giving a shout of “Cannon Strike” as she drove one of her legs forward. The steel-toed combat boot slammed into Hawkeye’s chest, pushing her back.
The moment she landed, Cammy lunged forward, driving her fist deeper into Riza’s stomach. As her opponent doubled over, Cammy went in, throwing out a second punch to the chest, but Hawkeye proved quick to block it swinging her right arm through the air and swatting Cammy’s arm to the side. As she got up, Hawkeye raised her left arm, ready to fire at Cammy’s blind spot, but a sudden backfist knocked it off course.
Hawkeye raised her right arm, aiming to shoot Cammy through the shoulder, only to miss as her target grabbed her gun and pulled it to the side. In response, Hawkeye released her grip on the pistol and swung her left arm, slamming the side of her second pistol against Cammy’s head. The Doll stifled a grunt of pain as she released her grip, causing a relieved Hawkeye to grab the gun in midair. Then, with quick succession, Riza twisted her arm, shifted her position, and aimed at Cammy’s right leg. She quickly pulled the trigger, but right as her gun fired, something odd happened.
Even though she was still somewhat dazed from being pistol whipped, Cammy had recovered in the split second it took Hawkeye to adjust her aim. Then, the moment Riza pulled the trigger, Cammy took a sudden leap, narrowly avoiding the shot and launching herself into the air. Vaulting over Hawkeye, Cammy performed a brief flip and slid down Hawkeye’s back as she descended. Upon hitting the ground, Cammy turned around, grabbed Hawkeye’s outstretched arm, and began applying pressure as she forced it to bend it behind her back.
While doing so, Cammy wrapped her free arm around Hawkeye’s neck, placing her in a tight hold and quickly squeezing. Hawkeye began wriggling around, trying to force Cammy off of her, but her captor put a stop to that with a hard kick to the leg. Falling onto her knees, Hawkeye felt her back arch forward as Cammy began putting more weight onto her. Hawkeye could already feel herself threatening to give way as her fingers slowly loosened around the grip, but she refused to give in so easily!
Despite the uncomfortable pain she felt in her current position, Hawkeye forced her captive arm to reel itself forward before slamming into Cammy’s side with all her might! Her elbow struck Cammy hard, nailing itself into one of the Doll’s bullet wounds, and with the haze of her injuries flaring back up, Cammy’s strength faltered. Her grip weakened, and she began to lurch over from the pain.
Using this moment of weakness to her advantage, Hawkeye acted quickly by pulling her arm free and wrapping it around Cammy’s left leg. Then, with a sharp tug, both women were sent tumbling to the floor, landing back-first. A grunt escaped Cammy’s mouth as she felt Hawkeye’s head slam into her chest, but any feelings of pain were quickly tossed to the side as she noticed Hawkeye getting up and pointing both guns toward her.
Cammy responded by quickly throwing herself to the side, cartwheeling out of the way and delivering another two kicks to Hawkeye’s jaw. The lieutenant’s head snapped to the side, but she quickly recovered and turned to face Cammy. Swinging her arm through the air, Riza blocked a strike that was meant for the back of the neck and quickly pushed back. With Cammy briefly disoriented, Hawkeye went in, throwing out an elbow strike that was quickly blocked.
From there, the two women began struggling for dominance against each other, constantly thinking one step ahead of the other’s next move. Cammy would throw out a punch, only for Hawkeye to block it and swat it aside. Hawkeye would try firing a shot at close-range, aiming to weaken Cammy’s defenses, but Cammy would either dodge or block it with one of her gauntlets. It seemed like they were at an impasse, but this would change in a matter of seconds.
After ducking under Hawkeye’s latest shot, Cammy, seeing what she believed was an opening, threw out a knee strike, trying to force Riza to drop her guard. To her annoyance, Hawkeye had done the same, having planned on hitting her while she’d been busy ducking. As they felt their knees collide, both women briefly parted, taking a step back to regain their bearings, and only one would recover in time to attack the other.
With her body in far better condition than Cammy’s, Hawkeye recovered far quicker, following her botched attack with a proper kick to the stomach. A roundhouse hit Cammy immediately after, and Riza ended the trio with a hard kick that knocked her back several feet. Cammy fell onto her back, but a swift backroll brought her into a crouched position. Just as she was about to push herself back up, however-
BANG!
Cammy cried out as a bullet pierced through her shin. Her leg gave way, forcing her to place one hand on the floor, and as she pushed herself back up-
BANG!
A second shot entered her stomach. Cammy staggered back, feeling blood trickle down her leotard, and as pain rushed through her body-
BANG!
A third shot entered the thoracic region of her chest, roughly a foot from her right lung. Cammy fell to the ground, barely able to support her own weight as she coughed up blood. Her vision was starting to blur, and she could barely lift her gaze from the floor. All she could do was stare at the growing puddle of blood beneath her, watching as more of it continued to spill out.
With her opponent now defenseless, Hawkeye raised her gun, ready to end the fight with one last shot. Unfortunately, she would soon learn that Cammy was far from finished!
As she stared down at the growing pool of blood beneath her, a well of emotions began to stir within the otherwise stoic woman. The longer she stared down at the blood, the more Cammy remembered the anger, the pain, the humiliation she felt every time Hawkeye shot her. Her fists clenched in fury as a familiar, fiery blue energy began to surround her fist. It then slowly spread across her arm, moving in tandem with her growing fury. Then, with an enraged scream, Cammy slammed her fist into the ground, and with it, the energy surrounding her seemed to explode outward!
The entire library was suddenly rocked by a series of violent tremors as Cammy’s Psycho Power ravaged the room, blowing back everything that was caught in its wake. Not even Hawkeye was safe from being caught in the crossfire, as the malignant energy hit her in the chest and blew her across the room! Even though it was a small wave of energy, her body was still reeling from the force behind it. She felt like she’d been hit by Major Armstrong’s hardest punch, and the pain from it had caused her to briefly lose focus ! In the split-second it took for her to regain it, Cammy seemed to teleport in front of her, with a fist already flying toward her face.
With little time to react, Hawkeye was forced to take the hit head-on, cringing as she felt Cammy slam into her jaw. She couldn’t explain why, but somehow this felt even stronger than Cammy’s previous strikes! Still, that didn’t mean she was going to give up!
Pushing through the pain, Hawkeye raised her arms, using them to block a punch to the gut and parry a second punch to the chest. She prepared to unleash a counter attack, but before she even had a chance to lower her arms, Cammy went in with a harder attack. Raising her leg into the air, she unleashed a Psycho Power-infused roundhouse that didn’t just break Hawkeye’s guard, it also forced her to drop her guns as she and Cammy were sent into the air.
Before her opponent could even hit the peak of her ascension, Cammy curled up in fetal position and began spinning even higher. Once they were in each other’s range, Cammy uncurled herself and wrapped her right leg around Hawkeye’s neck before rolling around. Then, as she grabbed Hawkeye with her other leg, Cammy twisted herself through the air. With Hawkeye trapped in her grip, the lieutenant was forced to copy this motion, sending her spinning toward the second floor. They would land seconds later when Cammy threw both of her legs forward, using them to stomp Riza into the ground.
Upon landing, a shockwave rocked the room, and the ground beneath them gave way not a second later. Cammy and Hawkeye now descended through the air at breakneck speeds, but Cammy proved quick to adapt by kicking off of Hawkeye and landing on a nearby chunk of debris.
“Lock on!” Cammy announced as she sprang off, hitting Hawkeye with a kick as she passed by. The force behind it left Riza reeling, leaving her open as Cammy leapt off another piece and attacked her from behind.
Gritting her teeth, Hawkeye reached down to her side and whipped out a revolver. Pointing it at Cammy, she immediately pulled the trigger, forcing White to twist her body and avoid the shot. In doing so, however, she’d left herself open to a different kind of attack as Riza threw out her own leg, kicking Cammy in the face and causing her head to snap back. As they flew past each other, Hawkeye turned herself around, using her revolver to fire two shots into Cammy’s exposed back. Cammy stifled a grunt as the bullets pierced through her, but any pain she felt was immediately eclipsed by the growing anger inside her!
The moment her feet touched against the nearest chunk of floor, Cammy immediately leapt off, ready to deliver another Psycho Powered kick. Unfortunately, her attempts would be in vain as Hawkeye bent over backwards, allowing the kick to miss her by mere inches. As she sailed toward the next chunk of wood, another grunt would escape Cammy’s lips as two more shots hit her. With a hateful glare, Cammy leapt off of the debris and flew toward Hawkeye, ready to unleash her final attack. At the same time, Riza pointed her revolver toward Cammy, ready to counter whatever her opponent had planned. Time seemed to slow down as both women closed in on each other, dead-set on what their next actions would be.
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Choose your ending:
Brendan’s Versus Battles 