As fast as Dmitriy finished his second radio message the premier and the colonel showed up running towards him. They entered the hatch without a word, so he followed them. He couldn't see too much in the darkness, but he caught the moment when the premier almost slipped on the blood. Indeed there was too much blood there. The target shouldn't have too much time, before bleeding out. The coalition made another good weapon for his people.
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
As Ling chased, the contact fired another few rounds behind him which Ling was forced to duck behind. One of the rounds struck a pipe which shot hot steam out across the tight corridor. He covered his face and dived through the scalding hot steam. He got to his feet and charged on. He looked at the taser to check it's charge level. He had enough for a couple more shots.
"My hand..."
He noticed his right hand at the same time. The steam had turned it bright red. Already he could feel a heavy burning sensation in it. He had to keep it moving, else it would seize up and then what use would he be? He could hardly shoot. He saw a silhouette in the distance and rushed off after it.
Ben knew he was being followed, but unlike them he was used to fighting and fleeing in such close quarters, lower Manhattan was filled with tunnels such as these, back when he was fighting for the Front they made use of them often.
As he got out of the tunnel was crawling out of an into another chamber he saw only one way out, a rusting door, rushing towards it he used his good shoulder to bash it open, the aged door gave easily due to a lack of maintenance in this section, the room beyond it was a tool storage room, he could see plasma cutters, wrenches and various other tools of repair and demolition. Paying them little mind he scanned the room quickly, on the far side of the room was a ladder that led upwards, it would be a difficult climb due to his arm, but Ben smirked despite the pain he felt. If Alvin thought he would make this easy...He had another thing comming, holstering the pistol back into his cloak he made a beeline towards the ladder, using his good hand to haul himself up while his damaged arm helped stabilize him as he hauled ass up the ladder. Laughing as he made the climb.
"Come on, I'm really a nice guy once you get to know me, perhaps we can communicate over subspace politely if you simply give up, you'll find I'm great on Neural-Net Parties!" he mocked as he hauled himself up the ladder until he reached the top, the pain in his arm was beyond measure, but his mind knew he couldn't stop here. Forcing himself to move towards the exit he entered one of the Habitat Wards of the station, Zoners, Corsairs and other people he did not recognize passed by him, seemingly not noticing him as he squeezed through the crowd.
As it thinned he noticed a security officer, a plan forming in his mind as he flagged the man's attention.
"Officer! There's a group of men back there waving around guns and screaming...And a woman" he added the last part as an after thought as the security guard's hand went to his Comm-Unit as he called it in, moving towards where Ben pointed behind him.
Moving as fast as he could he tried to put as much distance as he could between them as Ben attempted to figure out where exactly he was.
Leroy dashed towards the hatch, he was the last one to get there.
As he came closer to the hatch, and admired the repainting of the area with the targets blood. He thought he saw a glimpse of someone else in the corner of his eye. A woman, near were Dmitriy had came from. He swiveled round and pulled his taser to eye line. A few tense seconds go past of pure silence. The room drops dead. Leroy shrugged off his temptations to investigate further, and hurried down the hatch.
Shots. Before him he saw the Colonel going through the hot steam, so he covered his face with his jacket, and followed the Colonel. Upon arriving to a cross-roads the others took the right hatch. Dmitriy decided to take the middle one.
It was another service hatch, with another long and very tight corridor. Shots could be heard again, but it couldn't be decided from where. At the end of the corridor Dmitriy saw someone. He readied his weapon and continued forward with caution.
The corridor ended up with a huge room. There was a lot of debris and rubbish all over the room, but it seemed empty. There were several corridors leading to other directions.
Dmitriy quickly checked all of them, but he couldn't choose which one to take, so he decided to wait for a signal or something. Then he heard steps one level above him. He quickly run towards the corridor, that led up.
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
Ling chased on, he heard the shouts up ahead and somehow the fugitive had managed to duck his way past several armed guards. They were all now looking at Ling and drawing their laser weapons.
"Oh... you annoying little..."
He ducked behind a corner and drew his machine gun. Forgetting his own orders not to shoot into the Zoner and Civilian population, he started shooting back. With two of the guards dead, he tried to shoot the last few in the legs and arms. With his hand starting to ache, his aim was not good enough. The bullets impacting the corridor and the chests and heads of the security team. He thought they would be better prepared after the Corsair attack. Apparently not. He picked himself up and charged on.
"Damn," Katz uttured as he poked his head out into the residential complex, Ling was engaging fire with a couple of Zoner security.
There was no time to deal with them, and with the precision of an executioner, the Seeker rifle barked twice, blowing the pair of patrol guards away. "Go!" he yelled after Ling, already up and sprinting across the foyer of the large apartment complex.
Rapid response teams would be mobilized by now, and moving into their position. Very soon there would be no way to escape, and no route out.
Where was Warner?
He scanned the levels, the crowd, looking for a sign.
Damn!
Then he spotted the Maglev tram station ahead. Logically Warner would be going into the deepest concentration of people, and that meant the transit hub.
Not bothering to hide his communications now, he tapped his link, "transit station, he's going for a tram!"
He ran across the foyer, sliding around a corner, still in his socks, his seeker barked again, cutting down a guard that was running in his general direction. Things were going to hell in a hand basket, fast.
"Social Credit, Pasha, if you can read me, I need you airborne and ready to give us some support..."
He could hear the fighting behind him, but he payed no mind to it as he ran at top speed towards the Tram Station, the Tran was going to pull out very soon, squeezing through the crowds squeezing into the Tram he sighed as he got in by a window.
Before he could relax he spotted the Coalition Hit Squad fighting their way towards them, causing the passengers to panic, the screams of the terrified civilians sounded in his ears as the Tram's doors started to close as it prepared to pull out. Feeling mildly cheeky Ben waved cheerfully at them as the Tram started to pull out. Flipping Ling the 'bird' as they pulled out towards the next station.
Backing away from the window he squeezed himself amongst the passengers, trying to use them as shields to cover his own body as the Tram raced for the next station.
As Dmitriy continued his was up two guards were coming from the entrance and started shooting at him immediately.
Not to shoot the zoners... I don't think that self defense counts...
He quickly grabbed the sniper rifle, and step in one of the service hatches. He aimed at one of the guards.
The bullet went through the man's right arm. He fall to the ground. The other got into cover. And called for back up. He couldn't allow him to do so, so he pulled a grenade. In the explosion the man's body hit the other wall, and if the splinters didn't kill him the collision did it.
"Transit station, he's going for a tram!"
Dmitriy heard the premier, he grabbed the unconscious guard's submachine gun, and he started running towards the building, that must be the station. At least that was the place most of the people were heading.
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
Katz jogged out to join Ling on the platform, watching the tram speeding into the transit tunnel.
"Social Credit, commence bulldog, I repeat, let bulldog out of the pound!"
He took cover behind a pillar, keeping his rifle ready. "You know, Colonel, when I agreed to do this, I didn't expect to be in this situation before lunch..."
He eyed an abandoned briefcase and black greatcoat that a Zoner civilian had abandoned in the confusion, grabbing it he quickly shrugged it on, turning the collar up. "Zoner rapid response will be here soon, we need to think of an exit."