Read The Bridge

The mask clad man glanced around to take in his surroundings. The forest, outside of the dueling crackling of stream water and burning automobile, was totally quiet. No doubt the humans would arrive in time, given the inky black column rising from the wreckage. He did not know where the blue siren was, having lost track of her once they were thrown into the river.

Likely washed downstream, she seemed a better swimmer. I’ll check once done here, couldn’t have gotten far

The monster diverted his attention to his captured quarry. He flicked his wrist, partially dropping and partially tossing Aria Blaze into a small snow bank, the frozen water cushioning her fall. Aria was nearly immobile, barely even conscious for shifting in the snow let alone counter attack as X squatted next to her. The gemstone mounted on her black necklace pulsed slightly with a low crimson light, confirming the alien’s objective. When he reached down to take it however, the reaction to his action was not what X was expecting. He was just about to grab the glowing gemstone, his fingers a hair’s width from its shining surface when an unseen force shoved his hand back. Surprised, he paused for a moment. Probing to see what had just happened and attempting to finish his mission, he tried again. But just as he was about to grasp the ruby, the gemstone glowed. A concussive force shot into his arm and threw it away.

X was startled backwards slightly and the jolt shook Aria back into consciousness, lurching upwards and coughing violently to clear her lungs of river water. She hacked for a few moments to catch her breath, before sitting there in silence. But then she did something that took X by surprise. She lurched to her side and quickly punched him right in the face near his eye socket. X stumbled back and rose up as Aria, still a bit groggy, got to her feet. She looked at him with a sneer as X held his head with one hand. There were a lot of things he’d been expecting, but a sudden strike from an otherwise unimposing attacker like that had caught him off guard. Under his scarf, the kaiju smiled.

Huh, she actually managed to surprise me, so you do have some fight in you.

He pulled the hand away, revealing his mask to be cracked around his left eye, several missing pieces having broken off and fallen away. The glare his eyes gave off was colder than the snow falling around them. The look Aria gave him as she raised her arms into a guarded stance was just as chilled. X leaned his head over and popped his neck, rolling his shoulders. Aria, finally shaking off the last of her daze from nearly drowning, started side stepping to her left.

“You’re not human… What are you?…”

X mirrored her, stepping over to his right, the two slowly beginning to circle about.

“Truth be told, I’m not even quite sure myself. Then again I could ask you the same question. You don’t belong around here either. Though admittedly right now I’m more surprised someone like you knows a guard stance.”

“I don’t just sing. Girl needs her hobbies when you keep the company I do… What do you want?”

“I have my mission, you just happen to have the goal around your neck.”

Aria’s eyes widened briefly with recognition, her gemstone pulsing with light. Her stern expression grew angered. She lunged forward, jabbing and crossing at X as he side strafed to dodge the first and blocked the second with a raised forearm.

“Like hell you’re getting it…”