***
Through the back window of the craft, I can see that there are not one, but two military-grade Hovercrafts speeding through the air behind us.
“Sol, the gun!” Jenica cries as she banks right, hard. I grip the seat behind me before I can go hurtling across the aisle toward Gage.
Strap yourself in next time, idiot.
“Everyone, windows open, guns up!” I command, throwing my window open.
Those with guns follow suit and as I stick my upper body through the window, I barely miss having my head taken off by a zooming hover bike. There are about six of them closing in on us, poised to shoot us through the windows. I have no doubt that after the beating they took, their guns are now trained on ‘kill’ instead of ‘stun’. As I take aim on the bike that nearly hit me, I am surprised to find Baron on its seat. He pulls up beside my window and salutes mockingly.
“You didn’t think I’d let you have all the fun, did you, mate?” he bellows over the wind, his face split in a wide grin.
“Hold your fire!” I command as I recognize the rest of the Rejects as the occupants of the other bikes. “The bikes are friendlies.”
“They don’t look like any friends of mine,” Gage snorts from his position across the aisle.
“Yeah, well they’re not the ones firing on us!” Blythe yells as she takes aim on the craft directly behind us using the radar screen.
The hover bikes fall back, surrounding the craft that Blythe has blown a few holes into behind us. It’s going to take a lot more than that to take down the military craft, and we all know it. Jenica is working some impressive piloting skills, swooping low and veering through trees, but only so much evasive maneuvering is going to save us.
“Hey, Bronson,” I call across the aisle, catching Gage’s attention. “Feel like getting some fresh air?” I ask as I point to the roof hatch above out heads.
To my surprise he smiles and stands, his gun at the ready. His CBX1000 is nowhere near as badass at my ARX, but it’ll get the job done.
“Now that you mention it, it is getting kind of stuffy in here.”
“What are you doing?” screams Jenica as she banks left again, throwing Gage into me before righting the craft again. “Do you want to get yourselves killed?”
“No, but we’d rather not let you go down with us if we do,” I answer as Gage pops the hatch open. He gives me a leg up first and once I’m out, I lean down through the hole and help pull him up. The current of air on either side of us is strong and each of us has to grab on to one of the steel handles on either side of the hatch to keep from falling off.
“We need to get on those bikes,” I say, watching as the Rejects swarm around the hovercraft, smashing in its windows and laughing with glee as they snatch MPs through the circular holes and throw them to the ground. “Pick one and jump on. Throw the other guy off and try not to get killed.”
“Got it,” Gage says, taking off before I can tell him to go.
“Impatient bastard,” I mutter as I stand and take off after him, picking up as much speed as I can before reaching the edge. There are three bikes within our reach, and I opt for the one furthest away to give Gage the best chance to reach one of the closer ones. With one good leap, I am able to propel myself close enough to grab on to the footrest of a bike piloted by Monkey Arms.
“What the hell?” he screams when I swing my legs up and settle behind him on the seat.
He swings back at me and I block the blow with my arm, my shoulder screaming in protest. Pain radiates up my arm and into my chest as bone connects with titanium and I realize I’ve picked the wrong bike. This dude could knock me senseless with one punch. He takes another swing at me, but I dodge it before bashing the butt of my ARX against his jaw. Blood gushes from his mouth, but he’s relentless, going for a choke hold, but missing my neck as I lean back in the seat, nearly losing my place on the bike.
“You Resistance idiots just don’t get it, do you?” Monkey Arms snarls, spitting blood. “We have a chance to change history, to take our place as the most powerful people in the world. Why do you want to ruin that?”
I grip Monkey Arms by his shirt collar and pull him close, having had enough of him and his stupid friends by now. The bike stalls, but remains in the air, hovering among the other whizzing bikes, one of which I can see is piloted by Gage.
“I won’t waste my breath explaining it,” I growl as I lift him clear off the seat, snatching his legs over the sides. “Just know that if you survive today, I won’t hesitate to rip one of your arms off and beat you senseless with it if we meet again. I’ve had it up to here with you, your friends, and your shit!”
I let go, sending his body flying through the air. I slide forward on the bike’s seat, gripping the handlebars just as his hand wraps around my ankle with crushing force. If my ankles were still made of bone, this one would be broken.
I glance over the side to find him hanging on, trying with all his might to crush what he thinks is a normal ankle.
“Eat metal, bitch,” I say with a smirk as I cock my foot back and bring it slamming down on his face. That knocks him loose and he hurtles downward. I watch as he latches on to the branch of a tree, swinging himself deeper into the woods and out of sight.
Gage swoops past me on his bike, his gun aimed at the second hovercraft pursuing the Neville I. The first one is overtaken by Rejects, most of whom have dismounted their bikes and are climbing in through the vehicle’s windows.
“Take out the thrusters!” Gage yells to be heard over the wind.
Fucking brilliant idea; I can’t believe that jackass thought of it. Grudgingly, I follow Gage as he swoops under the second craft, aiming my ARX at one of the two thrusters located beneath it. Taking out the thrusters won’t ground the craft, but it will make them about as slow as a person on foot, giving us a chance to get away. Our red lasers tear through the thrusters, leaving two smoking, gaping holes in the bottom of the metal tube. The craft shudders, then stalls.
“Yes!” Gage shouts, whooping excitedly as we make our escape from under the craft.
“Nice work guys,” Jenica’s voice crackles from over my COMM device. “Forget about the other craft; looks like the Rejects have hijacked it. Now do you think you can follow us back to the hideout without getting yourselves into any more trouble?”
Gage shoots me a grin as we fall in behind the Neville I. “Race you there,” he says with a laugh.
Despite the fact that this dude wants my woman, I can’t resist. My hand tightens on the throttle, and Gage and I are off like twin bolts of lightning.
The Bionics Page 26