Past Tense

"Hey, driver, you miss the turn." Katsuo asks, turning to the large Russian behind the wheel.

...

"Hey, you cooked out or something?" he asks again after receiving no response, leaning forwards and dropping a hand on his shoulder. He turns the guy, but freezes when he sees the man's face. His eyes were completely bloodshot and bulging out of their sockets as data flashed through them. His hands were gripping the steering wheel hard enough to leave indentations, last but not least, he was visibly trembling as if trying to break free of bindings.

"Shit! What the fuck's this!?" Katsu exclaims, and Ishii pales when he sees it.

"He's getting hacked! We need to lea-"

*Clunk!*

All the locks of the door engage as he says that, the car's windows automatically blacking out, stopping anyone from seeing inside the car.

"What's happening!?"

"Katsu! This is your dad's car, you must have an idea!?"

Katsu clambers into the front seat and tries to stomp on the break, but the Russian driver pushes his face hard against the window, all as he drives under a bridge and turns into an abandoned Maglev tunnel.

"S-someone call the cops!" Katsuo grunts, trying to resist the bodyguard's grip, but even with his Strong Arms Cyberware he wouldn't budge.

"I-It won't work! Nothing's going out!" Ishii shouts as the others slam their fists into the windows, which were unfortunately bulletproof and far too strong to break.

"GGuuuharrghk!" Maxim, the driver shouts and slumps forward, releasing Katsuo as he holds his chest and breathes heavily. "W-we need to leave..."

"You back?" Katsuo tentatively asks.

Maxim nods and tries to start the car, only for the dashboard to explode into sparks, all the electronics dying and leaving the group in the pitch blackness of the abandoned tunnel.

...

"W-what do we do now...?"

Maxim turns on the emergency lights of the car and draws his pistol, he cocks it and the teenagers all shiver, realising what was happening. "Whatever happens, keep your heads-"

*CLAP!*

A spotlike suddenly activates, illuminating an area in front fo the tunnel, revealing a single figure. A huge black man with visible cybernetics, blonde hair, and a visor covering his eyes. "The doors're unlocked. Get the fuck out and onto the floor, if you don't want a lead lobotomy." he growls, pointing a large pistol at the car.

...

Maxim glances at the teens and chews the inside of his cheek, "They got scramblers active, someone will notice eventually. I'll try fight 'em off, but whatever you do, don't leave the car. Voz'mi?"

Katsuo nods while unconsciously gripping his fists. He'd never been in a full-on fight like this, and he didn't want to be either.

Maxim sighs, checking his gun one last time before storming out of the car. He kicks the door wide open and jumps out, only to pause midstep as a blur passes.

Katsuo and the others are shocked as Maxim's hand falls off, then his arm, then the rest of his body. As if struck by an invisible blending, he simply falls apart into large bloody segments. (Just imagine Raiden's blade mode from Metal Gear Revengeance)

"W-what the FUCK!?"

"Heh, nice job kid." the black man grins, causing Katsuo's heart to skip a beat.

He feels someone pulling at his sleeve and he turns, finding Ishii pointing at someone. "H-him... T-the fuck is h-he doing here?!"

A teen with spikey brown hair, brown eyes, and a yellow jacket was standing beside the car with a sword, looking sheepishly at the corpse of the bodyguard.

"M-Martinez!?"

"He's probably here for you Katsuo! J-Just-, just go out there!" Ishii cowers, attempting to throw his friend under the bus.

"The fuck did you just say!? You want me to throw me to the wolves just like that you traitor piece of shit!?" he angrily shouts, not noticing the expressions on his other friends' faces.

------------------

*Click!*

David blinks as the car's door is thrown open and Katsuo is tossed at his feet. "Long time no see, 'choom'."

"J-Just take him and leave us alone!" one of the other teenagers that'd thrown out Katsuo shouts before slamming the door of the car closed.

"F-fucking traitors..." Katsuo seethes before glancing at David, the blade, then at Maxim's corpse. He forces himself to his feet while inwardly preparing his combat chip, "S-so what's this then, Martinez? Come back for revenge of somethin'? Look, I'm sorry for what I said about your mom but-"

David's eyes turn cold and he steps forwards, "Don't you fuckin' talk about her." he growls, and Katsuo's mouth claps closed in fear.

"Chill out kid, job's almost done." Main states as he walks over, dropping a large hand on David's shoulder.

"I'm fine. Let's finish this." he neutrally responds, prompting Katsuo to step back, scared of what's going to happen to him.

The cars suddenly drive into the tunnel, all parking next to them. "Hey! You guys ready? We gotta move!" Pilar sticks his head out of one window.

[He's not wrong, someone'll notice the scrambler soon.] - Kiwi

Maine nods, "Alright," he grabs Katsuo by the head with one hand and lifts him off of the floor. Dragging him over and throwing him in the back of Pilar's car. "Get the rest of 'em out. We've got some deliveries to make."

David throws one last glance at Katsuo before the door shuts, quickly getting to work securing the others. Katsuo wasn't even the main target, the other kids were. Hopefully Faraday would be satisfied, they were missing a couple people who were supposed to be here too.

*Clack!*

"D-David! I swear I didn't do an-"

"Don't care, come quietly or I might accidentally cut something." he warns, pulling the teens outta the car one by one. They don't struggle of course, the corpse of Maxim was reminder enough of what fate awaited them if they did.