Heat (Part 2)

It turned out what was covering the fountain wasn't glass; it was a thick plexiglass. Beneath it ran a film of water over brightly multicolored tiles, giving the entire structure a crystalline look that sparkled like colored quartz in the high noon sunlight that drifted in through the skylight. If it hadn't been for the gunfire, Faith might have stopped to appreciate it.

She realized that the plexiglass was probably a good thing. One warning was all she got from the private security before they opened fire. If the fountain had been covered in glass, the whole thing would have come down in jagged shards, likely with her on top of it. As it was, the bullets just let large, gaping holes in the plastic that spurted out water. Her shoes squeaked against the plexiglass as she climbed it faster than a ladder. Another shot, with a spray of shimmering chunks flying everywhere, she wasn't so sure if it would hold after all.

At the top of the fountain, she jumped towards the second level balcony, throwing herself right through a pane of glass. It left a shallow, but hot cut across her arm as tumbled through, but she didn't let it stop her from sprinting. Crunching glass turned to tiled floor as she sped along the balcony, and the gunfire ceased as the guards lost their line of sight. With another burst of speed, she cleared the hand rail that ran along the balcony, taking a few good hard steps on the wall to clear the short gap to the next one. Below her she heard a gasp of surprise from a guard. Too surprised to shoot.

The second balcony followed the outside of the atrium, branching off to more offices. She couldn't, or maybe rather didn't, see anyone else, though it was the lunch hour. A receptionist's desk at the end of the balcony provided an excellent springboard for her to jump up to the third level. The guards on the ground floor had repositioned and begun to fire again. With the added distance between them, their shots went a little wider, but bullets were bullets; aimed at her was danger enough.

"Up Faith, go up, find that door!" Merc snapped. "You need to be long gone before CPF gets there. You're public enemy number one; you've got meal ticket written all over you!"

"Thanks for the reminder," she growled to herself. Private security was bad enough, but at least they weren't city officials.

In the cover of another office three floors up, the guards ceased fire once again, but it would only be a matter of time before they, or another squad moved in. The exit Merc directed her to was directly above her, but unless she moved further into the offices to find a staircase, and possibly more guards in the process, she couldn't reach it. There were, however, a line of poles aligned horizontally from beneath a walkway across that led to the opposite side of the atrium, where banners draped down over the center of the atrium. She traced the Flow across and…yes, she could make it, get up another level, then use the walkway to get to the roof!

Just like in the sewers, Faith leaped out and grabbed the first pole, using her momentum to swing forward and grab the next one. It was harder than the sewer pipes, solely for the sake that she risked getting tangled in the banners and losing precious speed. There were a total of three, and by the time she hit the second one, another stray bullet was fired upward, putting a hole in the skylight above. Whether they were worried about bringing the glass ceiling down, or for some other reason, the guards didn't fire again, and Faith made it to the other balcony, then scaled a wall to get up to the balcony above her. The door to the roof was at the end of it.

The door actually led right back outside, though she found herself in a small passage that led around the roof. The outer wall and ceiling was glass, giving view to the city. Faith followed it around the corner, where the glass turned to the containing wall for the roof of the building. Eventually, it widened out, turning to a small terrace with a few tables and chairs and fake potted trees.

A door slammed open right ahead of her, and she nearly collided with a security guard. He had an automatic weapon in his hand, which he immediately trained on her. Faith ducked low, sliding on her thigh as a burst of deadly gunfire sprayed the air above her, then lifted her leg, catching him in the gut. She was on her feet in a flash as he stumbled back, grabbing the gun's frame with both hands and pulling from his hands. Before he could recover, she draped the gun across the back of his neck, then pulled his head forward into her knee. His head snapped back with a trickle of blood flowing from his nose, and she finished him off with a boot to the chest.

She flung the weapon away and continued running. Even though dropping the guard took a little more than five seconds, behind her she could hear the sound of boots running. The rest of them were already catching up.

The terrace continued a short distance, ending with a railing at the edge of the building. The next rooftop was close, close enough that all she had to do was put on a burst of speed then kick off the railing to reach it. Although she heard some voices and shouts behind her, she kicked in through the next roof access door, leaving the security force on the other roof. From there, she found an elevator that she could have taken to reach a lower section of rooftop, but it was out of service. That didn't stop her from prying open the doors and climbing down the shaft.

"Merc, what's the word?" she asked after exiting the shaft, slowing her movement to a jog.

"CPF still inbound to Burfield's office, so keep moving," he replied tersely. "Drake's got a hideout up ahead. See the cranes?"

Faith pushed through a door, back out on the rooftops, then looked up and over the path ahead of her. Two large cranes rose out of a downtown construction project a few blocks away.

"Yeah, I see them."

"Head towards 'em. You've fallen off the routes,so you're better off following the Flow for now. Once you get closer, I'll point you in the next direction."

All she needed was distance. Now that she had ditched security, CPF would canvas the area when they arrived, especially if they knew it was her they were chasing. As long as she could make it out of their search pattern, she could slip away.

The Flow was easy to follow. Heading into downtown, the rooftops got closer together. Gaps between buildings were short and easy, and there was plenty of ground clutter to mantle, jump, and slide around to find optimal paths. But as she traversed the rooftops, that ominous buzzing hit her ears even before Merc warned her.

"Shit Faith, old friend of yours. Chopper inbound!"

It was hard to pick it up at first, but then she saw the CPF helicopter drift out from behind a high-rise. Faith immediately ducked out of view. It had been heading towards Ropeburn's office, but at the last moment, it had started to slow down. When she peeked around the corner, it hovered for a bit, then changed its heading, starting to circle around the area.

"Merc, it might have spotted me, but maybe not," she relayed. "Looks like it's making a sweep around the rooftops."

"Oh great," Merc complained. "And without any easy routes to disappear into. That part of downtown is full of dead ends. Step on the wrong rooftop,you have to double back and find another way."

"Any ways out from my current position?"

"Yeah,but not without you getting spotted. You need to lie low for a bit.Gimme a sec."

While he worked, Faith kept her eyes on the chopper from her hiding spot between two AC units and some piping. She hated having to sit and hide, but she hated it less than getting chased and shot at. The helicopter continued its slow crawl across the sky. It was getting closer, but unless she did something to catch its attention, she could stay hidden. On the adjacent rooftop, it swung low and hovered for a bit. A cable dropped from the side door, and a cop rappelled down onto the surface.

That was different. She had never seen Blues operate like that. Usually, if a Runner was spotted by a helicopter, all they had to do was get to a lower route and shake it off. They never dropped cops to comb the rooftops. Then again, she never expected the ambush in the Howitz building two days ago, or the soldiers in the sewers.

"Okay, I have an idea, but you're probably not going to like it."

"I'm open to suggestions," she muttered back. "They're starting to drop Blues on the rooftops."

"Seriously? Haven't seen that before…Two blocks north,next to the cranes is a pretty good mess of scaffolding. The new Daily City HQ is being built there, plus a couple of side projects on the surrounding blocks. Buildings are too close together for a chopper. However…"

"Let me guess, one way in?"

"Yep, takes you about two blocks off any navigable route. You can get to the roof next to it,but that's it, and that's a dead end,too."

It left a lot of negative possibilities. If the chopper zeroed in on her, it could call for back up, and she'd be stuck while Blues made their way up from the streets. If the chopper was dropping Blues on the roof, it could cut off her way back, which meant she'd be boxed in…still, it was better than nothing.

When the chopper flew low over her, she bounded out, making a b-line straight north for the cranes. Only a few seconds later, the pilot caught sight of her, dipped its nose, and moved in. By then, she had covered the first of two rooftops. By the time she hit the second, the cop on the bullhorn was already yelling for her to stop and surrender.

The scaffolding Merc mentioned stretched around an incomplete building, a proverbial labyrinth of metal platforms, poles, and sheet metal. Blue tarps hung from irregular intervals, and construction tools and equipment were scattered every few feet in every conceivable spot. It was literally a vertical maze of hiding spots, but she noticed right away Merc's reservations. She could make the jump to the scaffolding, and to one of the buildings next to it, but the construction seemed separated from the rest of the buildings.

Nevertheless, she made the leap, landing on the lowest level of scaffolding and immediately disappeared into the mess of beams and platforms. The chopper tried to stay with her, but she snaked through, around, and over materials, careful to keep her movements slow and discrete as she made her way further up. It hovered persistently for a bit, then started to circle the half-finished building like a shark. Every now and then, it had to break off because of the lack of room, but it would always try to rear up next to the building and try to spot her out.

"Faith, Blue traffic is getting pretty heavy in the plaza below," said Merc. She couldn't see them directly, but she heard the sirens below, and the faint flash of blue lights reflecting from the windows on the surrounding buildings. "Keep working your way up and get ready to double back. Gonna be a close one."

The clock was ticking. If the Blues on the street had already arrived, then it wouldn't be long before they came up to say hello. Faith warily glanced back towards the way she came. The helicopter had dipped out of sight, but she still heard the rotors nearby. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were starting to figure out something about their routes, but she knew that was impossible; only a Runner would know the regular paths and routes they took.

It didn't change the fact that there would probably be cops waiting for her if she doubled back. If there was only a way to move forward…

She looked up, through the beams of the scaffold to the pair of cranes on the buildings next to her. One was next door, the other on the block next to it. Their arms were stretched over the street, almost crisscrossing.

It was faint, but she traced the Flow across the cranes, up the one on the block next door, up the arm, then across the payload of the second. It would be an insane jump – no, suicidal – but hadn't she just done one like it the other day? The rooftops that connected to the second crane were closer together, and there was no doubt in her mind that she could slip away, as long as the helicopter was out of the equation.

As Merc suggested, she started climbing up, still being careful to stay out of sight from the helicopter. It had returned, and was trying to circle the scaffolding, but was still having trouble navigating the dense cluster of surrounding buildings. Finally, with a frustrated dip, it pulled up over the buildings and began to retreat.

"Helicopter's bugging out," Merc relayed, sounding relieved. Faith shared that sentiment. "Must have gotten a call from mom. Blues aren't far behind though,so don't hang around."

Faith was already moving, but it wasn't to get back the way she came. Instead, she worked her way to the top of the scaffolding. The roof of the high-rise was complete, though there was still construction clutter laying around: tools, unfinished materials, and small vehicles for lifting heavy loads. There was plenty of room to get speed, however, and she launched herself over the edge, just making it to the next rooftop that housed the crane with a hard roll.

"Faith, what the hell are you doing? There's no way off of there!"

She ignored him, instead focusing on how to get onto the crane. It was surrounded by a razor wire security fence with a locked gate, but there was a stack of pallets near the corner she could climb to jump over it. She turned towards it, built up some speed and—

BOOM.

The gunshot was loud, almost deafening. Faith jerked, ducking instinctively in stride and almost tipped forward from the start. Judging by the spray of buckshot that shredded the wall next to her, it was a shotgun. The Blue that fired it was dead ahead, having appeared to materialize out of thin air, jacking back the gun's forearm to chamber another shell, but he had gotten too giddy, and missed his first shot. He was wearing a white armored vest over his uniform, his badge pinned sloppily on the breast of it.

Faith recovered with a surge of adrenaline and ran straight him. He brought the gun up, but never expected her to dart to the side, step along the wall and lash out with a kick. She hit him on the arm, with enough force to turn his body and push his gun aside. As soon as she landed, she kicked again, this time straight ahead, but past him. The toe of her Loggo struck the bottom of the shotgun, knocking it free from his hand and sending it upwards, twirling over his shoulder. The cop still held onto it by the rear grip, but she reached forward and snatched it away, then drove the butt of the stock into the back of his skull. He went out like a light.

There wasn't time to celebrate such a fancy move. Another Blue stepped into view, almost identical to the first with another shotgun. He and his partner must have split up to cover the entire roof. Or the first had been only bait for an ambush, she didn't know. There was too much open space between them; he would cut her down if she tried to take him on, so she ran, leaping up the pallets and hopping the razor wire as another shot sounded and splintered the wood beneath her feet.

The crane's ladder was easily scaled, and she mantled the frame as easily as a child would a set of monkey bars with enough cover from the Blue below to keep him from shooting her ass off. Standing on top of it was almost dizzying; the drop to the rooftop was far enough, and beyond that she could see over the edge of the roof to the street below, a nearly fathomless distance with a tiny strip of street and cars. The sound was barely a whisper, save for the rushing sound of wind that threatened to off balance her.

She took a deep breath. The air felt thin, her nerves on end and primed with adrenaline. The Flow took her up the crane's arm, which was a foot or less wide. Not enough for an easy sprint. The jump to the other arm was too far to make; she'd have to jump to its payload instead, and hope her sudden addition to its weight didn't tip her over into the expanse below or have it shake loose.

The Blue below shouted up at her, but she took off running, rubber soles smacking on solid steel. It was impossible to take loping strides; the arm was just too narrow. Her feet scuffed her tied off pants, threatening to trip her up and send her tumbling, but she powered her legs hard, right up until the end of the arm—

—and leaped into the empty air. The Deadpoint was exhilarating, yet terrifying at the same time. The sound of rushing wind, the Blue, and traffic, distant that it might be, simply stopped. Her own heart thudded in her ears over a ringing silence as gravity lost its cruel hold for just a second, then wrapped around her with a new fury. Her arms pinwheeled once, trying to get that extra spurt of momentum from the jump and to keep herself balanced, and her legs scissored in midair to do the same.

The payload that hung from the arm of the second crane, about a dozen thick I-beams packaged together, was just as unyielding as concrete. It tipped under her weight in a foreign manner, and she rolled to absorb the shock. The pale blue sky and the red arm of the crane crossed her vision, and she wondered for a minute if she indeed was about to go tumbling over the edge.

The mass of the payload was plenty to absorb her light weight, only rocking slightly, and she rolled to her feet. Without hesitation, she took another bound and leaped off the beams, aiming for a tarp that sat on the corner of the next rooftop. It collapsed when she landed, but provided a safe enough cushion despite some bumps and bruises. When she clamored out of the mess of tarp and materials, she realized just how hard she was breathing, although she hardly felt winded at all.

On the other side of the gap, the Blue was just barely visible standing on the other side of the building's fencing. It was too far to make out his expression, but he was motionless. Stunned.

A burst of static hit her inner ear. "Jesus Christ Faith! Did you just do what I think you did?! God-dammit, I just spilled my Joe all over the keyboard."

"Re…relax, Merc, I'm fine," she managed to say settling into a light jog. As long as the helicopter was out she could shake the remaining heat. Her motions felt stiff, like she was running just after getting out of bed.

Through a roof access hallway, she was able to shake her limbs out a little more. Merc was silent on his headset, either fuming at her recklessness or cleaning up his desk. Or possibly both. If he didn't say anything about Blue traffic, that probably meant that she was in the clear. Some familiar landmarks came into view, and she recognized the area. She had left Ryding Park, entering the outer fringes of the city before it turned into suburbs. Merc's place was an hour or two away, but it was still early afternoon. She could make it in time for what she had planned.

"Merc?"

"Yeah?"

"See if you can dig up a way to contact Miller while I'm on my way back. I need to speak with him again."

Author's Note: I have to say, Heat is my least favorite chapter in the entire game, and I don't know why. It seems almost tacked on, despite there being a pretty big story element in it. I had a hard time writing this one, and it's probably not up to par, so I apologize for the slack off.