Echoing Betrayal, pt II

Echo tracked Proteus for weeks, shadowing him through Prism City’s labyrinthine sprawl, gathering intel and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He was always on the move, always surrounded by low-level thugs and wannabe mercs who sought his favour, hoping a piece of his fortune might rub off on them. He seemed untouchable—an imposing figure, towering over everyone with that brutal, casual arrogance, his dark green skin gleaming with the faint sheen of nanowoven subdermal armour. It was only when she’d studied his habits enough to find the cracks in his routine that she made her move. Proteus had a favorite haunt: an underground fight club where he could unleash his full strength without holding back, often betting heavily on himself. To him, it was a game, an exercise in dominance. To her, it was the perfect hunting ground. A crowded venue with dim lighting, distorted music, and the smell of blood and sweat permeating the air. A place where violence was expected, where screams went unnoticed.

Echo slipped into the club on a night when she knew Proteus would be present. She’d cloaked herself, fading into the shadows, watching as he reveled in the attention of the crowd, flexing his augmented arms and laughing as he prepared for his next fight. He’d torn through his last opponent effortlessly, leaving a bloody heap on the floor. The spectators roared, cheering for their champion, none of them aware that he was moments away from becoming prey.

Her ravens flitted around the club, their cloaking engaged as they positioned themselves strategically. One perched high above, its micro-rockets primed and ready; another hovered just behind Proteus, taser darts poised to deliver a paralyzing shock; the third circled near the club’s exit, ensuring he had no escape. Echo herself lingered in the shadows, her custom rail gun in hand, its silent hum a reassuring presence.

As Proteus took to the makeshift ring again, Echo gave the mental command. In unison, her ravens deactivated their cloaking, revealing themselves to the crowd. The sudden appearance of the sleek, origami-inspired drones sent a murmur of confusion through the audience, but Proteus, initially amused, quickly recognized them—and his face twisted into a snarl. He knew exactly who they belonged to.

“You little ghost!” He roared, his voice dripping with scorn as he scanned the crowd. “Thought you died down in that reactor, Echo. Should’ve stayed that way.”

Echo didn’t respond. She simply watched, biding her time, her gaze cold and calculating. She wanted him to feel the fear, to realize he was outmatched despite his brute strength.

The raven behind him struck first, firing a pair of taser darts directly into the base of his neck. The darts sank in, discharging a powerful electric current that would’ve brought down anyone else. Proteus merely grunted, his body jerking as his cybernetics absorbed most of the shock. He ripped the darts out with a savage grin, crushing them in an enormous palm.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he sneered, lowering himself into an attack stance as he locked his gaze on her silhouette in the darkness.

But Echo was already moving. She sent another command, and the raven above him unleashed a volley of micro-rockets. They struck his armour, tiny explosions blooming across his chest and shoulders, staggering him as he braced against the blasts. The crowd scattered, screaming as the smoke filled the air, some bolting for the exits while others stayed back, drawn to the spectacle of it all.

Proteus stumbled, his armour scorched, but still standing. His enhancements kept him upright as his nanoweave knitted itself back together, the subdermal plating absorbing the worst of the damage. Echo had anticipated this—she knew he wouldn’t go down easily. That was part of the plan. With a thought, she summoned the third raven, its SMG whirring to life as it opened fire. The bullets peppered him, tearing into his exposed skin and scoring his augmented limbs. Proteus roared, swinging wildly at the raven, but it darted out of reach, quick and evasive, taunting him just beyond his grasp. He was bleeding now, green ichor seeping through the cracks in his armour, his breathing labored.

Echo stepped forward, finally allowing him to see her clearly. She kept her gaze locked on him, her face expressionless. She leveled her railgun, the barrel glowing faintly as it powered up.

“You left me there to die, Proteus.” Her voice was steady, cold. “But I’m not so generous.”

Before he could react, she fired. The railgun’s projectile tore through the air, hitting him square in the chest. It ripped through his armour like paper and burrowed deep in his flesh. He staggered, clutching at the gaping wound, his face contorted with pain and disbelief.

“You… you were nothing without us,” he gasped, sinking to his knees, his strength fading.

Echo watched him, unmoved. “I was more than you ever realized.”

With a final command, her ravens closed in, unleashing a final coordinated assault. The one equipped with the gauss cannon fired point-blank, the shot ripping through his torso, shattering bone and machinery alike. Proteus slumped forward, the life draining from his eyes, his massive form collapsing into a heap on the floor, surrounded by the silence of a crowd too shocked to intervene.

Echo stood over him, feeling no satisfaction, only the cold, quiet certainty that he would never betray anyone again. She gave a nod to her ravens, calling them back to her side as she vanished into the shadows, leaving the remnants of her past and the hushed, horrified crowd behind her.