The PHO warning existed for a reason.
Taylor had looked it up after the third time Oni Lee killed her.
The page had all the usual information like known affiliations, speculated power classifications, confirmed sightings, and other important assessments. And, in bright red text near the top:
DO NOT APPROACH ALONE. EXTREMELY VIOLENT.
In the past, she had thought it was the sort of thing the PRT put on every dangerous cape profile. Now she knew better.
The problem wasn't that Oni Lee was stronger or smarter than her. The problem was that he was completely fucking insane.
Every time she thought she understood how he operated, he did something different. There was no pattern to exploit or a predictable sequence of actions she could memorize through repetition. Once he stabbed her in her neck and then in her chest. He had even appeared behind her and snapped her neck before she even realized he was there.
Another time, he ignored her completely until she thought she had somehow slipped past him.
Then he stabbed her eye.
It was ridiculous, but after a while she started feeling like he recognized her. That death had felt oddly vindictive.
Still, she spent loop after loop trying, sneaking and running and climbing and distracting guards. Nothing worked. Every road ended with Lung or Oni Lee, most often the latter, and every encounter ended with her dead.
Eventually, after waking up yet again with blood still fresh in her memory, Taylor rolled onto her back and stared at the sky.
"I hate that guy."
Nobody answered.
Taylor hadn’t expected anyone to, so for several minutes she simply lay there.
Then she sat up.
Lung wasn't the problem. Oni Lee was, and Oni Lee was a problem she couldn't solve. At least, not alone.
Taylor glared at the alley wall.
The PRT wanted information. She didn't have it. She had failed. There was no point pretending otherwise.
She rubbed a hand down her face, letting out a long breath.
Maybe Armsmaster would have an idea. Or Miss Militia. Or somebody. They were the professionals, supposedly.
Because, yeah, this one was above her pay grade.