As darkness descended upon New York, a lone man ascended the rooftop of an old, condemned building. The view from the building wasn't great, but it did allow him a good look upon the greater downtown from afar, those lights just starting to lighten the night of the city that never sleeps. The man, silently, watched as the city's night life began to come alive, the thousands who chose to work or play in the grip of shadows rather than the light. And the man knew, within those thousands, would be terrible peoples, murderers, gangsters, rapists...and even they were nothing compared to the true monsters that lurked within the city. Like a plague, they infested the city little by little, endangering the people and spreading their disease like rats.

Well, tonight there would be a new kind of monster to stalk the streets. And these monsters would begin the slow process of eradicating this disease...with itself.

A slow smile creep along his face as he turned to his companions, who were just joining him now. These two, his most trusted advisers and companions, who had been with him in this project since the first step. Now, after years of planning, preparation, carefully outlining each step and finding all the pieces to complete the chess board, finally, it would all begin to come to fruition. Tonight was the first step to cleansing the plague that had invested the world...and the General, for he needed no real name anymore, could barely contain his glee. He would, of course, for he was The General and he had soldiers that followed his example and lead. But for these two, he showed them just a little bit of his joy before hardening like a rock.

"Report."

The first of the two, a man barely into his thirties, tilted his head to the side as he listened to a voice in his ear, before speaking. "Everyone is in position and awaiting your orders, General. Teams one through four report that they are ready to commence "Operation: Revelations" at any time." Nodding to the man, The General turned to his partner, a woman in her younger twenties.

"And our "special" forces?"

"They are in place, with all their targets acquired. They merely await the command that will unleash them."

Smiling, The General clapped his hands together, rubbing them palm to palm as he looked out over the night once more, letting that scene of peace sink in for one more moment, before giving his order. The first order of many to come. "All forces, we are a go. Commence operations. Show the world what he can do. Show them all."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the darkness of Central Park was slowly beaten back by the many lights that brought it to life at night, two figures stirred from their posts. They had been waiting all day for this, patiently watching their intended prey, listening to the reports of her location at all times. They had tracked her here, to Central Park, and only an act of God timed their orders to act while she still remained within it. Now, with darkness their ally and the solitude of the park on this night, they had gotten the orders at long last. It was time to reveal themselves to the world...and what better way then by taking down someone the world knew quite well.

Isabel Duskmoor. A mutant with a long-standing history of bloody and violent carnage, who probably had more bodies to her name then most soldiers. She was a dangerous breed of mutant, one who saw humanity as a stain that needed to be cleaned, often with their own blood. Tonight, however, it was Isabel who was the stain and tonight, her blood would be used to wipe it away.

They had spent hours preparing for this, studying her actions, her history, her habits. They had been chosen of the twelve to handle her, for their abilities were most suited to taking her down. She was a serious threat, beyond any shadow of a doubt, and to take her lightly would be fatal. Luckily, they were not stupid, nor prideful, nor cocky enough to make that mistake. She would get their full attention and by night's end, it would prove to be her unmaking.

The two figures watched as she approached, one within the shadows, the other standing clear in the light. A sword hung at his hip, dressed in black dress pants, a white dress shirt and a red vest that covered his torso. He wore brown leather gloves fitted to his hands, dress shoes and a small black circular hat atop his head. There was a smile on his rather handsome features and he waited till she noticed him before speaking. "Good evening. Ms Isabel Duskmoor, I presume? Such a lovely night for a walk for such a lovely lady. I have been awaiting this meeting for some time."

The Sanctuary had begun to feel stuffy and suffocating again after an extended stay within its confines, her morning routine being the only time spent elsewhere. She'd had enough sulking for the time being though, and so Isabel decided that she wanted to vacate the premises for a few hours while a certain windbag was nowhere to be found. Maybe she'd even stay out until morning and hope that she could duck under his radar long enough to avoid the morning exercises he insisted on running her through. She'd switched her phone to silent mode as the thought occurred to her. It wouldn't be a lie to say she never heard it go off if he questioned her absence.

Central Park was always one of her go-to spots whenever she wanted to find an escape, particularly at night. It wasn't difficult to hop the fence once the gates had been locked and she was becoming familiar enough with the terrain that she could find the less traveled paths even if the lights were extinguished. However, since it wasn't quite late enough to vacate the park goers just yet there was no need for climbing or relying on her memory to see.

She preferred to keep to the more wooded areas as opposed to the open areas where people set out picnic blankets or played with dogs or sport equipment. There were far fewer people to bother her in the more secluded places and more opportunities for her to duck out of sight if she so desired. Plus she'd started to grow fond of lying out under the trees and watching the clouds or the stars between their leaves, an activity that was becoming increasingly easier as fall rolled through and the trees began to shed.

However, it seemed as if her activities would be at least slightly delayed by whoever it was standing in the path ahead of her. It wasn't unusual to have to push past people now and again, and most moved pretty quickly once they realized who it was trying to pass her. Rarely did anyone stand their ground and even more unusual was it that someone would actually call her over.

A scowl settled over her features as she slowed to a stop not too far from the stranger, her gaze flickering from the unusual choice of weaponry at his hip up to his face. Swords didn't threaten her. Most people that risked carrying them didn't know how to use them, and in the off chance that they did she usually had far more experience with blades anyway. She didn't miss the figure sitting in the shadows, either. But two men were hardly a challenge for her so she paid him no mind.

"Listen, buddy, if you're one of those ballsy assholes that's stopping me because of that godawful news channel, I swear to go the only meeting you're gonna get is my fingers meeting your eyeballs."

The man watched her approach, his expression never wavering despite facing down one of the most notorious killers in this day and age. A normal human would have gone running for the hills the moment they saw Isabel at all. A bold human would have held his ground for a moment before bolting for the hills. Even other mutants were in fear of this goddess of death, with only the boldest or strongest daring to risk her wrath. Oh, they had done their research on her well; the man and his companion knew exactly what they were facing tonight.

She did not disappoint on the intel that she was direct to the point when something did not amuse her. The threat was rather vivid in its imagery and the man could not keep his grin from widening as he clapped his hands together, applauding her words. "Oh, most spectacularly said! You come as advertised, no, more then that. You are far more than I could have ever hoped for."

Bringing his hand down to his side, he rested it upon the hilt of his sword, a model of rapier that was designed for dueling stronger swords of the age. Its hilt was styled just for him, the constellation of Aries clear in its design. Tapping his fingers against the hilt in a rhythm only he knew, Aries glanced to his companion before turning his attention back to the creature before him.

"Oh, we saw the news, Ms Duskmoor. But that's hardly the only thing we've seen of you. We've been watching you for a very long time, following you through the years even as he ducked into your past. I must say, you are quite the specimen. Both physically and for your reputation.

But to the purpose of this fated meeting; I am Aries. And I have come here tonight to take the life of Isabel Duskmoor." There was no hint of emotion in that tone, as if this was something one did every day. But there was no mistaking then intent there, as he drew his sword to his side slowly and suddenly charged her, snaking the blade to pierce her heart.

The way the man spoke made Isabel's scowl deepen and caused a creeping feeling in her spine. She wasn't afraid of the man, nor was she particularly worried that he claimed to know about her past and present deeds. Her actions were fairly well known to anyone that was familiar with the city. But the way he spoke about her as if she were under glass made her rather uncomfortable. She was getting used to taunting remarks about her abilities and her figure coming from Zephyr, but this was something different and it set her on edge.

She saw his hand shift to the sword at his side and by the time he'd gotten a grip on it she'd already called up a layer of armor above her skin like a body suit, its edges creeping to a stop around her wrists and along her jaw line and the base of her skull. If this fool wanted to play games, then she would play. It wouldn't be the first time she'd left bodies lying in the park for some unlucky person to stumble upon.

"The end of the damned world couldn't kill me. No way in hell some creep in the park is gonna manage it," she replied, not budging an inch even as he drew his weapon and suddenly lunged in her direction. It wouldn't be difficult to avoid any sort of attempted fatal blow with the blade once he was a little closer. All she'd have to do was step to one side, or perhaps duck and she'd be largely out of harm's way. Not that the sword would do too much against her armor anyway. Already she had small blades emerging from her fingers as he drew closer. She'd promised to scratch his eyes out, and so she would.

The sound of metal meeting bone echoed through the empty park, barely drowned out by the sounds of the city at large around them. Aries watched as his sword bowed and bent from its impact with Isabel, a curious grin sliding across his features as his blade skidded against Isabel's skin. No, not her skin, not exactly. In that brief moment he had been speaking before, she had created a shell of bone around her body, coating all but her head and hands in its protective shell. A most impressive feat.

And a calculated one.

Aries sword might have been stopped by that bone armor, but it was built for this purpose. The blade bent, it wobbled, but it didn't break, returning to form as he drew back the weapon to play for a strike upon that exposed face or hands. Or rather, he had intended to...but a much better option suddenly presented itself. Her body wasn't the only thing outlined in bone; her fingers were also beginning to grow a new attachment. Oh, how I will make you regret your powers soon, m'dear.

Changing his pattern, he thrust and swiped his sword at her, acting as if he was trying to find a weakness in her armor and panicking at the same time. In a way, he was doing just that. But in reality, his strikes were doing something else; leaving his right side open, a tempting target for this woman if reports were correct. Any other attack he would do his best to defend against, but in reality, it mattered little where her blades fell upon him, save for a fatal strike.

Soon she would learn just why he had been sent to be her end. Him and his sulking companion.

Isabel's frown began to lessen as the man struck and found that his attempts to injure her were useless as the blade cut through cloth only to be stopped by the layer of bone underneath. It could scratch the surface, but it couldn't slice through to the flesh underneath. Unless he tried for her face, there wasn't much he could do to her. He'd simply end up tiring himself out, rather than doing anything of use. If she let him continue long enough to tire out, that is.

By this time she was beginning to move, taking a step back or to the side to keep her balance as the stranger seemed to begin worrying over his bold decisions. She couldn't get a very clear shot at his eyes as promised, but that wasn't much of a concern to her. She could do a lot more damage elsewhere instead, or else she could fulfill her threat as a salt in the wound sort of thing once she'd put the young man in his place. Either way, while his movements didn't favor a strike to blind him, they presented more numerous possibilities as he failed to guard himself amidst his unorganized attacks.

She shifted as best she could while being battered with the blade, trying to be sure that she could put some decent force behind her initial strike. While one arm was raised half way, ready to guard her face if need be, the other hand now armed with blades no longer that two inches swung outward and down, aiming to bury her fingers in the flesh of his shoulder. If she hit well and deep enough she could do enough damage to hinder his movement and make it harder for him to handle that weapon of his. With a good enough grip she could even tear the muscles and render the arm nearly entirely useless.

This early in the fight she didn't particularly care how severe the wounds were just as long as she drew blood.

Over and over again, Aries blade flashed out, a blur of quick strikes that even the best trained eye would have trouble seeing. It was Aries pride, the skill that he had trained during those long years, working day in and day out to master the blade now in his hand. As such, the chaotic swings that he was throwing Isabel's way were nothing to him; each motion required little force and his blade was as light as feather in his hand. But of course, a true master know how also to deceive his foe, which was his intent.

And he was already playing her in more ways then one. For one, even though his quick strikes were plaguing him little, he showed exhaustion on his face, giving the appearance that his furious attack was taxing him. He was pretending to have such a furious attack that his defense was weak, allowing Isabel glances at possible weaknesses she could exploit. Another trap to bring her one step closer to her defeat. And, of course, his coup de grace was still waiting to be unleashed. It needed only her to take advantage of the gift he had given her...THERE!

Isabel finally struck, her hand streaking forward with a speed that did no justice to her file. Aries knew, of course, that words on paper and video were one thing; only from first hand experience could one truly understand what a person was capable of. Isabel was faster then he had come to expect. Still, not quite fast enough to cripple his plan. It did make it hurt a lot more though.

Bone parted flesh as her hand stabbed deep into his shoulder, the pain seering throughout his body without remorse. But pain and Aries were old friends and he quickly pushed aside the lancing heat that his shoulder had become, Aries winced in pain, her fingers all but making the arm useless. His sword remained in his hand, but his arm dangled, the nerves paralyzed from the injury. He cursed, winced in pain, his other arm grabbing the hand that had pierced him as it stabbed deep into his flesh, weakly trying to remove it...and then he laughed.

"Wonderful...the report did not lie. You are truly a wonderful opponent for my first mission. And this pain...oh, how this pain must have been felt by all your victims." Little did Isabel know, he had achieved his goal the minute his skin had touched hers. "Now its time you tasted what they felt."

Shoving away with a grunt, Aries knew she would see. See his wound, red with his blood...and yet no wound would be there anymore. How she would feel it now, the pain
he had felt but moments ago before in her shoulder. And most importantly, she would know fear as she realized what had just happened...and that fear would be the final nail towards her demise. "Now its time for you to join them."

Isabel couldn't help but smirk as she hit her mark, the blades sliding neatly through flesh until her fingers hit the damp cloth of the stranger's torn shirt. She couldn't see his expression clearly, but she heard him curse and felt his body twinge and jerk in reaction to the assault. It wasn't the first time some fool had thought they could take her on in a fight and regretted it soon after. It probably wouldn't be the last time, either. Making those idiots bleed never did get old.

She had barely begun to debate breaking his fingers as he grabbed her when he started his inane chatter again before breaking into laughter. Her smirk vanished. "If you're one of those freaks that gets off on pain, I swear I-" A gasp cut off her threat as the man stumbled back and a searing pain rocketed through her shoulder and down her arm.

The protective covering along her shoulder dissolved as the sought to find the source of the pain, the white fabric of her shirt immediately staining red as the torn flesh was exposed. Shifting the fabric it was easy enough to identify the five deep, messy punctures in the flesh the similar presence of which was conspicuously missing from the man's own shoulder once her gaze shifted in his direction.

Isabel had heard of mutants that could transfer injuries, though she didn't think she'd ever met one before. She certainly hadn't fought one before and therein lay her dilemma. She was a purely physical fighter who relied on causing as much bodily damage as possible in order to take down an opponent. But how could she fight someone that would essentially cause her to fight herself?

Doing what she could to wipe the shock and pain off of her face, she stitched the punctures closed and covered her flesh in armor once more. It was agony trying to move her arm, but she fought to do it anyway so as not to appear too impaired. There was no way she was going to turn tail and run just yet. Isabel didn't run from fights without doing at least some damage. She'd simply have to find a way to put him down long enough to make a getaway. It was just a matter of figuring out how the hell she was supposed to do that.

As the revelation dawned on Isabel, Aries calmly removed a handkerchief from his pocket, dabbing at the fresh blood on his shoulder. Oh, how he hated to ruin such a fine piece of clothing...but he could always replace it later. Tonight was a special occasion of course and he'd wanted to look his best, even knowing that the clothes would likely end up in tatters from his task. Still, what a waste.

His eyes never really left Isabel, however, knowing better than to leave himself that open against such a foe. He watched as she looked to her own shoulder, to see what had caused the sudden spike of pain that no doubt had caught her by surprise. It was a look he never got tired of seeing, of the shock and surprise his opponent as they came to the realization that any attack they unleashed on him would, in the end, be their undoing. The best was when they didn't clue in right away to what had just happened, to constantly throw themselves at him until it was far too late.

Judging by how Isabel wasn't charging him in a rage, as the reports said she would do, that fact had not been lost on her. Tossing the handkerchief to the wind, Aries stretched out his arm while she prepared herself. The wound might not have been entirely crippling, but it would hurt. The longer he allowed it to hurt, the worse it would get. "Fascinating, is it not? The variations in abilities that a mutant can have. I can see from your expression that you understand the situation, which I'm happy to say is surprising. The reports didn't speak well to your intelligence."

Giving his blade a few test swings, Aries slowly began stalking closer. His blade dropped down to his side, his mind calculating the next plan of attack. Aries knew his companion would want in soon, but not yet. There were still cards on the table he could play. She would not fall for that trick again, knowing she could be harmed if she didn't strike him down in a single strike. But what if she thought she could inflict a serious, fatal wound and retreat? Oh yes, what indeed.

"Now then, let's not delay this any further then we have to. I'll make it quick, I promise I will. Just let it end so you don't have to suffer anymore. So that no one else has to suffer anymore." He wondered if she'd take the bait as he got closer and closer, lifting his blade up before thrusting for her face. The only question that remained was if he could evade what was come enough to enact his plan.

Isabel kept an eye on the man as he dabbed at his intact shoulder and opened his fat mouth yet again. He could threaten her all he wanted, but it was nothing but talk. There was no way some idiot in the park was going to do something like kill her, even with the sort of mutation he had. If she really had to, she could always beat a hasty retreat back to the Sanctuary. She could easily go back to sulking through the halls and restricting her outings to her morning trips with Zephyr. That way if he went after her again she'd at least have some kind of backup.

As it was, however, she was on her own for now and her temper was beginning to reach the point where she'd refuse to back down until she finished the guy off. Him and his weird lurking companion. "If you think your little tricks scare me or that I'd give up that easily you're even stupider than you look, and that's really saying something," she shot back, watching carefully as his sword moved and then his body.

She pushed herself backward as he made another dash in her direction and lifted his blade. She took barely more than two steps back before she was swept upward by six spindly, spider-like extremities extending from either side of her spine.

She didn't know the technicalities of his mutation. He could transfer his injuries, but was it a physical ability or a mental one? Was there a limit to how many wounds he could move? If he was injured badly enough, would his target also die or would his death break the link? There was too much she could only guess at, but there was little time for guessing games. She could stay on the defensive, but that wasn't really her style. She could continue her assault and hope that she did something right before she wound up bleeding out. Or she could run.

The second option was the most appealing as her anger flared and her new advantage of height gave her a boost of confidence. At least this way she might be able to figure out one or two things about the stranger's abilities. With her new appendages, she had a greater range of maneuverability and she could lever herself out of reach of the sword if need be. She was also still lethal. Each leg of bone ended in a dangerous point and all she had to do was lift and thrust any one of them and hope they hit their mark. Leaving a man pinned to the sidewalk in a pool of his own blood would certainly send the right kind of message.

During his training, his commander, his teacher, had taught him that battles were ever evolving things. One could plan, one could anticipate, one could study until the days grew long and the nights even longer. But he had also taught him, in the word's of a famous man, that no battle plan ever survives first contact with the enemy. The only thing you could do was adapt as quickly as you could, for it could mean life or death on the battlefield. Anyone who could not was like to not last for very long.

That was coming into play now.

Truthfully, Aries had expected her to do one of two things; shield her head with the same bone armor as the rest of her or do evade his blow and strike one of her own. He had not anticipated the spider-like visage that she donned instead. Certainly, it was in the reports and studies he had received, but to actually see it up close...it was something else.

Backpedalling, himself, Aries looked up to where her main body was now suspended, considering his options. Sure, the fact that she had gone there weakened him; he had to make physical contact with her. The bones she had expended could count as that, but all his experiments had been to the person's skin. Bone wasn't something you could merely pull out of someone to test on. He could try, of course...but that wasn't the option that presented victory.

Smiling, Aries knew what had to be done. It was why he had been sent with another of his fellows; a combination of powers with the greatest chance of victory. He had had his turn...now it was time for his comrade to take center stage. "Most impressive. Truly, a beautiful creation, designed to both inflict the worst damage to your foes while keeping you safe from harm. And of course, incite fear. For who wouldn't be terrified of that form!"

Glancing to his side, he signaled for his companion to come forth before turning back to Isabel. "But I said earlier that you would face all that your victims did. I gave you their pain...now its time to taste their fear. Cancer, if you would."

The person that walked from the shadows was a complete contrast to his ally. Where Aries was styled clean and dignified, Cancer looked like he'd just stepped off the street. His clothes looked dirty and worn, his hair was a mess, he had a deathly pallor to his skin. He also wore a black suit jacket that looked like it had seen better days. But his eyes were the worst. They were just so sharp and alive that they couldn't have been the eyes of this walking corpse. But they were and they were focused sorely on Isabel.

"I see, I see, the fear that you hide. I see, I see, the pain you hold inside. Oh wicked maiden, who drowns in seas of blood. Oh how I will show you, the pain of those begrudged." Stepping next to his companion, Cancer lifted a hand to point a single finger at her, his face breaking into a smile that would rival even Isabel's own most sadistic. "Let's just get rid of those pesky bones, shall we?"

As if answering his call, something suddenly wound its way around Isabel's neck, closing with a click. She would know what it was in an instant, of that they were sure. For it was about to drop her into a fear she had experienced before.

The fear of being powerless.

Isabel sneered down at the talkative stranger as he backed away from her in favor of letting his companion step forward instead. The new contender didn't exactly look threatening. More like a man who already had a foot in the grave and was ready to tumble further into it at any moment. He certainly didn't look like anyone who could put up any kind of fight. She suspected he wouldn't be able to move so quickly as his companion, either. She could spear them both with relative ease. All that finger pointing wasn't going to get them anywhere.

She'd barely taken a step forward when a sudden weight circled around her neck and tightened with an ominous click. Her hand hadn't even made it halfway to the object for inspection when an all too familiar surge of electricity shot through her body. The extra appendages retracted with alarming speed and the armor disappeared along with it. Her body dropped and landed with an audible crack on the sidewalk pavement. Blood from her wounded shoulder splattered the ground as the stitches dissolved and the injury was left to bleed freely.

Gasping from air in a mixture of shock, pain, and dread she managed to roll onto her back. Her left hip and shoulder ached from where they'd struck the ground first. A small trickle of blood snaked its way down her forehead from somewhere behind her hairline. Her shoulder seared as her hands flew to the collar around her neck with no regard for the injury. There was very little for her fingers to find purchase on save for hooking them around the edge of the contraption and wedging them between metal and flesh only to be met with another shock as she tugged. Zephyr had been teaching her how to disarm the Camp collars, but now that she wasn't in his controlled environment she was finding it very difficult to recall any of the details he'd been drilling her with. The one thing it did do was prevent her from immediately dissolving into a full blown panic.

There wasn't any room for her to panic. There were still two men to deal with, one of which had been threatening to kill her since she'd happened upon him. She struggled to her feet as quickly as she could, ignoring the various aches and pains lest the prevent her from maneuvering at all.

"You think this thing is gonna help you? This isn't gonna stop me from killing you. I'll tear your goddamn throats out with my teeth if I have to. You assholes don't scare me." She would really have to watch out for that sword now. If she could just get a hand around his wrist she might be able to prevent him from doing any real damage. If she could get it out of his hand, all the better.

The effect of the creation Cancer had latched around Isabel's neck was immediate. Aries whistled in fascination as the device, a metal collar that Aries knew to be a mutant suppression device. It had seen its use many years ago, when those dreadful mutant camps had been in effect. Aries hadn't known that Isabel had a history of them, but if Cancer had created one, then it meant she feared them.

Speaking of Cancer, he was enjoying the sudden loss of Isabel's powers. What a wonderful treat right off the start, to see that she feared the abilities of a piece of hardware that had seen its use fade over time. Tonight, it would get a chance to shine again. Grinning from ear to ear, a sick twisted thing that would give nightmares to children, Cancer clapped his hands together slowly, licking his lips as his ability feasted on her fear, even as it dug deeper seeking more.

"I do not doubt that you'd try that. But don't scare you? Oh ho ho, how wrong you are! I can taste it, your fear; it comes to me like a fine wine."

"Cancer, if you're quite done, I believe I can take it from here. You've crippled her from my strikes; now let me finish this quick."

Cancer turned to his companion, hissing as his comrade tried to steal his prey. Of course he would want to end this quickly; Aries was different from him, preferring to end his foes suffering quickly rather then drag it out. Cancer, though, enjoyed seeing his victims suffer. To see their fear and despair grow as everything that tortured them in life came at them, making them remember all the terrible memories of the past. Cancer enjoyed that, a guilty pleasure for him. Aries was not going to take that from him, not with her.

"You had your chance Aries...now she's mine!" He was always aware of her, they both were as they argued. Now with that said, Cancer focused all his attention back on the woman. "Now...what else might you fear my little flower?" Letting his eyes drift to the shadows, he grinned slightly. "Well, if we don't scare you, maybe that man does." Pointing his finger off to the side, Cancer smirked as a being stepped forward from the shadows. A man Isabel knew too well.

A man named Zephyr. And the expression on his face was not one someone wanted directed at them. And it was directed at Isabel.

Isabel was glaring murder at both of the men as they bickered. She was hurting, but she wasn't exactly crippled. Let the creep try to put his hands on her. She'd tear the things off, even with the possible consequences of his abilities. And she'd tear the smirk off of the paler man's face once she was done with the first. Once she got her hands on them she'd be able to ignore the pain long enough to rip them apart. It wouldn't take that long.

Her right arm was beginning to go numb and holding it up was becoming a chore. She was tired of all the talking that the men seemed to insist on doing. All the threats flying around and so little to show for it. It was getting dull and irritating and the longer she had to stand around while they blabbed the more blood she'd be losing. If they wanted a fight, they'd better start fighting.

"I'm not afraid of anyone," she spat even as her gaze was drawn to the too familiar figure that seemingly materialized out of the shadows themselves. Not that appearing out of thin air was unusual for this particular individual. Her hands lowered a little as her attention quickly focused almost entirely on the young man. Zephyr was never really a welcome sight, but the look on his face unnerved her more than usual.

Having spent so much time with the young man in the past months, she wasn't exactly afraid of him anymore. At least, not to the degree that she had been when he'd first insisted on cornering her into some absurd kind of agreement. He only really frightened her when he decided that she needed to be reprimanded for something she'd said or done. When he decided she needed a demonstration of how difficult it was for her to put up a fight against him. But she'd been behaving for the most part recently, and so there hadn't been any such episodes since they were last in the Training Room at the Sanctuary.

He'd made it pretty clear that he didn't want her indulging in her brand of violent fun, so it would sort of make sense that he'd show up while she was in the middle of a fight. And yet there wasn't really any way that he'd have known until the next day and only if she had made it into the news again. Something about his appearance wasn't right, just as his expression seemed out of place.

"You're so full of shit," she said, letting her gaze shift back to the paler of the two strangers, though she continued to keep an eye on Zephyr as her focus shifted. "First the collar, now him? I'm not buying it. No way would he let me get into a fight like this, especially not when someone claims that it's to the death. He never lets me have that kind of fun. You've got nothing but tricks to play with," she challenged, bringing her hands back up, ready to strike.

She was getting sick of all the chatter and posturing that was being thrown around. It was time to put their money where their mouths were. If they really intended on trying to kill her then they were fools for wasting so much time. This time she was the one that charged, aiming for what she perceived as the more dangerous of the two, the one with the sword. She would take him down first, skirting the Zephyr manifestation and leaving the pale man for afterward.

Isabel could talk smack and put on a brave front all she wanted; Cancer knew better. Cancer could feel better. The minute his apparition of Zephyr had appeared, her fear had surged. Not nearly as much as Cancer would have liked, but it was enough. Enough to tell him that she feared this man. Enough to help him create this clone of him into reality. And, most importantly...enough for him to make this Zephyr as close to the original as possible.

Neither of them were fazed by her sudden charge, both aware that without her powers she was a severely reduced threat. Still, to not answer her charge would not only be rude, it would still be a foolish move. Aries, of course, was the one to answer it, stepping out in front of Cancer and putting his blade up between them and the charging Isabel.

It was Cancer who struck. Well, technically. He struck by proxy.

The air suddenly was alive, blowing hard back into Isabel to stall her charge. Then it was a full force gale, forcing her back from the pair even as the Zephyr clone stalked up between them, his expression even harsher then before, drawing on her previous fears of his rage. When it spoke, it spoke with his voice, his anger. It was, in Cancer's opinion, one of his better creations.

"I leave you alone for a little while and you get back up to your tricks? I'm surprised; I thought you were actually learning something.

But of course, I should have known better. Should have known not to waste my time." The clone sighed, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "But perhaps one more lesson is required. Maybe...maybe I just need to use a bit more force then before." The clone started towards her, the wind starting to rise around him. No more words were coming from him, only actions as the wind struck at her, aiming to strike at her from every direction.

And Cancer grinned maliciously as he watched his creation work.