It's A Trap!

[Order]

In an alley, a figure identical to Paladin stood among several corpses and had a man at gunpoint.

"Why are you doing this?!" the man trembled, "We're on the same side!"

"Is that what you thought?" the figure chuckled lightly, "You're as big a fool as the rest of them."

"...bastard..."

"Time to die Mr. Carter," the figure said as he prepared to fire.

[Paladin]

There was the sound of a trio of gun shots. Paladin was a good shot placing firing one shot each at the gun, hand, and elbow of the copycat.

"Decent work," Paladin said, "But far from perfect."

[Order]

The copycat cried out and gripped his arm as he lost the gun. The victim made a break for it.

"I was starting to wonder if you'd ever show," he laughed with a wince.

[Paladin]

"Even if it is a poor copy the armor means you've got more resources than the average copy cat," Paladin said before opening fire again at the copy cat this time going for the gap in armor around the knees.

[Order]

The copy somersaulted out of the way, moving as if his arm had never been hit. He deftly grabbed a discarded firearm from the bodies and returned fire.

[Paladin]

Paladin took multiple hits as he advanced through the gunfire while holstering his pistol. There were small wisps of smoke from where the bullets had impacted his armor, but he seemed otherwise unperturbed. He mechanically took out a much more menacing looking shotgun.


"Repent now and I will give you absolution," Paladin said cocking the second firearm.

[Order]

"A soldier of God are we? You'll meet him soon," he taunted boldly, walking towards Paladin.

[Paladin]

"God is dead," Paladin said then fired his shotgun.

[Order]

The copy lurched back violently, but kept moving.

[Paladin]

Paladin fired again and then moved a bit quicker than should have been humanly possible. Paladin lead with the butt of his shotgun aiming for his copy's head.

[Order]

The head came clean off and rolled across the ground. The suit's only occupant had been a dummy. It then detonated its payload.

[Paladin]

There was a loud cracking noise as Paladin was knocked off his feet and into a pillar. Bits of concrete flew into the air. A chunk of the ceiling rained down onto Paladin's helmet knocking his head limply to one side.

[Order]

Through the smoke stepped Agent Croyden, shiny handgun at the ready.

"I have to be honest... I almost didn't expect that to work. At least, not this flawlessly," he said with a satisfied grin as he brought the pistol to bear on the helmet.

[Samantha McManus]

"Get away from him," came a voice from the rooftop.

[Order]

"Now why would I do that?" he called back as he looked up, gun still trained on Paladin.

[Samantha McManus]

"Because the alternative is that I cram you so far inside your mind that you forget your own name."

[Paladin]

An iron hard grip grabbed Order's wrist.

"Unfortunately it is too late for that," Paladin said squeezing Order's arm.

[Order]

Caught off guard and suddenly outnumbered, Order let the gun go slack.

[Samantha McManus]

"And here I thought I'd have an opportunity to repay you," she called down to Paladin.

[Paladin]

Paladin stood up slowly maintaining his grip on Order. There was a small pool of blood where he'd been lying.

"You can," Paladin said the voice unit in his suit apparently somewhat damaged, "By carrying him."

That was when Paladin hit Order with a fist that felt like the hammer of god himself.

[Order]

The agent went out like a light.

[Samantha McManus]

The flock poured down from the rooftop, resolving itself into Samantha. She reached out to heft Croyden up.

[Paladin]

Paladin actually sighed with relief as Sam took hold of Order. Blood was leaking down the stomach guard of his armor as well as down one of his shin plates.

"Thank you," Paladin said vox unit crackling as it struggled, "Hopefully he'll provide some useful intelligence unlike the last few agents I've captured."

How is your search going?"

Paladin began walking, more limping really, towards the entrance to the building they were in.

[Samantha McManus]

"Not well, I had a run-in with some familiar faces."

"Let's worry about you, though. You're not going to keep up this invincibility act much if you keep getting into shite like this."

[Paladin]

"Likely not," Paladin said, "First time a copy cat has actually strapped explosives to themselves. I should have been more careful."

[Samantha McManus]

"Seems an awful lot of resources to commit."

[Paladin]

"Likely he took my delivery to the General somewhat personally," Paladin said leading McManus back into the tunnel system under the city, "And that I tend to upset the civilian population wherever I go and the organization Order is a part of doesn't really like me doing that."

[Samantha McManus]

"I don't suppose you've got a military veteran for a butler back there to patch you up..."

[Paladin]

"No, I work alone for the most part. Prefer it that way," Paladin said, "I'll just need help getting the armor off. After that I can take of myself, just need some time to recover."

[Samantha McManus]

"Certain you trust me that much?"

[Paladin]

"You've had several opportunities to try including mere moments ago," Paladin shrugged. "I've given you free reign of the safe house and have yet to see jack booted thugs or psychotic foot soldiers of chaos breaking down my door. You could very well be an infiltrator, but Suffice it to say that I don't entirely distrust you and don't have a large number of options."

[Samantha McManus]

"I can't quite shake the feeling that you're a bit familiar to me, but so much about this city seems that way."

[Paladin]

"You remind me of a monster named Balor," Paladin said, "And the description of the person your searching for matches that of somebody who has very nicely insinuated herself into the General's organization. The fact that I seem familiar doesn't surprise me much.

Though its entirely possible you've simply seen my posters."

Paladin typed the entry code into a keypad and the door to the safe house swung open.

[Samantha McManus]

"I've... encountered Balor," she said as she carried the unconscious agent in.

[Paladin]

"Living to tell about that is somewhat...impressive," Paladin said walking over to a cabinet and removing a rather plain looking collar which he clipped around Order's neck. He then gestured at what appeared to be a steel reinforced door.

"Did you encounter him recently because his whereabouts would be a rather important piece of information. Away from his followers he'd be much easier to eliminate."

[Samantha McManus]

"I don't think you'll have to be worrying about him anytime soon," she said as she carried Croyden where indicated.

[Paladin]

Once Croyden was in the room Paladin shut the door and sealed it.

"You killed him?" Paladin asked walking back towards the medical room.

[Samantha McManus]

"Not exactly, but he's securely held."

[Paladin]

"Much better than he deserves," Paladin said beginning to remove his gauntlets which he tossed into a corner, "He lead a group that runs rampant in the streets killing to amuse themselves."

[Samantha McManus]

"So I've seen, but even they can't bring him back from the Evil Eye of Avalon."