by Unknown
Michael didn’t bother to stop afar off. As more of Ming’s men followed Trenton Hallowed out of the gutted police precinct, Michael aimed right for them. They realized too late what was happening, but still managed to shoot at him. Machine gun fire peppered the black Charger’s grill and hood. The windshield shattered as bullets pocked it full of holes. Michael kept his foot on the gas and plowed through Ming’s men, then hit the brakes hard, spinning sideways to stop behind one of the armored cars. Machine gun fire came from the precinct behind him and the armored car in front of him. Michael forced his driver side door open and rolled onto the pavement. He came up with his pistol over the trunk lid and capped two of the assailants as they tried to close the rear door on their armored car.
The first armored car screeched away, leaving a plume of white smoke rising off the parking lot. The second armored car began following, as more gunfire erupted from the officers still able to fight, emerging from the shattered front of the precinct in riot gear. Michael grabbed a submachine gun from one of Ming’s dead crew and ran to the cab of the third armored car.
The driver saw him and stepped on the gas. Michael fired into the driver’s side window. Bullets peppered the bulletproof glass relentlessly until it could take no more. The pane fragmented, and his shots penetrated. Crimson dashed the windshield as the driver fell over. The truck veered out of control and hit a street light in the parking lot.
Michael found Jonathan running to the rear doors of the armored car. Jonathan tore them open, and gunfire erupted from within. The other officers joined them, opening fire on the vehicle’s interior until those inside either surrendered, or lay dead.
Michael looked inside as Jonathan jumped in. He searched among the bodies. “He’s not here, Michael!�
Jonathan grabbed one of the three assailants standing with their hands behind their heads in the back of the armored car. “Where is the boy?� Jonathan asked. He lifted the man off his feet, and slammed him against the wall of the truck. “Where?�
“He’s in one of the other trucks—Hallowed has him!� the man confessed.
Jonathan dropped the man and ran out of the truck. He picked up his sport bike from the place where he had let it fall. “I’m going after him, Michael. Trenton wants the encryption codes.�
“Not without me, you’re not.� Michael pulled a Kevlar vest from one of the officers standing nearby and began putting it on. “Somebody, give him a vest, now!�
HALLOWED_BE_THY_NAME
22 PURSUIT
Jonathan raced through the streets of Branton—a candy apple red blur with a busted ferring on one side where he had laid it down at the police station. Ahead of him, Michael’s bullet-ridden Dodge Charger screamed down the road, its blue lights flashing and siren blaring. Jonathan spoke into his helmet microphone, now tuned to Michael’s police frequency. “Are you sure they would take him there?�
“Those were Ming’s trucks,� Michael said. “If they wanted to get him someplace secure, they’d take him to Ming’s tower in Donalee.�
Ahead on the road, Jonathan spotted one of the black armored cars with its lights out. He’d only spotted it as the street lamps reflected off the moving target. “Up there! I see one of the trucks!�
“I knew it! They’re trying to get to Ming’s tower downtown.�
“How do we stop an armored truck?� Jonathan asked.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead, yet,� Michael said, then he jammed the gas pedal to the floor again, and the Charger sped toward the armored truck.
Jonathan followed, knowing he would have to come up with some way to get Jay out of there without getting them all killed. Trenton would be in there with him. He twisted the throttle grip, propelling the bike forward.
“They’ve spotted us!� Michael said. The truck pushed another car off of the road and hopped off the pavement coming onto the Jefferson County Bridge.
Jonathan passed Michael’s police car on the right side to avoid the wrecked car, then fought to catch the truck. He hit the incline leading onto the bridge doing 80 mph, and caught air before landing hard again. He kept the bike under control and surged forward.
A panel slid open on one of the rear doors of the truck, and a machine gun barrel pushed through. Fire and hot lead blasted from the muzzle as the gunman tried to hit Jonathan. He ducked low behind the sport bike’s fiberglass ferring. Their erratic driving did little for their aim. Sparks ignited from the pavement around Jonathan as bullets skimmed the street and ricocheted off the bridge’s steel girders.
Jonathan gunned the throttle again and came up on the left side of the truck. The driver swerved at him, and Jonathan backed off just enough to avoid getting sideswiped. The gunman tried to maneuver the machine gun barrel in order to get at Jonathan again, but the angle proved too difficult. The gun barrel turned back in the door as the black Charger approached.
Michael fired his own machine gun first and peppered the rear doors with bullets before they could return the favor. He kept the heat on them until the gun panel closed again. Michael maneuvered up to the right rear bumper with his car.
The armored car driver continued to swerve back and forth, hoping to keep his pursuers at bay. The truck left the bridge with Jonathan and Michael still hot on its trail. The rear door opened up just enough for one of the gunmen to open fire again. This time, bullets riddled Jonathan’s motorcycle, driving near the left rear of the armored car. The fiberglass ferring exploded into fragments. Sparks leaped from the engine. The headlight burst, along with the front tire.
“I’m coming Jonathan!� Michael swerved from the right rear of the armored truck to Jonathan’s position. Bullets punctured the gas tank. The bike exploded underneath Jonathan as the black Charger came along side blocking the rest of the gunfire. Jonathan jumped up and rolled from the bike onto the roof of the Charger, trying to douse the errant flames clinging to his clothing. The motorcycle veered away into a parked car, tumbling several times before it stopped. It lay burning behind them as the chase continued toward Ming’s tower in the distance.
“Jonathan, are you all right?� Michael shouted into his headset.
Jonathan lay on his back on the roof of the speeding police car, clinging to the sides of the roof with smoke rolling off his singed clothes. His helmet mic still functioned. “I’m okay.� He rolled onto his belly, hanging on for dear life. Michael returned fire through his fractured windshield, forcing the gunman to close the rear door again. “Bring me alongside!� Jonathan shouted.
Michael sped up again. Jonathan moved quickly, leaping from the roof of the Charger to the hood, then sprang upward toward the truck. He caught the edge of the truck’s roof and used his new strength to pull the rest of his body aboard. The driver swerved again, forcing Jonathan to roll to his belly and spread eagle in order to grasp the sides with his hands and feet. Michael backed off again with the Charger.
“What now?� Michael asked.
“I don’t have a clue.� Jonathan looked ahead. They had reached the tower. The truck pulled through the plaza in front of the tower and lurched to a halt. Michael came right on their heels.
Gunfire came from every direction when the Charger entered the courtyard, with its many concrete planters and decorative statues. More of Ming’s men poured around the armored car to defend it. The Charger swerved under fire as Michael ducked down in his seat. He crashed into one of three decorative fountains setting in front of the building.
Ming’s men tried to disembark from the rear of the armored truck, but Jonathan was still there waiting. He leaped off the roof and caught several by surprise. He pummeled three of the gunmen before they realized what was happeni
ng. Jonathan took two of their machine guns and opened fire on the others in the courtyard. They returned fire, but quickly gave up the truck to retreat into the building.
Jonathan pulled the rear doors open. “Jay?� But no one else was inside.
He ran to the wrecked Charger with Michael still inside. The water spraying from the fountain cascaded over the destroyed Dodge, sparkling with vibrant color as the blue police lights illuminated the scene like a freakish piece of modern art.
Jonathan pulled the crushed driver’s door open. “Michael, are you hurt?�
Michael groaned and blew water away from his face, allowing Jonathan to remove him from the wreckage. “I think so. Where’s the boy?�
“He wasn’t in the truck,� Jonathan reported.
“The first truck must’ve gotten here way ahead of us. Ming will have him tucked away somewhere inside.�
They both looked at the tower before them. At the lobby level, Ming’s men had already sealed the steel shutters into place. “We need more police officers,� Jonathan said.
“There’s no one available,� Michael said. “This whole business with Trenton has taken a toll on us. We’ve still got a bunch of officers assigned to guarding your Genetic Corp building. He’s teamed up with Ming, of all people. He could hold us off for a week in there.�
“Jay doesn’t have a week,� Jonathan said.
“I know.â€� Michael checked his Kevlar vest, then picked up a machine gun and inspected the clip for ammunition. He tossed it to Jonathan, then retrieved another for himself. “That’s why we’re just going to have to go inside after him ourselves.âter him €�
HALLOWED_BE_THY_NAME
23 UNEXPECTED GUESTS
Jay woke up foggy-headed. His tongue felt like a piece of cardboard stapled to the roof of his mouth. “Rise and shine, sleepy head.� Trenton sat before him on a side bench inside the armored car. “Time to give me those encryption codes,� Trenton said.
Jay noticed the places on Trenton’s face where the Taser barbs had embedded, then been ripped out. The wounds had almost completely healed already. “I don’t have a computer and I’ll have to do the work myself,� Jay said.
Trenton grabbed his neck and squeezed. “Sure you will. Don’t play games with me boy, I’m not a patient man today.�
Jay fought for breath. Trenton released his grip, and Jay filled his lungs with air. “I’m not kidding, man! I don’t just make up codes,� Jay said. “I have a certain formula for doing encryption and I have to work through it to get the code again.�
Trenton’s face turned to stone. “Are you saying my data is at the mercy of some encryption formula you have to work out? You could end up with anything that way!�
He grabbed Jay’s foot and twisted his ankle, until the bone popped. Jay screamed in agony. “You little rat, I want my data!� Trenton said. “I may not hurt those magic fingers of yours, but I’ll start at your feet and work my way up, until I get what I want!�
Jay tried to breath through the pain. He thought he might pass out. “I’ll give it to you, I promise. I have to have a computer in your network. I’ll get it back for you.�
The others people, inside the armored car, laughed at his pain. Trenton slapped the broken ankle again. Jay screamed.
“That one was just for fun, little man. Let’s get you inside to a computer. You had better have my work unlocked within an hour, or you’ll never walk again.�
•••
Jonathan and Michael circled the building under cover of darkness.
“How are we going to get into this place other than the front door?� Michael asked. “Ming’s men will have every entrance guarded. He’s a thug, but he’s no fool.�
“I just had an idea and maybe—there it is!� Jonathan ran toward a window washing rig that was attached by cables to a pulley system on the roof, thirty floors up.�
Michael stopped short when he spotted it. “Whoa, wait a minute. I don’t know about this.�
“What’s the matter?� Jonathan asked. “We can take this and get off on any floor.�
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Michael shot him a cold stare. “No, you don’t get off on any floor. You’ll have to go through a window—you’ll have to leap from that thing into a busted window.�
“So what?�
Michael just stood there.
“Are you afraid of heights?� Jonathan asked.
“No, I’m afraid of plunging to my death from heights,� Michael said. They stared at one another for a moment, until Jonathan cracked a smile.
Michael broke down, marching past him. “All right, all right. If we’re gonna do this, then let’s go.�
Jonathan stifled a laugh. “Big tough cop, eh?�
Michael climbed onto the washing rig. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Call Dr. Phil later—we’ve got work to do.�
Jonathan followed, climbing onto the platform. The key had been left in the control box. He turned the key, and the indicator flashed from red to green. “We’re good. Here we go.�
Jonathan used the joystick control to raise the platform. The control worked on an X and Y axis control, giving them the ability to move vertically and horizontally across the face of the building.
Michael looked down, closing his eyes as they ascended.
•••
Ming watched the window washing rig rise on the western face of his building through a video monitor. He laughed to himself. “Do they take me for a fool?� Around Ming, his men said nothing. “You see how they fall into my trap?� he said. “They think they will sneak up on me in my own home. I have a nasty surprise for them. Go up to the roof and cut the cables—shoot them away if you have to, but make sure they do get high enough to make a good mess on the pavement when they fall.�
Two of Ming’s men nodded, leaving the group to do their master’s bidding. The others, twelve in all, remained. They wore black apparel with hoods draped down over their backs. “The rest of you, be prepared. If they should get inside somehow, you will show them what true ninja can do.
•••
The wench motor hummed as the gantry platform rose into the air alongside Ming’s building. Michael tried to find a good place to focus his attention, but every angle made his stomach queasy. “How are you doing?� Jonathan asked.
Michael shot him with an uncertain glare. “If I throw up, you’ll be the first to know.�
“I think we’ve gone about twenty floors, so far.�
“Wonderful,� Michael said. “Just let me know when I can get off.�
Shots rang out above them, and the metal platform dropped down at one corner. Michael lost his balance and slammed into the safety rail. He peered down, becoming dizzy. “What happened?� he shouted.
Jonathan looked up and saw movement near the pulley system, then a muzzle flash. The sound traveled to them almost at the same time the second cable broke. The platform tilted vertically. Michael pitched forward, and fell away from the window washing rig. He screamed, as he clawed the air for a handrail to save himself.
Jonathan snatched Michael from the air by his Kevlar vest and held the detective suspended over the pavement below. “I’ve got you!�
“Yeah, but who’s got you?�
Jonathan held on to the rail directly above them where two cables remained—the only two cables still holding them away from d
eath down on the street below.
“Michael, you’re going to have to do something,� Jonathan said. “Someone up there is shooting the cables!�
Michael rotated his submachine gun strap over his shoulder, and looked up through the scope. He toggled to night-vision. A man appeared in the viewfinder. The man placed his own gun next to one of the remaining two cables. “I’ve got him,� Michael shouted. Then he fired a burst from his machine gun.
Sparks erupted around the steel, pulley brackets nearly ten floors up, on the roof. One of Ming’s men took several hits, and fell away from his task.
“Got him!�
Jonathan lifted Michael up trying to get him to some kind of safe footing. “Try to get a hold of the side-rails.�
“Uh-oh.�
“What?�
Michael peered through his scope. “There’s another one!�
Another shot rang out above them, and a third cable snapped. Jonathan strained to keep his grip on Michael as the platform began to spin around the lone support cable’s mount. Michael fired his machine gun at the other man on the roof. “I didn’t get him.�
The ninja fired at the last cable again. Michael fired as the ninja became visible. Both men missed their targets.
“Forget him! Shoot out the window across from us!� Jonathan screamed.
“What?�
“Do it now!� Jonathan demanded.
Michael obeyed. He opened fire on the huge window pane across from them, on the building. The pane exploded sending a cascade of glass fragments down toward the street below. “Now what are we going to do?� Michael asked.
Jonathan swung Michael’s body away from the platform, and then snapped him back toward the building, and released. Michael screamed, as he realized what Jonathan was doing. He sailed through the air toward the building, then through the busted window. He tumbled across the floor inside.