This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself.

Chapter Four – Hard Driving

The blue smart fortwo convertible whizzed down the main road paralleling the Tiber River in pursuit of a 1994 Fiat Uno that contained two wanted PRF terrorists. While the smart's 800-cc 3-cylinder diesel engine produced 40 horsepower, the 999-cc 4-cylinder engine in the Uno generated only 5hp more, but was also carrying more weight.

"Faster! Faster!" Petrushka yelled as she waved her Spectre M4 in her right hand, her hair flying back in the wind. Beside her, Alessandro was hunched over the wheel, threading the car through the traffic, which was heavy enough to keep both parties from engaging each other with their firearms.

On the other side of the river, north of their location, Kara was trying to will the traffic away before her F430 while Michele alternately squeezed his eyes shut and bit his tongue to keep from swearing.

"Come on!" she groused, laying on the horn, flashing her lights and blipping the throttle. Any opening equal to the length and width of the Ferrari was immediately filled as she worked her way south.

The Fiat hung a right on the Via Luisa di Savola and Alessandro followed. Meanwhile, Kara had fought her way to the Ponte Pietro Nenri over the river and sliced across oncoming traffic to barrel across it. She continued down the side streets, intimidating cars out of her way with the shriek of the Ferrari's V8.

Alessandro followed the Fiat along the Viala del Muro Torto as it wound through the parklands of the Villa Borghese. Kara, meanwhile, hammered along the Viale Giorgio Washington, the Viale Fiorello La Guardia and finally the Viale San Paolo del Brasie. She came out behind the other two, tearing across the Corso d'Italia to the sound of horns and shrieking tires. She then started to worm her way up towards Alessandro. Meanwhile, Giuse and Henrietta were screaming down the Viale del Policlinico as fast as traffic and the Porsche Boxster's flat-6 engine would allow.

It all came to a head at the intersection of the Corso d'Italia and the Via Nomentana. Alessandro used the wider spaces to bring the fortwo up beside the Fiat on the left and Petrushka fired a burst from her Spectre into the left front tire, shredding it. The loss of traction and steering caused the car to jink to the left, almost clipping the smart and forcing Alessandro to brake heavily. The Fiat tried to stop, but it's braking performance was diminished due to the blown tire and it mounted the curbing of the Monumento al Bersagliere at the Piazzle di Porta Pia and came to an abrupt stop against the base of the statue.

Kara overshot trying to avoid hitting Alessandro and skidded to a sideways stop next to the monument. She jumped out of the car, drawing her pistol. Petrushka leapt out of the fortwo without bothering to open the door and as the Boxster screeched to a halt on the other side, Henrietta appeared, her FN90 at the ready.

"Everybody brought two-seaters, I see," Alessandro noted, wondering how they were going to take the two suspects into custody.

"I'll call Ferro," Giuseppe replied while Michele reached for his credentials that showed him as a member of the Carabinieri's Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale (Special Operations Group) and took a position to intercept the Polizia Stradale (Traffic Police) Fiat Punto winding it's way towards them.