Chapter 24

There was a loud report. The pistol kicked in my hand. And nothing happened. I looked on with disbelieving eyes as Jesus simply laughed.

"You are that dumb, aren't you? You actually think I would give you a loaded gun."

"But…"

"Blanks, my dear boy, blanks."

I glanced around the café. Everything seemed to be in still frame as Jesus' mocking laugh filled my ears. It was like we had stepped into an artist's still life as everyone held their breath in anticipation of what was to come. For a brief moment my gaze met Rei's, and she gave me the barest shade of a nod.

Then she sprang into motion. She twisted in Boris' grip and latched onto his neck with one hand. As she did so, her form shimmered, elongating as the mocha tint of her skin softened to pale pink. Her jacket and jeans metamorphosed into a battered leather duster, and the brown of her hair turned to platinum locks with the barest hint of pointed ears protruding from underneath. Boris' eyes lit up as a surge of magical energy coursed into his body. His arms jerked spasmodically as if he had latched onto an electrified fence. Then his eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and Diana, now freed from her magical mask, let the limp body flop to the ground.

As soon as the dwarf hit the ground, the scene exploded into motion, gunfire erupting around me on all sides. I scrambled back toward an upended bench and dropped to the ground behind it while Michelson's men pushed the concrete table over, bullets whizzing overhead as both sec-men and gangers opened fire and ran for cover. I looked up, thankful to find that Diana was right beside me.

"We've got to move!" she shouted over the din of gunfire as several rounds slammed into the bench.

I knew it as well as she did, but I didn't have time to say so. One of Michelson's sec-guards poked her head over the table. Instead of ducking for cover again when she saw me, she twisted, trying to bring her pistol into line. Bad move. My cyber-gun spoke first, chewing into her face like a meat grinder. She sank behind the table once more, gurgling faintly. Then I was on my feet and running

"Follow me!" I shouted to Diana as a new volley of gunfire erupted from Michelson's men.

My feet pounded on the pavement and the blood rushed through my ears as I dashed for the café front counter, hoping that Diana was still on my heels. I was dimly aware of the bullets whizzing past me, but I stubbornly kept up my headlong flight. I was just a few steps away form the counter when something slammed into my shoulder. It felt like a troll had just beamed me with an eight-ball, but I almost welcomed the painful sensation—it meant that my jacket's ballistic weave had held. I staggered forward another step as another round hit square between my shoulder blades. Somehow I stayed on my feet and made one last desperate lunge for the counter.

I sailed through the air and belly-flopped onto the counter top, rolling over the edge to slam into a metal cabinet on the other side. I finally came to a rest on the floor, face to face with the frightened youth that had been manning the shop. I didn't have time to say anything to him, because a split-second later Diana sprang over the counter. A hail of lead chased her as she swung over the edge and landed on all fours. Bullets peppered the soda fountain behind us, sending a spray of KenolaCola geysering up into the air.

Suddenly another figure leaped over the counter. The leather-clad ganger initially landed on his feet, but he slipped in the soda and hit his ass hard, sprawling out in the foamy puddle now spreading across the floor. As the green-haired Razor groaned and rolled over, I saw that he clutched an Uzi III submachine gun in both hands and had an obscenely long knife strapped to his thigh. I also caught sight of the brass ring imbedded in his snout; it was my old friend Bullnose.

But there was no time to exchange pleasantries. I gathered myself into a crouch as Diana stuck her head over the counter for a brief second before she was chased back down by another fusillade of autofire.

"What's the situation?" I asked as I stuck my hand into my pocket, searching for a speed loader for the Warhawk.

"Bad. Two of the Razors are pinned down, another KIA. Some of Michelson's men are still there, but the others are hustling for the road."

My fingers found the loader. I popped out the revolver's cylinder and slammed the rounds home, snapping the magazine shut with a flick of my wrist. I accessed my commlink with the other hand. "Blitz, you read me?"

"Loud and clear. What the hell is going on there? The boys on my end are stirred up madder than a hornet's nest."

"Ran into a little snag, but we're okay. Michelson is headed back to the motorcade according to plan. Can you meet us at the street?"

"Roger that. I'll be there in two minutes."

I clicked the comm. in acknowledgement and rose up over the counter to snap off a quick shot at one of the sec-men that had just began a mad dash for the coffee stand. The warhawk kicked in my hand, and the round struck the man in his upper thigh. He gave a scream and pitched forward onto the graveled patio. I ducked behind the counter again before anyone could return fire.

"We can't afford to stay here and duke it out with these yabos," Diana yelled over the din of flying bullets. "We've got to catch up with Michelson."

"I know, I know!" I yelled back. I looked to the store clerk who was still cowering on the floor like a scared puppy. "Is there a back way out of here?"

He looked like I had just whispered to him the secret of life—and in a certain respect, I suppose I did. In the heat of the moment, he had evidently forgotten about that avenue of escape. His eyes widened like a telescopic lens. "Y-yes," he stammered.

"Show me," I ordered, grabbing him up by the scruff of his neck and shoving him toward the back.

We ran bent over double until we made it to the back, and then we rushed for the back door, following the clerk's lead. As soon as we reached it, I grabbed the handle and twisted, slamming my shoulder into the steel face. The door flew open, and I advanced through with the Warhawk held before me. Outside was a small paved portico, the only illumination being a bare street light mounted just above the building. A steel railing was mounted on the edge of the small patio, and a dumpster stuffed with cardboard boxes and all manner of consumables occupied the corner.

I looked at the clerk and gestured to the dumpster. "You hide behind that thing and don't come out until the shooting stops and you hear sirens, you got me?

He nodded dumbly, and I shoved him toward the corner. As I turned back, Diana had already vaulted the railing, the tail of her duster fluttering behind her. Bullnose and I followed her lead, hopping the rail before we crashed through the underbrush after her. The goons in the café proper opened fire on us, filling the air with a deluge of slugs. I kept going though, trees popping and splintering as the whizzing bullets turned wood into splinters. My breath was hot in my chest as I dodged and weaved through the foliage. More than once I stumbled over a protruding root, but I recovered and kept going, the promise of vengeance spurring me onward.

Suddenly we were at the street. I burst through the trees onto the sidewalk with my gun in my hand and fire in my eyes, wildly looking around for Michelson's motorcade. The street outside was mostly deserted, but a few pedestrians still meandered down the sidewalks, and more than a few cars streaked down the road. In a matter of seconds I had located my quarry, parked about thirty meters down the street. At that moment, two of the Ayanami sec-goons were in the process of helping Jesus into one of the sedans, the rest having already loaded up.

Without thinking, I lifted the Warhawk and fired. The magnum round struck one of the goons in the shoulder, spinning him around like a top. Someone somewhere screamed as the other guard shoved Jesus into the vehicle and tried to follow after him, but a chattering blast from Bullnose's Uzi caught him in the hip. He clutched his leg and went down screaming. With a screech of tires, the motorcade screeched away without him, racing off down the street. The pedestrians began to run for cover, and more than a few cars swerved and put on the gas, trying to flee from the firefight.

"Blitz!" I shouted into the commlink, "We're about to have Lonestar all over us. Where the hell are you?"

"I'm almost there, hold on!"

I swore and gestured to the sec-men still writhing on the ground. "Make sure those guys don't go anywhere."

"I'm on it," Bullnose said gruffly. He shouldered his weapon and jogged down the sidewalk toward them.

"Sugar," I said again into the comm., "What's the situation?"

"They're not hooked directly into the grid, but I've put in some false signals indicating construction zones and corresponding detour routes. They'll probably take the bait, but there's no guarantee."

"I'm sure someone's hit a panic button already. Lonestar is going to up our ass in a few seconds."

"There have already been a couple calls, but I was able to reroute them. Don't expect it to last, though. They've already started to pick up."

"Do what you can and keep me posted."

"Will do."

Just then the van tore around the corner of a side-street. Blitz brought it to a skidding stop at the sidewalk beside us. The side door slid open, revealing Rei—the real one—squatting in the doorway. She wore a combat harness over an armored vest, clutching Ingram smartgun in one hand.

"Come on, we don't have much time!" she shouted, extending a hand toward me.

I glanced back to tell Bullnose to get going, but what I saw made my gut lurch. He loomed over the two wounded men, his knife drawn and glinting in the street lights overhead. He grabbed one by the hair, preparing to draw the blade across his throat.

"What the frag are you doing?" I shouted.

"You said to take care of them," he snarled back. "And that's what I'm doing."

I took a seething step toward the ganger, but Diana stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

"We don't have time for this. Michelson is getting away!"

She was right. The dispute would have to wait. We had to take care of business first. "Put that up and get over here!" I shouted, swinging up into the van. Diana got in after me as Bullnose sheathed the weapon and jogged back to the van. Finally he got in, shooting me a scathing look, and I slammed the door behind them.

I returned the ganger's stare. "We'll talk about this later. Blitz, hit it!"

The rigger hit the gas, catapulting us down the road after our quarry.