“Get an IFF on them!” I commanded, considering the possibility of our encirclement being anything other than hostile.

“Yes, ma’am.” Said the driver while she worked furiously at her terminal. After a moment, she furrowed her brows and murmured “that’s odd…”

“Report! Even if it doesn’t make sense!” I commanded hastily, knowing that guns could be blazing in a matter of seconds.

“Y-yes! We’re detecting two different signatures: one unknown, the other belongs to the Skull Clan!” screamed the driver.

“Why are the Skull Clan here?!” I shout in surprise. The Skull Clan are our Western neighbours, they are one of the more reputable gangs and never trespass on other gang’s territory without invitation or provocation. Something must have drawn them out, especially for them to have brought combat vehicles along.

“Maybe it has something to do with the communications tower!” said one of the men in the back.

“Explain.” I demanded while looking back at him.

“We should be in an industrial area right now,” he said while glancing at the driver, the driver nodded and he continued, “Then this area is commonly called ‘Knit’ since most of the workshops in the area produce textiles. This was the fashion capital before-”

“Get to the point!” I roared in frustration.

“Ahem, there is an abandoned comms tower in the area; the previous leaders of the clan held onto this area with an iron fist, despite bordering three rival territories. This is because the comms tower let us watch the movements of everyone around it. Its range covers us, Viper, Skull, and-”

Tatatata!

Everyone braced themselves as a hail of bullets struck the vehicle, all hell broke loose outside the vehicle as the other two sides threw storms of bullets at each other.

“MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!” I screamed to the driver.

The driver didn’t respond verbally, but she got the command and started accelerating. We could not escape the battlefield, however, as a missile struck our side and grounded the vehicle – making us crash into the road and slide for several meters.

After a moment of being dazed, I regained my senses and looked around the vehicle. Two men died from the impact and one is unconscious. The metal on the opposite side of the vehicle is also warped, opening a sizeable hole to the outside world. Knowing that we would no longer continue moving, I started ripping off my buckles.

Before I could free myself, a volley of bullets entered the vehicle and ricocheted around the vehicle until they found something to sink into. Two men died as the bullets found them. Having only sustained a shoulder wound, I reached in and pulled the bullet out. Nova got to work as I tore my seatbelts off.

This vehicle is now a death trap, I have no option but to escape and fight outside.

DAWN! GIVE ME A PLAN!

<( Stay behind cover and keep moving, kill on sight. )>

Understood!

I thought over my plan as I reached for the manual override. Quite simple really; keep moving to make myself a harder target from all angles, stay in cover to block shots, and whittle down the number of barrels pointing at me before one of them gets lucky.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

I pulled the manual override and bolted out the door while drawing my gun. As I passed the threshold I looked around for cover. There was a concrete divider between the sides of the road, I darted up next to it and kept running in a crouch; I watched the right for movement and used the concrete to protect my left.

As I neared a cluster of stationary cars something moved inside the building to my right. Turning to get a clearer look I saw a human shadow rising from the window.

Thinking it could be a civilian, I hesitated to waste my ammo. That was a mistake.

The shadow fired at me, burst fire. The first burst missed completely, but the second burst landed two bullets in my right leg.

Continuing my dash with an added limp, I raised my pistol and started returning fire. Dawn’s corrections allowed me to land a headshot on the third shot despite my awkward sprint. It’s lucky that the bullets went cleanly through, that means Nova can patch it up immediately.

Nova! The pain is making it difficult to focus!

<[ Finding solution ]>

The pain vanished as I ducked between a car and the divider, I could no longer feel the afflicted area and my leg was weakened – Nova probably did something to prevent me from causing further damage.

<( Get off the roads! This is ground zero and we’re in the open! )>

Hearing Dawn’s warning my eyes darted around to find a decent route off the roads. I instantly found a line of cover leading near a building with large closed doors. A second glance revealed that the door was bound by a chain and lock, and seemingly opened inwards.

I took the chance and performed a particularly long dash to an overturned bus at the corner. I was aiming for the right-hand side since it would put me on the outer side of the road, but a volley of bullets changed my plans. I ran straight at the front window and raised my gun.

<( The driver will be difficult to step over! )>

Heeding Dawn’s words, I raise my gun a little higher and shot out the top half of the window.

As I reached the bus I leapt, grabbing the top of the bus with my free hand and swung into the bus feet first. Landing behind the driver’s seat and continuing my sprint through the empty bus, several bursts of bullets tore through the vehicle behind me but I reached the shattered back window unscathed and burst out the back at full speed. I fired a few shots in the general direction of my attacker as I exited and dashed straight for the door.

As I neared the door I aimed at the lock and destroyed it with a few bullets before smashing it open with a shoulder charge. I found a storage area inside, and spotted movement behind the shelves. It was brief, but I saw a gun through the gaps.

I instantly darted between two shelves and raised my pistol in preparation. My opponent fired through the shelves, but nothing came close thanks to the obstruction of the shelves.

I lost sight of him as I entered a particularly well-stacked section of shelves. Engaging my psionic abilities, I could sense him running around to intercept me at the far end of the aisle. I also began to panic as I noticed he was wearing combat armour, knowing my pistol won’t be able to punch through his armour.

Suddenly, I got an idea as I saw two crates in front of me.

I planted my right leg on the first crate to start an upwards movement, and finished by launching off the larger crate with my other leg. I grabbed the walkway with both hands – using the tips of my fingers on one side to prevent losing the pistol – and swung my feet up with the momentum, hooking them into the structure of the walkway. My clumsy movements were somewhat hidden by the gunshots nearby.

At that moment, my opponent burst around the corner and sprayed the rest of his mag down the aisle in full auto. I lowered my pistol and took my time to aim at his unprotected head. He ran out of bullets and his smile disappeared as he failed to find a body, at this moment I fired. He died before his facial expression could change.

<( No other people sensed in the building, we’re safe for the time being. )>

I let out a sigh of relief and unhooked my feet. I lowered my feet and dropped to the ground as the tension escaped me.

“GUH!”

Note to self: high-heels are not ideal for intense physical activity.

<[ Noted. ]>

<( But they’re sexyyyy! )>

<[ They are impractical. I’m busy fixing a dislocated ankle. ]>

<( Muuu… point taken. )>

I sighed as I hobbled behind the shelves. I must either get really good at running around in high-heels or simply stop wearing them. That decision can wait for another time, for the time being I must work with what I have.

As I slumped down against the shelves I considered my next course of action. The best lead I have is that communications tower, so I should find it and investigate further.