Page 89 of The Fall

An explosion rocked the back of the lorry. Alana fisted Kerr’s collar and threw her away from the flames. “Well, we got more than half of them before they started fighting back.” Alana scrambled to her feet and charged at the remaining five, firing as she ran. Kerr raced after, teeth clenched in a maniacal grin. This was more like it.

Soaking up three rifle rounds, a juggernaut of a Styx lumbered at them. He’d almost reached Alana when his head erupted. “Nerve blockers.” Kerr yelled. “No match for Mercutio, though, yeah?” She spun her pistol dramatically.

Alana sneered dismissively and aimed for the knees on the next one. He fell. A second shot to the face finished the job, but another Styx took advantage of the wasted movement. The air heated around Alana as two rounds missed her head, but the butt of the pistol didn’t.

“The fuck?” the man blurted out when he saw her fangs. He turned just in time to see Kerr rushing toward him. One, two, three cracks from his IntelArms pistol, none of them on target. Kerr raised Tybalt and squeezed the trigger.

Fingers from one of the legless men wrapped around her ankle and sent her careening toward the ground. The shot missed Alana’s attacker, but caught the shoulder of the Styx behind him.

Kerr heard a click – an empty chamber, but a short-lived reprieve. The Styx grabbed her arm, flinging her across the tunnel. She rolled over, glad that her ceramic hand hadn’t released Mercutio, but Tybalt was lost and she was too slow in firing another round.

The boot to her chest felt like it had gone through her, but it was the wall that had opened. The man tumbled over her, spilling onto a hard, wet floor.

Her ears rang. Breathing hurt. Diagnostics and red flashing lights sped across her Opti. The water felt so warm. Blood, maybe? Another loud noise, but it sounded like it came from a million miles away.

She wrinkled her brow trying to keep her eyes open. Alana’s face. Her vision blurred and darkened. The screams. The footfalls. An alarm. The white noise, a lullaby.

The Valiant Die But Once

Aloud thump followed the explosion and a line appeared on the side of the Ruskov Chamber. A second thump and the doors split open, vomiting Kerr and a man she had never seen before tumbling over her.

MODEL 2: YOU SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.

Unhelpful as Lusa was already on her way, catching the man squarely in the jaw with her knee. He only paused a moment before registering that he had just been assaulted by a girl with no cyberware, wet and in her underclothes.

“Bitch.” The man wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. One of his fangs had broken.

Realising that she was unarmed and half-naked, Lusa took a step back and braced herself. She wasn’t the same stupid girl that had gone after Piston, but she wasn’t going to watch him kill Kerr either.

The man stood and swung, nerve dampeners working overtime to deal with the bullet wounds. Lusa dodged easily. She may not have her knives, but it was clear this man had never trained to fight without a gun either. His next punch threw him off balance.

Lusa kicked the side of his knee and stepped back. The man winced, cyberware overloading. Physics still won out and he stumbled, grasping at Lusa. With nothing to grab onto, his fingers slipped against her wet skin and he fell. His head opened up before he hit the ground. Behind him, holding her rifle, Alana jutted her chin. Lusa hadn’t even heard it go off.

Lusa could practically see words begging to spill out of her mouth, but it was neither the time nor the place. Alana held her tongue and shook her head. Lusa ran to the tiny crumpled body on the floor.

“Caoimhe!” She rolled her over to examine her wounds. Nothing bled that she could see, but her eyes fluttered rapidly.

“She’s hurt, but she’ll be fine.” Alana pulled Lusa away. “She linked her Opti with mine, I’ve got her diagnostics.”

Lusa stood reluctant to leave her side. “Why are her eyes doing that?”

“Muscle spasm. It happens during a brain repair.” Alana looked over at the DocPod whirring away. “When can we go? She can’t stay here.”

Lusa turned back to the terminal.

MODEL 2: THAT WAS EXQUISITE. I’LL BE KEEPING THAT MEMORY.

“Can you stop being a creep for two seconds?” Lusa wrapped her arms around her waist, suddenly self-conscious. “When can we go?”

MODEL 2: YOU CANNOT. MORE ARE COMING.

“More are coming!” Lusa relayed. “Get Caoimhe out of here.”

“The lorry is destroyed.” Alana waved toward the doors. “Also, who the fuck is Caoimhe?”

“It’s a long story.” Lusa rushed over and scooped Caoimhe into her arms, moving her away from the doors. “Get her out of here.” She motioned for Alana to take her.

Alana curled her lip. “Your mothers would kill me if they found out I’d taken your girlfriend and run, leaving you and a computer to fend off a bunch of Styx in your underwear.”