Bakers Circle was indeed relatively quiet when they arrived there the next morning. They'd split into the four vans and each approached the circle from a different road. From there, they'd split up into smaller groups and each took up an alleyway to lie in wait for the supply van.

Zetta slipped back into Shelwort Alley beside Rowan, discarding a large empty bottle into a nearby bin. She had approached Rowan with the idea before they left - street cleaners had been on strike for weeks so many main roads were packed with mud and sewage and if they were to pour a little water over it all then it would become a nice slip hazard for any high-speed police vehicles.

Zetta seemed to be coming up with a lot of good ideas recently.

"All set boss," Zetta said but Rowan merely grunted in response. Her eyes were trained on the main road cutting through the square (or rather circle). The transport would be coming down the road any second and all she could do was hope that Keels could get into it in time.

Rowan pressed her finger to her ear. "Keels, what's the status of this virus?" She heard them cursing under their breath. "Keels. Update, now."

"I'm in," he said quickly, "but it's a little harder to control than I thought, it's quite a large truck."

Rowan had been so focused on making sure he knew he could get control of the transport that she forgot to consider the fact that Keels had tried - and failed- several times to drive R.A.I.G's vans. She shook her head.

"Just get it here Keels, as best you can."

No more than a second later the large supply van turned the corner and tore down the road, swerving wildly. They all watched with bated breath as Keels fought with the controls. It slowed down a little as it reached the centre of Baker's Circle then the truck swerved and crashed into a lamp post.

"Smooth Keels, real smooth," Zetta muttered and Rowan had to agree, the crash wasn't exactly the subtle 'bringing the vehicle to a halt' that they had agreed on. Nevertheless, they had a job to do and now time really was of the essence - it wouldn't be long till someone reported the crash to the police.

Rowan pressed her finger to her ear again. "We'll take it from here Keels, make sure the vans are on standby."

"Yes, Boss."

"And Keels?" she added. "Stay the fuck away from the driver's seat."

Rowan switched off her earpiece to focus on the task ahead. "Move!" she ordered, starting forward towards the vehicle. The others all followed suit. Shaun and Leon began to pry the doors open with crowbars as Zetta broke into the front seat to seize any valuables.

Then they heard sirens.

"Shit!" Shaun cried. "It's barely been five minutes!"

Rowan looked towards the top of the road. They weren't here yet, there was still time. As soon as the doors were open she ordered the groups to start filling their bags with anything they could carry and then run back down the various alleys that they had come from.

Zetta climbed back out of the front seat and helped Rowan with the last of the supplies that they could carry just as the armoured trucks sped towards them. The two of them ducked into the nearest alley.

The truck's wheels screeched on the muddy road and there was an almighty crash. Rowan risked looking around the wall and saw one of the trucks on its side.

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"Nice idea Brookes." She nudged Zetta on her way past. "Now let's move."

They slipped further down the small street and broke into a run.

"Rowan Nevers, did I just receive a compliment?" Zetta asked, slightly out of breath.

"Maybe," Rowan replied, pulling slightly ahead. "Remind me never to do it again."

Gunshots cracked through the air.

"What's happened now?"

As they approached the end of the street it turned out the police had found a couple of their escape routes and now a small group were involved in a shootout with at least a dozen officers.

Rowan tightened the straps of her bag and ran out of the alley, pistol confidently out in front of her. She fired six shots before joining Myra and Shaun ducked behind a skip. Shaun was shooting, popping up every so often from behind the skip.

Myra however was knelt over a body, her headscarf blowing a little in the wind and blocking their face from Rowan's view. She let Zetta go find out the situation while she joined Shaun in firing back at the police, he shot over the top, she shot round the side. They were outnumbered but between the two of them and a smaller group behind a bike shed a little way in front of them, they were making a decent dent in the police's ranks.

Zetta joined Rowan, firing a full round before ducking back behind the skip, panting. Rowan paused to reload and took the opportunity to ask.

"Who's with Myra?"

"Some kid that got caught in the scuffle, fell and hit his head pretty hard," She replied, handing Rowan a spare magazine. "Myra wants to bring them back with us."

Rowan leant out to the side, shot an officer in the head then ducked back in. "We're not some charity."

"No but the closest hospital isn't for another hour's drive," Zetta replied. "Feel free to tell her she can't bring them."

Rowan let out an exasperated sigh and leant out again, shooting the two officers who had tried to advance towards them, a feeling of satisfaction rising in her chest as they fell. "Fine," she said, "but she figures out how to carry them to the van."

There were only two officers left now but they were putting up a fight and there would no doubt be back up within minutes. They needed to move if they all wanted to make it out alive.

Rowan thumped the side of the skip three times with her fist and Aila from the group in front looked around. Rowan jerked her head towards the next alleyway. Aila nodded and began to tell the others by the bike shed.

"Ready to give us some cover Lance?" Rowan asked Shaun and he almost looked giddy as he pulled a smoke bomb out of his pocket.

"Always."

Rowan cast a glance over the top of the skip and saw another truck pulling down the road. She ducked down again.

"Any time today would be great Shaun," Zetta said.

"Gimme a minute." Shaun fiddled with the bomb before throwing it to the ground just in front of the remaining officers. A large cloud of smoke erupted, forming a curtain between them and the police.

The group burst into action, grabbing their bags and tearing down the next alleyway as fast as they could. Rowan hung back, making sure everyone from the bikeshed group made it to the street before she followed them. Myra was lagging near the back of the group, slowed down by the added weight of the unconscious stranger on her back and the rucksack in her arms.

Rowan jogged beside her. "Give me your bag then." Myra flashed a grateful smile and held out her bag. "You're too kind for your own good sometimes."

"I couldn't just leave them!"

"You know," Rowan said between breaths. "I'm pretty sure this counts as kidnapping."

"Shut up."

The two of them reached the vans after everyone else. They jumped in the back of the last one and Rowan banged her fist on the side and the van tore off down the road. She watched Myra gently lay the kid down on the floor and she got a proper look at them for the first time.

They were a skinny thing, but not skinny in the way that a lot of the kids were around where Rowan grew up - the hungry kind of skinny. No, they were lanky, the way most teenagers were before they properly grew into themselves. Rowan was awful at ages but she could tell they were somewhere in their late teens, sixteen? Fifteen?

There were no clues as to where they had been or where they were going, they were wearing just a hoodie and jeans. Their short brown hair was a mess but that seemed to be more from getting caught up in a police fight than being generally unkempt. They were also sporting a rather nice gash on their left cheek that was definitely going to sting when they woke up.

Rowan wondered how they would react, waking up and finding out they had been somewhat kidnapped by what the government referred to as 'Lethal terrorists'. That term had always irked Rowan, they may be lethal but they tried their very best to leave civilians unharmed.

Shame the government never made the same effort.

Whatever the reaction, Rowan just hoped she wouldn't have to deal with it.

The sound of heavy breathing and the whir of the engine was all that had filled the back of the van until Zetta finally spoke.

"I totally could've done that in heels."