Dirty Pair and Predator are used without permission.
As always, C&C is welcome and appreciated.
=========================================================
STARCOM SECTOR--RESIDENTIAL BOCK BETA--CORIX HILTON--FLOOR 100
TIME: 0900
DATE: 2143.06.26
Yuri stood in front of the small bathroom mirror, a sonic toothbrush in her
mouth. For the past five minutes, she'd been trying to get that damn weird
taste out of her mouth. Try as she might, she just couldn't place it...
She couldn't believe what had happened. She had SLEPT with
that...that...PERVERT! He slept with her and Kei at the same time! Her
temper started to flare again. Pausing in the ministrations to her teeth,
she took a few deep, slow, calming breaths through her nose, since her mouth
was filled with the toothbrush and paste. Finally confident that she could
continue without damaging her teeth, she proceeded.
Her memories of last night were fuzzy and few. All that booze really worked
her brain cells over. For some reason, she felt there was a definite
blessing in not remembering....
She froze in mid-brush, a terrifying thought ocurring to her.
That...Ryo...something-or-other, Kei and herself were all plastered and in
bed. Was it possible? That she...and...Kei...?
She dismissed the thought after a few moment's consideration. There was no
chance. She wasn't a lesbian, and neither was Kei.
However, though she'd never admit it to anyone of course, she'd had a
fantasy about it once or twice. Just to see what it would be like. Not that
she'd ever DO it, mind you...
She finished brushing, and spat out the foamy paste. Finally, that taste
was gone. She rinsed the toothbrush, and took a swig of mouthwash. After
sloshing it around, gargling, and spitting, she ran the water a bit more,
then left the room.
Unbeknownst to Yuri, though, something other than plaque had been dislodged
from her teeth. Around the drain were a few short, curly red hairs...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yuri stepped out of the bathroom, and was face-to-face with an irate Kei.
"Just what the hell took you so long?" She asked in a huff. She had an
angry scowl on her face.
"I was brushing my teeth, Kei." she replied. She walked past, and heard...
"DAMN, what IS that weird taste I've got in my mouth?" For a moment, Yuri
froze.
//Nah...\\ she thought.
============================================================================
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
TIME: 0905
DATE: 2143.06.26
|| A Hunter had to be patient. A good hunt could be an exciting chase and a
quick kill, but luring the Prey into a well-constructed trap and toying with
them before collecting the trophy had an allure all its own. Patience was a
virtue, and it was one any good Hunter had in great abundance.
The site was perfect. There were plenty of good spots to lie in wait, and
to mount ambushes. The terrain favored the Hunter quite well, also. All the
Oomans in the area wouldn't pose a threat, and some of them looked to be
decent trophies.
The trap was chosen, it was time for the bait. ||
============================================================================
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
TIME: 0907
DATE: 2143.06.26
She sat huddled in the dingy, filth covered alley, lost, confused, and
terrified. For what felt like the thousandth time, she asked herself,
Was it worth it?
It was like he always said, people weren't worth the trouble sometimes.
Another sob wrenched forth from her chest as she realized anew the chain of
events she'd set in motion. It was, to the best of her knowledge, all her
fault. Laura would be far from the last person she'd helped kill...
She had tried to make it right again. Calling in the 3WA was her best
recourse, and the agents they sent had been killed. Two more deaths on her
conscience.
She was certain that ViralTech had sent operatives to find the
Bio-Container, and her as well. She couldn't keep running forever, though.
Eventually, they'd catch her, and she'd answer for her crimes.
She had only one option left to her. 3WA had sent another team in, the
infamous Dirty Pair. Their reputations aside; she had to find them, to let
them know what she'd done.
Sarah Bryant loved him, but she had to stop him. Maybe then, she could
forgive herself.
============================================================================
OFFICE OF CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER A. EDWARDS--MORGUE--AUTOPSY ROOM
TIME: 1100
DATE: 2143.06.26
Two figures in green surgical scrubs and white breathing masks stood to
each side of the flat slab. On the green table was the corpse of the man
brought in the previous night. The morticians on duty were on their fifth
case of the day, and were very tired of standing in the Pit. The Pit was
what the morticians called the slightly sunken in circular, green tiled room
where the bodies of StarCom Sector's dead were analyzed when the causes of
death were suspect.
The blood had been cleaned off the dead man's face and neck. His face was
still horribly contorted, giving him a savage, animalistic visage.
"Case number 98-M-12698," read Arthur Edwards, "Name is Michael Pulaski. He
was brought in to Towler Memorial's Emergency Ward last night. He was
hemorrhaging, fever of about 115 degrees, exact cause uncertain. Speculation
is heart failure. Segawa?"
Nurse Mizky Segawa was a petite woman, her red hair in a bob atop her head.
"Lab results are in. A viral infection was detected. It was RRF." she said
in her falsetto voice.
"Hmmm... Rigellian Red Fever?" He looked down at Pulaski's body, a doubtful
expression on his face. "I've never seen a case this severe. Could be a
mutant strain. In any event, lets begin."
"Do you think it was a hot load?" Mizky asked. Hot Load referred to a
lethal dose of drugs purposely given to customers that dealers wanted to get
rid of. It was one helluva way to ask someone not to bring their business
around.
"No, preliminary blood tests didn't detect any controlled substances in his
body."
Chief Medical Examiner Edwards pried open Pulaski's mouth and peered inside
with a small penlight. "Odd," he remarked when the light shone on the dark
blood blisters that lined the inside of Pulaski's mouth. "This isn't a
symptom of RRF. Hand me the A-G scalpel." Mizky placed the small, pen-shaped
object into his outstretched right hand.
A-G stood for Argon-Matrix, a laser that could be configured to cut either
organic or inorganic matter. Methodically, he activated the scalpel,
beginning the incision at the right shoulder. The scalpel was a low-power
device, so only the flesh was cut. He moved the scalpel down, beneath the
pectoral, ending at the top of the abdomen. He then made another incision,
this time from the left shoulder to the point the last cut ended. A final
incision from that point down the abdomen to the pubic region. The skin
folded back, exposing the ribcage and internal organs.
"What the...?" The intestines and liver were nearly destroyed. The stomach
wasn't in great shape either. Mizky looked away for a brief moment, despite
her years of experience. Re-activating the scalpel, he cut away the ribcage,
exposing the heart and lungs. The lungs were bloated, as was the heart. The
organs showed severe damage, blisters covering both. "Jesus Jumped-Up
Christ..." he whispered. "No way in HELL this was RRF." He and Mizky hurried
to finish the autopsy and incinerate the body. He had much to do, now.
============================================================================
TOWLER MEMORIAL--ISOLATION WING--ROOM 533
TIME: 1222
DATE: 2143.06.26
Nurse Takahashi lay on the thin bed, staring up at the television. It was
some game show, the host would give the answers, and the contestants
answered with the question. It was quite entertaining.
A fit of coughing exploded forth from her chest and out her mouth. The
force of the coughs nearly doubled her over. The coughs finally subsided,
leaving her feeling wasted.
She massaged her neck as she sipped a large cup of water. She had fallen
sick just hours after that guy coughed blood on her. According to the
doctors, he had been infected with Rigellian Red Fever. Though Virology
wasn't her field of expertise, she knew RRF shouldn't be popping up on Corix
IX. Also, the incubaiton period was much shorter than usual. From what she'd
heard, it could possibly be a mutant strain, which would explain why it got
through the biofilters in the spaceports.
As another coughing fit seized her, she hoped the virus would run its
course soon. She hated being cooped up in a tiny room twenty-four hours a day.
============================================================================
OFFICE OF MEDICAL ADMINISTRATOR MAX RICHARDS--STARCOM CORIX HQ
TIME: 1501
DATE: 2143.06.26
Medical Administrator Maxwell P. Richards sat behind his solid black desk,
his fingers steepled on the smooth surface. He was a gaunt man, his angular
face giving him the appearance of an emaciated bird-man. Thin white hair
hung down to his shoulders, and his skin looked like ancient Egyptian
parchment. His voice, however, was strong and youthful.
"Are you certain?" he asked.
"That whatever killed this man wasn't RRF, yes. What it is, though, no."
Edwards replied.
"And you believe," he said, "that whatever killed this man is linked to his
contracting Rigellian Red Fever?"
"Yes, sir."
"How?"
That was the question Edwards had been dreading. "Blood filled blisters had
covered his tongue, throat, and the lining of his mouth. The blisters were
also on the heart and lungs. The heart and lungs were also nearly filled
with..."
"Could you please get to the point?" Richards asked impatiently.
"I believe that this may be a mutant strain of the RRF virus."
"The test results show no variance from the RRF virus."
"Be that as it may, I still feel that we should round up any other people
Pulaski may have come into contact with."
"Such as?" Richards asked.
"His roomie, the officers that detained him, the EMTs..."
"While I agree that detaining those people may be a good idea, I seriously
doubt that RRF was the sole cause of his death." he paused for a moment to
light a cigar. He took a deep pull, breathing out a thick plume of aromatic
smoke. "We're not exactly dealing with a plague, here. Nonetheless, we can't
have this disease cripple half the sector. The CEO would have a fit."
============================================================================
STARCOM SECTOR--RESIDENTIAL BLOCK BETA
TIME: 1559
DATE: 2143.06.26
Ryozo sat beside Twiggy at the surveillance panel, rubbing his temples in a
vain attempt to ward off an oncoming headache. Ozzy and Doc were asleep in
the front seats, while Specs sat behind Ryozo and Twiggy.
"Looks like he's gotten started." Twiggy commented as the file scrolled
across the large main screen. The Chief Medical Examiner, under orders from
the Minister of Medicine and Health, had begun to detain people suspected of
contracting a freak case of Rigellian Red Fever. The public was advised not
to worry, and that it would pass inside two weeks.
"Specs, you got any thoughts?" asked Twiggy.
"StarCom's profit margin is about to drop a few steps." he said. "The most
I see happening is most of the employees get a case of RRF, and inside three
weeks at the most, everyone gets back to work."
"But WHY would anyone go through all the trouble of boosting a
Bio-Container full of a disease that's pretty much treatable?" Ryozo asked.
"God knows..." Twiggy said. He was about to say more when another round of
impossibly loud snoring from Doc silenced him.
"Any chance we could put him outside?" Specs asked
"And let half the planet know we're here?" joked Twiggy.
"Twiggy, you have your hacker's gear." Ryozo said. It was not a question.
"Never leave home without it." he replied.
"Good. Put a mole program in the computers at the Ministry and the office
of the Chief Medical Examiner."
"You got an idea?" Twiggy asked.
"Just a feeling." he replied. "I don't know how, but I think this is going
to get VERY ugly. Any data they get on RRF patients, I want it."
"You got it, boss." replied Twiggy.
============================================================================
STARCOM SECTOR--CORIX IX BRANCH HEADQUARTERS--OFFICE OF ARIA HOLST
TIME: 1644
DATE: 2143.06.26
Aria Holst sat behind her expansive desk, glaring daggers at the two women
who sat across from her.
"Congratulations." she said, her voice hovering over a whisper. "You two
have completely SCREWED THE POOCH!" The two inwardly flinched at the remark.
"You really dropped the ball this time!"
"IT'S NOT OUR FAULT!" Kei screamed.
"THEN WHOSE IS IT?" Holst screamed back. "You two were brought here to FIND
that Goddamn Bio-Container AND the dipshits who have it BEFORE it was used!"
Aria Holst's face and neck were red from rage, her eyes shining like
polished glass. "Now, we have people getting sick! Non-fatal disease or not,
and despite the precautions now being taken by the Ministry of Health and
Medicine along with the Chief Medical Examiner, we can still expect many
employees to miss work, some may even die." She took a few deep, calming
breaths, and said,
"I want you off this planet."
"You can't..." began Yuri.
"I can, and I AM! You two are to board your ship and leave this planet by
midnight. No later. Get out of my sight."
"Fine." Kei said in a deceptively calm voice. She rose from her chair and
slowly made her way to Holst's desk. "You know what, I don't give a flying
fuck if ALL your employees get sick AND DIE!" Holst and Yuri stared at her.
She leaned over the desk, leaning on the surface by her knuckles. Their
faces were just inches apart, Kei's a mask of anger and Aria's one of cool
indifference. "We came here to help, and all you've done is give us shit! We
don't have to take this from you!" Kei then spun smartly on her heel and
stomped out of the office, leaving a shocked Yuri and an apparently unfazed
Aria Holst watching her go.
============================================================================
STARCOM SECTOR--EMPLOYEE/CIVILLIAN SPACEPORT
TIME: 1700
DATE: 2143.06.26
Sarah Bryant walked as quickly as she could between the rapidly deepening
shadows between the hangars. She knew she was taking a huge risk by seeking
out the Dirty Pair like this, but she had no other options.
It was ironic, really. She felt she deserved to die, yet she was taking as
many measures as possible to stay alive. Part of her mind rationalized it as
a desire to set things right, or at least to try. But another, more cynical
part told the truth about it.
She was afraid to die.
No matter how much Sarah felt she needed to, she couldn't bring herself to
end her own life. Nor could she just let someone kill her, easy as that
would be.
Sarah stopped for a moment to adjust the blue jumpsuit she'd stolen from
the unguarded employee shower room. She had been tempted to indulge herself,
and it was extremely difficult to resist. The jumpsuit was the only one that
looked as though it would fit her out of the five that were in the hamper.
It smelled almost as bad as she did, but that couldn't be helped. The only
worry she had about her appearance was getting spotted by anyone looking for
her.
She was a small woman, five feet even with a slight build. The jumpsuit,
though, was for someone a bit smaller than her. She honestly couldn't
believe someone that small would work in one of StarCom's shipping yards.
Her platinum blonde hair was pulled up under the light blue cap on her head.
The jumpsuit was the same shade of blue as the cap, and was far too tight
for her liking.
She finally reached the hangar she'd mentioned in her e-mail to the Dirty
Pair. It had taken a bit of work, and a decent bribe, but she had managed to
find their address. Now, she only hoped that they read it and took her
seriously.
Seeing two figures walking toward the hangar her heart leapt up in her
chest when she saw that it was, indeed, Kei and Yuri. It was time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kei walked across the tarmac, with Yuri asking her to slow down.
"Will you wait up?" she asked. Kei didn't reply, but kept walking without
even slowing. "Kei! Slow down, willya!"
"Just walk faster." Kei replied.
"OK, THAT'S IT!" Yuri shouted. Kei stopped, turned, and stared at her
partner. "Ever since this afternoon, you've been treating me like crap! I've
had enough!" Yuir took a few moments to steady herself, then continued in a
softer tone. "Kei, we've been told to leave. We don't have any more
jurisdiction here. As of midnight, we're off this case."
"Right," Kei replied, traces of anger still in her voice. "Midnight. We
still have time. Maybe Sarah can tell us something we can use..."
"Don't you think that this is a little too convienient?" Yuri asked. "The
disease breaks out, and now the person who ViralTech says helped steal it
wants to meet us?"
"It's a chance I'm willing to take, Yuri." Kei replied.
"Why can't you let it go? We lost this one, kid."
"Not yet!" Kei turned back towards the hangars.
"Why are you so stuck on this case?" Yuri asked, frustrated at her friend.
Kei stopped abrubtly and seemed to sag a little.
"Because of you." she replied.
"Huh?" Yuri was completely confused.
"The bastard who killed Danny and Mike is still here, somewhere, and he's
somehow tied in to this case."
"Kei, what are you talking about?" Yuri asked. Now she was getting worried.
Had her partner cracked?
"He almost killed...you...too."
"Kei..."
"Yuri, you're the only friend I've got. I don't know what I'd do if I lost
you." Yuri just stood there, not knowing what to make of this. She'd never
seen Kei this way before. "After the fight, I was afraid that I'd lose you.
He's still here, somewhere. I just can't leave without giving him his." It
may have been her eyes playing tricks on her, but she could have sworn Kei's
shoulders hitched once or twice while she was speaking. Yuri stepped
forward, hand outstreched. Before she could place it on Kei's shoulder, Kei
started walking again, though a bit slower than before. Yuri stood there for
a few moments before following her.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"There she is." Twiggy cooed as he sharpened the image on his monitors. The
image had a greenish tint to it, due to the low-light settings Twiggy needed
to employ on the surveillance drone he had watching her.
The surveillance drones, like most of the equipment, had a lot of Twiggy's
own personal touches. He had managed to wire in a small ion drive, much like
the ones found in 3WA Bloody Cards. Ordinarily, the power output would have
fried the sensitive A/V equipment. None of the crew had any idea how he
managed to do it, and probably wouldn't have understood anyway.
"How about those other drones?" Ryozo asked him. Twiggy had sent up all of
the three drones he managed to bring with him. One was trailing the Dirty
Pair, while the last flew an elliptical orbit around all three and the van
with a fifty meter circumference.
"Think she'll drop somethin' we can use?" Ozzy asked.
"I hope so." Doc said. "I'm gettin' DAMN tired of followin' those two around."
"Well, they'll be off-world by midnight. We won't have to worry about them
after that." Ryozo said with no small amount of relief in his voice.
"Won't you miss them?" Specs joked. Ryozo simply glared at the medtech
while the others chuckled.
"Look on the bright side." Ozzy offered. "At least if Bryant drops
somethin' worthwhile, by the time 3WA hears about it, we should have the
Bio-Container."
"We can always hope." Said Doc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sarah Bryant!" Kei shouted. "It's us!"
"Are you really the Dirty Pair?" asked a voice from the shadows.
"What did you call us?!" shouted Yuri.
"Sorry! I didn't mean it!" the voice cried.
"Nevermind it." Kei said. "Come out here." Slowly, the owner of the voice
stepped into the light. "So, what do you have?"
"It's my fault." Sarah said, her voice shaking. "They're dead! they're dead
and IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" She started crying, dropping to her knees on the
tarmac. Kei and Yuri were utterly confused.
"WHAT are you talking about?" Yuri asked.
"If you've wasted our time..." Kei said in a dangerous voice. She didn't
need to finish the threat.
"I arranged to get the Bio-Container off the island." Sarah said.
"Why?" Yuri asked.
"That's a long story..."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh, shit." Doc said.
"Come on, damn it, give us a NAME!" Twiggy yelled to the image on the main
screen.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Getting it off the island was easy, really." Sarah said. Her voice was
still shaky. "I had a large amount of slush cash on hand. A few well-placed
bribes, and the dock personnel took it from there.
"I had a friend of mine take it from the harbor to one of StarCom's
warehouses. She...never...made it." Fresh tears began to fall from Sarah's eyes.
"Again, why?" Yuri asked.
"He said that once he sold it, we'd finally have the life we both deserve."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ah, now we're gettin' somewhere." Doc said.
"Wait a sec, here." Ozzy said. "Just HOW and to WHOM was our boy gonna sell
a Bio-Container of RRF?"
"Biological terrorists who don't have a clue what the hell they're doing?"
Specs offered.
"And who is our mystery man?" asked Twiggy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Whoa...you mean to tell me someone would BUY a Bio-Container of a
treatable disease?" Kei asked incredulously.
"No, it's not treatable." Sarah replied.
"I'll have you know that RRF is perfectly treatable..."
"Not this one." Sarah said, cutting Yuri off in mid-sentence. "He said he
did something to it."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Uh-oh..." Twiggy said.
"Why do I not like this?" was Ryozo's rhetorical question.
"I think we just found out why the suits were really so up in arms about
this shit." Doc whispered.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What did he do to it?" Kei asked. Now she was getting nervous. If she was
reading into this right, then this was BIG trouble.
"And who is he?" Yuri asked.
"He didn't tell me exactly, but he said that this was...a piggyback, or
something."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph." Specs whispered.
"Talk to us, Specs." Doc said.
"A piggyback...that means he's attached something to the virus, like
attaching a file to an e-mail message."
"What did he attach?" Ryozo asked.
"I don't know." Specs replied. "But whatever it is, it can't be good." A
rapid succession of beeps sounded from twiggy's panel.
"Huh?" Twiggy looked at one of the smaller monitors. "Droid three's picking
up someone headed their way." The man on the screen strode purposefully in
the direction of the three conversing women.
"Wonder what he's doin' there." said Doc.
"Well, he damn sure isn't sight-seeing." Ozzy replied.
"He's headed right for them." Ryozo said. "I don't think he's there to ask
for their ID cards."
"He's comin' up from behind Bryant." Twiggy stated.
"We gotta stop him." Specs said. "We can't risk losing this guy's name."
"Let's git!" Doc shouted. The five, sans Twiggy, leapt out of the van,
weapons at the ready.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So this Bio-Container held and engineered virus?" Yuri asked.
"Yes." Sarah said simply. "The man who engineered it was a head researcher
in ViralTech's R&D division. His name was Englesson."
"Who...!" A crimson bolt of energy lanced out from the shadows behind
Sarah, exploding her head like an overripe melon. The two gasped in shock as
bits of skull and brain tissue splattered across them. Instinct and training
took over, causing the two to dive for cover behind some crates stacked near
the front of the hangar.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[GodDAMNIT!] Twiggy shouted over the Codec. [He got her.]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The footsteps receded rapidly as the assassin ran back into the shadows.
Kei and Yuri immediately took off in pursuit, not even sparing a glance at
the headless corpse lying on the permacrete surface. Weapons drawn, they
charged into the shadows.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|| The reds and oranges of the running Ooman's heat signature contrasted
sharply with the blacks and blues of the buildings and miscellanious
structures scattered about. It had heard the Ooman's weapon fire, and had
decided to see if it would be a worthwhile pursuit.
The Ooman was moving quite fast, as far as their kind was concerned. The
Hunter had spent most of the day searching for the two females that took its
trophy, without success. The Hunter was getting a little frustrated, and
what better way to let off some steam than to claim another trophy?
The Hunter began to run a course that would allow it to intercept the Prey
after a few minutes. This could prove moderately entertaining. ||
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Twiggy, where is he?] Ryozo asked over the Codec. The team had split up,
Specs running alongside him.
[I've got a drone tracking the fucker now.] Twiggy replied. [About 200
meters north, and moving right quick.] Silence for a few seconds, then,
[Ozzy and Doc are a bit closer. He's about 170 meters ahead of them.]
[We should get to him in a few minutes.] Specs said.
[Don't lose him, Twiggy.] Doc said.
Inside the van, Twiggy watched the chase on the main screen. The screen was
divided in three parts, each representing the image sent by a surveillance
drone. One drone glided above the Dirty Pair, another tracing the hitman.
The third flew to join with the drone following the unknown assailant. The
section of the screen representing that particular drone flashed briefly,
drawing his attention.
[What the hell...?] Twiggy said.
[What is it?] Ozzy asked.
[Drone three is picking up movement, but there's nothing on visual.]
[Is it a malfunction?] Specs asked.
[My equipment does NOT screw up, four-eyes.] Twiggy said in a warning tone.
He didn't take kindly to people even hinting that his work was anything less
than top-notch. [It's moving... Damn, it's fast.]
Ryozo was getting a little concerned. [Any idea where it's headed?] Ryozo
asked.
[Way ahead of you, boss.] Twiggy replied. [Triangulating.... it'll cross
our boy's path... in about two minutes. You wouldn't believe how fast it's
moving...]
[What path is it taking?] Ryozo asked. If they could find a faster route...
[Would you believe the rooftops?] Ryozo was momentarily stunned.
[The roofs?]
[Yeah. You're roughly, two-and-a-half minutes away. Ozzy and Doc are about
a minute]
[And the new guy?] Ryozo asked.
An agonized scream shattered the night. The sound brought the four up
short. [Is already there...]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kei and Yuri heard the scream, and slowed. The sound was filled with a
mixture of shock and pain, and struck a chord inside Kei. She knew...
It. Was. HIM!
Barely winded from the exertion, Kei shot off into the darkness with
renewed vigor. Yuri shouted for her partner to wait up, but Kei was already
gone.
//Damnit!\\ Yuri mentally screamed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sweet Jesus...] Twiggy whispered. He had just seen their hitman get
eviscerated and beheaded from two different angles at once. He felt bile
rise in his throat at the sight of such a slaughter. Doc and Ozzy were the
first to see the corpse.
[Son of a bitch...] Doc whispered as he crossed himself.
[Just be glad you didn't see it happen.] Twiggy said. Ozzy looked at the
blood that pooled under the corpse, his breath coming in deep gasps as was
Doc's. While all the members of the team were in great physical condition,
running full-tilt for 200 meters was no easy feat.
[Uh, Twiggy, just where is this guy?] Ozzy asked.
[He's... Uh-oh...]
[Uh-oh?] Doc asked. [What do you mean uh-oh...I don't wanna hear uh-oh!]
[I lost him. Guys, I don't know where he went.] Doc and Ozzy exchanged
worried glances before moving as one back the way they came.
The small floating drone high above their heads suddenly exploded in a
shower of sparks. The two looked up, and began to run.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kei saw the small explosion in the air and made a bee-line towards it.
//Just hang around a little bit longer, you bastard.\\ she thought.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[SHIT! Something just took out drone three!] The sector of the screen that
transmitted images from the now-defunct drone was just snow. [Ryozo, those
nanomachines should still have a charge. Turn 'em on!]
Ryozo activated the image transmitting nanomachines. Twiggy patched the
feed through to the monitor section that had gone blank. The image jumped
around in time to Ryozo's footfalls, the shadows and sides of the hangars
racing by in a blur.
"DOC!" Ozzy's scream split the night, bouncing off the buildings and
reaching the ears of those racing toward a common goal.
[Twiggy, Goddamnit, WHAT'S HAPPENING?]
[I don't know! You're the only one with a PIT.] Twiggy replied, referring
to Ryozo's Personal Image Transmitter. [You're about forty seconds away.]
[How far away are the Dirty Pair?] Specs asked. He was afraid for Doc and
Ozzy, but knew that losing his temper would serve no real purpose.
[Five seconds.]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kei came to an abrupt halt at the sight of the three corpses. Blood now
coated the three meter space between the two hangars. None of the corpses
had his head attached. Kei turned around and around, eyes scanning
everything. There was no WAY that thing was going to get the drop on her
again. She heard Yuri's footsteps behind her, and the thundering footfalls
of two others headed her way from another direction. A loud thud sounded
from behind her as something big hit the ground. She whirled around, her
heart in her throat.
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|| The Hunter had been watching, lying in wait to see if any other Oomans
would appear with weapons. Three trophies back to back was cause for pride.
The large Ooman was a particularly satisfying kill. More slamming footfalls
were headed in its direction, the thought of claiming yet another trophy
crossing the Hunter's mind. One came to a stop below its perch, the steps
much lighter than the others that were coming.
It looked down at the carnage below, and felt a rush of exhilaration and
anger. Standing among the corpses, holding a weapon aloft, was one of the
two females it had been searching for since that night. Unconsciously, the
Hunter fingered the scar the strange weapon had left on its chest.
The other Oomans were approaching fast, but the Hunter reckoned that it
could take her head before any of the others arrived. The thought of
claiming the trophy it so desperately wanted was very tempting, but the
Hunter finally restrained itself. It would need this one to draw out the other.
From the way this one cradled the limp form if its companion that night,
the Hunter knew that the two were close. Which fashion did not matter, just
so that one would come to the rescue of the other.
Clearing its mind, the Hunter leapt down from its perch, coming to a
perfect landing behind the Ooman female. ||
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Kei fired the Electro-Mag into the shadows, the yellow energy bolts
illuminating the darkness briefly as they streaked through the sides of one
of the Hangars. Running on instinct and adrenaline, she dodged to the side,
avoiding a strike that may or may not have even happened. She was fighting
blind against an invisible enemy that nearly made mincemeat out of her and
Yuri once, and she had no idea where the hell he was.
"Kei!" Yuri emerged from the shadows, breathing heavily from her run. She
took in the carnage, and looked directly at Kei. "What happened?"
"YURI!" Kei screamed. "Get out..." Yuri was suddenly knocked off her feet,
nearly doubled over at the waist from the impact to her stomach. She flew
into the wall with incredible force, her head hitting with a loud thwack
sound. Yuri's limp form slumped to the ground, and a maelstrom of emotions
roiled inside Kei. She'd let Yuri down again! "DAMN YOU!" Kei fired blast
after blast into the shadows all around her, rage blinding her to the fact
that she was rapidly depleting the power cell in the gun and that she was
hitting squat.
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Ryozo and Specs dodged aside just as the energy bolts lanced the shadows
where they were merely seconds prior. The two stared at Kei as she emptied
out the energy cell in every direction. Ryozo took a sharp gasp when he saw
Doc's eviscerated corpse lying on the permacrete.
"DOC!" Kei spun, aimed the Electro-Mag in his direction, and squeezed the
trigger.
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Kei squeezed the trigger and no energy bolt came out. She squeezed again
and again, and still the gun refused to fire. As sanity gradually
re-asserted itself, Kei realized that her gun was empty, and she had been
attempting to kill two guys who had nothing to do...with...
Wait a second, the guy with the bandanna seemed awful familiar...
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[Guys, I'm gettin' a weapon lock, here!] Twiggy warned just as the white
bolt barrelled toward the two. They dodged out of the way just as the bolt
of white-hot plasma burned a hole in the permacrete. Kei whirled and,
forgetting that she was out of ammo, squeezed the trigger at the spot where
the blast originated from. She felt something land behind her. Before she
could move, something connected with the back of her head, causing bright
starbursts to flash in front of her eyes in the second before everything
went black.
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