Confrontation

The motorbike charges through the streets of the Dreaming Spires District on an intercept course with the SOPO escorts. From what The Voice had told me, in theory we had enough time to perform the interception, but it would be cutting things very close, especially if the escorts decided to fight back. That was the reason why The Voice had provided me with the gun I suppose.

"That gun you gave me back at the inclinator, no offence, but I don't think its very good." I comment. Its true, the weight and balance of the gun is all wrong. The Voice had made a pretty terrible choice in armament.

The Voice replies, "That is because the gun I spawned for you is in fact not very good, at least by conventional standards. That is a Menacer prototype revolver. SOPO's Justifier revolvers are based on an evolution of its design. The Menacer was abandoned because it weighed too much, had an awkward balance and its recoil snapped the wrists of several officers that tested it."

"Then why did you provide me with one instead of the good stuff?" I ask bewildered.

"The Menacer's shortcomings will not be an issue for you. Your powers will be able to compensate for its unwieldy nature. More importantly, unlike the Justifier, the Menacer can be loaded with T-Rex rounds, high powered bullets capable of inflicting injury on a mage. I felt the trade off more than worthwhile. Still, do not rely too much on it. The gun's stopping power is inferior to the shin gunto." The Voice explains.

Fair enough. We continue our way through the night streets in silence when suddenly an ear-splitting sonic boom tears through the air. Looking up, I see a squadron of jet fighters slash across the horizon. A few minutes after they disappear, a loud explosion resounds from the distance. I have a bad feeling about all of this.

"What in the world is going on?" I question.

The Voice takes a moment to answer, "The P5 aircraft carrier Narancha had launched a squadron of its fighters. That explosion you heard was the fighters bombing SOPO and RAU positions at Six Trees. The Council has been thrown into chaos and are going to make an emergency announcement soon."

What.

"That is not all," The Voice continues, "ORPO has taken advantage of SOPO's and RAU's preoccupation with the riot at Six Trees District and have seized control of the port at Welder's Bay. The P5 have docked several transports bearing arms and special forces troops. ORPO are currently rearming themselves in defiance of The Council and when ready, will march with the P5 special forces to occupy Six Trees."

What.

"The P5 have just released a statement saying that they are revoking The City's jurisdiction over Six Trees District and placing it under their interim administrative control. All SOPO and RAU officers active in Six Trees have been classed as invaders of P5 sovereign territory and ordered to disarm and stand down. The Narancha and its task force have been deployed to enforce the P5's decision while ORPO appear to have been co-opted into this scheme." The Voice concludes.

"What in blazes happened while we were in the sarcophagus?" I exclaim.

The Voice rumbles, "The riot had spread completely out of control and ORPO took the opportunity to present the evidence of the Council's collusion with the Host directly to the P5. The P5 seem to have come to the conclusion that the Council and SOPO are compromised and have decided to take matters into their own hands. A completely unexpected move. The Host and the Legion have been taken by surprise and have not had the time to formulate a response."

Another consequence of the riot that I had started. Events are really spiraling out of anyone's expectations at this point. What is happening now is probably a symptom of Fate losing control over the scenario. In the distance I see three SOPO cop cruisers driving through the streets in single file. That must be the escort that The Voice had been talking about.

'Draw alongside the lead vehicle," I instruct The Voice, "I'll get them to stop by the side of the road with this ORPO getup."

The Voice complies and the bike surges forward cops lights flashing and siren blaring towards the lead SOPO cruiser. As I am drawing abreast of it, I knock on the window and signal the driver to pull over. The driver speaks briefly with his partner and turns to nod at me. Just as I am about to give way for them to move to the side of the road, the cruiser abruptly swerves towards me in an attempted side swipe. The Voice controls the bike expertly, dodging the attack but we are nevertheless forced away from the convoy. The middle car of the convoy bolts forward at top speed with its siren blaring while the two remaining cars get into a side by side formation.

Damn. How did SOPO know? I had never attacked them before. Nothing for it now. The bike charges forward once more in chase of the vehicle getting away. The other two cars however begin taking turns alternately trying to run me over or block my path. The Voice tries to bull rush through the impediment, but its no use. The sustained assault is too much for The Voice to deal with. The motorbike is once again forced to retreat from the convoy without any result. The other cars on the road begin to slow, their drivers keeping away from us and watching the battle unfold before them.

"Transmigrator, we are losing time," The Voice rasps urgently, "deal with these officers so that we can resume pursuit."

I nod, drawing the revolver from its holster and activating the core. The motorbike makes another go at charging forwards again and one of the cop cruisers predictably swerves at me. I concentrate, taking aim at the driver with the revolver and pull the trigger. The revolver gives out a thunderous report and the shock of its recoil rolls up my arm. But with the core active, I easily keep the weapon steady and see the driver's side window of the cruiser shatter and the bullet impact against the driver's shoulder, spilling blood.

The cop cruiser begins to drift away from me as the driver instinctively tries to fall back, but I don't give the officers a chance to recover. I begin to fire the revolver into the vehicle's cabin, again and again and again. My second shot hits the driver's partner in the chest and she frantically tries to stop the bleeding, crying out in pain. The third shot smashes into the driver's throat and his head pitches forward, slamming into the steering wheel.

As the cruiser's horn screams in protest, sparks fly from its dashboard and the steering wheel on its own volition makes a hard swerve towards the other cop car. The Voice must have taken the opportunity to seize control of the cruiser now that the driver was dead. The hijacked car t-bones its erstwhile partner causing both cars to plow into the path of several on-coming vehicles. With a sickening crash, the cop cruisers are pile-drivered by the other vehicles into a building located on the side of the road, putting both cars out of commission.

I reload the revolver as the motorbike continues its chase.

....

"Nice team work back there. Tag-team action for the win." I congratulate, the wind blowing against my face.

The Voice rumbles, "Do not relax just yet. We are closing in on the final escort. Prepare yourself."

The motorbike makes a turn and I find myself approaching a large automated gate that has been left open. The Voice's doing no doubt. The motorbike passes through the gate without opposition and I see that the road leads to a squat, nondescript building. No signage anywhere regarding the building's purpose. The grounds comprise of just a simple garden and a parking lot. If I did not know that it was a lab, I would have probably taken it for an office complex or light industrial facility.

The cop car has been parked at the entrance of the building with one of the SOPO officers standing guard there. The other guy must have gone inside to make the delivery. Instead of stopping the bike, The Voice guns the engine and sends the bike rushing towards the surprised officer. Before the officer can react, the bike barrels into him at full tilt, sending him flying into the air, blood dripping from his mouth. The officer crashes into the building's doors, flinging them open. As The Voice brings the motorbike to a stop, I dismount drawing the revolver once again. I pause briefly to administer a bullet to the officer's head before running into the building.

"Up ahead." The Voice tersely informs me.

I hear it as well. The sound of footsteps ahead of me. I pick up the pace and break into a full run. And down the corridor I see the officer carrying the package, desperately jabbing at an intercom before a pair of double doors. The officer turns back and sees me, his face a rictus of utter terror. He now starts banging against the doors with his fist in addition to hammering away at the intercom. A loud buzz comes from the doors and they unlock. Relief washes over the officer's face and he pushes the doors open, darting inside.

But its too late. I level the gun at the officer and unload into his back while running towards him. The thunder of the revolver echoes throughout the building as the impact from the bullets sends the officer pitching forward. The officer sprawls into the room ahead and drops the package. A large pool of blood blossoms around his body as he breathes his last.

I step into the room and survey the sight. Before me and the bloody corpse is a simple, unadorned reception area with a group of people led by an old man with a hobo beard situated behind the receptionist's counter. Beside him is the pony-tailed woman that had stalked me back at Six Trees. Gathered around the duo is a pack of muscle led by a demon lady who is looking at me as if I am the scum of the earth. The old man steps forward to retrieve the package. In return I holster the empty revolver and draw my sword with an aggressive swing. The old man stops in his tracks, clearly having gotten the message.

The old man speaks to the pony-tailed woman, "Its a good thing I asked you to provide security as well, eh?"

The demon lady steps forward, addressing the duo, "Boss, Archmage, I'll deal with this. Retreat with the rest of the men to the security station."

Ponytail nods, replying, "Then we will leave this to you Master Chance. Bring us the item we spoke about once you are done."

The gaggle of people vacate the room, leaving behind only the demon lady and myself. She pops her knuckles and beckons me forward, claws growing out of her hands. Someone's feeling confident huh? From your nimbus I can tell that you are strong. But I have faced strong opponents before.

And now, I cannot back down. I will not back down. I assume the ready stance as silence falls between the two of us.

Its time to seize hope.

With both my bloodstained hands.