They slammed into each other with explosive force. The shockwave deafened everyone in the sewers and shattered the tunnel walls around them.
Both were knocked back by the impact. While both took heavy damage, Hannah suffered worse.
--
"What the fuck was that?!" Alfie Sr. screamed in terror.
"Doesn't matter!" Milo grabbed him. "Just keep running!"
The group fled frantically, carrying Benjamin's unconscious body.
"We need to find John! He's the only one strong enough to take that guy down!" Mitch shouted.
"What?! But Benjamin's gonna be pissed!" Junior protested.
"This is for Hannah's survival, idiot!" Milo snapped.
Knox chuckled darkly. "What's wrong? Your body giving out already?"
He stood up and stretched his shoulders. "Got enough power left in you to take me down?"
Hannah spat out a mouthful of blood, staring at him with pure defiance. "More than enough."
She flew straight into him, unleashing a barrage of punches while dragging him through the tunnels. She slammed his head against the wall and drove her knee into his gut.
Knox grabbed her face and shoved her away. He slammed his body into hers and pounded her face four times with brutal force.
She caught one of his fists, but his other was still free. He punched her again, forcing her to release his arm.
Knox wrapped both hands around her throat, ignoring her desperate punches as her breath slowly ran out.
"Ah…" she wheezed in pain.
Then Hannah cupped both hands and struck his ears with everything she had.
Knox roared in agony, clutching his bleeding ears. He was disoriented, head spinning, ears ringing.
Hannah hammered her fists into his shoulders, making it difficult for him to fight properly.
She wasn't aiming for maximum damage anymore — she was aiming to make it hard for Knox to fight at all.
She went for his solar plexus, but he caught her wrist and smashed his fist into her chest.
She kicked him away and flew a distance back, dropping to her knees and vomiting a puddle of blood.
But Knox gave her no time to rest. He charged. Hannah barely weaved out of the way, causing him to slam into the wall instead.
Even with the enhancement, she still couldn't take Knox alone. She needed John.
She shoved Knox back and flew away at supersonic speed. Knox laughed maniacally and gave chase.
---
"Okay, here should be fine," Diego said, leading the group into a dark hiding spot. "Once this is over, we can safely return to base."
"I thought we were supposed to find John?" Junior asked.
"We'll never find him, Junior," Aya said.
---
"You're not getting away!" Knox laughed maniacally.
"Fuck you!"
Hannah sped up, but so did he.
Then suddenly, someone slammed into her from the side, sending her crashing to the ground. Knox easily caught up.
Hannah looked up and saw who had hit her.
It was Nixon.
"Too late to run now, Hannah," Nixon said with a cold grin.
Before she could try to fly away again, Knox grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground.
"You still certain you can kill me?" Knox asked with a smug look.
Despite her dire position, Hannah smiled mockingly. "Damn near certain…"
He gritted his teeth. "Are those your last words?"
Her eyes slowly rolled back. Her body went limp. Her face turned purple.
Nixon grinned, watching her suffocate.
"Knox, what the hell are you doing?" a voice whispered.
Knox looked back and saw his father staring at him in disappointment.
"Killing your own kind? I never taught you to do that," his father's voice was a whisper but felt as loud as screaming.
"Let her go, Knox." Another voice whispered.
Knox looked forward and saw Sovereign staring straight at him.
"W-What…?" Knox murmured.
Nixon grabbed his shoulder. "Let her go, Knox. Maybe next time. But we should really get going now."
"Let her go or I'll rip your fucking head off!" Sovereign shouted, eyes glowing bright red.
"I raised you to be a tool, not a killing machine. Let her go, or you'll make me disappointed," his father scolded.
"This is not what we're supposed to do! This isn't how our plan is supposed to go, Knox! Let her go!" Nixon shouted.
Knox, terrified, released Hannah. He spun around, eyes darting at the hallucinations.
"What the fuck are you saying? How are you all here?!" Knox shouted, clutching his head as his eyes darted everywhere.
"What? Who are you talking to like that?" Sovereign stepped closer, eyes glowing even brighter.
"Do you have any respect for your elders?!" his father scolded.
"I tried so hard to make you a better man and this is how you end up?!" Nixon shouted.
Then, in the next second, everything disappeared.
"Knox!" Nixon shook him. "Knox, what the hell happened back there?!"
Knox looked at him and started crying. "Nixon, I'm so sorry! I'm so fucking sorry! You did everything for me and I never paid you back! I never became what you wanted me to become!" He hugged him tightly.
Nixon was surprised at first, but then hugged him back. "Hey, don't say that. Don't be sorry. We did everything for each other, alright? My life is your life, and your life is mine."
"I started seeing things, man! I swear I was gonna kill her but these voices—I don't know what happened but I started seeing things and I was too fucking scared!"
Nixon hugged him tighter. "It's alright. It's not your fault. It's not your fault."
---
Hannah burst through the door, bleeding heavily from multiple wounds.
"Hannah?!" John rushed over to her.
"I'm in so much pain, John…" she said weakly.
Duncan was shocked. "What happened?!"
John gently laid her down. "Don't push yourself anymore. Just relax. We'll take care of you. Don't tense your muscles or anything!"
Duncan grabbed a vial of Vivex and a syringe, handing it to John.
"No," Hannah weakly grabbed his hand. "Don't use it. I'm not in critical condition, John. That thing is our most valuable asset. Don't waste it."
"It's alright, we still have one more!"
"No, John. I'll be fine. I just need proper treatment and I'll recover. We only use that if someone is truly dying."
John sighed and nodded slowly.
"I understand you're scared and worried for me, but I've only suffered a few injuries. I've been in worse places than this, alright?"
"Alright…"
"So are you gonna tell us what happened? Did you get caught or something?" Duncan asked nervously.
"I was on my way to the surface when I heard fighting nearby, so I went to check it out. That's when I found Knox and Nixon attacking Benjamin and the others. I couldn't just leave them there, so I fought Knox."
"I'd assume you won since you're back here, right?" Duncan asked.
"No. I don't know why, but he let me go. And it definitely wasn't because he felt sorry for me. He started talking to people who weren't even there."
John frowned. "He was hallucinating?"
"I think so," Hannah said with a weary sigh. "But right before that, I felt something inside me kick in. Like… one last burst of strength before I died. Then, for some reason, he just let me go."
John nodded. "Well, get some rest. Otherwise, we're gonna have to use the Vivex."