Leaving this woman behind—whether she paid the hundred grand or not—Arthur figured it’d be wrong to take the money without lending a hand.
Leaning forward, he grabbed the handle and pulled, straining to shift the crate out.
It was heavy, but with Jackie’s strength, Arthur only had to steady it.
Meredith’s trunk was already open, its double doors wide.
Jackie hefted the box into the trunk.
“Get in. We’re moving.
If luck’s on our side, we’ll get through clean. Think of it as an easy job.”
Not far away, Meredith stood with her arms crossed, watching them secure the crate before gesturing toward the front passenger seat.
She slid into the back row, leaving Jackie behind the wheel again.
The engine rumbled to life, and the car rolled forward, heading back through the gap they’d come from.
“Where’s the drop?”
Jackie asked once they hit the main road.
“City Center. Corporate Plaza. Straight to the Militech complex.
I want to see if that bastard has the guts to make a move there.”
The vehicle’s interior was roomy. Meredith rested her hands on her knees, one leg crossed, swaying lightly with the ride.
“Whoa... Corporate Plaza? Looks like we’re hauling a VIP.”
Jackie’s grin never faltered.
“If it’s that dangerous, why not call backup?”
Arthur asked from the passenger seat.
“Corporate business is complicated. Maybe you shouldn’t ask.”
She closed her eyes, making it clear she wasn’t in the mood to talk.
Arthur sighed and glanced at Jackie, who was pulling faces and winking at him.
Jackie’s small eyes were full of mischief.
Arthur shook his head and looked away.
Silence filled the car, but not for long.
They hadn’t even reached the elevated highway when Santo Domingo’s Badlands stretched into view—dry grass and wasted earth. Up ahead, a convoy was bearing down on them.
The vehicles tore across the plain, raising a storm of dust. They were moving fast—too fast.
“Eso no es bueno. Not good!”
Jackie muttered. “Looks like they’re here for us.”
As the driver, he was the first to sense the danger. Judging by the sheer cloud of dust, the convoy was big.
Meredith’s eyes snapped open at his words. She leaned forward, squinting at the line of vehicles closing in.
They were pitch black, with faint white markings along their sides—too far to make out clearly.
“Those bastards... insane! Already moving this fast?”
She slammed her fist against the back of the front seat, then jabbed a finger to the right.
“No doubt about it—they’re after us. Go!
Head for that abandoned factory. We’ll take cover there.”
She barked the order, then bent forward and snapped open a comm channel.
“Live coordinates. Requesting support. Level A. Execute immediately!”
Whatever answer came back only enraged her more.
“Execute the mission! This is a fucking order!
Keep asking questions and you can start writing your will!”
She killed the line with a vicious stab of her finger, her expression tight as she glanced out the rear window.
Just as she expected, the convoy adjusted immediately, chasing them in unison.
“Uh... yeah... looks like the three of us aren’t exactly lucky today.”
Arthur muttered, glancing back. Once off the highway, the dust storm thickened, blotting out the view. Even his cybereyes couldn’t cut through it.
“So what now? Got a plan?”
Arthur rasped, watching Meredith’s anxious face.
It was a pointless question—but the only thing stopping him from mocking her outright.
First meeting or not, Arthur was still a gentleman outlaw.
“Damn it, you idiot! Now you ask me?
What—slam the brakes and hand ourselves over at gunpoint?
That the plan you want to hear?”
Her temper boiled over, restraint gone, his words fueling her anger.
At that moment, Jackie stomped the brakes—not to stop, but to throw the car downhill. They skidded down the slope, crashed through a fence, and barreled into the factory grounds.
The looming buildings gave them a shred of cover.
For Meredith, it was the first breath of relief—but thin comfort with no allies nearby. Two mercs she barely knew weren’t much to rely on, no matter how “reliable” the Fixer claimed they were.
The engine roared as Jackie wrestled the wheel, but the convoy kept closing.
Even evasive maneuvers felt sluggish in this lumbering beast.
“This throttle... not giving me much.”
“Damn thing’s a Class-3 armored ride. The doors are solid steel.”
A sharp crack split the air.
Meredith ducked instinctively as bullets sparked against the windows. Figures leaned from the pursuing cars, spraying fire.
The armored glass held. Each round left only shallow white craters.
“Damn, this ride’s solid, sis!”
Jackie grinned, flicking a glance at the mirror.
“You idiot!
I could be your aunt!”
Her bark made him flinch, but the rounds kept hammering. Bullets lashed at the car like a hailstorm, ringing against steel.
The shell held—for now.
“Shit! Rocket launcher!”
Meredith, kneeling on her seat, screamed as she caught sight of the weapon.
Time slowed.
The rocket streaked forward, trailing crimson fire.
In the frozen instant, it carved a blazing line across the air. Meredith’s gray eyes widened, the warhead growing larger, filling her vision.
Terror locked on her face as black steel and red flame swallowed her sight.
“BOOM!!”
A wall of fire ripped skyward, crimson light searing into every eye fixed on the scene.
Everyone squinted against the blaze—
yet even that earth-shaking blast didn’t break the frozen moment.
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser