Wind beat up against his bare chest as Sam shifted his weight forward again. It was part of the rules no shirt, no shoes. The concrete slabs under his feet were cool to the touch despite it being such a warm day. It was later in the day and the sun didn’t heat the roof up at all.. His body was loose and ready to jump forward or to the side he didn’t know what kind of skill this guy had but he knew he was going to have fun with this one. ”Ready when you are man.” Sam said taking another step forward towards Kyle.

Still not exactly sure how they came to terms with the gentleman’s challenge Sam knew that this was just what he needed. A safe controlled environment (a rooftop in New York City) to blow off some steam. Basically they both agreed to beat the tar out of each other for a bit until there was a decided winner. They never agreed to not using mutations but if this was truly a gentlemanly challenge he wouldn’t need to use his mutation however if it got to that point Sam will deal with it then.

More wind rushed by causing the clothes hanging on a clothes line on the same roof to flap loudly. Sam was aware of his surroundings as well the chimney in the center of the roof, the two drain grates on the roof that formed to metal bubbles near the edge of the roof and then there was Kyle, a mutant who was currently under the suspicion of making off with some money after a bank robbery. Sam looked to the bags of cash and then raised his hands up in a guard, ”Gonna enjoy this, been too long since I’ve been able to cut loose.”

Kyle, like everyone else, had his good days and his bad days. But it had been a long while since he had a strange day.

Today was one of those days.

It had started out innocently enough. His routine had begun; wake, eat, stretch, shower, the basic necessities of life. Then it was to the gym for his workout routine, followed by a few sessions in the danger room. Somedays he worked himself hard, till even his extended stamina was clawing at the dregs and scraps of energy he might have left. Others, like today, he merely went through the paces, doing a light and simple workout and only a session or two of moderate scenarios in the Danger Room. It was usually on those days that Kyle went out to face real world experiences and problems. So, after a quick lunch, Kyle had gotten on his bike, made sure his outfit was ready in case he needed it and headed out to work during the afternoon.

It was usually late when Kyle finally removed himself for work, but today he had gotten off a little earlier. Which only meant Kyle, armored in the outfit he'd made to hide his identity and give him some other advantages in battle, was peering from rooftops for trouble or listening to the scanner on his bike. Today had been lucky. He'd heard reports of an alarm at a bank not too far from him and no sooner had the bank been named was Kyle streaking down the road for it.

The job on the bank was more professional than most. Four men in, a driver waiting, but their real plan was to escape via the rooftops. Kyle had met them there, four men caught completely unaware as the figure shrouded in darkness descended upon them. Yet despite his advantage of surprise and the advantages being a mutant gave him, the men managed to escape his grasp, save the one caring the money. Kyle had managed to drop him as he tried to flee, his blade leaving the man still upon the roof, the bag dropping in a heap at Kyle's feet. All would have gone well from that point...if the man known as Cold Steel hadn't chosen that moment to show up. Under normal circumstances, Kyle might have been able to simply point out what had happened. Expect he'd been checking to make sure the money was actually in that bag. And the one man he'd killed had been dressed like a guard for his part of the plan. All in all, it didn't make for a really pretty picture.

This is where the day got strange. Strange in the sense that now Kyle and Cold Steel were standing atop the same roof, shoes and shirts discarded to the side(and Kyle's gauntlets as well, although he chose to keep the helmet, funny as it made him look at the moment), staring each other down from either side of the roof. How they had come to this neither man could say, but the deal had been made; if Kyle won, Cold Steel would let him go after he explained the situation. If Cold Steel won, well...Kyle hadn't seen the inside of a jail in a while.

Both men were unknowns to each other. Niether knew the power the other held and although it was technically stated that neither of them would use them, that fact remained unlikely to happen. It was going to be one heck of a fight no doubt; simply looking at the man told Kyle he was a fighter. But then, so was he. Taking a loose stance, Kyle lifted one arm towards Cold Steel and motioned with his fingers. "Indeed. But I'm not the challenger here, so unless you plan to win by boring me to death, perhaps you'd like to see if all that build means anything other than eye candy."

Sam seriously doubted at this point that this guy was trying to rob the bank because honestly who stops to count the money mid robbery? Sam had only seen that happen once before and the guy thought he was a mutant who could become invisible once naked, needless to say he didn’t get very far and some things can never be unseen. The only thing Sam saw that he didn’t like about the situation was the body of a guard. It was lifeless and still and it was clear that this guy had done the deed which was why Sam offered his little bet. Either way the guy was going away for a long time but he didn’t need to know that.

>>>"Indeed. But I'm not the challenger here, so unless you plan to win by boring me to death, perhaps you'd like to see if all that build means anything other than eye candy."

Sam blinked at first with his one eye, still surprised people still use the cliché of waving the guy your gonna try to beat down to come forward. It was over used in Sam’s opinion so when he saw it he couldn’t help but give the guy a smirk. The comment was what forced an actual verbal reaction from him. Shaking his head Sam responded, ”Yeah… gonna pretend you didn’t just call me eye candy…” Sam did as he was challenged to do by the other guy as he was waved forward. Sam quickly closed the distance between them and started with a hook punch right into the guy’s stomach due to his face being covered by the helmet… something Sam would never admit would admit to but thought was pretty cool looking.

After the hook and still keeping his guard up Sam followed with an elbow to his side hoping a one two would be enough for the guy in a helmet who managed to take his shirt off without removing his helmet.

It wasn't hard to take off a shirt without removing a helmet when the shirt had buttons. All one had to do was slip, slip, slip and boom, the shirt was gone while the helmet remained. Why Kyle hadn't just taken off the helmet too was a two fold choice for now; it hid who he was in case he had to make a getaway and it gave his head a little more extra protection. It was weird to be wearing it without the rest of his outfit, but the pros outweighed the cons in this situation.

While the motion might have been cliched, that didn't stop the man from suddenly launching himself towards Kyle, closing the distance between them in several quick steps. Most people might have been caught off guard or paralyzed by this; Kyle wasn't most people. As the hook for his stomach came in, Kyle's arm came up, catching the hook on the inside track as he deflected the blow aside with a snap of his arm.

The incoming elbow met the same fate; Kyle's other arm came up and he caught the elbow with his forearm, flexing the muscle in his arms to prevent the elbow from reaching its desired target. Kyle didn't wait for his shirtless foe to gather himself from the attack. His free arm snapped up and sent a quick jab for his foe's stomach, which would follow into a sudden palm strike in a one-two succession.

Whether the move was a hit or a miss, Kyle was already making sure he would be retreating a step or two in the wake of the attack. One to gather room to maneuever if need be and two to give himself more room to wind up for following strikes.

It didn’t take long for Sam to determine that this guy wearing the helmet was quite a skilled fighter. He blocked Sam’s attacks and threw them out of the way right before he started a combination of his own. Sam shifted his stomach and felt his muscles tense as he moved out of the way of the first strike to his stomach. Sam was about to swing but noticed the palm following the next strike. Sam took a step back and there was a little connection on his bare chest luckily the guy didn’t get a full hit.

There was power behind his strikes that much was obvious if Sam stood still and took the blunt of the attack he might even had a cracked rib or at least the wind knocked out of him. Sam started to laugh, it wasn’t a manic laugh but one to show that he was actually enjoying this and it had only just begun.

Sam took a step forward from that closing the distance between the two again this time swinging a low roundhouse kick with his back leg to the guy’s front it was low enough where it could be caught but easy enough to rump over. Following the kick Sam slammed both feet down and threw an uppercut to the midsection and then tried to close the distance even more by grabbing the guy’s helmet.

In some distant part of his mind, Kyle had been hoping the man was all show, despite his appearance. That would have made things easy for him, a quick bout that he could win before making his escape.

But that was in the distant part of his mind and a small portion of it at that. The rest of his mind, the part that usually dominated all thought, relished the fact that his foe had the skill to give him something he'd not had in a while. A good fight. Thugs were never good enough, more muscle then brains, believing that if you were big enough, no one could put you down. Failing that, they believed numbers would win the game; one man against ten was surely a win for the ten. Even the few individuals that Kyle had faced lately, while interesting in different aspects, were not enough to be a challenge to him.

But this man was. That was clear in his first strikes and his quick reaction to Kyle's own, dodging the worst of the blows to take only minor damage. He didn't waste time either in the following moments. No sooner had Kyle's attack ended did the man begin his own sequence anew. A sweeping roundhouse was his first method of attack, a low down move that was easy to hop over. The incoming uppercut was harder.

Of the options Kyle had avaliable, he choose the simple one. Shifting his body slightly, Kyle slipped to the side, the blow glancing off his stomach ever so slightly as he moved clear. By his actions, Kyle also managed to avoid the grab for his helmet, while drawing his own arm back in the process. Stopping his swing sideways by planting his foot, Kyle swung a hard left at the man, followed by a sharp uppercut of his own. It was looking like this dance was going to take a while.

Kyle was going to enjoy every minute of it.

He hoped and dodged both attacks clearly the one two combinations he had been giving weren’t enough to stump the helmeted man. In fact he was beginning a counter already, ‘skilled’ thought Sam as he ducked out the way of the first punch by crouching and pivoting his back leg and turning to dodge the incoming uppercut. Sam let out a quick exhalation as he righted himself back up and smirked to the man in the helmet.

Throwing out his right hand Sam open handed the man’s helmet hoping to cause some slight disorientation or at least blocking his vision by causing it to turn. Sam let out a small laugh and hopped back a few feet. ”Better than I thought you would be. Too bad your vision is blocked by the helmet.” Sam taunted as he charged back in and jumped throwing out a front hick to the man’s chest.

Sam slowed the kick before he made contact however because he was tempted to see what the man in the helmet would do once an obvious opening was giving. Would he be over cautious and think it was a trap? Which Sam was hoping for or would he catching the kick and attacking.

As expected, a single one-two punch to knock this opponent out was not going to cut it. Nor would any simple plan of attack be enough to catch him with any blows. Both Kyle and this man were simply too familiar with close range combat to be taken in such a way. In other words, in order for either of them to get the upper hand, they had to do something slightly more complicated.

Or, as his opponent was attempting, try for a possible weak point when attacking.

Kyle's blows met air as his foe ducked the first of his swings, then turned away to avoid the following uppercut. That brief moment that followed gave Kyle enough time to balance his stance and prepare a guard, but he was a second slow in that regard. The man's hand came up just as he did, its course without fail to bring it into contact with Kyle's helmet. Kyle was in the wrong stance, the wrong position, the wrong state of preparedness, to dodge that blow. So he did the next best thing he could; he turned his head into it and shifted his head aside just as it made contact.

His head rung briefly for a moment, as expected, but Kyle's efforts had not been as foolish as it might seem. By moving into the blow and then adjusting his head at the moment of impact, he'd avoided taking a much heavier hit. Also as a result, his helmet stayed firmly where it rested on his head. Creating his own distance as the man hopped back, Kyle shook his head to ward off the slight disorientation before snapping a release on his helmet.

"It would be far worse, if a woman didn't hit harder than you do." Kyle caught his helmet on his foot and rolled it off to the side just as CS came in again. His attack almost made Kyle smile. A jumping kick was a good move, in practice. But it was also a very bad one to use on a ready opponent; once you jumped, you were committed to that attack. In essence, Kyle now knew what path CS would be forced to take and as such, how to counter it.

Your average person would dodge the kick or attempt to catch it. Kyle, on the other hand, merely stepped in, used his forearm to deflect the kick to his side and lashed out at the man's chest with his own kick. Not a flying or running kick, but a solid kick aimed and powered by his stance. His foe had chosen to come rushing in like that; Kyle would introduce him to what a wall felt like.

With the helmet gone Sam had a face now even if by some miracle he lost this fight he’d still have something to give the police a face if not the person it belongs to. Sam ignored the insult and smirked when he spotted the guy bringing up his foot in a kick. His kick was blocked with ease and Sam let out a small laugh when it happened he also continued to laugh when the kick hit his side.

Sam then pretended to double backwards in pain only to start laughing again he stood up straight and revealed the ice that had quickly formed over his ribs where the kicked was aimed. ”Consider it a compliment, that kick would have cracked a rib, just one I’d imagine. Probably the little one.” Sam then dropped the ice surrounding his rib and pointed towards his smallest rib.

”Maya kicks harder.” Sam stood in his fighting stance for a second making note not to slow any of his strikes down again it was clear whoever his now helmetless guy was he wasn’t going to pull his punches. The kick was far harder than Sam had let on.

Sam ran back into the fray throwing a front punch to the guys face followed by a roundhouse kick to his leg followed by an elbow to his ribs. It was a little more intermediate combination but he still had no doubt that this guy was capable of blocking or evading he was just hoping he could get a hand or two on the guy to show him what Sam was really capable of. ”Where did you learn how to fight?” Sam asked as he was throwing the strikes.

Removing his helmet had been a serious risk, Kyle knew. Without it, his face had been exposed to this man, who obviously was on the side of the law when it came to criminals. Whether Kyle won or lost this fight mattered little in the long run; unless he convinced the man that he was not behind the robbery and that the guard at his feet wasn't really a guard, Kyle would likely soon find himself as hunted as others were.

But the risk had been one Kyle had to take. Normally, his helmet provided not only a way to conceal his identity, but also as protection against an unforeseen blow to the head. He might be rattled but such a blow, truly, but that helmet could be the only difference between a mild headache and a shattered skull. However, in this circumstance, the helmet was only a liability if his foe targeted it specifically. Plus, this man was far to skilled to take on without his full range of vision available...hence why it rested on the rooftop now.

Kyle's counterattack had been what most people might have called a textbook counter. It was perfect in form, the decision had been made with good intel to back up the move. And it had connected solidly with the man's chest. That should have been it for this foe...if he hadn't revealed his ace in the hole.

"Ice? So he's a mutant. This just got much harder," Kyle mused to himself. In quick order, Kyle had created distance again as he assessed this new shift to the game. If this man was a mutant and this fight was no longer a simple battle of brawn and skill, then it had become grossly more complicated. But in that same notion; if his foe intended to use his powers whenever he saw fit, then the same could be said for Kyle. The extent of his capabilities was still up in the air, but Kyle knew one thing that he had the advantage in. Endurance.

"Considering I don't know who this Maya is, excuse me if I'm not insulted by that. Besides; even the smallest rib broken still hurts."

Then the man was on him again and the game was afoot once again. This time, the layer of complexity to it had obviously taken a step up the ladder, as the man's attack towards him was not longer a simple one-two combo. And he was speaking to Kyle as he did so, so Kyle replied even as he moved to counter the incoming attacks.

"I learned...", he began as the first attack came. The first blow was simple enough to handle; much like his counter earlier, Kyle simply used his arm to deflect the blow away from his body. ..."the hard way." The roundhouse was harder to deal with and when it slammed into Kyle's blocking arm, it sent a shockwave of pain through it. Pain that Kyle was already familiar with, so shrugging it off was almost second nature to him. It still hurt like hell though.

The elbow was the most dangerous blow however. With his free arm that didn't throb with pain, Kyle caught the elbow inches before it would have made contact with his ribs, his muscles tightening to resist the man's strength. "Trial and error." Kyle didn't wait long after that block to move himself. With his open arm, Kyle snapped a backhanded fist at the man, trying to push him back from the elbow at the same time. After that, his leg came up again in an attempt to drive his foot into the man's knee.

All the while, his hands were slowly beginning to gather energy to his fingers and palms. If this man was going to use his powers, then Kyle was going to use it as well.

”School of the hard knocks then eh?” Sam asked as his attacks were once again blocked and dodged even the elbow, which he thought was going to be avoided but was blocked instead. Sam smirked towards the man almost laughing excited the little gentleman’s challenge was such a… well challenge. Sam hadn’t been lying it had been a while since anyone really made him force to block.

Sam’s hand shot up across his face letting the back fist snap across the meaty part of his arm. It hurt, a lot unfortunately the best way to block a back fist was to not be there. It was a speed punch not one used for power and if he didn’t teach it as often as he did to his students it probably would have connected with his face. Sam was pushed back in the process and waited for the next strike a kick to the knee one he didn’t see quickly enough so instead of stepping back like he should have Sam stepped forward making his thigh take the brunt of the attack. ”Your really playing for keeps here!”

Sam used the close distance to latch on to the guy’s hand he used to throw a back fist with moments before and his leg and turned into a pivot throwing the guy away from him in the process. Sam let go of his hand and jumped back stretching out his leg that just took the kick. Something that could have broken the knee if it was placed right didn’t have as much of an effect on the leg other than bruising them and making them tense up. Sam jumped once and then twice then kicked his leg out letting out a loud whistle. ”To think what you could do if you weren’t wasting your time robbing banks and killing guards. Shame really.”

Sam jumped up and down twice more and on the second jump he launched himself back towards the guy. Uppercut to the stomach followed by another attempt to grab the guys head and pull him down into a knee kick to the face. If he was going to get rough then so was Sam.

Even Kyle couldn't remain perfect in the dodge/block department forever. Sooner or later, some of his opponent's blows would get through, whether by skill or dumb luck mattered not. So far, Kyle had been on his toes while his foe seemed to be faltering at times...but like said, eventually something was bound to get through. Both of them were simply too skilled for it not to happen and it had already become clear that a spinning dance wasn't in order tonight. Tonight was for a fight.

Kyle's blows had rained down on the man to a somewhat satisfactory degree. His back hand caught meaty flesh as Sam lifted an arm to deflect the attack from his face, the arm taking the painful damage rather than his brain. His kick connected as well, although once again, it was too where Sam shifted the damage to an alternative target. rather than where Kyle was aiming. His foot met Sam's thigh and once again, the man suffered but not as much as he could have.

This time before Kyle could react, Sam reached out and took a hold of the arm he'd used to backhand him with, pulling Kyle forward. With a quick pivot, Kyle suddenly found himself spinning as Sam tossed him away, struggling to keep his balance and remain standing. If Sam had launched himself after him right there and then, he might have found several openings to exploit. Instead, the man held back, stretching out his wounded ligaments, giving Kyle ample time to regain his balance and stance. Watching Sam carefully, Kyle shifted his body to prepare for the next attack, even as he answered the man back.

"How does one tell a guard is a guard? For I've killed no guards tonight. Take a closer look and maybe the truth will reveal itself."

He wasn't going to apologize for killing the man, but people really needed to take stock of the situation properly before simply accusing someone of something. Putting that aside, Kyle focused on what came next, as Sam was already back into the fray, launching himself at him. This time, the uppercut came sharp and quick and for a brief moment, Kyle saw stars as the blow rattled his brain and head. He wasn't so rattled to be taken down so easily though, so when Sam attempted to pull his head down, Kyle's entire body went rigid as he fought it. That left him almost face to face with Sam and despite himself, a small smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth.

Using his left hand, Kyle snapped his fingers as he pointed them upward, a small bolt of energy launching out towards Sam's chin. It wasn't a fairly strong one, but it would smart and hopefully stun Sam enough for Kyle's real attack to hit; a snap punch to his solar plexus that Kyle followed through with, aiming to not only hit hard but to dig in for a moment to inflict more damge.

The were locked together then Sam was looking up the sky taking a few steps back. It was then Sam realized he was going toe to toe with a the kind of mutant you wanted to keep your eye on. Energy projection. That or some kind of telekinetic whatever kind he was his chin hurt and tingled like he just got hit with some heat however he would have seen it coming before he fired.

”Damn. Should have see-“ Sam didn’t get to finish his thoughts after a stumble back a few inches Sam’s stomach caught the punch and felt the guy drive through. Sam’s wind was knocked out of him and he was still pushing. A quick laugh exited as Sam willingly forced the rest of the breath out of himself so he could fill his lungs that much faster. It wasn’t the first time the wind was knocked out of him.

”D-Does-“ Sam decided it was best not to say anything for a minute but grabbed on to the guys arm which was still placed in his stomach and the shoulder closest to his currently free hand. Sam pulled down and brought his knee up into they guys stomach and then pushed him back after the strike. Sam waved his hand for a second as he caught his breath, ”Doesn’t matter if he is a guard or not. There was a robbery and now someone dead. Can’t really…” Sam inhaled and exhaled regulating his breath again, ”Not much you can do right now to make this any better unless you call it quits and let me check him out.” Sam stood up straight and got into a fighting stance again, ”Or I make you stay still.” the air around them became colder as frost started to appear on the ground below them.

The element of surprise was one of the best tactics to bring when engaging in combat. In close contests between serious competitors or during life or death situations where one misstep could be fatal, having a secret hand to play, figuratively speaking, could mean all the difference. It was because of this key fact that Kyle always tried to hold back a little when he fought, to have a surprise he could spring if the opportunity or situation required it. It ranged depending on the situation, but in this particular case, Kyle had held back using his power until two key things came into play.

He needed to use it to gain an advantage or peel himself out of trouble.

And when he could perform it without showcasing in great detail what he could do.

He managed both. His sudden bolt to the chin caught the man dead-on, momentarily stunning Sam and making him step back. That was all Kyle needed to drive his fist into Sam's gut, the whoosh of air that was the air in his lungs signalling just how effective the strike had been. Against a normal foe, that would be the end of them, especially since Kyle usually followed it up with a strong blow to the head. He wasn't so lucky with this foe.

Before he could attempt his followup, Sam managed to regain enough of his air to counter-attack. This time, the full weight of Sam's body was behind the pull motion, so not even Kyle could resist being pulled forward. It was obvious what Sam was going for; a knee to the gut to return the favor. But Kyle didn't have enough time now for a proper block...instead, he managed to redirect the blow with his forearm, taking the brunt of the hit there before shrugging it sideways to clip his side. In moments, both of them were steps apart again, Sam struggling to regain breath, Kyle nursing his bruised side.

Kyle wondered if Sam noticed that despite all the action, Kyle wasn't even breathing hard yet. Hopefully he'd just think that he was winded, hence why he was breathing hard while Kyle was not. It was a good chance at least. Snorting at Sam's words, Kyle shrugged, his eyes never leaving the panting form of his enemy. He wasn't about to lay it all out on a silver plater for the man; if he didn't have enough of a brain to check a fallen man before accusing someone, why should he have to...

The thought was stalled in a flash as Kyle realized what was happening around him. Expression bland, Kyle watched as the ground at his feet started to frost over. They say that when you're facing a truly dangerous foe, there is something in their manner, their aura, that can speak volumes about how strong they were. In that instant, Kyle realized that not only was Sam strong physically, but the true depths of his power were yet to be unleashed. The same could be said of Kyle...but even he wasn't sure he could win the fight if it came to that. It was a lose-lose scenario for both of them...at least at this point in time.

Calm as a summer day, Kyle shrugged, never letting his stance waver. "Feel free to inspect him all you like. Maybe start with his ID badge; I'm sure you'll find a slight issue in that area." Which there was; Byung Lee certainty wasn't a white man's name and that's what the man was; pure bred white. Energy ran quietly into Kyle's arms, his muscles readying for trouble if this man didn't find that evidence enough to withhold his frigid storm.

There was a body on the ground even if it wasn’t an actual guard it didn’t matter. The guy before him murdered someone. Sam sighed and lowered from his fighting stance slightly as the guy before him spoke. ”You aren’t getting it. There is a body on the ground dead.” Sam could tell that much from the lack of body heat. The ice mancer took one step closer to the lifeless body then another and another. ”You killed someone yes? That means you broke the law even if he isn’t an actual guard.” Sam turned his head away from the guy whom he had been fighting with but his body temperature painted a picture before him.

The I.D. badge didn’t necessarily mean anything it was an interesting name for someone with his skin tone but he could have been adopted. The fact is there was still a body and the only person there didn’t seem to startled there was a body there. Sam looked over to the bags that were part of the robbery and the reason he was confronting the guy in the first place. ”You killed a fleeing felon or you just killed the man for no reason.”

The air got colder again and Sam looked back up to the man, ”So start talking or I start getting serious.” Sam took a few steps forward towards the guy he had been fighting while he debated the best way to handle him. Up close he had that whatever it was mutation the one that felt like a burn and gave no heat what so ever. He disliked not knowing what he was up against. He disliked the possibility of losing a perp even less.