For being hunted, pursued and harassed like you are by this so-called contractor, you have only one punishment fit for these goons. An unimaginable cruelty, one they shall remember for the rest of their lives, should they not end them prematurely in shame afterwards.
"... hey, Heather, you ready? We better get-"
David turns around to check on your readiness, but he did not expect to witness such a merciless display of cruelty. You were just leaving the finishing touches with your black marker of justice, drawing the final wisker on the poor unconscious guard's face. It was complimented by a black eye you also drew on, or was it real? He'll have to find out once he washes it off… if he figures out how to remove super-permanent marker stains~
Not only that, but you also snatched the sunglasses that were coincidentally lying on the ground with absolutely no relation to the unconscious man next to them. Another brilliant disguise, they'd never see this coming.
"... glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor." David simply chuckles, flashing a smile devoid of the stress that would usually come with the situation. Indeed, it was like old times. Meanwhile, Groza just shook her head.
"Squad leader, your orders please?"
"Yep, sure." you stash away the marker and took David's position at the door. You nod to Groza, who's opposite of you. "We breach on my signal. David will direct us to the back exit, then we get to the escape vehicle. The sniper will definitely have eyes on the exits, so I'll draw their fire once we get outside."
"Hm… sound plan."
"Of course it is. Ready?"
Groza raises her rifle, and that's all the confirmation you need. You count down from 3, and on 1 you burst through the doors. You find yourself in a hallway on the ground level, thankfully away from the lobby where a lot of civilians were. It looked pretty clear at first, until…
"Movement at 2:25."
Your eyes snap towards the angle pointed out by Groza over Zener, and you notice the movement too, behind a stone pillar. You let your partner handle him, as you're pretty sure this ambush won't be just one guy.
"We can see you guys, you know. Just walk away and-"
At your warning, walk they did, but not away. The one who's position you already knew, and one further down the hall behind a water dispenser, peeked over their covers with their weapons raised. So much for hoping they're only scared civies.
You and Groza do not hesitate to make your guns sing before they can, precise shots hitting the security guards square into their chests. Groza's fire was relatively quiet, but yours was loud. It's safe to assume that the building is now fully alerted.
"Now we'll have more than just the corrupt ones after us. Let's hurry. Which way, Dai?"
"End of the hall, to the right." He answered your question. You hasten your steps, weapons raised. David also keeps the pistol he looted raised, covering the rear. He did make a passive glance at the two guards you shot down. He frowns. "We should probably call an ambulance. Doubt whoever hired these guys cared enough to call one."
[ ] "Yeah, go ahead."
[ ] "Don't. They're not worth it."
[X] "Do whatever you want."
[ ] Write-in
David pulled out his phone, but nobody was stopping. If these guys really were still alive, better to get away as soon as possible. You reach the exit door, and take up a breaching position like last time.
"Dai, what's the cover like out there?"
"Not much stuff to hide behind, I'm afraid. Most employees park their cars up front. Avoiding sniper fire's gonna be tricky."
You compare the offered information with what you saw when you arrived earlier. You got here by cab, since you had to leave the jeep you stole at Luv's Garage. Thankfully, you had a ripe selection of getaway vehicles all around you, especially the oh so convenient rent-a-cars that you can find around most corners of the mid-city. Only you don't need an app on a phone, all you need is your E-war module and the wheels start turning by themselves.
Still, you're in a tight spot, and you're afraid you might be under-equipped for the task. You've got no smoke grenades to cover your escape, and you can't suppress the sniper if you've got no idea where it's coming from. For all you know, they could be on a skyscraper on the other end of the district.
At least AA-12 could've used her shields, or even Ouroboros could provide cover with her pods. And Benelli's wings are currently sitting in the jeep, still plagued with malware. As you look at Groza, you realize that heroic grenade launcher might've clouded your judgement. Along with those long legs.
"You can control that car remotely, right?" Groza asks, to which you nod.
"Yeah, but I need to see where it's going. So I'll get out there, find some cover to safely drive the car closer, and then you guys get in."
"And then I'll take the wheel and pick you up."
"And I'll… sit in the back and be useless." voiced David. Clearly he's not used to being the center target of an operation.
"Just stay alive, and you might get to be moral support." you chuckle, then turn back to Groza. "Keep him safe, alright?"
"You have my word."
"Alright then. 3… 2… 1…!"
Groza kicks open the door, and you rush out into the sunlight. Immediately you're shot upon, but you're a little too quick for the unsuspecting human assailants. The parking lot doesn't have many cars parked, and the closest ones are being used as cover by the enemy, 4 of them. So unless they're open to sharing, you must take one out before sliding in. And you pick one volunteer right off the bat.
You remember the general direction of the sniper, and rush for the closest car in reach. Jumping, you slide over the hood, and your knees ram right into the guard that was hiding behind it. As he staggers back, you drop to the ground and shoot up. A three round burst: chest, shoulder and neck. He shouldn't be getting up again.
"Give it up!" shouts the other one from a cover further away, his bullets grazing the hood you just slid off of. "We've got you surrounded, three to one!"
You stay where you are, catching your breath. They shouldn't advance on you as long as you return suppressive fire every now and again. Instead, you look towards the other end of the parking lot, where the rent-a-car is located. You reached out with your digimind, and it's front lights lit up, along with the rumble of its engine. It's weird to shift the gears without touching anything yourself, but it works, and it is now moving forward. But the constant ringing of bullets was getting a little distracting…
"Groza, can you get an angle on any of them from the doorway?" you ask through the Zener network.
"Negative, as I cannot peek far out enough without exposing myself to the sniper. However, I could shoot a grenade into the general vicinity."
"W-wait, you can't do that!" interjected David. "The second explosives get involved, the city will mobilize a lot more than regular law enforcement. We won't get away if they'll send choppers after us!"
You click your tongue. "He's right, this can't escalate beyond a shootout. Avoid using explosives for now…" you keep thinking though, looking around. "... wait for an opening, shoot when I force them to move."
You lie down on the ground and roll to the side. The barrel of your gun now sees under the vehicle you cover behind, and under theirs as well. One of them clearly isn't very careful with his footing, so you're sure he won't miss it.
BANG!
The round embeds itself into her foot, and he screams out, falling down. The rest of his body, as well as his head, are now also in your line of fire. But you stay clear of the trigger for now, and wait for it…
"Mathews!" called out one of the others, running out of his cover to rush to his buddy's side.
Meanwhile, the third tried to stop him. "Bobby! Don't!"
But just as he left cover, a round more silent than others pierced his lung and arm, taking him out. At that moment, you finished off your target as well, sending a bullet crashing through his skull. If Groza could see, you'd give her a thumbs up for a good tag team, but there is no time to celebrate. Another round was sent your way, and this one pierced the car doors just above you. The sniper has figured out where you are, and missed just by a few inches. Seems they overestimated your height. You roll to the side, back to the car's front, putting an entire engine between you and the sniper instead of just a few flimsy plates of metal.
"Heads up Groza, I'll send the car crashing into the last guy. Then you guys rush in."
"Affirmative."
You feel the sniper shoot at your cover again. This time they hit the tires, lowering the car's overall profile and making you have to duck more. They really are trying quite hard to nail you… must be quite a specialist behind the trigger.
You look back towards the car you control, revving the engine. None of them seem to have noticed its approach, and now it's close enough for a sneak attack. So you accelerate it forwards with your mental control and send it flying into the enemy.
"AAAAAH!" he screamed before the collision, which hopefully put him out of the fight for long enough. You pull the car back just a bit, placing it right before the entrance. You give Groza the all clear, and then take a deep breath.
There's just one last thing left to do before you can haul ass out of here, and that is to distract that sniper. So you turn towards the middle of the parking lot, where the largest amount of cars is parked, and start running. While you do, you make a little gesture to really attract their attention.
[ ] You flip them the bird.
[X] You make a heart symbol.
[ ] You make a "call me" gesture.
[ ] Write-in
Every cover you run past receives at least one bullet that was meant for you. There are moments where you feel the whirlwind of missed shots graze you by. You are working your SMG agility to the limit, and if you were to be in the open for more than 2 seconds you'd definitely take a hit. Just how are they so accurate?
"V, get in!"
Like aid from above, you hear Groza calling out to you as the escape vehicle races towards you. But it's showing no signs of stopping, and you notice the side door is open… and here you thought you had the crazy ideas. But having clearly no other option, you break off into a final spring, calculating where the car is going to be and when you'll need to jump. 7 seconds… 5 seconds… 3 seconds…
But just as you are about to jump, it seems your luck has run out. A sharp pain rips your voice out as a bullet pierces through your right leg, turning your would-be jump into a pitiful stumble. No way you can keep running on it, yet alone stand, but you already have too much velocity. You're prepared to roll and slide on the rough ground like a ridgid bowling ball, if you won't receive another round before you grind to a halt.
What you did not expect was the sudden sound of tires screeching, and the sight of your escape vehicle breaking into a drift, aligned perfectly to scoop you up. Before you knew it, you didn't crash into the cold and unforgiving asphalt, but a comfy backseat made of caucasian leather.
Still hurt like a bitch though.
The door slammed shut behind you, and you felt the force of the vehicle charging forth and away from this place. What sounded like more gunshots emanated from the back, but it soon stopped, and it seems nothing and nobody vital was hit.
"Heather! Are you alright!?"
You open your eyes to see David looking back at you from the front passenger seat, while Groza was sitting behind the wheel.
"Huff… puff… h-... how's my hair?" you crack a smile. You can be smug now, after all.
"Sniper got your leg." Groza said, looking at you through the back window.
"Hah, thanks for the diagnosis, nurse~"
"C'mon, let me see your leg..." David spoke, leaning forward to check on the damage.
"Relax Dai, it's not like I'll bleed out or get infected like a human."
"... yeah, I know. It's just… been a while since I was part of a firefight… or since we last met."
His expression softened a bit. You get his concern, he was once your caretaker. But it's been a while.
[ ] "You're not my caretaker anymore, Dai. If anything, I'm taking care of you right now."
[ ] "You can help by buying me some now stockings later~"
[X] "Don't worry, I've already got someone who'll chew me out about this. I think you'll like her."
[ ] Write-in
"If you two are done chatting…" interrupted Groza. "Right now we need to get back to the garage and ditch the vehicle. Also, mister Kolsurd, your gun."
"Ah, right…" After the reminder, he pulled out a kerchief and wiped the gun of fingerprints. "So, where are we going? And what's the plan actually, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well…" Ots is about to speak, but finds herself stumped. Her eyes once again dart towards you through the back mirror. "V, what is the plan?"
"Actually, I was kinda hoping to cross that bridge when we get there. You know, once we've picked up Mack."
"Oh shit, Mack?" David sounded surprised. "I haven't seen him in ages… wait, you mean, the contractor is after him too?"
"Well, they were hell bent on killing you just by association." you shrugged. "I'm pretty damn sure Mack is in danger too."
"But I'm the one who broke the contract. Set you free. Isn't that what this is about?"
You and Groza look at each other for a moment. While it could be argued that the reason for you being able to resist the contractor's "assurance policy" could be traced back to him, it seems unfair to say he's responsible for this mess and people gunning for you. You doubt the contractor cared about you being free at all, they just wanted you out of the picture, no matter if you pose a threat or not.
"... actually, the contractor tried to off me after I delivered the package. But since I am clearly not a smug cyberghost… they decided to kill you two as well, just in case."
"... well shit." His expression turned grim. "You're going after him, right?"
"Yeah. But first, we gotta get you to safety. You keep a low profile until we're back with Mack, got it?"
"... yeah, alright." he sighs. "As long as you'll get someone to keep me company."
"Hah, cheeky as always."
"Well, you certainly didn't get it from Mack."
The two of you laughed, but when Groza took a sharp turn, you accidentally put pressure on your bad leg and winced. "Ugh… there won't be time for a proper fix."
"You're not leading a rescue operation on a broken leg." warned Groza with a stern voice.
"I will if I have back-up." you retorted. "We'll borrow a repair kit from Luv and perform a preliminary fix on the ride there-"
"If it were under my command, I wouldn't let a wounded unit take part in battle."
"Well, I'm in command here, and I am needed to identify the target. Sorry, but I am not budging on this, Groza."
The assault rifle, sighed, but complied. "Affirmative, squad leader."
"Now, since we're already talking about it…"
Pick 2 squadmates to accompany you:
[X] Ots-14
[X] AA-12
[ ] Ouroboros
