Red drew a leg up and kicked into Darius's midsection. The older man shifted, the blow catching his side, but it was enough to separate them. They'd been trading blows for a few minutes, neither getting the upper hand, until Ember had tried reaching Red through his internal comm. He cursed his lapse in judgment for not turning the comms off sooner. He needed to be able to kill this man and he could not do that with her voice in his head.

"Do you even know what you are fighting?" Darius mocked.

"A hypocrite," Red snapped, keeping his distance. "But go ahead and give me the self-righteous speel. So I can tell you to fuck off."

"I'm not a hypocrite, Captain. Sacri--"

"Sacrifices must be made, I get it," Red said coldly. "Fuck you."

Darius took a step towards Red, a feral grin warping his features, his blade swinging in low, Red backed away just out of reach. Darius moved fast, swinging as Red moved to thwart each hit with his bare hands, every step moved them closer to his weapons, two guns he'd dropped to pull Ember out of the coffin. They were playing a dangerous cat and mouse game between them.

"You don't even know who the real evil here is, do you?" Darius grinned. He swiped forward and this time Red caught his arm and drove it up knocking the blade out of his hand.

Darius's eyes narrowed as he jumped nimbly away from Red. Red used the distraction to dive towards his guns, grabbing one in each hand and rolling up onto his knees. He turned and fired, hitting Darius in the leg, and then the guns were both empty.

"Damn." Red dropped them. "Guess I do this the old-fashioned way." Barehanded.

Darius dropped back against the wall. "You want to know who really started all of this?" He backed away from Red as much as he could, his face contorted in pain as he grabbed his leg where he'd been shot. Then he visibly relaxed, his nanites hiding away the pain the body was feeling as they repaired him.

Red snorted as he moved closer, he was breathing hard and covered in bruises, injuries he knew his augments were deadening the pain for. "Why don't you tell me, old man?"

He leaned in closer, the only way to kill this man would be to take his head off. It was heart or head, just like a zombie from an old action flick. He was way past revenge, not that he didn't want it, but he felt there would be no safe place for Ember in the universe while this man lived. No one else was going to follow them out into the unknown out of some sense of family honor.

Red snatched Darius up and hauled him to his feet by his shoulder. Darius flashed a wolfish grin, before leaning forward and whispering a name into Red's ear.

Red let his guard down, almost dropping Darius in astonishment.

It couldn't be.

In his shock, he didn't notice the blade in Darius's hand until it was too late.

He staggered back a step, staring down at the blade sticking out of him. His augments worked to keep him moving deadened the pain searing through his abdomen. Darius maintained his grip, pushing the blade in further, laughing, his victory nearly assured.

A blade to the gut, that was all the rage for the Neo-Tokyan nobles. They wanted you to suffer and know why you were suffering. Fuck that. Red grabbed his wrist to prevent Darius from doing any more damage.

The door opened behind them and he heard Ember shriek, "Red!"

It was now or never.

He broke Darius's grip and yanked the blade out ignoring the blood that came with it, and letting go of Darius with his free hand he yanked back on the man's hair, tilting his chin back and shoved it straight up into Darius's head through his lower jaw. He tilted Darius's face down making sure the old man was staring him in the face as the blade slid up, plunging through the soft flesh in the chin.

"We'll go together you bastard, it will be fun."

Red twisted it, pushing it up with all his might until it connected with the back of Darius's skull.

Blood dribbled out of Darius's mouth and he coughed, spraying Red's face with bloody spittle. His eyes locked onto Red's, futile hatred burning like fire in them. Red made sure to meet that stare with one of his own as he lowered Darius to the floor. You'll never hurt her again.

His strength gave out and he staggered back, dropping the body and hoping against hope that Ember didn't hate him for killing her father.