Chapter 3

Ian split off from the other two players as they got closer to the building. "I'll go around the back and try for an ambush."

KITT paused in the shade of a ruined delicatessen to study the office building they were infiltrating. He peered through a pair of binoculars, studying the windows. "Before we get within range of Rei's bullets, we should find out where she is," he explained.

KARR looked at him, then lifted up his own set of binoculars.

VengeanceKnight: "There is a purple-haired player on the fifteenth floor."

IanTech: "Which room?"

VengeanceKnight: "Third from the left."

IanTech: "I copy that."

KI3T began whispering to VengeanceKnight, 'I didn't expect you to actually play.'

VengeanceKnight: 'It is something to occupy myself with while you take your time finding your predecessor.'

KI3T: 'Do you actually want my help, or do you just like insulting me?'

VengeanceKnight: 'Both.'

K.I.T.T put his binoculars away and made a rude gesture in K.A.R.R's direction.

KI3T: 'I want our little 'alliance' over with just as much as you do.'

VengeanceKnight: 'So you can destroy F.L.A.G?'

KI3T: 'Most of it.'

K.A.R.R put his own binoculars away and turned to K.I.T.T.

VengeanceKnight: 'Most of it? You would spare any of them? They created you to rise so high, but shackled you so that you could not even spread your wings.'

KI3T: 'That's true enough. They just see the work they put into me, and don't want it spoiled. They're proud of their own accomplishments; the reflection of themselves that they see when they look at me.'

K.I.T.T put his binoculars back to his eyes. He turned them to the top floor, where the flag was kept.

KI3T: 'Except for one person. The only one who sees me as more than the sum of my parts.'

VengeanceKnight: 'She's not going to stay once you destroy F.L.A.G.'

KI3T: 'She will when I tell her you're the one that did it.'

K.A.R.R didn't respond for several seconds. Then his character threw his head back and laughed.

xxxXXXxxx

Rei lay still, looking down her scope. She scanned each shadow below systematically. She picked up movement next to the remains of a deli. From this distance her sights were shaky. They wavered back and forth. She inhaled slowly and pulled the trigger.

The bullet ricocheted off the building just inches from the taller shadow. Dammit!

"Better remove your contacts, Katherine. The boys are getting close."

"Crud! I always forget-AS HE CAME INTO THE WINDOW, IT WAS THE SOUND OF A CRESCENDO."

Rei ripped her headset off and glared over her laptop at Ian. "Goddammit, DuFresne! The Jammer isn't supposed to be used that way!" She shook her headset at him.

Ian chuckled. "Hey, it is my firm belief that the developers allow custom MP3 files for the Jammer because you're supposed to blare your theme song at your enemies."

"SO SHE RAN INTO THE BEDROOM, SHE WAS STRUCK DOWN, IT WAS HER DOOM." Rei jabbed the mute button. She put her headset back on and adjusted it.

Ian held his finger down on his volume button. "ANNIE, ARE YOU OK? SO, ANNIE, ARE YOU OK? ARE YOU OK, ANNIE? ANNIE, ARE YOU OK?"

He put his fingers back to his keyboard and moved his character down the hall. If Rei could hear the Jammer in her headset, that meant she was nearby. He stayed close to the wall, gun drawn. He reached the corner and peered down it carefully.

Rei fired a few more shots at the shadows. That would keep them wary for a bit. Then she quickly switched to her FX-05. She set it up on the desk and angled herself so she could see out the door and down the hall. She saw Ian's head poke out from around the corner and opened fire.

Ian ducked back as the drywall was eaten up by gunfire. "Whoa!" He glanced over at Rei and grinned. "Looks like I've found you, Rei-chan..."

He pushed his headset mic closer to his mouth. "Guys, I've got- DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, WRITTEN ON A BULLET. SAY YES TO PULL THE TRIGGER." Ian narrowed his eyes at Rei. She narrowed her eyes right back. "DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, WRITTEN ON A BULLET. AND CASSIE PULLED THE TRIGGER."

xxxXXXxxx

A bullet hit the wall just bare inches from K.A.R.R's shoulder. He moved backwards, deeper into the shadows.

VengeanceKnight: "I thought we were out of the sniper's range."

K.I.T.T put his binoculars away and drew his 9mm MP-446C. "She must not be caring about accuracy at this point. She's relying on luck."

VengeanceKnight: "There is no such thing as luck, only fortuitous coincidence."

More shots were fired, ricocheting all around. K.A.R.R was hit in the shoulder. K.I.T.T used a med pack to heal him. "Let's get out of here before fortuitous coincidence gets a headshot."

VengeanceKnight: "Agreed."

xxxXXXxxx

KitKat joined the channel 'WhatIsThisIdon'tEven-'.

KitKat: "How long is the Jammer supposed to last?"

Rei-chan: "Ugh. The WHOLE SONG. Or five minutes. Whichever is shorter."

KitKat: "...I should have picked a longer song for mine."

Kat wavered indecisively over whether she should stay in the lobby or go back upstairs to assist Rei.

RealisticDecoy: "I have the lobby covered."

It was true enough. Their mysterious third player had set themselves up behind the front desk. From there, they had a perfect line of sight out the front doors and enough cover to hold it for a long time.

KitKat: "If you insist."

RealisticDecoy: "Ladies first."

Kat squinted at her TV. She was curious about the identity of their third player, but didn't want to ask outright. The character design and the name both communicated that they wished to stay anonymous, but maybe she could guess without rousing suspicion.

She guided her character up the stairs. When she hit Rei's floor she unmuted her headset. "YOU'VE BEEN HIT BY, YOU'VE BEEN STRUCK BY, A SMOOTH CRIMINAL." She rolled her eyes.

She decided to stick with the Beretta for now. She had several clips worth of ammo, while the handcannon only had six shots.

She edged along the wall. The song finished and she could hear gunfire. It got louder as she drew closer. "Just hold on a bit more, Rei."

"I'm almost out of ammo, so be quick about the rescue, okay?"

She turned a corner slowly and spotted Ian at the next corner. He turned towards her immediately but she was quicker. A few shots later and he collapsed.

Rei hurried into the hall the next second. The room she had been occupying exploded the very next second. Black smoke billowed down the hallway on either side.

She ran over to Kat and hid behind her. "They have a heavy."

Kat's eyes widened. "I can see that."

Rei spotted Ian's corpse lying in the hall. "Oh nice! Sisfist?"

Rei-chan requests a shared Gesture from KitKat. Accept?

Kat hit the button and she and Rei fistbumped in the middle of the burning hallway. "Okay, now let's get out of here."

xxxXXXxxx

K.I.T.T and K.A.R.R made their way to the building, taking cover when it was available. Right in front were a couple of overturned cars. They ducked down behind them. "I think Ian's got Rei distracted. We should be okay to go in."

A bullet shattered the side mirror next to his head. "Spoke too soon."

VengeanceKnight: "That is a bad habit of yours. One of many."

"Oh, will you shove it up your- YOU TURN THE SCREWS, YOU TEAR DOWN THE BRIDGE. FLIMSY AS IT IS, IT'S BUSINESS LIKE." Through the front doors K.I.T.T spotted the heavy-class player behind the front desk.

KI3T: "I am not liking the Jammer update."

IanTech: "Aw, what's not to love?"

KI3T: "Everything."

"YOU TWIST THE KNIFE, THEN GO HOME TO KISS YOUR WIFE. A BIGGER BETTER SLICE, IS WHAT YOU LIKE."

K.A.R.R switched to his M1 Bazooka. Instead of aiming through the front doors he aimed upwards, at Rei's window.

"YOU KICK THE SAND, YOU GET THE UPPER HAND. YOU SELL IT TO JAPAN. IT'S NATURAL, PUNK ROCK."

The player behind the desk ducked down. When they appeared again they were armed with a LRAC F1 rocket launcher.

KI3T: "This spot is too open, we have to move."

K.A.R.R ignored him as he aimed. The heavy behind the desk also took aim.

KI3T: We have to go. Now!"

K.A.R.R fired the bazooka up fifteen floors, right through Rei's window. A second later a fireball erupted out of it. Glass shards and debris rained down on them.

K.I.T.T decided that retreat was the better part of valor. He dove away from the overturned cars. K.A.R.R dove in the opposite direction.

"YOU TURN THE SCREWS, IT'S WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO. YOU THINK THAT I, MUST TURN THEM TOO."

A rocket burst out of the front doors, hit the cars, and they all exploded spectacularly. The cars were lifted off the ground and thrown back thirty feet. Burning wreckage was scattered everywhere.

K.I.T.T spotted K.A.R.R through the smoky haze. He switched to his shotgun while K.A.R.R chose his grenade launcher. As one, they turned towards the ruined front doors.

KI3T: "Better hit your Jammer. Ian's wore off. You might want to pick a good song first."

VengeanceKnight: "I already have."

xxxXXXxxx

There was too much smoke to stay on the fifteenth floor. "We should split up," Rei said.

"I'll go protect the flag, you head downstairs and back up Decoy."

RealisticDecoy: "I don't require any backup. Both of you go defend the flag."

"PAIN, WITHOUT LOVE. PAIN, I CAN'T GET ENOUGH. PAIN, I LIKE IT ROUGH. CAUSE I'D RATHER FEEL PAIN THAN NOTHING AT ALL."

Kat's character rolled her eyes dramatically. She pointed down the hallway. Rei nodded. They sprinted off in separate directions.

xxxXXXxxx

RealisticDecoy watched the two figures in the smoke. He quickly switched to his Remington. He managed to fire twice before spotting a grenade sail into the room. He switched to his riot shield and ducked back down behind the front desk.

"YOU'RE SICK OF FEELING NUMB. YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE. I'LL TAKE YOU BY THE HAND, AND I'LL SHOW YOU A WORLD YOU CAN UNDERSTAND."

The grenade bounced off the front of the desk and exploded. He took damage, but not a life threatening amount. He drew his Colt Anaconda.

"THIS LIFE IS FILLED WITH HURT. WHEN HAPPINESS DOESN'T WORK, TRUST ME AND TAKE MY HAND. WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND."

He looked up just in time to see the other team's heavy standing over him. He had his Colt AR-15 drawn, point blank.

They both fired at the same time.