by Andrew Gates
Ellen held her breath as the ship’s cockpit opened. She gasped as she saw the pilot.
Boltoc.
“Ellen Milsen!” the merc shouted as he unbuckled himself and stood up from the seat. He climbed out of the cockpit and dropped to the ground with a thud. Burn marks now covered most of his face, no doubt from the grenade explosion. A pistol was holstered to his hip.
The remaining onlookers scattered now, finally clearing the area.
Ellen pulled her head back behind the wall, hoping that Boltoc did not see her.
“I know you’re there!” the merc cried out. “I saw you run into the alley! You cannot escape me!”
“How the hell did he track us?” Lyla wondered. She trembled.
“I don’t know, but he’s resourceful. He clearly knows what he’s doing,” Ellen replied.
“Come out, Ellen Milsen! Face me like the brave soldier I’ve read about!” Boltoc cried.
Ellen gulped. There was no use hiding anymore. She let out a deep breath, then turned.
The street was completely empty now, save for the hulking merc standing before his ship. It was strange to see such a busy block suddenly so vacant. It almost looked like a different place entirely.
“Boltoc,” Ellen greeted, taking a few steps toward him.
“Ellen Milsen.”
“You’ve caused quite a scene. The police will be here soon. You can’t land a ship in the center of the street like this without someone responding.”
“We’ll see about that. You forget who the police work for.”
“The police work for the city.”
“And the city works for President Tano, who is on the same side as our mutual friend, Captain Daltus. So I wouldn’t be so sure about those police coming to get me.”
He brings up a good point, Yuri said.
Damn. I hate being on the wrong side of things, Ellen replied.
“How did you find me?” Ellen asked.
“Call it instinct.” Boltoc motioned to her chest. “How are the ribs?”
“Just fine, thanks for asking,” Ellen lied. In reality, her chest ached. She had not felt this bad since she was shot by two firing lines at once back on Taspansa. Every deep breath in or out reminded her of her injury.
“Then I will have to break you again.”
Boltoc grinned as he pulled the pistol from his holster and aimed it right at Ellen. She dove out of the way as he squeezed the trigger, landing behind a parked vehicle. Laser blasts singed her cover.
Ellen dispersed a cloud of nano. She carefully studied Boltoc as he approached the vehicle. Once he was close enough, Ellen quickly hopped over it and landed on top of the hulking man. She grabbed onto his shoulders and forced him down. The merc fell with a thud against the concrete surface.
While pinned against the ground, Boltoc swung his right arm around, hoping to get a shot at Ellen. But before he had his target aligned, Ellen quickly kicked the weapon out of his grasp. It slid across the road, far out of reach.
Now disarmed, the merc kicked Ellen in the jaw with his boot. She stumbled back in pain, allowing him a few seconds to stand up again.
You have internal bleeding, Yuri reported.
Where?
Your jaw. Luckily nothing is broken.
We’ll see how long that lasts.
Boltoc walked up to Ellen and swung his right fist. Ellen quickly ducked, dodging his strike entirely. She swung her own fist into his chest, though his body felt as hard as stone. Her hand trembled as she pulled it away.
Ellen suddenly felt Boltoc’s knee collide into her abdomen, causing her to double over and take a few steps back. She stumbled against the parked vehicle behind her. She was now stuck between it and Boltoc.
The merc grinned as he had his prey pinned down. He swung left. Ellen ducked again, but her face met Boltoc’s right knee. She heard a cracking sound and felt an intense pain in her mouth. She felt blood drip down her face and onto her clothes.
Now your jaw is broken, Yuri reported.
Shit. How the hell do I fight this guy?
You can’t beat him with your fists like normal mercs. You saw what happened last time you tried this.
Well what the hell do you suggest? I don’t have a weapon.
You don’t, but that ship he came in does.
“Hey, over here!” Lyla suddenly shouted. She ran into the street and waved her arms wildly beside Boltoc’s ship. Her distraction was enough to get him to turn and face her.
Ellen took advantage of this momentary distraction to distance herself from him, though she did not get very far. Boltoc quickly turned back around again and chased her through the street.
Lyla, great distraction! Ellen said as she sprinted away from her pursuer. Right now she just wanted to put as much space between them as she could. Her chest ached with every step.
We’re not out of this yet. Boltoc is hot on your tail. He’s fast. I wouldn’t turn around if I were you, Lyla warned.
Trust me, I can see where he is through the nanobots I deployed, but mostly by feeling his breath against my fucking neck, Ellen said.
Lyla, see if you can access Boltoc’s ship, Yuri ordered. Forget Targosi Tower. That ship is our escape!
On it. Lyla dashed into action. Ellen watched data come in from the nanobots as Lyla ran up to Boltoc’s ship and climbed into the open cockpit.
Boltoc was still in hot pursuit. Ellen had traveled almost two full blocks with him at her back. She needed to break away from him somehow.
Ellen approached a nearby office building and dove into the window, straightening out her body like a spear in the air. She smashed through the glass, shattering it in every direction. Shards cut into her skin, though nano was able to quickly push the pieces back out.
The injured outlaw rolled on the hard floor of the building as she landed inside. She quickly popped up, not wanting to waste any time.
Civilians hiding inside the office building watched Ellen with jaws dropped and eyes opened wide. As soon as she ran toward them, they scattered. Some civilians ran back outside. Others retreated deeper into the building.
A loud thud caused Ellen to turn around. Just as she feared, Boltoc had jumped inside after her. The floor seemed to crack beneath his feet.
“You can try to run, but you can’t get away!” he declared.
Ellen, I’ve got his gun. Lead him back this way so I can shoot this motherfucker! Dave said.
Now you tell me, she replied. I’m in the office building down the street.
Her objective was now clear: Ellen needed to get around Boltoc and lead him back to Dave. But how?
Before she could come up with the answer, Boltoc jumped out at Ellen. Despite her best efforts to dodge him, Boltoc was faster. He grabbed hold of her left arm and squeezed. His tight grip was like a vice. The pain was overwhelming.
Ellen kicked him in the left knee with her right foot, causing him to stumble a bit, but not release her from his grip. She swung her right fist around now, striking him in square in the neck.
“Aah!” he shrieked, swatting back at her with his free hand.
Ellen dodged his strike and thrusted her head in, hitting him square in the chest with her forehead. At long last, that seemed to do the trick. Boltoc released Ellen from his grasp and doubled back.
Ellen’s forehead and arm both throbbed, but she shook it off. She could work through the pain.
Any broken bones from that? Ellen asked.
Nothing broken, but your ulna is fractured, Yuri replied.
Boltoc had all but recovered now and stared at Ellen with eyes of a predator. Unlike her, he appeared completely uninjured from their scuffles.
The outlaw let out a deep breath. She had faced adversaries as strong as this before on missions with the SDF, even on the JSR when she almost died, but always while armed. Without any weapons, Ellen had never been so outmatched in her life. Doing the only thing she could think of in that moment, she turned and ran again.
“Ha,
ha, ha!” Boltoc laughed. “You insist on having a chase! It is just a game of sport to me. You should know by now that it is pointless to try to escape.”
Ellen could hear the thuds of his footsteps behind her as she sprinted through the office building. Innocent bystanders pressed their bodies against the walls or retreated into side rooms as she ran along, wanting nothing to do with this chaos.
You’re going the wrong way. We need to lure him back outside so Dave can shoot him! Yuri said.
I know, I know. But last time I checked, he was standing between me and the outside. I need to find another way around, Ellen replied. Can you pull up a schematic of this building? I need to know the layout.
On it.
As she rounded a corner, Ellen spotted a group of frightened civilians impatiently summoning an elevator. The metal doors to the elevator opened up and the crowd moved inside.
Ellen could still hear Boltoc’s footsteps behind her. He was close, but far enough away that she just might make it. She increased her speed, bolting forward as fast as her muscles would allow.
The civilians turned and gasped in horror as they saw her sprinting their way. They each nervously pressed their backs against the far wall, as if trying to put as much distance between her and them as they could.
Just a few more steps and Ellen jumped inside the elevator. She collided against the civilians, not able to slow her momentum in time. One of the men fell onto the floor with her just as the doors began to close.
Ellen turned to face the inside of the hall as Boltoc reached his right arm out to grab her. But he was not fast enough. The doors closed just in time, finally separating Ellen from her pursuer. She let out a deep sigh of relief and dropped her head. She was in no rush to get up.
The man Ellen had knocked over stood up now. He brushed some dirt off his suit and took a few steps away from her. Ellen did not even have the strength to make a comment. She simply lied there like a baby in need of rest.
After a few moments, the elevator stopped. The civilians all rushed out without saying a single word. Ellen calmly stood up and examined the stop. They were on the seventh floor of what appeared to be a 32-story building. She was not sure why the people had chosen to stop here of all places, but she did not really care. She called the elevator to a few various levels; floor 11, floor 14 and floor 19, just to throw Boltoc off. The doors closed again, and she took it up to floor 11, where she finally exited the elevator.
You got lucky. That elevator was perfectly timed, Yuri noted.
I know, Ellen replied. I won’t be so lucky again.
On a positive note, I got that schematic for you.
Thanks.
Ellen pulled up Yuri’s map of the building and displayed it on her retinal screens. She studied it as she navigated the halls. There was a staircase not too far from here. Boltoc would no doubt use that to reach Ellen.
The only other staircase was on the opposite side of the building. That was Ellen’s escape. She marked the location with an arrow on her HUD and took off in that direction.
Suddenly a businesswoman appeared at the other end of the hall. The startled woman stopped and stared straight at Ellen like she had just seen a ghost. Ellen paused, wondering what the woman was about to do.
“You,” the woman muttered. “You’re the one everyone is running from! What are you, a criminal or something?”
Ellen tried to mutter a response, but her jaw ached. Nothing but blood and gargled mumbles came out.
“She’s here!” the woman shouted, suddenly panicking. She took off down the hall and knocked on a closed door. “I found her! She’s here!”
Ellen moved toward the woman, keeping her arms outstretched as if to suggest she came in peace. The last thing she wanted was for this woman to draw any more attention.
The door suddenly swung open and two men dressed in fitted suits stepped out. Concerned expressions covered each of their faces.
“She’s here?” one of the men repeated. His question was answered almost immediately as his eyes met Ellen.
“So you’re the one everyone is running from,” the other man said. He walked toward Ellen as if boasting his fearlessness.
Ellen held her hands out and took a few cautious steps back. These guys seemed like trouble.
“No hurt,” was all she could mutter with her broken jaw. Just saying the words was incredibly painful.
“Wait… I know you,” the first man said. He stopped and eyed her up. “You’re Ellen Milsen! You’re all over the news!”
“Holy shit, you’re right!” the other man agreed. “The Devil of Red One!”
Is that seriously what they’re calling you now? Yuri asked.
“This company lost everything thanks to that sabotaged terraforming investment,” the first man said. “My family struggled for generations because of that. I’ll show you!”
The man lunged forward. Ellen did not want to fight back, but he had given her no choice. She grabbed ahold of his right wrist and swung it around until it twisted behind his body. She grasped it firmly as he struggled to get free.
Ellen could not speak, but she did not need to. It was clear that in just one move, she could snap his arm clean in half.
The woman and the other man simply stared on in horror, not moving a muscle. Using her free hand, Ellen motioned to the open door from where they had come. The woman nodded. She understood.
“Yes, yes, we’ll go back inside,” the woman said. “We don’t want any trouble.” She held her hands up.
The two of them retreated into the room. Once there, Ellen released her hostage. The man stumbled back into the office, massaging his wrist all the while. Ellen knew it would be in pain for a few more minutes, though he would ultimately be fine.
Ellen walked to the door and closed it shut. Without even saying a word, her demands were crystal clear: stay here and do not move.
Don’t worry about them. They were just scared. They know better now than to get involved. They won’t move, Yuri said.
I know.
Stay focused now. We need to get out of this building, remember?
Trust me. I haven’t forgotten the objective.
Ellen took a second to catch her breath, then continued down the hall. Almost a minute and a half later, she began to hear the familiar thud of Boltoc’s footsteps. It must have been all the commotion. Somehow, he had found her.
He’s on the 11th floor, Yuri commented.
I know. I hear him too.
“Hello, hello? Ellen Milsen, where are you?” Boltoc’s taunting voice echoed through the halls. The sound sent a shiver down her spine.
Ellen rounded another corner. The staircase was supposed to be just on the other side, but when she turned, there was nothing but a white wall.
What the hell? she said as she came face to face with a dead end. She pressed her hands against it, making sure it was not a holo-wall.
Shit. They must have remodeled the building. The schematic I have is out-of-date.
Think Boltoc knows that? Ellen asked.
I doubt it. I’d guess he’s going off the same data we are.
Good.
Why do you ask?
Because, I’m about to get creative, Ellen replied. As far as Boltoc is aware, this isn’t a dead end.
Right.
So as far as he is aware, I’m just going to keep running this way.
I think I know what you’re getting at, Yuri said. It could work, but be careful.
We don’t really have any other option, I’m afraid.
Ellen backtracked down the hall until she rounded the corner again. She continued to backtrack until the pounding of Boltoc’s footsteps grew loud enough that the floor itself shook.
She took a deep breath and ran forward, acting as if she had always been running this way. Just as she planned, Boltoc came into view now, sprinting right behind her at full speed.
“There you are!” he shouted.
Ellen ran, but allowed him to catch up t
o her. She could feel his breath against the back of her neck again. Once he was right on top of her, Ellen stopped in her tracks and dropped to the floor. Just as she hoped, Boltoc stumbled right over her, not expecting such a sudden halt. He lost his footing and tumbled down, giving Ellen enough time to recompose and run back to where she had come.
Well done! Yuri cheered.
We’re not out of this yet. Now we have to get the fuck out of this building and lead him back to Dave.
Ellen set another marker on her HUD, this one pointing to the staircase by the elevators. She proceeded on as fast as she could, not wanting Boltoc to catch up to her this time around. With every step, she could feel Boltoc at her back. It seemed she just couldn’t get away.
By the time she reached the top of the staircase, Ellen could feel Boltoc’s hand reach out and grab the back of her shirt. She quickly jumped off the top step, flying through the air until she fell to the landing a few feet below. She barely had time to recompose as she jumped to the next landing, then the next.
Thankfully, that seemed to put a few more seconds between her and Boltoc.
Dave, what’s your status? Ellen asked as she jumped from landing to landing.
Same as when you last checked in. I’ve got Boltoc’s gun. I’m waiting for you by the ship! Lyla is working to get it online.
Coming your way, Ellen said.
11 floors had never felt so high. Ellen’s heart pounded. Her joints ached. Her muscles felt strained. But she pushed on as best as she could, not faltering for a second. It took far longer than she expected to finally reach the bottom. By the time she arrived at the ground floor, she had gained considerable ground on her pursuer.
She exited the staircase and entered the vacant lobby of the office building. Broken glass still covered the floor from her earlier entrance, though all the people seemed to have left.
Ellen jumped through the broken window and proceeded along through the abandoned city streets. Only seconds later, Boltoc followed behind, jumping after her through the window.
I see you! Dave said.
Ellen knew exactly where to go. Her lungs were on fire. She had little strength left, but she could not stop now. Boltoc was closing in fast. Ellen continued to sprint back to her allies as if she felt no pain at all. She passed right by Dave, who held the pistol in his trembling hands.