Pesky Interlopers

[Audrey]

The Client had been different this time. He'd never been like this before. Typically he'd be methodical and indirect. Usually not explaining why he was ordering Cheshire to do something, instead letting her put the pieces together herself as to how the particular mission tied in to the ultimate goal of defeating the Titans. He flat out told her what was going on tonight. A particular "rogue" as he called them had apparently been hacking into the data files of a benefactor of his and stealing precious information from the files. The Client was furious about it and talked about whoever this Rogue was like they were a dirty traitor who killed his mother. Jade had never seen The Client lose his cool so badly. It made her realize just how terrifying a man The Client was. He was most certainly a man you did not cross, which is why she was out here tonight.

The Client had given her a more generic description of her target, but she didn't need much to piece together the rogue's identity. Cheshire was well-versed on the anti-heroes, heroes, and villains of Jump City and hearing about a moralistically split young acrobat instantly turned her mind to the infamous Red X. Originally an alternate identity of Robin, the suit had been pilfered, giving rise to someone who truly embodied the idea of the identity. Cheshire almost admired the audacity behind it. Robbing and using your own enemies identity. It was just devious. Cheshire didn't like covorting with villain-types unless it mutually benefitted her, but she could get behind Red X's game. It was a shame she would have to eliminate him tonight. A possibly valuable ally lost because he was foolish enough to mess with the wrong people.

Cheshire waited in the shadows of the industrial district, thermally, visually, and spacially cloaked save for her mask's face on the window sill of an abandoned factor overlooking a man-made concrete plateau of air-conditioning units. Placed here, even if someone caught her mask face, it would look like graffiti on the brick walls and any sort of sensing equipment would back up that theory. Down below on the stone plain of aluminum was in fact one of the data cartridges for the The Client's benefactors database. Cleverly disguised as yet another AC console, it blended right in with the rest of the actual machines perfectly.

Apparently not perfectly enough for Red X though. The Client had it on good word that Red X was aware of the data cartridge and would almost certainly be visiting to hack into it tonight. Hence why Cheshire remained where she was. She was to wait for the ninja teenager to arrive and strike him while he was distracted hacking away into the console. Her position and cloaking made her the perfect person for the mission. Red X wouldn't know what hit him. Fast and slow. One stab from her wrist claws to the achilles tendon just right and Red X is crippled for life and so to would his career as a rogue in Jump City. Of course, nothing ever went completely to plan in these matters.

[Shadow]

Hacking the data files had been a simple job and yet there was still something missing. A single cartridge that held within it the a few specific pieces of data that he needed. Streams of data, encrypted files all displayed on a computer, illuminating the soft blonde hair and crystal blue eyes of the boy who scanned their contents. A flicker of a smug smirk flashed across his features for a moment before he pulled a second flash drive out of his utility belt and stuck it in the computer and copied the data to it. With that little grin still in place, he put the original flash drive that he had made the copy of in his utility belt and slipped the mask on before vanishing to go collect the last piece of data he needed.

Breaking into the computer systems of companies was bound to get people upset....but only if they noticed. His presence flickered from shadow to shadow as he moved about the city, heading for his destination. The cover of darkness was a perfect complement to the suit he had stolen from Robin. It had been child's play and the Titans never suspected a thing until he decided to test out Robin's....no not Robin's...his new toy. He had just been running through those good old times when he saw his destination dead ahead. A single word left him as the mask hid a dangerous little smile.

"Bingo."

Though he had found his target, something was off. It was quiet. Too quiet. Something so precious and not a single guard around. It felt like a trap and most likely was. The grin under the mask widened and his eyes narrowed just a bit. He was going to spring the trap. Best way to find out what he was up against but first, he sneaked around the edge of the area, clinging to the shadows before finally revealing himself. He cautiously approached one of the units and tested it to see if it was the one he was looking for.

[Audrey]

It was almost like a horror movie the way Cheshire moved in on her target. A single smiling face floating from shadow to shadow. It was these moments that she truly embodied her namesake, the ever disturbing smile of her mask moving closer, closer, closing in with no time left. Even if someone did manage to catch the bizarre sight, they'd be more inclined to think they were being chased by a demonic spirit than an assassin given the way she moved irregularly; not casting a shadow or making a sound, moving up and down rapidly as her cat reflexes allowed. With how many air vents and features there were on this roof and the perfectly position streetlamp nearby, sneaking through the shadows in this particular scenario was a synch.

Cheshire had seen Red X just as expected from her perch. She knew it was him and she knew he'd show. It was only inevitable that when you put something someone wanted out in the open, they would come for it eventually. He was a cocky little thing, just strolling up ready to take his prize. She liked his gall. He was the sort of person who got things done. Unfortunately, he was also the type to get killed in the most stupid of ways, making way for yet another moron to take his place, not unlike how Robin's poor decisions tipped his identity off to Slade and forced him into retirement as Red X so this new antagonist could step in.

With the closeness between each air condition unit, Cheshire's face as it traveled from the nearby window sill to Red X's position was almost completely concealed. Just about a half-second between each spot. All it took was getting spotted once to ruin her advantage though, so she worked carefully to move as close to when she could tell Red X wasn't watching for her in her gaps. Taking a prime position just behind him, she stood up on both her feet and rose up behind him with the blades mounted on her wrist rising up unseen. At the peak of the arc, she burst into vision and her blade fell, aiming directly for Red X's achilles tendon, intent to cripple him permanently.

Of course, Cheshire was prepared if the fool was playing dumb too. She never stayed flat-footed. Her feet were arced, prepared to go whirling backwards if Red X swung at her suddenly. Being spotted would change the whole strategy she needed to take since it would mean a full-on fight, not to mention precautions would need to be taken if Red X decided running was his best option. Cheshire could play both sides of board, plenty willing to chase X down with her incredible speed or to wear him out and beat him down if he put up a fight. It was all his move, but she had the deck stacked plenty well.

[Shadow]

It was the eerie quiet that kept Red on edge. Nothing ever went this easily, only a trap but he had decided to spring it after all. There was a flicker of movement, barely noticeable, but it was enough to alert him that there was someone there. He pretended to ignore the presence and made it look like he was working on the device before him. With every step closer the lurker in the shadows got to him, the more on edge he felt. It was like he was a mouse being watched by a hungry cat and therein was the excitement. The danger was real and he could feel it in the air.

Once his gaze lost track of the stranger in the shadows, he guessed the only possible plan was that the stranger was going to try a sneak attack from behind. A smug grin touched his lips and at the first sense of danger he backflipped, his hands landing on the shoulders of a woman in a cat mask. When his hands landed on her shoulders, he took that opportunity to do a backhand spring into the air, twisting his body enough so that his gaze fell full on his enemy even while he was upside down in the air. In a flash of movement he launched a barrage of explosives before vanishing into the shadows.

This wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot. Not until he got what he came here for. Staying in the cover of darkness he let his voice echo around the area.

"Well beautiful, hitting on me before the first date's alright but usually that's my job."

[Audrey]

Just as she thought, he was aware of her presence. She couldn't stop him from his kick spring off of her shoulders, but she was more than prepared to use her kimono sleeves to deflect away the explosives, sending them hurtling into an air conditioning unit that was soon just a pile of scrap metal and ash. Turning around, he had already vanished. Two could play at that game. Red X's 'invisibility' was merely his manipulation of the playing field. Cheshire had true invisibility on her side. From where she stood on the roof, she blinked out of sight like she just simply ceased existing, the only thing left being her Cheshire smile. With a quick movement, she was hidden in the shadows just as X was.

His echoing banter amused her, she admired a person brave enough to egg on his opponent. "If you liked that, you should see how I treat someone on a first date," she countered, entirely willing to play X's game. Cheshire sought to bring down heroes, but they were never a fun battle. Always shouting things about justice and the law and righteousness like they're the authority on the subject. Villains weren't exactly that entertaining either, just a big long stroking of the egos as they outline how smart they are and how their plan is so genius. People like X were the people who knew how to make things interesting. To verbally spar in addition to physically sparing.

As she shifted from cover to cover, Cheshire prowled for any sign of that silver coloured mask and red slash that distinguished her rival. "Come out and play X... I'm growing ever so bored of going in circles. Maybe I'll let you gaze a bit at me if I'm feeling generous," she teased, matching X's echo to hide her location. Despite expressing her boredom, she actually found the situation exhilarating. An appetizer for the main course that would be their combat. This circling was getting them nowhere though. She needed to draw X out. As she passed the device containing the data he coveted so much, she idly let her claw drag across the frame, letting out a loud metallic screech as it tore at the cover and began to nip at the wiring. She was not to damage the hardware inside, but X didn't know that. Threatening the target would easily force him out to protect the data he needed. It was struggle with the screeching noise, but Cheshire focused her mind on staying invisible.

[Shadow]

He chuckled softly at the sound of her words, his own reply carrying his amusement. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't get bored so quickly. I find this to be a little....explosive don't you agree?" His choice of words wasn't just a clever comment, while he had been cloaked in the shadows he had been circling the room slowly using the darkness to his advantage and planting explosives. As he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers and triggered the explosives in the room to go off. With the distraction of the explosions and the debris that flew around, he launched himself at the console that held the data inside.

Though he knew the movement was most likely futile, he knew it would drag his adversary out. He landed quietly on the console and grinned. "What's the matter, Beautiful? Cat got your tongue?" This time he was only teasing but something told him it would be more amusing to try and get under the girl's skin. He worked quickly, using the smoke cover to pull some of the data from the console he was perched on, before vanishing once again into the darkness.

For once, he felt excited. There was real danger here and not just the danger of getting caught. He could actually die if he wasn't careful. Though it was exciting, a part of him dreaded coming close to death again. So long as that Cat had her claws, he was essentially a goner. Unless he could come up with something to declaw her. With a plan in motion, now things would get interesting.

[Audrey]

Bombs? Seriously? You needed more class than that for her. And a better pun. The things were abundant as day and she had made sure to disable the ones nearby her when they exploded, actually almost framing her form in their explosive display. Clearly, he didn't realize she was right at the console as he hacked into it. She could've struck him right there but... something stopped her. She didn't want this to end. If she sliced open his jugular right then the fun would be over and he'd just be a limp nuisance. She wanted him alive still. To keep bantering and challenging each other. Was this a rivalry she was feeling inside herself? She chose instead to hide behind the console and respond to his games. "I'm not a cheap date X. A fireworks show is not what you take a high class girl like myself too. I prefer a nice dine-in experience," she responded, likening the explosives to a shoddy outdoor picnic. She didn't actually have a metaphor for the dine-in part though.

She was completely ashamed of herself. He was pulling data, the very she was ordered to stop him from doing and she was sitting right there. She needed to get him away from the console, but not debilitate him. This game wasn't going to end pre-maturely and she was making sure of that. She formulated a loose plan that was sloppy, but would achieve her goals. She uncloaked from her invisibility and sprung onto the console, her shoe aiming to stomp on Red's hand so carelessly out of place. Nothing crippling, just a quick nasty sting. Standing atop the console and looking down at him, it was the first real decent look the two of them had of each other since he'd been at an angle to her before, and she was phasing in and out of invisibility.

She stared at him for a little while kind of just taking him in. He was physically similar to Robin, but he packed a bit more in the biceps department. He was a contender for sure, but by no means a tank of any sort. No real way to discern anything of his looks though, but hey, they shared that sentiment. She idly wondered if it was more annoying for Robin to see that taunted mask of X's or the jagged smile of her mask. "I've never really found an opponent who called his opponent beautiful before, especially when he hasn't even seen her face. But if you must know, I rather like to play with my food. It's a nasty habit, I know, but it's just so fun," she replied to him, finally releasing his hand from her foot, and springing into the air and turning invisible once more. She gave a mischievous echoing laugh as she prepared to switch tactics. It was time to tire him out with a barrage. As she readied herself though, she found herself watching him again. Something pervaded inside her at the sight of X. His wit and his gall. She couldn't believe herself. She liked him.

[Shadow]

His fingers danced along the keys on the console, a soft chuckle escaping him as he heard Cheshire's words. "You're underestimating me, I could show a girl like you the time of your life." The words merely fell from his lips, an instant reaction to her own. The dust from the minor explosions started settling, giving him shape in the chaos around him. For some reason, this little game was far more amusing than the ones he played with the Titans. After all, he finally found someone willing to play back and it was far too much fun to just let end here and now.

Although he was close to retrieving the data he wanted, he faltered for a moment. In his brief hesitation he felt the sharp sting of someone stepping on his hand. His gaze lifted as he stopped everything he was doing, memorizing the little details of his opponent's form. His gaze was mainly focused on her mask and its mocking grin as she spoke, only looking at her clothing and her form when she released her hand and jumped back into the nothingness. A small grin touched his lips as he recalled the separate shades of green that her kimono held but yet something was off. Although he very much appreciated how her kimono hugged her form, it was tailored slightly different than the Japanese and Chinese, giving him a minor clue as to what to look into later.

After she had vanished once again, he stayed near the console so that he could have a better chance of seeing where the Cat mask would strike from next. "The only kind of person who needs to see a girl to tell they're beautiful is a blind man. All I need is to hear your lovely voice to know your gorgeous." As he spoke, he readied himself for yet another attack. Though his strategy was a little different than usual, he had to play defensive. It was the only way to figure out which of his gadgets would be most effective.

[Audrey]

"Really now?" her voice echoed with a slight hostility. "I'm more the type to show you your life flashing before your eyes," she added on aggressively as from out of nowhere she burst into existence and struck openly with one of her claws, quickly vanishing after the strike and beginning to emerge in random positions around X, pulling a rapid series of ghost strikes. The goal of this however was not to actually hit Red. Quite contrary, she wanted him to block each and every one. They were purposefully somewhat easy to predict. She was exerting hardly any of her energy striking, something that was quite evident from her being able to rapidly phase in and out of invisibility. Blocking the strikes however with how rapid they were was bound to be an exhausting endeavor, even for someone as well built as X.

This was her master Jubian's famous combat style. Why try to use all your energy chopping the tree with an axe, when you can slowly whittle it away like the bear does? It took much more time overall, but with Cheshire's style, she could defeat her opponents in just a single successful blow. Act by graceful act, she could break him down until he barely had the energy to lift his fists let alone strike her. Her only concern were those toys of his. Those would be an issue. Even the most exhausted person could cheat and hit a red button. Those needed to go if she were to have any hope of defeating X. As she swung another ghost strike with one claw, her other invisibly reached to loosen the anti-heroe's belt.

She was about to snag away the belt using her hair that at times could seem like it had a mind of it's own, when he dropped yet another one of his smarmy comments. She smiled at the comment underneath her mask. He was clever alright. Charming in fact... Now she definitely needed to kill him. She couldn't have a loose end like this wandering about. Throwing her hair to latch it to his belt, she cut off her barrage and went somersaulting backwards, hopefully with the belt in tow as planned. About 15 feet away from him, she reappeared. "You're a natural Wordsworth aren't you? I suppose you've earned something at least," she smiled as with a flourish, she pulled her mask just far enough to reveal her green eyes. She gave a wink before putting the mask back on and preparing for another round of sparring.

[Shadow]

Finally, the thought echoed in his mind as he heard the hostility in his adversary's voice. It was a classic mid game, getting under the skin of the enemy to enrage them was bound to cause some sort of slip up. His grin widened into a smirk as she launched herself into existence, targeting him. As she struck out with her claws, the X blades on the back of his gloves manifested and he used them to quickly catch her claws just so she could vanish again. He retracted the blades once again and moved his head slightly to the left, just missing yet another of her strikes. Her attacks were growing predictable, just as he'd planned.

For every strike she threw, he waited for the last minute before getting out of the way. Though her movements were swift, she still had that air of predictability about her. "I've always wondered how dangerous a cat was after its been declawed" His words were mocking, drawing attention even more to the fact she hadn't touched him. He hadn't wanted to use any of his actual power but his hand had been forced. Mentally, he calculated the number of days he'd just lost off his lifespan for what he had just did. As he had been calculating, Cheshire used that moment to snag his belt with her hair and somersault a few feet away.

To be perfectly honest, he was angry with himself for the fact the belt had been stolen from him yet again, this time by someone who wasn't a Titan. He was getting rusty, that much had just been proven. His cocky little grin returned when she commented, even removing her mask enough to show her dazzling green eyes. As she was replacing the mask, he moved. He rushed at her, appearing as if he were going to charge her when at the last moment he shifted, sweeping his leg out and intending to trip her. As he replied, his blades reformed and once again his words were teasing.

"If you wanted my belt off that bad all you had to do was kiss me."

[Audrey]

He was something else, this Red X. He dodged and blocked each shot as predicted, but by the end, he didn't even seem to be breaking a sweat about the matter. Not even any accelerated heart-rate. He had to either be alien or cyber-augmented. She always hated cheaters in the game of life. But cheaters always paid in other ways. She supposed her invisibility was cheating in and of itself. By the sounds of it though, he was beginning to underestimate her... Usually that was a good thing since it meant having the upper hand, but it didn't sit well with her on X. It didn't sit well him thinking she was lesser than she was. She wanted to impress him. She'd show him what it meant to be the Feline Assassin of the East.

The declawing comment was the last straw. Her own strategy was turning against her in this strange state of euphoria. As he dove for her, she dove back, intent to turn this guerrilla warfare into an all'n'out spar. It wasn't what Jubian would've wanted or advised, but this game was becoming personal. She was fighting X with her strength alone. Or she would've if he hadn't pulled basically the dirtiest move in the book. After a feint charge at her, he flat out just tried to trip her. She semi-fell for it, the leg sweep interrupting her run, but she managed to recover before hitting the ground, rolling back up and striking her claws right into X's glove blades, causing the two metal surfaces to get tangled together.

As her eyes glared at X through the green glass of her mask, she pushed her claw against his wrist, not willing to budge. For an average height girl, she had an unbelievable arm strength and would not falter. It was not a game of winning though, more a showing of force. A way of showing X she was competent, capable, and above all, respectable. If she really meant to strike him, she'd just use her other claw that was hanging loose at her side. His comment echoed in his head as she glared at him. As the words rang in, she realized she hadn't been glaring at his eyes, but just below them. Just below the skull imprint on his mask where his mouth would be. "I would..." she started, gritting as she pushed her arms against his. With a slow motion she pushed her mask to the side and moved her exposed lips close to under his skull mask. "But there's a mask in the way," she whispered with him standing so close, a slight tease in her voice as a visible smile creeped up onto her lips. "Jade. Jade, what are you doing. Stahp it."

[Shadow]

As the clang of metal rang through the air, he couldn't help but feel a bit amused. He'd really gotten the little kitty cat upset enough to use her claws. She was strong for one built mainly for speed but that wasn't what caught his attention. He stepped back, letting her believe she was pushing him back, when her words reached him. So it seemed he had made quite the impression after all. Pushing back slightly so that he was less than an inch away from letting his mask touch her lips, he moved one hand to slowly pull his mask up just until it was right above his lips.

He leaned in slightly as if he were going to kiss her, then he launched a kick right for her stomach with enough strength to stagger her. Once he aimed that kick he somersaulted over her and launched another kick for her back before grabbing his belt back so he could put it back around his waist. After replacing the belt he blinked out of existence, his mask still how it had been for a reason. It took only a matter of seconds to approach her from her blind spot and whisper a few words in her ear.

"Come and get me."

It was a clear taunt and yet he didn't stick around to see what would happen. His job was done and he'd endangered his identity by letting Cheshire hear his actual voice with those last four words. He bolted from the area, teleporting every so often as he ran to try and put some distance between him and the masked assassin he'd met there. While he ran, he fixed his mask so that he couldn't say anything else that would potentially reveal himself.

They say curiosity killed the cat. All he wondered was if this cat was going to take the bait.

[Audrey]

He didn't.

He did not just do that.

He. Did not. Just do that.

As Cheshire reeled back in pain from the blow to the stomach, every bit of affection she had been feeling for Red X consolidated into pure unadulterated hatred. As the blow weakened, she raised up her head solemnly and picked up X's visage across the rooftops. For a second, she just watched him run. Watched him futilly run from his inevitable fate. Thinking he'd gotten away. That he'd won. Jade sighed and cracked her neck muscles first and then popped her fingers. All ready to go, she bent herself down onto all fours and stretched herself out like a cat, moving her waist and thighs to prepare her muscles for what she was about to do. She corrected her mask's position and faster than the blink of an eye, she was off.

One of the most useful parts of the Clambering Cat form was learning how to use all of one's limbs to massively increase your speed and maneuverability. Like an urban tiger, Cheshire was moving from one building to the next, clearing massive gaps between establishments, and zipping across the rooftops like a jaguar in pursuit of it's prey. Red X has chosen poorly. She was nearly prepared to let him go and face the consequences of The Client for failing. He would've succeeded, if he had only just played things smart and made the ultimate mistake when dealing with Cheshire. Stealing something of hers. You could steal from one of her clients. You could steal something she was protecting even, but never ever does anyone steal from her.

Keeping her sights on Red X, she closed the distance between the two of them with remarkable time. He would need to push himself to incredible bounds to get out of her range or he would need an incredible distraction. Given her running though, she couldn't maintain her invisibility, so the anti-hero was likely entirely aware of the green cat-like entity closing in on him from behind. The bigger question was what was he going to do about it. As it was, Cheshire was entirely prepared to tackle him down and tear his throat out and feed it to the cats in the alley. Red X would need to think fast to avoid the wrath of this feline.

[Shadow]

Adrenaline surged through his body as he ran, knowing full well the danger he was in. He'd put himself in that much danger for several reasons. The first being that he worked better when there was an element of danger, after all he was the son of pure danger, it ran in his veins. He could feel the deadly glare of the assassin pinpointed on him and that was when he skidded to a halt, turning around in the process. He just barely stopped at the edge of the rooftop he was on, his gaze focused on Cheshire.

Lifting a hand slowly, he waved to fingers at her in a "Bring it on" motion, egging her on even more. The eyes of the mask narrowed slightly, mirroring his own serious expression. He was done running until there was a perfect opportunity for escape and now was not it. The feline would hunt him down until he died, he could feel it echoing in his bones.

"Here Kitty Kitty."

The words were a mockery of the mask she wore, meaning to anger her just a tad more so that the anger would force a tiny little slip up that he could use. Anger was every human's worst enemy, even his own. It was also potentially the most frightening thing a human could experience. With every step closer that the assassin drew closer, the more Red wanted to just let her see what he could do. The only downside being that someone somewhere would probably recognize either his style or his minor abilities and he could not have that. So he waited for her to get closer.

This time he wasn't going to be as nice.

[Audrey]

It was betwixt the both of them now. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Power against power. As she eyed Red, she flicked her wrists, extending her claws to their full length. She slowly began taking steps towards him, more as an intimidation tactic than anything. "I'll admit," she said before lifting her mask just a slight bit and spitting up a little bit of blood. "I think that was the most I'd ever felt since putting my master out of his misery," she mused, more as a threat than a legitimate admittance. "Jubian was a good man really. Not much unlike you Red. He just made some mistakes was all. Mistakes that cost him his life. So really, you're just like him," she sighed, before grinning in only the way that only someone damaged could.

In that instant, she vanished from sight about 10 feet away from X, and in the very next instant, an insane barrage of slashes came at X from just about every direction imaginable, the blades being visible just milliseconds before landing. It was a tactic both incredibly risky, and not. It left openings in her assault, but it'd take eyes like no human had to spot exactly WHERE those openings would be whilst also managing to block each and every swipe. The only major downfall was if the individual took a strike in exchange for getting a shot in, it wouldn't be too difficult. That shot could be anywhere though.

This was the true pinnacle of the Clambering Claw. A relentless onslaught of strikes that didn't play nice. The previous form was light and more intended to butter up and take down lesser opponents but the Panther's Rage was a strike that could take down even the best if they weren't careful. Ultimately though, Cheshire had another trump card in the wings though. Something Red had conveniently managed to forget about  while seducing his rival. As she beat him down like a sculptor to his block, she wondered if he'd remember at all what she had over him. "Love hurts Red,"