by B.V. Bayly
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Gabriel froze, his eyes bouncing between Nate and the guard. Unsure if he should attack.
“Glad to see you recognize me.” The guard looked relieved. “You don’t have much time. Your vehicle is marked. Abandon it and get outside the perimeter.”
Nate lowered his gun. “You’re lucky I remembered that day at the restaurant.”
“Well, I’m not bleeding, so I guess it made it a little tougher for you.” The guard stepped into the elevator. “Get out.”
“What is Riley after?” Nate pushed Gabriel out of the elevator.
“Ask him yourself. There’s a spray in a bag by the back tire of the blue sedan outside. Use it. This is the only floor with street access. Everywhere else is locked down. Two full teams just arrived from TERA – they know you’re here. Good luck.”
The doors shut and Gabriel sighed. “Who was that?”
Nate swung his bag onto his back and clipped it into place. “One of Riley’s men.” He ran over to the blue sedan, searching the tires.
“Riley?” Gabriel chased after him, totally confused.
“Bishop Riley. For once I am happy that the Church is around.” Nate scooped up the bag and pulled out the spray can. “Close your eyes.”
“The Church!” Gabriel barely shut his mouth as the spray covered him. He tried not to breathe, but was running out of air. As Nate finished, Gabriel took two steps away from him, coughing as he sucked in some of the horrid stuff. “You called the Church?”
“Yes, I did.” Nate started to spray down his legs and arms.
“What the hell for?” Gabriel couldn’t believe Nate. “You forget they tried to kill me?”
“Nope.” Nate tossed the spray can to Gabriel. “Get the rest of me.”
All he could do was trust Nate at this point. “What is this stuff?” He sprayed Nate down.
Nate talked through the spray. “It’s a thermal blocker. They use infra-red to keep track of people down here.” Nate closed his eyes as Gabriel sprayed his face.
“Can’t we wait them out?” Gabriel finished covering Nate’s head with the spray.
“Too risky. The street is our best chance to lose them.” Nate pointed at a ramp, leading upwards to the next level. “If we can get to street level without being seen, we stand a chance.”
Hunched down low, Gabriel followed as Nate darted between the vehicles along the concrete walls. They stuck to the darkness, avoiding any open, lighted areas. They weaved between the cars – even slipping past two armed TERA soldiers who were circling through the underground parking and checking everyone for ID badges.
Nate pointed. “There it is.”
Gabriel glanced over the hood of the car they were hiding behind. The gate was cluttered with TERA’s men.
“Too many.” Nate shook his head as the guards checked every vehicle that passed through the gate – scanning each of them before letting them in or out.
“Doesn’t look like we can hitch a ride out. They’re pretty backed up with that line of traffic. We need a distraction.”
Gabriel stared at the entrance, hope fading. There was no way they could sneak past the dozen guards.
“Stay put.” Nate shifted around behind the vehicle and disappeared from Gabriel’s view.
He kept watching the gate, waiting for Nate to come back with a plan.
“Turn around slowly!” Someone shouted from behind Gabriel. “East residential exit. On your knees – hands in front.” Gabriel twisted around to see a gun pointing at him.
His heart thumped in his chest as he dropped to his knees. The guard reached forward and draped a loose chain across his wrists. It came to life on its own and tightened around them. The guard suddenly jerked backwards, struggling. His weapon fell to the ground with a clang as Nate chopped his arm. Gabriel stood frozen. The guard glared at him, his eyes bulging as Nate’s arm tightened around his neck. Nate dropped the guard to the ground.
“Let’s get you out of –” Nate was tackled from behind – a massive body pinned him to the rough concrete. It was Anthony, the hulking guard who had coded Gabriel into the building.
Gabriel struggled against the chain binding his wrists. Nate got in a quick elbow to the side of Anthony’s head. “Go! Take the box and run!”
He didn’t want to listen to Nate, but more guards would arrive soon. Nate could take care of himself – he needed to get the strongbox to Osho. A blast of heat pulsed from his chest, as he snapped off his bindings. He grabbed the steel box and ran towards the concrete outer wall. Between the ceiling and the wall there was a small space. Not big enough for him, but it could fit the chest. He managed to get it far enough into the hole that it dropped outside the wall. He twisted to see Nate still fighting the giant.
Nate’s right fist drove into Anthony’s jaw, knocking the massive man to the ground. Anthony roared as he got back up and charged him. The beast picked Nate up off the ground – continuing his charge into the hood of a parked car. The fibro-steel cracked as Nate’s back slammed against it. Anthony held him there with one arm and hammered him with a closed fist – the barrage of strikes missing Nate as he scrambled to stay out of the way. A single blow finally connected, then another. Nate slumped against the hood, losing the fight. Anthony wrapped his huge hands tight around Nate’s throat. Gabriel sprinted towards the giant.
A blast of blood erupted out of Anthony’s massive back, ending the brawl. Nate crawled out from under the lifeless body and staggered to his feet, his face bloody. He leaned against the car, and coughed, spitting blood all over the ground. Gabriel barely caught Nate as he dropped to the ground. A spray of bullets pierced the car, exploding glass all over them. Two TERA gunmen rushed them, outfitted with automatic weapons and tactical armor. Nate returned fire. His shots slammed straight into the chest of one of the gunmen. He staggered and dropped to one knee in pain. The other dove for cover behind a concrete column. Gabriel barreled towards a steel door set in the concrete wall.
The ground blurred beneath him as he sprinted. Gabriel dashed at the grayish steel rectangle – the only way he could see out. Before he knew it, he was only a dozen feet away. He braced for the impact, twisting his shoulder to hit the steel first. An explosion set his ears ringing as the steel frame ripped free from the thick concrete wall. It crashed to the ground outside, its warped shape bucking him free as it rocked back and forth. Pain drummed through him as he rolled on the ground, trying to get his feet back underneath him.
“What the hell was that?” Nate’s eyes were wide, as he lifted Gabriel off the pavement.
“We needed out!” Gabriel stood on his own in spite of the pain. “It looked like a door.”
“Where’s the strongbox?”
“Just up the path!” Gabriel pointed at the steel box resting on its side against the wall fifty feet away from them. Nate ran towards it, but dropped as a bullet hit him.
“Nate!” Gabriel screamed.
It was too late. They were quickly surrounded by armed guards from TERA.