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The Assassin (Candira & HeartOfTheDarkness)

Viktor paused as he listened to her. "I'm sure you can get back into it if you give it a try. It's like riding a bike, you never forget. And we can provide all of the necessities you need to get around that wall. Materials, test subjects, money, you name it. We'll provide it for you." And any unfortunate results of the tests could be analyzed and possibly used as a bio weapon. If she would join him, it would be a clear win for him.

He gave her a soft smile as she paused with the food. "I understand. Take your time. I apologize for using a drug on you to bring you here, but I'm assuming you wouldn't have come if we approached you. I'll have my researchers work on a drug that'll weaken the after effects." When she mentioned how she won Christian over, he was still a bit puzzled, but kindness did win over the heart almost all the time. "I see, so you gave him that motherly love that he desired in his life. The feeling of warmth and love when he was down. It's a powerful thing to use, but too much can soften a man. What if what you did make him weaker? He use to be a cold blooded killer, not thinking twice about who died. Is he the same, or is a human life precious to him. Because if so, he might not make it past the guard I had set up for him." Referring to Riley, Christian's old acquaintance.

Receiving a call from his earpiece, he listened to what the messenger had to say. Once the message was done, he gave a small laugh. "Speak of the devil. It seems the show already has started. Let's see if you've doomed your lover." He pressed a button on his remote and television screens lowered from the ceiling. Each screen popped up to show Christian underneath Riley, each screen showing a different camera angle.

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Christian fell on to his back before he even knew it. Once he realized what had happened, he saw a familiar face hovering over him. "Well, Riley. Good to see you're still well." Back when they worked together, she was the closest thing to a friend he had, but that was being polite. Sure he took care of her, but he noticed that she seemed to be very unstable. Taking great pleasure in her job, she was always eager to go on the next mission. He also had a feeling she liked being in pain as well, noticing that she was always near death at the end of each mission, but she had a huge grin on her face at the same time. Sure he thought she was attractive, but he knew it would've never worked out with her. Sure they worked well together, but they had completely different ideals.

"You know damn well that I didn't just defect. I was betrayed. Victor had us kill innocent people, lying to us, telling us that it was for the good of the world. He just wants to control the world." He kicked her off and quickly got back on his feet. Sure he outweighed her, but she was still very powerful and much faster than him. He also didn't want to kill her. In spite of being insane and bloodthirsty, he still saw that little girl he use to protect when they were kids.

"I'm not going to rejoin you guys, but I don't want to kill you Riley. Just get out of the way, we don't have to do this." He pulled out a short sword he picked off when he came across one of Viktor's personal bodyguards. It wasn't his blade of choice, but it'll do. He couldn't be wasting bullets on a girl like her, she was too quick and she'll just enjoy the injuries too much. Holding his sword, ready to defend, he waited for Riley to make her move.
 
Rather than dignify his offer with any acknowledgment, she continued to pick at her food carefully. She didn't want to eat too quickly and cause more harm. "There's no need for you to have them do so. The drug will wear off in due time. I'm sure you understand my reluctance to visit, considering the way I was treated by your men in the past." She had some of the vegetables, too, deciding their vitamins would be a good thing to take in about now. She ate slowly, not really tasting anything for fear of the man before her, though she was still quite calm. Still, the man before her was disgustingly transparent. It was clear why he really wanted her and her research, and that he wanted Christian back under his thumb. Either that or dead. Yet, this man had raised Christian--hardening him into a cold killer as he grew. Why was he doing all of this to someone he supposedly cared about? Christian was nothing more to him than a killer at this point...or so it seemed.

"I wish you would stop phrasing it the way you do. I wasn't using anything to soften him. I was just trying to help him and show him some kindness. You make it sound as though I was trying to manipulate him." Still, he continued about making Christian weaker and her eyes widened as she realized he was here and he was fighting for his life. The screen that lowered had her full attention as she saw Christian's fight with a young woman who seemed to be enjoying things far too much.

"You know, saying things like that isn't exactly persuading me to join you."


Riley smiled as he said it was good to see her. He was being cute, but she knew damn well, he was in over his head with her. He was going to pay dearly for abandoning them all. His words, however, only got a sneer. "You really thought that killing people was something noble? How naive!" He kicked her off of him and she took it in her gut--enough force behind it to knock the air out of her for a moment. But she recovered quickly, back on her feet in an instant.

"If you really think I'm going to let you walk away alive, you're a bigger idiot than I thought. Just what did you think we were doing here, Christian? We were bringing about change. And Viktor's rule will make the world better. Do you think I'll let you walk through here and ruin everything I worked to bring about? It's one thing to turn your back on your brethren. And it's quite another to think you're better than them!" She charged, lightning fast, a sword now in her hand. "What, you think because you've left you can wash the blood off of your hands? You'll never fit into the outside world, Christian. You'll never be able to love!" And she kept going after him, striking quickly, strongly, following through quite nicely with each attack.

Riley had to believe in her cause in order to keep living like this. She had to believe that the world was better off with Viktor at the helm. Most of all, she had to believe that she would never be anything but an assassin. She was quite sure that no one outside these steel walls would accept her after all she'd done. She would never be forgiven for taking the lives of innocents and knowingly murdering in cold blood. Regardless of the thrill it brought her to hunt her prey and kill them--to fight and know that her life depended on her victory--she knew it was wrong. She was well aware that there was no going back--not for her.

She'd been programmed well, and she fully believed that no one would love her. That she would never love. She had no heart. Of course, she was the perfect opponent for Christian. Even if she died here, she had absolutely nothing to lose but a life of pain and bringing misery and misfortune to others. And the worst part about it was that she liked it.
 
Viktor looked away from the screens and towards Natasha. "I guess I am hurting my chances at you joining us." He gave a small laugh as he turned back towards the televisions to watch the fight. "Well then, there's something I have up my sleeve that can convince you." He turned around to face her once more, but with a more sinister smile on his face. "Would you join me in order to save your precious Christian? Or are you confident that he hasn't been softened by your love? If he were to do this before he met you, he would've most likely cut that woman down without a second thought, even though they grew up together. Now, it looks like he's trying to reason with her, a woman who only craves blood and violence. Do you really think he'll win?" He violently grabbed her arm and pulled her up to him, face to face. "Join me, and I'll call her off, sparing your precious lover. Or you can watch him die." Afterwards, he pushed her back into her chair and continued to watch the show.

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In a way, Riley was right. What were they doing this whole time? Could killing someone really be meant for the good of the world? Was he really that naive this whole time? It kind of hit him hard to realize it. What was worse was that he couldn't get a moment to think about it, as Riley began to attack Christian with lightning speed. Trying to keep up, he began to parry her attacks, but he couldn't follow up with his own attacks. She was just too fast.

"Riley, I didn't mean to turn my back on you, on any of our brethren. I was confused, scared, I still felt betrayed. I ran away, hoping to die, but I didn't. I don't think I'm better than you either, I want to help you." He wanted to get through to his former ally, hoping she would let up on him. He really didn't want to kill her. "Sure, I might've looked down on you once or twice, but that was back when I was serving Viktor. He's messing with your mind." He began to apply more force into his parries, pushing her back a little further. This allowed him to try and fight back, at least try to neutralize her.

"Yea, it's hard to live outside in the real world, I don't know if I'll truly fit in. I'll never understand what it's like to be a normal person, but I want to be free. I want to be free because I have found love. There is someone out there for me, and I'm sure there's someone that'll love you as well. I was saved by this angel, and she cared for me, in spite of me being a killer. I was shown how to be a human, not like a machine."

Trying to disarm her has been pretty unsuccessful, she was just too fast. He was able to get a couple of grazes into her arm, but it wasn't worth it at the cost of him taking much more hits from either cuts or punches from her free hand. "Please Riley, I don't want to kill you. Don't make me do this."
 
Natasha watched in horror as Christian fought a woman who was undoubtedly every bit as skilled as he was--possibly more. But there was something in his face, the faint sounds of his words that told her he was holding back. He didn't want to kill anymore--he'd told her that. Viktor started to speak again and the idea of saving Christian was an appealing one to her, but the thought of serving under this man--this cruel, twisted man--made her feel sick. And it wasn't just the drugs they'd injected her with. Would he truly keep his word? And would Christian be safe if she agreed? She highly doubted it. This was not a man to be reasoned with. She wanted to ask why he was doing all this, but she knew the answer. He wanted to punish Christian just as much as he wanted the man back.

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she watched, refusing to answer the man, despite his rough treatment of her. Instead, she kept her gaze on Christian. She wanted to save him, but there was no guarantee that he would be safe even if she did as the man said.



Riley kept her attacks up. Once she had her enemies on the run like this, it was hard for them to recover. She may not have been as strong as some of her opponents, but with this kind of speed, she really didn't need to be. She let him answer her, her eyes narrowed in a glare as she kept up her offense. His admission to looking down on her only served to further fuel the flames--he wasn't doing too well at calming her down, that was for sure.

The woman barely flinched as he landed his blows, having been trained to ignore the pain and push through it--to use it. Her body was covered with scars to prove it. She used the adrenaline her body produced to force even more of an attack. Even so, she listened to him, and the idea that he'd found someone to love, that someone loved him and cared for him in spite of what he was made her stumble just a bit, slowed her enough to create an opportunity for him to strike her. But the denial was back soon.

"Liar! You don't care if I die or not! You're a fool to think you could ever be anything but what you are!" Anger coursing through her, she lost a bit more of her focus, the opportunity window slowly closing. "And you're a fool if you think she really cares about you. Did you wonder what might happen if you left her alone? As if we hadn't been watching you. We have her, Christian, and she could stop all of this right now with one little word if she really wanted to. But she's letting you fight!"
 
Christian began to notice an opening in Riley's attacks, but once he heard her mention Natasha, something snapped. Just the thought of Natasha being tortured filled him with rage and regret. Filled with that rage, he began to dawn his old persona. When Riley went in for another attack, he saw the opening again and attacked. With one quick lunge, he stabbed her in the shoulder with his sword, and then he kicked her in the stomach with all his might, pushing her off his blade and across the room. When he finally snapped back into reality, he saw what he had done to Riley.

While Riley was on the ground, he quickly thought about what she said. If Natasha was able to stop the fight, that must mean someone would have to be with her to issue the order. The only person he could think of was Viktor, and that meant that there had to be a catch to it. Thinking about it a little harder, she did use to work on medicine. It could be used exclusively for his army, and even failures would benefit him as becoming some sort of bio weapon. Growing up with Viktor, he knew how the man worked around agreements. Even if Christian was spared from this fight, what would stop Viktor from sending him on a suicide mission or just ambushing him?

"Stop it Riley. Did you already forget that we grew up together? We grew up with Viktor, I know he has a backup plan in mind if Natasha joins him. And she isn't saying anything because she trusts me to win this fight and take her home, and I trust her to refuse Viktor's commands because he can't be trusted. I told you, I found someone I love, someone I can depend on. I haven't abandoned you, please, just come home with us." Christian approached Riley, still keeping his guard up if she tried to lunge at him again.

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Viktor was starting to show signs of being irritated. After hearing his little speech, he began to see where he screwed up. "Smart son of a bitch." He then turned to Natasha with a more menacing look. "So, is this true? You refuse because of this crap called love? You really think you'll make it out of here alive, and even take my other best assassin as well?" His true colors began to appear as his anger started to get a hold of him.
 
Riley couldn't fully ignore the pain of the shoulder stab, but he'd missed the artery that would cause her to bleed out. She was, however, dazed by the kick, and quite sure that if at least two of her ribs weren't broken they were damn well cracked. So, the woman had truly become important to him. Perhaps a wretched creature like him could love after all. But the woman he loved could stop all of this and she chose not to. She panted, working hard to get her breathing back to normal, standing on shaky legs. She glared at Christian, practically watching the gears in his head shift.

"You seemed to have forgotten it, Christian. You don't remember your place." She growled, flinging some throwing knives at him while she got her bearings back. "I know where I belong, and I'd rather die than leave my rightful place here for a delusion that only the most naive simpleton could dream up. We will never belong in the world and we cannot escape what we are!"

With that, she pulled out her gun and aimed it right at his head. "Beg me to let you live. Beg me to let you return to us. BEG HER TO STOP THIS!" She had an insane look in her eyes. Her refusal to accept Christian's change of heart, the idea that someone could love and be loved in return, that she had a place in society was unthinkable to her. Understandably so, given her upbringing. Hers was a tragic story--the woman who absolutely could not escape her past because it threatened to destroy her in the present and cut off all hope of a future. She was lost, and there was no hope left in her heart.



Natasha listened, her heart breaking for the woman who was so clearly deranged. If Christian, someone who'd grown up with her, couldn't reach her, then there was little hope for her, indeed. But taking her away with them wouldn't solve Riley's problems. Especially since Riley wasn't inclined to believe that she had any. Her standpoint was all too understandable, and it only intensified the feeling that Viktor was a monster.

He continued to show his true colors as a rather unstable and violent man, shouting and threatening her. "I don't trust you to stop trying to kill Christian, even if I agree. I may be an easy mark for your men to kidnap, but I'm not so stupid as to think that you would stop trying to kill him. Especially not after you've gone through so much trouble already. And even if you didn't kill him, who is to say you wouldn't torture him?" She stared at Victor now, showing him her intellect rather than her defiance.

"Of course I'm worried about him--he's fighting an assassin! Someone who's clearly at his level. But all I can do is put my faith in him. I trust him to pull through for me. That woman he's with...I don't know anything about her aside from what she does. If what she says is true, she wouldn't come with us even if she wanted to. You've broken her spirit far too well. You're a cruel man. But there is only so much cruelty a person can withstand before they simply lose their will to go on."
 
When Riley threw the knives, he quickly jumped back to dodge them, but got stabbed in the leg by one of them. It was painful, digging deep into his thigh, but he tried not to show her that it hurt. He knew that if he showed her that he was in pain, she wouldn't let up. And once she pulled the gun out on him, he had a sinking feeling that things would go wrong again. There truly was no saving her. No matter how much he wanted his old friend to live, it would have to be better to simply end her suffering soon. Tears began to slowly flow from Christian's eyes as he began to realize what he had to do. "I'm sorry Riley. I wish I could've helped you more." And with that, he quickly went for cover, dodging every bullet she fired at him.

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As Natasha began to speak up for herself, it only angered Viktor more. Tired of her talking, he raised his hand and slapped her face as hard as he could. "Shut up! I've had enough of your preaching!" He shouted at Natasha after knocking her to the ground with his blow.

He began to slowly calm down, trying to regain his composure. "If that's how it is, then fine. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but I guess I'll have to break you as well." He grabbed her arm and threw her back in the chair. He then pressed the remote again, binding her to the chair so she wouldn't escape. "Let's see if Christian can hear your screams." A small wired helmet was lowered on to her head and it began to light up, flowing weak streams of electricity through her body. "Let's see what ends first. Your will power, or your life?"
 
Riley squeezed the trigger, carefully aiming for each shot. Despite that, she didn't want to kill him very deep down. And so when he dodged her bullets she threw her gun down and rushed at him in a suicide charge with a dagger. she was well aware that she wasn't going to make it out of this fight alive, and honestly, her death would be a relief at this point.


Natasha hadn't even really said much. That he couldn't hold criticism at all was frankly a little disconcerting. Even as he struck her, she was surprised. So much force was behind it that she was knocked down onto the floor. She'd been slapped, so there was a tremendous red mark on her face, but it likely wouldn't bruise. If it did, it would be light. She tried to shake off the shock quickly, but she wasn't quite on her feet when he grabbed her arm and tossed her around like a rag doll. She was bound again before she knew it, and then there was a helmet and she knew exactly what would happen to her. First she experienced discomfort, and then straight up pain. She couldn't help but cry out as the currents flowed through her body.

Christian, please...I'm so sorry!
 
Christian began to notice something. Even though he was dodging her bullets, something felt off about her firing. It was like she was purposely missing him. Or at least she wasn't trying to hit anything vital. Every shot he dodged, he was grazed in either the arm, shoulder, or leg. Nowhere near his torso or his head. When she charged in with her dagger, even the charge seemed sloppy, like she didn't care if she was going to die now.

Reluctantly granting her wish, he stabbed her through the chest, taking her dagger to the side. Her blade was painful, but it didn't hit anything vital, nor did it really go that deep into him. She however, was dying in front of him. Pulling out the sword from her, he held Riley in his arms. "I'm sorry Riley. I'm so sorry." He began to cry as the closest thing to a childhood friend was dying in his arms. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, and then he whispered to her. "Honestly, there was a good chance that I might've loved you Riley. You were bloodthirsty and insane, but I always saw the good in you and you were very beautiful. Maybe in another lifetime, we could give it a shot."

Christian dropped to his knees as he was practically sobbing. Anger and sadness filled him for what had happened, feeling Riley's body grow cold.

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As he tortured Natasha, Viktor watched the screen closely at the fight. When he noticed Riley's sloppy attacks, he was enraged at what she was going on. "No! She still has feelings for him?!?! I thought I made her forget about her love for that man!" He knew that Riley really cared for Christian, but he knew it was her weakness. Since Christian left, he did his best to make her forget about those feelings. Hypnotism, brainwashing, torture, everything he could think of to make the girl forget about her soft spot for the traitor.

As he watched his subject die, he shut off the machine that electrocuted Natasha. There was no time to finish the torture, Christian would join them any minute. He had to prepare for the final confrontation. "You're coming with me woman." He carried Natasha over his shoulder as he carried her to where this would all end.
 
Riley had seen it coming--wanted it with the kind of longing one might feel for a loved one. Christian had been special to her--kind, or at least as kind as one could be in their condition. He'd been the closest thing she'd had to a friend. If she were going to love anyone in this life time, it would have been him. But her heart was too cold. Too much of her was already dead inside and twisted for Viktor's purposes. She was glad that death came for her now--she didn't even hurt. Count on Christian to kill her in such a way. She smiled softly, tears freely spilling from her eyes. She let him hold her as he pulled out the sword. She would bleed out now, and she would go slowly, but peacefully. As Christian cried for her, apologizing, she smiled through her tears. Her life had been one horrific event after another, but he had been a bright spot. "Don't cry, Christian. Thank you for my death..." And with that, her eyes drifted closed, tears still forming as she slowly bled to death, growing colder and weaker in his arms.


Natasha could hear Viktor, but she could barely comprehend what she was listening to. It was very difficult for her to focus on anything but the pain that was constantly coursing through her. When he finally shut it off, she was panting, weak, and near the point of losing consciousness. Even if she'd wanted to fight Viktor, she couldn't have. She twitched a little as he lifted her up and tossed her over his shoulder. And all she could think was that this meant Christian was still alive. He was coming for her, and he was going to be pissed when he found out what had happened to her.

If he was coming, however, it meant that he'd killed someone--and someone he'd worked with--possibly even grew up with. When this was all over, if they made it out alive, he was going to be in a great deal of pain. She would be there for him as well as she could. In the mean time, she needed to focus on getting her strength back so she could stop being so damn useless.
 
She was gone. Christian felt heartbroken for a moment. He sobbed over the death of someone important to him, knowing that she died by his hand. After one final kiss on her lips, he removed his coat and wrapped her body in it. He then took her trusted dagger, as a token to remember her by, and walked away from the body. "I'll come back for you. You deserve a proper burial." Anger flowed through his body, wanting Viktor to pay for what he did. "VIKTOR!!!!" He shouted throughout the compound. He didn't care whether he head it or not, but he knew that Viktor was preparing for him. Christian was fine with that. He wanted Viktor to send everything against him. It didn't matter, Viktor was going to die tonight. For Natasha, for Riley, for his freedom.

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Viktor waited patiently for Christian to come. He sat in his control room, Natasha strapped to the chair next to him. His weapons were ready for his final showdown with his apprentice. It was time to show the boy how much the master has been holding back in his teachings.

He watched as Christian burst into the room, with a burning fire in his eyes. "Aaaaah, Christian. Welcome home." But he knew that Christian wasn't here for a happy reunion.
 
Natasha was still a bit dazed; some lingering pain from the shocks and a wave of nausea from the the drugs didn't help. It didn't take much of anything to subdue her, to strap her into a chair as she was. Though she knew Christian would come for her, she wasn't entirely sure what the point was for her being in the same room as Viktor for the fight. Not unless he planned on killing her right in front of her lover. But it didn't seem as though that was what he wanted from Christian. No--he wanted to physically punish the man. Though he'd been hoping that Riley would be the one to kill him, Viktor appeared to relish the challenge before him.

It was sickening. When Christian finally burst into the room, Natasha sat up a little straighter, though her head drooped a bit from fatigue and pain. A small smile curved her lips for him as her gaze fell onto him. It seemed to say, "I knew you'd come." But the smile didn't stay there long as Viktor opened his mouth.

The sick bastard had the nerve to welcome Christian home. She glared at the back of his head, wishing that the arrogance he seemed to have in spades would backfire--at least once.
 
Viktor slowly walked over to Christian, raising his arms, wanting to embrace the young man. "Come now, don't you wish to give your old man a hug? I've missed you so much, my boy." He hoped that Christian would join him, but it would most likely be impossible now. Losing such a close friend, having his lover tortured. Not even brainwashing would bring him to his knees. This will surely be a setback, losing his two best agents. It could take years to set his plans back into motion, but he at least knew where his mistakes were.

Christian pulled out knife and threw it at Viktor, aiming for his head. Unfortunately, the old man anticipated that and pulled out his revolver to shoot it out of the air. "Come now boy, do you really think that sort of thing can stop me? I did train you after all."


"Shut up." Christian was still shaken from what he did to Riley, and even angrier when he looked over at Natasha. She looked like she's been through hell, wondering what sort of horrible things Viktor did to her. At least she was still alive, he was grateful for that. "You son of a bitch. We've all been through hell because of your sick dream. Now, I'm going to make you pay. I'll kill you, make you feel the pain you've caused so many." In a way, he was going to enjoy this, getting back at the man that caused all of this, that gave him this hellish life. He just hoped that Natasha wouldn't be too horrified by what he was prepared to do to this horrible man.

Before he went in to attack, he looked over at Natasha. "I'll be there soon. Then we'll go home." Then he ran at Viktor with his blade swinging.

Viktor easily side stepped Christian's attacks, firing at the blade when it got too close for comfort. All he really wanted to do was toy with him for the moment, watch and see how far he was willing to go.
 
Natasha watched as the two men faced each other. Already exhausted, she became anxious, nervous for her lover. She could tell that Christian was being baited, but that was a bit of a risky move, all things considered. Any kind of humanity that she may have instilled in him--respect for life--seemed to have vanished in Viktor's case. She gasped, flinching and turning her head as the knife was shot down. Her eyes focused on Christian as his gaze shifted to her and softened just a little. His words were reassuring but she wasn't sure how long she would last. Her body desperately wanted to shut down and leave her unconscious.

But she couldn't take her eyes off of the two men while they fought. It was clear that Christian wasn't entirely focused. If he had been, she doubted that Viktor would have had such an easy time dodging. Still, she wondered how difficult it would be. She wouldn't be sad to see Viktor dead, but she wouldn't relish watching him die either.

Please, Christian...Please, win.
 
Viktor continued to toy with Christian, watching as anger clouded his mind. "Is this the best you've got? You're filled with so much rage, you can't even think about your next attack. It's sloppy, try again." He shouted to the boy as he kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying back a couple feet.

Was Viktor giving him hints? Or was he just toying with the him? Christian got back up, a little winded from the blow. "Why shouldn't I be angry? You kidnapped Natasha, you forced me to kill Riley, you've made me into a killer, why can't I be mad at you? I hate you, I nothing more than to have you die by my hands right now." He went in for another attack, but was knocked back again.

Viktor started to get a little bit disappointed. "Yes, hate me, but channel that rage. Don't let it out at once, use it to put force into your attacks. You could've cut through my defenses a hundred times by now, but you were too clouded by anger to think about it." As Christian didn't listen, he started to get annoyed. "Enough!" He shot the sword out of Christian's hand. "We'll fight man to man. No weapons, no armor, just our fists." He threw his revolver down and threw his shirt and coat off, revealing the older man's muscular body.

Christian was still confused as to what was still going on, but he nodded as he took his shirt off, ready to fight his master head on. For some reason, this began to feel like training again.
 
Things were not looking good. Viktor was too much in control of this match, and Christian as far too angry. He couldn't focus. Least of all with her sitting there, reminding him of it all. When Viktor shot the sword out of Christian's hand she flinched again, praying that a ricochet wouldn't take her out. The sword hadn't landed too far away from her. The gun, however, did. She wasn't sure why Viktor was giving Christian any kind of advantage. The man could easily have finished the job here. But did he really want to do that? Did he want Christian to die? Riley hadn't seemed to want it, but then she had obviously had some issues.

Could he really be trusted to be unarmed? And could it be that he merely wanted to test Christian? Or was he so sure of himself that he thought he could bring Christian back to his side and "fix" everything? Frowning, she watched as the assassins did something that seemed to be completely out of character for their stealthy line of work--hand-to-hand combat. But then, she supposed you needed to be prepared for anything in that line of work.

Frowning, she watched as Christian told the man how much he wanted to kill him. She wanted to call out to him, and tell him that she was alright, but even if he took comfort in that, it would distract him. No--it was best to know her place and stay quiet for now. So she watched, worried about the future for both herself and Christian.
 
Viktor didn't want to kill Christian, but he knew that there was no way in him controlling him anymore. He had to have this fight with his pupil, but the way this was going, it was just going to be disappointing. He kidnapped Christian's lover and forced him to kill his childhood friend, and his showdown was boring. If he was going to have them both fight at full potential, he was going to need to level the playing field a bit.

Christian charged at Viktor, throwing his fists at the old man. Viktor easily blocked the blows and followed with a couple of powerful blows to the stomach. "Come on boy. I know you can do better. You've caused me this much trouble, and I'm only getting this weak fight." There had to be a way to rile him up, yet not have him blinded by anger. It then hit him, who was he coming to save? Who was he trying to protect? "What about your little girlfriend? If you don't win, she'll probably become an excellent lover to me."

Christian began to feel a burning rage, but this was different from before. After hearing what Viktor said, he was no longer focused on just killing him, but saving Natasha. Soon, Viktors blows were blocked, and Christian began landing punches himself. "Yes, yes. That's the fire I wanted to see." Now this was starting to get exciting.
 
Baffled, Natasha watched as Viktor once again handed Christian an advantage. The idea that she would become a lover to the man made her sick, but she doubted that was even an intention of his at this point. It was as though he wanted Christian to win this battle, even though it would mean that he'd be losing his life and his grand ambitions. Was there love for Christian somewhere deep inside his heart? Or was he just trying to get a batter fight? And why would he do such a thing? Motivations for doing it aside, his taunting seemed to remind Christian that he was here for more than just himself.

She hadn't wanted to distract him because it would only get them both into more trouble, but perhaps, she should have said something because the minute he seemed to focus on saving her, he started to turn the fight around. Granted, they still appeared to be evenly matched, Christian's fighting had improved drastically. Though she couldn't understand Viktor's deranged motivations, Natasha desperately wanted to be there for Christian--be strong for him after all that had happened. They would need each other when this was all over, but she couldn't afford to cry or scream or flinch while he was here, fighting. She needed to be brave for him.

Despite her incredible discomfort, she sat up straighter, leaning her head back a bit, panting as she watched the two men beat each other to a pulp.
 
Christian glanced over at Natasha every now and then. She looked horrified at what was going on, but she also looked like she was braving through it just for him. Please Natasha. Just hold on a little longer. We'll go home soon. He then turned back to face his master, the crazed bastard was going to pay for what he did.

Viktor was started to get into this. Nothing really mattered anymore. His plans were definitely halted, if not ruined. By the time he would be able to have his power again, the leaders he arranged to be put into power will have run their terms by the time he could try again. There were other plans he could do, but most of them were much more dangerous and risky. All he wanted to do now was to have this final showdown with his pupil. Master and student, father and son, god against mortal, an epic battle that'll decide who's winner. "Come now boy. Tell me what you're fighting for."

Viktor landed a powerful blow to Christian, forcing him to cough up blood. He looked up at Viktor, fire still in his eyes. "I want my freedom. I want to live happily with Natasha. I don't want this old life anymore." He charged at Viktor and began dealing heavy blows to his chest. Viktor just took the hits, looking like he was in pain, as if a few ribs broke.
 
Being a doctor, Natasha could tell from the sounds and the amount of force that real damage was being done. The fact that Christian was coughing up blood told her that he'd taken serious damage to his lungs. But based on the sounds and the expressions of Viktor, he was having problems of his own--serious injuries from Christian's bare hands. It was difficult to watch, but she wouldn't complain. It meant their freedom, and frankly, she wasn't the one fighting. She kept her eyes locked on them like the witness of a natural disaster or some sort of horrific accident--she didn't want to watch, but she simply couldn't look away as the battle wore on.
 
Viktor wasn't doing too well. After that furry of blows, it was getting hard for him to breathe. Though it was a good fight, this wasn't how he wanted this to turn out. Pulling another revolver hidden in his boot, he pointed it at Christian. "Ha, you think you've won? You should remember to always have something to fall back on if you fail."

It was a dirty trick. Saying that they would fight man to man, and then pull out a gun once he found out he was going to lose. Christian had a hard time standing up. Knowing Viktor, he could fire that gun at any second. He needed to put all of his efforts into a final blow, but he didn't have a weapon. Having another idea, he charged in at Viktor. Viktor took the shot, but Christian moved out of the way in time, only getting hit in the leg, but he didn't let it slow him down. Before another shot could be fired, Christian used all of his force to land a blow square in Viktor's chest.

His bones shattered as he clenched his chest in pain, dropping his gun. Christian quickly picked up the revolver and pointed it at his master's head, ready to deal the killing blow.
 
Natasha screamed as Christian charged, fear and panic gripping her as the shot rang out. When she saw that it had only hit the meat of his leg, she was thankful that she could fix it. And then, before she knew it Christian had Viktor's gun. He was ready to kill the man and she couldn't watch. She didn't want to see a man executed right before her eyes, but she also knew that if he was allowed to live, he would never stop and his madness would never end. Really, she could only leave the choice to Christian.

She looked up at the scene, a little afraid of what might happen. No matter what happened, she would love him--that she was sure of. But she never wanted to return to this horrible place again.
 
"Go ahead. Do it." Viktor wasn't afraid of death anymore. Many years of harsh warfare took any fear of death he had out of him. It was clearly over for him, and he was going to welcome it. The one thing he won't do is let Christian have any satisfaction in doing it. "Though our goals are separate, you still fought and killed to achieve your dreams. I simply wished to bring my country back to it's former glory, ruling the world. You want to live the simple life, a family of your own. You see? We're not so different when it comes down to it." He leaned back and waited for the kiss of death.

Right before Christian pulled the trigger, he thought he heard Viktor say. "Good job, my son." When the trigger was pulled, there was a loud bang, and Viktor fell back with a large hole in his forehead. Those last words echoed in his head, especially those final few. He dropped the gun, and limped over to Natasha, finally feeling the pain catch up to him. "It's over.....let's......go.......home." He was tired. All he wanted to do was to feel Natasha's warm embrace.
 
She squeezed her eyes shut before the final blow was delivered, but the mess was still there when all was said and done. And she hadn't been able to block out what Viktor had said before he died. Vindictive bastard. But Christian, weary and injured was making his way to her. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she stubbornly blinked them away as the man she loved came back to her much worse for ware than when he left her. He was probably exhausted from everything that had happened to him, and after all that, he just wanted to leave. She nodded and agreed in a slightly raspy voice. "Yes. Let's go home."

When they managed to get her out of the chair, she stood up and put her arms around him, holding him tightly to her. She didn't let the embrace last too long, though. She put his arm over her shoulder so he could give some of his weight to her and then got them out of that horrible little room. She walked with him to an infirmary where the room had been evacuated. There, she cleaned his wound, located and removed the bullet, and bandaged him up.

After a long moment, she pressed her lips to the bandages she finished wrapping, tears falling from her eyes. "I'm sorry Christian. For everything that happened to you here."
 
As she cleaned his wounds, he could tell that she was troubled. Once she finally came out and started crying, he smiled and held her close to him. "It's alright, it wasn't your fault for any of this." He leaned in to kiss her, happy to finally feel her warm embrace again. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess, I should've protected you more." All he wanted to do now was to go home with Natasha and forget everything that happened here. Viktor's words still echoed in his head, it all bothered him thinking about it.

As he got up, refused to use Natasha as a crutch, able to hold himself up. "I'll be ok, I just need to do something real quick before we go." Actually it was a couple of things. First, he headed to the control room, and set the whole place to blow. Though, since he was injured, he gave the clock a few hours before self destruct, giving him plenty of time to leave. Second thing he did was go to where Riley's body was. She was still wrapped in his coat, soaked in blood. He picked it up and cradled her body in his arms. He then turned to Natasha. "I'm sorry, but I want to give her a proper burial, not be buried in the rubble here."

They walked out, and back towards Natasha's home. As they got closer to her home, there was a loud explosion in the distance, destroying the base they were at. The earth shook, and smoke filled the air. "There, it's done, it's finally all over." He smiled at Natasha as they headed back to her home, their home.
 
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