How did this backwater security force overpower his top of the line cyberwarfare AI? How did they get their hands on a Confederation gunship, and manage to hack his own HOVR so effortlessly?
He didn’t know the answers but couldn’t afford to think on them either; he had to escape. He dashed across the next two adjoining rooftops as he heard the gunship rotating around rapidly behind him and knew he had mere seconds to get off the roofs. At the edge of the third building there was a three meter gap, and without even slowing down Pearce leapt right off of the roof and dropped like a rock.
His momentum sent him careening into the far wall a story down, but he recovered quickly, pushed off, and utilized parkour movements to descend into the alley. He bounced from wall to wall, barely pausing to grab onto suitable hand and footholds to slow his descent. Four stories later he hit the ground hard, tucking into another roll to bleed off momentum, and ran towards the rear of the narrow side alley he had landed in.
It emptied into a slightly wider one that bisected the buildings on this street from the next one. His OHUD overlaid directional arrows and distance measurements for his exfiltration route, along with an overhead map of the area, unfortunately devoid of any of the HOVR’s intel. As he heard the gunship maneuvering above the alley behind him, he knew that he had to get back inside to have any chance of escape.
Each building ahead had at least one door that opened into the back alley he was rushing towards, and he veered towards the closest one. His VIA quickly identified the door as using a non-electronic locking mechanism and being made up of wood composites, calculated the force necessary, and highlighted the door with a green overlay, indicating to Pearce that he had enough speed and mass to break through.
Without losing a step, he lowered his shoulder and crashed through the door, which cracked and splintered as if hit by a sledgehammer. The mangled door slammed against the interior hallway which Pearce was sprinting through. The building was residential, but nobody seemed home. He passed a kitchen and a sitting room before he quickly unlocked and threw open the front door, which led out onto a mostly deserted street.
He quickly whipped his head from left to right, too quickly for his own brain to make out any details, but more than enough for his VIA to see and analyze any threats. Aside from a few pedestrians the street was clear, but he could still hear the whispering trill of the gunship hovering nearby and knew that the other reinforcements were probably already spreading out to search for him. He needed a distraction.
Activate Ultima.
This thought ordered his VIA to initiate his SNAFU contingency plan. From the moment he had first connected to the Nouveau Toronto planetary network days ago, his cyberwarfare suite had been infiltrating as many networks and systems as possible, installing latent computer worms in millions of devices that ultimately created a massive sleeping botnet for Pearce. That botnet now received a single command which activated them.
Omega had a virtual cadre of zero-day attacks in their arsenal. Zero-day attacks used previously unknown vulnerabilities in software to take control of a program or a piece of hardware. While advantages in high-end cyberwarfare systems virtually eliminated these types of attacks on military systems, consumer grade software was still fair game. These exploits were gathered from various sources across the galaxy and each was one-time-use only. Once the exploit was out in the open, it would be quickly patched and neutralized.
Ultima began by hijacking the systems in various manners and launching a massive distributed attack across the city which Pearce was now desperately trying to escape. The results would be nearly instantaneous. The botnet started with major targets such as the local security and surveillance grid and then proceeded to wideband jamming of communications, disruption of traffic control systems, filing of bogus emergency requests, all the way down to overriding locking mechanisms and activating fire alarms. The goal was to overload the local force’s ability to track Pearce by turning essential services off and turning everything else possible on.
As he heard alarms start sounding all around him, he was glad to see that whichever local cyberwarfare intelligence had thwarted him earlier was apparently not up to the task of defending against such a massive assault. He would have at least a few moments of room to work with. The only downside was that now the entire planet would know something big was going on here.
Pearce picked another residential doorway across the street and sprinted for it, the e-lock already open as a result of the Ultima hack. He couldn’t risk a look over his shoulder, but realistically if the gunship spotted him and was able to lock-on with the AP turret he would be dead before he knew it. He was counting on the pilot searching low over the alleys rather than climbing to gain better overall visibility; his slow reaction to Pearce’s initial rooftop escape suggested that he was not as skilled as an actual Confederation rotorhead would be, or at least that he wasn’t used to performing Search and Destroy missions in the middle of his backyard. Either way he made it across the street and through the doorway without being shot at.
He stood in a small apartment lobby and collected his thoughts. His VIA took the time to inform him that the data transfer had completed successfully just before he’d met the gunship, and while he was grateful of that fact Pearce had more important things on his mind. Access to the underground utility tunnel that he was heading for was three long blocks away, and he had to make it inside undetected. The tunnel was extremely narrow with no cover or room to fight and if he was seen entering it he would quickly be trapped and captured or killed. If he did make it, he would have a two kilometer underground path out of the area where he could hopefully escape and evade long enough to find a ride off planet.
Thankfully, he could see that his emergency backup plan was working rather well. Outside on the street, dozens of people were walking out of their buildings or exiting their vehicles with looks of utter confusion on their faces. They would provide good cover from afar, but he had to assume that a description of himself had been broadcast before he enacted the hack. He needed to alter his appearance quickly if he was going to make it.
He approached the first apartment door and opened it gently inwards as he scanned the interior for occupants. He would normally have listened for a few second first, but the fire alarms sounding throughout the building made that impossible.
He didn’t see anyone in the entryway or the main room it spilled into, and quickly cleared the rest of the apartment. His luck held out as he opened a closet in the sole bedroom and found suitable men’s clothing inside. He tore off the jacket he was wearing as well as the long sleeve shirt that was underneath it and grabbed the brightest colored shirt he could find. He found a messenger style bag in the corner of the closet and quickly swapped the contents of it with his backpack, slinging it across his chest. He looked quickly for a hat of any kind but came up empty. There was no time to search elsewhere, and so he quickly headed out of the apartment and checked outside the front door again.
He could see the gunship hovering a bit higher above the alley he had crossed and knew that they had discovered the door he had smashed through by now. If they weren’t already searching that building and preparing to enter out onto the street, they would be in seconds. He had to act now.
Taking a deep and calming breath, he opened the front door of the apartment building and stepped out onto the street, mimicking the other bystanders as they gawked and shrugged and looked around helplessly as the mass cacophony of alarms, buzzers, radios, horns, and other devices that his hack was producing. He began ambling away from the apartment and towards his exfil point, trying to look as casual as possible. He even spoke to a couple of civilians, asking what was going on, playing the part of the sheep.
Pearce continued that way for what seemed like an eternity. He stopped and stared with the rest of the masses when armed troops poured out of the apartment building he had broken into. He stopped and turned again when a transport full of more troops screeched to a halt as well. He
shaded his brow with his hands and looked directly at the gunship with everyone else as it began slowly circling the area in a search pattern. When he finally approached the side alley where the service tunnel entrance was located, he was sweating profusely despite the chill in the air and the years of training instilled in him.
Then he ducked into the alley and stopped short in alarm. The alley was similar to all of the others in the area, roughly two meters wide and filled with trash containers and dominated by fire escapes. Three soldiers stood at the far end several meters away, clustered around the open hatch in the ground that led to Pearce’s escape tunnel. They wore light body armor, combat helmets with clear face shields, and carried the same Sino carbines the building guards wielded, but looked considerably more professional and dangerous. They didn’t appear to have any markings or designations on them, and they were definitely not local law enforcement. They could only be part of the SepF quick reaction force.
Pearce considered drawing down on them, but their armor would mostly neutralize Pearce’s 10mm handgun, and so a different tactic was required. Just as the head of one snapped around as she noticed Pearce entering the alley, Pearce shouted out with the perfectly imitated accent of a local.
“What in black space is going on? Are we under attack?”
The soldier was no fool, and quickly rotated to bring her rifle around and aim it squarely at Pearce’s chest. “Halt! Raise your hands into the air immediately!”
She had the calm yet stern look of someone in complete control of the situation. One of her comrades took up a position to her side, also covering Pearce with his rifle, while the third professionally covered the rear of the alley, preventing any attempt to flank them. Pearce, acting the part of a terrified local, shot his hands up towards the sky and forced his eyes to bug out while his mouth gaped open.
“What is happening?”
“Get down on your knees and then lie down on the ground!” The soldier was over-enunciating in the manner that cops and troops do when ordering others to obey their commands.
Pearce’s VIA had analyzed the entire alley and had chosen a recommended course of action with the best chance of success. It would require perfect timing and a whole lot of luck, but he didn’t have many other options. He triggered the plan with a thought.
Instantly his cyberwarfare AI transmitted a simple yet debilitating attack against the enemy soldiers own implants. If it was thwarted, Pearce was going to end up riddled with assault rifle rounds. However, despite the professional appearance of the trio they didn’t seem to have the latest milspec implant defenses, and the attack registered as successful. He had complete control over the soldiers’ OHUDs.
Pearce launched into action, juking quickly to his right.
The enemy soldiers’ hacked OHUDs instead showed them Pearce lurching to his left with an extremely convincing augmented reality overlay, before subsequently filling their entire field of vision with a maelstrom of static. They reacted on instinct, rifles following the illusion of Pearce and firing a hail of bullets where they thought he was. Meanwhile, Pearce let loose with a wound-up kick to one of the refuse containers, sending it flying at great speed directly into the center-mass of the female who had been barking orders. The trajectory was perfect, and not only knocked the rifle out of her hands but sent her sprawling into the body of the second soldier firing down the alley.
Before the trash can even impacted Pearce was hurtling down the narrow passage. The third soldier was spinning about, and all three of them would deactivate their OHUDs and regain full visibility in a matter of seconds. His only chance was to pounce on them before they could regain situational control.
As the second tango was struggling to free himself from the entangled body of the first, Pearce threw a shoulder just slightly into both of them, sending them tumbling to the ground. Pearce barely broke stride as he passed them and speared the third soldier just as he was bringing his rifle to bear, driving with his legs and lifting the enemy’s body completely off of the ground and them slamming him to the hard pavement of the alley.
The soldier was well-trained, abandoning his rifle for a grapple just before Pearce hit his stomach, and managed to push Pearce off of his body just after hitting the ground, using the momentum of the spear attack itself to send Pearce over his head. His armor and helmet absorbed the worst of the body slam and he rolled to his side and attempted to regain a combat stance.
Meanwhile, Pearce rolled with the throw to his feet and was back on the soldier in an instant, refusing him the ability to grab any weapon or regain his footing. The soldier valiantly tried to defend himself from his knees, blocking the first two of Pearce’s attacks before succumbing to the speed and raw power of the Omega Agent. Pearce’s snap-kick snuck under the ballistic shield of the soldier’s helmet and crushed the lower jaw with a loud crunch, and he slid past the slumping enemy towards the remaining two soldiers already regaining their poise.
He ripped the pistol from his holster and fired a barrage of bullets, aiming for vulnerable body parts. The light battle armor they wore did a reasonable job at protecting all vital areas; center mass, head, and the majority of arms and legs. There were still plenty of exposed areas and he tried to hit as many as possible. Fingers were the most effective, and he managed to separate or mangle quite a few from both of them before both tangos curled their fists in defensive postures that blocked a clear shot. He then focused on small fleshy areas on their arms, legs, and torso; flesh wounds, but still effective at causing pain and distraction.
He fired the last few rounds directly at the ballistic face shields of the enemies’ helmets, hoping to score a cheap kill if the impact caused either of them to snap their heads back and expose their necks, but both were disciplined enough to turtle down instead.
He had been slowly closing the distance as he fired and when the magazine ran dry he was only a meter away from the wounded yet still dangerous soldiers. He let the pistol fall and closed to engage. He had to give the soldiers credit; despite their wounds they reacted quickly and efficiently.
The woman took a large step across the alley to create space between her comrade and present two simultaneous fronts for Pearce to deal with. The man nearly had a bead on Pearce with his rifle, despite holding it up with a bloodied hand sans a finger and thumb. Pearce sidestepped swiftly around the barrel as it spit fire and chopped down sharply on the top of the receiver, forcing the barrel down and away, and followed up with a vicious combo to the body and head. His strikes were all softened by armor, but Pearce wasn’t trying to injure the tango but rather to get him to drop his rifle. And he dutifully did so as he tried to parry and block the relatively ineffective punches Pearce threw.
With the rifle taken out of the immediate fight, Pearce feinted another blow and then quickly stutter-stepped backwards before launching into a spinning tornado kick that connected with the side of the soldier’s head and sent him flying across the alley. He then pivoted instantly to intercept the female tango, who had deftly avoided her companion soaring through the air and was already lunging towards Pearce with a combat knife, a grimace of determination set on her face.
She possessed some skill with the blade and nearly succeeded in drawing blood, but Pearce feinted a block with his left hand and grabbed her wrist with his right at the last second. She was unprepared for his tremendous strength and tried to use her superior leverage to twist free, but Pearce’s grip was iron. Instead, he used her efforts against herself and continued the twist until she had hyper-extended her arm, at which point a lightning fast forearm strike shattered her elbow. The knife fell from her grasp to clatter to the ground.
Both of the other soldiers were stumbling to their feet, dazed but not incapacitated. Broken Jaw was pulling free his sidearm, so Pearce let go of the female’s wrist and grabbed her by the armor’s gorget and codpiece, lifting her completely off the ground and tossing her right into the other soldier several meters away. The female let out a yelp of pain as they collaps
ed to the ground together.
As he spun back towards the other male soldier, Pearce reached down and snagged the fallen combat knife from the ground in an ice-pick grip and without even hesitating closed and stabbed rapidly several times at exposed flesh. The enemy tried weakly to defend himself but his good hand was out of position attempting to draw his sidearm, and his other was injured and nearly ineffective. After the quick combo lowered his guard Pearce drove the blade upwards in the narrow gap between the face shield and it found a new home buried deep in the soldier’s throat.
Pearce turned back towards the remaining soldiers, ripping the blade through flesh, cartilage, and the carotid as he did so, leaving the soldier to grasp at his throat and topple to the ground as the death rattle took over. Incredibly, both of the others were struggling back to their feet again. The man was scrambling for the fallen rifle as the woman fumbled with a pistol with her unbroken arm, which was missing a digit on the hand. Her trigger finger was a bloody stump, but she was trying her best to find a way to wield the weapon.
He took a step forward and brought his knife hand overhead, hurling it like a spear. Just before the soldier’s hand grabbed the rifle grip, the combat knife embedded itself through the metacarpal and he screamed in agony. As he vaulted forward Pearce launched another full swing kick directly into his face, which was mostly deflected by the ballistic shield but still caused immense pain to the previously broken jaw. The soldier fell backwards, away from the rifle.
Broken Elbow had gotten her middle finger through the trigger guard of the pistol and fired it repeatedly at Pearce, and despite the compromised aim of her one-handed grip she managed to hit Pearce three times in the chest. Blood immediately seeped through the bright blue shirt he had stolen, but Pearce barely slowed from the force of the bullets’ impact as he came upon the woman.
Impact Event (Dargo Pearce Chronicles #1) Page 6