Paladin's Trap Pt. 03

Blinking my eyes open, I slowly turn my head and look at the sleeping face of my lover, the now human woman slumbering peacefully while holding me close. Smiling softly, I give Amaranth a kiss on the lips before gently pulling myself from her grasp, sliding a warm pillow between her arms for her to hug instead.

Taking another moment to watch the adorable Villainess sleep, my smile grows as I notice her giving the pillow a squeeze, nuzzling into it with a sleepy hum. That smile shrinks as I recall what I was told yesterday, the reason for my early awakening replaying repeatedly in my head.

Holding back a growl, I quietly get myself dressed back into my casual clothing, the thin black and gold jacket fitting loosely over my muscular arms, a result of over ten years of physical training for my stint in the army. The yellow, long-sleeved shirt practically form-fitting on me along with my black sweatpants adorning my lower half, I tug my leather gloves onto my hands and walk towards the door.

Sparing a glance back at Amaranth, I sigh softly and give her a sad smile, pressing the button nearby to open the door to her room and stepping out as I softly whisper, "Sleep well, my everlasting flower...I'll make this right."

Navigating the familiar halls of the Aspect headquarters, I hum a soft tune, a seemingly serene smile worn on my face as I go. Those that know me well know that this smile is not one I usually wear, preferring to be my usual hyperactive, outgoing self. This is a smile that promises pain, and prevents the targets of my anger from discovering it, until it is too late. I live up to my namesake, playing with my prey until I see a chance for a final takedown.

Exiting through the main door, I glance up at the security camera in plain sight of the walkway, giving a wave and heading towards my car. Unlocking the door and taking my seat, I put on my seatbelt and sigh in irritation, annoyed that I have to do this so early in the morning.

"Don't do anything stupid," I hear softly through the car window, turning my head and yowling in surprise as I see a large transport bot peering into my car window, "That smile promises nothing good. I know Kitsune wouldn't want you to do anything idiotic, so don't you dare leave my best employee without a partner."

Holding a hand to my chest and taking a couple of deep breaths to stabilize my heart rate, I glare at the lens on the main body and roll the window down before giving the side of the machine a firm slap, "Can you actually talk to me face-to-face for once, you tin-can!? You almost gave me a heart attack, sneaking up on me like that..."

"The fact that an eight-hundred pound robot could sneak up on you means that is not my fault, and not my problem. I will, however, note this for future interactions," Hivemind's voice rings out through the speaker on the robot, several decibels lower now that the glass barrier between us is gone, "Just don't do anything stupid, and I won't have to send a small army of these 'stealth' robots to come save you. All the while saying 'I told you so' for the entire trip back, as loudly as the speakers allow for."

"Okay! Thanks, dad!" I say with sarcasm, rolling my eyes and giving the robot a shove, doing nothing more than nudging it a slight bit, "Jokes aside though, thanks for the claws. I'll make good use of them...on official missions, not on Paladin!"

Chuckling deeply, Hivemind has the robot reach a large, mechanical finger into the car and pat me on the head before quickly pulling the arm back, "Good. I would have had to carry your car onto the roof, otherwise."

"Your base has ten storeys!" I shout with irritation, outraged that he would suggest putting my brand-new car that I just purchased with my annual bonus on the roof, "Wait, how would you even get it up there?"

"Don't worry about it. Since you're not being stupid, you don't need to," he says, the robot turning around and heading towards the front door of the headquarters, "Drive safely! And mind the tripwire traps off the road."

"...always lovely coming here," I mutter with a roll of my eyes, putting the key in the ignition of the car and humming as I listen to this baby purr, enjoying the glow of the sun against the gold paint and my tan skin, "At least my car is fine. Now, time to head to that jewelry store."

=====

Groaning from how sore I am, I sit up in the bed after opening my eyes, quirking a brow as I realize what is between my arms, "What the...? When did I hug a pillow to myself? And when the fuck did I get a body pillow of Marissa!? ...Hivemind!"

Growling to myself and practically leaping off of the bed, I wince as the soreness in my body reminds me of its presence, another groan escaping me. Taking a quick shower to ease my muscles and lessen the smell of sex, I get dressed in a black sports bra and black jeans, loose enough to allow me some freedom of movement, wondering where Marissa took off to all the while.

"I hope she listened to me and isn't going to go after him in person," I mutter to myself, sighing in frustration as I remember how angry Marissa was last night, "Guess all I can do is trust in her while I do some training. I have to get stronger."

"Shouldn't you be resting?" a familiar mechanical voice rings out, making me jump a bit and wince from the pain that shoots up my spine, eyes narrowing in the direction of the speaker in the corner of the room, "Training right after the day you had yesterday seems unwise. All you need to do is shoot him with the bullet I gave you, remember?"

"I know, but...I don't want a cheap and easy way to get rid of this. I need to get past this by my own power," I half-heartedly respond, glancing towards the ground before scowling and exiting my room, the speakers in the halls continuing the conversation, "Besides, training will only make it easier to clear my debt to you and Aspect. Easier to finish missions, easier to make money, the faster I'm free, and the easier it will be to make sure that never happens to me again."

"I see... Then make sure not to push yourself too hard, and get rest when you need it," Hivemind orders with authority, making me cringe softly and wave a hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah...I'm just going to the range, anyways. I want to see If I can figure out a way to make the illusionary gun more effective. It's good for scaring people and surprising opponents, but it doesn't mean shit if they call my bluff," I growl out as I hit the button to open the firing range doors, racks of firearms layering the walls and stacked in another back room. Looking them over until I find one I like, a simple handgun that can be easily concealed, I form an illusory copy of it in my hands and conjure some ammunition of similar composition, "Even if they look and feel real, it still doesn't hurt when I shoot someone with it. I could pretend to kill myself and all that would happen is a loud bang and a flash. It's only good for running away..."

"Then why do you believe that training will change that? If your Psichotic powers are based solely around illusions, then you can only make them more realistic, correct?" Hivemind asks with clear curiosity, the man not seeming to understand why I feel this way, "That seems a bit counter-productive, does it not? What is fake will always be fake."

"Maybe...but my new form made me stop and think. I always liked kitsune, the mythical Japanese creatures from the land of my ancestors...well, half of them, anyways," I say with a shrug, thinking about the stories that my father used to tell me as a child, "They were illusionists, yet were known to be terrifying beings in folk-lore. Luring men to their death and maiming them beyond recognition. How could simple illusions do anything like that?"

"They can't. Illusions are nothing more than sensory perceptions that are inaccurate to the reality of the world," he says with a flat tone, making me roll my eyes as I pin up a target and press the button to slide it down the range along the tracks, "Are you truly suggesting that an illusion can be powerful enough to become reality? Superstitious nonsense."

"I thought you were a scientist, Hivemind. How about we make a wager? If I can make a hole in that paper target, you take a whole year of rent off of my debt," I challenge with a grin, looking up at the nearby camera lens mounted on the wall, "If I can't, you can add a full year of rent to my debt, no complaints from me."

"Are you serious? Fine. Let's see your mind over matter attitude, then," he says with a mocking tone, clearly unable to believe the concept of an illusion becoming real, "I'll even make it a year and a half, because there is no possible way that anyone could ever actually pull that o-"

I squeeze the trigger of my illusory gun with annoyance, cutting off the nagging man and scowling as I notice a distinct lack of a visible hole on the target. Continuing to squeeze the trigger, I make use of the training Marissa gave me and hold the gun with both hands as I unload the entire ten round magazine into the target. Growling in frustration, I place the gun on the rack, internally despising how real the sound of metal against metal is as I do, folding my arms and leaning against the barrier.

"Or maybe I'm just full of shit," I say with a scowl, sniffling softly and wiping a growing tear out of my eye, "Fucking hell, I'm s-so useless..."

"...I no longer believe that, Kitsune. You were never useless, but you are not full of shit, either," Hivemind says with shock, making me look up at the approaching target, the rail moving it closer to me, "Take a look. It seems you were right, after all."

Eyes widening as I gently grasp the corner of the target, an excited smile slowly splits my face as I notice small holes in the paper, no more than the width of a pencil. Sniffling again, this time in relief, I take the target down and replace it with another one, grinning confidently as I pick up and reload my pistol, conjuring more ammunition.

"Then let's try again," I say with a giggle, then stop as I come up with an idea. Slowly placing the handgun down on to the shelf, I materialize a rifle that Marissa and I often used together in training, the semi-automatic design allowing for a decent rate of fire. Grinning wider as I remove the magazine, I toss it to the side before conjuring a set of bullets with red tips, sliding it into the gun and racking the bolt, "Let's see what illusory incendiary rounds do! Holy shit, I hope this works!"

Squeezing the trigger, the stock kicks back into my shoulder, the center of the target flickering softly after the gunshot rings out, the sound-dampening material in this room saving me from going deaf. Giggling manically, I fire until the magazine is completely empty, stopping once I hear the click and taking in the sight of the fully burning target.

"I...I can't believe that worked. Woohoo! I did it! I can use fox fire! Or is that just regular fire...?" I question as I dismiss the rifle and the handgun from existence, humming in thought and considering what to summon next. Blinking in surprise as the sprinkler system in the firing ranges go off, I take in the sight of the burning flames that do not even flicker as the water impacts the little that remains of the target, "Fuck, it's fox fire!"

"Please don't go overboa-"

"Fuck yeah! Let's do this!" I shout in sheer excitement, vaguely aware of the fact that my kitsune form has resurfaced for some reason, grinning as a large machine appears further down the lane, tri-barreled guns mounted on each side of it's large body. The barrels begin to warm up, spinning softly and letting out soft clinks as it loads its ammunition into place, "Die, Paladin! Eat shit and perish!"

"Not the heavy assault bots! What is that loaded with, you crazy fox!?" Hivemind demands with a scream, practically crying in concern, noticing the fourth tail that has appeared above my ass, "Kitsune, stop! Stoooo-!"

Cackling manically, I take a pose and dramatically point downrange, bloodlust in my eyes, "Fire! Turn him to swiss cheese!" I scream with sheer delight, my eyes widening as the paper target seems to disintegrate in an explosion, the wall behind it exploding outwards as a few more rounds make their way through the non-existent target, "Oh, shit! No! Stop! Stop firing!"

Sighing in relief as the machine comes to a halt, my eyes turn to the settling dust, wincing as I realize that a large portion of the wall is completely gone, the explosions only missing me by a few feet. Hivemind seems to be shocked into silence, nothing coming through the speaker for the moment.

"Hivemind...? I, um...I'll pay for that," I sheepishly offer as I give the camera lens a soft smile, shrugging and dismissing the robot from existence, "I swear, it won't happen again. Please don't be mad..."

The door to the firing range opens, loud and angry footsteps thudding towards me as Hivemind approaches me personally, the towering man glaring down at me. He lifts a hand, and I close my eyes, whimpering softly and expecting to get hit. A pat on my head makes me pause, carefully glancing up at his face and gasping softly in confusion as I see a clear scowl.

"It's only a year off of your debt now. I'll have it fixed by the end of the week, calm down."

Sighing in relief, I wrap my arms around the irate man in a grateful hug, his eyes widening and his body tensing. After a moment, he gives a sigh of his own and returns the hug, awkwardly patting me on the back, "Yes, well...don't get too relieved, I'm still upset with you. Go to your room and stay there for the evening. Maybe that will teach you not to use giant, explosive weapons in my firing range again. Also, don't ever copy my robots again. That's rude."

"O-okay," I reply, simply giving him a soft squeeze before letting go and making the journey back to my room, suppressing the excitement of discovering my power's strengths, "I hoped it wasn't just my brother that could learn to fight with their powers. Just you wait, Paladin..."

=====

Double-checking my map to confirm that I have the right address, I sigh as I realize that the police tape over the windows and doors clears any doubts. Parking outside of the seemingly empty store, I turn off my car and pocket the keys before stepping out and locking the door behind me, eyes gazing over the damage to the building.

"Damn, love...you really didn't hold back, huh?" I mutter to myself, stepping under the police tape and wincing softly as I hear glass crunch beneath my boots, "Looks like they broke every pane of glass in here, geez..."

"They did," someone says from further back in the store, an annoyed-looking man stepping out from a doorway leading to an office, "Every single pane and piece of furniture. We are unfortunately not open at the moment. As the business' owner, I will need to ask you to please leave for the time being."

Chuckling softly in amusement, I slip a hand into my jacket pocket and slide out the badge that every Hero carries, only slightly different depending on the state, "I'm not a customer, sir. My name is Bastet, I'm a Hero from the National Hero's League, here to investigate what happened in your store yesterday."

"Oh! Thank you for coming, Miss Bastet! You heard about what I found, then?" he asks as he offers me a hand to shake, my brow raising in confusion as I tilt my head and accept his offer to shake hands, "It's terrible, just horrible..."

"Were you not robbed? As callous as this may be to say, but shouldn't your insurance cover any possible loss of money?" I question, letting go of his hand and glancing around the destroyed room, "This isn't the worst scene of a crime that I've been to before. No blood, for one..."

"It's not about the robbery, it's..." he trails off, gulping softly and gesturing for me to follow him with a hand, walking towards the office he originally exited from, "It's something else. I need to show you it, I can't bring myself to say it out loud."

"Alright, I trust that it's important," I say with a soft smile, attempting to reassure the middle-aged shopkeeper, giving him a pat on the shoulder and handing him a business card as I walk beside him, "I'm glad to be of help, however I can. Please let me know if there are any details that you remember later."

Taking the card and glancing over the information printed on it, he sighs in relief and leads me inside of the office, which seems to have been cleaned up enough to make use of since the robbery. Sitting behind the desk, an expression of unease crosses his features as he begins to use the computer set up at the desk, gesturing for me to approach with a hand.

"That's actually why I was relieved to have a Hero stop by," he says, the tone of his voice sounding anything but relieved, my eyes looking over the screen and quirking a brow as I realize that I am looking at the list of recorded footage from the store's cameras, "I was happy at first when I saw Paladin come into my lobby, looking like he fought a fierce battle. It was a shock to realize that the security cameras in the offices were still working, since most robbers destroy them as soon as they can."

Clicking on a video, he tilts the screen towards me to give me a better view, nervous beads of sweat falling down his brow as he looks at me with an expression that can only be described as fear and disgust, "I decided to check the camera footage, and came across a disturbing discovery. It's...rather graphic. Would you prefer I just put the files on a USB for you?"

"No, I...would like to see the truth. I'm ex-military, so I've seen a lot. Even if it upsets me, I can handle it," I say, only partially telling the truth. Actually, I don't know how I will react, probably about to witness the love of my life being taken by that fucking scumbag, "It's better for the report, too. Less chance of me needing to come back and take up more of your time, sir."

"If you're sure..." he says, clearly reluctant to show me the exact contents of the video. Sighing in resignation, he presses the play button and turns his eyes away, my expression softening in sympathy, "I c-can't bear to watch it again. Please pause when you're done."

Patting him on the shoulder, I turn my attention to the screen, watching Paladin burst through the office wall and toss Amaranth through a wall. Narrowing my eyes, I watch as he approaches my girlfriend, then begins to flirt with her. Clearly unwilling to go along with his plans, Paladin gets mad and goes behind her before he...

My teeth grit in anger, fists clenching at my sides and my eyes narrowing even more, watching Paladin violate the love of my life for several minutes before pausing and closing the video, my voice tense, "Thank you for showing me this. I'll take you up on your offer of a USB."

"T-then...he'll be punished?" the owner questions with curiosity, sighing in relief as he sees his computer screen free of graphic imagery, and he smiles softly after I nod my head, "Good. That bastard had the nerve to do something like that in my bank. To make matters worse, I...reported this footage because I felt it was the right thing to do. Even if she stole from me, she never harmed me or any of my employees. I've heard horror stories about how robberies can end, and she intentionally chose to let me go home to my family. I feel I owe her this, at least."

"Understandable, sir. No one deserves that, Hero or Villain... Then I'll get that video from you and head for the news stations downtown," I remark with a grimace, sighing and shaking my head in annoyance, "I just hope she's not too hurt by it."

"Agreed. I got the feeling that she wasn't a bad kid, just down on her luck," he says, shaking his head and giving a sigh of his own, "Thank you for all your help, Bastet. I hope this helps you take him down."