Ally continued to walk towards the figures, hoping they would be friendly. When she got close enough to see their faces and clothing attire more clearly, she frowned. No friends would be wearing these. These had to be the convicts. Her muscles tightened, as she realized these two men would be out to kill her. She gulped and approached them with more caution.

The obesity and grease of his hair disgusted the girl, but his neck twitches startled her. These convicts were here to kill her, but what kind of death were they planning on giving her? Before her mind could wander off to the possibilities, she refocused on the two men standing before her.

The second, more lanky man did not intimidate her, though she knew not to underestimate him. The voice never said the convicts wouldn't be armed and this man looked like the type to bring a gun to a knife fight. Although she was confident her metal form could defend against a knife and a bullet, she couldn't hold the form forever, especially if this simulation would last a full day. She thought out her options. Turn metal now and waste precious energy, or stay human but also stay vulnerable. In the end, she chose to stay normal until the metal form was absolutely necessary.

This was when the bald man began to talk. He sprinted at her, but Ally had more than enough time to react. As he sprinted, she breathed, clearly and calmly. She watched him draw back his fist, readying an enormous punch. The girl knew if she let him hit her, she would be dazed, possibly even out cold. As his fist flew forward towards her face, she too moved forward, placing her hand towards the inside facing part of his neck and her leg between his legs. She used her and his force to trip and send him flying to the ground. With all of the speed and force, he fell with a loud thud! She pressured her knee into his stomach, knowing this wouldn't terribly injure him, but would hurt like heck.

"This is how you get less time? By hurting others?" Ally shouted at the bald man, punching him in the face as hard as she could. "How does it feel to be hurt?" she asked, striking him again. She punched him three more times, but seeing blood trickling from his nose prevented her from sending another strike. Despite knowing this was a man who tried to kill her, she felt bad and though she might not admit it, she was subliminally holding back power.

Quickly, she stood and faced the fat convict, trying to figure out how to tackle the problem. I'll have to go metal, I can't lift 500 pounds! she thought, preparing for any kind of attack he might perform. She also hoped the man on the floor didn't get back up and learned his lesson.

Ally watched as the large convict sauntered his way towards her. She tried not to pay attention to the mount of lard protruding from underneath his shirt, but couldn't help but sneak a peek. Exercise was a very big part of her life and she couldn't imagine gaining so much weight. Then the whispers came. Initially, she couldn't understand them, but they sent shivers up her spine.

That was when the second, intelligible whisper came. She was about to respond, but her balance flew to pieces when the jumbled whispers began. Her knees buckled and she began to fall. Quickly, she stuck her arm out and scraped her fingertips along the floor, allowing her to keep some balance. As she tried to stand up straight again, the fat convict began to sprint towards her, creating rippling vibrations through the ground with every step. This didn't help her balance at all, and she wasn't clear-minded enough to go titanium. His fist landed straight into her chest, sending flying back.

Her back slammed hard against the ground, sending all of her air out of her lungs. A pain radiated through her chest. Though she knew he hadn't broken anything, she knew, somewhere deep in her gut, that this man was largely holding back. She regained her senses, and some breath, and was able to stand again. She quickly went into a loose fighting stance, not wanting to become too stiff. This man was too strong- she would either have to dodge him altogether or go metal.

This was when "Predator Percy" stood. Just the name was enough to creep someone out, especially a younger woman. "Suddenly I wish I hit you a lot harder," Ally told the man. Why did she hold back? If he was so willing to hurt her, and if he was a convict, he probably hurt many, many people. A strong feeling of stupidity washed over her, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

Then he began to scratch at his head. Originally the woman attributed this to a form of insanity, but then his scalp began to peel away. Her jaw dropped, but she kept her focus. She didn't want to take another hit from the heavy convict, at least not in her human form. His head began to peel back and to the ground until he lifted it. What Ally could only describe as a demon popped out of his head, and she was terrified. Humans usually didn't scare her, but this definitely wasn't a human. The demon looked at her, and fear rippled throughout her body. The sharp-looking claws worried her. If this was indeed a demon, she couldn't count on normal laws and physics to apply to it.

The demon launched at her and she immediately went full titanium. She couldn't be sure the claws wouldn't tear through her now titanium body, so she quickly rolled to the side, rather sloppily. Though she had practiced being in her titanium state quite a bit, she lacked practicing movement and fighting in this form. She turned back around to face the demon, not willing to withdraw from her metal form. Her eyes shifted between the three beings in front of her. She couldn't take all three on at once.

She focused her thoughts on the demon. She particularly wasn't fond of the supernatural like this. If it was a demon like she thought, she wasn't within the power to extinguish it. If it was simply a monster, she still wasn't sure how to beat it, and figured brute force might be her best bet.

Ally then refocused on Percy. He just expelled this creature from his head. Could he be weakened? Perhaps his physical form was connected to the demon, especially since it appeared from his head. This might not be the smartest idea, but it's my best bet, Ally thought. She took a deep breath and charged for Percy. Once she felt she was close enough, she jumped and kicked out, hoping hit his head and knock him back onto the ground.

Marcus rolled his eyes once the lizard man decided to storm off. It wasn’t his intentions to separate, but this was possibly for the best. Marcus had no experience working with anyone else in this situation. He is great teammate when it comes to working on an assignment. In basketball, Marcus was an asset to the team. When playing video games, Marcus made a great second player.

But fighting against perilous convicts? That wasn’t something listed in his resume. The entire environment and situation was something the boy never prepared or knew how to handle. He couldn’t be sure if having a teammate would help or hinder his predicament.

Marcus watched the lizard man disappear into an alleyway. “Well I guess he made his decision,” he scoffed. “I don’t suppose these convicts will listen to reason.” He joked; there was a sigh shortly after. All this stress has really hid his sarcastic personality.

Marcus then looked up to see the buildings around him. Biting into his thumb, he acknowledged that his rubberiness hasn’t faded yet. “I still got a few minutes,” he noted. Marcus studied how tall the structures were and figured he could get a beneficial vantage point. The view from above could inform him of his surroundings. Because of right now, he was totally clueless.

Marcus prepared to leap towards one of the building walls when suddenly he froze. The teen stopped his movement and did not move a muscle. Sweat began to pour down his brow. What the hell? A dark presence came over the teenager. He shifted his head slightly to the side.

Marcus was certain something had appeared next to him. He couldn’t shake the presence of something unnatural. The teen shook out of his spell when he noticed the lizard man returning to his position. Most likely, the amphibian hybrid felt it too. Kurt talked but Marcus was barely listening. There was something out there and it didn’t seem normal.

“Shut up,” Marcus said with panic in his voice. “Look stop making decisions and just—” He paused and pinched the stem of his nose. “Just stop. I can’t believe I am here.” There was a brief sigh before he continued talking.

Pointing to the building, he began informing Kurt of his intentions. “I’m going to bounce up there and look for what’s around. You go in the direction I tell you.” Marcus gritted his teeth and approach one of the walls of the buildings. He didn’t give Kurt the time to rebute. Marcus’ curiosity got the best of him.

I need to know what that was. I can’t fight it. Marcus walked between two buildings and demonstrated his rubber capabilities. The teen bounced back and forth on both walls until he successfully made it to the top. Immediately, he looked around for anything suspicious. I need to know. I need to know. I need to kn-

Marcus dropped to his knees. About two or one street over, he witnessed a fight breaking out. He couldn’t make it out entirely but something was off. The teen could see a ghoulish figure. Marcus suddenly knew that it wasn’t human. He had been talking to fucking lizard man but from two blocks away, he knew this was demonic.

Marcus choked on his words. “Kurt, travel north!” He shouted from the rooftop. Marcus picked himself up slowly. He wasn’t sure if this was the best option, but he was going to have to find out more information. The teen began taking steps and bouncing from rooftop to rooftop.




The monster’s claws bounced off the woman’s body. The collision unleashed colorful sparks of red and white. Percy had a forehead vein appear from frustration. He was not expecting such a talented person. “What is this bitch’s problem? Just die, already!”

The demon sprouted from his skull roared. It seemed Percy’s emotions had transferred to the monster. The claws retracted back to the body of the monster. There was a process, but the scythe-like arms were morphing. Darkness shrouded the monster’s hands and began giving it mass.

Percy could tell it was taking time. He hurried the monster once he noticed the titanium girl sprint towards him. “Hurry up, she’s coming!” The Predator clenched his teeth and saw there was no dodging the girl’s attack. The bald convict watched as the woman took a jump towards him. With a quick reflex, the convict blocked his head with his right arm.

Percy was sent to the floor and thudded on the cement. His right forearm was broken from the kick. Writhing in pain, he insulted the girl with various vocabulary and ill intent. The monster was still present but he was busy adding more mass to his hands.

It was then that the whisper spoke again. ”Interesting. The woman has titanium support. I need to see this with my own eyes. The obese convict took some heavy steps forward. His belly jiggled during his movement. Ally was close enough and she could see the fat convict’s scraggly hair move to the side.

The fat convict’s face was shown. It was entirely made up of scars and bruises. One distinct trait was that his mouth was sewn shut. He was not the person that had been talking. The convict then held out his hand to reveal what was in his hands.

A shrunken doll’s head was presented. It looked at Ally and admired the metallic skin. He hissed, “You are delightful. The doll head then chanted a few incomprehensive words. It might have been an incantation because a powerful blast of wind erupted out of his mouth toward the woman. It had the capability to send a car flying.

"Scum like you could never kill me," Ally said, looking down at Percy with anger. She couldn't feel hatred towards him, at least maybe not yet. She looked to the demon who was now morphing it's arms into... well, the young girl wasn't exactly sure, but she didn't want to find out. Hurting Percy didn't seem to harm the demon, but his anger did transfer to the momster. Damn, she thought, watching it transform Hopefully it'll become more reckless, easier to dodge.

Ally was preoccupied with watching the creature transform, so much so that she jumped a bit when she heard the whispers again. The whisper addressed her, and she turned to face the huge convict. He got close to her, and she prepared herself for an attack. That was when he revealed his face. A flash of fear ran through her own face- this was truthfully the last thing she expected, especially after assumingly hearing his whispers. He looked terrible, and she couldn't help but feel bad, even though she had no idea how he got them. "In sorry," she murmured to him, wishing she could heal his scars.

The convict then opened his hand and revealed the shrunken head. Because of the extreme disfiguration of his face, the shrunken head didn't scare her so much. Ally had seen a couple in the thrift stores around the city, so it wasn't as strange, but it did catch her off guard when it began talking.

Being called "delightful" was definitely a better change from the curse words of Percy, although she wasn't sure how to feel about it considering it was from someone who was also trying to kill her.

The incantations started. As quickly as they came, as quickly as they left, and Ally was sent flying through the air by a gust of wind. She flew straight back, slamming right into the concrete building about forty feet behind her. Her back and the back of her head slammed right into the building, creating small cracks and indentations. She fell on her face, and began to get up in what looked similar to a push up. As she tried to stand, her metal skin returned to flesh. The pain intensified to a level she had never felt in her life. The young woman wanted to cry, not necessarily out of pain, but in frustration. She needed to recover a bit before going back into her metal state. She moved to all fours, her arms visibly shaking with the struggle. It took her a bit of time, and a lot of effort, to get into a kneeling position and finally, she stood against the wall and faced the scarred prisoner.

"If you're going to kill me!" Ally shouted, resting against the building, "I at least want to know your names! Please give me that respect!"

Ally didn't expect them to answer, but she also didn't think this was where she was going to die. She took a deep breath, having recovered some precious energy, and returned to her titanium state. Immediately the radiating pain subsided into a slight ache as she stood straight once more. With the pain gone, she strode over to the large convict and his shrunken head.

"Please," she said, now standing right in front of them. She took another deep breath, unsure whether this was a smart idea or not, and reached up to the scarred convict, with some noticeable struggle considering their differing heights, and pushed some of his hair back, revealing more of his face. She hoped he didn't grab her wrist and snap it like a twig- she hadn't exactly forgotten the punch he landed earlier. She placed her hand on his arm, and looked down to the shrunken head, "Please tell me both of your names. I want to know the names of those trying to kill me."

At this point, she forgot about the morphing demon nearby, the hurting Percy on the ground, and the other convicts waiting through the arena to kill her. Rigbt now she was focused on the obese convict and the shrunken head.

Ally was surprised by the big convicts reaction, his mimicry of her actions. Her heart melted- now she really felt bad for the man. Had he never felt an affectionate touch from another human being? She couldn't imagine never feeling that sort of affection, and she couldn't imagine how that could traumatize someone.

Then the incantations began again and her throat was grabbed. Though it was uncomfortable, the man wasn't putting anywhere near the pressure it would take to successfully crush a throat of solid titanium. She doubted he could produce that kind of force, and decided this fight wouldn't be won through fists, but possibly through words.

"Seduce?" Ally asked, disgusted by the head's vulgarity, "There is a large difference between seduction and compassion."

She felt the grip tighten on her throat, which meant the head was only getting angrier. He continued speaking, saying the man's only purpose was to destroy. "You and me know that isn't true! Monsters aren't born, they're created! This man is no monster, this man is a man who has never felt love!"

The pressure began to tighten, and Ally became worried. Was this his full pressure, or was he still holding back? The titanium wasn't denting, but the pressure scared her. Her breathing became shallower, more out of fear than actual strangulation. She felt her metal form slipping slightly. No, don't go back now! You'll die! she screamed in her head.

"This head lies about you!" she urged the fat convict, voice audibly raspy, "I want to help you!"

As the pressure seemed to tighten further, she heard a screaming from above.

Another convict? I'm done for, she thought, and now tried to peel back the brute's fingers.

Ally wasn't able to look up to see the new addition to the fight, but she did close her eyes as the yelling grew closer. She braced herself for impact, and everything went to pieces. The man let go of her, but she was also hit by... Well she wasn't sure, but she knew the cling of metal wasn't from her hitting herself.

Once the fall was over she sprang up, her eyes now open again. Another metal-person stood, and frankly, Ally was shocked. Did the mysterious voice that spoke over the area earlier purposely collect people with metal forms? She couldn't be sure, and the lizard man in the background wasn't a big help to finding out. Is he a convict too? He's charging over here, she thought, keeping a wary eye out for him. He wasn't dressed like a prisoner or anything, but she couldn't be sure.

Marcus then began to state who and who wasn't a convict. "Hey, thanks for helping me. I'm not a convict," she stated, slightly irritated. Not at him, but that she needed to be saved. After all her hard work, training, exercising, studying, and she still needed saving. Then again, she wasn't fighting normal humans.

Now, Percy began to speak. His demon was ready transforming, and the ends of his arms looked deadly. Ally took a step back, trying to figure out how to tackle the problem. Either we get the demon to hit that big guy, she thought, studying the newformed arms, Or one distracts the demon, while the other gets Percy. She liked the second plan better, and wished she could communicate it with the metal man.

The demon began to violently swing, and Ally quickly backed away farther. She got back into a basic boxer's stance, keeping her arms up. Either she would have to parry the blows or dodge them quickly. She wasn't sure if the demon could make a dent in titanium, but she didn't want to find out either.

Marcus stopped his movement. He couldn't technically hear the words coming from Percy. The monster gaping out of his brain was too unsightly. This demon would most likely be the result of many sleepless nights for the young man. It's black physique and milky eyes were haunting to the bone.

"I don't," he couldn't find the words to speak. The metal guy had many uneasy feelings stirred up in his guts. Taking a step back, he saw the monster engage into battle. It launched one of its gruesome appendages at the kid. Marcus formed an X with his arms to absorb most of the incoming damage.

It was the fastest reaction he could think of considering he was too riled up to move. The giant, mace-like arm busted through his body with great strength. Marcus couldn't help but let out a roaring pain as he was knocked back a couple of feet. The teen skidded on the floor and wondered how his metal defense was compromised.



Percy could tell someone was behind him. The person wasn't technically built for sneak attacks. The convict turned around only to be horrified by a walking dinosaur. Using his other arm, he blocked the lizard's assault.

Though blocked, Percy could tell there was an immense strength coming from the lizard man. The bald convict was pushed back and had broken his arm. Both of his arms were now dangling in the air; they were red and completely swollen. One got kicked by a titanium leg and another got punched by an freakin' dinosaur.

"Little help here," The bald convict yelled out. "There's this green asshole now! You ugly enough to be one of us!"

Slave finally got his overweight self off the concrete. The shrunken head could hear the pleas from the other convict. There was a sigh of annoyance that traveled in the air. His raspy voice started again, "I will give you my assistance." The shrunken head began cackling.

Ally knew the source of the laughing though Marcus and Kurt were not aware of who was laughing. Their ears could hear a disturbing laugh full of malice and evil. It was demonic. "Go ahead, Percy. Show them the predator you can be." The shrunken head then began chanting over and over as his minion held him up.

Percy laughed once he began to experience slight changes to his body. "I can feel the power!" He directed his index finger to the lizard hybrid that punched him. "I'm going to kill you! You ugly ty-ran-o-fuck! I'm going to give you ol' ficking."

Percy dropped to his knees and coughed up his blood. It looked like his motor skills had become numb. Pain was enveloping his body. "Wit is hoppening to meh?" The bald convict could barely make out his words. There was something unnatural happening to his body.

The shrunken head scoffed. "You are a useless and incompetent human. I saw it fitting that you gave your demon full access to your body."

"Yoo bass tar." Percy laid on the floor in fetal position. His body was going through a fast aging process to where wrinkles were appearing on his bald spot. While this change was taking effect, the monster spouting out of his skull started looking more hostile and aware. It might have even grown in size. Unleashing another roar, it immediately turned its hands into two massive drills. Both of them headed towards the titanium girl and the new assaulter, Kurt. The drills made from his body acted and spun similar to the actual house object.

"Fascinating. It doesn't have to wait any longer. Percy was holding this specimen back."

Ally watched Percy's body transform, her jaw dropped. She had seen many scenes like this before on television, but nothing like this in reality. She felt sick, watching every little wrinkle grow until Percy looked more dried out than a raisin. Her stomach churned and she swallowed hard, knowing this was a scene that would haunt her memories for years to come.

The demon grew in power and size. Ally became nervous, but she had new allies, so she felt a bit of confidence too. The demon then turned his attention to the lizard man and her. She remembered how the demon smashed through Marcus, and she felt furious. Despite not knowing the exact metal Marcus was made of, it didn't seem like titanium. It was like the demon purposely went for the more vulnerable target. Ally gritted her teeth. These drills would be much more dangerous than the maces, Ally was sure of that. Her focus turned to her new companion, who destroyed Percy's other arm before his demise. Glad he's on my side, she thought, knowing fighting two brutes would not be easy, especially with her lack of experience in fighting abnormal people.

The demon came closer. Ally looked around the street and found what she was looking for- a manhole cover. She raced to it. In her human state, she could lift about her own bodyweight and these were around twenty pounds less than her. She knew her strength was enhanced in her metal form, though she didn't know how to measure that yet. She reached down and lifted the cover with surprising ease. "Lizard Man! Watch out!" she shouted, hoping all those times playing Ultimate Frisbee in P.E. would pay off. She spun around and launched the cover at the demon, hoping it would at least distract the creature from tearing into the lizard guy's tough flesh, if not actually hit the demon.

Ally usually wasn't in the titanium form this much, and she could feel it taking a toll on her body and energy. Usually she would just walk around a bit in the form for a few minutes at max. Never had she had to be in the form this long and use so much energy.

The manhole cover hit the demon on the back of its head and Ally phased out of her titanium form just as the creature shifted its attention to her. What?
No! I can't lose it yet, not right now! she urged herself in her head as the demon raced closer. It swung, and she returned to her titanium form. There was no way for her to dodge. She threw her arms up over her head and was hit. The club smashed into her arm, the spear scraped along her ribs.

Ally shouted out in pain, but knew this would be her chance. After an attack, an enemy would be open for a counter. This is my chance! Quickly, trying her best to ignore the pain, she ducked under the arms of the demon and got him in a blast double- a move she preferred when practicing wrestling takedowns. The young woman got the demon onto its back, her on top. She clenched her fists together and began to pound her fists into the demon. This is what should've happened to Percy! This is what I should've done!

As she hit the demon, her form lost itself and she began to flash in and out of her metal and flesh forms. Some punches were hit with a titanium fist, others with her human fist. Ally couldn't be sure what would happen if she was hit in her human form, but she didn't want to find out. With each flash into her human state, she felt the pain grow in intensity more and more.

Marcus caught the convict's chin with his fist. The enemy stepped back a couple of feet to caress his jaw. No telling if the attack actually did any sustaining damage. Though no question, Marcus had to keep striking the scarred man.

The convict was not expecting Marcus as his master was focused on the lizard's strength. Marcus followed up with more punches to the convict's body. He clenched his teeth and tightened the form on his fists. His arms were heavy from the protective skin, but he couldn't let up.



The demon that spawned because of Percy's power was being pounded to the floor. Each titanium punch sent him closer and closer to the ground. It hissed and roared in agony. Its entire body was shaking and stirring as if it was going through a major change. Blood was beginning to show from the consistent beating of Ally. The monster ignored the titanium girl as a potential competitor and was paying dearly for it.

In the last act of rage, the monster began swinging its club-like arms blindly. The demon's arms smashed against the walls of nearby windows and tossed cars several feet down the street. Next, the monster stretched its torso and slammed itself into the building structures. There were no brain processes, only blind rage. He attempted to shake the woman off by shoving her into the walls.



Marcus became distracted by the obvious animosity and fury erupting from the demon. Outbursts of anger were yelled from the monster's lungs. It vibrated the teen's eardrums. The fat convict noticed his mind wandering and utilized this to his advantage.

The chubby enemy grabbed Marcus' skull and applied pressure; he pushed his entire body into the concrete. The minion was not happy; his stomach was throbbing and aching from the metallic combos. Slave then held up the shrunken head to Marcus' face.

It was nerve-wracking as Marcus began hearing it talked. It scared him stiff as it began speaking in another language. He assumed as much given all he heard was nonsense. It was then that the convict was knocked off of Marcus as collateral damage from the monster. Marcus sat up quickly and panted.

He wasn't sure what would've happened to him. Marcus took a few seconds to regain his composure and saw the monster going berserk. Biting his cheek, he hollered after Kurt. "Yo, Kurt! Knock him out or kill him! I don't care!"

Marcus directed a finger to the now elderly Percy who was writhing on the ground. His skull still had the body of the monster popping out.