The two sped back down the stairwell, Lance taking the door to the tenth floor and slipping through as quietly as possible. Adam continued on to the ninth-floor entrance and likewise snuck in, on alert for any bad guys or security systems in place.
They spent the next several minutes stealthing through to try finding elevators in the next floors, but to no avail. They had gone only the next two floors down and were about to go to the next set when they heard the sound of doors opening and closing down the stairwell.
“Lobby!” commanded Lance as he vaulted over the side of the stairwell.
He dropped down a couple of floors, caught himself on the ledge of the fourth, dropped again to the second, then pushed off and dropped into a roll on the first.
Adam watched and followed in a similar fashion and moved into a ready stance next to Lance as they stood in front of the exit to block the Ouroboros as they filed down the stairs. Mamba angrily pushed his way to the front of the line.
“How did…?” asked Mamba. “You two are way too persistent for your health.”
Lance and Adam squared off with Mamba and his remaining men in front of the building's main entrance.
“I don't know who you are, but you aren't going to stop us from freeing Striker!” growled Mamba.
He handed a hard case over to Viperess. He mumbled something that neither Adam or Lance could hear, which she protested at first. He turned to her angrily.
“I said GO!”
The woman took several steps back and ran down the hall the way they came.
“After her!” shouted Lance.
“I got it!” responded Adam as he rushed at the line of Ouroboros.
“KEEP THEM HERE!” commanded Mamba.
With that, the Ouroboros moved in to attack. Adam nimbly avoided a punch, using the attack's momentum and spinning the man away. He wove between two other men and made it through, taking off after Viperess.
“You sure that you got this?” asked Adam over the radio.
“Are you kidding?” Lance replied as he countered several attacks. “Are you forgetting what happened that started all this?”
“Well, knock 'em dead!” said Adam.
“Well… maybe not dead, just out…” he corrected after a brief moment.
Lance took a few steps back as the Ouroboros formed a half circle around him, Mamba in the center. Lance tilted his head to each side, popping his neck, and shook his arms to loosen up.
“Alrighty then…” he said as he cracked his knuckles.
“Who’s first?”
“GET HIM!” ordered Mamba.
The four henchmen moved up at once to attack. The closest to Lance threw a punch, which Lance avoided and grabbed the man’s arm. He twisted the arm back, wrenching the attacker around, and kicked the man in the back into his partner to Lance’s left. Lance spun back on his heel, countering a kick on his right, then returned with one of his own. He double-punched the last man, then followed up with an uppercut, knocking him down and out. Lance turned to see the first two had gotten up again and were coming back for seconds.
Lance stood his ground again, waiting for them to foolishly rush into his striking range. The two paused for a moment and mumbled something to each other, the only word that Lance could pick up being ‘together’. The two remaining grunts split up, taking opposite sides, then did exactly what Lance predicted and charged at him at the same time. He nimbly dodged their attacks, then forced their imminent collision with each other by bashing their heads together.
“Enough of these games!” said Lance to Mamba. “You might as well surrender!”
“Never!” replied the man as he charged in at Lance.
Meanwhile, Adam was doing his best to catch up to Viperess. He had chased her up the stairwell and into one of the office floors where she was trying to lose him by pulling down carts and tipping chairs and anything else she could to try to slow him down. He thanked the parkour training he had been going through as he maneuvered over and around all of it without decreasing his pace.
Viperess came to the elevator and desperately pressed the button several times. She glanced over her shoulder to see Adam slow down, then stop a few feet away.
“Nowhere to go, chica,” he said with a short huff as he caught his breath.
“Would you mind handing over that case? I’d rather not have to….”
He stopped before finishing his sentence as Viperess suddenly spun around with a drawn pistol in her hand and put his hands up in the air.
“Fight me?” she finished smugly. “Why? Too scared to hit a girl?” she taunted. “I wouldn't want to fight me either.”
“I’d do what I need to though,” stated Adam cautiously. “I can't let you leave with that Skeleton Key.”
There was a short beep signaling that the elevator had arrived and the door opened.
“Looks like you won't get a choice on that, sweetheart,” she smirked as she stepped backwards into the elevator. “My ride's here and you won't be able to catch up this time.”
Adam hesitated at first, but decided to take a chance: he leaped forward, grabbed the woman's wrist, and aimed the gun away from himself. He had done so just as Viperess reacted to his sudden movement and pulled the trigger, firing several shots into the wall and at the desks on that floor. Using one of the few disarming maneuvers he knew, Adam managed to wrench the gun away from Viperess and it clattered to the elevator floor as the doors closed with them inside. Still unsure of fighting a woman, Adam held back, countering and blocking Viperess’ attacks more than he was dishing out his own.
Viperess swung with the case, then kicked, pushing Adam into the elevator buttons, which pressed several of them and sent the elevator down. She followed up to try to pin him into the corner, but he avoided it and pushed her into the same corner, also pressing buttons but for the higher levels.
Meanwhile, back in the lobby, Lance was still dealing with his own fight with Mamba. They had gotten themselves into a lock and it had become a contest of strength to see who would break the other off.
“I am the strongest… of the Ouroboros captains... fool!” Mamba boasted as he struggled against Lance. “You really think you can... tangle… with me?”
“That hasn't done you… or your men… any good so far…” returned Lance.
Their match seemed to be going nowhere when the ding of the elevator arriving distracted their attention. They looked to see Adam and Viperess still fighting each other inside which held them for another moment longer. Mamba returned first, taking advantage of the brief interruption, and threw Lance sideways just as the elevator closed again. He reached to pick up one of the weapons scattered on the floor when it was suddenly yanked away from his reach. He looked over to see Lance had drawn his grapple and used it to snatch the firearm. Lance pulled up the slack with his hand and swung the weapon back at Mamba like a flail, bashing him on the side of the head.
Lance dashed forwards, tackling the disoriented Ouroboros captain. They struggled with each other for a moment, then Lance managed to get Mamba into a chokehold. He locked up his arms together, Mamba straining to get free for a few moments. When Mamba went limp, Lance quickly released, laying the large man on the ground.
“L.A.S.S.I., check for a pulse,” he said as he placed two fingers on Mamba’s neck.
“I am detecting a faint pulse through your glove’s sensors,” noted L.A.S.S.I. after a few moments. “He is still alive.”
Lance let out a sigh of relief.
“Good… I don't need another accident to happen…” he mumbled to himself.
“Where is Adam?” he asked the A.I.
“He is still in the elevator,” she replied. “They are nearing the roof.”
“I guess I’ll take the stairs then.”
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