up ahead of me, there was a solid chance that I could still get past them. I bent deep at the knees, took a breath, and jumped.
I sailed over the heads of the two officers, landed on my shoulder, and popped up into a sprint. Up ahead, I saw Katerina running on foot. The traffic had come to a standstill just as I thought it would. As long as I didn’t lose sight of her, I could still—
No. Two more StateSec vehicles pulled up on the street ahead between us, and officers piled out. This was no longer a question of catching Katerina, but of avoiding capture myself. I slowed and took stock of the threat surrounding me. I counted twelve officers approaching, armed with shock knuckles and metal alloy batons. Four officers on the periphery acting as interference and overwatch had guns out, held at low ready.
The advancing twelve all stopped just beyond arm’s reach. There always seems to be a moment just before a fight where everyone involved hesitates and must commit themselves to this thing that will almost certainly bring them harm. That moment usually ends when courage overcomes reason, and so it was that the bravest of the officers acted first and swung his baton at the back of my head.
I moved into the attack and wheeled around with a spinning elbow, hitting him square in the face. I felt the bridge of his nose give way. He went limp and folded over himself onto the ground. Another rushed me on the right, swinging an uppercut to catch me with his shock knuckles. I slipped the punch and parried the follow-up, then countered by stepping in with an elbow to his neck. The man choked and stumbled back as two others came charging in. I kicked the first in the stomach, and he doubled over, vomiting onto the street. The second one barreled into me and knocked me sideways a few steps. I raised the pipe in my hand to take a swing, but someone grabbed hold of it from behind. Rather than wrestle for control, I let it go and focused on the man with his arms wrapped around my ribs.
I clapped his ears with open palms, and I was surprised to see blood run from his nose and an eye flood with red. I grabbed him by the neck and arm, then threw him into the officers to my left. In the space that cleared, I found the footing to turn my hips over and back kick another officer in the chest. I heard ribs snap like dry brush even above the din of combat.
The attacks slowed, and the uninjured officers broke off. I knew this meant the tactics were shifting to lethal force, so I found an opening and took off running again. I weaved between the stopped cars on the road, knowing it would force StateSec to hold their fire.
I ran down an alley to break line of sight, then climbed up the side of a building until I reached the roof. Moments later, I saw three officers running down the same alley. They never even looked up. Still, I knew I’d be found soon if I didn’t move, so I ran along the roof and jumped to the next building. I crossed a few more rooftops until I reached an apartment building at the end of the block, then I broke the stairwell lock to gain access inside. As quietly and quickly as I could, I made my way down the staircase to the basement and hid down there.
Andrea finally messaged me. Tycho, sitrep.
I messaged back. Katerina escaped. I was confronted by StateSec officers and had to fight my way out. They’re still looking for me now. Currently in hiding.
There was a short pause. Understood. Make your way back when safe.
I lay back against the wall, knowing that I’d be down here for quite a while. I closed my eyes and reviewed the events of the day in my mind. With such a major assault on our headquarters, we were lucky to be alive at all—assuming all of us were in fact alive. I had no way to know.
My mind went to an image of Raven Sommer with a bullet wound in her forehead, but I shied away from the thought. I knew it could happen—Jonathan Bray had died in combat on our mission to East Hellas, and if it could happen to him it could happen to anyone—but it just