Chapter 8

A Good Way To Die

Graves splits Destiny into two, replacing the shells inside of her with a more packed one. While he was reloading, he looked outside the window that was situated beside him. Police surrounded the place and civilians taking interest of the situation with some taking photographs. He was a dead man, no place to hide or run, trapped like a prisoner waiting for the hanging. He could also hear a voice that was loud yet dampened by the walls of the factory.

"Malcolm Graves" said the police outside. "Come out and surrender, put down your weapon and face Piltlovian law. If not, deadly force will be used."

Graves just grins and laugh a bit as the voice started to repeat, "Law dogs" said Graves to himself "Always followin' the book"

Graves finished reloading the shotgun and reconnects it into one. There was a saying when he was at The Locker "Ain't got time but planning", a saying that he hold to this day and helped him to go through the rough days. He gets out from the room and start planning on how to counter the situation. The voice that repeats will indicate how much time he have, if the voice stop, that mean the assault team will start the hunt.

Walking around the place, he knocks the big machinery, wanting to know the thickness of the steel. He doesn't know what was the factory was producing but the steel plates was thick enough to stop a few bullets. Since the factory had the big machinery that occupy much of the spaces of the factory, it provide narrow path that he could take advantage on it.

Then he goes to the near ladder that will lead to an upper platform, he put down Destiny and climb the ladder. The platform had just enough space for someone to walk and meant for maintenance of the hanging pipes and machinery that was at the roof. He arrived at the platform and it started to shake, he could feel the screws and bolts was about to give. But he balanced himself and the platform started to stabilize.

From the high point, he was at a disadvantage. Snipers could take base at the platform, with a clear view of below. The big machinery can give him cover from sniper fire but an assault team could pin him down. Graves came down and pick up Destiny, then an idea came up. He took out a shell and throw at the ground, he shot the shell and it explode. Since the shell doesn't have a barrel to focus the energy, it explode the buck into many directions just like a grenade.

So he put shotgun shells on the small spaces of the metal struts that hold the platform, one shot and it would create a chain of small explosion that was strong enough to destroy the platform. After Graves finishes the setup, he then takes out a few shells and hold it for a while.

He realizes the small holes that was at the floor and it was abundant. He put one shell if the hole was small and two or more if bigger. He put the copper part facing up so that anyone steps it would ignite the shell. Since the robots in the city were metal and the boots of police teams contain little metal, just a contact was suffice to activate the shell to explode.

Graves finished and got up from kneeling to set up the traps, the sigh of relief sounded the factory knowing that all the traps were ready. He solved all the problems, ground forces would be lessen by the traps in the holes. It was common sense that snipers would take high point and the only high point that the factory provide was the platform, the only thing he had to do was to shoot the struts and the platform would came down like rain.

Graves then sits beside Destiny and put her on his lap, he touches and runs his hand at Destiny barrel, feeling the scratches and the uneven surface of the two barrel at his fingertips. He stopped when his hand arrive at the end of the barrel, he smiled as he could remember how did Destiny gets the scratches from the various work that he done.

"It's been a long time" said Graves to Destiny. "You've been pantin' like an old bull, you spoiled girl"

It was weird for someone like Graves to do such thing but ever since TF betrayal, he trust no one.

"Well part of it was m'fault but I'm gonna pamper ya' after this is over" Graves pats Destiny. "A girl like you should be rewarded, been with me since the beginning"

Destiny was with him from the day that he bought her until this very day, as the day has passed, he started to talk with the shotgun like it was a human being, listening his thought and feelings. Then he remembers something, he forgot to make a plan to escape. Plans to fight and counter was already set, but in time, he will dried up with only his fist to fight in a gunfight.

"I've been thinkin..'" Graves leaned and closed his eyes. "I think it's time for us to hang the coat"

Graves was still human, he still has a heart, and hearts always has doubts. Most of the times he fell down, fell down hard. But revenge kept him moving and he got up even though he was getting lower. He was stupid to keep playing the game, he kept bluffing without realizing the cards in his hand. There is no use to make the plan, whether he would fight till the death or face the court and wait for the hanging.

He lose the game and starting to accept the loss, but if you play a game, you have to finish it properly. So Graves got up and go to the center of the factory, facing at the iron door entrance. Graves knew that they would come from the front and also the back door, surrounding him into an inevitable end. Graves going to make sure that the police will try their best to kill him and bring six to seven law dogs with him.

"Outgun and outnumbered" said Graves as he smirk "Ain't that a good way of dying."

He hold Destiny firmly and waits for the police come in to the factory.