He jogged forward, stepping over groaning bodies. Beef and Jisei were already getting to their feet, their armor taking the brunt of the blasts. Vigil pulled the neo-thermic handgun from its holster and fired an incendiary round into Beef's chest, shattering the armored plating and setting him on fire with the secondary explosion. Vigil tried to ignore the screams.
They're not people. They're just protein-based machines with stolen memory data.
Jisei dropped to one kneed and opened fire with twin rapid-fire handguns. Vigil opened an energy shield from his g-span, deflecting the rounds. Jisei responded by rolling two thermal grenades in his direction. He raised his gauntlets upwards, forming a protective dome as the detonation tore the vicinity apart in a bloom of flame and razor-edged projectiles. The downed gang members suffered much worse, bodies burnt and shredded by the explosion.
He dropped his shields and peered into the smoke, but Jisei vanished like a ghost.
He tapped his com. "Lost one, Incognito."
"I know. Lots of interference there. Unfortunately, your ECMs cut both ways."
Vigil glanced at the pair of triangular-shaped devices that whirred in wide, interloping circles around him. "Yeah, I forgot. She'll pop up somewhere. She'll be heading back to rendezvous with the team."
"I'll scan for them. Are you okay, Vigil?"
He sighed, walking over to where Beef smoldered on the ground. "Gotta admit, this hits hard. I just killed a member of my own team. Or it feels like it, anyway."
"Synoids aren't human. They're machines programmed to serve a function. Keep that in mind and focus on the mission."
"Yeah, I'm focused. I'm assuming they were attacking the gang because their targets were here."
"Yeah, I ran a scan on their holobands. Three of them took part in the execution."
"Well, they're dead along with a few of their friends. Any luck finding Nora Brewers?"
"Keep at it. Meanwhile, I'll head in Agent Banks' direction."
"Yeah, you might want to rethink that."
"Why would I?"
"It's like the girl said. You're recognizable to the people that know you. You've already been outed once tonight. I know you trust the girl—"
"She's not a threat, Incognito."
"Not saying she is. But she's a liability. You can't afford many of those. You can't afford any, but it is what it is now. No point getting any closer to Agent Banks than you have to. Vigil is a shadow, not a symbol. Anything else and your career will be a very short one."
Vigil nodded. "Okay, I get your point. I'll keep my distance. Now, you need to get me a target. Because this isn't over yet."
Ronnie and Isaac followed from a safe distance until Big Top and Rosy were picked up by their armored floater at the harbor. It lifted off vertically and shot toward the city, where Haven Core glimmered like a polished pearl, oblivious to the violent events occurring around it.
No, not oblivious. They just don't care.
"Damn it. No way we're going to catch them in time."
Isaac glanced behind them. "You kidding, Banks? How did you think I got here?"
She turned in time to see the RCE zip bike turn the corner and head their direction.
"You had it tailing us on autopilot the whole time?"
"Yeah. Wanna take a ride?"
She grinned. "Let's go."
They zipped across the bay, cutting across the water like a blade, keeping low to avoid detection. The Hellrazor's floater showed up as a blip on their tracking screen.
"Looks like they're headed for the Brickland District."
"That's where Nora Brewers lives. We've already been there. Scanned the building. No one was home."
"Well, she had to come back eventually. They either found out she's there or they're staking out the place."
"Hope it's the latter because these guys hit fast and hard. We might not make it in time to save her."
"Better step on it, then."
They shot forward, streaking toward the rage and noise of the angry city. The clamor and darkness swallowed them, forcing the zip bike to slow down and avoid the raging hotspots where rioters still clashed with the RCE Peacekeepers. Larger bipedal mech walkers stomped through the streets, curtailing the area and closing in with smoke, pepper spray, disorienting light flickers, and sick bombs. Behind them were heavily armored RCE troopers in riot shields and gear, ready to finally make arrests.
It'll be over soon. The Hellrazors will have to move quickly.
"Slow down. The address is just around the corner."
They parked the bike and advanced on foot. Weapons ready, moving back to back, sweeping every corner for an ambush. They were in the Warrens, where stacks of shipping container apartments soared so high that they were lost to sight. They formed rusty metallic walls, creating a haphazard maze of tenements that didn't collapse only because they were connected by a network of support braces that served as walkways and bridges from one stack to another. Cold drizzle dripped like rain from the snash that fell on the rooftops, melted and dripped down.
Good thing I already know where Nora Brewer's flat is, otherwise I'd be lost in this mess. It made her suddenly grateful for her small but tidy apartment in Manhaven. At least she had a view of something other than dirt and rust. She recalled that Jett lived somewhere in the Warrens. She hoped he was safe.
"Look out!"
Isaac folded his arms around her as the world exploded. Heat rippled over her, the ground erupted, and they sailed through the air in a bloom of flame and brilliant light. Her breath punched from her lungs when they slammed into a wall with the force of a car crash. Coppery blood filled her mouth from biting her tongue, waves of dizziness threatened to shove her to unconsciousness. If Isaac hadn't taken the brunt of the blast, she would have been dead.
"Have you been having fun, Agent Banks?" Big Top's voice echoed from the walls. So much like Jett's.
An armored mech clomped around the corner, painted in urban camouflage. It stood ten feet and looked like a humanoid beetle. Big Top was secured inside the armored interior, manning the controls. The exterior was armed with high-powered turret guns and cannons. It was enough to level the entire block. The robotic head turned in her direction.
"You and your friend have been having quite the night. Killing my men. Time to turn the tables."
Isaac stood. Uniform shredded, metallic shell exposed. He glanced at her. "Get out of here, Banks."
She shakily raised herself and tightened her grip on her handgun. "Not on your life. We’re partners."
"Then leave the mech to me. The rest of his squad have to be around here too. Now go!"
They spit directions as Big Top fired again. Ronnie leaped away from the blast, leaping to her feet and firing at Rosy as she leaped from behind a dumpster. The rounds found their mark, dropping Red before she could fire her weapon.
People were everywhere. Running from their flats in mass panic, screaming and shouting. The crossfire cut some down immediately, ruthless barrages from Big Top's turret guns. Ronnie seized a frantic woman and her child, hustling them away from the line of fire.
"Go. Keep running!"
She looked behind. Isaac's arm altered in shape, whirring and shifting into an ionized plasma channel. A high-pitched whine pierced the air as it charged, firing an electrolaser bolt that flashed like lightning when it struck Big Top's mech. The robotic machine staggered as its electrical systems malfunctioned.
Crushing impacts struck Ronnie like heavy punches to the chest, knocking her down. She rolled, avoiding another barrage from Jisei, who leaped from a third-story balcony, still firing. Ronnie scrambled on all fours, trying to make the corner before more rounds struck her. Her chest was on fire; she was sure her armor was penetrated.