Ch. 14: Gadget vs. the Slater Gang

Two hours later the good doctors had repaired me as well as they could. I still had a fair bit of damage but at least system efficiency was at ninety-two percent. I didn't require any sleep yet so I stayed up watching the road leading to the salvage yard while the others slept. I heard footsteps behind me and a pair of arms wrapped around me a second later.

"How are you doing?" asked Shelby.

"I'm holding on," I breathed as I turned around.

"What are you going to do? Your face is all over the news, the police are still searching for you! We won't be safe here for much longer."

"I don't know what I'm going to do. Logically I need to bring the statement I have directly to King but it'll be difficult getting to him without getting blown up first."

"If you stay here it'll come to the same thing eventually."

"I know. I'm still trying to think of a way out of this but I'm not coming up with anything."

Shelby sighed as we both sat down and snuggled up next to me. "I'm sure you'll come up with something eventually. You always seem to."

"I hope so, cause otherwise there's no future for us."

"Don't doubt yourself, I know you'll find a way to make this right."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I smiled. "But what I'm really concerned about is you. How are you holding up?"

"As well as can be expected under the circumstances. I'm tired and feeling emotionally drained after all the worry you caused me. I still have half a mind to give you the cold shoulder for a week."

"Pease don't try to pin this entire situation on me, it's not entirely my fault."

"You're the one who went after Xavier without some backup."

"Well I didn't expect for him to know I was coming and have two 320s ready to kill me. I was expecting it to be a simple arrest, not a free for all," I defended myself.

"Still, it was a stupid thing to do."

"Yes, mom."

Shelby hit my arm with a frown on her face but I could tell she didn't mean it. Shelby yawned and rested her head against me before drifting off to sleep. I sat there for a while, softly stroking her hair and watching the road. I didn't know what future held for me, but I knew what I had to do. Tomorrow I was taking the fight directly to Xavier.

The sun had already been rising in the sky for several hours when everyone was finally awake. I was making sure my targeting system had been properly calibrated when Ashley approached me.

"So what's the plan?"

"I'm taking the fight to Xavier."

"You mean we're taking the fight to Xavier."

"No, I mean just me. If I go down you can say I forced you to help me in the parking garage and stay on the force. You've still got a future and I won't let you waste it for me."

"Hey, we're partners, in case you've forgotten, and if you're going after Xavier I'm going with you. Now how can I help?" she asked strongly.

I knew better than to argue with a woman who had her mind made up. I was going to answer when my hearing picked up the sound of a vehicle heading in our direction.

"There's someone coming our way, let's check it out."

"I'm right behind you."

We climbed to the second floor of the building we were situated in and saw two vehicles driving towards us. I magnified my view on the lead vehicle, a black Mercedes 5-Class.

"It's Slater and his goon squad. Gadgetmobile, we've got two vehicles coming our way, scan them and tell me what they're packing."

"I'm scanning the vehicles now… scan complete. They are carrying military grade heavy weaponry, Panther Assault Cannons to be precise. In your current state it is doubtful you will survive a direct hit."

"Duly noted, thanks for the intel, Gadget out. Ashley, get back down stairs, get everyone starting on packing. Once they're done get Gadgetmobile, drive to the gates and wait there."

"What are you going to be doing?"

"Distracting them. With the way this place is built and where we've parked Gadgetmobile they're on the only road we can use to get out of here. I'll lead them on a wild chase and double back to where we'll meet up and we can go straight to Archangel."

"I don't like this plan very much."

"Do you have a better one?"

"No."

"Didn't think so. Now go get the others out of here."

"If you die I'm going to kill you."

"Get in line, Shelby will kill me first. Now go!"

Ashley ran back down the stair well and I checked how much ammo I had left before heading for the confrontation.

"Alright boys, nothing fancy this time around. If you see the metal bastard, just kill him."

Slater was ordering his boys around as most of them got out of the bread truck, leaving Emil to drive. Unknown to them at the moment, I was a floor above them watching them walk by. I waited until they had passed my vantage point before making my presence known.

"You boys looking for me?"

Their reactions were instantaneous but I was a bit quicker. They turned and fired their cannons in my general direction but by the time they pulled the trigger I was already diving out of the way. I rolled across the floor, got into a crouching position and aimed at the closest one. The gunshot rang out and Kean yelled out in agony as an electrified projectile hit him.

"Shit, Kurtwood, Dean, cut him off! Move!" yelled Slater and his men hurried to comply.

I ran to the end of the platform I was on and jumped off the end. It was time to lead the boys a chase away from the road they were on. The bread truck rounded the corner of the building and accelerated straight towards me. I raised my gun and fired at the driver's side, forcing Emil to duck down. I smiled slightly and jumped out of the way seconds before he would have hit me. Instead Emil had rammed the truck into the side of the building. As the dust settled I turned and walked away to find the rest of the bastards. I didn't bother to check if Emil had survived.

Kurtwood and Dean were waiting for me in an ambush. Kurtwood was crouching behind some barrels while Dean was hidden around a corner. They heard my foot steps on the gravel as I got closer and closer until I passed Kurtwood's spot who sprang out from his hiding spot ready to blow me away.

"Good night, tin man!" he exclaimed as he fired.

The shell just missed me as I dropped and hit the wall of a building behind me.

"Drop it!" I ordered as debris fell back to earth.

"No, you drop it or I'll blow your metal ass all the way to the pearly gates!"

The retort I had died on my tongue as I heard a foot on the gravel behind me. It was a trap. My reflexes kicked in again for what seemed to be the umpteenth time in the past twenty-four hours and again ducked as the sound of the cannon being fired filled the air and felt the air rush above my head as the large caliber shell passed over me and hit Kurtwood instead. When the smoke cleared the only thing left of him a blood stain on the ground along with some ash and flecks of his clothes.

"Where is he? He should have been here by now, he's had more than enough time," griped Ashley as she drummed her fingers on Gadgetmobile's steering wheel.

They had been waiting for me by the gate for a little over ten minutes now and I had yet to show my face.

"I'm sure he's coming, just give him a little more time," placated Shelby.

"Actually, we don't know that for sure. Depending on what kind of heat the gang was packing he could be scrap metal right now."

"Jay!" exclaimed Taylor

"What?"

"That's not what the three of us need or want to hear right now!"

"I'm just saying…"

Jay stopped when he finally noticed the intense glares the three women were giving him.

"Fine, I won't finish that sentence."

"Thank you," said Shelby as Ashley looked at her watch again and sighed. Enough was enough.

"I can't take it anymore, I'm going back for him. Gadgetmobile, you keep them here, especially Shelby."

"Of course, Officer Miller. I'll keep a close eye on them."

"Great, I'll be back," she said as she pulled out her gun and ran back to the junkyard.

"You'd better think about this real hard," I said to Dean as I turned to face him. "Because two of your associates are more than likely dead, Kurtwood is certainly dead, and I'm not out to arrest you anymore. So, what's your decision?"

I smiled at him, the effect of which was to twist my disfigured face more and make it more disturbing.

"I give up!" he admitted and tossed away his cannon.

"Smart move," I said and shot him where he stood.

I walked away with the sounds of Dean's agonized moans in the background and went in search of the big boss.

"Where are you, Slater? It's time we finished this."

A/N: It's taking a while, but this fic is almost done, I assure you. Just another chapter or two to go. And the ending will probably not be what you think it will be, that I can assure you of. As always, reviews=love.