Warhawk's Amnesty - Ch 19 - The Exchange - Beta

Seb parked the van and waited for the engine to turn off before tapping on his helmet, ensuring it was still activated. Even though Eni assured them that the positions they stored the escape vehicles had no nearby security systems, she suggested that before they departed from her safe house that they all keep their tinted helmets activated at all times.

Seb double checked that he activated his skinsleeve underneath his clothing, providing him with an additional layer of armor he hoped that he wouldn’t need. He exited the vehicle, locked it, and then walked over to the nearby street. With a simple flick of his eyes across his helmet’s HUD, he activated his comms.

“My vehicle is in position,” Seb said. “I’m standing near the entrance of the parking garage waiting for pickup.”

A small image flashed across his HUD, displaying the inside of Eni’s helmet. “Vi just picked me up. We’ll be to you in a few minutes.”

Seb took in a deep breath and looked down the empty street, waiting for his ride. The location that the ACR picked was in the industrial district close to the station’s docks. Seb assumed that was most likely to allow them a quick getaway if things were to get messy. Based on Eni’s analysis, it was a suitable spot for them as well.

The industrial area was quite barren during the night hours of the station and provided them with plenty of opportunities to plot escape routes through the various factories and warehouses. The meetup location was in an open lot from a recently demolished plastic factory. It was ideal because it meant less of a chance for an ambush.

The call came exactly as Eni had predicted. The ACR leader noted that they were already on Pyrus Station when they responded to Eni’s terms, and that they only had an hour window to meet them at their chosen destination for the exchange. If they did not arrive on time, the deal was off. Luckily, they prepared for that.

Seb, Eni, and Vi departed from the safe house in their own unique vehicles. Eni took a white box truck that they left near in a gated construction yard and dropped almost a mile from their final destination. They gave Seb a utility van and dropped the closest to the meetup spot. Just a few streets over from where they were supposed to meet Andrea. If they needed to abandon the black sport utility vehicle Vi was driving, they wanted something close enough they could all run to.

Seb caught the bluish tint of Vi’s headlamps coming down the road. Before the vehicle came to a complete stop, the passenger window rolled down, revealing Eni’s wide helmet.

“Open up the trunk for me before you get in,” she said.

“What for?” Seb asked.

“I’m going to get some eyes in the sky for us so we’re not going in blind.”

Seb walked around the back of the vehicle and popped open the trunck. Before he completely opened the door, he heard a high pitch buzzing noise that preceding four drones zipping past his body. He turned and watched them ascend to the sky before he heard two taps on the side of the car door.

“Shut the trunk and get in!” Eni shouted.

Seb did as he was asked and hopped into the back seats. He slid to the middle, grabbing on the back of Vi and Eni’s chairs as they drove off down the street. Eni tapped on her WICI and four individual video feeds displayed above her wrist. Seb watched her cycle through various types of imaging, from thermal to electronic signatures, before finally settling on night vision.

“See anything?” Seb asked.

“Nothing’s jumping out at me. Three vehicles are waiting for us at the drop point. They are packing hardware, but that’s to be expected. I’ve got the drones scanning the nearby area and to alert me if they catch anything abnormal.”

“We’re coming down the road now,” Vi said. “Do you want me to pull in?”

Seb could see Eni’s helmet toward him, looking for the final say.

“Yeah, let’s do this.” he said, tapping on the backs of their seats. Vi pulled into the open lot and crept the car forward until they were twenty feet from the other vehicles. When she stopped, Eni tapped onto her WICI and the vehicle’s high-beams flashed in a coordinated sequence. As soon as the sequence stopped, the other three vehicles’ doors opened.

Andrea Grider was immediately recognizable thanks to her golden blonde hair and glowing blue eyes. Next to her was a red printaghast with six arms, a holographic visor, and a hologram that surrounded their body that looked like the keys of a crescent moon piano. They approached out in the open while the guards from the other vehicles stood near the edge of their open doors, brandishing their lowered weapons.

“Shit, shit, shit…,” Eni said.

“What’s wrong?” asked Seb.

“That person with Andrea is B-8. They’re another hacker.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Could be. They’re freelance like me, but they do a lot of work with station security. The ACR probably reached out to a contact onsite and got them as a referral.”

“Fuck… so what do we do?”

“Your call Seb. This is your op. We can take the chance that the ACR is paying her well enough to keep her mouth shut. Otherwise, we’re going to be walking into a shit show.”

“Anything showing up on your drones?”

Eni did a quick check on her WICI before turning back and looking at him. “Nothing yet, but B-8 is good. They could be using camouflage, sensor suppressors, or a whole handful of other countermeasures.”

“Any other options to make enough money in time?”

“Nothing I can put together before the start of the auction. We’ve got less than a week.”

“If I don’t win that auction, there’s no telling where she’ll end up. But I am not about to put us in unnecessary danger.” Seb shook his head. “No, we’re doing this, then it’s going to be a group decision.”

“Vi?” Eni asked, turning to the driver.

“You know my answer,” she said, tightening grip around the rectangular steering wheel. “I need the money. As long as you two make it back to the car, I can get us out of here.”

“What about you, Eni?” Seb asked.

“Do you even need to ask me?” she asked brightly. “This just adds more to the excitement! We may have to improvise a bit, but my plans are solid. Plus, I wouldn’t mind taking B-8 down a peg or two.”

“Okay then,” Seb said, smiling. “Let’s make some money.”

Seb and Eni opened their doors and exited the vehicle. Seb walked around the back, opened the trunk, and pulled out two hard briefcases. He followed closely behind Eni until they were both a few feet away from their hosts.

“I was wondering how long you were going to take,” Andrea said. “I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

“We weren’t expecting you to bring so many people,” Seb said. “It makes us nervous.”

“Well, you can never be too careful. I don’t like to endanger our members, if at all possible, and B-8 here was kind enough to offer some assistance.”

“That’s not good,” Eni said across their comms. “If that’s not the ACR, each of them could be station security.”

“What do you want to do?” Seb asked.

“Let’s just play along for now.”

Seb set down the briefcases and opened them, allowing Eni to explain their contents.

“I included two copies,” she said, pointing down at the two bags. “One includes a bio drive and the other one is mechanical. I didn’t know which one you needed, so I figured I’d include both.”

“That’s appreciated,” Andrea said, before turning to B-8. “Do you mind validating the contents?”

Seb watched B-8 walk over to the containers and scan them with a device he’d never seen before. The scanner swept the two drives with a blue hex-grid pattern before a green screen popped above B-8’s floating keyboard. The hacker stood there for a few minutes until they turned to Andrea and nodded.

“It looks legitimate,” they said. “It’s obviously a copy, but you should have expected that.”

“Does it include clear footage of Warden Williams’s sabotage?”

“See for yourself,” B-8 said, tapping on their keys, creating a larger screen for them all to watch. The group watched as Warden Williams clearly planted explosives throughout the ship before triggering them. They also watched the footage of him freeing Dr. Zyl Thrik.

“WCC is so fucked,” Andrea said with a smile. “That’s good enough for me. They’re about to have a reckoning. You should all be proud. This is going to put ACR on the map, garnering support galaxy wide once we release this footage.”

“That’s great and all,” Seb said. “But we’re just here for the money.”

“Go ahead and check your side, then. Three boxes with six kilos of FLS bullion totaling to three hundred thousand per crate as per our agreement.”

“Nine hundred thousand?” Seb asked over their comms. “Damn, Eni, I need you to negotiate everything for me.”

“I knew they were desperate,” Eni said smugly.

Seb opened each of the containers, illuminating the area with a glowing white light. Each case contained six of the bullions surrounded by foam padding. The letters FLS were stamped in the middle, surrounded by the symbols of each of the ten families. Seb wasn’t quite sure what gave them their glowing luminescence, but figured this was a good sign.

Eni bent down and scanned each of the crates with her WICI, patting him on the back once she was finished. “They’re reading 99% pure, which is typical for FLS bullion,” she said. “Let’s pack up and get out of here.”

Seb closed each of the containers and stacked them on top of one another. He stood and extended a hand to Andrea. “Everything looks good. Thank you for the business.”

“Likewise,” Andrea said, squeezing his hand. “If you ever find yourself with more info, you know how to reach out.”

Seb’s smile vanished at the sound of an alarm coming from Eni’s WICI. He turned to see her frantically typing in the air on her hologram.

“We’ve got badges coming in from every direction!” She shouted.

“Pyrus Station Security,” B-8 said, pulling out two hidden pistols from their sleeves. “You’re all under arrest. Put your hands up and drop to the ground.”

“Tell me this is some kind of sick joke,” Andrea said.

“Put your hands up and drop to the ground!” B-8 shouted, raising their weapons.

The security detail coming from the three vehicles beyond B-8 echoed their commands. The officers were now pointing their rifles at the crew, inching their way forward. Seb turned to look at Eni, who was furiously tapping on her WICI.

“Eni, what the fuck do we do?” Seb asked over their comms.

“Just one more second…”

Seb heard the buzzing sound of the drones zip overhead. The pressure of the three following explosions forced Seb to stumble backward. He instinctively turned his head away at the bright white light. When he turned back, Andrea stood over B-8’s body with a drawn and smoking pistol.

“Aw, I wanted to be the one to kill them.” Eni said.

“Come on, we got to get the fuck out of here,” Vi said, shouting over their comms.

Seb bent down and grunted, lifting up the three boxes, waddling to the back of their vehicle. He shut the trunk and jumped into the side passenger seat, greeted by an unexpected passenger.

“Uh, what’s she doing here?” Seb asked.

“I don’t know. I didn’t invite her,” Eni said.

“Well, I’m not going to stand around and wait for the badges to scoop me up. Just fucking drive already.”

The vehicle’s engine roared to life as Vi sped up across the open lot.

“Hold on, it’s going to get bumpy!” she shouted. Even with the vehicle’s adjusted suspension, the strong divots of the station’s ground layer bounced everyone in their seats. The intensity settled as the truck skirted onto the open street. Sirens echoed all around them as the station security surrounded their position.

“I hope you all have a plan for getting us out of here?” Andrea shouted, gripping tightly around one of the metal briefcases.

“Well, we could always throw you out of the side passenger seat,” Eni said. “That should help slow them down.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“She’s kidding,” Seb said, turning in his seat.

“Am I?” Eni asked.

“Vi will get us out of here. Don’t worry.”

The force of the turn threw Andrea into Seb’s chest, which he pushed her back into her seat once the seat evened out. On the new road, Seb could see approaching red and blue lights flashing from behind.

“We’ve got a tail!” Seb shouted. “Two cars coming up on our ass fast.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll lose them,” Vi shouted before taking a hard right. This is where her skills shined. Vi weaved in between giant conveyor belts that brought product up to the higher levels of the factory’s structure. She treated the obstacles as drift markers rather than something that should have been avoided. With each passing second, she pulled further and further away from their pursuers. When they were out of visible distance, Vi turned the vehicle one 180 degrees, before stopping underneath a nearby overhang. She turned the car off, and the group waited.

“Do you think they saw you?” Andrea asked.

“Shut up and be quiet,” Vi said. “We won’t know until they pass.”

Seb’s anxiousness grew with the volume of the sirens. When both vehicles passed by, everyone in the gear let out a uniform breath. They all shared brief laughs while they waited until the sirens became distant. However, their laughter shifted to shouting as a high-pitched whine proceeded a spotlight descending from above.

“It’s a combat drone!” Eni shouted. “Vi, get us the fuck out of here!”

Vi hit the accelerator and careened toward the car-sized drone. The top of their car screeched when the roof scraped against the bottom of the drone’s body. Seb opened his window and leaned out of the car as they sped across the empty parking lot.

The drone had a pointed face with twin blaster cannons on the front. The twin red lights across the face made it look as if they were being chased by giant heads wearing metallic face masks. Both quickly caught up to their vehicle, pinpointing them in the darkness.

“It’s not just one drone, but two.” Seb shouted to the front.

“I’m going to try to hit them with the last drone I have,” Eni shouted.

Seb turned and watched above. Unfortunately, the combat drones saw the threat, shooting a volley of blaster fire into the air, triggering an explosion in front of them.

“Fucking dammit!” Eni shouted. “I’m out of drones.”

The car swayed back and forth as laser fire hit the surrounding ground. Seb twisted in his seat, grabbing on the center console, using anything he could to keep from getting thrown around. Laser fire peppered holes in the top of their roof before Vi yanked hard on the steering wheel, throwing Seb back, shattering the car’s glass with his helmet. When he looked up, the interior of the car was filling up with smoke. Seb kicked at the burning fires along the vehicle’s floorboard, smothering the flames.

“Open the windows!” Seb shouted. “I can’t see a damn thing.”

The wind sucked the smoke out of the car in an instant, revealing Andrea’s hunched over body. Seb pulled on her shoulder, slinging her head back and revealing the smoking sized hole that was now where her face was.

“Oh fuck, Andrea’s dead!” Seb shouted.

“What?” Eni said, twisted in her seat. “Oh fuck!”

The crew didn’t have time to react as another volley landed nearby, sending sparks all over the car. Their additional problem revealed itself when smoke poured from the front hood.

“We’re not going to last much longer if we get hit with another blast.” Vi said.

“Is the car still functional? Seb asked.

“For now, but not sure for how much longer. We need to get those drones off of our asses.”

“Seb, open up the rear crate and start raining death on them.” Eni said.

“Rear crate?” Seb asked, turning around. He leaned over the back seat and found a green plastic box that was as wide as the trunk. He flipped the plastic locks open and pulled the top up, revealing what he only assumed was a rocket launcher.

“Is this a rocket launcher?” Seb asked.

“No, it’s a giant bong,” Eni said sarcastically. “Of course it’s a rocket launcher.”

“How the fuck do I use this thing?”

“Vi, can you believe this guy? He’s never fired a rocket launcher before.”

“Now’s not the time for jokes, Eni!” Seb shouted.

“Just follow the instructions on the side. Turn it on, point it at the drones, let it do its thing, and pull the trigger.”

Seb pulled it over the seat and looked at the side instructions. A giant arrow made it clear which end the explosives came out of. He opened the side passenger door and kicked Andrea’s corpse out of the car, which he would have felt bad for if it wasn’t for the life-or-death situation he was currently in.

With his hand firmly held tight around the weapon’s grip, Seb wrapped the seat belt around his left arm and leaned out of the side of the car. Before it locked onto the drones, the drones shot another burst of blaster fire at the car. It narrowly missed him, exploding the door off from its hinges. Vi swerved hard, sending Seb screaming as his body slid downward. The seatbelt’s locking mechanism kicked in before his head hit the pavement.

“Eni, a little help!” Seb called.

“Hold on, I got you,” she said, climbing into the backseat. Seb felt Eni pull on his legs and slide him further into the car. When his torso reached the edge of the seat, Seb bent himself high enough to grab onto the oh shit handle. With a bit of stability, Seb shouldered the launcher once again. When the hologram centered on both drones, Seb pulled the trigger.

When the drones both slowed down and raised their cannons, Seb expected the worst. However, after flying a few feet, the rocket split into a dozen micro missiles and darted for the two drones. They shot down a few before the rest of them connected with their shiny silver frames. The sky lit up like a fireworks display before the charred remains of burning steel fell to the city street below.

“Fuck yeah,” Seb said, dropping the empty tube behind him.

“Great shot!” Eni said, helping pull him back into the car. Eni climbed back into the front passenger seat once Seb was inside.

“We need to ditch this car soon,” Vi said.

“Are we close to any of the vehicles?” Seb asked.

“Not really. But I can take a left up here and circle us back to Eni’s box truck.”

“Let’s do that and stick to the plan,” Eni said.

When Vi turned down the next street, she slammed on the brakes. The station security had a roadblock set up across the entire road. Vi put their car into reverse and backed up slowly.

“Maybe they didn’t see us,” she said. The squeal of the sirens gave them their answer. “Can we please get a fucking break?”

Vi accelerated down the road, trying to put some distance between the security forces and them. However, Seb could hear the chug of their engine struggling to maintain its speed.

“Eni, I hope you have another plan. They’re going to be on us quick!”

“Give me a second!” Eni said, pulling up her WICI, scouring the map of the nearby area. With the approach of the sirens, the speed of her movements increased. “Okay, I got it! Turn… now!” The vehicle bounced as the as it went off road, raising the rear of the truck like a bucking bronco.

“Eni, there’s nothing here, just that open tube,” Vi said.

Eni let out an evil laugh. “Yup, we’re going in.”

“Through the barrier?”

“Yeah, floor it!”

Vi did as she was instructed, crashing into the front of the car through the wooden barrier. Seb wondered where Eni was sending them, given the many do not enter signs painted along the barrier and walls.

The flashing blue and red lights brightened the steel cavern as the crew ventured further into the hole. After breaking through another wooden barrier that told them to turn back, Seb realized where they were. Vi drove over the steel tracks, sending constant vibration as they drove forward. When Seb looked back, he noticed they’d lost the badges’ pursuit. However, the deafening horn in front of them brought a quick understanding of why.

“Eni, that’s a train.”

“I know. It’s just a few more feet and you’ll turn left.”

“Eni, the light is getting bigger!”

“I know!”

“Vi, you need to go faster!”

“Just shut up and let me drive!”

As the bright light nearly grew in size, the three companions screamed together. The horn sounded their impending doom. At the last second, Vi jerked on the wheel and pulled on the parking brake, spinning around the corner. The gust of the train pushed the car from side to side as the three panted, all dealing with the recognition of how close to death they were. When the train passed by, a quick punch from Vi silenced Eni’s shout of glee.

“Ow, what was that for?” Eni asked.

“We nearly just fucking ate it, Eni!” Vi shouted. “Now’s not the time to be celebrating.”

“But we didn’t! You ensured that.”

“Fuck, that was intense.”

“That’s the understatement of the year,” Seb said, slumping back into the seat. “We’re not out of it yet. Can we even get out of here?”

“There should be maintenance stairs up ahead,” Eni said. “We’ll ditch the car here and take it up to the surface. It should open up to just a few blocks away from the box truck. If everything is good, we grab it and head back to the safe house.”

Seb rolled out of the open side of the car and popped open the trunk. He squatted down and lifted each of the crates before following his companions down the tunnel. After walking a hundred feet, Eni sprinted ahead and opened up her WICI. When she finished, the door’s lock shifted to green, opening up to a metal stairwell.

“Do you need some help with those?” Vi asked.

“Yeah, if you want to grab one, I’ll take the other two.” Seb said, holding the crates up with a knee. After redistributing the load, Vi and Seb followed Eni up the stairs. She sprinted ahead. After climbing four levels, they caught up with Eni, who was standing with the door open.

“It’s good; it looks clear,” she said, waving them forward.

The group shuffled out of the door and turned down the road, constantly glancing over their shoulders at the pin drop of every sound. When Seb looked out behind them, he could see the various smokestacks rising into the sky, remnants of their recent carnage. Thankfully, the sirens stayed distant as they walked to the nearby gated construction yard.

Eni used her WICI to open the gated door, allowing them access to the white box truck that they’d left earlier. They threw the three crates in the back and removed their helmets before swapping their clothes for all white jumpsuits. After changing, the trio jumped into the front of the truck. Vi started the engine, and the three headed home.

Seb’s eyes felt heavy as he came off of his adrenaline high. He leaned his head onto the glass, letting the rumble of the road coerce him into relaxation. Just when he was about to drift to sleep, a strobe of red and blue caught his attention. The truck slowed to a halt in the long queue of traffic, while Seb wiped his hands across his eyes.

“What do you want me to do?” Vi asked, looking at the other two.

“We’re fine,” Eni said. “We were careful. There’s no reason for them to suspect anything. Just act normal.”

“If you say so.”

Seb’s hand tightened around the grip of his revolvers as they approached the roadblock. When they stopped, an officer tapped on Vi’s window with the end of a flashlight.

“Evening officer,” Vi said with an uncharacteristically chipper tone and unfamiliar accent.

“Evening mam. Would you mind providing me with some identification and letting me know what you’re doing this evening?”

“Absolutely. Send it now,” Vi said, tapping on her WICI. “We just finished our shift delivering some equipment to the Bellevue Construction Yard.”

“Wait a minute…” the officer said, looking down at the projected identification. “Anyone ever tell you, you look like that HC-0 racer, Violi something or another?”

“All the time,” Vi giggled. “I can’t go anywhere without being hounded. I wish I would have been born a good lookin’ human like yourself.”

“I appreciate the compliment, mam. Where are you all off to now?”

“Just turning this rental truck in and heading home.”

“Where’s home?”

“Off of 545 Nantucket Road. Staying at the Governor’s Square apartments.”

The officer nodded before heading back to the row of cop cars. Two additional officers approached the vehicle, scanning it as they walked along the length.

“What are they scanning for?” Seb asked.

“Probably the vehicle we left underground.”

“This is taking too long. I don’t like this.”

“I’ve got something that should help pull their attention,” Eni said, pressing a button on her wrist. An explosion shook the ground underneath them. The officers split into two groups, with several running behind the truck. Seb looked into the side mirror and could see smoke pouring out of the maintenance stairwell they exited from only minutes prior. The officer that took Vi’s information reapproached the window.

“Go ahead mam. You’re cleared to leave.”

“Stay safe, officer,” Vi said, smiling before driving beyond the row of cars. She rolled up the window before turning to Eni. “Looks like those fake IDs worked.”

Seb let out a sigh and pointed over his shoulder. “Was that the original car that just exploded?”

“Yeah why?” Eni asked.

“Is this one wired with explosives as well?”

Eni nodded enthusiastically.

Seb rested his face in his hand and shook his head.

“There’s no reason to worry,” Eni said. The explosives are inert unless a proper signal is given. You could shoot the compound with laser fire or slugs and it wouldn’t explode.

“I guess I’ll just take your word for it. Speaking of, won’t they be able to trace the cars back to us since they’re rentals?”

Eni laughed. “Of course not. I did everything online and spoofed it all. It’s going to take months to trace that back. My guess is they’ll take the easy way out.”

“And what’s that?”

“As messed up as this sounds, Andrea’s death helped us out in the long run. Badges don’t want months long investigations. With her body and the evidence, they’ve got enough to pin the whole thing on the ACR. They’ll probably downplay the exchange part and turn it into a raid or something like that. That will take the heat off of us.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“What’s wrong?” Eni asked? “You seem bummed.”

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

“Yeah, what’s up, Seb?” Vi asked. “We should be celebrating. We’re just made a shit load of money, and you’re going to get Nalla back.”

“You’re right, and I am excited.”

“But?”

“I don’t know. I just kind of feel bad for her. Another person I just met cut short by trying to take on the corps. Just doesn’t feel right.”

Vi and Eni both looked at each other and smirked. “Corps control everything in UHC space,” Eni said.

“Just like the families in the Freelight Syndicate,” Vi added.

“Exactly. Someone is always in control at the top. We’re just trying to carve the scraps we can.”

“Forget it,” Seb said. “We can talk about something else. I don’t mean to sour the mood.”

“How about some music then?” Vi said, turning on the truck’s radio.

Seb leaned his head against the glass window, looking out at the surrounding station. His eyes glanced in the side mirror, the dancing flames calling to him.

I don’t want to think about the lives that we took today. In this galaxy, it doesn’t matter. People die every second. Death makes no difference. We all end up somewhere else in the end, right?

I thought the outside was going to be different. And it is. It’s worse. Maybe during my time before I was looking at the galaxy with rose-colored glasses. But that’s not me. I’m not that same kid anymore. All I know is that I’m just another man trying to save a friend. And right now… Nalla, Eni, and Vi. Well… they’re more important to me than anyone else.

But the corps, I’ve got my own beef with them. Especially with one in particular…