Chapter Six
Road Kill
Newcastle, Neighborhood
Bellevue, Seattle
April 3, 2059
10:00 pm
Lori pushed the safety grate aside with all her strength. The metal mesh barely bent despite her effort. It was just enough to slid through. Lori had to push her gym bag in first. The bag held her cyberdeck. Once the bag was through she held her breath and squeezed her way past the mesh. The rusted metal cut at her elbows and arms. She was close to crying out in pain. The terror of becoming stuck made her work her tiny body through the opening. Burning cuts soon collected on her arms. By the time she made it through her elbows were bleeding from scraps and her pants around her hips had been ripped. Tart wished she had worn a jacket rather than the simple tank-top.
No less than ten minutes ago Tart had shut off her link from the Matrix. She had gathered all of her things, ready to leave as soon as she could. Guido, her hired bodyguard for the night, stood like a sentry outside her door. It made Tart feel safer knowing that he was there.
Just as Tart and Guido were about to leave, a Lone Star patrol car pulled up. Guido had taken on the officers. In the process he told Tart to run. Tart did what the big troll said. Now she was in a place that she never dreamed she would be and a situation far worse than she expected.
Lori glanced both ways in the alley, finding only garbage and a dumpster in her path. Her finger wrapped around her bag and she pulled it up close to her, leaning against the grim covered wall of the motel that she had been decking from. The brick felt cold against her skin, sending shivers down her petite spine.
She took in a deep breath, taking the crisp air into her lungs. "Guido!?" She called, her breath turning to fog as it left her mouth. It was cold, too cold for early spring.
There was no response to her cry. The sound of a garbage can falling over and the screech of a cat were all that she heard.
Lori knew that she could not stay here. She picked herself and walked down the alley. She held her bag with both hands. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Each step she took she could feel the cold air biting at her. She swore to herself that she would never get involved in a situation like this for as long as she lived.
A figure came out of the shadows. Tart was caught completely off guard as the shaggy creature knocked her to the ground. She gasped as her head hit against the pavement. Skeleton-like fingers grabbed a hold of her bag and tried to jerk it out of her grip.
"Mine..." A rat-like voice said. "Mine!"
Tart managed to focus her eyes on the squatter who was trying to steal her bag. He was a small man, but he could easily over power Tart. He had a scrawny frame and a scratchy white beard under his chin.
"Mine, you let go!" The man wheezed.
"Get away!" Tart screamed. She held onto her bag with one hand while she fumbled around inside it for her pistol.
"Mine!" The squatter spat and kicked Tart in the ribs.
Tart nearly collapsed at the blow. Her fingers slipped off the bag and it fell into the squatter's hands.
"Mine now!" The squatter said. He backed up to a wooden board that covered what use to be a large hole in the side of the motel. "All mine!" He started to fumble through the bag. Tart immediately became worried that he would find the gun.
Suddenly a massive hand broke through the wooden board behind the squatter. Then another. The squatter screamed as the hulking bulk of Guido the troll tore through the rest of the wood and picked the man up like he was a toothpick. The squatter fumbled around in Guido's grip. When he came face to face with the obviously angered troll, his eyes nearly popped right out of his head.
Guido snorted like a true troll. "Me, Guido, think that not yo' bag!" The troll rumbled. "Me, Guido, 'dink that you give back!"
The squatter didn't seemed to want to let his prize go.
Guido stiffened his grip, holding the squatter by both arms spread out. "Me, Guido, 'dink that you give back before Guido makes a wish!" The troll pulled at the little man's arms, threatening to break him in half. For a troll with the intelligence of a potato, Guido was worth every penny of his fee. Gideon had even paid him in advance.
The squatter looked at the bag. "Not mine!" He said, dropping it.
Tart caught the bag before it hit the ground.
Guido wrapped the squatter up in his left hand. "Now me, Guido, think you take a nap!" He heaved the squatter like a football, sending him barreling into a dumpster.
Tart glanced at the squatter as he moaned in the dumpster. Then looked to Guido who was smiling at her. It wasn't a sinister smile. More like the one a child gave to a mother after the child had done the chores.
"Little girl happy now?" Guido rumbled. "Me, Guido, hope so."
"I'm-" Tart stumbled for the words. "-I'm fine, Guido."
The troll grunted. "That good cause Guido suppose to keep little girl happy and safe. That what Gid told Guido. Guido always do what he told."
"Freeze!" A Lone Star officer called from the mouth of the alley. "Make one move and I'll drop both of you."
"Oops." Guido shrugged. "Guido forgot to break him."
"Hands behind your head and knees on the ground now!"
"Guido think he hurt you now!" The troll rumbled. Tart scampered away from Guido as the troll's massive hand snaked around a Colt Cobra that was in his belt. He brought the firearm to bear, making it look tiny in his hands. The large tube of the external smartlink was clearly visible.
"Stop!" The officer started firing, bullets smacked against the dumpster that Tart hid behind. "Or I'll-" Another bullet dug its way into Guido's metal knee-guard immediately followed by another that flattened out on the troll's dermal armor. "Shoot!" The barrel of the officers Predator lite up again, sending a chunk of metal into the alley wall.
Guido triggered a burst from his gun and slowly started walking forward. The officer took the burst in the chest that made him stumble, but his armor caught it. The impact insured that there would be a new set of bruises in the morning.
"Oh, drek." The officer cursed as he crawled away from the approaching troll. He fired off two stray rounds. One of them hit near Tart.
Guido stiffened his lower lip against his tusks as the officer went back to his car. "Me, Guido, 'dink he scared breeder away." Guido shrugged and walked back down the alley. He glanced around for Tart, but didn't see a sign of her. "Little girl? Guido back now."
Tart peaked out from the edge of the dumpster.
"Guido here." Guido tried to give a calming, broken-toothed grin. "Guido keep you safe now." The trolls vocabulary was a little thin, but it was simple to understand.
Tart rounded the dumpster and came up to the troll. Guido didn't mean her any harm. She felt secure around the big lug. He may not be too smart, but he was safe to be around. He hadn't tried to kill or take advantage of her. In fact, Guido hadn't even said a harsh word to Tart. That was a big plus in Tart's book.
At the mouth of the alley appeared flashing red and blue lights. A second Lone Star cruiser had arrived and was charging down the alley at a breakneck speed. Its siren was blaring and a voice on a loudspeaker was ordering the pair to surrender.
Guido only grunted at the approaching car. "Me, Guido, turn you inta' scrap!"
Tart reached out and grabbed the husky troll's arm. Guido nearly carried her off until he realized that she was hanging on.
"No, Guido!" Tart pleaded.
"No?" Guido looked a little confused. More than he normally did. "Guido still keep you safe." He glanced at the approaching car that was slamming on the breaks as it approached them. The passenger door was poised to pop open. At any moment they would be surrounded. The troll made his choice. He snatch up Lori in his massive arms and carried her away, running as fast as the giant's legs would go. "Guido keep you away from bad men."
"Halt!" The Officer commanded as he exited the passenger side of the car and started to pursue on foot.
Guido tucked back into the hole in the wall he had made earlier. The officer followed while his partner pulled the car back out onto the street.
"Guido keep little girl safe!" The troll bellowed as he tore through the basement of the small motel and came out on the first floor. The footsteps of the Lone Star cop weren't far behind.
All the shaking about had knocked the wind out of Lori's body more than once. It was like being on a roller-coaster that had gone berserk.
The troll headed down the hallway as another cop came in the front door. It was the same officer that Guido had shot at earlier. The cop screamed at the troll to halt before dashing after him. Guido came up to the room at the end of the hall and rammed through the door. It shattered like cheap glass. The troll kept running towards a window. Lori saw the window and almost begged Guido to stop, but she didn't. Guido ran straight through the window and dropped to the street. Guido's pace didn't slow and he kept right on moving. The cop came up to the broken window and looked down. There was no way that he was going to follow that example. Instead he carefully lowered himself down. By that time the officer was on the ground Guido was running up the opposite end of the street with Tart clutched in his hands.
Another Lone Star cruiser pulled off the curb and stopped on the sidewalk. Right in Guido's path. It was an electric Patrol Ones, an economic patrol cars that Lone Star had purchased by the hundreds. They ran of an electrical engine instead of fuel. That, combined with their small size, made them cheaper than cruisers.
"Get out o' Guido's way!" Guido warned as he swung Tart around in one hand and grabbed the bumper of the Patrol One. Seemingly without effort, he lifted the car up and turned it over on its hood. The officer inside started to yell profanities as he crawled out. The troll just kept on running until a full-sized Lone Star Americar pulled up.
The officer nearly drove the car right over Guido. It was only the troll nearly slipping on a piece of sticky gum on the sidewalk that kept him from running into the car's path.
Guido looked at the driver with eyes of rage. "Me, Guido, no like you!" He pulled the Cobra out of his belt again. Tart put her hands over her ears as Guido put the rest of his clip into the car. He completely shot out the windshield, lights, siren, and tore the engine to shreds.
One of the officers that had pursued Guido through the motel came up behind him with a baton. Tart screamed a warning, but she was too late. The cop landed the baton right on the bony skin of Guido.
Guido only felt and annoyance at the blow. He dealt the cop a heavy backhand that sent him flying into the window of a small shop.
Gunshots sounded off that made Tart's ears ring. Guido nearly collapsed as one of the bullets smacked him in the collar bone and went past his armor jacket. He dabbed his finger at the wound and brought it away to see a fine line of blood. The cop approached Guido carefully.
"Put the girl down and get your hands on your head, tusker." The cop warned. "Or the next one goes into your head."
Guido pulled his armored jacket back and looked at his shirt. It was one of his favorite shirts. One that read: I'm a troll, kiss me across the front. Now it had a hole in it and was stained red. Guido took in the damage to his wardrobe and then stared at the cop like he was a piece of meat.
"Do it!" The cop ordered, Tart remained silent.
Guido snorted. He slowly let Tart down on the ground, careful not to hurt her.
"Now tusker!" The cop repeated. He was nearly four meters away from the troll.
"Me Guido mad." Guido rumbled, cracking his knuckles. "You ruined Guido's favorite shirt." He took a step forward, the cop took one back. "Now me, Guido, turn you into chunky salsa!" The cop started to fire, but Guido's boosted reflexes kicked in. He grabbed the Predator and the hand attached to it and lifted the cop into the air. The cop struggled at kicked at the troll whom shrugged it off. "Me, Guido, make you into chunks!" He screamed, slamming the cop onto the pavement. The gun went off, but the rounds sped harmlessly into the air. Guido didn't let go. He picked the cop up again and put him into a nearby wall. Then he yanked the cop over and wrapped his ribs around a light pole. He swung the cop in a wider circle and slammed him onto the cop that was crawling out of the Ford Americar that Guido had shot up. Both officers collapsed like a pile of rocks.
Guido turned to Tart and picked her up like she was a leaf. "Me, Guido, think it time to go now." The troll bellowed as he carried Tart around the corner and into a small parking lot.
Guido had known where he was going to the whole time. Even when he had broken through the motel window. His destination was his bike that was parked in a lot behind the motel. He brought Tart next to a Harley Scorpion and sat her as gently as he could into the back seat. Then the troll climbed one and brought the big bike alive.
Two Lone Star Americars appeared at the end of the street. Their blue lights pulsed rapidly as sirens wailed.
"Me, Guido, no like this." Guido said as he jumped the curb and landed the Scorpion out onto the street. The jolt nearly threw Tart off the back of the bike, but Guido stuck his arm back and held her into place.
Lone Star gave chase, pursuing the pair through the increasingly narrow streets. The yelled warnings about opening fire if the troll didn't stop the bike. Guido didn't pay any attention to them. His simple mind was focused on keeping the Scorpion from crashing and making sure that Tart didn't fall off. That was a lot to think about for Guido.
As the cruiser started to pull along side the Scorpion, Guido yanked the chopper on the sidewalk and tore down it. People, out for a casual nighttime stroll, found themselves running for their lives as a blue and black blur ran them down. Some jumped out of the way of the approaching troll only to end up in the street with a Lone Star cruiser.
"Me, Guido, not very happy now!" A cat screeched as Guido flattened it beneath his wheels.
The Scorpion made a sharp turn around the corner. Tart clenched the folds of the troll's armored jacket, hanging on for dear life. It felt like she was going to fly right out of her seat. Fortunately Guido stuck his arm back again and held her in place.
Just as the cruiser came around the corner, Guido swung the bike in a tight, one-hundred and eighty degree spin. He pushed the accelerator and sped down the opposite end of the street the cruiser was pointing. The Lone Star officer cursed as he put the cruiser into reverse and slowly angled himself toward the troll.
Guido made it about five blocks before another cruiser pulled out in front of him. He hit his brakes, sending Tart slamming into the troll's back. The impact knocked the breath out of her. Tart knew that was going to be sore in the morning.
Guido glanced around. "Me, Guido, 'dink it time to leave." He picked up the bike in his massive hands and pointed it towards a narrow alley.
Two cruisers started to close on the troll from either direction. Just as it looked like they were going to smash into him, Guido punched the Scorpion's powerplant and roared through the alley. The two cruisers slammed on their brakes, but crashed into each other.
The Scorpion emerged from the alley and bounded onto the street. Tart held on tight as Guido made a series of sharp curves. She caught the edge of a sign as they flew passed it.
"Me, Guido, 'dink we on freeway now." Guido rumbled.
Tart eased a look over the troll's shoulder. She saw the endless line of four-lane that stretched out in the Seattle Sprawl. It was highway 90, somehow Guido had managed to bring them here without being caught. Tart felt a flush of relief spread through her. She hadn't gotten killed after all. Her joy at that was so much that she put her arms around the troll and gave him a hug. At least as far as her arms would reach.
Unfortunately what Guido didn't realize was that they were heading towards Council Island and not Redmond. Police lights appeared in the traffic behind the pair as they rode off in the wrong direction.
Guido looked back at Tart, then at the approaching law officers. "Me, Guido, don't 'dink it time for hugging yet."
He punched the Scorpion, bringing the bike to near break-neck speeds. Guido swerved past cars and trucks, trying to gain distance from the police that were closing in. Tart shifted from left to right on the large back seat of the back. Several times she came close enough to a car that she could reach out and knock on the window.
The Lone Star Americar's caught up quick. They must have had some kind of turbocharging installed. They came within twenty meters. Tart could hear the loudspeaker on the lead car blaring warnings at them.
"Halt or you will be fired upon!" The voice threatened. It seemed to echo in the speaker.
Tart turned and looked at the approaching cruiser. Then she saw bright flashes of light just above the passenger door. At first she didn't recognize what it was, then a bullet tore off Guido's rearview mirror.
"Guido!" Tart screeched.
"Guido know!" The troll bellowed. "Me, Guido, know."
The Scorpion sped past a late model Landrover and onto a stretch of open pavement. The cruiser pulled into the right lane. Guido saw the move and pulled the Colt Cobra from his belt.
"Me, Guido, 'dink that girly get down now." He said calmly. Tart barely had the time to comprehend what he said when the troll threw on the breaks. The sudden deceleration slammed her up against Guido as the police cruiser flew by on the left. Guido pointed his gun out at emptied what was left in his clip into the driver's side. The cruiser burned it's tires at it tried to stops, it's armored glass shuddered under the impact of the high-velocity slugs from Guido's sub-machine gun.
Guido turned the bike around and headed into oncoming traffic. Horns blared as drivers tried to get out of the way. The other Lone Star cruiser slid sideways and blocked the road, only to be hit by a speeding Jackrabbit who's driver wasn't paying attention. The Jackrabbit ramped off the hood of the Americar and went sailing through the air. Guido moved the bike sharply as the car came down. It smashed into the pavement only meters away, sending sparks and metal flying over the ground.
Guido swerved again and went around the bumper of the Lone Star cruiser. The officer started firing off rounds from his handgun. Tart cuddled up to Guido as the bullets pinged off the safety rail that separated the two lanes of traffic.
A buzzing caught Tart's ear. For a moment she thought she had hit her head, but then realized that it was the earplug from her micro-transceiver that was making the noise. That was odd, but the little device wasn't a standard model to begin with. It was encrypted, though it only had a range of about three kilometers. She reached to the transmit disc that was snapped to the inside of her tank-top.
"Tart?" It was Lenny's voice. "We've got the package, where are you?"
"Lenny?!" Tart sounded like she was scared out of her mind. Which she was.
"It's me, just stay calm." Lenny said. "Tell us where you are."
Guido glanced over his shoulder as he dodged an oncoming Eurocar. "Dat' Gid? Me, Guido, hope so." The two Lone Star cruisers had turned around and were now following the Scorpion through the traffic.
"Yes, it is." Tart told the troll.
"Good, 'cause me, Guido, 'dink we in trouble."
"Tell us where you are." Lenny insisted.
Tart took a look around and caught the view of a direction sign in the other line. "We're west bound on ninety." She stopped a second and looked at the hundreds of headlights that were approaching them. "Make that east bound."
"East?" Lenny sounded astonished. "We're heading right for you, but your in the wrong lane."
"We know!" Tart exclaimed.
"Tell Gid that Guido got little officers following him.." Guido suggested.
Tart could see the wisdom in that. "Lenny, Lone Star is after us."
"Oh," The troll exclaimed. "It Lenny? Well, me, Guido 'dink....." The troll started to ramble as he dodged in approaching cars and snaked away from the guard rail just before impact.
Gunfire from the two cruisers was reaching Tart and Guido. The two cruisers were moving up fast. Bullets bounced off the pavement just behind the rear wheel. Tart nearly screamed when a bullet bounced off an armored plate. The gunfire didn't last, probably because there was a danger that the officers would hit civilian cars.
"We're on the way. Look to see us on your six in less than three minutes." Lenny said. "Tell Guido to make tracks for Redmond and Glow City."
Tart grabbed a hold of the troll's shoulder and told him what Lenny had said. Guido nodded and moved himself to hit a one-way turn off for Redmond in another eight kilometers. Far away, Riggs was punching the Bison, pouring on every ounce of power it to catch up to the speeding Scorpion.
The two Lone Star cruisers kept coming. They might not be shooting anymore, but they were threatening to force Guido off the road. Guido did what he could to keep a distance between them, but he couldn't barrel into the oncoming traffic. He had to slow down otherwise he'd flip the Scorpion when he swerved to miss cars.
Tart glanced over her shoulder once and noticed that the cruiser was less than three meters away and closing. "Guido!" She screamed, hoping that he could hear her over the roar of the engine. "They're getting close!"
"Me, Guido, know." Guido said. He held the handlebars with one hand while he dropped the empty clip out of his Cobra. He stuffed the gun back into his belt, hilt up, as he fumbled in his jacket for another clip.
Just as he pulled the fresh clip out, the cruiser sped up and bumped against the rear of the Scorpion. The sudden collision forced Guido to drop the clip and grab onto the handle bars with both hands.
Without a word, Guido made a bee-line towards two large Trailblazer trucks with massive trailers hauling behind them. The Scorpion flew like a bullet between the two big rigs. Tart could've sworn that she felt the sides of the trailers brush up against her shoulder. The Lone Star cruiser slammed on the brakes and hard to move out of the way of the approaching trucks. It slammed into the safety rail and hugged along it's length, sending sparks flying from its drivers side.
The other Lone Star cruiser came around the opposite side of the trucks and met the Scorpion as it came out the other side. The officer pushed against the bike with it's front fender. Guido lost control for a brief second. He skidded up against an approaching Jackrabbit. The impact ripped one of the front armored panels right off the bike and send it flying into the Jackrabbit's wheel. The little car spun a sharp circle and slammed into the back of the trailers.
"Me, Guido, 'dink dat dis a bad place." Guido said as the two cruisers renewed their pursuit.
They had Guido flanked from the left and the right. The two moved up, looking to sandwich the Scorpion. Guido looked at his situation with a child's eye.
"Guido 'dink dat this could hurt." He mumbled as Tart shut her eyes.
The cruiser came up close, it looked like it would hit any second. Tart started to tremble, anticipating the impact. Suddenly the rear of the cruiser burst into flames. Fire engulfed the trunk and soon the back seat. In another second the whole car exploded in a brilliant fireball. Through the fire a Bison tore through.
"The calvary is here!" Tart heard Riggs say over the commlink.
The second cruiser noticed the Bison's entrance. What's more they paid attention to the Vindicator minigun on the turret mount on top of the van. The presence of such a weapon made the officers rethink their strategy. Unfortunately they didn't think fast enough.
The side door on the Bison slid open, revealing Lenny crouched at the doorframe. In his hands he held a heavily modified AK-98. The under-barrel grenade launcher was fitted with air-timed grenades. He loosed one of the little balls of destruction that set of an explosion underneath the hood of the cruiser. The car flipped up in the air and slammed back down. It slid along the road for another thirty meters before coming to a stop.
"Let's get in the right lane, eh?" Riggs mumbled as he spun the minigun around and trained it on a section of safety rail far ahead. He let loose a prolonged burst that cut the rail into. The Bison slammed through the opening and into the East bound traffic. Guido followed, making the bike jump the debris left behind by the big van.
Riggs pulled the Bison alongside the Scorpion. Guido slowed down once he realized that both police cars had been taken car of.
Lenny tossed his weapon back into the van and leaned out the door. "Guido, they've called in more cops."
Guido shook his head. "Me, Guido, no like that."
"They're after Tart." He had to scream to make his voice heard over the roaring engines and the wind. "If we split up in Glow City we can lose them."
"Me Guido 'dink that a good idea." He nodded back at Tart. "But little girly need be wit' you."
Lenny nodded. "I know." He glanced at Riggs in the drivers seat. "Riggs, get us closer!"
Tart shuddered. He's not going to do what I think he's going to do, is he?
The Bison crept a few feet closer. Guido kept the bike steady. Finally Riggs was about half a meter from the edge of the bike. Lenny stuck his hand out at Tart.
Tart tightened her fist on Guido's jacket and shook her head. No way was she doing it.
"Tart! You've got to get off. If we stop they'll have us made."
"No way, Lenny!" She replied.
"Tart, give me your hand." Lenny stretched out as far as he could. "I promise I won't let you go."
"I'll never make it!" Tart insisted. "Just let me stay here!"
"Can't do it and you know it." Lenny replied. "Come on, we don't have the time. I won't let anything happen to you."
Tart looked at Lenny who appeared a lot further than half a meter away. Then she glanced down at the pavement that was flying by her feet. She didn't want to move.
Lenny shook his hand. "Take it!"
Tart reached out her hand. Lenny stretched as much as he could. He felt the tips of her fingers brush past his own. Then................nothing!
Tart missed Lenny's hand and immediately started to topple over. Her face came up to the road. Instantly a picture formed in her mind. One of her body falling off the Scorpion, tumbling and bouncing off the hard pavement. Then landing, with broken bones and bleeding from a thousand cuts. Dying.
Guido, the big lug, stuck his arm out at the last second and swung Tart back into position. It took Tart a second to regain her senses and to shake away the thought she had just had. She clenched a hold of the troll's jacket and refused to let go. The fear of missing was too great for her to overcome.
"One more time, Tart!" Lenny reached out. Gideon had appeared behind him and was holding on to Lenny's belt while Lenny leaned out the door. "Reach out for me!"
Tart shook her head. She didn't want to try that again. She hugged her face up to the troll's back.
"Tart, there's no time!"
She closed her eyes.
"Tart?"
"No!" She screamed.
"Tart!" Lenny didn't say anything else, but the expression on his face said please.
Tart looked back at the speeding pavement, then at Lenny's hand. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that this would probably get her killed. What was it that her older sister use to say when she was little? Take a chance?
Tart stuck her hand out, feeling the air whip around it. She reached out into nothing, then Lenny's hand grabbed hers. She felt a sharp tug and let go of Guido. Lenny lifted her up as high as she could to get her in the van. Halfway there, she opened her eyes and saw the road moving beneath her. She couldn't help but scream.
The scream broke Lenny's concentration and he nearly lost her. Tart put her feet down briefly and stepped off, but Lenny caught her in his arms. Lenny hauled her into the Bison with all of his strength.
Tart landed on top of Lenny, out of breath and scared out of her wits. She spent a few minutes just laying in his arms, shaking. Tears started to fall from her eyes. It was anybody's guess wether the tears were from terror or something else. She just lay quietly, cuddled up in Lenny's arms. Lenny didn't say anything. Instead her brushed her hair and tried to calm her, telling her that everything was going to be okay. He pulled her through just like he promised. He made a slight nodd towards Riggs. The rigger didn't reply. Instead he brought the van off to the Redmond exit.
Tart still stayed clenching to Lenny's collar, not saying a word. Michelle was strapped into the seat above the decker and samurai as they lay on the floor, the decker curled up in Lenny's arms. Tart's skin was pale and frigid. Her eyes were shut tightly, tears trickling out.
Michelle felt a strange feeling come over her. She started to wonder if these runners weren't like the ones she had seen on the trid so many times. They seemed..........what was the word?
Human?
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