Cyberpunk II 2786A.D. Las Vegas.

The bundle of cables keeps getting thicker and thicker overhead... we HAVE to be getting close. The PA system crackles to life, nearly making me jump out of my skin. It takes a second for it to sink in that it's Tolva's voice I'm hearing. “There is an intruder in the main docking bay heading for the office area! He is wearing green armor, shoot on sight. I repeat, shoot the man in green armor on sight.” "Oh sh**." I breathe. I barely caught a glimpse of him, and it's been twenty years, but I still remember. Vector shoots me a questioning glance, so I answer. "Bounty hunter, I think. Tolva and I ran into him 20 years ago in New LA. That's who Tolva has to thank for her shoulder." A quick nod, and we set off down the corridor again. As we jog along I briefly roll my eyes to the ceiling... "Thanks for the warning, Tolva" I whisper under my breath. Around one more corner, and finally, there it is. A door marked "Server Room. Authorized Personnel Only." No time for subtlety, I draw back and punch the deadbolt with everything I have. Bits of metal and pieces of lock fly everywhere as the door flies open.

 

I watch Kiara punch the door open, metal bit flying though the room showering the floor with brass and lock parts. A bit overkill, but so what.

The room is filled with systems, large columns of boards that make up super servers. There are hundreds in this room, perhaps thousands of servers.

There is however one thing I am looking for. The main control access port. Just like old school, there is always the programmers terminal, or service technician access port. That is all I need to shut off the traps and let Tolva escape.

"Looks like lady luck is on our said" I grin broadly knowing this is going to make me feel like a god when I plug in.

 

The uncomfortable fact I’ve noticed is that the Sniffers are working outward. Slow but sure their pattern will take them to my hiding place sooner or later. And I’ve got precious little to use against them.

I cycle through visuals again and see Kiara and Vector breaking into the server room. Cypher is shooting at a few hapless Benson Trucking staff who tried to bring him down.

I’m hugging the floor as the Sniffers go by six inches from where I’m trapped. Come on… the next sweep will catch me in the net.

Hurry…

 

I glance nervously at Vector as he sits down in the chair in front of the main terminal, preparing to plug in. "Looks like lady luck is on our side" he grins up at me. I smirk back. "Wouldn't it be faster to just blow this thing and get the h*** outta here? Time is off the essence right now, ya know."

 

I jack in and watch the roller coaster ride of zero's and ones, this time however it is different, slow, almost mellow, not a race but a sweet gradual ride, this was meant to be easy, designed for a worker to have to suffer this all the time to keep things going soothly. I envy them and pity them. There is a bit of thrill to the fast jack that everyone else uses, even if sometimes it can suck. Perhaps that is where the addiction comes from.

When the numbers fade, just like I imagined it, I feel that easy calm of being indestructible with a mutable world at my finger tips.

I am looking at a night sky, each star endlessly away from me but within my grasp, and each one of them a part of the system. If I knew where I wanted to go getting there would be as simple as touching a star.

My problem is, there is a whole lot of stars here and none of them are labeled, perhaps a means to stop people like me from doing what I am doing.

I smile as I hold up the fishing line. Good thing I made sure to link this baby or I would never find her in this mess.

I touch the star that the line leads to and next thing I know I am in the shipping room again, I feel strange, transparent not solid like I was before. I wonder if she can even see me like this.

I see her kneeling down as the sweeper are getting closer.

I reach out to touch them and they just vanish from view. I feel powerful like I have never felt before, a thought equals action in this realm. Perhaps to make this job easier and less time consuming I suppose, but still I feel powerful.

Oddly enough I can't touch Sweet Cheeks, I can only sport here and manipulate the surroundings. Must be why they hate hackers so much, they can't affect them directly.

I touch the trap and watch it fade as well, then I use my finger to write into the floor "We got the chip, get out"

As I finish writing my world cuts black, the room comes half into view as I vomit on the floor shaking.

 

The Sniffers are headed right for me. I am considering yanking the jack from my own hand. This is going to be ugly no matter how it goes down.

They make a noise. Not a doglike noise a all but a faint high eeeee that is more like the progeny of a mosquito and a dial tone. Their blazing blue eyes fix on me and the sound raises to an eeeEEEE! and my fingers find the jack at my hand.

Goodbye world.

And then the dogs are gone. Just like that. I feel like I’m falling forward it happened so fast and it takes me a moment to let go of the jack. My heartbeat is magnified a thousand times in my own ears.

The trap dissolves like it was mist. I’m still trying to register that when wording appears on the floor by my knee.

We got the chip, get out.

Wow. He sure catches on fast. But I can’t quite obey that yet. If I return to the hotel room I’ll be no help at all.

Keeping an eye out for any more traps I hunt until I find the machinery node. Grinning, I open it. Let’s see how Cypher deals with…aha, here it is.

Almost all of the machines are hooked into the network. I find a small forklift and get it going up the ramp to the office, bursting through the doors and taking one door with it briefly, dragging it before it crashes off on the wall.

Between the smoke alarms and Cypher shooting people I doubt there are any employees left in the building. The little forklift speeds along the corridor, bouncing off the walls now and then, leaving unsightly gouges, and taking out the occasional door lintel that makes the corridor too narrow.

Following the thoughtfully placed schematic of the building I take it to the door of the server room and peek through the security camera. Sure enough Big Green Ugly is just entering the server room, bent on doing harm to Kiara and Vector.

I gas the forklift, create a large new doorway on the opposite side of the corridor as I do a speedy three-point turn and blast the forks into the back of Cypher. One fork goes in between his knees and get the forks raising fast as I can.

Let’s see how the gunslinger does now.

 

As the dark sky began to cover the city of Las Vegas and the lighting lit up every corner in a bright foray leaving no corner un-cast.
From above a giant vessel loomed down from the sky attracting the attention of the whole city momentarily. The vessel moved into Queens’s space port and began its descent and slowly began to land. The ship remained there in silence once the engines were cut to zero power.

One of the port Adepts approached the vessel admiring the design work and yet felt un-easy on his approach the ship was in complete darkness he stopped by the side hatch and waited. After a few moments the pistons hissed as the door opened releasing steam as the ramp slowly extended. A hooded person emerged in a red cloak with a hood completely covering his face. A mechanical tentacle emerged from his cloak and swiftly stabbed the adept through the centre of his face killing him instantly. His lifeless corpse dropped to the metal floor in a pool of blood. More figures emrged from the vessel.

 

Vector decides to plug in anyway. I hope he knows what he's doing. A few tense seconds tick by, and I notice gunshots being fired somewhere else in the building. A few more seconds tick by... taking an eternity to do so... then suddenly Vector jolts out, gagging. That distracts me from watching the door, and I step over quickly to find out if he's ok. What happens next is nothing more than a jumbled rush... I hear a footstep in the corridor and spin, pulling out a plasma pistol, just in time to see a green-armored leg step into view. Another step and his scarred face comes into view, scowling at us... my pistol is still coming up, when something smashes through the wall behind him... a forklift blade spears right between his legs and lifts quickly, surprising both of us, smashing him *right there*, and continuing to lift him up toward the ceiling. Not one to question good fortune, I snap a few plasma shots at the rising armor-clad body, grab Vector and run.

 

As Samurai pulls me out of the way or a forklift smashing some green armored dude into the server center I watch in horror as the whole place just kind of explodes behind us. The propane cylinder that powered the forklift must have caught fire and now shrapnel is ripping past us.

I feel my leg go numb for a second and then I look down to see a piece of curved aluminum about a meter long stuck into the back of my leg. Oh that is going to hurt. Good thing I am still running a super high from the system jump or I would on the floor screaming.

Kiara jumps towards the truck with me hobbling behind her and then we see most of the complex catching on fire. Kiara slams the truck into reverse and the sound of metal grinding against concrete fills the air as the trailer of the rig tears into the concrete side walls. A quick spin of the wheel and then a forward shift and we are making out way out of the complex; thew whole place is going up in flames. I see my blood flowing down the seat and yell at Kiara that I need medical attention.

She pulls up the GPS system and starts to head down to the VA hospital. My world starts to go black a bit... I feel tired...

...

...

...

 

I see Kiara and Vector getting down the corridor and gas the forklift hard into the server center, not caring if Cypher is still on it. It would work out better if he was.

There is a bloom of light on the security camera then the cyber-reality around me breaks down in fizzing segments, the 'warehouse' disappearing in segments as nothingness rips into it.

I wasn’t away in time and I fall as the hole rips into where I was.

I fall

for a very

long

time.

***

The only sounds in the hotel room are the drip of the faucet and a gasping sound at regular intervals. Tolva sits with one hand quivering over the connection jack, lips pale, staring unseeingly into blank space before her.

*

 

...

...


An ear splitting scream as the truck seems to lurch downward causes my eyes to slam open at the sight of a green armored man, his cloak burning into the night sky looking like a blazing effigy come to life as he smoke and vapor blast out of some face mask he has on. Then I see it, two guns blasting into us. I feel the solid shots slam into my arms forcing my body back into the seat, the pain in my leg almost forcing me into blackness again.

Kiara lets out another scream like yell as she spins the wheel and we grab into the handles inside the cab. The rig flips into the air and the sound of the main fame of the truck twisting and torquing under the strain fills the night sky. The Green blazing monster looks up just in time to slam into the asphalt, his guns fly from his hands as he tries to duck and roll but fails. The sound of his armor cracking joins the choir of the trucks rebellion to be turned into a slinky.

The hang grip I was holing on to gives way and I pass though the already broken window out into the night air sliding along the asphalt on my arms like some king of child's sled hitting the road. Sparks dancing around me and the metal shaft in my leg getting ripped from my body. I see my leg dangling from my body by one centimeter of flesh.

I see the green armored guy staggering to his feet and lash out with my arm against calf. I see his leg clear the guard rail, and it seems this was equally surprising to him as he paused to watch his leg fly though the air before I could swear his face mask growled at me.

 

Wolf stood watching from Balcony as the sky began to fill up with large vessels all coloured block with the symbol of a red cogwheel. He turned back to his door as it burst open and Adam entered.

Wolf took his gun in hand and aimed directly at Adams face. Behind Adam a dozen figures in red cloaks entered his room some with tentacles flapping behind and others with bionic arms they all began to surround Wolf.

“Did you think we would not notice.” Said Adam.

Wolf holding his pistol in a two handed grip looked back out on the balcony and watched as the ships began to land in the streets, whatever was underneath was crushed.

*****​

Seth stood watching from his dome on the Royale’s roof 5o or more large vessels descend across Las Vegas. He turned to see Mr Stern enter the dome from his elevator followed by Vornn who clenched two golden pistols in each hand and aimed at anyone who was in sight. From the far end of the dome warriors armed with large guns attired in crimson cloaks with hoods covering their faces entered all guns pointing at the security. The Dome itself shattered as the glass was smashed from a beam that slammed into the centre. Seth dropped to his knees shielding his face from the effect.

“Michael what’s this.” He bellowed.

Vornn began shooting all the security guards within the dome. Some fired back but Vornn managed to kill the all. 5 minutes later Seth was alone in the centre cowering with tears rolling down his cheeks. Michael Stern stood towering over him.

Once the assault was over and Vornn had holstered his golden pistols Seth Krokodil rose to his full height.

“What is this what is the meaning of this betrayal. I’ll see you dead for this.” He bellowed in anger.

“Did you think we still had a use for you. You arrogant imp.” Michael Stern said.

Vornn swiftly took his sword in both hands and sliced down aiming his cut at Seth’s neck. Seth stood a moment letting the blood run from his lips and then his head fell back slamming hard across the floor.

Michael turned to face the city below.
“It’s time.” He said speaking through a com bead wired onto the side of his face.

 

'HOW THE H***?!?' is all the time I have to ponder... how the h*** did Cypher get on the hood of the truck would have been the whole thought, but I was rudely interrupted by a plasma shot searing past me, missing my face by millimeters... close enough to burn. I shriek and yank the wheel around as far as it will go. The big rig turns, then tilts, then there's that brief instant... that heart-stopping instant, where the truck reaches a point of no return, the tire catches on something, and for all it's size, the rig starts cartwheeling like a child's toy.

I try to trigger my shield... not... quite... fast enough. It flickers on AFTER I smash through the driver's side windshield, but at least it absorbs the worst of the impact with the ground. Vector didn't fare quite so well. I look up, and he's laying flat out on his belly, one leg nearly sliced clean off, spewing blood all over the road. Cypher staggers to his feet at the same time I do... Vector flails out with one fist, catching Cypher just below one knee and we all three watch in shock as the lower half of a green-armored leg describes a beautiful arcing flight over the guardrail and out of sight.

A low growl brings my attention back to the here and now... Cypher is glaring down at the prone, nearly helpless form of Vector. He brings up the one pistol he somehow managed to keep a grip on... drawing a bead right between Vector's eyes. I draw my blade on the run, spinning it in my hand so the point faces down... time has slowed to a crawl again...
Step
Step
Jump
*CHOOOM!*
He starts to turn, startled at the unnexpected sound, but not fast enough. I land hard against him, blade buried to the hilt in the center of his back. A shocked expression fills his eyes, but they go blank when I yank the blade down on a diagonal several inches to the tune of a sickening *CRACK*. As his suddenly-limp form begins to crumple, I half-turn, twisting the blade and eliciting another *crunch*, and lunge the wakazashi sideways, slicing clean through from his backbone to just under his armpit, spraying bloody foam. I stand over him, bloodied and battered, panting.

I look down. "Sh**! Vector!" He's bad... oh sh** this is bad... I drop to my knees and examine his leg, or what's left of it, and quickly rip a few strips off the bottom of my shirt and tie them together so they're long enough to form a tourniquet. I'm left with a short shirt that bares my belly, but right now, I don't care... I tie the strips on as tightly as I dare, then grab my blade again. His leg is a lost cause... I slice through the last remaining inch or so with a quickly muttered "sorry." With that done, I look up and around... we were barely out of the trucking lot when this whole thing went down.. ahh, there! Perfect! Employee Parking! I jump up and run over... my face hurts bad from the plasma, and tiny stabbing pains start making themselves known in my arm and legs... no doubt from the metal slivers from the explosion, and glass shards from the windshield...but I press on anyway. I don't even bother with finesse... I smash the window of the first car I reach, and a moment later I plow clean over the curb on my way back to Vector. A minute later finds me driving back to town like the Devil himself and all his fallen angels are on my tail, semi-conscious Vector lolling in the passenger seat next to me, praying I can remember the way to the VA hospital.

 

I waken to lights in my eyes. I swear they paint hospitals white so we think we are dead when we come to.

The doctor tells me that even if they had my leg they would not have been anle to put it back on, and then makes a comment that we must be having the worst birthday ever. I try to laugh it all off and explain that w are 'giving till it hurts' and he gets a chuckle out of that, but thankfully does not push the questions.

Tells me that "Sam" is fine, minor cuts and burns and asks about the wife, I tell him that she is still home waiting for us to get back so she can say 'surprise', oh it's going to be a surprise alright.

Tell me that they made a call to the Hotel to tell my wife where we were and that she sounded a little upset by this but said she would be 'right down'

Oh good.

 

Detective Inspector Brannigan sits at his desk drinking a glass of whiskey looking over the data slate of the name Tolva. He’s recently discovered her involvement with the fall of the Sekki Corporation and the assistance of the AG-Systems corporation. And has since found out she’s working as a Cyber police operative in Las Vegas. He lights an Iho stick with his golden zippo and sits back enjoying his pass time of inhaling smoke into his lungs as he takes a sip of whiskey the sound of smashing glass echoes into his office. The Inspector stands up opens his door in time to see the large glass windows shatter and smash followed by armoured men coming through. Once inside the precinct they begin firing on the officers and enforcers nearby.

Sergeant Rawlins drops behind her desk holding a large shot gun she glances across to see Brannigan taking his pistol in a two hand grip and fire at the armoured warriors. She rises up to fire and finds her neck meeting the blade of an Axe.
Brannigan watches in horror as Rawlins falls headless to the ground and her head landing at his feet.

“What the frag.” He bellows at the carnage.

After mere minutes he’s the last standing and finds himself suddenly surrounded by a the armoured warriors how many he cannot tell. He holds his pistol forwards with both hands on the handle and a finger to the trigger. The warriors lower their guns and the sound of crunching glass follows. Brannigan watches Adam approaching attired in armour and holding a gun in a firm grip pointed at his head.

“Time you retired Inspector.” He said firing the gun.

Brannigan dropped to his knees a hole at the centre of his forehead with blood running down his face and dripping from his nose, finally he slumps forwards hitting the marble floor dead.

Adam picks up his communicator and speaks.

“The city is now lawless.” He says.

*****​

Michael Stern steps into the Queens space port watching people as they begin to flee at the mere sight of the hooded warriors removing their hoods and standing tall revealing their dark red matt looking armour and holding military weapons. They begin gunning the civilians and staff of the Queens space port down.


Kiara sees the carnage of the Precinct from her location and steps out into the open feeling courageous and ready for more combat and looks across the sky and horror strikes her as she see’s the Queens dock space port lit up brighter than the burning sun. She looks about and watches soldiers storm the streets near her almost as though taken with some kind of spell she wonders out to glimpse the flames burning high from the police Precinct stood shocked and horrified suddenly she feels the past catch up with her like a predator stalking the meat. The feeling consumes her on her fall to the ground she feels wet across her back and neck and turns to see a hooded warrior holding a blade dripping with blood. The darkness hides most of his features except the terrifying glow of the yellow eyes. She tries to scream but darkness takes her.

Vornn is gone quicker than the speed of a shooting star.

*****​

Vector storms out after Kiara looking all shaken from the site of her upper torso almost cleaved in half blood everywhere and she lays motionless. He flexes his bionic arms.

“C’mon then C’mon face me.” He bellows.

Nothing but the distant sound of destruction as the space port is ripped apart.

 

Soldiers smashing into the hotel guns blazing at anyone who dares to stand in their way. Suddenly they are greeted by Jazzman he fires his Desert Eagle on auto the bullets bounce from their armour again he fires again the bullets deflect. He throws the gun and charges towards them. One slaps him across the face breaking his black shades and splitting the skin of his cheek. He stumbles to his knees and watches one approach pointing a gun in his face, Bullets dance of his chest armour again. Jazzman looks to see Pythola walking in slow motion firing tow auto machine guns on full spread. The guns run dry she discards them and takes a shot gun from her back. Cocks fires, cocks fires. Behind her are her three remaining gangers all following suit. Their ammo runs dry. The soldiers then return fire killing the three gangers in a spray of bullets spreading across the hallway. Pythola takes one to the neck and drops to her back blood spraying from her neck. Jazzman tackles one of the soldiers knocking him to the ground. Another slams the butt of his gun into his head. Suddenly from nowhere Tolva charges in throwing a grenade.

Bang.

The hallway explodes across the first floor of the hotel. Tolva finds herself blown back slamming hard onto the floor and unconscious. Jazzman finds himself blown through one of the windows shattering the glass.

 

The darkness is the only answer to my challenge.Looking down on the near lifeless form of Kiara, I see her taking in slow gasps, fighting with every ounce sh has just to stay alive knowing it is a loosing battle.

I go to pick her up and the medical staff scream at their top of their lungs "Don't!"

Rushing to her body they begin to pull out the laser torches and other items I know nothing about, bags of jelly looking stuff that reminds me of liquidated internal organs of a fellow solder.

I turn away and puke on the side walk as they start to patch her up, placing tubes into her nose and chest. "Damn if only we had some blasted nannites!" one of the medical technicians mutters. I am thinking that I am really glad you don't boy, if thought she looked bad now, I hear watching a body melt is something that stays with you forever.

From personal experience I can say that heavy drinking dullens the memories.

Within moments they have her on a a gurney and are pushing her back into the hospital. Her right lung cloasped and if the sword had been over towards her left but an inch more her heart would have been cut in half. Or so they tell me.

I am waiting for them to say something as I hobble around on the pole with a sneaker they gave me. The doctor tells me that six of her vertebrae are lost, and until they get something to replace them with, she is stuck in the bed and won't be able to move. Her collar bone and two rib bones had been cut in half along with a sizeable portion of her right lung.

He paces the room and tells me that they can keep her alive, for now, but as it stands that is ALL they can do, is keep her alive and sedated to the point that she can't feel the pain and can't move.

feel my face turn red. Oh I am so going to kill that motherless scum, when I get the chance. For now however I need to get parts, Lots or parts. The doctor explainers that they are also very expensive parts. I look at the jacking port in my hand. Money is not an issue.

I watch a dozen people get dragged in to the emergency room doors, one is that scruffy vet that we bought the parts from. The doctor shakes my hand and tells me that he has things to attend to. I watch him run off taking care of people.

I wish that was what I chose to do with my life, as oppose to being the one to cause pain and suffering.

I give Kiara a kiss on the forehead and she does not even move "I'll do something" I tell her before heading out to the car and driving towards the apartment. I tried to call Sweet Cheeks. but no one picked up.

This has to be the worse birthday party ever.

 

After a few hours of vigorous aerobic activites, Fox gets off the bed and stretches. She then notices all of the marks that she left on Spencer. His wrists are pretty bruised, there are a few bruises on other parts of his body, and he has quite a few scratch marks from her claw. Fox grins and says "Hope I wasn't too rough on you, but hey, you started it. Its been way too long since I've had a gotten laid, and it was just what the doctor ordered." Spencer appears to be kinda out of it at the moment. Fox gives a short laugh, and then gives him a kiss on the forhead. She gets on the phone and orders roomservice. Three large pizzas: one pepperoni, one sausage, and one plain. She also orders some salt, crushed peppers and cold green tea.

After about ten minutes they arrive with the order, Fox made sure to cover up Spencer before they arrived. They soon leave, and Fox begins to devour the food. Though she does make sure that Spencer has some.

 

Fox and Spence stand together embraced in a cuddle thinking of their futures and suddenly they hear the distant sound of thunder. So they realise its not thunder but explosions. Fox and Spence hold each other tighter for a moment the world around is gone and its only the two sharing a moment. Spence looks into Fox’s eyes and see’s a look of horror grip her and followed by a sharp pain to the chest and a feeling of water running down her stomach and back.
Fox pulls away using her tail to Whip the hooded attacker. The yellow eyes glow brighter and Vornn retracts he sword |from Spence. He moves swiftly dodging a strike from Fox’s tail and slices his sword down cutting Spence in two from the waist. Spence stands still for a moment looking at Fox and finally he feels the pain and the dark spots take his vision as he slides away from his waist.

Fox watches helplessly as blood vomits from the still remaining legs of Spence and anger grips her as she realises Spence is dead.

Fox lunges at Vornn using her tail to stab him she catches his cloak. Vornn however moves swiftly dodging another slash from the tail and slices Fox through the throat. Fox looks directly into Vornn’s eyes as she feels the blade retract. Her glare remains as Vornn disappears back into the shadows leaving Fox holding her throat with both hands and now on her knees looking down at the two half’s of Spence’s dead form.

 

Jonathon stands alone on the street corner watching the explosions around Queens space port. He stands wandering what’s going on then he hears a load bang and finds himself thrown across the floor. He rises to his feet to find Adam looking down on him. Jonathon holds his hand out.

“No, please no. I’m not ready. Don’t please.” Jonathon pleads.

 

Fox quickly grabs some towels and wraps them around her neck. Luckily he didn't hit her windpipe or juggular, but she still had to stop the bleeding. She sits silently in the corner, staring at Spencers body. She can feel an intense hatred course through her body. Fox opens her mouth and quietly, but intensely says four simple words "I....will....kill....you."

 

Both Michael and Nomad found themselves together in an alley fleeing the perusing soldiers. Michael held two guns one in each hand while Nomad held a large double barrelsed pump action shot gun. Both men looked into each others eyes.

“Where the frag did they come from.” Said Michael panic stricken and fearing for his life.
“I do not know but they are hunting us.” Nomad replied.

Both men moved through the shadows dodging contact with anyone and yet by now the streets where empty. Nomad crouched down by a large truck parked near the main nationwide bank. The building remained un touched and not a Scarlette soldier was in sight. He slowly emerged from the shadows towards the truck when he saw a soldier come from nowhere. Nomad took great notice of the cogwheel symbol on his shoulder.

“Oh my god.” Said Michael now standing behind him.

“I suggest we vacate, as in now.”

Nomad nodded and clambered up the trucks side slowly and steadily opening the door, once open he pulled him self up and inside taking up the passenger seat. Michael climbed in after him and began hotwiring the truck. The noise of the engine starting caught the soldiers attention. Nomad flipped the sun shield and the keys dropped down.

“Use them aye.” He said cocking his double barrelled shotgun.

Michael ignored the sarcasm and placed the key in the ignition and started the truck. The soldier fired the glass of the drivers side shattered. Nomad let burst two shells cocked and fired again. The truck began moving Nomad fired again and Michael ploughed the soldier over by running him down with the bulky truck. Ahead more soldiers began charging towards them shots were fires and the truck swayed and eventually rolled slamming into three parked flyers. Nomad began climbing out and calling to Michael when he realised Michael was dead.

Nomad watched as the soldiers drew near and yet he fired and fired until they took his life in an entourage of gun fire. And yet Nomad stood firm until the end came.

 

Zu checked the PCC again. No missed contacts. He was getting tired of sitting in the Aberdeen, waiting for the next job. All he wanted to do was finish his mission and get out of the city. The longer he stayed there, the more he hated it.

For the first time in a few days, Zu opened the blinds to his room. The explosive resistant glass had kept him from hearing what was happening. He looked upon the carnage and immediately began to load his guns. He was sure any plans to take down Brady had vanished. All he hoped was that the law gave bonus points for gunning down cult members.

 

I wish I had more weapons on me then the Plasma Pistols I took of Samurai Chick, but I'll have to make due with what I have.

As I lay a track of rubber down the street I see the cops and everyone else running in the other direction. This can't be good.

I ask myself for the ten millionth time why I am doing this. What do I have invested in these two girls. I keep getting the same answer. Nothing

Somehow that is not slowing me down. I make to the hotel and the bullet holes in the walls and windows are not reassuring. Then I hear a massive explosion go off and I am already up three flights of stairs before it finally hits me that the desk clerk was dead.

I see several guys in red armor and staggering to their feet and some black man kneeling on the floor bleeding covered in broken glass. Laying on the floor is some girl with a tatto acorss ger back side of a big snake and blood comming out of her neck. Another waste of life.

I get the idea here real quick, red cloak = bad guys.

I think the basic idea is Cloak = Bad guys... or maybe that just has been my luck.

I can't see any reason why it would suddenly change now.

Then I spot her, Sweet Cheeks, laying closed eyed on the floor like she had gone one too many rounds in a prize fight and lost. I put the plasma pistol to the head of the red cloak standing next to me and then watch as a bunch of black metal bits paste the wall as I pull the trigger.

Nothing like a point blank plasma shot to leave a hole in something. The damn thing did not fall, just staggers a bit and seems disorganized at the moment.

This sucks does not even begin to describe what I am feeling.

I toss the other gun to the guy and tell him I wish him the best of luck, see you in the next life as I run over to Sweet Cheeks. I quickly hoist her onto my shoulders and jumping out the window.

Brilliance and me do not seem to get along.

My little sneaker on a stick hits the ground so hard it snaps off its housing around my leg and breaks my nose. Good thing I landed on my back, into some trash cans, with a person on top of me, or this might really hurt, well, might have been fatal, hurting seems to be a daily requirement for me.

Why did I ever say yes?

Tolva however did wake up form the jarring and looks at me like I am some kind of ghost or something. Then climbs off me and helps me to my feet. I hear several plasma shots go off and one of the red cloaks looks at out the window as we run, well, she runs and I kind of hop and jump over to the boosted car.

I don't even get the door closed by the time she has the car doing over a hundred kilometers.

 

Suzu jumps into a flyer realising troubles coming she hits on the accelerator and suddenly the bonnet dints from the impact of something heavy. She pulls herself out to look and horror grips her face from the sight of a large humanoid figure standing over her. His lower body is arachnid with eight sharp pointed spider legs while his upper torso is partly covered by a red cloak revealing parts of rotten flesh stretched over metallic components. The mans face his half human and have bionic with wires and cables running from the back of his head into his spine. His eyes are covered by red tinted shades. One of his arms has been replaced with a gun of some kind the flesh stretched across the mettle and the barrel pointing at her. The warrior fires. Suzu drops from the flyer feeling the hard slam of the floor before blackness claims her.