There was a time for grace, but this wasn’t that time.

He slapped his hand against the hollow end of the tube. His power ripped through it and hit the ground just behind her. It detonated, and the shockwave made her feet leave the ground.

Surprise aside, this wasn’t unfamiliar territory. She stumbled as she landed and saw another of Soldat’s capes appear to intercept her.

She blasted, ducking low, and crashed into his knees, bowling him over. She raised up from the crouch on one leg, hands out to either side to blast and right her if she tipped over, and she already had one foot raised by the time she was upright. She drove her heel toward the teleporter’s face, and he disappeared before her foot could make contact.

Another blast to push, except this one kicked right. It threw her off her stride, forcing her to make one leg cross over the other mid-run. She found her balance and changed direction, running for an alley.

The cape with the metal tube fired. The detonation was off to her side, this one catching her in a way that threw her further off, when she had so recently stumbled and changed direction. She dropped, landing with her hands touching the sidewalk, her power flickering at the unexpected contact of the surface, then popping, cracking the solid surface under her hand.

It threw her off, cost her a fraction of a second. She put both hands behind her and blasted again. Moving fast was essential. She’d just upset a paramilitary villain group that was a contender to take over the East Boston area.

If it was down to individual group strength alone, then that area would already be theirs. They were that good.

Marrow was an ex-employee of Soldat. He’d been eager to part with information and a share of what she claimed, if she got anything at all. She would lean heavily on the last part of that statement. It had been Marrow that had said it as he implied she would fail. Bitter implications from someone bitter that she hadn’t hired him.

She didn’t want the goods in the truck. Marrow would get fifteen percent of nothing.

The alley was cover from gunfire. It didn’t stop the teleporter from appearing again. As he materialized, she could see the four eyes that peered through the round lenses that were part of his military-aesthetic costume. He had a combat knife in each hand.

This would be the one who switched randomly between mutation sets every time he teleported. Most of those mutations would be weak, but there were some to watch out for.

He was one of two.

She used her power, leaping, blasting, and soaring well over the teleporter’s head. She landed in a crouch, felt her legs protest as she stood, and broke into another run.