Kínitos and Monti burst through the door to the sixth floor, Marco still unconscious over Monti's shoulder. The hallway was a charred wasteland—the aftermath of Kínitos's fireball. Smoke hung thick in the air, making it hard to see more than a few feet ahead.
"East side!" Monti coughed, trying to orient himself through the destruction. "Jade said east side service exit—"
A figure materialized from the smoke ahead of them. Widow. She floated there, blocking their path, her dress torn and scorched from the earlier fight. Her glowing blue eyes locked onto Monti with cold fury.
"You," she hissed, her layered voice dripping with venom. "You and your pets damaged me."
Her invisible arms spread wide behind
her—Kínitos could see them now, barely, like distortions in the smoke. At least eight of them. And they looked angry.
"Run," Kínitos said.
"What—"
"RUN!"
Widow's invisible arms lashed forward.
Monti activated his enhanced strength and sprinted, Marco bouncing on his shoulder. Kínitos blurred alongside him using his speed, both of them racing down the destroyed hallway as Widow's arms tore through the space where they'd been standing.
"You can't escape!" Widow's voice echoed behind them, and she was fast, floating after them with terrifying speed.
An invisible arm grabbed Kínitos's leg mid-run. He activated immovability instantly, his body becoming an anchor. But Widow was ready for that trick now. Instead of trying to pull him, she simply released him—and his immovability meant he couldn't move to catch himself. His mind unfocused as the math problems in his and stopped.
He face-planted hard onto the charred floor.
"Kínitos!" Monti skidded to a stop, torn between helping his friend and protecting Marco.
"Keep going!" Kínitos released his immovability and rolled, barely dodging another grasping arm. "Get Marco out!
"Keep going!" Kínitos released his immovability and rolled, barely dodging another grasping arm. "Get Marco out!"
Widow's invisible arms converged on Kínitos, ready to tear him apart—
A gunshot rang out.
The bullet struck Widow in the shoulder, spinning her mid-float. Her concentration broke for just a second, the invisible arms faltering.
A figure emerged from the smoke behind Widow—female, wearing a suit similar to theirs but with green accents that pulsed with energy and an expression that was equal parts annoyed and dangerous. Vex.
She had her gun still raised, smoke curling from the barrel.
"Seriously?" Vex said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "This raggedy-ass Halloween decoration is what's been causing all this trouble?"
Widow spun to face her, blue eyes blazing with fury. "You shot me."
"Yeah, and I'll do it again if you don't shut up and float somewhere else." Vex's gun didn't waver. "Honestly, the whole 'creepy floating lady' thing? Overdone. Get some new material."
Widow's invisible arms lashed out toward Vex—
Vex was already gone, her form shimmering and reappearing ten feet to the left. "Too slow, Casper."
Another gunshot. This one caught Widow in the leg.
Widow shrieked, the sound echoing off the destroyed walls. "I will tear you APART!"
"Yeah, yeah." Vex glanced at Kínitos. "You good, K?"
"Been better," Kínitos managed, getting to his feet.
"Then move your ass. I got this." Vex fired three more shots in rapid succession, each one forcing Widow to dodge or deflect with her invisible arms.
Widow's invisible arms lashed out with terrifying speed, six of them striking at once from different angles.
Vex shifted left—not running, just a subtle movement—and all six arms missed by inches.
"You're getting sloppy," Vex said, reloading her gun without looking down.
Widow snarled and attacked again, her arms moving in complex patterns, trying to catch Vex in a web of invisible strikes.
Vex ducked. Sidestepped. Leaned back. Each movement was minimal, precise, like she knew exactly where the attacks would be before they came.
Kínitos watched, stunned. "How is she—"
"Just watch," Monti said quietly, still holding the unconscious Marco.
Widow's invisible arms crashed into empty air where Vex had been standing half a second ago.
Vex spun smoothly, her gun coming up. Two shots rang out, both striking invisible arms that had been reaching for her from behind. The arms recoiled, wounded but not destroyed.
"Is that all you got?" Vex taunted, backing up slowly, drawing Widow away from Kínitos and Monti. "I've seen mall cops more threatening than you."
Widow's face twisted with rage. "I will END YOU!"
Eight invisible arms struck at once—a coordinated assault from every angle, too many to dodge.
Vex leaped onto a piece of broken wall, used it as a springboard, and vaulted clean over Widow's head. She fired three times mid-flip, each shot hitting its mark.
Widow spun, trying to track her, invisible arms flailing wildly now.
But Vex was always one step ahead—every dodge, every shot, every movement perfectly timed.
Widow thrust both visible hands upward. The ceiling groaned, chunks of concrete beginning to fall.
Vex was already moving, somehow knowing exactly where to stand so nothing would hit her.
"Kínitos!" Vex shouted over the sound of falling debris. "Get Marco out! East exit, now!"
Kínitos activated his speed, grabbed Monti, and blurred down the hallway toward where the service exit should be.
Widow started to follow—
Vex put three bullets in her back.
Not enough to kill her, but enough to get her attention.
"Where you going, creepshow?" Vex said, grinning despite the danger. "We're not done yet."
Widow's invisible arms spread wide—all eight of them visible now as distortions in the air, converging on Vex from every direction at once.
No room to dodge. No way out.
Vex pulled a small device from her belt—something Jade had given her for emergencies.
She threw it left without looking.
The device hit the wall beside Widow and exploded in a burst of blinding light and sound.
Flashbang.
Widow's concentration shattered. Her invisible arms faltered, losing cohesion.
And Vex was already running, weaving through the smoke and debris with impossible precision.
"Try and keep up, ghostie!" she called back. "I could do this all day!"
Behind her, Widow's scream of fury echoed through the burning building.