The Tiger's End

Captain Sphinx had found himself in dangerous environments before: both in the skies above and down on the ground. Once he’d had a dogfight in the middle of a thunderstorm and landed with part of a wing gone, and the cockpit full of water up to his waist. And like many of his least favorite situations, he now found himself outnumbered... and very likely outgunned.

He gripped his pistol tightly as he sprinted back to the building on the docks. Mai, the elusive ‘Tiger’ the smuggler queen of Shanghai had to still be there. His cover was blown: there was no use trying subterfuge anymore.

Now it was just how Sphinx liked it, a stand up fight. He heard gunshots not far ahead - Tex and Trevor.

His wingmen.

His friends.

Sphinx grit his teeth. I have to... I have to get to them...

Muzzle flashes lit up the night right in front of him, hot air passed by him, far too close for comfort. The pilot had been shot at far too many times than he cared to admit. He threw himself down on the wooden dock, crawling to a weathered crate. The gunmen up ahead fired again, and Sphinx returned fire, aiming for the muzzle flashes.

The gun jerked in his hand, the report deafening him, more muzzle flashes and more retaliatory shots back. Sphinx huddled down and waited before hesitantly peeking out from behind his crate. There were no shots being fired at him, so he hesitantly began to move forward again, gun at the ready.

His eyes adjusted to the dim paper lanterns that hung around the dock, enough to notice silhouettes moving towards him, one of his shadowy foes hefted something to their shoulder and Sphinx wasted no time popping off two rounds into them, the figure fell back with a cry letting out a burst of automatic fire into the air as they fell. The other figure charged Sphinx with a broad bladed hatchet.

“Aw, cripes!” Sphinx shouted as he fired, the figure stumbled from the impacts but kept charging him, probably high on opium.

The skinny pilot ducked a vicious swing meant for his neck and fired point blank at the figure’s head. The dim lighting spared him from seeing the gruesome results of his shot, but the mad axe wielder went limp instantly and fell to the damp docks with but a few twitches.

Sphinx breathed a sigh of relief.

There was still the sound of gunfire, which meant Tex and Webster were still alive and fighting, and that gave him comfort to press on. He would need it, for as he drew closer to the teahouse, he found even more of Mai’s goons bearing down on him. Some wielded firearms and some melee weapons as the bore down on him, and Sphinx found himself out in the open.

Only one thing to do. Go nuts.

He drew the second pistol he’d procured.

“Always wanted to do this,” Sphinx grunted as he fired his guns wildly.

They weren’t the most accurate shots, but they sent a lot of lead, and caused his foes to either dive for cover or, for some of the unlucky ones, fall screaming where they had once stood. He kept moving forward in a zigzag as he fired. One pistol clicked empty, the charging handle locking back as Sphinx chucked it at his foes.

He fired the last few rounds in the second pistol, and then found himself facing down a man armed with a peculiar dual sword set, they were called “Butterfly swords” if Sphinx recalled correctly... A pretty name for something so deadly.

The pilot leapt back as his foe slashed at him, Sphinx tried to move in with a jab before his foe recovered but found the wind blasted from his lungs by an unforeseen kick to his torso. He fell back and rolled as his foe brought the deadly blades down where Sphinx had just been, the swords biting deep into the wood of the dock.

It was but a short window of opportunity for Sphinx to turn the tables: He took his chance. As he got to his feet and showed that he could kick too, as he drove his boot into the man’s shin. Sphinx’s foe cried out in pain and slashed for Sphinx with the blade again.

Sphinx stepped into the attack, locking his hands on the wrist of his foe, wary that there was a second blade already coming into play. Sphinx stepped back, dropping his weight, with a sharp twist of his hips, Sphinx pivoted, using his grip on the swordsman’s wrist to guide the momentum. He wrenched the arm downward while his shoulder drove into the attacker’s chest. The sudden shift sent his opponent flipping over his back, the second sword slashing wildly at empty air.

Momentum carried the man forward, feet leaving the wooden planks of the dock. For a brief second, his body hung in the air, arms flailing—then with a splash he plunged into the murky water below.

“I owe that old monk,” Sphinx grunted. “That’s a nifty trick he taught me.”

The pilot took a moment to steady himself before realizing he was still in danger. A look towards the teahouse and he saw a man in the dim light aiming a bolt action at him.

He was cooked. No weapon to fire, no cover to get to quickly, best he could do was fall flat on the dock and hope that was enough.

The crack of a rifle and Sphinx glanced up to see the man had fallen, he saw two familiar people step into the light, Webster and Tex. Tex worked the lever of his Winchester carbine, chambering a new round, while Webster kept his Webley aimed at the teahouse.

Sphinx grinned. “You two are a sight for sore eyes.”

“We had a spot of trouble with Mai’s goons,” Webster grunted, dusting himself off.

“Lose your guns again, Captain?” Tex asked.

Sphinx chuckled. “I’ll find something to make do.”

He rummaged the fallen bodies and found a M1911, in fact it was his M1911, his smaller .38 revolver nearby.

“They didn’t waste time handing out trophies. Where’s my field knife? ...Ahhh, not here.”

“You want to borrow my Bowie?” Tex asked.

Sphinx shook his head. “You need it more than me.”

Tex kept watch. “So, we got a plan? It’s like Mai has an endless supply of thugs to throw at us.”

“She’s still inside, I’m sure. You two keep out here, don’t let her goons flank us. I’m going in there.”

“Careful ol’ chap,” Webster cautioned. “Mai has shown she’s as smart as she is deadly.”

Sphinx nodded before moving to the teahouse door. He fired through it a couple of times before kicking the door open and crouching as rounds were fired in response, with Tex laying down covering fire - working the lever of his carbine.

“Go, James!” Webster shouted.

Sphinx moved in firing at anything that moved, not taking chances in a house full of gangsters. He ducked a club meant for his head and freed his revolver, firing two shots as he rounded the corner. He could see one guard barring the way between him and the door down the hall. Sphinx snapped off a shot before the guard had a chance to plug him with the machinegun he wielded.

Sphinx breathed a sigh of relief: he had three shots left - He’d best make them count. He shoved the door open and cringed, waiting for a gunshot or a knife meant for his throat... But nothing came for him - it was merely Mai sitting calmly at her desk, resplendent as ever in her Cheongsam.

“Well. well, you are hard to kill it seems,” she said softly. “Now what do you intend to do now?”

Sphinx kept his revolver trained on her. “I want to know about Yao.”

She smirked. “Awfully obsessed with that pirate, aren’t you? What about me? You going to let me walk free?”

Sphinx bit his lip. “Depends on how useful you’re going to be.” Another smirk as she started to stand.

“Ah!” Sphinx warned. “Slowly, now.”

“You’re not going to shoot me in cold blood,” Mai said confidently.

Sphinx fired at the ceramic vase on her desk, causing it to explode in a thousand particles and Mai to flinch.

“You sure about that?”

She dusted herself off and merely grinned as she finished standing. “Absoloutely. Not only am I valuable, but you are too noble.”

Sphinx scoffed, not lowering the gun. “Maybe you’re overselling yourself. After all, I can’t trust any info you give me now, and you wouldn’t want me walking free knowing what I know about you.”

“Smart boy, why don’t you look in the file cabinet?” Mai suggested.

Sphinx looked at the cabinet and then at Mai. “How about you be a doll and open it for me?”

Mai laughed. “Really now? You think I boobytrapped it?”

“...Thought crossed my mind,” Sphinx replied.

Slowly and deliberately Mai unlocked the file cabinet. “Even an illicit business like mine needs to keep records. Here’s everything I have on Yao.”

She pulled a stack of papers bound together in a folder before she flung the folder at Sphinx’s face with a flick of the wrist. Sphinx fired blindly and then felt a foot slam into his wrist sending his revolver flying away from his grasp.

Sphinx leapt back just as the fan Mai carried sliced for his throat, the tiny blades scored a cut on the arm he held up defensively and the aviator gasped in pain.

Mai took a defensive stance, fan held at the ready, her dark hair out of place. She looked exactly like a tiger crouched for the kill.

“You’re going to regret crossing me little boy,” Mai growled.

Sphinx got into a fighting stance himself. “So this is how you want to play it? Alright. I was told not to strike a lady, but you’re not a lady are you?”

Mai merely smirked as she circled closer letting loose with a high kick that Sphinx took on his already wounded arms. The pain made his arms buckle and his breath short: She had a strong kick. Sphinx ducked a fan slice and aimed an uppercut for her ribs which she handily deflected.

The fan was her greatest asset - he had to get it away from her somehow. Sphinx found himself on the defensive, dodging, or barely dodging flurries of attacks from Mai, she alternated between her fan and feet. He found himself backed against her desk, his hand grabbing the closest thing he could find and hurling it at her.

Mai dropped back, holding her fan up to catch the shard of ceramic he had tossed at her. Sphinx pressed his advantage as he moved in with a left hook that Mai barely blocked, her fan falling from her grip before she forced Sphinx back with a kick.

The two eyed one another, a new understanding passing between the two, both had grown comfortable to being underestimated, Mai being a woman and Sphinx so thin. But now neither one was holding back or underestimating the other, they seemed matched in skill.

How long could they keep fighting, Sphinx wondered. Until Sphinx’s wingmen barged in, or until Mai’s goons reinforced the area?

The two circled one another warily before coming to blows: Sphinx aimed a jab for Mai who deflected the blow and retaliated with a chop that Sphinx caught on the arm. Sphinx drove his elbow for her face as she kneed him in the gut, he stumbled but had strength enough to lash out with a jab to her torso in retaliation.

The fight continued, kicks, punches, attempts at grabs and throws, but neither one seemed to gain an advantage. Until Sphinx had his legs swept from under him and he hit the floor with a thud.

Mai stood over him, panting, her dark hair out of place, gown torn, and a bruise on her cheek.

“You fight well for a foreigner. Pity, I would love to see how long you’d have lasted in a different sort of tussle.”

She pulled a long thin knife from beneath her skirt, as Sphinx spotted his revolver a few feet away.. With a snarl she pounced aiming to drive the deadly instrument into Sphinx’s chest. Sphinx braced himself managing to catch her arms and the two began to roll across the floor.

Mai growled as she pressed the knife closer. Sphinx took the chance and released one of her arms to punch her in the jaw, dislodging her. He rolled one last time and snatched up the revolver as Mai was charging him.

One shot left.

Sphinx fired.

Mai blinked as she clasped a hand to her ribs.

“Oh,” she muttered as she slumped down. “Well played. ...Always knew it was going to end like this... Just didn’t think it would be this soon.”

Sphinx sighed as he set the gun down. “You fought well.”

Mai looked to the file cabinet. “Wasn’t lying about the files. They’re in there. If only you could read the language.”

She chuckled for a bit before they became rasping, gurgling coughs, and then nothing.

“I may not, but I know people that can.”

He limped out of her office. The victory was bittersweet: with her out of the way there was bound to be a power vacuum struggle, but at least her replacement would probably not be as dangerous.

As he and the rest of Misfit squadron reconnoitered, Sphinx couldn’t help but think on what he’d been through. This misadventure had all started with him accidentally saving Mai, and now it had ended with him being the one to end her. Hopefully it hadn’t been for nothing.

Hopefully something in those files would point him to the next target: Yao the Dragon. But as he stumbled away - nursing his injuries - he pondered his interactions with Mai: She was incredible... in her own twisted way.

This adventure had taken him to a dark place, one he didn’t want to dwell on.

“You okay cowboy?” Tex asked as they drank in one of Shanghai’s taverns, noticing that his captain was more downcast than usual.

“Just thinking about our latest exploit,” Sphinx said dryly. There was a pause. “We were playing a role, but it was easy to get lost in that role.”

“You’ll get over it, old sport,” Webster said, wrapping his arm around Sphinx’s shoulder.

Sphinx looked into his brown drink, seeing a distorted reflection.

“...Maybe.”