Maniacs The Krittika Conflict - By Nick S. Thomas Page 0,59
aside.
“That’s Avery. He’s coming all right!” he shouted to Mason.
The Captain got to the rooftop and rushed to the edge, but Avery’s truck came in too close and smashed into the structure, causing it to shake and almost take them off their feet.
“Onto the roof!” Mason ordered.
He climbed onto the ledge and fired two shots into the canvas before leaping and hoping for the best. Hella and Hughes were close behind, and all three crashed through the canvas, landing hard in the cargo bay with no finesse at all.
“Go!” Mason screamed.
The truck pulled away as fragments of the wall it had crashed into collapsed down behind them. Hughes was the first up and lifted his rifle to fire some covering shots, but laser pulses flew at them. One clipped part of his exoskeleton, and he twisted violently and dropped down below the tailgate. Mason rushed to fill his place. There was no time for checking on him as they made a break for it.
He took a few shots, but Avery turned quickly and put the prison building between them and most of the shooters. They were gaining speed and were quickly out of range. He turned back. Hughes was trying to pull himself up onto the raised side runners of the bed. Hella was sitting back and dusting off her coat, ignoring him completely. It was the first realisation for Mason that she really was what had been suspected.
She shows no emotion or empathy at all.
Mason reached down and hauled him up into a seated position.
‘You all right?”
He looked down at the wound. His trousers and skin beneath had been clipped badly below the knee.
“I can’t feel that far down, anyway.”
Mason looked back up at his face to see he was telling the truth, but the exoskeleton support was also snapped beside the wound.
“I ain’t gonna be walking anytime soon.”
A laser rushed past the side of the truck as he said it.
“Can you still shoot?”
Mason reached down, took a hold of his rifle, and threw it into the soldier’s hands. They could see two copters approaching rapidly. They were far faster and more nimble than the hulking vehicle they were making their getaway in. Mason fired quickly; the shot knocked one of the militia off the lead vehicle. Hughes joined in, but Mason looked back to Hella. She was still sitting calmly behind him. He pulled his pistol and tried to give it to her. She refused.
“Until I can use it to perfection, I’m not using it at all.”
“We ain’t got time for your bullshit. Take the damn gun!”
She snatched it from his hands and moved up between the two of them.
“Shoot something!” he yelled.
She loosed off a shot, but it went far wide of its target.
“Shit, you really can’t shoot.”
“Screw you!” she shouted as she tried harder.
One of the copters zoomed past into their blind spot.
“This one’s mine!”
She flipped out onto the rooftop as she had done before and quickly leapt onto the vehicle that was coming up beside them. She was out of the other two’s view, so they turned their attention on the other vehicle.
“Take their fans out!” Mason yelled.
They both focused their fire on the front fans of the quadcopter, and within seconds smoke was pouring from them, and the vehicle shut down. Mason took a hold of the rear of the roof and jumped onto the tailgate to check on Hella. She was at the controls of the vehicle. The two occupants were dead. He smiled back in response and sat back down opposite Hughes.
“She okay?”
“More than okay. Maybe she can’t shoot for shit, but God help any of us if we end up in a knife fight with her.”
They eventually rolled back into town to cautious looks from the few who were out to see them, and the many others who watched from their windows. Liu was waiting in the porch of the bar and looked in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Mason to return any other way except battered.
Avery stopped the truck outside the Digger to a cheer of applause from the crew who came out to join Liu. Mason leapt off the back and helped Hughes down. He could only stand on one leg while Mason helped him hobble along. Erin was quick out the door to assist his other side as Hella rode the copter up and parked behind them. The bodies were still sitting in the seats behind her. It was an uncomfortable sight to behold.