Meanwhile,
A heavy, sickening impact reverberated through the hall as T-Rex took a devastating right hook to the jaw from Mr. Bald. The force of the strike sent T-Rex crashing into the reinforced floor, but he managed to raise his forearm guards at the last second to cushion the blow.
"Snap out of it!" T-Rex roared, his voice echoic inside his tactical helmet.
Mr. Bald paid no attention, his milky, reanimated eyes completely lifeless as he unleashed a reckless barrage of heavy ground-and-pound strikes.
T-Rex rolled out of the way, creating distance as he scrambled to his feet. "Mr. Bald... you aren't the monster he turned you into! You're a member of DWO! You're our brother—!"
Before he could finish, Mr. Bald closed the gap and drove another heavy fist into T-Rex's face, cracking his visor.
Elsewhere in the facility...
Stinger and Zero were fighting a losing war against Alexander.
Alexander hoisted Zero into the air by her throat with a single hand, throwing a brutal series of short-range punches directly into her ribs. The kinetic shockwaves from his fist rattled the dust and debris off the ceiling. Zero coughed up a spray of blood, her sight blurring.
Stinger dropped from the overhead ventilation shaft behind Alexander, driving a combat knife toward the titan's spine. But without even looking back, Alexander caught Stinger by the wrist mid-air, slammed him violently into the concrete floor, and delivered a devastating punch straight to Stinger's face.
The force of the strike collapsed the floorboards beneath them, dropping Stinger straight into the basement level below.
Damn it... Stinger thought, groaning as he struggled to breathe through fractured ribs.
These original DWO legends... are absolute monsters...
"That bastard is probably dead," Alexander muttered, turning his attention back to Zero, who was painfully forcing herself back onto her feet.
Alexander's eyes narrowed in genuine intrigue. "Woman... you really are something. In all my years of combat... you are the first human who hasn't broken before me. Your partner's mind is already sliding toward despair, but you... your spirit refuses to die."
Zero didn't offer a word. She lunged forward, executing a rapid-fire combination of palm strikes, high kicks, and targeted pressure-point jabs. Alexander dodged every single blow effortlessly, keeping his left hand casually tucked into his pocket.
With a sudden burst of movement, Alexander withdrew his left hand and drove a thunderous punch into Zero's midsection. The resulting shockwave blew out the entire concrete wall behind her.
Zero dropped to her knees, gasping for air as her vision swam in crimson.
Alexander stood over her. "Join us, woman. I will personally ensure you survive this day."
He reached down, grabbing her by the throat once more, and lifted her off the ground.
Zero stared into his dead, cold eyes. A bloody, defiant smile spread across her lips.
"Go... to hell."
Alexander's smirk vanished instantly, replaced by a dark, dangerous stillness.
"Fine... you stubborn bitch. Just die, then."
He pulled his massive right fist back, aiming directly for her temple to end her life. But as his arm snapped forward, Zero spat a mouthful of blood directly into his eyes.
Blinded for a fraction of a second, Alexander hesitated. Zero channeled every remaining ounce of strength into a sharp, rigid fist-strike straight to his exposed throat.
Alexander choked, his grip loosening enough for Zero to slip free. She lunged forward to follow up, but Alexander had already recovered. He drove a brutal knee straight into her abdomen. Zero's eyes rolled back, her consciousness fading as she collapsed to the floor.
"A true shame," Alexander sighed, wiping the blood from his face. "If you had accepted my offer, I could have made you unbeatable."
He reached down to pick up her limp body to finish the job—when he suddenly froze.
A silver blade was protruding from his lower stomach. He turned his head slowly to see Stinger, covered in blood, leaning heavily on a tactical dagger he had just driven through Alexander's side.
Alexander growled, driving a heavy boot into Stinger's chest to send him skidding back across the floor.
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Zero's eyes snapped open—flashing a deep, primal red. Summoning the last ember of her willpower, she snatched the knife from Alexander's side and drove it straight toward his jugular vein!
Alexander reacted instantly, bringing his bare hand up to intercept the blade. The double-edged steel drove completely through his palm, stopping inches from his throat. The force drove the man down to one knee.
Zero threw her entire body weight behind the dagger, her vision completely crimson.
"DIE, YOU DEAD BASTARD!" she screamed.
Alexander gritted his teeth, raising his free fist and raining heavy blows onto Zero's head and shoulders. She took every single hit, her grip weakening as the blunt trauma tore through her body.
"ZERO!" Stinger screamed.
Dragging his broken body forward, Stinger unsheathed a second dagger and plunged it straight into the back of Alexander's neck.
With Alexander momentarily paralyzed by the spinal shock, Zero used her final surge of strength to drive both hands down, burying the blade deep into his jugular vein.
The man collapsed forward. All three of them hit the blood-stained floor together.
Breathing heavily, Stinger dragged himself to his feet, pulling Zero's unconscious form into his arms and tapping his ear-comm with a blood-stained finger.
"Stinger reporting..." he gasped, his voice ragged. "Hostile neutralized... Ms. Zero is in critical condition. We need immediate medevac..."
Through the comms static, a calm, steady voice replied:
"Hold tight, Stinger. I'm almost there."