My first instinct upon seeing the grenade was to find cover, I immediately launched myself to the left to hide behind the wall of the bedroom. Once the explosion subsided, I reached into the belt of the tiger guard and pulled out what looked like infrared goggles. I slipped them on and looked through the doorway, seeing two figures coming in through the hole that the grenade ripped open in the outside wall of the apartment. I pulled the gun from my pocket and took aim, shooting one in the chest, and another in the kneecap, making sure I had one of them to interrogate.
"Who sent you?" I said as I put the barrel of the gun against his head. He didn't speak, so I hit him aross the face with it. "Hello? Are you deaf as well as stupid?" The man looked past my head and started to laugh. I heard the small hum of a helicopter behind me, and as I turned I saw the pilot. "Nice to see you Jamie." His gravelly voice rang out over the megaphones strapped to the bottom of the helicopter. Black Mask.
I felt my face pale as I saw the gatling gun on the front of the helicopter start to take aim, I leapt to the side and watched as the bullet's ripped into the armed thug I'd been doing my best to interrogate. "Come out, come out wherever you are." I was about to look back around when bullets started shooting over my head through one of the boarded up windows. "Shit!" I screamed and pushed my body down even lower so I was pressed against the floor. I peered round and saw him pulling the pin out of a grenade before throwing it; I immediately ran slid forward hit the grenade back at the helicopter. It hit, and exploded with a sickening metal groan as it began to fall towards the apartment building.
I went to the back of the room, and waited for the impact, the building lurching forward and as it did, I ran to the hole in the wall and jumped, diving into the freezing cold water below.
When I hit the water, I immediately headed underneath the highway bridge that had fallen into disrepair. After what felt like an hour, the medics came to pick up Black Mask. At least he'd be out of action for a little while. I immediately pulled myself up onto one of the concrete bases and sat for a few seconds, removing the orange jumpsuit. I thanked god the jumpsuit was waterproof, as my clothes underneath had been spared from being soaked.
I took off the belt I'd stolen from the tiger guards and had a look through. There was some tear gas, ammo for the gun, a radio, a pen knife, several sets of transcription keys, and a smart phone that Strange had obviously had designed for the guards.
Using the penknife, I pulled off the back of the smart phone and slipped in the transcription keys that I'd found. I had an idea, but it involved me temporarily revealing myself. I typed in the familiar number and let it ring.
"Eddie? Is that you?"